Outside of Urahara Shop - Shop Lot

"Yes, finally. Why he suddenly decided the ENTIRE shop needed cleaning, I have no idea," Yoruichi sighed in relief and leaned back, putting her arms behind her head. She smiled up at Kita. "You look more tired than I feel, though."

Yoruichi nodded and grinned. "Still though. Getting his Zanpakuto at six years of age. That's... unheard of. He's probably going to have Bankai before he's twenty. That... scares me. Especially with the kind of people out there that would kill for the kind of power he's blessed with. And with each time he gets stronger, I have to get stronger as well. I'm his mother and it's my duty to protect him. I won't let anyone touch him until he's strong enough to defend himself. Even after that happens, though, I'll still protect him."

She sat up and watched the two playing. Soji had now forced Kenji to the ground and was making him carry him on his back like a horse. Soji laughed and kicked his legs, holding on to parts of Kenji's hair like reins. Yoruichi laughed as Kenji started to look more exhausted than the two mothers put together.

"And then there's Sojiro. He just might turn out to be even more talented than Kenji. We'll have to look out for both of them collectively."

Yoruichi pulled her into an embrace, smoothing her hair back. "You're not intruding, Kita. You belong here. You always have, and always will. Don't feel like you have to move out. And what happened to you in Las Noches won't go away easily or quickly, but we're all here to help you. And if you moved out, if you did wake up screaming, wouldn't you be more scared waking up with no one else there to comfort you? It would be much scarier waking up alone in your parents house where they were killed than waking up here where you're surrounded by friends and family."

Yoruichi kissed the top of her head. "And while Ichimaru may not be with you, we're here to help you. You're not alone just because he's not here. I know that's how it was back then, but that's not true any more. When he's not here, we are. All of us. Even your friends in Soul Society. And while some would rather dig an early grave for Ichimaru, we all know what him being in a coma does to you. We're here to help you, Kita."

Yoruichi nodded in understanding. "But then, Vacanze is there for you too. I'm sure he can take whatever you can dish out. He cares about you too much to let you suffer or hurt yourself or your loved ones. He's strong enough for both of you during that time. And if you need to let things out through sparring, Vacanze would be the perfect person to let it out on physically. I know you don't like the sound of that, but he's an arrancar. He can take more beatings than any of us and live through it. I'm sure he still wants to continue to make amends for what things have happened there, especially to you. He would love the chance to help you in any way, no matter in what way."

Yoruichi pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "We need to find you a safe outlet too. Something that won't provoke bad memories. Something that has nothing to do with Aizen or Las Noches."

Yoruichi nodded, but then pinched Kita's arm. "Don't think like that. Sojiro is a symbol of your survival. If you hadn't survived all that, he wouldn't be here. Same goes for Karin. Her being here means she survived and became stronger. Everyone who was there that came back alive is a symbol of our survival. Especially you, who endured the worst of it. You faced everything Aizen threw at you and the rest of us and survived it all. With all your strength and courage, you beat Aizen and came back alive. Ichimaru, too. He may not be in good shape right now, but he's alive. He may be in a coma, but he's not dead. He will wake up. He just needs more time to truly come back from all of that."

She then pinched Kita again and narrowed her eyes at her. "And working yourself sick won't do anything either. Even if that's the only place that's safe for you, overworking yourself isn't the way to deal with this. You're strong and you have courage. You survived Aizen's games, so I know that you have the power to face your demons. These nightmares, the flashbacks, your fear, everything. None of those should compare to the real thing, the prolonged suffering via Aizen. If you can survive that, you can beat your demons. I know you can. We all know you can. So if there's nothing else that helps, face things head on. That's the only way things will get better. Face your fears, beat them, and come out on top."

Yoruichi nodded with a smile and turned to look at Kenji and Sojiro. "There were many times when I thought I wouldn't make it. When I found out I was pregnant, I was afraid. I almost didn't want to have him, not because I wasn't ready, but for his sake. I didn't want Aizen to get a hold of him. But Kisuke was there to talk me through it. He made plans. He prepared and prepared and even his backups had backups. He made damn sure that Aizen wouldn't find or get his hands on Kenji. Then, after he was born, I was even more scared because now he was in the world, ripe for Aizen's taking. For the longest time, I wouldn't leave the village, even when I had to. I would just hold him and watch him sleep. There were times I felt that no matter what we did, we couldn't protect him. Aizen would find him and tear him from us and we wouldn't be able to do anything. There were many nights where I couldn't sleep because if I did, all I saw was Kenji being taken from me and Kisuke."

She smiled and looked up at the sky. "Finally, I found a way to beat that fear. Whenever I felt afraid, I would hug Kenji. I would hold him until we both fell asleep. And when I held him, I realized that Aizen hadn't found him. He hadn't taken him away from us. He was still there with me. Remembering that he was there in my arms made me realize that we had succeeded so far, and it gave me hope." Yoruichi turned to smile at Kita. "Maybe the same will help you. Or at least something similar. Find something that gives you hope and brings the light back, and when the darkness pops up again, do that thing, whether it's hugging Soji or whatever else."