A/N: So, watching the anime again, it's occurred to me that only Karin calls Ichigo "Ichi-nii". Yuzu uses "Onii-chan". Oops. Since I've been using that nickname since Phases, I'm going to keep on using it for both twins. You can assume that Karin influenced her sister at some point in their lives XD.

Sleepyreader319, I think this is the first time someone has ever asked me for more of OCs in a story! I'm really glad you like Masa and Kohaku! I promise they're going to have a few scenes to themselves in this arc (including finally finding out what Kohaku's zanpakuto is. It's fun ^^).

Orihime-San, HitsuKarin coming right up! There were a lot of ByaYuzu scenes I needed to get out of the way in this arc (you'll see why in a few chapters), but I still do have a couple of HitsuKarin plans, and I think with this chapter, that makes all of the ByaYuzu scenes I had in mind. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. At all.

Chapter 21: Perception of strength

The sun was already high in the sky by the time Ichigo and the others made it to Inuzuri. They appeared out of nowhere, landing in the center of a street on the outskirts of town. Ichigo placed his hand on Zangetsu's hilt, looking around. There was something wrong about this place, that much was for sure. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something felt strange about the air.

"Ichigo," said Rukia, landing beside him.

Ichigo nodded, looking back at her. He turned around, waiting for Kohaku and Masaryu to arrive. They appeared out of the air one after another, kicking up plumes of dust as they landed on the street. He frowned, watching them. He would have liked to leave anyone else out of this if that was possible, but he knew better than to stop people from coming along when they had something they wanted to protect.

Masaryu straightened up immediately after landing, looking around. He frowned, studying the street. "This place…"

"Sheesh," said Kohaku from beside him, her hands on her hips. "It's worse than home."

"It's not that, Iwase," said Masa, looking back at her. "There's something else…"

"You feel it too?" asked Rukia, walking over to them. She glanced up at the sky. "There's some sort of barrier over the town. I can't sense nii-sama's reiatsu. Or anyone's, for that matter."

"So we're going in blind?" asked Kohaku, turning towards Rukia.

"Not necessarily," said Rukia, frowning at them. "I grew up in this district. I still know my way around. We have that, if nothing else."

Kohaku blinked, surprised. She looked around the district, then looked at Rukia as if seeing her in a different light. "Kuchiki-fukutaicho, you...?"

"Mm." Rukia nodded, turning around. Ichigo watched as she walked past him, staring down the street. "There is a market district not too far from here where people tend to congregate. If shinigami have been anywhere around here, they would certainly have been noticed. We should start there."

Ichigo nodded. "Lead the way," he said.

Rukia nodded as well, starting off down the street. Ichigo fell into step beside her, Masa and Kohaku bringing up the rear. He let Rukia lead, focusing his attention on the district. Like most of the lower districts, the buildings that surrounded them had seen better days, and the people that watched them from the sides of the street eyed them with distrust. This wasn't a friendly place for shinigami to lose themselves in. He thought of Yuzu alone out here and his blood boiled, his hand tightening around Zangetsu's hilt.

If anything had happened to his sister, he silently promised, there would be hell to pay.

Wait for me, Yuzu, he thought, raising his eyes to the street. I'm coming for you.

The four of them continued forward, disappearing into Inuzuri.

Yuzu pushed her hair out of her eyes with the back of her hand, scanning the street. The sun shone down brightly from overhead, reflecting against the puddles of water that had collected from last night's rainstorm and making a light that was almost blinding. She'd left the house early that morning to do some scouting while Byakuya was still asleep. The captain had been sleeping peacefully when she left, and despite the late hour, she couldn't bring herself to wake him. The past few weeks, Byakuya had been pulling late hours at the Sixth, not even counting yesterday's sleepless night.

She adjusted her shihakusho with one hand, the garment slightly stiff from last night's downpour. At least it was dry. Her cheeks colored slightly as she remembered the events of the night before, the conversation they had shared before falling asleep. She found herself smiling in spite of the situation, her hand falling back to her side.

Wouldn't it be nice to surprise Byakuya with breakfast when he woke? Actual breakfast, not those ration bars from the Twelfth. Her stomach growled at the thought, reminding her that she hadn't had anything else to eat in the past two days either. Mikado meowed from the ground beside her at the sound, rubbing his body against her ankle. Yuzu smiled, reaching down to scratch him behind the ears.

"Hai, hai," she said. "I haven't forgotten about you, Mikado-san."

Mikado mewed appreciatively, leaning his head into her hand. Some food would be good for all of them, she thought as she straightened up, wiping her hand on the front of her robes.

"Oi, onee-san!"

Something moved out of the corner of her eye. Yuzu turned, her breath catching in her throat, but relaxed when she saw that it was only the boy from yesterday, the one that had taken her ration bar. He was a scrawny child, barefoot with messy brown hair, and dressed in a plain yukata that had seen better days. His eyes were a dark blue.

"You're the one from yesterday," she said.

He flushed, then scowled, his eyes narrowing as he stepped forward. Before Yuzu could say anything else, he grabbed her hand, pulling at her as he started walking down the street. "Come with me," he said.

"Eh?" Yuzu blinked, taking a few steps forward. "Wait, where are we going?"

"Mou, whatever! Just come with me!" said the boy, shaking his head. He picked up the pace, stomping through the street, and Yuzu quickly changed her own stride to catch up.

The boy walked with single-minded purpose, not looking back at her as they rounded one street corner, then another. They moved through the streets, the crowd generally parting to let them pass with a glance at Yuzu's shihakusho. The boy continued on, heedless of the rest of the crowd and their stares, until they had reached a portion of the city that Yuzu hadn't explored before. Then, he stopped, releasing her hand.

"Here," he said, gesturing at the street in front of him. "Now, we're even."

"This is…" Yuzu stepped forward, her eyes wide as she studied the street. The area was small, nothing more than a few stalls, with a handful of people buying and selling goods, but the goods they were trading were nothing like anything she'd seen in Inuzuri so far. They were selling food. Real food. And while the selection wasn't as grand as it might have been in Seireitei or in the first few districts of Rukongai, it was still better than anything else they'd seen so far.

"…a market," she finished, looking back at the boy. She smiled brightly. "This is perfect! Thank you so much!"

The boy flushed a bright red, folding his arms and looking away from her as she hurried towards one of the stalls. "Tch," he said.

Byakuya awoke to the sound of humming. He lay there for a few moments, studying the light that filtered in from under the door hanging. It was bright, much brighter than he would have expected. Had he slept in that late? Why had Yuzu not woken him?

The humming continued, coming from the other side of the curtain. Byakuya sat up, pushing the rough blankets off of himself. He was dressed in his shitagi, having taken the white garment down from the line in the night, but as he sat up, he realized that the rest of his shihakusho and his haori had been folded neatly and laid out next to his bed, along with his scarf and the silver kenseikan. He stood up, slightly stiff from sleeping on the ground, and quickly dressed, leaving the kenseikan where they were. Once the rest of his uniform was in place, he walked over to the curtain, clearing his throat.

"Kurosaki, are you decent?" he asked.

There was a pause in the humming, followed by his vice-captain's voice. "What? Oh—yes, taicho, come in."

Byakuya pushed aside the curtain, stepping into the other half of the house. He paused, studying the scene in front of him. Yuzu sat on her heels in front of the fire, scooping rice into a pair of bowls. Beside her, small portions of egg, fish, and soup were already laid out on small plates. A few feet away from her, Mikado picked at a pair of fish laid out in a wooden bowl.

"Good morning, taicho," said Yuzu, smiling. "Breakfast is almost ready, and there's tea in the pot on the fire if you want some."

He didn't move, his eyes flicking back down towards the plates. "Where did you get food, Kurosaki?" he asked.

"I found a market," said Yuzu, seeming pleased with herself. "Not too far from here. That boy from yesterday showed it to me."

"A market?" asked Byakuya. "You went out onto the streets?"

"I was up for a while, and I didn't want to wake you," said Yuzu. "I thought it would be a nice surprise." She finished with the rice, sitting back on her heels, and gestured at one of the plates. "Please, help yourself."

Byakuya stepped forward, dropping down into seiza. He picked up the offered plate with one hand, lifting a pair of chopsticks with the other. As Yuzu reached for her own plate, he found himself watching her. "I wasn't aware that you cooked, Kurosaki."

"I used to cook for my family," said Yuzu. "I still cook dinner for the Division sometimes, but I haven't had much time to do that lately." She smiled, picking up her own chopsticks. "Itadakimasu."

Byakuya echoed the phrase, taking a bite of food. He paused, his movements stilling for half a moment as he tasted the food. Yuzu watched him with some slight concern.

"Is it okay?" she asked, noticing his expression.

"It is acceptable," he said to save face, consciously making sure to slow down as he took another bite. Yuzu watched him for a moment, then smiled as if she understood what he had not said, the gesture brightening her whole expression. She started on her own meal, and he appreciated the fact that she didn't comment when he cleaned his plate and held it out to her again.

"I also made some lunch for later," said Yuzu, glancing at a pair of boxes wrapped in cloth that stood next to their traveling packs. She finished refilling his plate, handing it back to him. "I didn't buy much, but now that we know where the market is, I can always get more. There's a recipe for curry that I was thinking of making for dinner, if we're still here. Rukia-nee liked it, back in the living world."

Byakuya frowned at the words, pausing in the middle of raising his chopsticks to his mouth. "You have cooked for my sister?" he asked.

"Um, yes," said Yuzu, turning towards him. "Although, I didn't know she was your sister at the time. She lived in our house for a while when I was younger."

"If you are referring to Rukia's first stay in the living world, that was over twenty years ago," said Byakuya. "You could not have been more than a child."

"I've been cooking for my family for a long time, taicho," said Yuzu, looking away from him and beginning to stack the rest of the plates. "Almost ever since my mother died." She was still smiling, but it wasn't the same bright smile as earlier. It was a more somber smile, the sort she hid behind when she didn't want to show that she was troubled.

He was surprised by the fact that he was learning to tell the difference.

Byakuya considered her answer as he ate, watching her. Yuzu began cleaning up, not quite looking at him.

"Was there no one else to do those tasks?" he found himself asking.

"Ah, well," Yuzu sat back again, self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The somber smile remained on her face, her expression growing distant. "It wasn't that the others didn't try. My dad tried for a while, to cook for us and do all those things, but there was only so much he could do. Dad, and Karin-chan, and Ichi-nii…they were all so sad, but they tried so hard to be strong for each other. I couldn't be strong like that, so I decided to help in other ways."

She reached for the plates again, continuing to clean. Byakuya paused in his meal, watching as she set out a pair of cups, reaching for the pot of tea. Until she turned back towards him, he hadn't realized that he had been staring. He looked back at his plate as she poured the tea, hoping that she hadn't noticed as he picked up another piece of food with his chopsticks.

"You have…a very skewed perception of strength, Kurosaki."

"Taicho?" asked Yuzu, confused.

"Iie. It's nothing," said Byakuya, taking a bite. "We should leave soon," he continued, once he had swallowed. "We have already wasted most of the morning."

Yuzu nodded. "I'll put the dishes aside for now," she said. "I'll wash them later, if we are still here."

"That will be acceptable," said Byakuya, as he finished with his meal. He set the plate down, putting the chopsticks neatly on top of it. He started to get to his feet.

Yuzu turned towards him, watching him with surprise. "Taicho, you're not—?" She cut herself off, looking away. Byakuya frowned at her.

"Not what, Kurosaki?" he asked.

"Um, well…" Yuzu gestured vaguely at her own head. "The kenseikan. You're not going to wear them today?"

Byakuya glanced back at the silver hair-pieces, lying on a piece of cloth behind him. His frown deepened. "They are difficult to wear without the aid of a mirror."

"I see," said Yuzu. She lowered her eyes to her lap, her fingers curling in the fabric of her hakama. "I—uh—do you—well, that is—." Her face flushed, and she took a deep breath. "—would you like me to help you with that, taicho?"

Byakuya stared at her in surprise, his eyes widening just a fraction. Yuzu turned her face farther away from him, her blush deepening. She said nothing, waiting. After a few moments, Byakuya slowly lowered himself back into seiza. "If you wish, Kurosaki," he said.

"Um…okay," said Yuzu, uncertainly, getting to her feet. Byakuya sat still, listening as she moved behind him, picking the kenseikan up from the cloth. He kept his eyes straight ahead of him as he felt her presence at his back, followed by the first tentative touch of her fingertips to his hair. She took a breath, and then began combing through his hair with her fingers, teasing out the knots as gently as she could manage. He let his mind wander as she worked, running her fingers through his hair a few times to make sure the knots were untangled before setting apart a lock of hair for the first kenseikan. She twisted it between her fingers, tugging it against the side of his head.

"Sorry, taicho," she said, as she clipped the first kenseikan on. "Is this okay?"

"…Is this okay, Byakuya-sama?"

Byakuya's eyes widened at the memory, and he sat up straighter. Yuzu froze at his sudden change in posture, her fingers stilling in his hair.

"Taicho?" she asked, uncertainly.

He slowly exhaled, forcing himself to relax. Byakuya didn't look back at her, keeping his eyes fixed on the wall in front of him. His attention was suddenly strangely focused on her presence, the nearness of her and her hands in his hair. He banished the thought, his expression becoming impassive again.

"It is nothing, Kurosaki," he said. "Please continue."

"Hai, taicho," said Yuzu, reaching for the second kenseikan.

Ichigo stood in the center of the street, his arms folded as he kept his eyes on their surroundings. He watched as Rukia finished talking with an old man, walking back to him. "Well?" he asked, as she reached him.

"There were shinigami in the district, and apparently there was some kind of battle the other day," said Rukia. "He doesn't know what happened after that. But nii-sama's been seen walking around, along with a shinigami matching Yuzu's description."

Ichigo relaxed somewhat, letting out the breath she was holding. If Yuzu was with Byakuya, then she was probably safe for the moment, and they wouldn't be too hard to find. Byakuya didn't exactly blend in. Still, hearing about the battle troubled him, especially considering what he and Byakuya had discussed. And there was still the fact that six shinigami had gone missing, not just two.

"What about the others?" he asked Rukia. She shook her head.

"He doesn't know," she said, glancing back at the old man. He was looking away from them now, avoiding their gaze as he continued on with his business. Rukia frowned, looking back at him. "There's something else, Ichigo. He described one of their opponents as someone dressed like a shinigami, but wearing white instead of black. A woman, with red hair."

"Catalina," said Ichigo, his eyes narrowing.

Rukia nodded. "It has to be." Her eyes moved upward, focusing on the sky. Her left hand gripped the sheath of her zanpakuto, her right clenching into a fist at her side. "I don't like this, Ichigo," she said. "Something is wrong here."

Ichigo frowned, opening his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by the arrival of Masa and Kohaku. The two of them walked up to Ichigo and Rukia, the two of them talking loudly with each other.

"…I don't understand why they can't just give me a straight answer," said Masaryu, looking sullen. "It's not as if I'm asking difficult questions."

"It's because everything about you screams noble," said Kohaku, rolling her eyes. "Masa, if I was still living in the districts, I wouldn't answer you either."

"What about me indicates nobility?" asked Masaryu, placing a hand on his chest. "I'm wearing the same uniform as everyone else."

Kohaku folded her arms, letting out a long sigh. "Do you even listen to yourself?" she asked. "You're a hopeless case."

Masa frowned at her. "You are making no sense, Iwase," he said.

"Hai, hai," said Kohaku, reaching out and patting him on the head. "There, there, Masa-chan. Don't worry. I'll make it all better."

Masaryu twitched, giving her a flat look. "Oi, Iwase," he said. "Masa-chan is going a little too far."

Rukia cleared her throat, interrupting them. The two of them immediately sprang apart, Masaryu's face flushed as they looked away from each other.

"So?" asked Rukia. "Have you found anything?"

"I have," said Kohaku, looking up. Unlike Masa, who just looked embarrassed, she was grinning. "A group of kids back there said they saw four shinigami wandering around the streets, but they're trying to stay hidden. I also heard that they saw some people that looked like Kuchiki-taicho and Yuzu-chan."

"See if you can find out where they were last seen," said Rukia, glancing back up the street. "It will help us find them."

"Yes, ma'am," said Kohaku, smiling. She turned around, grabbing Masaryu by the wrist. "Come on, Masa-chan," she said. "I'll show you the proper way to talk with people in Lower Rukongai."

"Iwase—," said Masaryu, trying to pull his hand from her grip as he was dragged along. "—you could at least just use my name!"

"Let's not waste time arguing, Masachin! Yuzu-chan is in danger! Although…if that's the situation…she might not want to be found…"

"What are you saying, Iwase?" asked Masaryu, his eyes narrowing as Kohaku continued to drag them away. "…And Masachin is even worse."

"Nothing, nothing," said Kohaku, their voices fading into the distance as they disappeared into the crowd. "Just hurry up and come with me already, Masa-pyon!"

"Iwase! You are going too far! I am the heir to the Ankoujin Clan, and you will address me with respect—!"

Ichigo stared after them, droplets of sweat forming on the back of his head. Beside him, Rukia watched them go as well, the same stricken expression on her face.

"Well, at least they're enthusiastic," she said.

"Enthusiastic is one way of putting it," said Ichigo. He stared at the street for a moment more, then turned towards Rukia, his expression growing serious. If the situation was as bad as he thought it was, he couldn't keep Rukia in the dark. Sooner or later, she'd have to know. "Oi, Rukia," he said, making her look up.

"What is it, Ichigo?" she asked.

"There's something I need to tell you, about what's going on here," he said. "Something Byakuya and I talked about, the other day."

Rukia frowned, her expression growing serious as well. "Something…you and nii-sama…?"

"Yeah." He glanced back at the street that Kohaku and Masaryu had disappeared down, then looked back at Rukia. "It's a little crowded here," he said. "Let's go somewhere else."

Rukia nodded, scanning the street as well. She tugged at his arm, pulling him towards an empty alley.

"Here," she said. "Follow me."

Seireitei's main Senkaimon opened, admitting a jigokucho and a single breathless shinigami. Kurosaki Karin darted through the gate, one hand closed around Ongetsu's scabbard. She came to a sudden stop as the gate guards turned towards her, dropping their staves to block her path.

"Identify yourself," one of them said.

"Kurosaki Karin," said Karin, pausing to catch her breath. "Fourth Seat of the Eleventh Division. Let me through."

The guard frowned. "We received no authorization for the opening of a Senkaimon," he said. "You will have to wait here until we can get confirmation."

"What?" asked Karin, glancing from one to another. "I don't have time for that! Just let me through!"

"Calm down, please," said the second guard, reaching for her.

Karin whirled towards him, swinging her fist. The guard jumped back, the other guards that surrounded her immediately reaching for their own weapons. "Like hell!" Karin shouted, her eyes wide. "I told you! I don't have time for that, now let me through!"

The first guard scowled at her, gripping his staff tightly in both hands. "I will not," he said. "In situations like this, we must follow protocol."

Karin snarled, reaching for her zanpakuto. Her reiatsu flared up around her, a blue wave. All around her, the guards immediately jumped back, raising their weapons.

"My sister is in danger!" said Karin, as they surrounded her. "Who the fuck cares about protocol?!"

"Fourth Seat Kurosaki," said the first guard. "If you do not stop, we will have to…"

"Let her through," said a calm voice, cutting the guard off. "I accept full responsibility."

A wave of muttering ran through the rest of the guards. Karin caught the words 'Hitsugaya-taicho' muttered once or twice. She exhaled, the wave of reiatsu around her tapering off as she removed her hand from her sword. She looked up.

Hitsugaya Toshiro stood in front of the gate, his expression stern as he watched her. At the first guard's reluctant nod, the guards around her stepped aside, giving her a clear path into Seireitei.

"Toshiro…" she said, turning to face him.

Toshiro's eyes moved from her to the guards behind her. He sighed.

"Welcome back," he said, "Karin."

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake

"We will attempt to search the northwestern quadrant of Inuzuri today," said Byakuya, drawing on the house's dirt floor with a stick. Yuzu nodded and leaned closer, peering at the drawing. The two of them were crouched near the firepit, the dishes from their meal stacked up beside them. Mikado huddled close to them as well, the cat poking its head into the huddle.

"If anything should happen, we can expect at least three hostiles," said Byakuya. "Kiyomizu Hanako, Catalina Falza, and Kiyomizu's subordinate Yuichi. Should that occur, it would probably be beneficial to engage the enemy together. Your zanpakuto's illusionary capabilities will provide excellent defense, while Senbonzakura allows for long-range offense."

"Mm," said Yuzu, nodding as he glanced at her.

Byakuya scratched a few more lines into the dirt. "You will, of course, need to signal me when your Shinkyo is activated. Therefore, should battle occur, it is best that you stay close."

Yuzu nodded again.

Byakuya sat back on his heels, setting down the stick. "Is that clear?" he asked.

"Perfectly, taicho," said Yuzu, nodding.

"No questions then, Kurosaki?"

"Just one, taicho."

"And what is that?"

Yuzu glanced down at the drawing, a collection of lines in the dirt. "So…the hostiles are represented by the bears, and we are the Seaweed Ambassador?"

"I would have thought that would have been obvious, Kurosaki."

"Just making sure, taicho."