A/N: Here is the last chapter of Phases of the Moon. It's been a wild ride, and I'm really grateful to everyone who carried me through. This one's dedicated to all of you! Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks again!
And yes, to all the helpful reviewers, I did mean shogi. Thanks.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. At all.
Chapter 38: Full circle
The captain of the Fifth Division tugged on his sleeveless white haori, glancing at the clock. He had about an hour before the graduation, plenty of time to get dressed, get there, and wish his sisters luck before he had to get up on stage and play the part of a captain. Hinamori was already opening up rooms for the two new seated officers the Fifth would get. A lot of the seated officer quarters had gone unused after the Winter War, but it looked like they were finally getting things back to normal.
Well…a normal that had Ichigo at its head. Which wasn't really a normal at all.
He glanced once at the mirror to make sure that there wasn't anything glaringly obvious that he had to deal with, then remembered he had left some paperwork in his office. He could pass it to Yamamoto or Sasakibe at the graduation. One or the other was always there, even though the First Division very rarely took seated officers straight out of the Academy.
He frowned, opening the sliding door to his office and making his way to his desk. As he opened his desk drawer in search of the papers, he froze, his eyes narrowing as he felt a familiar reiatsu coming from behind him.
"Yo, Kurosaki Ichigo."
His fingers closed tightly around the papers and he straightened up, placing them on the desk and looking behind him. Grimmjow sat curled up in the windowsill, the window open behind him. He held his zanpakuto close to himself, a grin on his face.
"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Ichigo.
"Play nice," said Grimmjow, giving him a grin that bared his teeth. "The little brat wants me to give you a message."
"Nel sent you here?" Of all the Arrancar Nel could send, it had to be Grimmjow. In Soul Society.
"She's a little tied up," said Grimmjow with a shrug. He glanced around him, as if considering the room they were in. "So this was that bastard's office, huh?"
"It's not Aizen's office," said Ichigo hotly, folding his arms. "It's mine and I still want to know why there's an Espada in it."
"I said it, didn't I?" asked Grimmjow. "I've got a message."
"So give it to me."
"Nel, Harribel, and I checked out this place in Hueco Mundo, where we had been getting strange reiatsu signatures. You know after all these years, Szayel's old computers still work like a charm? Anyway, we got there, and we found evidence that Arrancar had been living there. But the place was deserted. No sign of them."
Ichigo frowned. That wasn't good…
"You know where they went?" he asked, leaning against his desk and thinking about it.
Grimmjow shook his head. "We looked, but we can't find them. No funny reiatsu blips either." He shrugged. "We'll keep an eye out, but they're pretty much gone, as far as we know."
"I don't like it," said Ichigo.
"Smells like a rat," agreed the Arrancar, nodding. "Lot like the same rat that used to sit at that desk."
"Aizen's underground," said Ichigo. "Way underground. He won't be coming out for a long time."
Grimmjow snorted. "If you think being in prison can stop him, we're not thinking of the same guy. You know how his mind works."
"Aa…" said Ichigo quietly. "I do…"
A knock came at the door. "Taicho?" asked Hinamori. "You're going to be late for the graduation."
"One sec, Hinamori," said Ichigo with a frown, turning towards it. "I'll be there in a minute."
He glanced back at the window towards Grimmjow, but the Espada was gone.
Ichigo stood on the graduation stage between Byakuya and Unohana, the twelve captains and one vice-captain forming a loose half-circle. He had been to five of these events since becoming a captain, and thought that he was getting used to them by now, but this one was different. This was special.
He could see his sisters in the audience, standing with the rest of the officer class. They were dressed in their black shihakushos for the first time, their zanpakutos belted to their waists. He caught sight of Karin adjusting her robe when she thought nobody was looking, and of Yuzu self-consciously tugging at her clothes, but they looked like shinigami now.
They were shinigami now, and he was proud of them. A little worried—they would be seated officers right after graduation—but still proud.
He looked over into the audience at Isshin's grinning face, sighing and rolling his eyes as Isshin pulled a huge camera seemingly out of nowhere.
They did good, old man...he thought to himself, shaking his head slightly as Onabara-sensei rose to his feet and walked over to the podium.
"Now presenting," he said. "The graduating officer class."
The rank-and-file had graduated earlier. Captains were not required to be present at that graduation. But they had to be here for this one, to officially recognize their new officers. He took a deep breath, waiting for Onabara-sensei to start reading names, Divisions, and seat assignments.
"Aikawa Satoshi," he read. "…Seventh Division, twentieth seat."
A young shinigami with glasses stepped up on the stage, walking over to Komamura and bowing deeply. Komamura bowed back, not as deeply, and the crowd applauded as Aikawa made his way to his seat.
"Ankoujin Masaryu," read Onabara-sensei. "…Fifth Division, twentieth seat."
Some of the captains turned their heads to look at him, the crowd falling silent for a moment. Ichigo grinned, watching as Masa solemnly made his way up the stage, coming to stand in front of him. He could still remember the conversation he and Masa had had, the night of the coming of age ceremony. He had been standing outside looking over his tiles, thinking about all of the high ranks he had been offered—ranks as high as sixteenth seat for some Divisions, when Ichigo had offered him a Fifth Division tile.
"…Are you doing this because you feel like you have to be responsible for me?" he had asked.
"No. I'm doing this so I can give you a choice. You can use your name and take those high ranks, or you can join the Fifth and work your way from the ground up yourself."
Masa reached him, bowing politely. Instead of bowing back, Ichigo put his hand on Masa's shoulder, causing him to look up.
Ichigo grinned at his cousin. Masa stared at him for a moment, before smiling back. They clasped hands briefly, and Masa made his way back to his seat.
"Iwase Kohaku," Onabara read after a few more students had taken their place. "Third Division, twentieth seat."
Kohaku rose to her feet, offering Renji a polite bow and a grin. Renji responded with a bow of his own, and the two of them nodded at each other as Kohaku made her way back to her seat. In the audience, Ichigo saw Yuzu clapping the hardest. He held his breath. They were almost to the 'ku''s now.
"Kurosaki Karin…" read Onabara-sensei, after what felt like forever.
"Eleventh Division, twentieth seat."
Ichigo sighed, watching as Karin made her way up the stage. He gave her a look as she passed him, raising an eyebrow. He had been hoping for something different, but really, now that he thought about it, it did kind of fit. He watched with a frown as she and Toshiro exchanged a glance that had a hidden meaning behind it, before stopping in front of Kenpachi.
Karin bowed slightly. Kenpachi for the most part just stared and grinned.
"Ready to go at it?" he asked.
Karin shrugged. "Not afraid," she said.
Yachiru poked her head out from over Kenpachi's shoulder, giggling.
"Yay!" she said. "Ka-chan's joining us! See you later, Ka-chan!"
Karin nodded, making her way back down the other side of the stage. Onabara waited until she was gone before reading the next name.
"Kurosaki Yuzu…" he began.
Ichigo stared at his other sister, waiting with bated breath.
"…Sixth Division," Onabara-sensei finished. "Twentieth seat."
Ichigo's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He whirled around, facing Byakuya. Wait—when?—how?—But—Byakuya wasn't even at the ceremony!
The Sixth Division captain said nothing in response to Ichigo's reaction. He simply had his eyes closed for a moment, his usual cool expression on his face. Yuzu came up the stage and passed Ichigo, giving her brother a small, hidden smile before coming to stand in front of Byakuya. The officer's class went quiet. Behind them, Ichigo saw Masa and Karin staring in open shock with wide eyes, and Kohaku grinning like a maniac.
Yuzu placed her hands at her sides, bowing formally in front of Byakuya.
"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," she said, a smile on her face. Please take care of me.
Byakuya leaned forward slightly, a higher bow than Yuzu's.
"Work hard," he said in response.
The two of them straightened up, and Yuzu smiled, walking back to her seat.
"Oi," said Ichigo once the ceremony was over. He frowned at his youngest sister, the two of them walking outside together. "You sure about that?" He jerked his thumb in the direction of the graduation hall.
Yuzu smiled. "Hai, Ichi-nii," she said, nodding.
Ichigo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Alright. You'll be next door. Yell or something if he's being too harsh. I'll sort things out."
Yuzu's smile widened. "I will," she promised.
The two of them stopped as they rounded the corner, staring at their family. Isshin was obviously trying to get everyone to pose for a picture, but Karin and Masaryu stood around, staring off in different directions and scowling. Clearly they had both just gotten into some sort of argument. Karin had her arms folded and was looking somewhere in the distance, and Masaryu was rolling his eyes.
"Come on…" said Isshin, frowning and holding up the camera. "Say cheese! Come on, Karin-chan! Masa-kun!"
Yuzu grinned, running off from Ichigo's side. She got in behind them, looping one of her arms through Karin's and the other one through Masaryu's. She smiled up at the camera just as Isshin took the picture.
It was a picture of Karin and Masaryu, both with varying degrees of shock on their faces as they turned towards Yuzu, stumbling back somewhat. Yuzu stood between them, a wide grin on her face as she pulled them close together. In the background stood Ichigo, staring at them with a surprised look on his face. And just at the corner of the picture, Isshin's fingertip.
All in all, he decided, it was the perfect representation of their family.
Ten years later…
"Ka-chan! Play with me!"
Kurosaki Karin took off at a run, jumping out of the way as a young pink-haired girl landed on the ground behind her, pink reiatsu trailing behind her. Kusajishi Yachiru had grown in the past two decades, and now sported a pair of pink pigtails, tied back by hair clips with skull and crossbone shapes on them. Her zanpakuto's blade flashed through the air, and Karin pulled her arm back just in time to avoid getting cut, a line appearing in the fabric of her dark shihakusho.
"No!" she shouted as she jumped again, Yachiru's reiatsu causing the roofing tiles to splinter and crack. "For the last time! I AM NOT PLAYING WITH YOU!"
"KA-CHAN!" whined Yachiru, continuing to chase her.
Karin took a deep breath, landing on the roof of the nearest wall and flash stepping into the Sixth Division. Yachiru followed quickly behind her, a grin on her face as Karin tore through one of the windows, glass shattering behind her.
"Eh?" asked the room's only occupant, looking up at the glass with a confused expression on her face. Karin quickly jumped up, grabbing Yuzu by the shoulders and pointing her in the direction of the window as she crouched behind her twin.
"Ka-Karin-chan?" asked Yuzu, glancing behind her. "What's going on?"
"J-Just cover me for a minute, will you?" asked Karin, breathing hard. "The fukutaicho's being a brat."
As if in response, Yachiru landed on the floor, a grin on her face as she turned towards Yuzu, one hand on her unsheathed zanpakuto. "Hello, Yu-chan!" she said. "Will you play with me?"
Yuzu gave Yachiru an apologetic smile. "I would," she lied. "But I have a lot of work to do today."
"Oh…" Yachiru pouted, then smiled again, clasping her hands behind her back happily. "Byakkun works you too hard. He should give you a break! Ne, make Ka-chan play with me!"
"I don't think Karin-chan wants to play…" said Yuzu with a frown, glancing back at her twin. Karin shook her head fiercely. "Maybe Yachiru-chan should find someone else?"
Yachiru frowned, holding up one finger. "Ken-chan is at a captain's meeting," she said. She held up a second finger. "Two is me." A third. "Pachinko ball's off drinking…" A fourth finger. "So four is next. That means Ka-chan needs to play! That's how seats work!"
"That's not how seats work!" said the Eleventh Division's fourth seat, still standing behind Yuzu.
"It is when I say so!" said Yachiru, grinning. "I'm the vice-captain. I can do whatever I want besides what Ken-chan says I can't do. Right, Yu-chan?"
"Um…she does have a point there, Karin-chan…"
"Who's side are you on?"
"Shut up," said a voice from the window. Ankoujin Masaryu, third seat of the Fifth Division, frowned, folding his arms and glaring at them. "We can hear you all the way from next door."
Yachiru's eyes widened in delight. "Ah!" she said, pointing. "It's Masa-Masa!"
Masaryu blinked, pointing at himself. "Masa-Masa?" he mouthed, as Yachiru turned away, obviously interested in something else. Yuzu gave Masaryu an apologetic smile, shrugging in response.
The sliding door at the front of the division slid open. The group of four, including Yachiru, all stopped, falling silent as they turned towards it. Yachiru grinned brightly. "Byakkun!" she exclaimed, then pointed towards Yuzu. "You need to give Yu-chan a break, so she can play with me!"
Byakuya's eyes drifted over to Yuzu for a moment, a questioning frown on his face. Yuzu shook her head almost imperceptibly, her eyes wide. The Sixth Division captain turned away. "She has many important duties to perform," he said.
"Aw…" said Yachiru, pouting and folding her arms. Yuzu let out a sigh of relief.
His eyes passed over the assembled group, as if deciding whether or not it would be worth his time to kick them out. Apparently, he decided it wasn't, because his eyes landed on Yuzu again.
"Kurosaki, report," he said, walking down the hallway to his office.
"Hai, taicho!" said Yuzu with a smile, following him and leaving Karin, Yachiru, and Masa alone. As she left, she could hear the shouting start again.
"Play with me now!"
"I said no!"
"Why not?" asked Yachiru. "Give me a reason!"
There was a long pause, and then Karin sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I've got a date, alright?" she asked.
"Oh…" said Yachiru, realization dawning on her face. "With Shiro-chan, right? Okay…we can play later. I'll go after Yun-Yun. Bye bye, Byakkun! Yu-chan!"
Yuzu smiled, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning forward as she walked next to Byakuya, beginning her usual report on the status of the Division.
As she passed by the window, the light gleamed off of the fukutaicho armband resting on her right arm, the Sixth Division camellia etched underneath the Division symbol.
THE END
Ending Song: To go with the whole anime theme, the ending song for Phases is Yasashisa no Riyuu by Choucho. (It's the opening song for Hyouka, and the English translation can be found on or by a quick Google search. Listen to the full song if you can, and read the English lyrics. The full song can be found on YouTube, at least at the time of posting.)
Yes, the lyrics reflect my interpretation of HitsuKarin in this story. No, I don't own it. (disclaimer) Thanks for all your support!
A/N: Yachiru chases Karin around like Zaraki chases Ichigo. Who would have thought? XD Also, Karin being fourth seat was just something I wanted to play around with. Yumichika doesn't like four because four means death and so is an 'ugly' number. Karin has dark hair, dark eyes, a dark robe, a darkness-themed zanpakuto, and a scythe. Perfect.