The sky was a beautiful pink rose, with clouds bumping into one another like people about to start chatting. A light breeze made the grass and flowers bob back and forth, tossing up petals and dandelion fluff that went drifting around for him to chase.

Shotoku loved dreams.

The boy bent down and started walking on his hands. He could do it no problem. At home he always fell over, but here, that never happened. It's what made dreams the best.

A knocking sound started. Without question the eager child started up and raced to find out where it might be coming from. He passed more beautiful flowers in this wide open field, and as he ran, Shotoku noticed something odd. It hadn't dawned on him in the beginning, but now that he looked more carefully, the flowers weren't real. They were like drawings in one of his books; flat, with fat black edges and only color inside. Actually, everything here looked that way. Was this a storybook?

The noise caught his attention once more. It reminded him of shishi-odoshi, that hollow *tock* sound that let you know it was full and about to empty itself. But it happened so quick! *Tock-tock-tock!* There must be lots of them! He ran faster, in a hurry to see this!

All of a sudden the boy found he was running up a hill. When he got to the top, there was no water fountain. Just a little white rabbit.

*Tock*

"What are you doing?"

In response the rabbit stood back on its hind legs and looked at him.

"Making mochi," it replied. Then it went back to work. *Tock*

Shotoku saw that was indeed what the tiny creature was up to. It had a wooden mallet with which it pounded the sweet rice paste in a large mortar. *Tock* With every hit the bowl swiveled and the rabbit pulled its sticky mallet back for another strike. *Tock* And repeat. Like a clock going round and round, counting time.

Kujaku sat and watched, hypnotized.

*Tock*

"Can I try?"

At this the bunny once more propped the hammer on its small shoulder and turned to regard him, setting its free paw on its waist and adopting a very proud stance (for a rabbit, at least). "It's not ready," the critter told him. Long ears then cocked to one side, pink nose twitching. "Or did you mean you want to swing my mallet?"

The boy nodded.

The rabbit seemed to consider this. At last it gave a shake of its head.

"Nope!"

And it went right back to work. *Tock*

About this time, Shotoku realized that night had fallen. The stars were out. Everything had become very soft-looking. But still drawn. The bunny's white fur gleamed under the moonlight. He spotted a large patch of black on its hind leg, and for just a moment, Shotoku felt afraid that it was looking at him. Like it was an eye. A big black hole of an eye that wanted to gobble him up as if he were mochi. To get away from it, he looked up at the moon. And that was when he spotted another important sight.

The moon! It was big and full, but it didn't have anything on it. There was no picture! Could that mean…?

"Are you the Rabbit in the Moon?!" Shotoku demanded eagerly.

*Tock* Once more the long-eared critter cocked its head to one side. "Hmmm," it mused thoughtfully without ever ceasing to strike the mochi. "You know? I believe I am." The mythical creature cast an approving look towards him. "How very clever of you to figure that out! You must be something special indeed."

The little boy beamed at being so praised. "My name is Shotoku Kurosaki. What's yours?"

*Tock* "You may call me Yue." *Tock* "Usagi Yue."

He thought about this. Moon Rabbit. "But that's what I called you. Don't you have a real name?"

*To-

"Whatever do you mean?"

Shotoku looked up, to find the moon had gone dark. As black as the mark in the rabbit's side. He knew right away it was an eye, glaring down angrily. It reminded him of howling, a horrid shrieking clamor all around…!

*Tock*

"No. It's alright." *Tock* "No cause for concern." *Tock* "But I should return to work."

"Okay." Shotoku turned to go. It felt as though he had done something wrong. "Bye."

"Next time…"

The boy stopped and turned around. Back at the hilltop, the rabbit winked one shiny red eye at him. "Maybe you can take a turn, eh?" It twirled the mallet in midair and caught it in those tiny paws to bring it down with a resounding *Tock*!

This made him grin. "Okay!" With that the dreaming child raced away waving excitedly. "Bye, Yue!"

"And goodbye to you…" *Tock* "…Kujaku Kuchiki."

The name made him turn, but when he looked back all he saw was his own reflection rippling in the surface of a pond in which the moon could be seen. Yet even that was just a drawing, and in the pool, or behind it, he could see a sword. If he listened closely, he could hear it whispering. Flower… in the hand… moon… on the water…

Darkness fell, and he forgot it all upon waking.

"COME ON!" the goalie bellowed with arms spread and feet planted firmly in the turf. "BRING IT! I'LL SHOW YOU THE BURNING SPIRIT OF THE GREAT HEITA TŌJOIN-SAM–!"

The shot plowed into his stomach so hard it blew his shoes and socks off.

Straightening up, Karin Kurosaki glanced around the field and casually called out, "Goal!"

"Very funny, Kurosaki-chan." Their soccer coach came strolling over while casting a disapproving look at her other students laughing without reserve at this display. "If you're just going to clown around, then how about you give me ten laps around the track?"

"Yes, sensei." While some of her teammates helped Heita back to his feet, the ace of the Karakura High girl's soccer team jogged past, giving him a reassuring pat on the head as she did. Her childhood friend shook off all efforts at support before resolutely resuming his spot behind the goal line with grim determination. The sight made her smirk as she began her self-inflicted punishment. Good to have someone she could rely on, at least on the field.

Running gave her time to think, which was just the way she liked it. Karin's freshman year in high school was proving… tumultuous, one might say. Several of her friends from middle school had gone to different districts, and while having Yuzu in the same class was always a source of relief, their social orbits were seemingly drifting further and further apart. Navigating the high school dynamic could be surprisingly daunting. Then there was the classwork, and the attention she got from word of mouth about her sports skills, ranging from friendly to awkward to creepy, in the case of certain boys.

So when practice ended and everyone made their goodbyes before drifting home, it did not escape Karin's notice that she was being tailed.

A few stops to casually adjust her shoelaces or check out her phone confirmed this to be the case. Karin wasn't overly concerned. Self-defense classes from both her dad, brother and sister-in-law meant she could handle herself far more capably than the average high school girl. Of course, most people had the luxury of not knowing about Hollows.

Still, unlike all the times before, for some reason she didn't feel the slightest bit of danger. And that got Karin thinking.

The teen continued along her usual route home only to suddenly turn a corner near the canal. Doing so cut off view of her, and the pursuer quickened their pace to catch up. Upon reaching the intersection they paused to peer around the corner just in case. The sense of the girl remained far ahead, but it hadn't escaped his notice that this stretch of road went on for a ways with no side streets to duck down if she happened to glance back. Which might be exactly what she had in mind.

All was well, however. Karin continued walking without turning around. Edging gingerly into the open, ready to bolt if it came to that, the pursuer proceeded forward a few careful steps.

/Nobody knows who I really am…/

He froze in mid-step.

/I've never felt this empty before…/

Looking down revealed a cellphone propped against the wall right at the corner. He had walked by without noticing it at all.

Only then did he realize what it meant. Sure enough when he came back around, Karin stood down the lane looking right at him.

"Kon."

The way she said his name and the expression she wore made the mod soul flinch and duck his head in chagrin. Karin made no move towards him, only stood there holding a cellphone. After a few moments he turned to retrieve the one that had been used as a trap. With what could be considered understandable reluctance, Konpaku Shiba crossed the remaining distance to stand before his adopted sister.

"Two phones is kind of excessive, don'tcha think?" he joked halfheartedly while holding it out to her.

"That one's for emergencies." She took the item and opened her bag to stuff it back in. "This seemed like it might be the case." Karin zipped up the tote bag, slipped the other phone into the pocket of her dress shirt, then hauled off and belted Kon right in the gut. He doubled over with a wheeze.

"Thought for sure you'd aim for the balls," he gasped from this bent position.

"I've gotten stronger lately. I was afraid they might explode."

And with that she threw her arms around his neck in the fiercest of hugs.

"God dammit, Kon!" the girl swore in a voice hoarse from restrained emotion. She said nothing more, only held on tight as though to make sure he couldn't run away and leave her again. He patted her head gently in response, not even bothering to hide the dopey grin this moment brought out in him. After a few seconds in which her hold grew so tight he began to wonder if she might be aiming to hurt him again, Karin finally let go and drew a step back. "You're looking good."

Her eyes were dry, which was both reassuring and somewhat worrying. Still not letting the tears show, eh, little sister? It made him chuckle. The scowl that creased her brow served to warn of further bodily harm to his person, and hurriedly he sought to make amends. "And you've grown up," Kon said in an effort to hide his previous disparaging thoughts.

"That's what happens when you've been gone for as long as you have."

"It's only been a year!" he protested.

"It's been three years," she declared in a flat voice.

"Who's counting?" the mod soul grumbled, stuffing both hands in his pockets and glancing off to one side with guilt written all over his face.

Karin just crossed her arms with a sigh to stand in a more relaxed stance. She smiled, to his great surprise and even greater relief. Doing so allowed him to get a better look at her. The preteen he had once known was well on her way to becoming a woman. She had grown at least a foot in his absence, with long hair held up in a ponytail. The Karakura High uniform looked good on her. Clearly Karin remained devoted to soccer; legs like that didn't happen by accident. No tattoos or earrings that he could see, and she didn't smell like cigarettes, so his concern that Karin might have become a juvenile delinquent in his absence proved unfounded. A practiced eye detected the telltale signs of a sports bra, which meant…

"C-cup," Karin stated assuredly.

Kon looked up, blinking out of his daze. "W-what?"

"I usually tape them down for practice." She inhaled long enough to push up her chest, then let it out with a sigh. "You wanna feel to make sure I'm not lying?"

He just stared, face going a sickly shade of pale.

Karin turned away. "Kidding. Let's go. Wouldn't want to be late for the big event." She lobbed her gym bag at him, which Kon clumsily managed to catch despite being thrown for such a loop. He hurried to follow. The young woman looked over one shoulder as if to assure herself of his progress, and a smile came to her face that Kon had never seen on Karin before. It made him wonder just how much of that had been a joke.

"C'mon, Nii-san," she called back, and he jerked to obey. They walked together beside the canal without speaking for a while.

"How's the family?" Kon finally asked when he felt it safe to speak.

She glanced at him curiously. "You mean you don't know? I thought for sure you'd stop by to see Rukia before anyone else." When he shook his head, the teen studied him for a moment before shrugging the matter off. "Whatever. We're all good. Ichi-nii's really taking off in kendo training. He might have his own dojo before long. Dad and Nanao are dating." Kon actually stumbled at this and she waited for him to catch up. "Yeah, me too. Everybody pretends like it isn't happening, but they're only fooling themselves. Yuzu took a while to accept it. We all did, really, but I think they might be serious, so what do I care?" After a brief consideration, Karin decided to dodge the topic of Rukia and instead switch to a safer subject. "We watched you in the Olympics, by the way."

Kon puffed up with pride at this point. "Were you all suitably amazed?"

"Tatsuki was more impressive." His shoulders sagged, which secretly filled Karin with fiendish delight. She had almost forgotten how nice it was to have a big brother worth teasing again. "Did you guys meet up? There's no way you could have missed one another."

"Y-yeah, we did," Kon mumbled, looking painfully embarrassed again. "She, umm… didn't mention me?"

"No."

He sighed. "Figures."

Karin noticed his gloom and decided to try and perk him up. "It was actually pretty cool of you not to break the world record by much. Only a few milliseconds gives regular people something to shoot for." She then added with a touch of curiosity, "Why did you decide to run for Lesotho anyway?"

"Eh," Kon rubbed his shorn head abstractedly. "I looked at a list of all the countries that have never won a single medal, and picked one I never heard of before. Figured it would do the people some good to have the world's attention turned towards them for a little bit. And I was able to disappear pretty easily after making a tidy sum of cash."

"That's kinda decent of you, Kon." She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a playful shake. Kon grinned in return, noting a certain energy animating Karin that had been noticeably absent since he first started following her. I might have come back at just the right time.

Lost in his musings, it took Kon a while to realize they weren't heading in the right direction. "Uhh, Karin? Your house is that way."

"I know." She soldiered on without looking at him, a sly smile on her lips. "I'm taking you to meet the kids."

"Kids?"

No further clarification proved forthcoming. He therefore was forced to trail along in moderate confusion, being peppered by the occasional query and wondering just what the future really had in store for him. After a while, though, it became painfully obvious where the little terror was taking him. Still, Kon went along without making a fuss. This was bound to happen eventually.

Soon enough, they were standing in front of the Usagi Shoten. Kon looked up at the sign and swallowed.

"Be brave," she told him. The anxious mod gave an abstract nod as they stepped into the open shop. A few ladies from the neighborhood left off chatting over their purchases to study the two of them. A few offered greetings to Karin by name, indicating she was a regular fixture by now. None of them stuck out in Kon's head from his time serving here. As he remembered days long past, the curtain leading to the back of the shop parted, and out stepped…

For a second he thought for sure it must be Rukia, then another part of his brain objected to that being impossible on its face, and before he had come up with a reasonable explanation, the dark-haired young woman before him inclined her head in a humble nod. "Karin-sama. Kon-san. Welcome back."

The truth was as obvious as that solemn voice and doleful eyes in a teenage stranger's face. "Ururu-chan?" he demanded incredulously. Was that really her?

"KON?!"

Before he knew it a ballistic missile took him square in the midriff to launch Kon into the yard. For a moment he stared in a dreamy haze at a beautiful blue sky as the pain started to build. Then this was blocked out by the sight of a tremendous white smile in a brown-skinned face.

"WELCOME HOME, CAMPEÓN!" Noboru Shihoin crowed.

"Hey, kiddo," Kon grinned as he sat up. The messy-haired nobleman collapsed back with a laugh, wearing the most radiant smile Kon could ever recall being directed his way. "Good to see you haven't changed."

"Oh, MAN!" Noboru hopped to his feet and began bouncing around the yard while exclaiming in a jumble of different languages. By the way the customers were regarding his performance with either fondness or stern disapproval, he must be a fixture around the shop too. That regular mortals could see him also meant he must be in a custom gigai, one of those that masked your spiritual presence. Otherwise I would have felt him coming. Well, that makes two of us.

"You're back! I don't believe it! This is incredible, what a great birthday gift!" Karin had come up by this point, and Noboru hiked his thumb at her. "Hey, did you notice how this one grew some nice soft tetas?"

"WATCH IT!" And they both smacked him upside the head, which the prince made no attempt to avoid. Karin and Kon exchanged looks of mingled exasperation and embarrassment. But by then Noboru had grabbed both their arms and proceeded to lead them inside. "C'mon," he insisted. "No waiting, you're just in time, amigo. Let's get this party started! Oh, look who's here."

This mild statement brought Kon's attention back to the shop, where he got his third surprise of the day. For there tentatively clambering down the step to join them in the yard was a little boy who couldn't be more than three years old. He had short, straight black hair combed off to one side and wore a little paper crown on his head. Dark eyes narrowed in studious deliberation as he examined Kon for some hint as to what this tall adult might add to his world. Doing so gave Kon no trouble picking out the resemblance to his mother.

"You must be the prince," he breathed, a faint twitching smile doing its best to hide the growing ache in his heart.

"Actually, it's Shotoku," Karin corrected him, moving forward to pick up her nephew when he made no move to approach. As they came closer, the boy swiftly turned away to bury his face in his aunt's shoulder. "Shoto, can you say hello to your Mommy and Daddy's friend Kon? He's kind of my big brother, so that makes him your Uncle Kon."

"Hi-i-i," a soft voice breathed towards the storefront before falling quiet.

"Nice to finally meet you, kid." Unable to resist the urge, Kon reached out and pinched a tiny foot, causing the boy to swiftly jerk it away. He laughed, marveling at this little miracle. "And happy birthday, to boot."

"s'NOT my BIRTH-day," little Shoto whipped around and then returned to the protection of his aunt just as fast. Then, somewhat louder, he called, "Momma!"

A small commotion back inside indicated someone, probably Ururu, had notified the owner already. Kon had thought himself prepared for seeing her again. What he hadn't counted on was what she happened to be holding upon coming out into the sunlight.

"Kon!"

Rukia Kuchiki looked exactly as he remembered her. The smile she wore made Kon feel safe and at peace for the first time in ages. His name on her tongue sent shivers up his spine.

That, or it had something to do with the fact Rukia held a baby against her breast.

"HIS birthday!" Shoto declared triumphantly, wriggling around until Karin put him down, at which point he raced over to hug his mother around the leg and rest his head against her knee.

Being so encumbered, it fell to Kon to stumble awkwardly forward until he stood in front of the smiling maiden. The others held back to give them some space. He gaped down at the infant swaddled in its bundle, then back to Rukia in amazement. "You… had another one?" he mumbled.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, smiling at his reaction. Rukia stole a tender glance at the sleeping child. "Her name is Hiruko. She was born a few weeks ago." Then when a look of confusion dawned on his face she quickly added, "Shoto still doesn't have his pronouns quite straight." The petite shinigami reached down to pat her older child's head. "He also thinks his sister was just born because she's been in the hospital up until yesterday."

"Nothing to worry about," Noboru supplied as he sauntered over to join them with hands clasped lazily behind his head. "Our little princess just had heart issues when she first came out. They kept her until it was all cleared up, so she's fine now and ready to meet the fam!" He gave Kon a playful kick in the shins. "Lucky you came back when you did."

"Yeah. Lucky." Kon could barely get even that much out, agog at the implications.

"Come inside, everyone," the lady of the house took her son by the hand and guided him back indoors. "The party won't start until Ichigo and his father get off work, but we can certainly keep you all entertained until then."

"So, Kon, got any kids of your own yet?" Noboru exclaimed from out of the blue. "How many lovely ladies across the globe made you their baby-daddy?"

"Baby-daddy," Shoto repeated with remarkable alacrity.

"Kids say the cutest things," the rebel prince declared, ignoring the dire glare his aunt shot him or the way all the blood had drained from Kon's face. This topic and more came under discussion as they headed towards the family's living quarters. Behind them, Ururu offered celebratory treats and notifications of a one-day discount to any new customers as the extended tribe of Kurosaki and Kuchiki convened under one roof.

A blank sheet of paper. Pristine, serene, ready to be infused with…

Death.

The sorceress returned her extremely long brush to the ink stand and continued to write.

Hate. Despair.

Another infusion of ink allowed her to continue.

Grief. Isolation. Panic. Dread.

More followed.

Confusion. Remorse. Lust. Hopelessness.

Someone approached. She waited for them.

Suspicion.

A knock came at the door. "Retsu? I am coming in."

Resignation.

The sorceress did not stop as the paneled door slid open, allowing her adopted son and recognized sovereign to enter. He took a seat gracefully beside her, observing the work she languorously sought to complete.

Bitterness.

"I've made contact. Or perhaps… he made contact with me."

Jealousy.

A small sound that might have been a sigh came in response. Her visitor watched as she restocked the ink before beginning anew.

Revenge.

The sight of that word disturbed him for some reason. "You were correct. It will take time, but I believe a stronger connection will be to our benefit." Then, more gently, "How are you feeling?"

The pen paused in its work. After a while it slowly began the journey across the huge paper spread out before them once more.

Nightmare.

"Afraid," she responded back in a voice faint as if it came from a great distance.

That final word sealed the spell. The black marks began to crawl across the page as though alive, until they reached the captive held at the center of the great paper carpet.

Bound hand and foot by cloth and spell, Kirio Hikifune, once a captain of the Gotei 13 and proud member of Zero Squad, thrashed helplessly as the enchanted ink crawled off the page and onto her body. She stiffened, clenched fists squeezing hard enough to draw blood. A gurgling sound came from her chest and she thrashed anew with each successive symbol. At last the victim went limp. Her eyes stared blankly while feeble tortured breaths continued unabated.

This one won't last much longer, the man thought to himself.

Beside him the witch began to clean off her implements. "I will visit them soon," she told him.

He nodded. Try as he might, he could discern nothing from her voice or face to reassure himself. Few could hide from him totally. But she was… blank. It made him worry. For both of them. He was just considering voicing his concerns when her next words drew him up short.

"We are growing a garden, Sosuke. Not all of them will survive."

Her mask turned to face him, and he could not help but grieve a little at the sight. If only I had been sooner…

"But you will see them bloom."

"Of course." He smiled at her to show everything was all right. "I shall compose a poem when that happens. Until then," and here his dark brown eyes shone with pleasure, "would you take tea with me?"

"Certainly, my lord."

He clapped his hands lightly. "Tosen? Pray fetch today's blend."

"Yes, Your Majesty," a quiet voice spoke behind the doorframe.

Soon enough the victim was removed, and two gods sipped tea together while observing a limitless view of heaven.

Ichigo Kurosaki smiled. "Hey, Kon."

"Hi," the mod soul managed back, fumbling a smile and lapsing into a sort of awkward pose with forearm braced on the wall and hand in his pocket.

Apparently this was not enough for Ichigo, who proceeded to march forward and embrace his old ally without reservation. Perhaps realizing how ridiculous he would look if he didn't return it, Kon did so. After a few seconds Ichigo stepped back to give him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "So you're an Olympic champion now."

"Yeah." Kon shuffled his feet and gave a hapless grin. "And you're… a dad twice over."

"Well, not like it's a competition." Here the red-haired young man paused. "But I'm definitely winning."

A scoffing laugh escaped Kon's throat. "You punk." And now he really smiled before giving Ichigo a hug of his own.

Finally, Karin smiled to herself from her place against a wall.

Dad and Yuzu had arrived at the party earlier. Her sister made almost as much of a big deal about Kon as she did their new niece. Not that Karin could blame her. There was a warm, safe aura about the whole house. Maybe it was just having so many people she cared for under one roof. It made her feel… invincible. Hopeful. Happy. Every good thing in life rolled up and served straight into her soul. Some people call this joy. I just call it family.

The boys stood out in the hall trading stories for a bit before coming back into the den. There Rukia drew them both over to have another look at little Hiruko, who had woken up and was starting to become fussy by the look of it. Sure enough, when Ichigo tried to take her out of the crib she started crying, that earth-shattering wail that only babies can make. He handed her to Kon, who realized much to his horror that her diaper needed changing, which meant passing her off to Rukia, who seemed to appreciate it about as much as Karin would in her situation.

As much as she loved her brother and sister-in-law, Karin had privately resolved never to change a dirty diaper in their family. If the smell wasn't bad enough, the amount of howling her nephew and niece engaged in during this arrangement was enough to destroy her appreciation of childbirth. It was with a certain measure of shame she acknowledged that Yuzu contributed more to the household than she did, often cooking meals which she brought over for the young couple to share and paying regular visits.

Still, she was Aunt Karin. Baa-san. The one who was always ready to chase Shoto around or push him in his little car. The one who could be counted on to read to him and listen to the stories he made up (some of them were downright bizarre) when his parents needed to be alone.

The one who nodded along and understood what it signified when the little boy pointed and said, "Spook!" It meant he had seen a ghost.

In the three years since the fall of the Wild Hunt, there had been no major incidents regarding ghosts that she was aware of. Hollows remained virtually unnoticed. Every now and then she saw the odd 'plus' floating around, but those were harmless for the most part. Still, Karin knew for a fact the land of the dead was never very far off. You only had to check the news to hear about another miracle, after all.

Ichigo headed away from Kon (about time) and she quickly moved to take his place. He had taken up post by the doorway, as if preparing to bolt at the first opportunity. Karin resolved not to let him get away so easily this time. "So what else were you up to?"

Kon sipped from a canned coffee drink courtesy of the store while he appeared to ponder her question. "Let's see… I had a job as a courier in Mongolia. Delivering packages. That lasted until I started to make a name for myself. Left before people could ask too many questions. Got to be a fitness trainer in Hawaii. You can buy my workout DVD for only $9.95 plus shipping and handling."

"Bet you were popular at that," she supplied.

He only gave a shrug in response. "For about three months I was a Sherpa in the Himalayas. Never once lost a single climber! But a lot of them were pretty bossy, especially the amateurs. The view was amazing. Even that couldn't compare to the Serengeti, though. I helped patrol the park. Anti-poaching, herd tracking, head counts, that sort of thing. Almost got eaten by a lion once! She gave up after about a minute and we got to be friends later on… from a distance."

"Okay." Karin had to admit she was impressed. Sure, Kon was older than her, but listening to him really hit home how little she had done in her life. Never even been outside the country. Then again, this was the reason he had left. Which begs the question… "So why'd you come back?"

"What?" For a moment he seemed taken off guard by the question, like he wasn't sure why she would ask. "Well… y'know, I… promised to, right? Before you graduated high school."

"I'm just a freshman," she felt the need to point out. "You still had plenty of time. Could've taken a trip to outer space with all the money you saved up. That would have made a great story."

"Guess you're right." He swished the contents of his can and took a long pull. Still, Karin felt inordinately pleased that she would be the first excuse he came up with. "There's other stuff, too," he added. "Grumblings in the spirit world. I ran across a few shinigami. None of 'em were what I'd classify as open, but I got the impression things were starting to happen."

"Rukia lost her job, you know," Karin quickly pointed out.

This seemed to surprise him. "How did that happen?"

"A fight with her brother. It was pretty bad."

"What's he got to be mad about?" Kon declared scornfully. "He's married to the Aztec goddess of lust herself and money bushes sprout wherever he walks. That guy should have no complaints."

This made her laugh. "It happened about a year ago. One of Ichi-nii's friends from school, Michiro, remember her? Well, she got sick and nearly died, so Rukia healed her, but apparently they're not supposed to do that, so Byakuya took away her status as a death god."

"Huh." His face had grown thoughtful. "How'd Ichigo handle it?"

"Pretty well, actually. It meant he got to spend more time with her. And she got pregnant with Hiruko not long after that, so…" Karin hesitated upon noticing how clearly uncomfortable this topic made him. She kicked herself mentally. Stupid! Don't shove it in his face like that! "But hey, that reminds me of something I wanted to ask you." At this Karin drew in a little closer, lowering her voice. "Did you see anybody other than shinigami around the world?"

He threw her a sharp look. "You mean like the masked guys?"

"Yes!" A surge of triumph passed through her at this. "It is them, isn't it? The ones behind the miracle effect!"

Subdued, Kon chugged the rest of his coffee drink and leaned against the wall with a moody frown. "They're called Arashi. They work for one of the bigwigs in the afterlife, the guy that tried to marry Rukia right before I left. Bringing them up was a surefire way to shut down any conversation I had with a shinigami lately."

"Are they bad?" From what she remembered, the Arashi had protected Rukia when the Wild Hunt attacked. And their presence in the world today certainly couldn't be considered malevolent. In fact, a lot of people considered it a good thing.

"No." He rubbed the back of his head restlessly. "At least, not that you'd know it. I'll ask my Big Sis in Soul Society. She's sure to have an answer, considering what she's got going on."

Satisfied, Karin left it at that. She could get more out of him later.

"Doctor?"

Ryuken Ishida looked up from the prospectus before him to find the head nurse waiting by his office door. The look on her face combined with the document's contents served to sour his already frosty mood. "Yes?"

"Sir, it happened again."

Without another word he rose and indicated for her to lead on. They soon found themselves in the hospice section standing before a particular room. There an elderly man sat at the bedside of a white-haired woman. His wife, if Ryuken was not mistaken. He was talking softly to her, touching her hair with the tenderest of affection. It was a familiar sight by this point.

Only now, for the first time in his experience, the wife was responding back. Smiling as though nothing was wrong, there were tears in both their eyes.

The patient began to cry as her husband kissed her hand.

"It must have happened early this morning," the nurse explained in a hushed voice. "We noticed when he came in to see her. The difference… everyone knew right away. It was…"

"Miraculous," he finished for her with a slight twist of his lips.

"Yes, sir. Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Later stages. She didn't have much time."

Ryuken found himself clenching a fist that existed only in his memory. "That would no longer seem to be the case."

He knew it should be a good thing; the return of a loved one whom everyone said was beyond saving. They should be celebrating. Yet he couldn't bring himself to do so.

Shortly after the first such high-profile incident occurred on these premises a year ago there had been a noticeable migration. Apparently his hospital held the highest occurrence rate for the miracle cure anywhere. Rumor traveled quickly, especially when other cases began to happen across the globe. Misato… that is, Mayor Ochi was the one to clue him in on it. Patients from all over Japan, and in some cases other hemispheres, made the trip to be accepted into his care. All for the slim chance that it might happen for them, driven by diagnoses that promised either certain death or a lifetime of pain with no chance of improvement.

It wasn't common. But every time this 'miracle' happened it only fueled the belief that some supernatural force watched over them. Explanations ranged from divine providence to a previously unrecorded radiation as a result of Japan's exposure to nuclear weapons.

But Ryuken knew the truth. As they stood there, watching the old couple basking in each other's company, he alone took notice of the three masked figures standing quietly in a corner. When they saw him watching, the trio of Arashi mages bowed in courteous fashion before slipping unnoticed through a wall. The doctor observed their departure with a frown.

This would not go unremarked, both here and in the afterlife. Whether he liked it or not his life had been thrust back into the world of the spirits once again. Quincy no more, he still found himself on the outskirts of a battle unlike anything human society ever knew.

A war of hope.

"Did you hear?" the nurse murmured as they stood side-by-side watching this touching scene. "They have an actual name for it now. Someone started calling this 'The King's Touch'."

Against his own best interests he found himself asking, "Why?"

"The idea is that heaven grants healing through royalty. Doesn't make much sense to me. Not as if the Emperor laid hands on any of the afflicted."

They discussed treatment for a while, after which he turned and walked away. There was a meeting scheduled soon, and this information might prove valuable.

Back in his office Ryuken busied himself with the routine duties of running a hospital. In less than fifteen minutes, though, he felt a presence approaching. After informing the staff that he would be in a private conference call for the next half hour, he settled in and waited, gazing out the window and brooding on everything that had occurred.

Movement flickered on the edge of his vision as a black-robed figure emerged through the wall and looked around. "We good?"

"No one will disturb us for anything short of an emergency." The Quincy doctor stood and pulled out a chair for her, even though there was hardly any need. "I've received some disturbing news."

"Really?!" The shinigami Kiyone Kotetsu leapt soundlessly over to land in the offered seat, folding her legs beneath her to lean forward with voracious interest. The wooden badge on her arm spoke of seniority. He found that hard to believe. Her large eyes shone, and the gamin grin she wore made her look like some type of mischievous woodland imp. Even more so than usual. "Lay it on me, Quincy-san!"

"Another case happened today. That makes eight in the last three months."

Her festive mood diminished in a flash. "Are they still here?"

"The Arashi mages left after completing their work." Ryuken found himself reaching for a report with a hand he no longer had. Irked at this behavior even after three years, he contrived to do so with his right arm, conscious of how awkward this felt. He opened the folder and spread it out for her inspection.

"You could bar them from entering," Kiyone spoke somewhat accusingly as she perused the documents.

At this the white-haired medic lifted his chin to give her a reproachful look. "Shinigami are always welcome here, no matter what."

"They're not technically shinigami, y'know." She shifted in her seat, glancing around the sparingly decorated office and its hidden testimony to the Quincy legacy.

"Irrelevant. They are healing the sick, with no ill effects that I have been able to detect." He adjusted his glasses with a frown. "Unless you have come to contradict that statement?"

When Kiyone just made a face, he settled back in his seat. "I see. Well, whatever repercussions there might be, I trust you to uncover and handle them. Still, there is something I only recently learned about. Office gossip, though it may interest you."

The girl glanced up, a gleam returning to her eye at the word 'gossip'. "Oh?" Despite assuredly being centuries old, Kiyone Kotetsu demonstrated traits which Ryuken only attributed to the very young and very immature. He couldn't help but feel like the elder whenever they spoke, although he had been assured that this young chatterbox was actually a high-ranking member of afterlife nobility.

"One of my nurses mentioned that a new title is catching on for the supposed 'miracle'. According to her, some have taken to calling it the King's Touch."

Kiyone's eyes narrowed. "King?" she repeated, clearly not liking the implications.

"Yes." Ryuken picked up a pen and began tapping it against his desk, an outward sign of agitation he permitted himself. "And since I do believe the source of our 'miracle' derives from a would-be usurper to the throne, it strikes me there might be an agency at work."

The shinigami's face fell, her whole body taking on a subdued aura which appeared wholly alien to her normal firebrand personality. "We have to be careful whom we discuss this with. The rest of the Seireitei still believes Unohana is on our side, my sister included. It would break her heart to learn the truth." White-gloved fingers ran up and down the arms of her chair. Kiyone made no pretense of hiding her anxiety as he did. "Keeping things from her isn't exactly comfortable for me either. Ukitake-sama…" Here she stopped and seemed to collect herself. "I mean, Nii-sama has it hard as well."

"So this is relevant."

"Bet your eye teeth it is. I know targeted gossip when I hear it. Somebody's easing folks into the idea of divine royalty. And that smacks of Aizen." She hopped to her feet. "Let me get back to you on this. If it really is Nirvana, I've got a few acquaintances in the mortal realm who might be able to help." She bit her thumb and regarded him coyly. "So… any headway on getting married, Sensei?"

Ryuken scowled. It would seem he must now suffer the intrusions of yet another woman who simply could not take 'NO!' for an answer.

The party was over.

Both kids were sleeping soundly. Rukia had to practically be ordered to turn in after everybody else had left, with Ichigo resolving to handle anything with Hiruko short of breast-feeding. They offered to let Kon spend the night, and while he had a place already set up, it wasn't in him to turn this generous offer down.

He sat on the front steps of the Usagi Shoten looking up at the stars. Ichigo was currently busy making up an extra room for him. It was a fine night, the sort that always made him long to go for a run. Since the last Summer Olympics, that had necessitated dodging the odd sharp-eyed fan. Other than that, his life had been fairly untroubled.

Now everything had changed, and he found himself balancing on a razor's edge. Rukia, Ichigo, their children, Soul Society. Everything's converging.

The sound of someone tromping down the stairs alerted him, but before he could stand up a certain red-haired twenty-something flopped down on the step beside him. "Man," Ichigo breathed. "I thought I was going to be up 'til midnight, but she dropped right off almost as soon as I put her in the crib."

"Thank heaven for small miracles," Kon supplied.

"You don't know the half of it," his old friend said with a groan, rubbing sore neck muscles. "Her brother used to sleep terribly. Woke up every few hours. Bad dreams, or something. It drove us batty, me especially, worrying that there might be something wrong with him."

"Besides that, how have things been going for you guys?" Kon asked cautiously. It had not escaped his notice neither Ichigo nor Rukia wore a wedding band. Did that mean…?

"We're good," Ichigo supplied, in a voice so even and casual it made the mod automatically fear for his safety. Continuing, however, all the younger man said was, "We had a few scares here and there, but nothing that we couldn't handle."

Best play it cautiously here. Remember who you're dealing with. "Karin mentioned that Rukia isn't a shinigami anymore."

For the first time since arriving that old familiar expression of surly anger settled on Ichigo's face. "Byakuya!" he spit the name as though wishing its bearer were roasting in hell. "I thought he had mellowed, but ever since becoming Captain-Commander, I guess he feels he has to reassert that nobody's above the law, even his own family. Rukia paid the price for it. Trust me, if she had to do it all over again, nothing would change. It was definitely the right call. Our world's a better place for it."

"Yeah." Kon crossed long legs at the ankle and reclined back on his hands. "I was hoping to pop in on Soul Society while I'm here. See how the Shiba are doing, that sort of thing. Mind if I use the gate in your basement?"

"Not at all." Then, once more in that eerily calm tone, "You plan on staying long?"

'Bearding the lion in his den.' "Long enough to get caught up with everybody. I'd like to spend some time with the girls. Let Karin and Yuzu know I never forgot them. Maybe look up a few of the old gang, if any are still around."

Ichigo shrugged. "Not many. Chad's pretty much vanished. We only hear from him now and then. Everyone else is at university. Except for Michiru. She and Uryu are getting married, did you hear?"

"No!" Of course, he had known about their relationship long before Ichigo. Still hard to believe anybody could really be interested in Ishida. But maybe opposites did attract? Not like there had ever been someone else who the Quincy had his eye on. And this did lead neatly into another question. "So… you and Rukia…"

"Yeah?"

"You never got married."

To his amazement, the redhead just shrugged. "I asked if she wanted to after Kujaku was born."

"Who?" Kon blinked.

"Shoto. That's his unofficial name," Ichigo explained. "The one that we use for spirit business. I guess it's a codename now, like Noboru's… uhhh…"

"Masahiko," Kon supplied.

"Thanks. Anyway, like I was saying, I asked, and she said no. Totally fine by me. Not exactly common in Japan, but we make it work." Again, a faint undercurrent of challenge, as though daring anyone to question the unusual family dynamic he had worked out with Rukia.

"I'm glad you're both doing well."

This admission brought Kurosaki up short, and he leveled a look of surprise on Kon. "Thanks."

Some time passed with no words exchanged. Perhaps they were both letting things simmer down.

Finally Ichigo said in a more friendly vein, "Hey, y'know, I help train the kendo clubs at both Karakura High and Karakura First. The trials for the All Japan High School Championship are taking place soon, and we've got a tough fight ahead." A pause; then he asked, "Do you want to come watch? My students would love to meet a real champion athlete."

"Sure."

Okay, pleasantries are over. Time to hit the nail on the head.

"Anything new about Aizen?"

Ichigo bent over to lace both hands beneath his chin and glare at the wall across from them, as though imagining the man in question were standing right there mocking him. "He's been quiet for years now. Which isn't fooling anybody, of course. When Captain-Commander Kuchiki can find the time to grace us with a visit, he likes to give a status report. There's been no sign of Grimmjow, the Wild Hunt, or Rose for three years. Ichimaru pops up on their radar from time to time, and also…" Here he turned his head away, swallowing on what in a lesser man might be fear. "Well, anyway, I can't complain much. The shinigami seem to be doing their job. Hollows hardly ever show up, and we're on top of things in the mundane world. Like I said, no complaints. It's just…"

And here Ichigo's shoulders drooped with a tired sigh. "I'm scared."

Whoah…

Did he just admit that out loud?

Kurosaki went on without further prodding. "I'm scared of this being taken away. Scared that the war will start up again and I'll lose all of it. My kids are in the mix now. My kids, Kon. Somebody once told me…" he threw a look filled with pain at his old friend, "…that I'd let them down. Shotoku and Hiruko. They both should have been born into a world where they could live in peace. We were supposed to make it that way for them. Instead I get more and more certain as time goes by that we dropped the ball back then. Like what we thought was a great victory actually foisted the responsibility off of us and onto the next generation."

He turned away again. "I wish we could just finish this before my children have to find out it ever even happened."

Kon could only stare. After a while he put his thoughts in order sufficiently to say, "You've really grown up a lot in the past few years, ki… I mean, Ichigo. It's like you're… an adult… or more like, a father."

"Can you believe it, considering the role model I had to work with?"

That made him laugh. "I'm actually glad to see your Dad hasn't changed."

"Yeah, he and Nanao take care of things around the house and the clinic. Speaking of grownups, remember Ochi-sensei?"

"Oh, the man-eater? Sure, how could I forget. She ever get her hooks into Ishida's dad?"

"No. She's the mayor now."

"WHAT?! Get outta Karakura Town!"

"I kid you not. She ran on a campaign emphasizing education, and was just too crazy in debates to even come close to defeating. She treated her opponent like he was an unruly student in class, which he couldn't fire back on apparently. Now word is she's trying to use her political power to force Ishida-sensei to the altar. He's fighting tooth and nail."

"I do not envy him that fight. Aizen might be easier." Kon finally stood up, having gotten everything he dared to off his chest. "That being said, think I'll turn in for the night."

"Lemme show you the way." Ichigo rose to accompany him inside. "While you're here, I also wanted to talk to you about something. You've heard of the miracle effect, right?"

"Of course. It's worldwide from what I understand."

"Well, about that." Ichigo scratched his head uncomfortably. "It kind of started with us."

A sense of unease stole over Kon. "Say what?"

"With His Highness' compliments, Your Ladyship." The courier knelt and held up the item in question, while behind him the rest of the entourage bowed in humble deference to the sublime personage.

Standing in front of them, Kukaku Shiba clenched her teeth in an ugly grimace, one eye twitching in sync with a vein in her temple.

It was nothing special on its face. Just a piece of paper. But by accepting it, she would immediately become owner of some of the richest and most valuable tea fields in all of Seireitei. To either side of her Shiroganehiko and Kuroganehiko stood with arms crossed, trying to hide the disbelief from their faces. Ganju was doing a much less successful job at that, for which she firmly intended to chastise him later. But first things first.

"I refuse," she spit. "Take it back!"

"Of course, Your Ladyship." The messenger stood and rewrapped the proffered land contract. "However, as they are tailor-made, I have been ordered to leave the raiment to use as you see fit." He indicated back behind him where three racks held row upon row of garments fit for a queen. A one-armed queen, at that.

"As I see fit?" The timber of her voice caused her brother and servants to shy away. A psychotic grin transformed the Lady of Shiba's face into something worthy of an ogre straight from Hell. "Then tell 'im I plan to use them as cannon wadding!"

"I shall do so." His calm, polite response nearly cost her what measure of self-control she had left. Before any violence could ensue, Kukaku spun about and stomped back into the family home, leaving her retainers to deal with this latest show of 'interest'.

Three years. Three gods-damned years of this! The man did not know when to quit!

Oh, will you just marry him, already?

SHUT IT! I will not be bullied into getting hitched!

That is not what's going on here. The guy likes you. Trust me, it's a good match.

When I want advice on blowing stuff up, I'll come to you. Not about starting a family!

This is the best thing to happen to your family since Ganju's testicles dropped. Own it.

Amatsumara, I swear, so help me Buddha…

Fine. I'll clam up for now. Just don't expect this to be the last you hear from him.

The furious heiress strode into the lower reaches of her home. The zanpakutō was right about one thing. Katsurou Arashi would never give up. He had made his intentions quite clear from the beginning.

"You are of marriageable age. We are both the scions of Great Houses. The differences in our past should not preclude consideration of an advantageous match."

"YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER LUNATIC, I AM NOT INTERESTED IN YOU!"

"That is hardly the matter under discussion at this point. To continue…"

He was so infuriatingly calm about it. If Katsurou had been some lovesick hornball only interested in her for one thing (And there have been plenty of those in the past, to be sure) she would have had no qualms about kicking his butt all the way back to Arashi Manor. Instead she found herself being repeatedly proposed to by one of the wealthiest, most powerful (Don't forget handsome) and important people in all the afterlife. Had the King of Soul Society himself descended from heaven and asked for her hand in marriage, she could not have been more hard-pressed to refuse.

Which raised another thorny issue.

"You're Aizen Sosuke's uncle, aren't you?"

"What of it?"

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but your CURRENT feud with the Kuchiki and Shihoin stems from their withholding that information from you. Am I right?"

"Indeed."

"I hate to burst your bubble, pal, but I knew he was your nephew too! All the way back before I helped lock that maniac up in Nirvana!"

"Lady Shiba…"

"Yeah?"

"If you can forgive me for murdering your father and ransacking your future, then I can certainly forgive you for this."

The look on his face when he said that had made Kukaku uncertain about this deal for the first time ever. Before she always convinced herself he would give up eventually in the face of her persistence (Stubbornness, you mean). This was just some sort of messed-up noble business, the type she had not been forced to deal with and had no inclination to start now.

But maybe (Just maybe?) Katsurou had something else in mind when he offered to take her as his wife.

I never should have hit him in the head that first night. He was looking at me funny all through dinner. I thought it was because he had a concussion. But maybe it started then?

Love does spring up in the unlikeliest ways, hmm?

WILL YOU GIVE IT A REST?

Oops, sorry. Don't mind me, I was just leaving.

Kukaku marched on until she reached her private quarters, whereupon she flung open the door and slammed it shut hard enough to shake the foundations. Her previously interrupted efforts at developing a reusable fireworks mixture proved unable to hold her interest for long, and eventually she collapsed back onto a futon with a groan.

Why is this happening? The man is old enough to be my father. He's not trustworthy. His family is basically at civilized war with my best friend and her husband. And lest we forget, he's related to a monster who wants to rule over us all. Where exactly is the part I'm supposed to get excited about?

Alright, admittedly he's the only person to express this sort of interest in me. Ever, if I'm being brutally honest. He wants me to be his wife. It would automatically bring the Shiba back into ascendancy. We could reclaim everything we lost. Those tea fields he sent over today used to belong to us, if I'm not mistaken.

Which is exactly the sort of thinking that got my father into so much trouble.

Is it? Or was it being too proud to recognize what was staring him in the face?

Nothing is ever simple with these people. You know that. If he says he loves me, what is he not saying, huh?

Your brother married for love.

Look what it got him.

Happiness?

An early grave.

You loved her like a sister.

She was my sister. I knew that just by the way Kaien looked at her.

And just like that she could almost hear her brother scolding her. 'Honestly, Kaku,' he would say. 'Can't you at least make an effort here? My little sister can take care of herself. Since when has a proud Shiba been afraid to accept a challenge, huh?'

"I've never wanted to get married," she muttered to the empty room, almost expecting a response.

If only Kaien were here. Or her mother, or even father. How do you know when someone truly loves you or when they're just looking to further their own interests?

When it makes absolutely no sense for them to do so, maybe?

Please. Just because I'm not rich and powerful doesn't mean his attention doesn't come with strings. I'm still connected to the Grand Lady of the Shihoin, and my little brother defeated Katsurou in a duel that would have given him almost total control of the Seireitei. Those right there are more than enough reason to be suspicious.

Didn't you yourself tell him to stop dwelling on the past and put to rest all that ancient history?

This isn't ancient. It's fresh! What am I supposed to do, just blithely snap at some stranger's bait? I don't need wealth and fancy things! What's the incentive for me to even consider this?

How about being happy?

I AM HAPPY!

Not being unhappy and being happy are not the same thing.

DON'T GET CUTE WITH ME!

Kukaku…

WHAT?!

Aren't you lonely?

I don't get lonely. You know that.

Yeah. And you're proud of it.

What's that supposed to mean?!

Pride. It's your family's downfall.

Everybody needs a character flaw.

Kukaku, I think Katsurou might be looking to have a future with you. One that doesn't involve conniving or plotting to seize power. Think about everything he must be going through right now. Do you honestly think his clan is fully behind him marrying a woman in your situation?

That's… I mean, what do I care?

He's willing to face the opposition of his own house, not to mention the perceived disgrace this would earn him from other members of noble society. Men of his stature aren't supposed to lessen themselves. Ever. Look at Byakuya Kuchiki. His first marriage nearly killed his standing amongst the nobles. He did it anyway, and beat them all back. It was the bravest damn thing I ever heard of.

I know… it surprised me too. But this… can't be the same thing!

Why not?

I'm not… cut out… I mean, fit… for that sort of thing.

Oh, my dear girl…

Kukaku Shiba looked down to where the stump of her left arm protruded from her robe.

Why would any man want me, when he could obviously do better?

You were always told to be proud of your sacrifice. By those who knew of it, at least. And they were right. You faced an evil god for the sake of people you would never even meet. Still, I know, growing up… it wasn't easy. Seeing the way some of those people looked at you. Especially the boys.

Girls could be even more cruel.

Don't you think Katsurou knows what that feels like?

Him? No. He'd execute anyone who looked at him that way.

Wow. Sounds like quite a catch. You two would probably have a lot in common to talk about.

Very funny.

It wasn't a joke. Will you please give this some consideration? For all our sakes? I don't know how many more priceless works of art I can take seeing shot out of a cannon. Now THAT was a joke.

Not bad.

Her zanpakutō faded away with a last rush of warm support. Kukaku turned over and laid her head on the pillow. She reached up to touch her stump reflexively, realized what she was doing, and angrily flopped over on her back to stare at the ceiling.

I'm not being childish. Just careful. That being said, what's the harm in learning a little more?

"GANJU!" she bellowed.

There came a scrambling down the hall. Moments later her door slid open to show the younger Shiba seated respectfully before it. "Yes, Nee-chan?"

Kukaku took a deep breath.

"I want you to arrange an o-miai for me."

Kon entered the building only to come to a surprised halt. "Karin!"

"Hey." The high-schooler leaned against a wall with arms crossed over her chest. As she stood her eyes flickered over him, and Karin pulled a face. "Ugh. You're wearing that?"

He glanced down at himself in confusion. "What's wrong with it? You helped me buy these three years ago!"

"It looks like you got dressed in the dark," she said with a snort. Then before he could retort she hopped over and took him by the hand. "C'mon, the competition starts soon."

Kon hurried to keep up as she pulled him along. The sports center where they were holding this event was only a few towns over, so it hadn't taken him long to get here. It was a bright sunny Saturday which made the run over even more pleasant. He had been looking forward to this for days.

"So you didn't have any plans this weekend?" he asked.

Karin threw him a measuring look. "Didn't Ichi-nii tell you? I go to all his matches. It's a little too violent for Yuzu's tastes, so she has me text her the details. She's still his biggest fan."

"But he's not even competing. He's just a trainer for the team, right?"

"He still brings his gear to every match, can you believe it? Really went all-in since graduating. The school would hire him officially if they could." An amused laugh escaped her throat. "Can you picture it? Ichi-nii as a teacher!"

"Stranger things have happened," he felt the need to point out. Karin just grinned and skipped down the hall, requiring he do the same.

The gym proved to be much larger than that of Karakura High. Kon peered around, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar scenery. There were lots of people; students in kendo armor warming up or relaxing before their matches, officials talking with team coaches, even photographers. A few spectators lined the balcony which ringed the arena. It was here that Karin led him, until they stood one story up where they could see the whole field laid out below them.

"Ichi-nii wants you to meet the team afterwards," Karin explained. "That way they won't feel nervous with an Olympian watching. If they win, it'll be a nice surprise, and if not, well… do your best to cheer them up."

"Can do." Kon watched the proceedings, feeling a bit lost.

"You want a quick intro to the sport?" Before he could respond, the long-time athlete was off. "Okay, first off: swords, armor. Hit your opponent in one of four spots to score a point. And you gotta announce it so the judges know it wasn't an accident. There's 'Men' for head, 'Do' for midsection…"

Kon strove to digest as much of this as possible. He never did have a complete grasp of kendo, but the basics made sense. Generally teams of five competed in one-on-one matches for points. Men and women formed separate groups. The fighting positions were ranked senpo, jiho, chuken, fukusho, and taisho. First (senpo) and last (taisho) places generally belonged to the most talented teammates. Best three out of five matches wins. Most tournaments held individual matches as well. Ichigo had been his squad's taisho back when their school got second place in the national championships. This right here was a local preliminary, with teams competing to advance to the next round.

"…we can watch the individual matches first. The ban on low-ranked kendoka was lifted back in the 90's, so Ichi-nii could compete in the All Japan Kendo Championships," Karin went on. "I think he might even win, but right now, he says he's sticking to teaching."

"Track was simpler," Kon grunted, eyes scanning the crowd. By now the warmups were over and the first competitors were being brought forward, bowing to one another with the officials observing.

"Whatever. You looking for Ichi-nii? There they are, over by the west entrance. No, don't shout, you might get them in trouble. Just wave, okay? Wave."

She demonstrated, so Kon followed suit. Down on the floor her brother and the sensei were giving the team of girls and boys some last-minute encouragement, but he still noticed and waved back with a nod of recognition before returning to his students. A few seconds later they were marching up to the lists.

Satisfied, Karin launched back into her explanation. "So anyway there are eight teams competing today. It goes prelims, state finals, regionals, and then finals. Our first match is with that girl's group over there, see them? I hear they aren't that good, but their taisho is pretty tough. The boys are a lot better, which means… Kon?"

"Bow," the head referee commanded. Both teams did so. "Let's have a good match."

Ichigo observed his girls as they returned to the sidelines, ready to cheer on their first contestant. The official kendo instructor from Karakura was his old coach, and at his suggestion, Ichigo would handle the girl's team while he took charge of the boys.

It was an arrangement that suited him fine. Their taisho, Aoi Mitsubashi, was a senior well on her way towards continuing the school's reputation for athletic excellence. She possessed sound judgement while competing and excellent footwork, making her both quick and precise. He himself had lost more than one point to her in practice sessions; this was the result of many students wanting the chance to cross swords with him, regardless of whether they be girls or boys. Just the chance to spar with a semi-legendary figure came with bonuses, it would seem.

Before team events, though, there were the individual matches. First up on their side was Aoi. Tall for her age, the girl adjusted the strings of her armor and gripped a shinai tightly. She was the only member of their team trying out in the individual matches this time around, which meant a lot was riding on her shoulders. Her opponent was reputed to be low-key but fierce. "Pace yourself," he warned. "Don't go full throttle all at once."

"Got it, sensei," she nodded before walking up to the mat.

The familiar throb of fear ran through Ichigo's arms as the opponents crouched on their respective lines. It was strange to admit, having faced real-life demons and fighters that made yokai of legend seem like mere boogeymen, but he always felt this way before competition. Whether it was himself or someone he coached, Ichigo Kurosaki tended to worry; had he trained hard enough, and conversely, trained his students? You could never tell until the match began, and then it was too late to do anything about it. So instead you concentrated on the moment. In doing so the dread became nothing more than a memory.

A flag dropped. "Begin!"

Both girls rose, and Ichigo clenched a fist as eager exhortations exploded from both teams. Three minutes for a kendo match necessitated getting a read on the mood fast. He watched Aoi move with approval, then took note of her opponent. A solid defensive stance, yet when she made the first strike, her accompanying cry left much to be desired. There was no force behind it at all. By contrast, Aoi's answering shout sounded magnitudes of volume bigger. It made his pulse race, dispelling the lingering miasma from before.

"Men, ari!"

The first point scored as groans came from the girls of Karakura High, and Ichigo's heart sank.

Karin grabbed him by the shoulder with an urgent whisper. "Kon!"

The tall mod did not respond. She was starting to get worried. The way he just stood there, face blank, hardly even seeming to breathe… was this some kind of afterlife magic? Could a Hollow be nearby, and this was his instinctive response? No, she had seen him go up against Hollows before without freezing up. Now she had no explanation for his behavior.

"Men, ari!"

Out of the blue Kon appeared to regain his composure. He blinked a few times and gave his head a small shake. Karin didn't miss the sweat dripping down his neck. "Hey, are you alright?" she demanded. "Do you want to sit down?"

He looked at her as though having no idea what she might have said. Pale blue eyes searched her face distractedly before a flash of recognition came. "Ka…" he coughed. "Karin?"

"Yeah?"

Her heart was pounding, and she was just prepared to go looking for help when Kon turned back to the arena floor and said in a distant voice, "I think that's my mom."

"Kote!"

Two white flags went up, and with a wild cry of joy, the Karakura team leapt to cheer their captain. Ichigo let out his breath with a sigh of relief. It had been a close thing, but at the last second a momentary hesitation on her adversary's part had been capitalized on in beautiful fashion by Aoi, allowing her to take the point and the match. An excellent start.

Both competitors rejoined their fellows, to mingled responses. Mitsubashi accepted her teammates' congratulations with a proud grin. Across the way, the defeated opponent got a round of commiseration and a pat on the shoulder from their coach. "Nice job, Aoi," Ichigo spoke as she looked to him clearly hoping for an assessment of her performance. He adopted a sterner expression. "But you got lucky. That last point should never have happened. An adversary almost never drops their guard to such an extent." He then smiled. "That said, fortune favors the prepared, and you proved yourself to be such out there."

"Thank you, sensei," the girl took off her helmet to smile back.

"Pardon me."

The Karakura team turned as two people approached. One was the girl who had just lost to Aoi, still in her gear. The other was her coach, a stout woman who seemed to put little stock in her appearance judging by the simple ponytail and unremarkable garb she wore. "Kurosaki-sensei?" the older woman asked.

"Yes?"

"Congratulations." She bowed. "I hope you'll forgive the interruption. My student expressed a desire to speak with you specifically."

Mystified, he looked between the two as the instructor stepped back and her protégé came forward. Somewhat short, she fidgeted nervously with head downcast, voice a soft mumble in the confines of her stifling helmet. "…leased to meet you… name is… Yuri Konishi. …hoping to… not too much trouble… be so kind…"

All of a sudden the girl took a deep breath and looked at him squarely. "I am a… huge fan! May I ask for a chance to spar with you before the next match?"

"You see," her coach explained when Ichigo just stared, "Konishi has to return home immediately after the final results in order to join her family on a trip. She won't have a chance to interact with anyone, and she was very much looking forward to meeting you. I know this counts as an imposition which you have no obligation to honor." Here both she and the teen kendoka bowed. "But may we ask you to grant our selfish request, Kurosaki-sensei?"

His students all looked at him. Having won their first match, they seemed none too concerned at this unexpected entreaty from a vanquished foe. Point of fact, the kendo students of Karakura High had a tendency to talk up their young coach to an embarrassing extent. Being only a part-time instructor, he was loath to make too much of a spectacle of himself. But he also recognized how important it was for teenagers to feel encouraged. Especially by their heroes.

"Konishi-san." The girl jumped a bit when he said her name, causing him to smile just in case his usual unapproachable scowl had resumed its place on his face. "I would be glad to spar with you. Let me put on my armor and I'll be right back."

"Thank you, Ichigo Kurosaki," the other coach stated. "We all look forward to seeing your performance." Taking Konishi by the shoulder, she then went over to speak with a judge, who directed her towards one of the empty areas beyond the bounds of the designated event space.

"You're so nice, sensei," one of his girls informed him with a smug grin. "How come you won't show off when we ask you to, huh?" another inquired in joking fashion.

"Focus on your upcoming match," he shot back. "And Aoi, take this chance to rest up before the next round."

"I will." Their taisho grinned as she hoisted off her chest protector. Apparently she was as eager to see him in action as her companions. Ichigo reflected on how this might not have been such a good idea after all. Still, until the qualifying matches were finished there was nothing for him to do. The boys team had not yet started on their own end, so there was nobody to cheer. Might as well do whatever good I can.

He looked to the balcony where his family waited, and frowned. What's going on up there?

"Say what?"

"Her." Kon indicated listlessly with one hand. "That one." He gave Karin a confused look that she felt certain must be inferior to the one she herself was sporting. "Isn't that weird?"

'Weird' hardly did it justice. This was downright spooky. Kon hardly ever talked about his past. The topic of his parentage was something he strictly avoided discussing in her experience. Either he was ashamed of them, or himself for some reason.

Karin looked down at the person he referred to as his mother. That's not possible. It's gotta be a case of mistaken identity! Yes, that was the normal solution. But since when did anything in her experience qualify as normal?

A sense of profound unease stole over her. From up here she couldn't tell if Ichi-nii had sensed anything out of the ordinary. Then again, he wasn't the best at predicting trouble. Which was funny, how fond trouble was of seeking him out in particular. Whatever the case, this was not something she felt should go unaddressed.

As they watched, Ichigo broke away from the person in question and went to pick up his gear. He started to put it on while the students flocked around him. Karin felt a chill. No way… is he going to… fight? Did that mean her brother had actually recognized something as off? But then why would he choose his kendo gear to answer it?

I don't like this.

"Don't be scared."

Startled, she glanced up at Kon. He looked transfixed again. Blank, listless eyes watched the proceedings below. At the same time, however, he was covered in sweat.

"Don't be scared," he repeated like a chant. "You'll be fine. Don't be scared. Everything's fine. I'm here. I'm here. Don't be scared. Don't be scared…"

His words provoked the exact opposite response in Karin, and she turned her attention to the events below in a kind of anguish.

The sounds of further competition filled the gymnasium. Ichigo Kurosaki stood across from Yuri Konishi. Both wore full armor, swords held in a two-handed pose of intense concentration. He had already resolved not to go all out. For starters, this was a girl; hard enough to challenge someone of the opposite gender as it might be, he didn't want to risk her getting injured when they still had the team matches ahead of them. She probably wanted to hear his assessment of her form. He could have told her as much just from watching her previous performance, but perhaps Konishi wanted a chance to gain his judgment firsthand.

"Take your positions," Konishi's coach called. He could not remember getting her name. Still, both complied. Ichigo drew his shinai from one hand to the other and raised it in readiness as he crouched across from the tiny high-schooler.

To his surprise, Yuri did not reciprocate. She stood there still holding the bamboo blade just below the guard. "Gripping the weapon as though it's being held in a scabbard…" she mused aloud as those around them began to whisper. "Yes, I know this. But it comes naturally to me. My true style… well…" She then took the hilt in her right hand and raised the weapon horizontally before her in backwards fashion. "You could say that I'm… 'underhanded'."

Was that supposed to be a pun? Ichigo frowned at this breach of etiquette. He wanted to speak out against it, but felt the girl's own coach should do so.

Sure enough. "Konishi," the older woman warned sternly, "I gave you an instruction. This is no time for games. Kurosaki-sensei is waiting."

"My apologies. I know how trying it is… to wait." Now the teen returned her weapon to its proper stance, tip raised towards her adversary. "Shall we begin?"

It was only when she sat across from him did something that had been nagging at Ichigo from earlier become clear. Though hidden behind the mesh and wire helmet, he could still tell that Yuri Konishi's eyes possessed an unusual color. They were certainly not brown. If anything, they reminded him of Rukia's; deep blue, to the point of being lavender.

Those watching saw Ichigo Kurosaki suddenly flinch and spring to his feet, while across from him, the girl glided smoothly upright.

"Hello, Kurosaki-bozu," Unohana said, and closed with him before he knew it.

"Something's wrong."

Karin had watched her brother practice kendo for the past four years. His style was a familiar thing to her. The very rules of the sport initially made it rather boring to watch, since each match looked and sounded a great deal like the last. It was only with prolonged observation did she detect the qualities which eventually made her realize this could be as enjoyable a pastime as soccer.

What she was witnessing now held nothing of the sport's benefits. It more closely resembled a deathmatch.

Ichigo moved as though he was battling for his life. Every swooping slice and jab from the girl's blunt weapon, he turned aside as though desperate to keep away from his body. Yet for whatever reason he chose not to fight back. She could actually see him check himself when the compulsion to retaliate was so strong. And the way his opponent fought… she gave no quarter, no rest. Neither of them even made those brazen shouts that initially reminded her of modern-day tennis players, grunting and bellowing with every strike.

To her consternation, the girl feinted suddenly to the left, then when Ichigo responded she skipped back to circle around him so lightly it almost looked like she was floating. Foul! You can't do that in kendo! Her brother swung about in time to block a slash at his head, and now they were facing each other from the opposite sides as when they started.

The girls from Karakura High were shouting furiously at such behavior. Even one of the actual referees overseeing a match took notice and motioned for a tournament official to come over, pointing at where the two fighters still engaged each other and speaking forcefully.

That was enough. Karin spared a glance at Kon, who remained shell-shocked in a way that almost made her just as afraid for him. But Ichigo was the one in the most obvious trouble. Without another second of hesitation the angry teen dashed toward the stairs, slipping on her shinigami glove as she did.

Bamboo swords clashed, and Ichigo found himself driven back. Heart laboring from fear and anger, he sought to drive forward, only to meet a barrage of blows that seemed to fall from all sides.

"No killing intent, I see," Unohana murmured calmly as she pressed her attack.

The spectators had now grown concerned or livid in some cases. Neither challenger was behaving in the manner customary for a display of kendo. For starters, they did not shout, the resolute battle cries meant to intimidate a foe while displaying one's spirit being conspicuously absent. In fact, Ichigo didn't make a sound. He did not strike at his adversary even once. Almost like he wasn't trying to score at all.

And he wasn't. Instead Ichigo Kurosaki cursed himself for a fool. She had planned this! His armor and greaves prevented him from reached the gikongan dispenser stashed in his pocket. If he dropped his guard even for a moment to try and reach it, who knows what she might do? Everyone around them was in range of an attack!

Without warning he sprang forward, sword held to ward his body, and the bamboo blades clashed with a harsh clack. Man and woman strained against one another now in a test of strength. Being so close, he had no trouble seeing her smile.

"Are you pleased to see me, boy?" she spoke below her breath.

"Go to hell!" Ichigo grunted. When he tried to put his superior height and weight to use in forcing her back, he found himself unable to budge this tiny woman by so much as a millimeter. Some type of magic? And I can't use kidō at all like this!

"You've done well so far," the teenage version of Unohana mused without so much as a hitch in breathing to indicate strain. "Shall we abandon the pretense?"

With that she spun gracefully to one side, causing Ichigo to stumble forward. He caught himself from falling. A deathly quiet fell on the spectators, and when he turned, Ichigo immediately saw why. Unohana had shifted her sword into an underhand grip once again, now angled before her body like a long knife. In doing so, she had abandoned the last remaining vestige of this being a kendo match.

"Did you know Yamamoto advocated kendo… as a way to boost morale?" she asked lightly, no longer bothering to keep her voice low. A sinister chuckled emerged from behind the mask. "Just so you know, this whole experience… has been… torture for me."

Several onlookers gasped when Ichigo straightened up to hold his sword in a stance that in no way derived from athletics. He glared at the youthful-seeming witch across from him.

You got my back, Old Man?

As much as I can, Ichigo.

He leapt with sword raised high overhead and brought it down in a diagonal slash. Unohana placed a hand against the back of the blade to block, then twisted her dominant wrist to send both weapons arcing briefly to one side.

As she did, her foot lashed out and kicked Ichigo in the kneecap. He uttered a grunt of pained surprise before lurching over to collapse on the floor. Sprawled flat, he stared wrathfully up at the woman who had brought him low with a single hit.

"You favor your left knee, Kurosaki-bozu," the chilling creature spoke as she stood triumphant over him. "I conjecture you received a very destructive injury to it at some point. Probably still gives you trouble in poor weather. Whoever healed you did a mediocre job, in my professional opinion." Unohana bent down low, wearing a look of concern behind her mask. "Was it your father? Or Rukia-chan, perhaps?"

A tournament official barged into the battleground bellowing that they both halt, only to stumble back and go sprawling from one jab of Unohana's blade. The look on his face as he sat there panting was apparently enough to prevent anyone else from attempting to do the same.

From his fallen position, Ichigo took advantage of this momentary distraction to deliver a backhand swing that caused Retsu to spring away. By the time he raised himself to one knee she had already renewed her attack, raining blow after blow upon him such that he could no longer counter. Only now a newfound sense of playfulness imbued the onslaught.

A tsuki took him in the throat. A men rapped against his skull, even as a perfectly executed kote nearly made him drop his sword. She was hitting him with kendo strikes.

Good.

The moment a do aimed towards his lower body came swooping in, Kurosaki dropped his sword and clapped an arm down, pinning the bamboo shaft against his ribs even as it sent a shock through his body. Before Unohana could attempt to drag it loose, he sent his free palm into the shaft, snapping the bamboo halfway along its length. When she pulled the splintered mess back, he surged up and sent a karate punch into her armored midsection.

"Ah," she breathed, a hint of outrage laden in that single utterance.

Ichigo did not give her time to consider how best to counter this sudden shift in martial arts. Instead he performed a leg sweep which sent the mad witch leaping away. By then he was back on his feet. Encumbered by heavy kendo equipment, he sought to ignore this handicap and muster the training which he had received in childhood. He sent a whirlwind kick at Unohana's head, causing her to duck.

He had intended to pair that up with an improvised drop kick to catch her by surprise. Only when a sudden blaze of pain shot through his leg did Ichigo realize his instincts had failed him. He had performed that move using his left foot to support himself, and the old injury to his knee, combined with the more recent assault, caused him to lose his balance!

As he stumbled, Unohana snatched up the shattered haft of her sword. Crouching down, she placed her free hand against the broken end for support and drove the rubber tip into his wounded knee with savage precision.

The sound of snapping bone carried over the screams of the spectators, along with Ichigo's own.

By the time she reached the arena floor Karin had to fight through a frightened, confused crowd of high school students in armor, flustered teachers and kendo enthusiasts, all of whom found themselves thrust into the middle of a war. She could hear people screaming at the two fighters up ahead, so why didn't anybody step in and put a stop to it?

Then again, if this enemy proved to be who she thought it was, they might need more than numbers to put her down. She clutched her spectral glove tightly.

All of a sudden a scream carried over the din that sent a knife through her heart.

"MOVE!" Karin shouted, clawing and elbowing her way deep into the press of bodies. When she finally burst through to stand in a cleared space, it was to find her elder brother sprawled on his side clutching at the ground in agony. From his left leg there protruded bloodied bone. Three of the kendo girls from his team were down on the floor beside him attempting to remove the remainder of his kendo armor while shouting for medical attention.

Ichigo's face was white. He took small gasps of air that had a wheezing aspect to them. Karin remembered a similar scene four years ago when he and Kon had tried to kill one another. The same horror she had experienced watching that happen returned unbidden.

This devastating emotion lasted only until she caught sight of the person responsible for all this. Yuri Konishi (or whatever her real name might be) had removed the helmet and now stood regarding her victim with aloof dispassion. As Karin watched she gave a small shake of her head, picking up Ichigo's shinai before turning to walk into the crowd, who parted as though afraid to get too close. Members of her own team attempted to accost her, only to freeze on approach, allowing Konishi to walk right on by.

With a peaceful air, the monster-girl returned to her school's area where she began to strip off her armor and pack away her belongings.

"You bitch."

Konishi spared a glance at the trembling girl confronting her a few paces off. "Ah… Karin-chan. This is our first time meeting. What a shame it should happen under such… unforgiving circumstances."

Standing with feet planted, Karin Kurosaki emanated a fury which caused any nearby to shy away even further. "If you think I'm going to let you just waltz out of here…!"

"What, then? You'll stop me?"

A fond smile only served to make that lovely face even more grotesque by comparison. Konishi bent to strip off her hakama trousers, seemingly unconcerned with what anyone might see. "By now you must have guessed who I am, Karin-chan. My advice is to call someone in your circle of acquaintances who possesses the requisite skills which would be useful in this confrontation. Specifically, those you sorely lack. Like your father, or Nanao-san." She clipped on a skirt before returning to stowing her gear. "Not Rukia-chan, though. She remains unaware of me, after all."

The cold-hearted monster slipped on some shoes and stood up, hoisting her bag and claimed shinai like a spoil of war onto one shoulder. "Please don't let me keep you any longer. I'm sure your brother could benefit from some first aid right now. Be a good girl and see to that for me, won't you?"

With that Yuri slipped quietly by, demure and proper as though nothing untoward had transpired. She passed within a handspan of Karin. The teen's fists clenched, aching to lash out with shinigami glove and drive this thing from her shell into the light of day!

She did not. Instead, when only a few steps separated them, Karin drew in a deep breath and turned around. "You still think you're in the right, don't you?"

Konishi tilted her head to one side but did not stop walking.

"You keep hurting us like you don't even have to wonder why anymore!" Face white, teeth gritted and eyes filled with unshed tears, Karin called out, "Stupid hag! You still can't see that you're worse than YAMAMOTO EVER WAS!"

Yuri Konishi froze.

Her bag fell to the floor, and as it did she flew backwards, the smooth shaft of bamboo lashing out and smashing into Karin's jaw.

The girl spun and hit the ground hard with Konishi raining unforgiving blows upon her. Karin instinctively curled into a defensive ball even as the pain hit full force. She caught sight of Ichigo roaring in pure rage as he tried to stand only for his twisted leg to send him sprawling once more. Even then, he strove to crawl towards her. The rest of the crowd did nothing to oppose this explosion of violent anger. They seemed almost paralyzed, unable to intervene owing to the sheer inexplicable brutality of the attack.

Or perhaps something more was at work.

"Miserable… child!" Konishi swore with every breath. "Insouciant little BRAT! No IDEA what I endured, for millenia, and you dare to question ME?! Think your INNOCENCE can save you?! Shall I show you what it feels like,when NOBODY COMES TO YOUR RESCUE?!"

Karin tasted blood in her mouth, and this combined with the pain nearly made her throw up.

It was then she realized the beating had stopped. Only the sound of flesh being struck still continued. When she cracked a swelling eye around, Karin saw Kon had flung himself atop her.

His eyes were shut tight, lips pressed together as though attempting not to scream. Above them Konishi snarled guttural sounds that no human should be capable of producing as she heedlessly battered the unresisting mod, striking his back and shoulders with her sword as though disciplining a misbehaving child. Karin couldn't understand why he didn't fight back!

At the next strike, a whimper came from Kon's throat, and it was then she knew…

He's scared.

Dazed from the assault, Karin still felt grief at the realization that Kon was being beaten by the one person he had thought loved him unconditionally. As Konishi raised her weapon for another vicious blow, he sucked in a breath and screamed, "MOTHER, PLEASE STOP!"

In an instant the attack halted. Did somebody finally grab her? Karin peered past her protector's tear-streaked face.

Yuri Konishi stood with arm raised for a strike that did not fall. Her lovely face, twisted by blackest hate only moments before, had gone white. Deep blue eyes flung wide, and her lips moved soundlessly as she stared at Kon.

The sword dropped from her nerveless grip. Konishi flung both hands to cover her mouth, trembling from head to foot. The witch stumbled while she backed away, never taking her eyes off Kon, as though horrified at what she had done. Tears fell that stained her white dress shirt a gruesome red. As Karin watched, Konishi's right eye turned solid black, only to bubble away into a noxious substance that spewed out of its eye socket like pus from rotten flesh.

That maimed creature suddenly turned and fled. No attempt was made to impede her flight. Even Ichigo, bleeding on the ground with a gikongan dispenser halfway to his mouth, was too amazed at what he saw to mount an offensive.

"Call a doctor!" someone shouted once Konishi was gone. "Inform the authorities!" came another frantic protest. Whatever spell might have held them prisoner was gone. Physical therapists and medical professionals on hand to deal with sports-related injuries came bustling forward with the tools of their trade. Kon managed to totter upright while mumbling that he was alright to anyone that asked. They soon enough found themselves surrounded by anxious students and concerned officials.

When Karin made an attempt to stand, she swayed and sat down heavily. Her ears were ringing; one eye had swollen shut, and her throbbing jaw could barely manage out, "Call Dad," before darkness claimed her.

Unohana Retsu finally stopped running in an alley. Surrounded by the smell of garbage from a nearby take-out restaurant, she doubled over and vomited. Blood came out, along with other things too foul to name. For a time she simply stood there, heart and mind awhirl.

Noise ahead alerted her. When she looked up it was to find three hard-looking men now stood blocking off the end of the alley. They made no move to approach. Still, it was clear their presence portended trouble.

The sorceress regained enough composure to stand tall once more. "May I help you, gentlemen?"

None of the trio responded.

The attack from behind came so swift and silent another person would surely have fallen prey to it. Instead Unohana whirled and drove out her arm palm-first, catching the man on the chin as his knife-thrust went harmlessly by her. He collapsed; whether unconscious or dead, it made no difference. Calmly she bent to pick up the dagger and regard her would-be attackers. "I take it you are the ones who have been giving me trouble of late."

There came a shifting at the end of the alley. Between the toughs slipped a tall fair woman with long black hair and an unforgiving expression. She wore a simple short skirt with white dress shirt untucked and open at the collar. In her hand was a sheathed katana.

Unohana cocked her head, empty eye drawing over this person. "An assassin, is it?" she asked carelessly.

"Think of this as a test," Kunieda Ryō declared coldly. Without taking her attention from the one-eyed woman for a moment she passed off the sword and, to Retsu's surprise, began to unbutton her shirt. Once done she handed the garment off, revealing what looked like a leotard or one-piece swimsuit beneath. Unfazed, the witch continued to watch as that tall beauty accepted her weapon back and drew the razor-sharp blade free. The sheathe clattered to the filthy ground, and she raised the katana to shoulder-height.

A smirk twisted Unohana's lips. "Come, then, brave soul."

Kunieda charged. Her assistants did not seek to help. Unohana hefted the dagger underhand at her approach. A long blade like that would be more of a hindrance than an advantage in these confined quarters. Even if the girl tried to keep her distance to capitalize on a superior reach, the terrain would soon prove its worth.

Only a few feet away Ryō dropped down and skidded forward, twisting around as she did. Unusual, Unohana thought as she dodged, lifting her knife in preparation to…

She then spotted the girl's bare back. Etched onto every inch of skin was a magnificent tattoo of a black dragon, its golden claws gripping snow-capped mountains as it twisted through the heavens. Before the witch could react the divine beast's eyes sought out her own. They flashed white…

Unohana then stood blinking in the middle of an alleyway, wondering why she was holding a dagger to strike when there was no one even near her.

As she pondered this mystery, there came a slight swishing sound, followed by a breath of warm air.

Strands of long black hair fluttered to the ground, followed soon after by Retsu's head.

The decapitated body crumpled. Kunieda stood up, trembling slightly from exhilaration. That settles that. Looks like she actually had to see it to be affected. Clearly not a coward. Wonder what she would have seen if she was?

"Ojousama," one of her family members spoke as they came closer. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," she assured them, accepting her scabbard to sheathe the ancestral sword. "My gamble paid off." With a flick of her head she indicated towards the already crumbling gigai. Her servitors moved obediently to clean up any lingering remnants of that foul spirit's presence.

Something black, like a great spider's shadow, wriggled briefly out from under the body before scuttling away to vanish in a patch of sunlight.

Seeing this, Kunieda frowned. It would seem their work was not yet done.

Four down, however many to go, she thought before walking away.

Members of the Kidō Corps did not idly pry into one another's affairs. To call their enclave 'secretive' would perhaps imply a negative connotation. But it would not be stretching the truth very far to say that rumor, gossip and innuendo tended to have a very short shelf life when it came to that crew.

Perhaps for this reason, Kiyone Kotetsu felt decidedly out of place as their lieutenant.

For starters, hardly anybody here seemed to recognize her. Being a noblewoman meant she already boasted a reputation that employed its own entourage and cheerleading team. And then, of course, Kiyone enjoyed a lofty position as preeminent newshound of Seireitei (being afforded the somewhat unflattering title of 'Mistress of Whispers'). And as a shinigami officer of the Four Great Houses… well, you'd have to flip over some pretty big rocks to find someone who hadn't heard of her.

Or so she'd thought. Turns out most members of her new division weren't even aware Commander-General Yamamoto was dead. How could any large group of people be so disinterested in what was going on in the world today?! While friendly and courteous overall, they tended to get lost in their own research. It reminded her of the R&D Bureau. Except that bunch practically survived on gossip and were some of her most vociferous clients… aficionados… accomplices?

Well, let's just say I have a wide circle of friends. Which just means I have to work ten times as hard to get whatever information I can out of these magic bookworms!

I don't trust them. Not one bit.

Any particular reason today?

Aside from the fact that half of them are SECRETLY IN LEAGUE WITH AIZEN? No, none at all.

Love to hear what trusted source confided that particular bit of information with you. Been chatting with Gin Ichimaru behind my back, have you?

Don't kid! They're all out to get you for your job! The last lieutenant in this place was MURDERED!

By a Hollow.

I'm not falling for that ingeniously arranged setup. The whole Sokyoku theft was just a cover to hide the murder, not the other way around! It was a brilliant bit of subterfuge, I'll grant you, but nobody's pulling the wool over my eyes! Look at what ISN'T there, then you'll see.

You know, you'd really get along well with Hanatarō Yamada's zanpakutō.

PFFT! That foaming-mouthed hypochondriac? He's totally off base, jumping to bizarre conclusions based on zero evidence! What could we possibly have in common?!

You're a real team player, Umasaya.

When they come creeping up to stab you in the back, I'll be the only thing stopping them. Keep that in mind.

Ten-four, good buddy. Now cool it. We've got work to do.

"O-nii-san, don't step there," she warned. "It's a cold spot. Someone's doing research inside."

"Thank you, Kiyone-chan." Ukitake Jūshirō obeyed his sister-in-law and took a wide detour around the nondescript patch of corridor down which they walked. His wife Isane Kotetsu took his arm protectively, which earned her a self-deprecating smile that still made Kiyone's heart flutter a little.

Grr! Down, me, down! Don't lose focus!

The Kidō Corps headquarters was mainly underground… or upside-down in another dimension. Kiyone had gotten dizzy when they tried to explain it to her. The architecture of this division seemed designed to mislead and confuse. Hallways tended to double back and lead to flights of stairs that served no purpose. It was only when you stopped to consider what might be there (You're welcome!) that you had a chance to spot the one slightly discolored tile in a wall fresco which, when pressed, caused the hidden trapdoor in the steps to lift up and allow you into a subterranean domicile belonging to whatever long-ago sorcerer had been so insistent on solitude that he didn't even want a room assigned to him. Or the golden statue of a Bai-Ze luck deity in the corner of a room that, when circled three times counterclockwise as indicated by the intricate stonework at its feet, caused a compartment to open on the other side of the room for exactly five seconds before soundlessly shutting again.

The people might not be much to talk to, but at least the building has plenty of secrets for me to plunder. Here's to sticking my nose where it doesn't belong in the name of the common good!

Kiyone led her party into a room which turned out to be comprised of a large war galley with numerous oars floating in a small rectangular lake. No lights were visible, and only the faint glow of fireflies drifting about provided minimal illumination. The ship took up most of the space, which might lead one to believe its hold was where anything of interest might be found, when in fact it was the water below that held the real secrets. Everything on the galley was either a trap or a false lead.

"Right this way." The sprightly lieutenant turned a crank which caused the sail to fold up. She then gave the mechanism a quick quarter-turn back in the opposite direction, and back around again thrice. Doing so caused the lamps along the bow and stern of the vessel to light, bathing the area in blue flames.

"It's safe now," she told them.

Isane and Jūshirō peered around with interest. In the added blue radiance, those watery depths below had sprung to life. Now clearly visible were all manner of creatures drifting along for an unfathomable distance down. Titans of the deep brushed past schools of small unnamed fish without comment. Whether aquarium or ocean, one could hardly find a greater diversity of species anywhere.

"Captain Kotetsu. Lord Jūshirō. Welcome."

When they looked up it was to find the Head of the Kidō Corps had joined them. Tessai Tsukabishi was seated at the bow of the ship under a large umbrella, cloaked in his robes of office with staff laid to one side. His glasses reflected the blue radiance to leave his eyes hidden. Yet there was no sense of menace coming off him, even in such a strange and confusing place. The muscular sorcerer waved them closer, and the trio complied. Soon they were seated together. Kiyone claimed a spot beside her superior to sit at rigid attention. It might have resembled a picnic were the carpet on which they sat not littered with scrolls and tablets containing arcane readouts.

Tessai lifted an electronic pad for Isane's benefit. "Here, Kotetsu-taichou. Please give me your unbiased opinion of this data."

The medical professional did so, scanning through several screens before giving a tired nod and handing it off to Ukitake, who followed suit. "So it seems after extensive research, we have no reason to differ with the conclusion reached by the Arashi following their own examinations. There do not appear to be any adverse effects. Nothing to indicate the miracle spell is harming patients in any way."

Tessai gave a grunt. "The result was gained from examining the sorcerous structure underlying it. While undoubtedly a work of sheer art in terms of complexity and function, this magic seems intended solely to heal a dying mortal whose soul has sufficient spirit power to respond to it."

Quietly Kiyone absorbed this information. The so-called miracle spell being employed in the material world had drawn interest from a number of quarters. Naturally, word got back to her about it lickety-split. The spell came courtesy of Unohana Retsu herself, legendary hero and secret traitor. She had bestowed it on Rukia Kuchiki, princess of that auspicious house, who was stripped of her position as a shinigami for putting the spell into use on a human girl who happened to be a friend of hers. This order came courtesy of her own brother Captain-Commander Byakuya Kuchiki. Rather than be cowed by this overwhelming (and some said overreacting) edict from her sibling, little Rukia then hied her rebellious tushy over to her former fiancé Lord Katsurou Arashi, whom she shared the spell with in order to, some were wont to mutter, go behind her brother's back and get the miracle magic out there where it could do the most good.

Or harm, depending on one's perspective.

Unfortunately, whatever your opinion, the end result was still the same: the Arashi were not shinigami under the authority of the Gotei 7. As such they were not bound by any rules concerning treatment of mortals by death gods. On top of that, as one of the Four Great Houses, they and their designated members were largely immune to outside interference. Meaning they had a far greater degree of discretion applied to them. Not even the Captain-Commander could simply order the Arashi to stop what they were doing without risk of offending Lord Arashi and losing his support.

Nobody wanted to see that happen. Well, nobody in this dimension, at any rate.

"As far as I can tell," Isane delved more deeply into this topic, "the spell is designed to induce preemptive necrosis. Basically unhealthy cells or pathogens simply eat themselves alive, leaving only the healthy aspects of the target. The body's soul current encourages this until the patient recovers. Afterwards, what's dead is flushed out through natural methods."

Ukitake finished reading the readout and moved to enter the conversation, looking unbelievably handsome as he did. "The volunteers we tried it on here in Soul Society report no adverse effects. While primarily designed for the living, whether maladies of the spirit or flesh, it seems quite benign."

"Perhaps that may have been its original intent," Tsukabishi intoned with fist pressed to his chin in thought. "But Aizen could have added something on, an ancillary function which piggybacks the obvious. Something subtle, like a whisper."

'Or a rumor,' Kiyone thought to herself.

"Couldn't it…?"

They looked to Isane, who hesitated before continuing. "I mean, couldn't it be that we are overthinking this? Unohana-sama…" Her face took on a pained, desperate expression that made Kiyone's heart go out to her poor suffering sister, all unknowing and uninformed, just the way she wanted. Jūshirō gripped her hand in support, causing Kiyone to flinch and Captain Kotetsu to inhale deeply. "This is her work, without a doubt. And no matter what might have been done to Unohana-sama, I cannot comprehend that she would ever allow anything malicious to be done to a person in need of healing. It is simply not in her nature."

Kiyone shifted uncomfortably. As usual, the meeting was handicapped by not being able to discuss Unohana's true motivations in front of her sister without risk of complicating the magical boon she had received. Then again, who knows if lifting Cloud Over Moon might not cause her to have a completely different reaction to this development, one which could lead to previously unforeseen revelations?

See, people? This is why we don't need so many secrets! Free flow of information!

"I understand your reservations," Tessai intoned compassionately. "Still, this cannot constitute anything but interference in the mortal world, to an unheard-of extent. Not just the Arashi are behind this. By utilizing sorcery which derives from Nirvana, they do far more than heal the sick and dying. They are promoting a strategy that runs counter to that currently espoused by Soul Society. Lieutenant, if you would?"

He looked expectantly to Kiyone, who straightened her shoulders and put on a brave face to report on her own findings. "I've been getting whispers from all corners. Not every shinigami sees the point in limiting our interaction with the living to just protecting them from Hollows. And those already dead are joining in as well. The ones who had spirit power of any stripe who might have benefited from the spell while still alive are pretty testy at finding we could have given them more time to live but didn't. It's a sore spot. And misinformation is out there as well. Some people insist the miracle spell," Kiyone absolutely refused to call it 'King's Touch', "can cure anyone of anything, regardless of soul power."

Tessai picked up a scroll and unrolled it for all to see. "Which brings us to another issue. Word of this phenomenon has spread throughout the mortal realm. It is gaining attention, and while they have no explanation for it, that does not prevent them from guessing. Whether we like it or not, some of them are turning towards the divine as a reason. Which could be precisely what Aizen wants; preparing the living to accept heavenly intrusion into their lives. I believe this was mentioned as being his intent prior to Nirvana being sealed."

"Still," Jūshirō cut in smoothly, "thousands of people have been restored to full health as a result of the miracle. Clan Arashi is doing more than just magical healing. They're disseminating an alternative; a counter to the established practices of the Gotei 7 and its guardians. When you come right down to it, though, the possibility remains that this is just an unintentional byproduct for what on its face is an act of mercy. And truthfully, as one who was tortured by illness for centuries, I am hard-pressed to find fault with their actions."

This admission threw a pall over the conversation. Kiyone studied her cohorts surreptitiously from the corner of one eye. Isane-neesan was obviously troubled by her husband's statement, but she herself must see the validity of it, as a lifelong proponent of medicine. Her own captain kept his features composed in a neutral mask. Still, she had learned to recognize signs of tension, such as the way he adjusted his glasses in a seemingly absent manner.

Ukitake-sama bore himself like a god. And he was right. Spread of the miracle spell might prove to be largely altruistic.

That is, if you didn't know Katsurou was Aizen's MATERNAL UNCLE!

Even if Lord Arashi isn't actively intending to support him by this, you can bet that bastard will capitalize on it as a sign of how much better things would be with him in charge. If we don't get behind the swell and throw in our support, it'll only make us seem like hidebound traditionalists unwilling to allow anything we don't approve of first, no matter how many people benefit from it.

That smacks of a cover-up! They'd assume we were just hoarding the spell for our own benefit. We'd be shooting ourselves in the foot!

This is how you start to overthrow an empire. With words. And hope.

Not like we'll just lie down and let those jokers walk all over us, though.

"We can't just let them control the narrative!" Kiyone abruptly objected, cringing at the thought of disagreeing with anything her old captain and hero might think. But a Kotetsu can handle a little humiliation! "Whatever side we finally come down on, it's because we did the hard work and decided on what we felt was best for souls! And one thing we can all agree on is Aizen and his allies can't be allowed to influence the running of either world!"

This assertion earned her approval, judging by the way the mood lifted. Isane settled back on her seat with a sigh. "The other captains will need to be informed of our findings. It will then be decided how to publicly broach this topic with both shinigami and pluses."

"Until then, we shall continue seeking to determine the full extent of the spell's purpose." Tessai retrieved his staff and stood upright. With one sweep of the arm, a bridge of water emerged from the darkness surrounding them which led to a door fashioned of light. The galley began to flow with the current towards this exit. Upon passing through they found themselves drifting upon a river which ran through Kotetsu family grounds. Tessai willed the ship to shore and ran out a gangplank which Isane and Jūshirō walked down.

"I will call on you again soon, Tessai-san," the white-haired war veteran promised as he and his wife disembarked. "Once I can rouse Kyōraku to full consciousness, that is. We would both appreciate a chance to catch up."

"I look forward to it," came his reply.

"I've already got contacts in the mortal realm working on a counter-information campaign!" the younger Kotetsu sister hastened to add before they could disperse. "If Aizen thinks he can just slink into a commanding position with the odd bit of rumormongering, he'll find us far from wanting!"

Ukitake flashed a dazzling smile at Kiyone, who felt her face flush as she clamped her jaws shut to prevent any squealing. "We can always count on you, Imouto-chan. Try not to be late for dinner."

"Yes, Nii-sama!" she managed to squeak. Then, once she felt certain of having gotten herself under control, "And I… enjoyed collaborating with you once again! You too, Nee-san," she added as an afterthought.

"Keep us all informed, sister," the Lady of the Kotetsu supplied with an affectionate smile. The sight of it made Kiyone feel both relieved and guilty. Relief that their bond remained strong after all these centuries, and guilt at how easy it would be to break it.

The ruling pair made their way inland. As the boat reversed course to pass into the magic portal, Tessai glanced down at his tiny subordinate. "Does the subterfuge trouble you?" he inquired not unkindly.

Lieutenant Kotetsu squared her shoulders to gaze straight ahead. "Nee-san wanted this. We'll found a way to come out on top without having to disturb her rest. On my life as a Kotetsu!"

"Hmm," the elder mage observed, turning back to guiding the craft home.

Say, did you see the way Ukitake behaved when Isane brought up Unohana?

What about it?

It was obvious! He's hiding something. And Isane's in on it. They're CONSPIRING TOGETHER!

Watch it, buster! I'll take a lot of flack from you, but my family never keeps anything from me! I would know. Who's the Mistress of Whispers here, huh?

You hear whispers, but I hear shouts. They've got a secret. Unless you want to be blindsided later on, you'll sniff it out before it's too late.

Oh, go wrap your head in aluminum foil. There's stuff demanding my attention in the mortal realm, and it's high time I looked in on our little dynamic duo. Probably lots of juicy material popped up lately. I can't wait!

Shotoku Kurosaki found himself in a forest. Pine trees spread out in every direction, the tops so high they were lost to view. Fallen needles formed a dry brown carpet that crunched with every step he took. The sky was a soft pale orange.

Nothing moved.

He was looking for someone.

"Momma!" the boy called, but knew right away it was wrong. That wasn't who he was supposed to find. When he pictured his father and other family, they too did not fit. Who do I know? Maybe it's someone I don't know?

That struck him as right. Only then did he hear crying.

"Hey-ya!" He began to walk quickly, stumbling along in search of whoever was making that sound. It grew fainter sometimes. Excited now, the child began to hurry. I want to find them! Trees went by, their trunks so huge he couldn't see around.

All of a sudden the forest ended. Shoto now found himself at the end of the world. A cliff. And beyond that, the soft orange sky went on forever. He realized the crying came from behind him, back in the forest. I missed it!

When he turned to retrace his steps, he noticed something at the edge of the cliff.

It stood there, facing the endless sky, its back to him. An animal. Dog? Bigger, with long legs. He had seen something like this, in the park at the big city his parents took him to before. They let me feed it, I remember it licked my hand…

A deer! It's a deer! Does it know who was crying?

He took a step towards it. As he did, the animal turned, and Shoto froze.

The deer had no face. In its place, beneath antlers branching like the limbs of a dead tree, there was only a white skull with black holes for eyes.

When it saw him, the monster lifted its fleshless head and howled!

That sound!

Shotoku screamed. Terror seized hold. He turned and raced back the way he came, trying to escape. When he looked behind him the deer monster was in hot pursuit, leaping along. He ran pell-mell through the forest. "MOMMA!" the boy shrieked. "TOES!" For just a bit he could have sworn he saw his father right there, looking at him as if surprised, but then he was racing past. Shoto could hear the monster crashing along behind, and he began to weep, wailing in utmost fright.

As he did, the cries he had heard earlier resumed. They were close. In a moment the little boy changed direction, forgetting the sounds of pursuit as he reoriented to follow. Who's crying?! It's not me! Someone else! "ARE YOU?!" he shouted. "Where ARE you?!"

All of a sudden the boy fell, but when he lifted his head there was a baby on the ground in front of him. Wrapped in a blanket of white feathers, it screamed and shook its stubby fists.

A horrific scream from behind made him whirl about. The monster! It's coming back! Shotoku picked up the baby and looked everywhere for a place to hide. But there was nothing. Just the trees, going up and up forever.

Climb! CLIMB!

He knew how to climb trees. With the baby now in a sling against his back he jumped to grab a low-hanging branch. Shoto began to scale the heights, going higher all the while. He looked down once and decided not to do that again. They were already up so far. With renewed vigor the determined youth set off again.

The whole tree shook. Uttering a frightened cry, Shotoku stopped and flung his arms around the trunk, holding on as hard as he could. When things quieted down he started climbing once more.

After only a few branches, though, the shaking happened again, more violently than before. And it did not stop. Clutching the trembling spire for dear life, he looked down and saw the monster deer standing at the base of the tree. Unable to follow, it had taken to ramming its horned head into the trunk over and over again.

Shoto screamed. The baby did too. All of a sudden he knew this was his brother… no, his sister, that's what Momma said. The monster was trying to hurt them both. "What did I do?!" he screamed down at it. "I'm sorry! Don't get mad!" Again the tree shook, and he could only sob. Looking up, Shotoku saw how far it was to the top. The sight filled him with despair. There was no way he could climb that high. And down below, the thing waited for them to fall.

Call for help! That's what your mother told you. If you're ever alone, call for help!

"Help!" the little boy whispered.

WHAM! The branches shook and rattled from another impact, and he tried again, louder this time. "HELP! MOMMA! TOES! BAASAN! HELP!"

No one came. The frantic child stared up at the sky, its colors quaking at every impact. He was about to fall.

He reached out.

Help.

Below them the monster roared once more, that awful familiar noise, the first sound he ever heard…

Shotoku reached further.

Down below the beast waited. It was going to eat him. His sister too. He hugged the baby tight. The tree gave another alarming jolt, causing him to slip.

Shotoku Kurosaki fell.

And as he did, Kujaku Kuchiki reached out, hard as he could. "HELP!"

Someone caught him. When Jaku saw who it was, he almost laughed.

"Dog Man!"

"Fear not." The man with the head of a dog lifted them both onto his back. Kujaku grabbed hold of his brown fur with both hands. This was someone he had seen before. Without knowing how, he realized that they were safe. But now the Dog Man was a real dog, balanced atop one of the tree's branches on all fours. Swaying up and down, Dog Man glared down at the monster watching them from below and growled. His golden eyes now held a spot of red.

The deer took an uncertain step back.

Jaku was so happy. Somebody heard! We're saved!

HE–

This time…

HELL-l-l-p-p-PPP?!

…EVERYTHING shook!

The voice was so loud, causing the entire whole world to quake, including Jaku's skull and his heart and his bones. This ROARING was completely unlike the one he knew from before. It made every part of him scream. Like it was lightning coursing through him.

When Kujaku looked up, the sky had turned to dark thunderclouds. And staring out of it was a huge orange eye.

whO'S thHERERE said that? I'm feeeeLING you now know you're somewhere oOOOVer there. C'MOOOON out! COme oUT!

The eye seemed to focus on them, even the monster, which stood as though transfixed.

Ohhhh… YOoou…

Dog Man was already leaping down from one limb to another.

Run…

The stag beast flinched.

Flee… f-f-f-fLEEEEA!

Then it turned and fled.

FLEE! FLEA!

That terrible voice from the sky laughed now, cackling in wild mirth. As it did the storm clouds began to whip back and forth, then descend, shattering the treetops and flinging them aloft as though torn apart by a hurricane.

FLEEA! FLEE, FLEA!

Dog Man had reached the forest floor and was now scattering pine needles in the wake of his headlong flight. The sound of his panting breaths filled the boy's ears as they bounded along. Kujaku was much too scared to cry now. Instead he clutched his sister and their furry steed's pelt.

That voice in the sky… it heard me call. Don't let it get us.

As their rescuer bore on Kujaku looked behind them. The storm had reached the ground and was now a wall of clouds that ate the world, ripping shattered trees straight from the earth before sucking them into its roiling depths. Wild laughter tore from the heart of the maelstrom, and as the boy watched, a pair of giant orange eyes now opened inside.

yOu aRrrE… bLOO-O-D!

The tide of devastation continued to chase them, grinding up the whole forest as it did, a massive set of jaws consuming all that stood in its path. Without warning they came bursting out past the tree line. Dog Man continued to race forward until he had reached the cliffside. He peered over the edge, but all that presented itself was a yawning void.

Kujaku looked frantically about, and uttered a small cry. For there not too far off the stag was dancing back and forth at the edge, clearly afraid to go forward but unwilling to turn back. At length the beast appeared to notice them. It hesitated, staring unmoving at its fellow refugees with one leg lifted off the ground as though in preparation for flight. Kujaku regarded it with a sort of awed dread. Even this monster was afraid of that thing!

Abruptly the stag lowered its antlers and charged straight at them. Dog Man stood his ground with a furious growl. Before it could reach them, however, the ghastly storm had caught up. The last line of trees burst into splinters to be swallowed. A wall of solid nightmare bore down upon their last stand.

"HOLD STRONG, CHILDREN!" Dog Man called. And so saying, he turned and leapt straight out into the empty abyss. But to Kujaku's amazement, instead of falling, they began to rise.

NO! NOT ME!

He looked back at the cliff, where the stag remained watching their ascent. He could sense its despair and knew the creature could not bear to jump. Another burst of gibbering laughter saw it swing wildly around to face the living storm.

TAKE THEM AND NOT ME! TAKE THEM AND–

As the monster turned, its hind leg slipped. With an awful shriek it fell off to plummet kicking and flailing into the abyss.

NOT ME-E-E-E-E!

"NOT ME! NOT ME-E-E-E!"

Rukia came racing into the room where she found her son Shotoku sitting up in bed screaming at the top of his lungs. When she grabbed him by the shoulders, the boy didn't even look at her.

"What's wrong?" Beside her Yuzu Kurosaki entered and knelt quickly to regard her previously napping nephew with distress. "Is he dreaming? Shoto? SHOTOKU!"

A gikongan dispenser was in her hand, but before Rukia could even pop the top, Shoto sagged, only to begin squirming wildly in her grip. As she struggled to hold him, Yuzu reached up and took the boy's face in both hands.

"Shotoku," his aunt said firmly. "Wake up!"

Those blank eyes focused, coming to rest on the wall in front of him decorated with paintings of animals. Shoto blinked, seemingly awake but perhaps uncertain if he still dreamed. He looked at them both watching him with concern. At this, the childish face crumpled, and he flew into his mother's embrace sobbing.

With an effort, Rukia allowed herself to relax. This wasn't the first time her little boy had experienced nightmares which upset him. But never to such an extent. She stroked his hair, Yuzu doing the same, whispering over and over again that he was safe.

The sound of little Hiruko's wailing suddenly reached her. Dread at another possible threat took hold; with the greatest effort she pulled back and handed him over to Yuzu. "Watch Shoto while I go check on her," she said. Understanding immediately, the teen nodded and accepted her nephew, who struggled in a panic.

"Momma, no! Momma, stay, Momma stay!"

"Shhh, it's okay," Yuzu spoke with utmost gentleness as she pulled him close to her. "Momma will be right back, we're both going to keep you safe. It's all right, Shoto, don't cry, Aunt Yuzu is right here, you're safe."

It tore at her heart to leave with her son's pleading tear-filled voice still calling out for her, but Rukia made herself rise and go to the nursery next to her bedroom. To her relief Hiruko proved to be unharmed; probably just frightened by her brother's screaming. She picked the baby up and took her out into the hall where she began walking up and down, passing the door of Shotoku's room to let him know she was still here.

In under a minute their combined efforts had calmed the boy down so that only one of her children was still crying. Yuzu continued to hug the boy tight, humming snatches of nursery rhymes and sometimes singing. He sniffed now and then, but seemed content to let his aunt try her best to work out any fears the nightmare might have left behind.

Well, that gave us a fright.

Yes.

Could this be something along the lines of sibling rivalry? A reaction to having a new baby in the house?

It's been weighing on me more and more, these sleep problems of his. Sometimes he talks about things I swear he has no right knowing.

Maybe it's time we let a professional take a look at him.

You mean like Kurotsuchi or Urahara? Be serious.

No, I mean Captain Kotetsu. She's head of the healing division, and her old master was the goddess of midwives, for crying out loud. Plus rumor has it she suffered from nightmares for ages. I can't think of anyone better suited to find a solution.

I'm leery of bringing Soul Society into this. My standing over there is not what it once was.

Steer clear of shinigami protocol. Approach her as a noblewoman. You don't seriously think she'd refuse to help, do you?

No. It's just… I want to see if we can handle this ourselves.

Okay. But don't be too proud to ask for help if things get worse.

Rukia resolved her inner conversation with her soul cutter and returned to the matter at hand. Hiruko was quieting down. With a subtle sign to Yuzu, the younger woman picked up Shotoku and together they returned to the nursery. Upon laying the baby in the crib she took a seat in a rocking chair with Shoto in her lap. Yuzu turned on an electric mobile hanging over the crib, and the two of them began singing a lullaby. After about ten minutes, the little girl was asleep. Sadly her son gave no sign of the same.

"C'mon, little Prince Shotoku," Yuzu teased him. "Let your sister sleep and I'll warm you up some hot milk to drink."

Rukia sent her a grateful look as the boy was led out. "M'not Prince Shotoku," the boy mumbled as he left, tiredly rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, no?" his aunt grinned. This was one of their favorite games. "Well, are you a penguin popsicle, then?"

"No."

"Are you a monkey manju?"

"No."

"Are you–"

"I'm Kujaku Kuchiki."

About to return to the baby, Rukia stopped.

"Who told you that?" Yuzu's words drifted back to her.

"The Rabbit in the Moon," came his reply.

For a moment the shinigami princess sat dumbfounded. How did he know that name? They hadn't called him that for over a year, not since a tragic episode with his daycare. Could he have suddenly remembered? Was it tied to the dream he had which scared him so?

If you want my opinion, it's time to swallow that pride.

I fear you may be right, Sode no Shirayuki.

Kon sat outside the local hospital where Karin and her brother had been transferred. Not being a family member, he wasn't allowed to know the details, but he got the impression they weren't in any danger. It would probably take Isshin about an hour to get here. Unless he chose to go shinigami, in which case he couldn't even consult the doctors. Kind of like me.

"…wrong with 'King's Touch'? I like the whole regal angle."

His ears perked up as two young women sipping coffee drinks slipped past deep in conversation.

"Didn't you hear? It refers to this old European folk treatment for scrofula."

"Scrofula? That some kind of venereal disease? Sounds nasty."

"Those two podcast girls I told you about brought it up on their show."

"Uhhh… podcast?"

"Remember, the super-gay one and the super-chatty one? Right, so they got really specific about the symptoms. Could go viral. There are pictures spreading online. Like lesions and cancerous growths on your neck and stuff. Super gross."

"Stop, I don't even want to think about that! Gives me the heebie-jeebies!"

"Yeah. Sick. I just went back to calling it 'the miracle'. Sounds nicer."

They drifted away still chatting. Not for the first time Kon felt a touch of unease. Your average person remained unaware of the existence of Hollows and their tendency to prey upon the living. Spirit troubles were one particular burden humanity didn't have to labor under. Although in that case, ignorance could get them killed. Now, though, the business of the afterlife was starting to intrude front and center upon mortal lives.

A buzzing came from his pocket. The mod soul removed a cellphone sporting a small silver charm on its strap and raised it to his ear. "Yeah?" He listened a moment. "Alright. Be there in a flash."

Kon stood.

Both girls from before gave startled yelps as a strong gust of wind lifted their skirts, almost like something blew by them incredibly fast.

Ten seconds later Kon slowed to a halt at a bus stop on the other side of town. He glanced around. No sign of anyone, so he settled down to wait.

At length a very unusual sight came into view. It was a rickshaw, one of the actual man-powered means of old-fashioned conveyance, not like the automated ones found in mainland Asia. This antique was being pulled by a puffing, red-faced human sweating buckets. The driver came to an abrupt halt before the bus stop and stood there gasping for air. He didn't even look at Kon; just stared straight ahead as though entranced.

"You make good time, Shiba-kun."

Striving to hide his distaste Kon came forward. From within the covered cart a black silk fedora tipped forward to acknowledge him sardonically. "Hop in. We'll jaw along the way."

"I'll pull," Kon stated firmly. When a single black eyebrow rose in question he said, "Give the poor sap a break."

"Still such a nice guy."

There came a snap of fingers, at which the rickshaw driver staggered over to the curb where he promptly collapsed, seemingly intent only on trying to catch his breath. Kon stepped up to take his place, grasping the handles and setting off at a sedate pace. For a bullet train, that is.

"Let's make this quick," he called over his shoulder while trees and cars zipped by at unnerving speed. "I need to get back to the hospital before anyone shows up."

"Have it yer way, big fella." With that Gin Ichimaru leaned forward wearing a diabolical smirk. "So… waddaya want to talk about first?"

Saijin Komamura bolted upright in bed. For a moment he could have sworn that horrendous voice was still pleading for mercy. NOT ME, it had screamed; same as last time. What did it mean by that?

"Bad dream?"

Her voice dispelled the last lingering echoes. Saijin settled back on his mattress and stared at the ceiling. "I dreamt of Cernunnos… for the first time in ages."

"That's odd." Her arm draped over his chest and she snuggled against him. "Tell me about it in the morning, alright?"

"Yes," he nodded.

With that, Captain Neliel tu Odelschvank dropped back into contented sleep.

Saijin remained awake for a long time. There had been more than just the Hunt Master. Those two children… one of them was assuredly Rukia Kuchiki's child. The one Noboru named Kujaku. They had met once in the living world… and… more than once, in dreams! He recalled it clearly now. It was not the first time this had happened. Something very strange was going on.

"He called it… a flea," the dog spirit pondered.

There was no answer to be found in dreams, and so Saijin slept peacefully.

To be continued…