Karin stumbled as a heavy weight pressed itself upon her shoulders. She gritted her teeth against the feel and let out a gasp when she eventually fell to her knees. Beside her, Yuzu was pale and breathing just as harshly, they tried to raise their own spiritual pressure, but it didn't help much. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the pressure vanished. They sat there on their hands and knees for a few moments, gathering their bearings.

"Karin, Yuzu!" They heard their names called and looked up in time to see Rukia running towards them, her legs slightly wobbly. Karin swallowed and forced herself to stand, helping her sister up along with her.

"What the hell was that?" She rounded on Rukia when she was closer, and a wince crossed the elder woman's face. It seemed like she was deciding how to tell them, but Karin needed to know if they were in any danger.

"Just say it!" A part of her was scared, something that she didn't want to acknowledge. Even having felt the heavy reiatsu of Yamamoto soutaichou hadn't been as overbearing. There was something more in this presence, a sense of vastness that she couldn't describe even now as a seated officer.

Rukia's violet eyes fell to half mast and she refused to look at them. Her hands twisted in front of her as she took a deep breath and let her words out in a half whisper.

"Your brother."

Karin froze and she felt Yuzu stiffen next to her. Her heart stuttered erratically in her chest and anxiety blossomed in the pit of her stomach, clawing its way up to settle as a lump in her throat. That had been their brother? She swallowed heavily against her dry mouth, trying to connect the dots. They had never been able to visit him, and after losing their mortal memories they had accepted it easily enough. They knew though, that this man had been their brother in their mortal life, had fought and bled for them, and apparently had sealed himself away for a reason only he and the previous soutaichou knew. They were told his deeds, knew him as a hero just like everyone else, a protector, but they no longer remembered him as a brother.

"Come, I think we should go to him." Rukia placed a gentle hand on Yuzu's shoulder and Karin saw her sister give her a reassuring nod. Strawberry bangs curled around her face giving her a childish appearance, but there was hard glare of determination in Yuzu's eyes that was compelling her to follow.

"I think so too," Yuzu voiced and grabbed her hand, tugging her along when her feet didn't work. Sometimes she hated how brave Yuzu could be in the face of the unknown, but she drew strength from it as well. Because no matter how much people told her about what a great man their brother had been, Karin couldn't get over the sliver of fear that had been planted into her chest when that crushing weight had bore down on them. She forced herself to ignore it and strengthened her steps, noting Yuzu's pleased smile.

"Where is he?"

Rukia paused briefly, stretching her senses out. "Sokyoku hill."

This time, Karin wasn't' the only one who froze briefly, though she tried to make it seem like nothing happened. Sokyoku hill was far, far away from them and the weight of the pressure had made her think they were near the source. Rukia seemed to catch on to this and gave them a soft smile.

"Ichigo's always been strong, but he's always been a protector. You don't have anything to be scared of."

She flickered into shunpo, not letting them get a word in. They both followed her along silently, taking solace in the cool breeze gusting past them.

Karin couldn't help but feel bad about her fear, knowing that the man she was going to meet had done nothing but sacrifice for them, and she couldn't even remember it. It seemed like a dishonor to him, to the memory of who he was to them, but instinct was hard to ignore.

Rukia stopped abruptly and she nearly stumbled, torn out of her thoughts. A large hand fell on her shoulder, steadying her, and she looked up into the cool grey eyes of her adoptive father. He leveled her with his cool mask of indifference, but she could see the gentle concern underneath. She gave him a weak scowl and he let her go, backing away to talk to his sister. As she stared at him, a memory long since buried came to the forefront of her mind. The first time she had met his gaze there had been a depth of emotion present that she hadn't seen since. Duty, fierceness, understanding, and regret mixed in with everything else she couldn't name. Byakuya caught her staring and pink dusked her cheeks at being caught. She glanced away and choose to observe her surroundings. It was only then that she noticed Hirako-taichou and the new soutaichou standing off to the side, each gazing at the distant hill with intense concentration.

She caught the ending trail of a conversation and she forced herself to pay attention this time.

"It may not be the time," Byakuya started as he looked away from Rukia and towards the hill, his elegant brows furrowing slightly. "He is in… a debate."

Rukia opened her mouth to speak, confusion evident, but stopped and whirled towards Sogyoku hill when a large swath of energy turned the baby blue sky a deep red. Black leached around the edges before it shattered away, only leaving the low rumble of falling trees. Karin blinked, squeezing Yuzu's hand, grinding her teeth in stubborn determination. She wanted to meet the man that could make his presence known across the entire dimension simply by waking up; she wanted to know who her brother was.

The head captain turning and tilting his straw hat down grabbed her attention, he faced them with a grim smile etched on his lips and Karin braced herself to argue.

"Kurosaki-san is…preoccupied with his zanpakuto. I fear they may go all out." His voice was calculated, soft, but held a hint of authority that made something in Karin sit up and pay attention. She glanced back at the hill, at the flares of blinding reiatsu covering the area in reds and blacks, and wondered how that wasn't 'all out'. Reiatsu was constant, spilling down the sides of the hill before disappearing but completely covering it nonetheless.

She squared her shoulders and straightened her back, lifting her chin up defiantly, "he won't hurt us." She didn't know how she knew that, she had no memory of this now stranger. Yet, some far reaching part of her soul snapped at her thoughts in anger at even thinking that Ichigo could hurt them.

"Ichi-nee won't!" Yuzu's voice was high in pitch but laced with strength, and Karin was slightly startled at the intensity. She looked over to her sibling and raised her brows at the light dust of pink covering her cheeks from her outburst. Byakuya was looking at them sharply, his gaze laser focused as he stared down at them. She noticed then that the other captains were looking at them with the same intensity, but it was Hirako-taichou that broke the silence of their small gathering.

He leaned forward, blonde hair falling over his shoulder in a cascade and a wide smile on his lips. "You Kurosaki's always do some unexpected shit, ya know that?"

Yuzu tilted her head to the side in question but Kyoraku-soutaichou shook his head and chuckled. "Alright then, let's go."

Karin didn't know what changed, but she wasn't about to argue when they got their way. She shared one last determined look with Yuzu before following behind the other captains in shunpo.

As they approached, the reiatsu grew in density, the weight settling along her shoulders stiffly. She forced herself forward, powering through until she stumbled and her legs gave out, but she had made it. Rukia was looking at her in concern, and Karin idly wondered how much the tiny woman had been holding back on them, now that she could see her standing under the vastness of this reiatsu, even if strained.

"I'll get him," the woman volunteered before flashing away. A bakudo went up around them and Karin breathed in a sigh of relief, nodding her thanks to her adoptive father. A moment passed and suddenly the reiatsu that had covered the hill vanished from sight, the reds and blacks dissipating and allowing her to see the carved trenches that it had made in the dirt. In the next moment, the bakudo fell and she was grateful when the pressure of the power was also gone. It was still there, though now more condensed and bright against her senses. The mark of someone powerful with no control over it, much like Kenpachi, but far wilder and more unfathomable.

Karin stood from her spot on the ground, once again helping her sister up, and jumped when Rukia returned with a stranger. She didn't let go of Yuzu's hand as all three of them stared at each other, varying expressions on their faces. She took in a shaky breath, staring back at eyes that looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. They were a honey brown with shadows underneath, but they blazed bright as they took in every detail of her face. When they finally settled back on her eyes, Karin could see the turmoil of emotions gripping him and keeping him rooted in place.

Yuzu took a hesitant step forward, and the man, Ichigo, looked at her sister the same way. She saw then, how Rukia had her hand against his back, giving him a slight push forward, and noted how his steps were shaky as he met Yuzu halfway.

Karin gathered her will and took a step closer, reiatsu brushing against her skin like a warm fire that spoke of home. Yuzu gasped, her hand flying to her heart as tears gathered in her eyes, yet she didn't look away from the man's face.

"Oh, Ichi-nee" her voice broke with emotion, and she lunged towards him, arms wrapping around him in an easy gesture of familiarity, and she cried, hard sobs wracking her slim form.

"I missed you so much!"

That snapped movement from Ichigo, his eyes widening before clenching shut as he wrapped himself around her sister. Something tugged at her soul at the sight, twisting and snapping its way up until she couldn't ignore it. A sharp ache settled itself in her chest and suddenly she couldn't get in enough air, overwhelmed by her emotions, by the familiar display that she knew she had seen thousands of times. His hair was longer, his body scarred, but this was Ichigo.

Tears welled up in her eyes unbidden and she quickly wiped them away even as she threw herself towards them, the move familiar and practiced, yet almost foreign because of how long it had been.

They fell to their knees in a heap together, Ichigo whispering to them about how sorry he was, that he was glad they had Byakuya and Rukia, and that he never, never wanted to make them cry. Even as memories fluttered back into her mind of a lifetime she couldn't quite grasp, it was enough to know that this was family.


Shunsui watched the setting sun with the patience of a man with thousands of years to spend. The yellow rays cast the ground ablaze, reminding him of his mentor's zanpakuto. He remembered how the very air had become hard to breath, how the taste of blood became a constant with the lack of moisture. The first time he had seen it, it had been overwhelming. And the last time, it was a tragedy. His mentor had met his gaze, sealing his zanpakuto for what they both knew was going to be the last time. He swallowed and tore his eyes away from the scene. He knew the trees weren't ablaze in fire, but they looked like it anyways.

Movement to his right drew his attention and he gave Ichigo a half-hearted smile, glancing further back to see his sisters leaving with Rukia and the other captains. He had given the siblings time to talk and cry, not quite sure how the twins managed to remember, but grateful for it nonetheless.

"Sorry to keep you waiting" Ichigo walked to stand beside him, staring at the setting sun with melancholy. His amber eyes blazed with the light and those orbs shifted to him with a sad understanding. Shunsui felt his eyebrows raise in surprise, not expecting Ichigo to also be thinking about Yamamoto at a time like this. Maybe his face gave it away, or maybe it was how the scenery with bathed in orange.

Shunsui looked back to the fire lit landscape and let out a breathless chuckle, shaking his head. "Are you sure you're 17, kid?" It was a rhetorical question, but Shunsui wanted to see something for himself. He wanted to see what Yamamoto had seen in this child bred of war. He already had his own personal opinions about the boy, his recklessness and bravery, and desire to do what was right. But he could never quite understand the heavy, knowing look his mentor had leveled on Ichigo.

The sun dipped further, and Ichigo's bright orange hair dulled when the light was no longer cast on it. Amber eyes were still leveled on him, this time in contemplation as the young man decided on how to answer. Shunsui held his gaze, searching for anything that could clue him in.

Ichigo looked away, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips "something like that. Give or take 500 years."

Shunsui chuckled and let a grin stretch across his face before letting it fall just as fast, the reminder tugging at him. "Why?"

He didn't elaborate, knowing Ichigo would understand. Because truly, even he wouldn't have been so willing.

Ichigo tilted his head back, staring up at the stars that were becoming more visible in the darkening sky. The moon was bright on the opposite horizon, casting Ichigo's back in an ethereal glow. Shunsui realized then, that if Yamamoto had been like the sun, Ichigo was the moon. Yamamoto's reiatsu was all fire and ash, Ichigo's silent and black as night. He let his eyes trace over the sheathed swords and wondered how he had never made such an obvious connection before.

"The truth?"

Ichigo's voice brought him back to the present and Shunsui nodded before realizing Ichigo was still looking at the now dark sky.

"Yes."

Ichigo turned away from where the sun had set, now facing the rising moon. He put a hand on the handle of his trench knife, squeezing it in reassurance before continuing.

"You're strong Kyoraku, strong enough to protect the things you want and to make people listen." Ichigo spoke as if he were remembering an old conversation, his unfocused eyes staring ahead. Shunsui leaned forward, tilting his hat back to keep his view of the young man unobscured.

"I'm only strong enough to make people scared. If we do not listen, then who will?" His voice was distant, soft. It held the weight of a responsibility only few knew and Shunsui understood without a doubt that Ichigo was referring to himself and Yamamoto.

Shunsui wasn't weak by any means, but Ichigo was on a league all in his own. It all made sense, the why, but surly there was more? He didn't speak, seeing if Ichigo would continue.

Silence stretched between them and eventually Ichigo blinked and sighed, his eyes focusing on the moon. Shunsui frowned when Ichigo didn't keep going and pushed for more.

"What else?" He understood, at least he thought he did, but Ichigo looked at him in a way that made him think twice. A grim smile settled itself on his face and he shook his head, his orange locks swaying.

"Yamamoto already told you, if you don't understand now, then you still won't when I tell you."

It was frustrating waiting 500 years for a half answer, but he could admit to himself that maybe he didn't deserve to know. Shunsui looked away from Ichigo and joined him in staring at the rising moon, his mind racing with possibilities. There were many things he hadn't understood about his mentor, and now it seemed like the trend would live on in Ichigo. Though, it didn't mean that he would give up on trying.

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That's it for this one. I didn't intend to leave it as a half mystery but I think it works out better this way. Thanks for the favs and reviews!