Sixteen years later.

"Whew!" Juushirou held the young captain's wrist, even as Sougyo no Kotowari held Senbonzakura in check. "It's dangerous around here." Easy. Easy. You know that cursed Kuchiki pride. He kept smiling, casual as if this were an impromptu spar. "Against a man with no rank at all… I think that's enough, don't you?"

"Captain Ukitake!"

"Kuchiki!" He gave Rukia a jaunty wave, concealing a rush of anger. She looked so fragile, not at all like the polite little hellion he knew. So thin. Damn it, if I can't get in to see her - at least, not without maiming someone - somebody is going to make sure she eats, or somebody is going to wind up explaining to the Commander-General personally. "You've lost weight! How've you been?" And I wouldn't even need to ask, if we could get that collar off. He could feel its cage around Sode no Shirayuki in the energy-realm, trapping her in darkness, with only the merest wisp of her partner's senses seeping through to keep her from going mad. Barely able to feel each other… they must both be terrified.

:Every method we've thought of to break it would leave an unmistakable trace,: Sougyo no Kotowari stated. :Prisoners aren't meant to be treated well. Or humanely.:

No. Not these past centuries, at least. Aizen had twisted Seireitei. He knew it. Finding all of the cancer and killing it without getting a lot of innocent people hurt, that was the trick.

Byakuya turned, still reserved as ice. "What are you doing, Ukitake?"

:Tch, not even a hello?: Shunsui laughed in Juushirou's mind. :Someone needs to remind that brat that manners are for more than just tea.: A wider grin. :And if the rest of these ryoka are anything like the one I just caught, that lesson might catch up sooner than he thinks.:

:He's not a brat,: Juushirou sighed.

:Hey, if Yama-jii calls us brats, and everyone else babies, we've at least got the right to call them brats.:

:Oh, shove off and scoop up that young wild-bound one. Find out what kind of Hollow it was - and how in all the worlds he convinced its companion to let him stay sane.: The Thirteenth's captain hid an eager grin. :Details, Shunsui! I want details!: "Hey… I could be asking you that, Byakuya. Unleashing shikai? Here? What were you thinking?"

"There is a wartime exception." Gray eyes didn't flinch, unconcerned with the critically wounded man behind him. "Unleashing our companions' energies is permitted."

Illegal invaders, Aizen's murder, a wartime exemption - they had to be related. But if ryoka had killed Aizen where and how the report had specified, it made no sense for them to be here, now. Anyone who could stab the captain of the Fifth through his heart with his own sword, obliterate Aizen's companion, and conceal both acts long enough for body and energies to be beyond all hope of revival - anyone who could do that, wouldn't be stopped by Byakuya Kuchiki. No matter how good Byakuya was.

But who could have killed Aizen?

A Hollow should have been detected long before it could get near the heart of the shinigami district. A Wraith would have been squashed like a bug. A Goa'uld - well, if a Goa'uld had found their homeworld, they wouldn't have stopped with one lone captain. And of the shinigami… only a senior captain should have had the power to pull something like this off.

Retsu wouldn't do it. Shunsui and I didn't do it. And if Yama-jii finally figured out his "perfect pupil" wasn't, Aizen would be a pile of ashes.

Ironic. The only one he could really imagine having pulled off such a perfect crime was Aizen himself-

Power roared through the energy-realm, almost drowning the merely physical whine of a personal hoverpack. Rampant, bold display; brazen as any stag's up-flung antlers.

:Bluffing,: Sougyo no Kotowari said privately, as the orange-haired, barefoot stranger in bandages and a tattered shihakusho touched down on the bridge by Rukia. :Power, yes. But solid-companion is hurt-: Shock. A whisper of something almost too painful to be hope.

The hair wasn't black. The face was far too young. But watching the interloper bicker with a suddenly-animated Rukia-

Did he just say, "I don't care if you want to be executed"?

-Juushirou had to swallow, old grief made new. The temper. That stance; fists clenched, feet planted, and never mind the blood. That wry, going-to-do-this smile….

And the energies wreathed about him. Spirits, he'd sooner mistake his own hand.

:Nejibana? Kaien?:

His touch was caught, with skill only millennia could grant, before it could reach the young man's mind.

:...He doesn't know. Not yet.:

Meaning Zangetsu's desperate plan to save something of his partner… had hit a few snags. Of course.

This is going to get complicated.

And that didn't even take into consideration the very personal grudge the captain of the Sixth seemed to have against the boy, judging by the slightly thinner line of Byakuya's lips, the going-to-squash-a-louse stiffening of his shoulders.

That much energy, and you think it'll be easy, even if he is wounded? "Byakuya… who is he?"

"No one. Just a ryoka."

Interesting, to catch the Kuchiki heir in an outright lie. Very interesting.

"He's not related. At least not to whom you're thinking of. I'll dispose of him-"

Which set off a three-way howl of protest in his head that made Juushirou wish he were back in bed. :Wait,: he told his partners as Byakuya and the youth faced off. :Kuchiki knows something.:

Byakuya's eyes narrowed. "I don't know how you convinced another companion to meld with you after I destroyed your first interloper-"

:Destroyed?: Katen Kyoukotsu snarled.

:Senbonzakura isn't as perceptive as he thinks,: Zangetsu murmured dryly.

"-You should have stayed on your own world. Coming here to lose the life I spared was foolish."

"I don't plan on losing it," the stranger said grimly. "I'm gonna beat you, and go home."

Which was proof right there, if Juushirou had had any last doubts.

:Were we ever that young?: Shunsui said poignantly.

:What do you mean, 'were'?: Juushirou held his breath, watching the clash. Zangetsu could hold against Senbonzakura, even wounded as the young man was, but did Zangetsu's companion know that?

-And what was up with the oversized cleaver, anyway? The trident had been much better-

But a younger man without Kaien's decades of training could use this blade, he'd blocked Byakuya's strike out of flash-step….

Senbonzakura flared.

"No, Ichigo!" Rukia screamed. "Run!"

"Die."

Yoruichi got there first.

How did- where did- never mind, we can use this! :Sougyo no Kotowari-:

:Done,: his companion said fiercely.

There weren't many shinigami he'd try this with. Not that most would believe he'd try it at all. Captains, everyone knew, were heads and shoulders above the rest; masters of companions' energies. Impossible to fool.

Said everyone who'd never pulled a prank on Yamamoto-Genryuusai.

A blur, as Byakuya narrowed his gaze and Yoruichi smirked-

And he was standing innocently as before, while Byakuya swooped after the Mistress of Flash, who was carrying a black bundle away. A minute of frantic energies, Yoruichi's mocking laughter-

-And Byakuya was back, expressionless as ever.

"They got away, eh?"

The Sixth's captain turned his back, and stalked off.

I should have let Shunsui dunk the boy in a lake a few times a century back, I really should have, Juushirou thought ruefully.

:Still time,: Sougyo no Kotowari mused.

True. But now wasn't the moment. "Hey, where are you going? What about these guys? Aren't you going to deal with them?"

"I've lost interest." Byakuya never slowed. "Do what you want with them."

:Sooo predictable,: Shunsui snickered. And sobered. :Bad habit, in a captain.:

:Ryuujin Jakka doesn't think so,: Katen Kyoukotsu grumbled.

"Miss Rukia!"

Right. Cleanup time. Prisoner back to cell - with snacks - intruders captured; all nice and tidy, the way the Commander-General would want it.

And if there just happened to be a subtle distortion in the energies near him, where a particularly stubborn companion was holding his injured partner in the midst of a flash step….

Well. That would be a captain's problem, wouldn't it?

---

Ow….

:Stay still, and stay calm,: Zangetsu said evenly. :We're safe. And you need to heal.:

"I promised Byakuya three days!"

Ichigo cracked open an eyelid. That sounded like Yoruichi. Only not. Yoruichi taunted and snickered and occasionally pronounced solemn doom. She did not sound like a nurse trying to out-stubborn a particularly eccentric doctor.

…Nope, being lost and banged up on a whole other planet wasn't making him homesick. Not one bit.

"Then you can spare a few hours. He won't be up for your training before then in any case. Even with our help."

The white-haired captain from the bridge, who'd been with Byakuya. Who'd looked so weirdly familiar, the way half the things he'd seen on this planet did, which made no sense at all-

And sitting up went exactly nowhere, on account of the pink-clawed hand resting lightly on his chest, above the worst of the bandages. Very lightly. Like a down quilt. That just happened to be as impossible to shove aside as a whole mountain chain.

"Ah!" The brunet owner of those claws grinned at him, gray eyes relieved. "Back with us? Flocking birds and feathers, so very true… I can see where your quiet friend gets that habit of pushing past his limit." A brown brow lifted. "You're lucky, you know. It takes a very kind soul to get through to a feral companion. After being bound to a Hollow, even for a little while… most can't touch a human mind ever again. Your friend must have held on long enough to get past his madness. Friends like that are rare."

"Chad's the best," Ichigo admitted. And I should have been with him, even if Yoruichi says he's all right because he - fought the right people….

:Yes. He did face Captain Kyouraku,: Zangetsu informed him. :So he may be confined as an intruder, but he is safe.:

Captain. The uniform under that ridiculous flowered pink kimono… had a captain's haori. Oh yeah. The day just kept getting better.

"Your help could get us all killed!" Yoruichi snarled. "A band of ryoka invading Seireitei is one thing. For serving captains to help break the law-"

"Ryoka? Where?" Kyouraku glanced at her, all innocent surprise. "I don't see any ryoka." Still holding Ichigo pinned, he snagged a dark-clawed hand and held it up. "Fingerprints, 'Shirou?"

"Thank you." The white-haired captain pressed Ichigo's fingertips against a small, metallic card hooked to a chain dangling from his grip. Fingerprints flared briefly silver on the surface, and the card shifted from dull copper-brown to bright brass.

Wait. Rukia had one of these. It's one of their ID cards. What the hell?

"Like I said," Captain Kyouraku said easily. "No ryoka here. Just an unseated officer of the Thirteenth."

Yoruichi's jaw dropped. "That's impossible! You're good, Ukitake, but there's no way you could have hacked a record of a feral companion's energies into the files-"

"Feral?" Captain Ukitake had a wry, wistful smile on his face. "Zangetsu's been in our records a very long time." He shook his head. "What did you tell them?"

Ichigo snorted. Right. Like talking out loud to somebody else's companion would get you anywhere-

:Very little,: Zangetsu said, distinctly amused. :If she and Ame chose to follow Benihime's trail of implications, that is not my problem.:

There was a cavalcade of laughter in Ichigo's head. And none of it was his. "Somebody tell me what the heck's going on?" he demanded.

"I believe introductions are in order." Ukitake inclined his head. "Yoruichi, Ame… Ichigo, and Nejibana Zangetsu."

Say what?

:It hurt too much to be Nejibana, and always reminded of what I had lost,: Zangetsu said quietly. :And I wanted to live to find you.: A glimmer of amusement, rippling ruby-silver. :Do you like my parents?:

:He will, when he gets to know us,: confident pink declared.

:Again,: aquamarine murmured. :Strong enough to choose you twice… welcome back to the family, young one.:

Katen Kyoukotsu. Sougyo no Kotowari. Shunsui Kyouraku. Juushirou Ukitake. He knew them.

He'd never met them before in his life.

My head hurts.

Still… Nejibana Zangetsu. It fit. Like a piece of himself snapping into place, filling a hole he'd never realized was there.

Yoruichi was shaking her head. "Nejibana left the Academy well over a century ago."

"To meld with one of the students," Juushirou supplied. "It wasn't widely known." Humor crinkled his gaze. "Though Benihime certainly knew where her brother went."

No. Way. That hat-wearing, fan-waving, sandal-kicking bastard's companion was-

:And how do you get along with your younger sisters?: Zangetsu pointed out.

:We're not usually trying to kill each other!: Ichigo shot back.

:We're shinigami. We can't afford to die easily. You did survive.:

Wide-eyed, Yoruichi finally grabbed a chair and sat. "He really is your Nejibana." A slow smirk spread across her face as she eyed Ichigo. "You do stand a chance."

"And a better one, if he stays still a little longer," Shunsui pointed out. "This place is shielded, so the division doesn't get thrown by 'Shirou's fits. No one's going to look in here no matter how lousy the kid's control is."

"Hey!"

"You leak like a sieve," Shunsui said matter-of-factly. "You haven't even been melded a few months. You can't be more than thirty-"

"Sixteen," Yoruichi supplied. "His planet's humans don't have much Ancient blood. They age faster, remember?"

"What's a decade here or there… it takes time to learn to be subtle. And you don't have any." Shunsui looked serious. "You can learn to beat Byakuya. You can't learn to sneak up on him."

"Not planning to," Ichigo grumbled.

"So you did have a plan?" Juushirou held up a hand before he could answer. "Better we don't know. Here; let's sit you up…."

He was not going to yelp. He'd been hurt worse than this. Definitely.

…Damn it, that bastard Zaraki wasn't human.

Yeah. Shinigami, remember?

Right. So. Sitting up, and trying not to bleed any more, and-

Okay, getting hugged by someone who should-be-but-wasn't a complete stranger was definitely tripping Ichigo's weirdness meter. And he thought he'd redlined it already.

:We missed you.:

Weirdness squared. Juushirou wasn't exactly like a companion. But it felt close. And behind his images-

:Matsukaze. Yoako no Tsubasa. Hyourinmaru. Makkuro no Koneko. Sumire Kawazoi Ni….:

Names upon names, not all with living echoes. Zangetsu was rejoicing in the living, and mourning the dead, and it was his mother's torn body and Karin and Yuzu's hugs and defying the Hollows, defying the Ascended, always a drawn blade against the enemies of life-

He wasn't drowning. Zangetsu wouldn't let him. But - there was so much to care about. And he'd just come for Rukia.

:She was the best reason to come.: Zangetsu's images were a cool breeze, blowing away self-recriminations. :What are all our noble claims, if we cannot protect one of our own?:

:Romantic,: Sougyo no Kotowari teased. :Your side of the family.:

Katen Kyoukotsu's reply was a wordless ripple of bright-colored innocence.

:Plenty of blame to go around,: Shunsui chuckled. :We did miss you, little kitten-light.:

Kitten? Ichigo mouthed.

:They're my parents.: Zangetsu's private images tasted of the amused tolerance Ichigo reserved for Isshin's crazier antics. :And we start out… not quite as helpless as a human infant, but - very small. They know I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, but they'll always remember the hatchling who could fit in a cupped palm.:

He saw the memory; a tiny energy-creature, held in both captains' warm hands. It was dizzying.

:And about thirty of your years ago,: Zangetsu added softly, :I nearly died. And when I did not die, I was… mad with grief. Desperate. Hurting. They held their breaths for years, praying I would choose to live. And for months now, I have been silent.:

Oh. Oh. Oh man, no wonder Juushirou had the Grip of Death on them. :Why didn't you say something?:

:We could not reach Seireitei alone, and I could not leave you long enough to visit,: Zangetsu said bluntly. :Working through a mortal body without melding is delicate. A link must be established. Energies must be known in the finest detail. Even when I am familiar with an unmelded human, it takes time to link safely. I could have hurt you that first night. I did; there is a reason you remember nothing until the next morning. Once I had linked, and the Hollows kept appearing… I thought it best to stay, until Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki recovered.:

And then Byakuya had shown up and blown everything to hell. Damn.

:I am sorry,: Zangetsu reached back to them all. :Things were… difficult, in Karakura.:

Which came with a rush of images; the Hollow attacking his home, the fighting in Karakura, Byakuya's cold face as he took Rukia away….

"Um." Ichigo swallowed. "No offense, but - right here?"

"Hmm." Juushirou didn't move, but his grip eased. "I suppose we shouldn't have expected Kisuke to bother with culture."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "He was too busy trying to make sure nobody else killed me, by doing it himself."

"That's Kisuke," Shunsui observed, shaking his head. "Well, besides the language difference from your homeworld-" The captain caught something in his expression. "You didn't notice?"

"Kinda?" Ichigo offered. "Rukia was always muttering stuff when I ticked her off. I thought I just picked it up." :That was you?:

:Yes. I thought it might be useful.:

:You can stick whole other languages in my head?: Ichigo swallowed dryly. :What else did you stick in there?:

:Nothing that would harm you. I helped teach at the Academy for years. I do know what I am doing.: A patient warmth. :Ichigo, we are up against very long odds. I will be with you to the end, whatever comes - but to fail simply because you could not read a Twelfth Division sign that said, "Danger, Explosions in Progress"? Unacceptable.:

Okay, he had a point. Still. "The others didn't-"

"Your friends suffered through a headache before we ever came, courtesy of a few interesting toys," Yoruichi shrugged. "They don't sound quite as current as you do, but language here doesn't change much. Not much does," she added under her breath.

"And one thing that doesn't change," Juushirou put in, finally letting go, "is that a shinigami is not considered a singular entity. You are how your companion interacts with our world. In a sense, you are Zangetsu, as much as you are Ichigo." A rueful shrug. "The general public thinks we're a bit insane. Benignly so, but - well. What else would you call someone who listens to people no one else can hear?"

"Benign?" Ichigo sputtered. "Have you met Zaraki?"

"No everyone's as lucky with a feral as your friend Chad," Shunsui said levelly. "So! Given you should stay put another hour - mind if we catch up?"

"We don't actually have to be here, if it upsets you," Juushirou added. "So long as we're on the same planet, we can find Zangetsu. If he wants to be found."

:And possibly even if I didn't,: Zangetsu admitted privately. :They're good. They'd never have been captains this long if they weren't.:

:How long is long?: Ichigo asked. Because all right, he was getting the idea, shinigami didn't think like regular people, nobody just missed the difference between thirty and sixteen-

Okay, except for his dad. But Isshin was nuts.

:…I'm not sure you really want to know.:

Not gritting his teeth. Definitely not. :Zangetsu. I get really tired of people only giving me half the story.:

A silent sigh. :You know how long Karakura's been settled? They've been captains longer.:

Say what? But Karakura had been settled over a thousand-

Which was when his brain decided it'd believed enough impossible things for one day, 'kay, thanks, and shut down in self-defense.

:Oops….:

---

We waited too long.

Racing toward the execution hill, heart in his throat and Soukyoku's death in his arms, Juushirou cursed himself for a fool.

Aizen may be dead, but his cancer has been spreading through Seireitei for centuries, and we waited. We didn't want to break the law - to break our world-

:And now there is no choice,: Sougyo no Kotowari said grimly. :Some of our people will be hurt. Some may die. But like a cancer - sometimes we must cut, to save what we can.:

Like the two Thirds racing with him, utterly confident their captain was doing the right thing. Like Ichigo's ryoka friends, who didn't deserve the orders of execution just waiting for the Commander-General's signature. Like Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki, about to be destroyed for one act of compassion-

Fire arced across the sky.

We're too late!

:No,: his companion said firmly. :Not yet.:

Radiant energies halted, poised in midair.

Ichigo!

If he'd had time, Juushirou would have grinned, taking in the spectacle of captains gaping up at all that massive power, held back by one lone shinigami. Even the Commander-General looked startled.

But there was no time. Soukyoku was building up a second charge, even more powerful than the first-

:Throw!:

His arm and Sougyo no Kotowari's strength, whipping the cable around the glowing muzzle. The Shihouin device grounded itself, but he'd never be able to activate its full power alone-

"Hey there, handsome." Gripping the second set of controls, Shunsui tipped his hat, gray eyes alight with mischief and relief. "What took you so long?"

Half the field away, Juushirou felt Master Genryuusai's attention snap to them. Hot. Disbelieving. Angry.

We're in for it.

:It will be worth it,: his companion declared.

Yes. It already was. If they could pull this off. "Sorry. I had trouble releasing it." And now they'd find out if the Shihouin clan's calculations were correct, and two captain-level shinigami could destroy a creation meant to not only execute, but obliterate a shinigami from existence….

Twin surges of power, and fire exploded.

:Ooo,: Katen Kyoukotsu chuckled. :Fireworks!:

Oh yes. Yamamoto-Genryuusai was going to kill them.

Especially given the fact that Ichigo had just proven he could think on his feet; shattering the scaffold, handing Rukia off to a much more injured Lieutenant Abarai-

-Tactically sound, but he was going to have a talk with that youngster, only Sode no Shirayuki's desperate effort against the binding collar allowed Rukia to survive that throw-

-And proceeding to make himself a very obvious distraction, taking down three lieutenants and engaging Byakuya directly while Renji ran like hell.

Spirits, let Isane just be unconscious-

Sentarou's pain. A pressure of a familiar companion's energies, unleashed in chill contempt.

For himself, Juushirou wasn't afraid. But for his officers- "Soi Fon, wait!"

Genryuusai's cane struck the ground before him. "Stop right there."

Heat, pressing down like molten chains. Sougyo no Kotowari didn't fight it, trusting him to hold while she gathered her strength.

And I will. I must. "Commander-General Genryuusai," he began, sweating.

"The one who took the prisoner was a lieutenant," Genryuusai cut him off. "He's easily expendable. We'll go after him later."

The prisoner? She has a name!

"But you two are a more serious matter."

:At least he thinks we're serious,: Katen Kyoukotsu deadpanned.

"You are captains," Genryuusai said, gravely as pronouncing a sentence of death. "You've dishonored your rank. I'm sure you know what that means."

A sentence, indeed. Not that Juushirou could find it in himself to care. Suzumebachi was a hornet-hum of death and torment as Soi Fon ground his helpless subordinates into the dust, and the Commander-General was in his way-

Laughter rang in his mind, rich with Katen Kyoukotsu's song of bloodlust. "Run for it, Juushirou! We have no choice!"

Shunsui yanked, and they both soared off the cliff edge.

Nanao's following, Juushirou realized as they plummeted. A surprise - and yet, not. Shunsui's lieutenant might prefer to follow regulations whenever possible, but she had a steel core of honor. :Shunsui, wait! My Thirds are still-:

:Relax,: Shunsui chuckled. :If we fought Yama-jii up there, they'd try to help. And get themselves killed.:

:They'll be fine,: Katen Kyoukotsu agreed. :Reach; feel.:

:Yes.: Sougyo no Kotowari's anger blazed brighter, fed by hope. :Someone is coming.:

Yoruichi. Juushirou felt Ame's energies strike Suzumebachi like a thunderbolt. My people will live.

She'd saved his Thirds, and the four of them had given Ichigo and Zangetsu the best chance they could. Now, they had to save themselves.

More steps, and they touched down in one of the old cities. "This should be far enough," Shunsui judged.

Juushirou nodded, catching his breath. "No one else will get hurt if we're out here." I hope.

A footstep behind them. Nanao, panting hard.

Damn. I almost wish we'd lost her.

Shunsui's worry brushed him, but his friend chuckled. "You're last, my lovely Nanao!"

"You captains go too fast!" she blustered bravely.

And froze. Shivered.

Reality parted, and the Commander-General was before them.

"Oh," Shunsui said casually. "You're early."

"Brats," Genryuusai said darkly. "You won't get off with a thrashing this time."

Which was, finally, it. The pain and grief and knowing, helpless, so many lost-

:We will be still,: Sougyo no Kotowari counseled him, her own rage held in diamond chains of calculation. :We will be still, and we will wait. Just a little longer.:

…Yes. Just long enough for Shunsui to carry his paralyzed lieutenant safely away from the battle to come, and return. Long enough for Genryuusai to lecture, and get to the point.

Every minute here, is a minute he's not pursuing Ichigo. Wait.

"…I hoped you two would walk the same path." The Commander-General's cane shattered, revealing his zanpakutou. "Such a pity."

"Master Genryuusai!" Juushirou protested. He was their leader, their teacher; surely, he had to listen!

"Not another word. There is nothing to discuss." Steel sang from its sheath. "Draw your weapons."

::We have no choice.::

Energies clashed, and they were flung backwards.

:What are you thinking?: Ryuujin Jakka, contemptuous as lava of morning dew. :Do you think you can fight us as ordinary shinigami? Do you think you can even survive?:

"Release your zanpakutou," the Commander-General ordered. "Now."

Fight with all their companions' strength, unhindered. The blistering, focused power that had never truly been meant to fight Hollows - good as it was for that. The techniques developed as last-ditch self-defense against the Ascended themselves.

Master Genryuusai. Don't force us to this. Please.

Shunsui's face was grim, and sad. "Is there no other way, Yama-jii?"

"Silence." Their teacher's eyes narrowed. "I told you. I'll allow no one to disrupt the peace."

He was boiling and freezing at once, cold calculation over fathomless depths of rage. "You call this peace?" Juushirou bit out. And struck-

Not with weapons, but with memory.

:Seireitei, as it was five thousand years ago; scarred, battle-weary, but one people united against the Wraith.:

:Seireitei as it was now; trust shattered, allegiances fogged in doubt. The noble clans ruled - not so much with an iron fist, as with pure indifference to the fate of their lessers. The bright, brave souls lost defending their world and their people, and others, while Aizen's machinations drove subtle wedges between the shinigami and all they defended. The distrust in civilian eyes, the fear….:

:The endless, yawning chasm of razors that was knowing their children had been murdered, and being helpless to prove it-:

A crackle of flames, and Ryuujin Jakka cast his blow aside. :Nejibana.: Stunned disbelief. :The ryoka has Nejibana Zangetsu!:

:Anybody can be slow,: Katen Kyoukotsu said wryly.

"Why that face, Yama-jii?" Shunsui said, just as wry. "You always taught us to fight for justice."

"And I taught you there would be sacrifices." The Commander-General snorted. "No personal justice takes precedence over the world's justice."

:Sacrifices?: Sougyo no Kotowari's rage swelled within him, a tsunami's building wave. :Our children!:

"Is that," Juushirou gritted out, "what you call the world's justice, Master Genryuusai?"

"Don't you ever listen?" The Commander-General cast his haori aside. "I told you. There's nothing to discuss."

And the world was fire.

I am afraid.

Easy to admit, no matter how painful. They'd seen this before, when their teacher had driven off an Ascended by main force. Felt it, as they felt it now; the heart of a star, burning everything undefended to ashes.

"Go on." Genryuusai's voice crackled like the flames, unforgiving. "You wouldn't want to be turned to ash without putting up a fight."

"Looks like we have no choice," Shunsui said quietly. "Shall we, partner?"

I don't want to do this.

:They are our teachers.: Sougyo no Kotowari's grief was as sharp as his own, bitter as tears. :But they are wrong.:

Juushirou nodded, letting centuries of controlled rage drown the terror. "…Yes."

Lightning and wind and fire-

You've always been our elder, Master Genryuusai.

Shield out the flames, as steel clashed with steel.

Always older. Always stronger.

Use some of the fire against itself, charged particles carrying his lightning to strike.

But there is a difference, this time. You fight for law. We fight for our children!

Fire seared him, and he staggered back - but Shunsui slipped in on defense, winds gathering water out of the smoke to drench them both.

And when you had two centuries melded to our months - yes, we were ever your students. Fifty-two centuries to our fifty, though….

It was enough. Just.

When Isane's message reached them, they were still alive.

Aizen?!?