Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, its characters or its settings

Yuzu was a quiet girl. After her graduation ceremony she returned to her father's house with the goat and Karin, where they changed clothes and went to celebrate Yuzu's graduation with a nice meal before the academy's fireworks display. Then goat hurried her home before the parties started.

Yuzu went to bed pouting, thinking about sneaking out. Karin had come for the night, so Yuzu whispered the contents of her conversation with Ichi-nii in the darkness. Then she lay there trying to fall asleep.

She was worried about Bucket-Han-san. He'd started leaving bucket hats for everyone, usually striped green like his own. People were starting to talk.

It could be sort of funny, the one he'd popped onto Captain Soi Fon was too big, but he'd taken that into account and carefully cut a pair of eyeholes on the front. The tiny captain (and Yuzu knew a thing or two about tiny) had stood there glumly, peeking out the eyeholes and hadn't even bothered pulling the hat off before she slowly shuffled away.

That had been the final straw – the soul society burst into civil war, the bucket hats of Urahara taking to the streets against the straw hat forces of Captain Kyoraku – no one had even known he'd been gathering forces until Captain Zaraki was seen, straw hat slammed down so hard and fast that his spikes burst through the top. Bucket-Hat-san was attempting to start the great hat war for some devious reason of his own - when the time came to choose sides which side would she be on?

Straw hats did look nicer with her yukatas. But Karin had taken to the bucket-

It could be sister against sister, twin against twin.

No one would give goat either kind of hat because he was the goat.

What side would the captain commander come down on? Would you be allowed any weapon other than your hat? The straw hats were more delicate than the bucket hats – if you beat someone with a straw hat you'd have to buy a new one, but the bucket hats would stand up to a few beatings-

Captain Kurotsuchi had tried to recruit his own force, but only Nemu was willing to join – she looked silly. Who would fourth division side with? Vice Captain Ise, would she side with her own Captain?

Probably not.

Yuzu woke up.

And thought about all of this.

Then she went back to sleep.

It had been a very strange dream.

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There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Pumpkins? Are you awake?"

Goat? Beingcivilized?

She was a Shinigami now, so Yuzu gave a mature answer.

"Yes Daddy."

"May I come in for a moment? I have something for you."

"Come in."

Isshin found his youngest child sitting cross legged on the bed in her pyjamas, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. On her lap was the plushy that once held Kon. In the other bed Karin was still asleep.

"I'm so proud of you Yuzu." The Goat presented her with a small black bundle.

It was her first official uniform.

"Daddy's girl is all grown up."

Yuzu yawned, squeezed the plushy.

"Thank you Daddy." She looked around. "I'll make breakfast."

He patted her head. She'd reached an age where he wouldn't be able to do it much longer.

"You don't have to Yuzu. It's your big day, so Daddy made it for you."

Then Yuzu said something horrible.

"Daddy, I want to move into the barracks."

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For a moment Isshin though his heart had stopped. "W-What?"

"I want to move into the barracks with all the other shinigami."

"But- I thought you'd live here," said Isshin. Yuzu move out? No! Impossible! Not little Yuzu! It had been hard enough to let the girls go to the academy – but to let Yuzu move into the shinigami barracks-

"You're not – thinking of joining Eleventh Squad, are you?"

Yuzu yawned again, and all Isshin could think of was how adorable she was when she first woke up.

"I haven't decided yet."

There was a growl from the other bed, and Karin managed to throw a pillow. Badly, mostly because she was face down in her mattress.

"'m trying tosleep."

"Oh look at your cute sister," enthused the Goat, "she's drooling!"

That had started a fight.

An hour later Yuzu was walking towards the courtyard where the general address for new shinigami would take place. She'd thought ahead and arranged for Karin and her father's Vice Captain to intercept Goat before he could follow her. She didn't want anyone to think she expected special treatment, and showing up with a captain in tow would mean just that.

The new uniform felt very strange. She was used to the general style as it matched her student uniform, but Yuzu wasn't used to wearing black. She had her little Tanto Water Lily concealed in her sleeve, a comforting presence as Yuzu moved through the crowds. She'd never liked crowds, and the warmth of Water Lily dozing in her mind was the embodiment of the feeling she'd always had when doing housework, just a little part of her that was comfortably warm and safe and asleep.

The new graduates were easy to spot, even in uniforms identical to the veteran shinigami. Something in the way they held themselves, in the way they moved. Yuzu made her way through the crowd towards where the Captain Commander would welcome the newly graduated shinigami.

The old man made a long and windy speech. Yuzu didn't think it made much sense. Thankfully it didn't last long; eventually the Captain Commander seemed to get confused and a man Yuzu took for his lieutenant had a word then escorted the old man away from the podium, leaving a thousand new shinigami to make their way out to where the thirteen protection squads, the kido corps and the special forces were recruiting.

The first day of a new Shinigami was supposed to be a little bit fun. Most Shinigami didn't have serious expectations about what division they were going to; most just wanted a posting somewhere. The divisions had booths and silly games set up, except eleventh, which seemed to have a drowning booth, and twelfth, which no one was going anywhere near despite a very disappointed Nemu operating a kissing booth. Her father screaming abuse at her wasn't helping.

Yuzu made a face. Somebody – somebody like Goat should do something about Nemu's captain.

Yuzu had decided what she wanted for her birthday.

A lot of people who'd already chosen one area specifically found themselves turned away, or in the case of Eleventh, laughed at, belittled and sometimes beaten up. Still, the various squads and other areas were competing for the best amongst the graduates, and most of the squads kept a list of the people they most wanted and sent their seated officers into the crowd to find those people.

Yuzu spotted Lemura-san and Hanataro-san moving purposefully through the crowd and quickly moved away from them. Thankfully fourth division had set up its recruiting tents on the far side of the court from the slapdash Eleventh Division setup, with its typical group of huge yelling men shouting abuse at the new graduates. A lot of wannabe tough guys were scared off.

Yuzu paid Captain Zaraki's apes no mind (that was what Madarame-san called them); the apes had spotted Yuzu and carefully didn't yell anywhere where it might be construed they were yelling at her.

Bad news like Goat traveled fast. There were much, much safer people to yell at than the Fifth Captain's youngest daughter.

Yuzu padded along, her official uniform sandals more comfortable than expected. She was looking for somebody.

"Well well well, what have we here? An elf?"

The hulking spike haired captain of Eleventh had appeared.

Yuzu bowed low.

"Captain Zaraki," said Yuzu. "I was hoping I might join your division."

Zaraki burst out laughing. "You want to join us?"

Yuzu looked up, hurt. "I'm a hard worker and I graduated at the top of my class."

"Kid, do you have any idea what Unohana would do to me if I took you on? Seriously? I'm sorry punk, but you're going to fourth squad."

"But I want to join Eleventh!"

Zaraki scratched his chin.

Unohana wouldn't be happy. Retsu wouldn't be happy at all.

Of course making other people happy was hardly the purpose of his existence, even if it was Retsu.

But Retsu would get reaaaally angry if he swiped Kurosaki Yuzu from fourth division.

Yachiru would probably be really happy though.

Hmmmm. A conundrum.

"Let me think about it for an hour or so." Something appeared to occur to the captain. "I don't suppose you know where your brother is, do you?" He said it a little hopefully.

She was just a little too quick insisting she didn't. Zaraki's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah," he said. "You want in? Sure. Welcome to Eleventh. But no pretty yukatas until you show the lugs you can look after yourself."

"Yes Captain."

Zaraki sighed. She was just too damn tiny. "Do you even have a Zanpankuto?"

Yuzu smiled brightly and pulled Water Lily from her sleeve.

Water Lily's sealed form was about as long as Zaraki's middle finger. He looked at the rose pattern on the scabbard and sighed.

"If you need wheels put on that see Ikkaku. I'll give you the room beside mine, just scream if anyone gives you any trouble. Tell Yumichika to train you and don't let him try to decorate anything."

"Yes Captain." She bowed and went off in search of his fifth seat.

Zaraki watched her go. For some reason he couldn't quite define, Yuzu Kurosaki made him nervous. It wasn't a feeling he was used to. Somehow she was going to change his division dramatically.

Well, change could be good, as long as it didn't involve curtains or anything like that.

Fighting with Retsu was not so good.

Che. Nothing to worry about. There was no way Kurosaki's kid sister was going to last in Eleventh. If nothing else her father would be by before the end of the day. But until then...

Captain Zaraki grinned. It was always fun to stir the pot.

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Three days later Yuzu was still there.

Eleventh Division wasn't quite sure what to make of Yuzu. She spent her off hours wearing pink or yellow, she was girly (the Vice Captain was anything but) and she was about as high as the average squad members elbow. No one else in eleventh division wore hairclips with fruit on them, and she appeared to have table manners.

She made the men very nervous, but no one was sure exactly why.

Third Seat Madarame made it apparent that anyone who crossed Yuzu had their choice of outcomes; they could deal with himself, or the Captain, or her father, who was also a captain, or they could hold out for an encounter with her Vizard brother, you know, the one who took down Aizen? Net result, the few apes who accidentally found themselves anywhere near her bowed low and called her respectful things like Young Miss or Kurosaki-san. Sometimes they brought her tea and cakes. Then they mostly ran away.

None of this was what Yuzu wanted, so it wasn't long before Yuzu displayed an unhappy little face.

"They don't take me seriously, Karin." said Yuzu.

"They're eleventh squad, they don't take anyone seriously."

"They take Ichi-nii seriously."

"Ichi-nii fought Captain Zaraki to a standstill. I don't think you're ready to try that by yourself."

"But no one takes me seriously! Ikkaku-san keeps telling me I don't have to train as hard as the others! I want to be respected like the other boys!"

"You're not a boy, remember? Silly Yuzu, this is Eleventh Squad, you have to make them respect you."

So it was decided that there would be a fight.

The next morning Karin came by Eleventh division. She had her Zanpakuto over her shoulder; unlike Yuzu's little Tanto, Karin's Zanpakuto was almost as tall as she was in its unreleased state.

Karin reflected they were probably the smallest pair who'd ever stood in an Eleventh division ring. And she hadn't been thinking; she'd worn her pink sash today, and Yuzu was wearing her yellow obi. Hardly Eleventh division colors.

Karin drew her Zanpakuto, released it to Shikai.

"Roar in the night sky, Northern Star!" A wave of her spirit power swept down the blade. Like her twin, Karin's Shikai was unusually colored; the hilt and guard a shining blood red, the blade a vibrant electric blue.

Yuzu drew her tanto, shouted "Bloom, Water Lily!" to release her own Shikai. The blade shot out, pale yellow and almost as long as Yuzu was tall, fine and graceful. The long green ribbon that grew from the guard coiled around Yuzu's hand and forearm like armor.

Water Lily and Northern Star were the Zanpakuto of twins – the length, the shape of the long light blades suggested that relationship, alike but different. Light and delicate, slender weapons that lacked the brute smashing power of their brother or father's Zanpakutos, but were still almost as tall as the girls who wielded them.

Some of the apes from eleventh got a little interested at that point.

"First blood?" Asked Yuzu.

"If you insist," answered Karin.

"On guard," replied Yuzu.

"Go."

People more or less knew the twins were the younger sisters of the Substitute. And Eleventh squad sort of knew that Karin was a twentieth seat of seventh division, but other divisions couldn't really fight, so what did that matter? And they were related to Captain Kurosaki, who was the only Captain who'd willingly tangle with Captain Zaraki-

Zaraki himself came outside to see what the racket was. And was surprised.

Two small black blurs, one with a slash of pink, the other with a dash of yellow, and two long slim Zanpakuto flashing-

There were a lot of guys pretending to watch the fight who wouldn't actually be able to see it, they were blurring so fast. What the twins lost to their brother in terms of brute hitting power they made up for in incredible speed, their swords were bouncing off each other so fast it sounded like a drum roll.

Neither had any speed other than full shunpo; they'd alternate between circling each other so fast the pink and yellow blurred together, and stopping somewhere in the ring, Water Lily and Northern Star hammering off each other so fast the individual hits merged into one shimmering sound of vibrating metal.

Zaraki had to grin, these two were their brother's sisters and they were fabulous. Yuzu could already match his tenth seat, Zaraki was sure of it.

He wouldn't have expected her to be the more ferocious one.

Hell, just seeing this made the fight with Retsu worthwhile. Neither twin was slowing down either; his tenth seat wouldn't be able to hold this pace for too much longer than these two already had.

Zaraki watched the fight to his growing satisfaction – this was what he wanted for Eleventh Division! He had one - had to get the other twin. He needed the matched set.

Zaraki barked a single word.

"Break!"

The fight skidded to a halt.

First blood? Both of the Kurosaki twins were already bleeding from a few small wounds, both were breathing heavily. Their sleeves had been the first to go, they'd warmed up by trying to leave each other bare armed. As they panted at each other they had feral grins Zaraki was glad their father and brother couldn't see; these two were more savage then the men of the family.

Karin tore off the last remains of her left sleeve off while Yuzu wiped blood from her lip, then tore the last of her own right sleeve off, dropped it to the ground over the green ribbon that bound her hand to her hilt and guarded her forearm, over the sword itself.

They were shinigami, objectively Zaraki knew that, they were some sort of elves, he knew that as well, since neither reached his elbow-

But how had the entire Seireitei overlooked the one simple fact that they were Kurosakis? Tiny little girls maybe, but their bare arms were as hard and as sharply defined as any lady shinigami in the Seireitei. Their swords were sharp and their hearts were as focused as their brother.

When he wasn't being a jackass.

Zaraki stepped into the ring. By this point all of Eleventh division had stopped their drilling to watch.

He couldn't have their brother, but Zaraki could play (gently) with these two.

It was extremely unnerving the way the Kurosaki girls suddenly grinned at him.

Karin glanced at Yuzu, smiled.

"He fell for it."

Yuzu smiled back, a strangely dark and knowing smile on her little face. "We knew he would."

What? Zaraki scratched his head. What the hell were they talking about?

"We've got a bone to pick with you for beating up our brother," said Karin.

"Anyone who messes with Ichi-nii messes with us," said Yuzu.

Yeah, so what?

Karin held Northern Star forward in both hands, her orangish-reddish spiritual pressure forming around her. Not bad actually, the kid had potent-

"One True Path Through The Night! Scream Out In Darkness, Northern Star!"

Yuzu's pale yellowish greenish glow was pouring out through her skin, and she held Water Lily by the hilt in her right hand, the flat of the blade resting against her left wrist. "Water Lily! Spirit Of The Pond And Forrest Take Flight!" Piles of green ribbon flashed out of the hilt, wrapped themselves around her hand and coiled up her arm to the shoulder.

He realized both girls had glowing white eyes-

And then both girls shouted "Bankai!"