A/N: Edited this chapter to remove the Sakura Biyori scene, just because for some reason, rereading it made me cringe. I might include the piano later as an omake though.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. At all.

Chapter 7: Shadows of the past

Karin scowled at the man, keeping her hand on Ongetsu's hilt as she watched Toshiro carefully. She could feel her zanpakuto spirit rise to the forefront, longing for a fight. Karin wasn't as eager as her zanpakuto spirit, but she was ready. If Toshiro attacked, she would follow suit. Her reiatsu flared up around her, crackling like a whirlwind, and Toshiro's eyes drifted towards her for a moment, carrying with them a warning.

There was a reason Karin had never envied her twin's position. The two of them might have been equal in strength, but there was one crucial difference right now.

Yuzu was a vice-captain. Yuzu had a power limiter.

Karin did not. If she had to fight today, she could fight at her full strength.

But Toshiro didn't attack. Instead, he cautiously removed his hand from Hyorinmaru's blade. Karin slowly began easing off the spiritual pressure, and the man inhaled sharply, as if he could finally breathe now.

"Talk," he said. "And then we have some questions of our own."

The man nodded. He took a deep breath, looking between Karin and Toshiro. "You're not like those others, are you?" he asked.

"What others?" asked Toshiro.

"They look like you," said the man. "They're spirits too, and they carry swords."

Toshiro and Karin exchanged glances. No words were exchanged between them, but they understood.

"Did they wear white instead of black?" asked Karin, gesturing at her shihakusho. "White robes, black tabi, white mask fragments over the face?"

"Aa," said the man, nodding.

"Arrancar," said Toshiro. Karin nodded once. The Tenth Division captain turned towards the man. "They're our enemies. Where did you see them?" he asked.

"Where else?" asked the man, scowling. "Talking to her." He spat out the last word like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Who?" asked Toshiro.

"The leader of the New Dawn, of course," said the man, frowning at them. "Kiyomizu Hanako. She's the one I wanted to talk to you about."

"What about her?" asked Karin.

"She's strong," said the man, "I've felt her—her…power? The thing you just showed me…"

"Reiatsu," supplied Karin, folding her arms. "Spiritual pressure."

"Her reiatsu," he said. "It's strong. Stronger than yours. If—If your friends go up against her, they'll die." Karin doubted it. He knew that if this man sensed Yuzu and Byakuya's strength, it was through the veil of their power limiters. But that said a lot about how strong he thought this Hanako was.

Toshiro's frown deepened. "There's no human that strong," she said.

"That's the thing, though," said the man, a scowl appearing on his face. "She's not. She's not human."

"Kiyomizu Hanako doesn't exist in this world."

Silence followed his pronouncement.

"Are those sakura trees?" asked Yuzu, looking out over the park.

After the meeting with the New Dawn, the two of them had started slowly walking back to the hotel. Their path meandered a little more on the way back, as there was no longer any hurry to get anywhere, and the two of them had started looking at different aspects of the scenery. They were now walking around the edge of the Shinjuku Gyoen park, the greenery offering a nice contrast to the otherwise metallic city.

Byakuya glanced at them idly out of the corner of his eye. "They are," he said. "It will be about a month yet before they start to bloom."

"I bet this place must be beautiful in April," commented Yuzu, as they crossed over to the other side of the street. Byakuya frowned at her as they walked.

"You have seen the Kuchiki gardens in April," he said.

"Hai," said Yuzu, nodding and smiling. "And those are beautiful too, don't get me wrong, but it's nice to see trees like this in the middle of such a big city."

He watched as she took a small skipping step forward, smiling brightly. Byakuya caught the sound of a familiar melody in the air and realized in that moment that she was humming to herself. He did not understand her excitement. This was, after all, the world she was born into. There was no reason for her to be so thrilled to be here…unless…

A thought struck him.

"Kurosaki, have you never been to Tokyo before?" he asked.

Yuzu paused and turned her head, looking back at him. "No, never," she said. "Before I came to Soul Society, I'd never left Karakura Town."

"Why not?" asked Byakuya. "Surely your educational institution would have given you those opportunities."

"There were class trips," she said, falling into step beside him again. "But there was always help needed at the clinic, and I wasn't in the soccer club like Karin-chan…" She smiled, clasping her hands behind her back and tilting her head up slightly towards the sky. "I used to be a little upset about it, I'll admit…but it's okay. Even if it's a mission, I'm glad to be here…"

She trailed off, hinting at things left unsaid. Byakuya frowned in thought. Just as he was thinking this over, someone called out to them.

"Indoor plants!" yelled a vendor at the side of the street. "Indoor and outdoor plants! Freshen up your gardens for the spring!"

Byakuya cast him a glance and moved to continue walking, but his vice-captain turned, a curious frown on her face as she approached the stall. He sighed slightly, coming to stop just behind her as she reached the stall. He looked over her shoulder as the vendor smiled at her.

"Are you looking for some flowers, miss?" he asked.

"Actually, I just wanted to take a quick look," said Yuzu, studying the plants in front of her. Byakuya's attention wandered, and he glanced back at the cherry trees that lined the park. They were bare now, but he knew from experience that they would soon begin to bloom. Against the backdrop of gray and blue, they would be brilliant.

"Look, taicho, they have camellias!" said Yuzu, catching his attention. He glanced back at her to see her examining a small potted plant. The vendor was no longer paying attention to them, instead talking to another customer. "This would look great in the Division garden."

"We have camellias in the garden, Kurosaki," he said.

"We have pink camellias in the garden, taicho," she replied. "This one blooms white. It should set off the pink ones nicely." She picked up the card with care information, looking over it. "Look, see? Camellia japonica noblissima. Even the name sounds perfect for the Rokubantai."

His interest peaked. "Is it a Noblissima?" he asked. "We did have one in the gardens in my grandfather's day, but the plant died during a harsh winter."

"Then we should have a new one planted," said Yuzu. She checked the price tag on the plant and her face fell. "…Or not…" she said. "I still have to buy souvenirs for Karin-chan and the others…"

"Charge it to me," he said. At her surprised expression, he clarified. "It is for the good of the squad, is it not?"

"H-Hai, taicho…" she said.

"Tell the vendor to hold the plant in reserve. We will pass for it on the way out."

"Hai."

Their purchase completed, Yuzu tucked the receipt into her purse, continuing to walk out of the park and into the streets of Shibuya. By now, it was a little later in the day, and the streets were beginning to fill again. They passed the far end of the park, and Yuzu glanced back at it. "I think I'd like to see it in April, one of these days," she said, mostly to herself.

He said nothing. They waited in front of Shibuya's famous scramble crossing, watching the lights. Her eyes drifted northward, towards a large shopping center.

"Ano…taicho, I was wondering," she said. "…If there's time, can I stop there? I need to pick up some things for people."

"We are not doing anything at the moment, Kurosaki," he said, frowning at her.

"Ah, I know," she said. "But you don't need to come with me…I don't want to inconvenience you."

"It will not be an inconvenience," said Byakuya. "I also need to bring back something for Rukia."

"In that case, we should go," said Yuzu with a nod, beginning to head towards the large building.

"What the hell do you mean 'she doesn't exist in this world?'," demanded Karin.

The man hesitated for a moment. "My power…" he finally said, "…is that I can read the pasts of others. I can read their…auras, so to speak. It also gives me a sense of when people aren't…from around here…like you, and the ones in white." He took a deep breath, then turned to Toshiro. "That's why I ran from you on that day. I thought you were the same as that woman. But I've been watching you and your friends, and I realized that it's different. You're all not from this world, but you and your friends are from a different place."

"Different planes of existence…" said Toshiro. He frowned. "And this woman?"

The man shook his head. "She's from a different place, but it's not the same as yours or the ones in white. It's…it's different. It's almost like yours, but for some reason it feels smaller, more personal…I don't know…I can't tell. Her presence worries me."

"We've established that," Karin heard Toshiro mutter under his breath. She looked up, frowning at the man.

"…How can we trust you?" she asked. "How do we know you actually have this power, and aren't just trying to mess with us?"

The man stared at Karin for a moment, as if seeing through her. Then, he spoke in a hushed voice. "You lost someone," he said. "Someone you cared about very deeply. She reminded you of sunshine and summer flowers. The wound still hurts, but you hide it deep inside…"

Karin felt a surge of anger run through her at the man's words. "That's none of your business," she growled, just as Toshiro looked up at her, a concerned frown on his face. The man turned to Toshiro, continuing on.

"And you hurt someone…" he said. "You were deceived by a trick of the light. She reminded you of watermelons and childhood…"

"Alright," said Toshiro, interrupting him. His eyes were suddenly more serious than Karin had seen them in a while. "…We believe you. Continue."

"I can take you to where I saw them," said the man, his expression serious. "Kiyomizu Hanako, talking to the two in white."

The two shinigami exchanged glances. Karin frowned at Toshiro and shrugged. "You're the captain here," she said, taking a step back. "But I smell a rat."

"So do I…" said Toshiro. "But I don't see any other leads." He turned towards the man. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Asakawa Kaito," he said.

"Asakawa Kaito," repeated Toshiro, his voice cold. "…If you deceive us, and lead us into a trap…we will kill you. Do you understand?"

"Hai," said Kaito, nodding.

"Then lead the way," said Toshiro, removing his hand from Hyorinmaru's hilt.

Karin frowned as she and Toshiro followed Kaito down the street in the Udagawa district, looking around at the shops on either side of them. She grabbed her boyfriend's elbow to catch his attention.

"Spain Hill," she muttered, giving the street's famous nickname. "Why did we not check this place first?"

"…Who knows?" asked Toshiro, frowning as he glanced back at the man. "It does seem fairly obvious, now that I think about it."

"It's not much further," said Kaito, glancing back at them. He didn't look at them head on, speaking quietly as if he were muttering to himself. Karin realized that it was the exact same way she would talk to Toshiro, when she was alive and would meet him walking down the street. It was an acknowledgment that Kaito saw things other humans did not see.

He continued to lead them up the hill, stopping in front of the mouth of an alley. "Back here," he said, discreetly waving them forward.

Karin took a step and found herself stopped by Toshiro's outstretched arm. He had come to a stop in front of her, his eyes narrowed.

That was when she felt it—the sudden surge of reiatsu.

"Asakawa, get down!" yelled Toshiro.

Kaito whipped around, his eyes wide, but it was too late. The tip of a sword erupted from his chest, and he gasped in pain. Around him, people shrieked in terror. Karin could only imagine what it must look like to them.

Behind him, a dark-haired figure stepped out, one of his hands on the hilt of the sword. A single mask fragment adorned his face, marking him as an Arrancar. He was dressed in white.

Toshiro tensed.

"Sieg…" he muttered under his breath.

Sieg frowned at Kaito, his face impassive as Kaito struggled for breath. "Now, Kaito…" he said quietly. "Why would you betray us like that?"

He twisted the sword and drew it out, cutting as he went. There was a flash of light, and Kaito's spirit flew forward from his body, landing in a heap in front of them. His chain of fate had been cut, and his eyes widened as he stared down at it, his shoulders shaking.

Sieg shook the blood from his sword casually, a line forming on the street.

Toshiro tensed, drawing Hyorinmaru as the Arrancar stepped forward.

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake

An hour and a half later, Yuzu and Byakuya were walking through the shopping center, carrying their purchases. They had explored the various shops at their leisure, Yuzu picking out things for her various family members and acquaintances as Byakuya searched for a single present for Rukia. He thought that he had had fewer mishaps with the technology of this world today, barring a single incident in the "Entertainment" center of an electronics store where his fukutaicho had left him alone with a small device called a laptop computer. He had stood in front of the machine idly pressing buttons until her return, a frown on his face as the screen continued to show brightly colored error messages.

"Kurosaki, what does this mean?" he had asked her as she came back with a small bag he assumed was for her sister. She looked over his shoulder, staring at the screen.

"…It means we should walk out of here very fast, taicho," she said, tugging on his sleeve and pulling him away from the machine. "No, keep your head down, act natural…"

After that, they had made a small stop at a pharmacy because Yuzu wanted to purchase something called 'aspirin'. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but upon reading the packaging, he realized it was pain-reliever, especially for headaches.

He watched as she downed two of the pills, taking a long drink from a bottle of water purchased at something called a 'vending machine'. It appeared to be a machine which allowed customers to press buttons to receive a product, eliminating the need for a human cashier. He would have liked to examine it further, but duty demanded that he ensure that his vice-captain was still capable of performing her duties. "Kurosaki, are you ill?" he asked.

"Iie, taicho." She shook her head, capping the bottle and tucking it back into her bag. "It's only a headache."

"I see," said Byakuya. He looked around the building, full of the sounds of large numbers of incessantly loud humanity. "It must be the noise."

"Hai, taicho," said Yuzu in a flat tone. "It's the noise."

Was he imagining things, or was there a hint of insubordination in his normally polite vice-captain's voice? And was she, perhaps, glaring at him?

Well, given her bloodline, he supposed it was only a matter of time.

He graciously decided to attribute it to the headache.