A/N: I'm back, baby~ (updates will be a little slower than they used to, as I'm now a graduate student with no free time.)

Old hands to this story might note that I changed two scenes from the original version. I removed the Sakura Biyori scene in Chapter 7, because reading it made me cringe for some reason, and relegated the remainder of the mall scene to an omake (with new content, you should read!) I also changed the location of the camellia planting. So yeah. Flip back to the last chapter and take a look at that.

I also lost all my old notes, which means I'm going to have to try and reconstruct plot points like Kohaku's dream and Byakuya and Ichigo's meeting again. (I wrote down what that was all about, and now don't remember, lol. Well, we'll make something up).

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

Chapter 12: Flowers blooming

Yuzu sat back on her heels, wiping at her brow with her forearm. It was a warm spring day in late March, and the sun shone overhead, a bright expanse of blue sky over the Rokubantai's garden. She smiled, then reached forward to push more soil onto the roots of the plant in front of her, patting it down gently so that there was a clear mound around the plant's roots. Once satisfied, she reached out, touching a finger lightly to the flowers that still hung heavy on the camellia's branches. According to the card that had come with the plant, the flowering season was almost over, but the plant would continue to bloom for a few more days, before the flowers finally faded away.

It was great that something good, at least, had come out of their ill-fated trip to Tokyo.

"I think it should be fine here, taicho," she said, sitting back and dropping the spade she held in her other hand.

"I agree, Kurosaki," said Byakuya from where he sat on his heels opposite from her. He wiped his hands on a sheet of white cloth that he'd brought out with him. Yuzu hid her smile. She'd worn an old shihakusho for this, not wanting to get her best uniform dirty while gardening. Byakuya had obviously had the same idea, except his idea of work clothes simply meant taking off his haori and scarf, and apparently wearing a less-expensive pair of gloves.

They were probably still worth more than her yearly salary. And he'd had no idea what she found so amusing about all of that when he arrived at the division this morning. Or indeed, throughout the whole thing. Kuchiki Byakuya and gardening were not two things she often associated with each other.

A breeze blew through the air, cooling the sweat off her skin. Yuzu sat back further, placing her hands in the grass and leaning back as it washed over her. Overhead, the breeze moved through the leaves of the plum tree a few feet away, rattling the wind chime someone had hung in the branches. Byakuya turned to watch it, his expression softening as his eyes caught the chime moving in the plum tree's branches. Yuzu stared at him, her smile fading.

She wondered if he was thinking about Hisana again.

What do you want from him?

Her conversation with Kohaku from a few days ago came back to her, and Yuzu looked away, her eyes fixing on the wall in other direction. The sound of swords clashing against each other came back to her, coming from the training yard. While the courtyard's walls hid the training field from view, they couldn't do much to mute the noise. The sounds were sobering, reminding her that despite the fact that the past few days had been some of peace, they were still at risk of a larger war, one that her Division was preparing to fight.

She sucked in a breath. She knew it was important, but she didn't really want to think about that now. Not after they'd just come back from another fight and Byakuya had started speaking to her like normal again.

"Oh, is it finished already?" asked a voice from behind her.

Yuzu turned, as did Byakuya, tearing his eyes away from the plum tree. Third Seat Shiyougi stood in the shade under the veranda, holding a tray in his hands. The tray had two glasses, and a pitcher full of ice water. He walked towards them.

"Shiyougi-san," said Yuzu, smiling.

"Taicho, fukutaicho," said Shiyougi, nodding. He put the tray down between them. "I thought you two might want some water, considering it's a hot one today." He tugged at his shihakusho for emphasis, looking up at the sky. "You almost wouldn't believe it was only spring," he said.

"Thank you, Shiyougi-san," said Yuzu, smiling. She reached forward, picking up the pitcher, and turned towards Byakuya. "Taicho?"

At his nod, she filled his glass first, then her own. Yuzu picked up her glass of water, taking a long sip. After an afternoon spent out in the garden, it was refreshing. She smiled, holding it in her hands as Shiyougi started examining the camellia. Byakuya picked up his own glass, taking a sip. He lowered it to his lap, his eyes moving across the barracks' courtyard.

They landed on the gate.

Yuzu paused at his change in expression, looking over her shoulder. A man lingered by the gate, not one that she had seen before. He was well-dressed, like a nobleman, and old, with long white hair in a topknot on top of his head, and a noticeable beard. His eyes were fixed on Byakuya.

Byakuya set his glass back onto the tray, getting to his feet. "Excuse me," he said coldly, walking over to the gate. His eyes were narrowed, and the relaxed, almost melancholy look of earlier was gone. Instead, he looked like a man preparing for a fight, reiatsu crackling in the air as he went. Yuzu found herself tensing as he passed, even though the look was not directed at her. A glance at Shiyougi told her she wasn't the only one.

The third seat didn't relax until Byakuya was well out of earshot, and then he sighed, shaking his head. Yuzu glanced from him to the door, watching as Byakuya led the newcomer away from the barracks, the two of them vanishing from sight behind the walls.

There had been something familiar about that man. Yuzu tried to remember if she'd seen him anywhere before. At her grandfather's house? No, she would have remembered that.

"Shiyougi-san," she said, turning towards the third seat beside her. "Who was that?"

"Ah, that?" Shiyougi gave her a strained smile, looking back at her. "I think that was Kuchiki Yasuhiro."

Yuzu's eyes widened. "Kuchiki…"

"One of the Kuchiki Clan's elders," said Shiyougi. "He was around a lot before Kuchiki Rukia-fukutaicho got married."

Yuzu stared at the gate, suddenly remembering where she had seen the man before. It had been at Ichigo's wedding. He'd been one of the dignitaries that Rukia had been forced to invite, and she remembered him sitting in the corner of the reception hall with a few other old men and women in fine robes, mostly looking unhappy to be there. Her hand tightened unconsciously on the fabric of her shihakusho.

"The Kuchiki Clan's elders…" she said. "I wonder what they want."

"Well, whatever it is," said Shiyougi, picking up the tray, "He's not going to be happy when he comes back. I should get back to work, fukutaicho."

"Mm…" Yuzu nodded, getting to her feet. She adjusted her disheveled shihakusho with one hand, trying not to get dirt everywhere. "I should too. Thank you for the water again, Shiyougi-san."

"No problem," said Shiyougi, offering her a smile. As her eyes wandered back towards the gate, he let his hand fall onto her shoulder. Yuzu looked back at him. "Don't worry about it," he said. "It's probably nothing."

"Mm, you're right." Yuzu took a breath, then did her best to return the smile. "Thank you, Shiyougi."

Shiyougi nodded, his grip tightening on her shoulder for a second before he let his hand fall away. "Hang in there, fukutaicho-chan," he said, as he turned to leave.

Yuzu watched him go, waiting until he was inside the barracks before she started moving as well. She headed back into the office, deciding that she might as well see if there was any work to do before changing into cleaner clothes.

As she walked, she couldn't help but look towards the gate again.

"Hmm? Sou? Yes, I understand. Yes, thank you for reporting in."

Karin sat up at the sound of the phone being placed back onto its cradle, looking over at where Toshiro was sitting at his desk. She had been lying on the couch, listening to the conversation, her head pillowed on her arm as she waited. It had gone on for the better part of twenty minutes.

"So?" she asked, as he turned towards her.

"The New Dawn appears to be gone from Tokyo," said Toshiro. He picked up a stack of paper from his desk and straightened it out, setting it aside to join the ever-present pile of paperwork that surrounded him. "Kusanagi's members went back to Tokyo, accompanied by a group from Soifon's squad, but they found no trace of them."

"Well, that's not good." Karin frowned, draping one arm over the back of the couch as she turned towards him.

"You're telling me," said Toshiro, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "How's Asakawa doing?"

Karin shrugged. "He's settled in nicely," she said. "We couldn't find him a place on short notice, so he's living with the old man for now. Unfortunately for him."

"He's probably safer there than anywhere else," said Toshiro, picking up another stack of forms. "If Kiyomizu decides to go after him, they'll have your father to face. And if Asakawa isn't all he says he is…"

"Then he'll have to get through my dad too, before he can get to Seireitei," finished Karin. "It crossed my mind."

It would be good for Isshin to have some company around the house, she thought, as she settled herself back into her seat, propping her back against the couch's arm rest so that she could talk to Toshiro without twisting her entire body around. The old man, in what she could only describe as the most blatant attempt at guilt-tripping ever made by a parent, had adopted a cat and named it Children.

"There is some good news," said Toshiro, looking up at her. "Although I'm not sure I'd call it good."

"I'll take anything at this point," said Karin, with a shrug.

"I spoke to the soutaicho about stationing some seated officers with Kusanagi," said Toshiro. "He agreed. You can have the first shift if you want it."

Karin perked up at that, looking back at him. "You're serious?" she asked.

"Why would I joke around?" asked Toshiro. He looked up from his paperwork, frowning at her. "I recommended you, and he agreed. You did want to go, right?"

"Of course!" said Karin. "When do I leave?"

"In two days," said Toshiro. "You'll be stationed in Karakura Town. You'll be mostly invisible to the local residents, but Urahara's preparing a gigai in case you need it. It's going to look a little different from the way you normally do. Thanks to the story your father told, you and your sister will probably still be recognizable over there."

"Story?" Karin's smile faded, her eyes narrowing. "What story?"

"Never mind," said Toshiro, shuffling the papers in front of him and setting them aside. He picked up a new stack. "Anyway, you'll be in contact with the Tenth Division, but we're not technically in charge of you. You'll still be under the command of your captain. And Kusanagi wants it stated that you won't be in command of them either, you'll just be there to observe and help in a crisis if it's needed. The soutaicho agreed."

"Fine by me," said Karin, folding her arms. She didn't really want to go take over some group of powered humans anyway. It was enough trouble keeping her squad in line. As long as she could stop either Soul Society or Hueco Mundo's population from expanding for a few days, that would be worth it. "How long will we be out there?"

"A few weeks?" Toshiro shrugged, picking another sheet of paper from the top of the pile. "Officially, you're to be stationed till further notice, but we'll rotate you out eventually. I don't think it'll be any longer than a month or two."

A few weeks. Maybe a month. Technically it wasn't a very long time, especially not compared to how long they had to live, and it wasn't like she was one of those girls that freaked out if they were away from their boyfriend for more than a few days, but—she glanced at Toshiro, then disguised the movement as a stretch, raising her arms over her head.

It was still kind of a long time.

"Fine, no problem," said Karin. "I just have to babysit them for a little while, maybe kick some Arrancar ass if it shows up. Can do."

"That's good," said Toshiro. "Because there's one more thing."

Oh no.

"You won't be alone," he said. "Fifth Seat Ayasegawa will accompany you."

"What, the peacock?!" asked Karin. "I don't need any help."

"Regardless, considering our enemy's strength, it's probably for the best that you have some." He gave her a hint of a smile. "I told them you wouldn't like it."

"Fine, whatever." Karin flopped back onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "Me and Yumichika. No big deal. As long as he doesn't start messing with my clothes."

"No, no, no, Karin-chan, I absolutely cannot allow you to be seen in that outfit."

"What the hell's wrong with it?!" grumbled Karin, holding up the graphic shirt and jeans with one hand. The fifth seat stood in the door to her quarters, his hands on his hips. He was adamant.

"What's wrong with it?" he repeated, gesturing at her outfit. "It's hideous. Anyone can see that!" He folded his arms. "Are you sure you're a girl?"

"I'm as much of a girl as you're a man, you piece of stale fruitcake!" Karin waved her fist at him, shaking the clothes.

"Stale?!" Yumichika sounded highly affronted. He took a step back from her, placing a hand on his chest. "I'll have you know that I am the very picture of masculinity. I'm just not crass about it, unlike you."

"Alright, asshole, you're asking for it!" Karin tossed the clothes onto the floor, reaching for her zanpakuto. Yumichika's eyes narrowed, and he reached for the sword at his side.

"If that's the way you want to be," he said.

In the open room outside, Madarame Ikkaku sweatdropped, taking a sip from the sake cup in his hand. In front of him, Yachiru rolled over on the ground from where she was coloring, lying on her back and looking up at him. "Ne, ne, Pinball," she said. "Are Yun-Yun and Rin-chan gonna fight?"

Ikkaku paused, taking another sip and listening to the tone of the conversation as it escalated, Yumichika taking a step into Karin's quarters and Karin warning him loudly and colorfully to back off.

"Probably," he said. "Let's just hope they don't break the roof this time. It's raining outside."

Yachiru nodded and hummed to herself, rolling over and going back to her coloring.

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake

"Ichigo!"

Rukia walked over to her husband, crossing the courtyard of the Fifth Division. Ichigo didn't turn around, continuing to peer over the edge of the wall between the Fifth and Sixth Divisions. Rukia frowned, resting her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed. From this vantage point, she couldn't see what was so interesting. "Ichigo, are you listening to me? I had to look all over for you. You said you'd meet me at your office. What on earth is so intere—."

"Shh." Ichigo turned around, raising a finger to his mouth. Rukia frowned, folding her arms, but fell silent, walking up to the wall. She went up on her tiptoes, peering over the top of it.

That was when she saw it. On the other side of the wall, in the Sixth Division courtyard, Byakuya and Yuzu were crouched on both sides of a camellia plant, both of them absorbed in packing soil around the roots. They didn't speak as they worked, and didn't take their eyes off the plants. Both seemed quite content. She glanced at Ichigo, noticing that he was watching with a horrified expression on his face.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Do you see that?" asked Ichigo, whispering back. He glanced back over the wall. "There's something wrong with that."

"I see Nii-sama and his vice-captain planting a bush," said Rukia in a flat tone. "In their own Division's garden. I'm sorry, what part of that was supposed to worry me?"

"Byakuya," said Ichigo. "He's being…not Byakuya!" He looked back over the wall, then back at Rukia. "He's gardening."

"My brother," said Rukia, "happens to enjoy gardens. And you are being an idiot. Get away from the wall, before he sees you."

"Oi, Masa." Ichigo looked away from her, inclining his head towards Masaryu, who was walking across the courtyard. He jerked his head at the scene over the wall. "Tell me you don't see something wrong with that."

Masaryu froze, seeing with Ichigo was indicating. His eyes widened and the color drained from his face. Before either of them could say anything, he bolted, running into the Division barracks and slamming the door behind him like a man running for his life. Ichigo and Rukia blinked, staring at the door before looking at each other.

"What the hell's wrong with him?" asked Ichigo.

"He's your cousin," Rukia said. "You tell me."

"Ankoujin-kun," said Hinamori, her voice gentle as she walked up to Masaryu. The third seat was sitting in his quarters, his arms wrapped around his knees. She approached him hesitantly, her hand out. "Ankoujin-kun, are you okay?"

Masaryu ignored her, continuing to mumble into his arms, repeating something about the honor of his family.

Notes: SO! Regarding some recent revelations of the manga, it appears I wasn't too far off about Isshin. Wow. Masaki being a Quincy, however, took me completely off-guard. That said, for this story and this continuity, I'm just going to go ahead and say that none of those things apply (except maybe Quincy Masaki, we'll see), because the Ankoujins have kind of become a huge part of the AU I've built up.

I guess you could say the world of this story is canon up to the end of Aizen's arc, and then branches off from that. If any revelations come up in the manga that I haven't already guessed at or rendered useless in this continuity, I'll include them too (*cough*Rukia'sbankai*cough*). ^^