A/N: Pay close attention to Byakuya in this chapter, guys. A lot of what goes on with him is unspoken, but is it just me or does he seem to be opening up just a little bit? Or a lot? Hmm…we'll see. ^^

Xoraan, thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! One of the ways in which Quincy!Masaki has already affected the story has to do with Jungetsu. When I was first writing this, I actually told myself to tone down a lot of Jungetsu's applications because they sounded too Quincy-ish (it's a silver and white object that channels and compresses reiatsu into blue projectiles). Now that I know what I know about Masaki, well…fire away with your totally-not-a-Quincy-bow Yuzu-chan!

Regarding Orihime, Uryuu, and Chad, I have actually been toying with the idea of having them make an appearance in the human world, but I'm working out the details involved in having 35-year-old versions of them show up (powers, to Ishihime or not to Ishihime…etc.). So we'll see! It's a definite possibility!

greetingsfrommaars, I'm not exactly sure they realize she's even caught on XD. Byakuya probably figures he'll tell her when he and Ichigo are sure (they're operating on a hunch at the moment), and as captain he figures he's totally allowed to do that (Yuzu says so herself in her chapter). Ichigo has a bit of a big brother mental-block going on, where he still has trouble seeing his sisters as anything other than his little sisters who he needs to look out for, forgetting the fact that if they were in the human world, they'd be in their thirties by now.

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

Chapter 17: With eyes unclouded

By the time Karin said her goodbyes to Toshiro and stepped back into Kusanagi's headquarters, it was past noon. A small group of Kusanagi's members were outside, in the courtyard. She caught sight of Yasui and Mari, sitting by the pond in the garden. Mari was reading, and Yasui had a ball of water in his hands from the pond that he was spinning idly at his fingertips.

Yumichika gave her a knowing grin from where he was standing with Shimoda, watching her come in. "Did you have fun last night, Karin-chan?" he asked.

"Shut up," said Karin, her face reddening. She swiped out at Yumichika with her fist. He jumped back, dodging it almost effortlessly and keeping that annoying smile on his face. Beside him, Shimoda turned towards her.

"So you're the girl that Matsumoto-san keeps talking about," he said, smiling. "The one that's captured Hitsugaya-taicho's heart."

Karin narrowed her eyes at Shimoda, scowling to disguise the flush on her cheeks. "You shut up too," she said. "Or you're both gonna regret it."

Shimoda studied her, cupping his chin with his hand. "She's more violent than I expected, Ayasegawa-san," he said.

Yumichika nodded in agreement. "But it seems like Hitsugaya-taicho likes that," he said.

Shimoda nodded, considering. "Yes, I suppose it does work. In a fire and ice sort of way. It's actually rather beautiful."

"Oh, get a room," said Karin, rolling her eyes.

Shimoda smiled, tossing a lock of his long blond hair back over his shoulder. "Actually, I'm taken," he told her. "By a girl."

"That sound you just heard was Yumichika's tiny little heart breaking," said Karin.

Yumichika folded his arms, his eye twitching. "Oh, please," he said. "I know you're trying to provoke me into a fight, Karin-chan. You just don't want to talk about Toshiro-kun~"

"I said, SHUT UP!" shouted Karin, raising her arms in the air and stepping forward.

From over by the pond, Yasui Tetsuya watched the scene, the ball of water still cupped in his hands. Beside him, Mari looked up over the top of her book, frowning as their angry voices washed over the surface of the pond towards them.

"They're a…lively group, aren't they, Mari-chan?" asked Yasui.

Mari only nodded, turning back toward her reading.

A few minutes later, Karin settled into a seat by the pond next to Yasui and Mari, her arms folded and an annoyed expression on her face. A flush had spread across her cheeks. Across the pond, Yumichika frowned, rubbing at the bump on his head. Yasui stared at her, not daring to speak for a few moments.

Finally, he drew in a breath.

"So—uh, Kurosaki-san—you and Hitsugaya-taicho really are—?"

"Yeah, we're dating," said Karin, opening her eyes and shooting him a glare. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing, just wondering," said Yasui, quickly scooting back. Mari frowned at him as he bumped into her, reaching out and shoving him in the shoulder. She put down her book, looking over at Karin.

"How long have you two been together?" she asked.

"About ten years?" said Karin with a shrug. "It's been a while."

"I'll say it has," said Yasui, his eyes widening slightly. Beside him, Mari nodded.

"Mm," she said. "If you had both been in the human world, you would have probably been married by now. Unlike Tetsuya and myself, who have only been together for three years." She narrowed her eyes, giving Yasui a look.

He blinked at her. "Are you hinting at something, Mari-chan?" he asked.

"Just an observation," said Mari, going back to her reading. "Still, it must be nice, having all of that time."

Karin stared at her, opening her mouth to say something, but before she could, a dark shape ran across the courtyard, and Yasui immediately sprang to his feet. He swept his hand out over the surface of the pond, and the water surged forward, a tendril springing out from the pond and intercepting the small figure before she could reach the gate. Yasui Hisoka skidded to a stop, her eyes wide and her hand clasped around the strap of her messenger bag as she whirled onto him.

"Hisoka," said Yasui, his eyes narrowing. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Out," said Hisoka, scowling at him. "You can't keep me in here forever. I'm visiting my friends."

"Without your limiter?" asked Yasui. His expression softened, becoming tired. "Hisoka, we've been over this," he said. "If you go out there now—."

"So what?" shouted Hisoka, her expression contorting in anger. "What does it even matter, stupid onii-san?"

"Hisoka!"

"Fine!" said Hisoka, turning around and facing the house. "Fine, I'll get it! Happy now? Stupid! Idiot! I hate you!" She turned, running back into the house. Karin stared after her, watching as she slammed the sliding door of the house behind her. Across the courtyard, she saw Shimoda and Yumichika watching as well, Shimoda with a weary expression.

"What's up with her?" asked Karin, staring at the closed door. Yasui's expression darkened, his eyes following the young girl as she disappeared back into the house. The wall of water slowly retreated, slipping back into the pond as he lowered his hand.

"Hisoka's been…difficult since our parents died," he said. "She…"

Yasui trailed off, shaking his head.

"She blames herself for what happened," said Mari, turning towards Karin. "Just like this idiot won't stop blaming himself. They're a perfect pair of fools, these siblings are."

"It was my fault," said Yasui, folding his arms. "If I'd just been there…"

"You would have been dead," said Mari. "It took four of us to beat those Hollows back."

"You don't know that," said Yasui. "I could have stopped them."

"You were sixteen, Tetsuya," said Mari, sighing. "Alone, what could any of us have done?"

"What happened?" asked Karin, frowning.

Mari paused, glancing at Yasui for permission to continue. Yasui sighed, slowly raising his head again. "Hisoka has a very high level of spiritual power," he said, "and no ability right now to defend herself. She has a bracelet from Urahara-san—it keeps her powers at bay so she can go to school and go out with her friends without worrying about Hollows. But when she was younger…"

Karin's expression darkened as Yasui trailed off again. She could already tell where this story was going.

"Hisoka's situation is anomalous," said Mari, stepping in for Yasui again. "But not really strange when you think about it. A lot of people think of the transference of spiritual ability like ripples on the surface of a pond. You have one person, someone like Aizen Sosuke, dropping a huge amount of spiritual power in a single location, and it spreads outwards from there, weakening as it gets further from the source. The problem with that is it doesn't stop with the original disturbance. Each subsequent spiritually aware human can affect the people around them, creating a build-up of spiritual power. A positive feedback effect. With me so far?"

"I think so," said Karin, frowning. "You're saying that the more people exist with high spiritual power, the more will be created."

"Exactly," said Mari. "But that's not sustainable, and the universe knows that. There's only so much bend this side of reality can take before it breaks. That's why your captains and vice-captains have to submit to power limiters to move around freely here. So, really, at larger scales, the water analogy falls apart. It's more like a supernova."

"What do stars have to do with anything?" asked Karin.

"Think about it," said Mari, holding up her hands. "Spiritual power expands outwards at first, rapidly, creating an absurdly high number of spiritually aware humans of moderate power. That's why the majority of Kusanagi's members are in their twenties now; we were all born during the first wave, immediately after the Winter War. The power continues to expand outwards, spreading from person to person, until enough pressure is placed on reality, and the universe has to correct itself. When this happens, the source collapses on itself, and the power moves back inward. It's flowing out of the human world now, becoming purer and stronger as it goes."

"It gets concentrated before it disappears," said Yasui. "Like a black hole. That's why the younger members of Kusanagi—Kasumi and Masao—have more power than we do, and that's also why there's fewer of them. They were born during the second wave."

"And Hisoka?" asked Karin, staring after the girl.

"Yasui Hisoka," said Mari, her voice solemn, "Was born eleven years ago. The third wave, and probably the last. After Hisoka, who knows what's going to happen. Maybe things will even out, and there will be a moderate number of children born with a moderate amount of power. Or maybe not. For all we know, Kusanagi could be an idea that survives only one generation." She said the words grimly, her eyes fixed on a point in the distance. "Hisoka hasn't manifested powers yet, but I don't know of anyone her age with her level of spiritual power in this town."

"She was born able to see spirits, like I was," said Yasui, staring out over the pond. As Karin watched, the water rippled outward from where he was seated, reacting to his presence. "I always knew she was strong, I just didn't know how strong. But the Hollows did."

"They came for her," said Mari, picking up the story when Yasui didn't seem to be able to. "Four years ago. A whole swarm of them, while most of us were out. Tetsuya, Shimoda, Fujimura and I managed to save her, but we were too late to save the rest of the family. Shortly after that, Shimoda decided that we needed to have a headquarters, some place we could all live without putting our families in danger. Eventually, we settled here."

"Shimoda-san's family owns this building," explained Yasui. "It seemed like the best place at the time. Hisoka and I were the first to move in, and she's been living with me ever since." Yasui took a deep breath, then sighed, placing a hand on his knee and pushing himself to his feet. "Excuse me."

Yasui began to walk towards the house. Karin and Mari watched him go, the latter's expression softening as he walked up the steps towards the door. "Hisoka blames herself, but she's a kid," said Mari. "She doesn't know how to process that, so she lashes out against Tetsuya. She thinks he's not as bothered by it as she is, I suppose. But she doesn't know that the nightmares keep him up at night. That he talks in his sleep, reliving every detail of that night."

Karin exhaled, staring at Yasui. She looked down, realizing that her hand had curled into a tight fist. She understood. Damn it, she understood. Both sides of the story.

Mari watched as the door closed, then sighed, closing the book and keeping her place with her thumb. "Can their parents be found, Karin-san?" asked Mari. "In Soul Society?"

"I don't know," said Karin. She took a breath, then looked away from the door, focusing her attention on the pond. The wind moved across its surface, forming ripples. "Probably not. Rukongai is huge, and if they didn't have any spiritual power, you wouldn't be able to distinguish them from the millions of other souls stuck there. And even if you did find them…" She took a breath.

"They probably wouldn't remember their children," said Mari, exhaling softly. "As I thought. You sound like you've given this a lot of thought, Karin-san."

"…It's crossed my mind," said Karin.

"I won't ask you who you lost," said Mari, getting to her feet. "But thank you."

"For what?" asked Karin, looking up at her.

"For listening to him," said Mari, glancing at the door. "He needs that sometimes. That man…has a tendency to take all of his burdens onto himself. It's the most annoying thing about him. Have a good afternoon, Karin-san."

"Yeah," Karin frowned, watching as Mari walked towards the door. "You too."

"Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain. Bakudo # 58: Kakushitsuijaku!"

Yuzu slammed her hands down onto the ground beneath the black circle she had drawn, the circle beginning to glow. Pale blue reiatsu flooded it as numbers flashed before her vision, the numbers rotating faster and faster before finally slowing to a single set of coordinates. "The target is moving northwest, originating from a point near the southeastern quadrant of the district," she said, interpreting the numbers. "It's not moving very fast."

"Looks quiet out there, taicho," said Shiyougi, standing at the edge of the ledge that overlooked the Seventy-Eighth District of South Rukongai. Inuzuri was nestled into the valley beneath that ledge, a collection of ramshackle houses and broken down buildings well past their prime. The third seat had a pair of binoculars in his hand, and was studying the location that Yuzu had indicated. Beside him, Koyanagi Gorou, the Division's fourth seat, nodded his approval. He was a big man, about a head taller than Shiyougi, and taller than Byakuya himself.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't look like it's causing any damage right now," he said.

Byakuya nodded, to show that he had heard. "We will move to intercept it," he said. "Remain on your guard."

"Hai, taicho," said both Shiyougi and Koyanagi, turning back towards him.

Yuzu pulled back her hands as Byakuya turned towards her, the glowing circle fading and revealing the symbols that she had drawn there before, with black powder. His eye moved critically over the drawing on the ground, before looking back at her. "More pressure on the western side of the circle, Kurosaki," he said. "Otherwise, good."

"Hai, taicho," said Yuzu, sitting back on her heels. She pulled a white cloth out of the inside pocket of her robes, wiping off her powder-stained stained fingers.

"Yamagishi," said Byakuya, turning away from her. "Okada. Survey the area. Return promptly and do not be seen."

"Hai, taicho," said the Division's fifth and sixth seats, offering Byakuya quick shallow bows. Yamagishi Kazuhiko, a young man with dark hair and blue eyes, and Okada Megumi, a slender young woman with shoulder-length brown hair pinned to the back of her head with an ornate hairclip, rose from their bows, simultaneously disappearing from sight. Yuzu felt the wind of their passing as they rushed towards the district below.

Byakuya waited until they were gone, then he turned, walking over to the ledge. "Stay on your guard," was all he told the others.

Yuzu got to her feet, frowning as she watched Shiyougi and Koyanagi walk away, both of them taking up guard positions at other places on the ledge. Byakuya ignored them, his eyes fixed on the district. A breeze blew up from the valley, pulling back his haori and playing with the ends of his scarf, but he didn't take his eyes off the village. He seemed more preoccupied than usual somehow.

She took a breath, and then, seeing that Shiyougi and Koyanagi didn't need her, walked over to him, coming to stand at the ledge on his right. Byakuya didn't look at her, but neither did he object to her presence, so she took that as permission to stay, studying the village below. It was late afternoon, and the sun setting behind them had dipped this part of the village in shadow, hiding some of its brokenness from view. Looked at this way, it could have been just any other town.

But if Byakuya's expression was anything to go by, it wasn't. She stole a glance at him, then turned her attention back towards the village, the village that they would soon be fighting in, if the day turned out how the others seemed to expect.

"Rukia grew up in this town," said Byakuya after a while, surprising her, and answering the question she didn't dare ask. "Along with Abarai."

"Abarai-taicho?" asked Yuzu, turning towards him.

"Yes. They entered the Academy together."

"I see." Yuzu thought back to the man who was often in her brother's office, the captain whose former position she now occupied. "That explains why they seem so close," she said, thinking back to Rukia's interactions with the man. "I thought it was because…" She trailed off there, realizing that she had been about to bring up the Soukyoku incident, the chain of events that had inevitably resulted in the Winter War. She didn't know most of the specifics—they were only taught the most important parts of the story in the Academy—but she knew enough to know why Byakuya might not want to speak about it.

If Byakuya noticed her misstep, he said nothing, his eyes fixed on the town. His expression darkened as the sun continued to set, lengthening the shadows. There was something else locked beneath his expression as he stared out at the village. Regret, perhaps for what had almost happened to Rukia, and something else. A deeper, darker memory.

"Taicho…" she ventured, taking a breath. "If Rukia-nee grew up here, then that means…"

"Yes," said Byakuya, as she trailed off. "Hisana too. Although it was not here that I met her."

Yuzu fell silent, not knowing what to say. She lowered her eyes back towards the town, feeling a weight settle into her heart. Her right hand, the one on the side of her that was farthest from him, curled, her fingers digging into her palm. When Byakuya talked about Hisana like that, she wanted…she wanted…

She closed her eyes and exhaled, destroying the thought before it could form. When she opened her eyes again, she managed to look at the city with clear eyes.

Beside her, Byakuya had already turned away. Yuzu stood alone on the ledge for a moment more, feeling the cool breeze as it wafted across her face.

That was when she caught sight of the explosion, in the southeastern quadrant of the town. It was a blast of reiatsu, bright red, and bloomed like a flower in that portion of the village before fading away. The sound of the explosion rattled the air, echoing up the mountainside to where the other members of the Sixth stood. Shiyougi and Koyanagi saw it too, hands immediately going to zanpakutos.

"Taicho!" said Shiyougi, drawing Byakuya's attention.

Byakuya was already moving. All traces of regret and old pain had gone from his face, locked up behind his usual impassive expression as he raised his hand towards the village. "Shiyougi, Koyanagi, flank the target," he said. "Kurosaki, with me."

Shiyougi and Koyanagi nodded in agreement, both of them disappearing from their posts as they moved in opposite directions. Byakuya turned towards her and Yuzu nodded, gripping onto Jungetsu's guard to hold the sword in place. The two of them looked towards the source of the explosion, then vanished, moving through the air towards it at impossible speeds.

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake: The First Days of Spring 03

"As I've said before, Kurosaki Ichigo, I am not drunk," said Byakuya calmly, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well, you sure as hell aren't sober," said Ichigo, scowling. He folded his arms. "Seriously, all you've done since you got here is sit alone and drink. That's actually kind of sad."

"What I do in my free time is none of your concern," said Byakuya, his eyes narrowing at Ichigo. He took another sip. Ichigo ignored him, clearly giving him up as a lost cause, and turned towards Rukia.

"Oi, Rukia," he said. "Don't you think you should get your brother home?"

Rukia glared up at him from her seat, obviously still upset with Renji holding her down, and not entirely sober herself. "What nii-sama does is his own business," she said. "I don't see why you have to get involved in everything, Ichigo."

"Thank you, Rukia," said Byakuya with a nod in her direction, taking another sip.

"You've got to be kidding me," muttered Ichigo, staring at the two of them incredulously. He wondered how much of a fight the Kuchiki siblings would put up if he tried to knock them out and drag them from the premises.

Before he could put any of his quick escape plans into action, however, it appeared Kenpachi had found another target. He swung the mic stand around and bellowed into it, pointing in Byakuya's general direction. "Kuchiki Byakuya!" he said. "I challenge you!"

"I refuse," said Byakuya, glaring at Kenpachi.

Ichigo let out a sigh of relief. At least he still had that much sanity left in him.

"What? You scared?" asked Kenpachi, his face breaking into a grin.

The sake cup in Byakuya's hand hit the table, rattling as the Sixth Division captain got to his feet. Ichigo stared, horrified, as Byakuya turned towards Kenpachi.

Or not.

"Abarai!" said Byakuya sharply, walking past their table on his way to the stage.

"Hai, taicho!" said Renji automatically, getting up and dropping Rukia's arm as though in the heat of the moment, he'd forgotten that he was his own captain now. Ichigo turned, staring wide-eyed as the two of them walked up to the stage, Kenpachi shoving the mic towards Renji with a grin. Renji caught it, eyes narrowed, as Byakuya took a seat behind a piano—where the hell had they even gotten a piano in the first place?!

As seriously as if they were entering a battle, the two of them exchanged nods and Byakuya began to play.

"Oh no," said Yuzu, as the first notes rang through the room, a slow, soft melody. The entire bar had gone silent, most people turning to watch the spectacle in front of them. At the table seated next to her, Kohaku and Masaryu had turned as well, Kohaku watching with wide eyes and Masaryu with something that more approximated abject terror.

"Oh no?" asked Kohaku, turning to her. "What do you mean, 'oh no'? This is great!"

"No, it's not," said Yuzu, getting to her feet. "I have to stop him. The taicho's going to be so embarrassed tomorrow if no one does."

"As expected from Yuzu," said Kohaku, wiping at her eyes with a handkerchief as though Yuzu had actually managed to move her to tears. "Such a dutiful vice-captain! Alright! You've convinced me. I'll come with you."

"You will?" asked Yuzu, turning towards her.

"Sure," said Kohaku. "After all, my captain's up there making a fool of himself too, and the vice-captain's useless right now—." She gestured at Kira-fukutaicho, who was still seated at Ichigo's table, completely passed out. Kohaku grinned. "Maybe this'll finally get me up to third seat."

Yuzu smiled, grateful for her friend's support. "Thank you, Kohaku-chan," she said, turning towards the stage.

"No problem," said Kohaku, rolling up her sleeves. "Let's do this."

Yuzu nodded, and the two of them set out, their eyes narrowed in determination. She kept her eyes on the stage, ignoring everyone else around her. She had to get Byakuya down, somehow. As the vice-captain of the Sixth, she couldn't just stand by and let her captain embarrass herself. It was her duty to—

Byakuya leaned into the microphone placed near the piano and began to sing.

"Aisaretai demo aisou to shinai

Sono kurikaeshi no naka wo samayotte

Boku ga mitsuketa kotae wa hitotsu kowakutatte kizutsuitatte

Suki na hito ni wa suki tte tsutaerunda…"

I want to be loved, but you don't seem to love me

I'm wandering aimlessly within this repetition

And the answer I found is only one; that even if I'm scared, even if I'm hurt

I'll say "I love you" to the person I love…

Yuzu froze, staring at Byakuya. As he sang the last line, his eyes lifted from the piano, and she could have sworn they met hers. Her heart thudded in her chest, all the blood rushing to her face.

"Yuzu-chan?" asked Kohaku, staring at her. Kohaku's eyes widened, and she put up her hand, quickly waving it in front of Yuzu's face. "Oi! Y-Yuzu-chan! Say something!" Kohaku reached out, grabbing her by the shoulder and shaking her. "Crap—she's not breathing! Yuzu, breathe!"

Note: Bleach Concept Covers, "Sen no Yoru wo Koete", Byakuya and Renji version~ Go look it up (and be sure to look up the English translation too, Animelyrics is a good source).

Psst? You see that little review button down there? Press it. Press it. You know you want to! (Seriously, if you don't tell me what you liked, I can't do more of it, and if you don't tell me what you didn't like, I can't do less. And reviews really are a great encouragement for me as a writer, and even though I don't write for reviews, seeing reviews makes me want to write.)