A/N: So, I do battojutsu (Japanese swordsmanship focusing on draw-cuts), and my uniform for this is a black gi and black hakama. xD It's VERY hard to not pretend I'm a shinigami in class now that I've gotten myself interested in Bleach again, especially now that I work with a steel practice sword.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter. ^^ Thanks so much for all your support!

I Before A Except After K, if you're guessing what I think you're guessing, you're on to something~

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

Chapter 19: Zero field

Yumichika leaped back as the barrier broke, coming to land next to Yasui. He watched as Karin charged forward through the barrier's shards, swinging Ongetsu down at the stunned Hamano. The girl quickly pushed herself to her feet, holding her hands out in front of her. The wind around Karin changed direction, coming at her from three sides, but Ongetsu was active now, and Yumichika knew better than anyone that that wouldn't work. He smiled, watching as Karin moved the scythe in three quick slashes, the blade cutting through the blasts of wind like they were nothing.

She disappeared, reappearing in the air above Hamano's head. Karin gripped her scythe's shaft in both hands, swinging it down overhead with a shout, and Hamano jumped back, eyes wide as the blade came crashing down. She moved her hands in front of her quickly, a blast of wind shooting outwards from her, but Ongetsu cut through it like it was nothing. A flash of white, and then Sieg appeared behind her, the Arrancar drawing his sword and attempting to slash at her back. Karin turned, blocking it with the blade of Ongetsu's scythe before it was fully out of its sheath. Hamano moved, firing a blast of air at her back, but Karin simply stepped to the side, spinning Ongetsu so that the scythe blade cut upward and through the blast again. Air parted on either side of her, kicking up dust in a V-shape around her feet and slamming into the walls. The air crackled with the force of her reiatsu.

"How is she doing that?" Yasui asked from beside him. "Cutting through Hamano's attacks like that…"

On his other side, Mari frowned, her arms folded as she studied the battle. "Reiryoku suppression," she muttered under her breath. Her eyes tracked Ongetsu's movements, watching the way the scythe glowed black. "It has to be…"

"It's Karin-chan's zanpakuto ability," said Yumichika, glancing at them. Ahead of them, Karin used Ongetsu's shaft to block a slash from Sieg, spinning and cutting through the whirlwind that Hamano tried to form around her. "Ongetsu is a zanpakuto that can cut through any manifestation of reiryoku. Anything, with the exception of pure steel. It's the ultimate playing field evener. Karin-chan doesn't have much patience for games, you see. It has to be a straightforward fight, or nothing."

"You sound like you have a lot of experience with that, Ayasegawa-san," said Mari, glancing at him.

"Hmm?" Yumichika's hand tightened around his zanpakuto's hilt, glancing down at the three blades. He smiled. "Yes, I suppose you could say that." He watched as Karin leaped into the air, spinning the scythe over her head before bringing it crashing down towards Sieg. It was three years now since that day.

His mind went back to it.

Summer was always an interesting time in the Eleventh Division. The longer days meant that the men spent more time out in the Division's training field, and the oppressive heat made tempers short, causing more fights than usual. Yumichika stood with his back towards the wall, one arm folded against his chest as he fanned himself with the other. He watched, a smile on his face, as a brawl broke out in the center of the courtyard.

The woman standing next to him wasn't as impressed. Karin snorted, her eyes on the fight. "Idiots," he heard her mutter under her breath.

"Why, 6th seat Kurosaki, you aren't enjoying yourself?" asked Yumichika, giving her a teasing smirk.

"It's a waste of time," said Karin, folding her arms. "They're just going to end up screwing around in the Fourth again."

"That's not a very Eleventh Division thing to say," said Yumichika.

"Well, maybe I'm not in the mood for pointless fights," said Karin, shrugging. "It's too loud around here anyway."

"Suit yourself," said Yumichika, turning his attention back to the brawl. "There's nothing keeping you here. Don't you have a date, or something?"

Karin shook her head. "Toshiro hates the heat," she said. "He's locked up in his office with Hyourinmaru and paperwork. And anyway." She paused, glaring at him. "It's not like that's any of your business."

"Hmm?" asked Yumichika. "But as your superior, shouldn't it be my business to know what you're up to, 6th seat Kurosaki?"

Karin glared at him. "What's with all this 6th seat Kurosaki, 6th seat Kurosaki nonsense? Just use my name—everyone does it. It's not like you had any problem using it before."

"One would almost think you weren't proud of your rank," said Yumichika, his smirk widening. "6th seat Kurosaki."

Karin turned towards him sharply. "You're asking for it," she said.

Yumichika only hmm'ed in reply, leaning back against the wall and continuing to fan himself. Karin scowled at him.

"That's another thing," she said. "The seating in this Division is messed up. You should just go ahead and take fourth seat already, so we can all move up in rank."

"Hmm?" Yumichika pretended to think about it for a moment. "I refuse. Four is an ugly number."

"Well, if you keep leaving that seat open," said Karin, casually, "Someone's eventually gonna get fed up, and try to take it from you."

"Oh?" Yumichika turned towards Karin, an interested look on his face. "That almost sounds like a challenge, Karin-chan."

"And if it was?" asked Karin, glancing at him.

"Then, I'll have to hurt you for it."

Karin snorted, walking away. "You're full of crap, Yumichika," she said.

"Was it a challenge?" asked Yumichika, turning to face her. "Karin-chan?"

"Maybe," said Karin, looking over her shoulder. She grinned. "I think the mood in this Division is starting to get to me."

"In that case," said Yumichika, smirking. "I'll let the captain know. We'll do it in an hour. I hope you don't regret that decision…Karin-chan."

Karin snorted, turning away. "Speak for yourself," she said, walking back into the building.

An hour later, they met on a hilltop, in one of the forests of Rukongai. Yumichika faced her, his hand on his zanpakuto's sheath. Across from him, Karin looked around, studying the area. They were far enough away from the main towns that there was no one out here, no one to witness the fight but the two of them. Ikkaku and some of the others were waiting back at the Division, to see which of them returned victorious. Yumichika had no illusions about who that would be.

This had happened countless times in the past, some young upstart challenging him for the open fourth-seat position. And each time, he had beaten them down.

"Why'd you pick such a deserted place to do this?" asked Karin.

"Maybe I didn't want anyone to see how ugly you look when you lose."

"And what makes you think that's gonna happen?" asked Karin, placing her hand on Ongetsu's hilt.

Yumichika ignored the question. Instead, he tilted his sword to the side, preparing to draw it. "Last chance, Karin-chan," he said. "I won't tell anyone if you decide to back down."

"Tch." Karin tilted her sword as well, beginning to draw it from its sheath. "It's like you don't know me."

"That's what I thought," said Yumichika. He drew his sword. "Bloom, Fuji Kujaku."

"Reveal yourself," said Karin, pointing her zanpakuto at him. "Ongetsu."

The battle went on for what felt like hours, the two of them moving back and forth against the clearing, exchanging blows. Yumichika raised Fuji Kujaku to his face, the curved edges of the blades catching Ongetsu's scythe as it bore down on him. He flash stepped back, jumping out of the way as Karin swung her scythe in a wide arc, releasing a Getsuga Tenshou. The reiatsu blast tore into the ground in front of him, cutting a line in the earth. The ground around him was littered with many such lines, a few of the trees bearing marks of their crossed blades as well. They were both sweating, breathing hard, and each had scored a few marks on the other.

Yumichika frowned, landing back down on the ground as Karin lowered her scythe. He glanced down at his own sword, then looked up at the girl in front of him. Karin was stronger than he realized. This wasn't good. If things kept up like this, he might actually have to use that to win, and he didn't want to.

After all, as attached as he was to his seat, the thought of having to kill Kurosaki Karin did leave a bad taste in his mouth.

"That's enough, Karin-chan," he told her, looking up at her. "If we go any further, I'm going to have to kill you."

"Kill me?" asked Karin, straightening up. She wiped the sweat from her brow with her shihakusho sleeve. The garment had fallen open from one of Yumichika's slashes earlier, exposing the sarashi wrapping underneath. "That's rich, considering I'm winning."

"I mean it, Karin-chan," said Yumichika, his eyes narrowing. "If you don't stop, I'll have to do something that we'll both regret."

"Yeah," said Karin, straightening up. She held Ongetsu so that it was behind her, the scythe blade pointed towards the ground. "I know. You're gonna stop holding back. That's fine, since I'm going stop holding back too."

Yumichika's eyes widened. "How did you…?" he began.

"Ongetsu," said Karin, glancing at the scythe. "He's got some issues with the way you fight. Says you aren't fighting him seriously, or something like that. Is that really how you want me to win this, Yumichika?"

He scowled, his grip tightening on his sword. If she knew, even a little bit, then he couldn't just let that go. He had no choice.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Karin-chan," he said. "I'm sorry." His eyes narrowed, as he channeled his reiatsu into the blade. "Split and deviate, Run'iro Kujaku."

His zanpakuto's blades began to glow, forming their signature green vines. Before he could harbor second thoughts, he directed the vines at her, throwing all of his power into the attack. Run'iro Kujaku's vines cut through the air, filling it with a green light.

Karin stood perfectly still as they approached, Ongetsu's blade glowing black. At the last moment before the vines struck, she raised her eyes, her reiatsu pulsing outwards from her.

"Reiba," she said.

Ongetsu's black aura pulsed and extended outward, forming a coating of shadow that clung in the air about an inch from Karin's skin. Karin raised her hands, the blade moving in an arc in front of her. It sliced through the vines, clearing a space right through them as if they were made of nothing. She flash stepped through the air, Ongetsu's blade cutting at the vines each time they made a grasp for her, and each time, the scythe blade tore through them, cutting them away. One of the vines reached out, coiling around her leg. It melted away as soon as it came into contact with that aura, shriveling.

Yumichika's eyes widened, staring as Karin spun, cutting away the vines in a circle around her. She jumped into the air through the gap, Ongetsu's blade still glowing.

"Getsuga…" she said as she faced him, raising her scythe. "…Tenshou!"

The blast cut through the air, parting Run'iro Kujaku's vines and heading straight towards him. He raised his sword's hilt to block it as the blast struck, kicking up a cloud of dust in the earth.

It was over. Karin landed crouched on the ground, the dust clearing as Ongetsu slowly returned to its sealed state. Her breathing was labored, her face pale. Whatever that technique had been, it had obviously taken a lot out of her. Yumichika watched from the ground, blinking sweat and dust out of his eyes as she staggered to her feet, sheathing her sword and walking over to him.

"So that's it?" she asked as she reached him. "Your sword's a kido-type?"

Yumichika closed his eyes, not responding immediately. He lay back on the ground, feeling a small smile come onto his face. It appeared he had miscalculated, again. When would Soul Society learn to stop underestimating Kurosakis? "You should kill me, Karin-chan," he said. "Now that you know, I can't return to Zaraki-taicho's division."

There was a pause, and then Karin's foot shot out, kicking him in the side. Yumichika's eyes snapped open, and he winced, jumping back from the blow. "What was that for?!" he asked, sitting up.

"For being an idiot," said Karin. She took a breath, pushing her hair out of her face, then reached out with a hand, holding it out towards him. "Look, I don't really care if you have a kido-type or not. It's not something to die over. If you wanna keep it a secret, fine. I won't tell anyone. I'm good at keeping my mouth shut. But shut up about dying." She held out her hand further. "We'll just tell everyone I won the old-fashioned way."

Yumichika blinked, staring up at her hand. Karin waited for a while longer before turning towards him, glaring.

"If you keep that up much longer, I'll kick you again," she said.

Yumichika sighed, reaching for her hand and using it to pull himself up to his feet. "Such a shame. For a moment there, Karin-chan, you were almost beautiful."

"Keep that up, and maybe I will kill you," said Karin, helping him up. "Can you walk?"

"Not as well as I'd like to," said Yumichika. "What about you?"

"Walking is fine," said Karin. "Shunpo is definitely out."

"I see." He looked away from her, staring out at the horizon. "Then, we have a long way to go."

They made it back to the Eleventh Division by sunset, the two of them leaning against each other…

"Oi, Yumichika!"

Yumichika looked up, shaken out of his musings as Karin appeared on the rooftop of Kusanagi's house, Ongetsu in her hand. Hamano had her hands out and was readying another blast of wind as Sieg advanced from her left, the New Dawn's other member throwing what looked like three thin daggers into the air. They exploded as they struck the rooftop, Karin herself jumping out of the way.

"It's three-on-one," she said, landing on the ground beside them. "Feel free to jump in anytime."

"Sorry," said Yumichika with a smile, holding Fuji Kujaku out in front of him. "You were doing so well, I got a little distracted."

"Yeah, yeah," said Karin, rolling her eyes. She looked out over the scene in front of her. "Sieg is mine."

"Try not to die," said Yumichika, glancing at her. "It'll be hard to explain that to poor Toshiro-kun."

Karin rolled her eyes. "Don't make me hurt you, Yumichika," she said, leaping into the air as the New Dawn advanced. Yumichika smiled, turning towards the other two members. Beside him, Yasui and Mari got into stance as well, water pooling between Yasui's fingers as Mari held out a hand filled with lightning. On his other side, Shimoda smiled, a blade of solid light forming beneath his fingertips.

They two groups charged forward, meeting each other head-on.

Yuzu's world dissolved into a blur of heat, pain, and fear, and in the days that followed, she found that she remembered little of it.

She remembered being carried through the streets, vaguely, remembered sunlight against her eyes the few times she managed to open them, remembered arms holding her as she closed her eyes and whimpered. She remembered being laid down, but just barely—the motion seemed so disconnected to what she had been dreaming about at the time that she hadn't really been sure it was real. She thought she grabbed onto something, as her mind spiraled into darkness, a scrap of cloth that her fingers had seized on in search of something real to hold onto. She remembered gray eyes, and hands, surprisingly gentle, uncurling her fingers and laying her hand at her side.

But mostly, she remembered the dreams.

She remembered the fear that settled over her like a cloak, remembered the parade of nightmares that flashed before her eyes as she lay there. She saw the Hollow that had claimed her life, the first Hollow she had ever seen, standing over her again on the street outside the clinic, except this time she was a shinigami, and Jungetsu was broken at her feet, and she couldn't move, finding herself powerless to do anything but stand there and watch as the Hollow killed each member of her family, laughing with Catalina's voice. She remembered the day her mother died, except she was older then, and Ichigo had died too, and for some reason, Karin and Isshin were blaming it on her. She saw the day at the Academy when Karin and Masa had gone missing, except this time it was Masa and Kohaku, and this time, she hadn't arrived in time. She fought her zanjutsu exam against Karin again, except this time, Karin really was trying to kill her. She revisited her fight against Aoyagi Miyako, except this time the stands were dark, and the arena floor was slippery with blood, and this time, Aoyagi was winning.

Then there were the nameless dreams, the ones where she remembered nothing, only that she was wandering in darkness and she was afraid, and no one she called would come.

She remembered calling for her mother.

That was when the dreams broke for the first time, and she got the sense that someone else was there. A hand across her back, pulling her up, a voice in her ear, a cup of water against her lips. The water was warm and tasted faintly of rust, but in her fevered state, it was blessedly cool, breaking through the shadows of her dreams. A hand smoothed back her sweat-soaked hair, and warmth covered her. She burrowed into it as the nightmares took her again, squeezing her eyes shut and holding it tight. The presence returned once or twice, and she clung to those moments, pinpricks of light and sanity in the storm of her fever dreams. The images stayed with her, keeping her afloat in the dark. The taste of water, a flash of white, a hand, resting lightly on her shoulder to wake her up, the scent of sandalwood and sword polish. Always, it was the same, a sip of water, a voice in her ear, and then the dreams again. It didn't matter how hard she tried to cling to reality. Each time, the fever would take her again, until she wasn't sure whether she was truly awake or asleep.

When she finally awoke, it was to darkness.

Yuzu lay still, listening to the sound of her own heart beating. A minute passed before she allowed herself to believe that she wasn't still asleep. Her limbs felt heavy, like they were weighed down with lead, and the cut on her cheek still burned, pulsing with a faint heat. Despite the cool air around her, her shihakusho felt soaked with sweat. She took slow breaths, her eyes slowly getting accustomed to the darkness.

She was lying on the ground, inside what appeared to be a small house with a dirt floor. The wall next to her was broken and crumbling, and starlight shone through a hole in the roof. Someone had laid her flat on the ground, orienting her so that she was in the corner of the room, as far away from the window as possible. Whoever it was had also covered her with something, to keep her warm. Yuzu glanced down at her hand, realizing that she had been holding onto it.

It was white cloth, slightly heavy in her grip, and lined on the inside in dark blue. Yuzu lifted her head, blinking at it. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was, and she pushed herself up into a seat. The world lurched dizzyingly, a stab of pain from around her abdomen reminding her that she had still been injured in the fight. She closed her eyes to steady herself, then opened them again, staring down at the cloth in her lap.

It was a white sleeveless haori, the character for '6' inscribed in black on the back of it. Byakuya's haori.

Her hand moved slowly to her side, finding fresh bandages around her wound. She glanced to the side, finding a cup of water beside her makeshift bed, the moonlight reflecting against its surface. Her eyes slowly moved away from the cup, towards the heavy cloth that served as the house's door.

They moved towards the haori again as she slowly but steadily pushed herself to her feet.

Byakuya was seated in seiza outside the small house, his sword by his side. She walked up to him slowly, the haori draped over the crook of her arm. He didn't turn as she approached. The street was dark, lit only by the moon, a sign that several hours had passed.

He was alone. Yuzu looked, but found that she could feel no trace of the other officers of the Sixth.

She took a breath, walking over to him. "Taicho," she said.

Byakuya raised his eyes, but didn't turn to look at her. "How are you feeling, Kurosaki?"

"I'm…alright now." Yuzu hesitated, then took a few steps closer to him, holding out the coat in her arms. She took a breath. "Thank you…for the haori."

Byakuya turned to her and reached out, touching the back of his hand to her forehead. Yuzu went completely still, staring at him. He met her gaze calmly, his hand lingering there a moment before he pulled it away. "Your fever's broken," he said, taking the haori from her. "The poison has run its course. You should heal quickly once your reiatsu recovers."

Yuzu took a deep breath, searching for something to say, but for some reason, the words wouldn't come. All she could think of was the night that had just past, the dreams that clung to the edge of her memory, and the moments that broke them. How many of those moments had been real, and how many had been part of other dreams? The water, the bandages, and the haori were real enough.

Her throat closed up, and in that moment, there weren't any words.

Please, she found herself thinking, as she sank down into a seat next to him. Please stop making me fall in love with you.

She squeezed her eyes shut, banishing the thought away, and when she opened them again, her heart was clear, if only for a moment. She drew in a slow breath.

"Taicho," she began. "The others…"

"I cannot feel their reiatsus," said Byakuya, looking back out at the street. "Neither can I contact Seireitei. Some sort of barrier, placed over the town."

Yuzu's eyes widened as she absorbed that information, her hands closing around the fabric of her shihakusho. "So…" she began.

"Yes," said Byakuya. "It appears that we are on our own."

Yuzu slowly exhaled. Alone. Cut off from support in one of the worst districts of Rukongai, with Arrancar and who knew what else traveling the town. And with no way of telling what had happened with Shiyougi and the others.

"What happens now?"

"Now?" repeated Byakuya, glancing at her. "You should eat. We have emergency rations among our supplies. Then sleep. We will search for them tomorrow."

Yuzu nodded, and was halfway to her feet when a thought occurred to her. She placed her hand on the doorframe to steady herself, looking up at the sky. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, but from the looks of it, it was already very late. "Aren't you going to sleep, taicho…?" she asked.

"I was not the one poisoned, Kurosaki," said Byakuya. "I will keep watch."

Her hand tightened around the doorframe, her throat closing up again. She kept her back to him, glad that he couldn't see the expression on her face. "If…if you're sure, taicho…" she managed to say.

"Sleep, Kurosaki."

The words, if softly spoken, still carried the tone of an order. Yuzu exhaled, her fingers slowly uncurling from around the doorframe. "Then…good night, taicho," she said.

"Good night."

She hesitated, lingering by the door. Words gathered at the tip of her tongue, words that she had never had the courage to say before.

Words that she didn't have the courage to say now.

Yuzu squeezed her eyes shut, pushing the words away. She stepped forward, disappearing into the house and letting the curtain fall behind her.

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Reiba (零場 lit. "zero field") is a passive ability of Kurosaki Karin's zanpakuto, Ongetsu. In its normal state, it allows the blade to cut through any non-physical attack or barrier, however, only has to do with attacks that touch the blade itself. Activated, the effect extends into the air around Karin herself, creating a sizable barrier. While powerful, Reiba is physically demanding and difficult to sustain for long periods of time, as it feeds off Karin's own reiatsu. As a result, she rarely uses it, preferring instead to make use of its passive form, which does not take more effort than simply activating shikai.

Omake

Byakuya sat outside the house, listening as the sound of his vice-captain moving around began to subside. Silence fell over the street again, Inuzuri's usual residents still shying away from this place of battle. Byakuya kept an eye out anyway, keeping Senbonzakura within arm's reach as he kept watch over the small building.

Movement to his right caught his attention, and he turned, frowning as he was met by a pair of glowing green eyes. Byakuya watched, impassive, as a tabby cat stalked out of the darkness towards him, making for the house. It was the same cat that he had found inside the house after bringing Kurosaki Yuzu here, and he had done his best to evict it from the premises.

He stood up as the cat attempted to slink past, catching it around the waist. Byakuya performed a quick flash step, setting the cat down one street over from the house before going back to his post. He wiped his hands on the fabric of his hakama as he sat down, frowning.

He hated cats. Distasteful creatures, and ones that reminded him too much of Shihouin Yoruichi.

He settled back into his seat, keeping watch again.

Thirty minutes later

Byakuya scowled in annoyance as he reappeared in the air, the same cat clutched in his hands. He set it down on the ground, nudging it with his foot to send it on its way. This time, he'd made sure to take three flash steps. Hopefully the distance would deter it from finding its way back.

One hour later

Byakuya took five flash steps.

Two hours later

"This is becoming ridiculous," said Byakuya, frowning at the cat. He held it in front of him, looking the creature in the eye. "You will not gain access to this house. I suggest you stop trying."

"Mwrawwwwhh?"

"Your attempts at disarming me are not working," said Byakuya, setting the cat down. "Begone. This is your final warning."

One hour later

Byakuya opened his eyes at the feeling of two paws resting lightly on his knee, glaring down at the cat. The cat looked back up at him, green eyes shining in the predawn light.

"Mraw?"

Byakuya sighed, closing his eyes again.

One hour later

Yuzu walked towards the house's fire pit, blinking sleep out of her eyes. It was still early in the morning, the light of dawn filtering in through the windows. "Morning, taicho," she said, stifling a yawn.

She blinked, taking in the scene in front of her.

Byakuya sat in front of the fire pit, sipping at a cup of tea. Beside him, a brown tabby cat purred happily, chewing away at the contents of one of their ration packets. Yuzu stared, looking from the cat, to Byakuya, to the cat again.

"His name is Mikado," said Byakuya, taking a sip of his tea.

A/N: Mikado, literally "honorable gate", is one of the terms used historically to refer to the Emperor.