A/N: These are the last 2 chapters of this arc, after which the story is half-finished. Thanks go to everyone who's followed this journey so far. Please don't forget to read and review.

There's like three levels of illusion going on in Byakuya and Yuzu vs. Kyoka Suigetsu fight _ . Why did I do this to myself? Why did I do this to myself?

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

Chapter 24: 85 centimeters of reality

Karin sat on the rooftop of the Tenth Division, Ongetsu lying on the tiles next to her. She'd finally managed to talk Toshiro into letting her out of the office, after making several promises that she wasn't going to attempt to leave Seireitei. As much as she wanted to. If it was anyone else, she wouldn't care, but she knew that leaving after Toshiro had finally let her out of his sight would only get him in as much trouble as it got her.

Love could be a stupid thing like that sometimes.

Why, Karin-chan, said Ongetsu's voice in her ear, shadows rising off of the blade like smoke. Did you just admit to loving someone?

Shut up, thought Karin towards the sword, drawing her knees up close to herself and wrapping her arms around them. She faced southward, looking out across the rooftops of Seireitei. Somewhere out there, Yuzu and Ichigo and Rukia and Masa and Kohaku were fighting, and she couldn't be with them.

She was in no mood to deal with Ongetsu today.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the zanpakuto spirit didn't care. She felt Ongetsu's presence surface from within her, settling over her mind like a heavy cloth. Yuzu had once described Jungetsu's presence as comforting, saying that she enjoyed the conversations she had with her spirit. Karin found that had the exact opposite experience.

On a day like today, Ongetsu's presence was smothering.

I'm still angry at you, she told the zanpakuto spirit. Go away.

Angry at me? Ongetsu repeated. For what? She felt him push against her mind, sifting through her thoughts. Karin pushed back half-heartedly before giving up. What did it matter? There wasn't anything she could hide from him inside of her own head. He was her.

Oh, that? Ongetsu giggled as he found the thought, and she could feel him smirk. I can't believe you're still mad about that.

Shut up! thought Karin towards him. Ongetsu's response was to shrink back into his inner world, perching on one of the rocks that sprung up from the desolate landscape. As always, he was half-hidden in shadow, his legs crossed and his hoodie pulled low over his face. His hair covered half of his face, so that all she could see was a single golden eye. He held the stuffed black rabbit in both hands, its eyes gleaming as it stared straight at her. She saw the curve of his scythe form in the shadows behind him, just over his head.

The sight of that pale, smirking face filled her with anger, and she clenched her hand into a fist. For someone who goes on and on about fairness, you cheat at your own games, she said, closing her eyes and resting her forehead on her knees. If you weren't such a brat, we'd be out there already!

Fighting? Ongetsu looked intrigued at the prospect.

Of course. What else?

Interesting, said Ongetsu. He rested his cheek against the top of his stuffed rabbit. So tell me, Karin-chan. Why would we be fighting?

To protect Yuzu, of course, said Karin, scowling. Jungetsu too. I know you want to protect her.

…Is that really why we'd be fighting?

What the hell are you going on about? Karin took a breath, feeling herself sink, and appeared in her inner world the next moment, stepping out of the shadows to face Ongetsu. Her hands were clenched into fists. Ongetsu seemed unfazed by her sudden appearance.

What I said, he said, looking at her from his perch. I don't believe you want to fight to protect your sister, or Jun-nee. You want to fight to protect yourself. How despicable, Karin-chan.

You little shit—Karin took a step forward, her fist upraised. Ongetsu lifted his head, fixing her with that single golden eye.

Yes, go ahead, he said. Punch me, so you don't have to think about how I'm making you feel.

Karin froze, her fist hanging in the air. Ongetsu's smirk widened, and he sat up. You're mad because I refused to give you my bankai name, he said. And you wonder why? Look at yourself. You're a weakling who has to fight to feel strong. Something like a bankai is not for someone like you.

Shadows swirled around him, and he began to fade, his words echoing strangely in the inner world. Karin's eyes widened, and she surged forward, reaching for him.

Wait! she shouted, her hand outstretched. —WAIT!

Ongetsu slipped right through her fingers, the shadows fading. Karin opened her eyes, finding herself on the rooftop again.

Kohaku dashed forward across her platform of wires, her fingers trailing Ayatori's wires behind her. The wires wrapped around the next two Hollows that lumbered out into the streets. She grinned as she felt them go taut, clenching her fists. The wires sliced through the Hollows suddenly, cutting them to ribbons as the wires came free, lashing through the air and back towards her. She skidded to a stop, glancing down at the street below.

"Hey, Shiyougi! Koyanagi!" she shouted. "How's it going down there?"

"Fine!" said Shiyougi, letting out a grunt of effort as he shoved a Hollow off of the flat of his blade. He swung the blade around, slamming it down into the earth and letting a whirlwind spring up from it, impacting the Hollow. He stumbled back, one hand on his zanpakuto's hilt as he wiped at his forehead with his arm. "They just keep coming," he said, when he had caught his breath.

"Yeah, no kidding," said Kohaku, looking away from him and down at the square. The smile faded from her face, her eyes growing serious as she studied the scene. She had to hand it to Shiyougi—he'd been fighting much longer than she had.

But he shouldn't have been. This was Soul Society. Not the living world, and certainly not Hueco Mundo. How had all these Hollows gotten here in the first place?

Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of something in the distance, a few more dark shapes heading towards them. "Heads up, gentlemen!" she shouted back down to the other two. "We've got more incoming."

"Great," said Shiyougi, straightening up. He held his sword in both hands, taking a tired breath. Beside him, Koyanagi leveled the point of his spear at the street, looking just as tired as tired. "Just great."

Kohaku's eyes narrowed, and she glanced back down at them. Shiyougi and Koyanagi wouldn't last long at this rate. This didn't make much sense. Why were the Hollows attacking them, instead of heading towards Kuchiki-taicho and whoever it was he was fighting? Kuchiki Byakuya's reiatsu was like a goddamned beacon—why would any Hollow come here?

What was so special about a couple of seated officers anyway?

Well, whatever, she thought as she watched the Hollows invading. It wasn't her place to understand just yet. Her job was to keep those two alive. And since she was the freshest fighter, it meant giving them some time to catch their breaths.

Time to show off what her Ayatori could do.

Kohaku ran forward, running across the web towards the alleyway. She leaped into the air at the last moment, soaring into the air above it. Kohaku raised her hands, threading her fingers together. The wires glowed as she moved her fingers rapidly, weaving them into a net across the front of the alley. She jumped down onto the ground, the wires trailing behind her hands as the Hollows crashed against the net. In an instant, she sharpened the wires, the Hollows behind it slicing themselves to pieces. She leaped back onto her perch, landing neatly at the center of the wire net strung between the buildings, and turned towards the mouth of the alley.

"Well?!" she shouted at it. "How do you like that?!"

Reiatsu crackled through the air at her question, and Kohaku froze at the feel of it, her eyes widening. She knew that reiatsu, knew it better than she knew her own name.

But it was impossible. That reiatsu couldn't be here. It couldn't be.

A presence landed behind her, and she felt her net bounce slightly to accommodate it. A voice spoke, the sound of it sending a shiver up her spine. "I don't think they liked that very much," it said calmly.

She turned. A man stood behind her, a brown-haired man with gold eyes. He was dressed like a living human, in a dark shirt, pants, boots, gloves, and a thick black coat. A silver chain hung around his wrist, an amber stone set into it, but Kohaku couldn't tear her gaze away from those eyes.

She knew him, though she didn't want to admit it. She knew him…

"…Kintaro?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The blades on either side of Byakuya dissolved, an incredible number of sakura petals taking to the air. Kyoka Suigetsu jumped back, her arms raised to protect her face. As Yuzu watched, wide-eyed, the petals pushed outward from Byakuya, swirling around the room. They rose up, opening gashes in the rooftop and tearing through the walls. Her grip tightened on Jungetsu from behind her curtain of light, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe.

Byakuya's strategy was clear.

He doesn't know where Kyoka Suigetsu is…Yuzu realized. So he's attacking everything.

Kyoka Suigetsu jumped back, her sword moving quickly as she slashed at the petals around her. Steel clashed against steel, her sword work clearing the air around her. Still, the petals continued to swirl, churning through the air, replacing the ones that Kyoka Suigetsu knocked away. Byakuya's attack was indiscriminate. Her eyes moved, but she couldn't keep track of the swirling blades. There were too many of them. Even keeping track of Byakuya's shikai was difficult, but this…this was something else.

This is taicho's bankai…

A parcel of petals broke off, drifting dangerously close to her hiding place and reminding her that Byakuya didn't know where she was either. Her eyes widened, and she raised Jungetsu's fans to protect her head, flash-stepping to the side. Small impacts peppered the surface of Jungetsu's fans, shallow cuts appearing on her arms as the petals moved past her. She landed on the ground, doing her best to keep up the curtain of light that hid her from Kyoka Suigetsu. Something in her movement must have tipped of the zanpakuto spirit anyway, because her eyes moved in Yuzu's direction.

Yuzu's eyes widened as Kyoka Suigetsu's fixed on her. Crap!

Before the zanpakuto spirit could do anything, another wave of petals came through. Yuzu quickly flash-stepped out of the way, avoiding that parcel just in time. A single petal brushed against the back of her hand, opening up a line of blood. Her eyes fixed on Byakuya, but he looked right through her, standing alone in the center of the chaos.

The door, Yuzu realized, her eyes flicking towards it. She just had to get to the door. As long as she was outside the building, she wouldn't be getting in Byakuya's way.

She flash-stepped, crossing the remaining distance between her and it—

—and slammed right into a kido barrier.

Yuzu cried out as she bounced against the barrier, the force of impact enough to throw her back and send her rolling against the ground. Her curtain of light shattered as she fell, dispelling her invisibility.

Kyoka Suigetsu appeared in the air beside her, a smile on her face. She held out her sword.

"Found you," she said.

Yuzu's eyes narrowed, and she quickly flash-stepped away, her hands tight around Jungetsu's fans. Kyoka Suigetsu, however, made no move to follow her, instead turning towards Byakuya.

"Stop this, Kuchiki Byakuya," she said. "Your pretty little fukutaicho is still in the building."

Byakuya's eyes moved towards Kyoka Suigetsu, fixing on her. The petals came to a stop, freezing in the air above her. Yuzu stared from where she was crouched on the ground, her heart pounding in her chest. He was looking at Kyoka Suigetsu, she realized. At where she really was.

Is he…seeing reality?

Byakuya's eyes narrowed at Kyoka Suigetsu, and then he raised his hand again. "I have…no reason to believe such lies."

"Oh?" asked Kyoka Suigetsu. "So, you're under the impression that I'm lying? Very well then. Go ahead. Attack. It will amuse me when you find her little broken body. What would her brother say?" Byakuya's eyes moved to the left, widening slightly, and Yuzu wondered what illusion Kyoka Suigetsu had showed him there. Byakuya froze, Senbonzakura's petals unmoving. Kyoka Suigetsu eyed him, her smirk widening. She raised her free hand to her mouth, her fingernails resting against her cheek. "Hmm? What happened to your fighting spirit, Byakuya? As I thought, you care for the girl. You could never manage to break yourself of such ties, could you? For all of your outward coldness, you're still weak. And that's why you'll die."

Byakuya's eyes widened, darting from left to right. Yuzu realized that in his sight, Kyoka Suigetsu had vanished again. In hers, she saw the zanpakuto spirit moving, her sword clutched in both hands as she ran straight at Byakuya. She angled her blade, moving to stab him in the heart.

No!

"Getsuga Tenshou!" shouted Yuzu, leaping forward. The reiatsu blast struck the ground between Kyoka Suigetsu and Byakuya, causing the zanpakuto spirit to jump back. She raised her sword, her eyes narrowing in annoyance as she turned towards Yuzu.

"You're still alive?" she asked, swinging her sword so that it was pointed at Yuzu. "Die already, useless worm."

Yuzu ignored her, swinging her fans rapidly. "Getsuga Tenshou! Getsuga Tenshou! Getsuga Tenshou!"

Six blasts of reiatsu sprang outward from her, shooting towards Kyoka Suigetsu. The zanpakuto spirit stared at her, her eyes widening as each one curved away from her at the last moment, swinging up into the sky.

"You missed," said Kyoka Suigetsu. "All of them."

"I did not," said Yuzu, breathing hard from the exertion. She lowered her fans, the reiatsu blades slowly regenerating.

Kyoka Suigetsu looked up.

The Getsugas moved through the frozen petals, knocking them out of place and sweeping them towards the center of the spiral Yuzu had made. As the last one swept past the collection, Yuzu raised her right hand fan, sweeping downward. The Getsuga blast changed direction, slamming down on top of the collection of petals. Kyoka Suigetsu quickly flash-stepped out of the way as they crashed down towards her.

"A Getsuga Tenshou that changes directions…?" Kyoka Suigetsu muttered to herself as she landed on the ground.

Yuzu flash-stepped forward, appearing in the air behind Kyoka Suigetsu. Before Kyoka Suigetsu could turn, she raised her hand, pointing two fingers at the zanpakuto spirit.

"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel," she intoned. "With light, divide this into six! Bakudo # 61: Rikujokoro!"

A beam of gold light shot out from her fingertips, splitting into six and surrounding Kyoka Suigetsu. Her eyes widened as she was frozen in place, her body shaking as she struggled to move.

"What are you trying to accomplish?!" she shouted, her eyes fixed on Yuzu. "If he attacks, you'll be torn apart."

"No," said Yuzu, landing lightly on her feet. "No, I won't be."

85 centimeters…

She flash-stepped again, appearing in the air just in front of Byakuya. Close enough to feel the press of his reiatsu against hers, it and the warmth of him making it hard to breathe. Standing this close put her securely in the middle of Byakuya's hurtless area.

The one place in this room that was safe, was the one right next to him.

She only hoped this would work a second time.

Yuzu took a slow breath, focusing all of her energy on Byakuya. Jungetsu's fans began to glow a pale white, power like mist seeming to rise from the surface of them. The world rippled as she stared out at Kyoka Suigetsu.

"Shinkyo," she said.

The world shattered outwards from the two of them, revealing reality. She had only seconds, but seconds was all she needed. All they needed.

"TAICHO!" she shouted, her hand closing around his wrist. "NOW!"

Byakuya didn't waste any time. She felt him tense as his eyes landed on her, drifting from her to Kyoka Suigetsu. And then his reiatsu pulsed outward again, the petals swirling dangerously around them.

"Gokei," she heard Byakuya say. "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The world exploded.

Masa landed on the street, breathing hard. His head spun from the exertion of the previous fights, although he was relatively unhurt. The Second Division had finally decided to act and enter the city, and once they had arrived, they'd been able to take the injured Yamagishi and Okada to safety, leaving him free to go after Kohaku.

He raised his eyes to the rooftops, pausing to catch his breath. With the Second in play, it wouldn't be long until they got all the injured officers out, and then there would only be Yuzu and Kuchiki Byakuya left. The other nobleman's reiatsu flared up behind him, a sudden blast of pressure. Masa's eyes narrowed as he felt it. Whoever he was fighting…that couldn't be a good sign. But it wasn't his place to worry about Kuchiki Byakuya's fight.

He had to focus on his own.

Kohaku's reiatsu flared suddenly—pale contrast to Byakuya's, but enough to make him look up. Masa's eyes widened, and he quickly flash-stepped onto the rooftop, running towards her battle.

"Iwase!" he shouted as he reached them, drawing to a stop at the edge of a rooftop overlooking the open square.

He froze.

Kohaku had released her zanpakuto, Ayatori, forming a net of wires over the square. He knew this to be one of the positions she felt she was strongest in, a bridge over a gap that only she could cross. Except she wasn't alone up there.

She was fighting a man. Masa watched as they traded blows, coming together and springing apart again. They were fighting unarmed. Kohaku's zanpakuto more or less dictated that she fight using hakuda while on top of the net. Ordinarily, this would not have been cause for alarm. Kohaku was skilled at hakuda, more than any of the other shinigami arts.

But her opponent was better.

That much was obvious right from the start.

Kohaku was skilled, but her opponent moved with an almost effortless power and grace, darting easily between her attacks while sending punches and kicks that had her stumbling back to avoid or deflect them. Masa watched, frozen in place, as Kohaku raised both her arms over her head to block a kick, the blow sending her stumbling back. She regained her footing quickly, dropping down into a crouch and attempting to sweep the man's feet out from under him, but he jumped back, avoiding the attack easily. His eyes widened as the man kicked hard, his foot catching Kohaku in the side and forcing her to jump to another corner of the web to keep from falling off entirely.

"Iwase!" he shouted, his hand on his sword.

Kohaku got back to her feet, springing forward and launching into an attack. She swung her fists at the man in a flurry of blows, but he dodged or blocked them all, his expression never changing. Masa watched as Kohaku screamed in fury, twisting around in the air and sending her foot at the man's face. He stepped back and caught it, his expression impassive as he stared down at her. Masa watched as he pushed her back and she stumbled, her wires springing out to catch her in a net of safety. She placed her hand underneath her, struggling to get to her feet, but her opponent was advancing.

No…Masa thought, his grip tightening on Setsuyoku's hilt. For some reason, he couldn't move. He could barely think. All he could do was stare as Kohaku jumped back, avoiding the blow that her opponent rained down on top of her.

No.

A stone on a chain around the man's wrist began to glow amber. Reiatsu flooded the air, but Masa barely noticed over the pounding in his ears. Kohaku jumped back, avoiding a kick, but the glow only intensified.

No!

The man's fist surged forward, glowing a bright amber. Before Masa could do anything, it caught Kohaku in the chest, the force of it slamming her back. Her eyes rolled back, her mouth opening in a silent cry as she was thrown from her perch, falling onto the ground. The suddenness of the attack ripped the name from him—he didn't realize he was shouting until he heard his own voice.

"KOHAKU!"

Rukia jumped back onto the rooftop, breathing hard as Catalina bore down on top of her, their swords clashed against one another. Her eyes darted to the side, and she quickly flash-stepped away as a bullet came through, forming a blade of light in the air as it passed. The shooter had taken up a spot on the building opposite her, putting Catalina between her and him. She landed on the rooftop, turning towards him, and quickly raised her hands.

"Hado # 33, Sokatsui!" she called.

A ball of blue fire rushed out from her palm, slamming into the rooftop and tearing a hole in it. The shooter jumped back, but Rukia didn't see what happened to him. All of her attention was focused on Catalina as the Arrancar surged forward, swinging her sword. Rukia raised her own blade to block that blow, the two of them getting locked into a flurry of strikes and blocks.

Catalina grinned up at her from behind her crossed blades, sweeping her sword in a powerful slash that forced Rukia to slide back off the rooftop. She formed a platform of reishi beneath her feet, hovering in the air before flash-stepping towards Catalina.

"Not bad, Kuchiki Rukia," Catalina said, as their swords clashed together again. "You've been practicing, haven't you?"

Rukia grit her teeth, saying nothing as their blades slid together, becoming locked at the guards. The two of them struggled for a moment before they both sprang back, holding their swords in hand. Her eyes narrowed as she heard another gunshot, and she jumped out of the way as the bullet came crashing through, piercing the spot where she had once been standing and sailing harmlessly over Catalina's shoulder.

The Arrancar didn't even blink. She simply raised her sword, catching Catalina's again.

"Who are you?" asked Rukia, as their blades came together. "Why have you come here?"

"Why do you shinigami always expect me to explain our plans to the likes of you?" asked Catalina.

Their swords slid together and came apart, the two of them jumping back again. Rukia's eyes narrowed as Catalina came through with a thrust, and she parried it quickly, pushing it down with her own blade. Catalina grinned, flipping the sword around and sliding it back up towards Rukia.

Rukia's eyes widened. She jumped back, the tip of Catalina's sword cutting into the sleeve of her shihakusho. She landed on the ground a few feet away, her sword held in a defensive position in front of her.

That was when she felt it.

Her eyes widened as the wave of reiatsu pulsed through the air, slamming down on her from somewhere behind her. She glanced back, her grip faltering on her sword for a moment.

That was…nii-sama's reiatsu.

Catalina laughed as the wave passed, charging forward. Rukia quickly turned her attention back to the battle, and jumped back just in time, Catalina's blade passing harmlessly in front of her. She lowered her sword, blocking the Arrancar's upward cut.

"What do you think, Kuchiki Rukia?" asked the Arrancar, a savage grin on her face as Rukia jumped back. "In a few minutes, Kyoka Suigetsu-sama will be finished with that brother of yours. Then, your husband. And then, all of the rest of them. How does it feel, to be unable to help them? Makes you just want to drop everything and run, doesn't it? Makes you just want to forget about this fight? Well, I won't let you! I'll defeat you here, and maybe I'll even let you see their bodies before I kill—."

Catalina's eyes widened as Rukia's sword reversed direction, cutting a line across her cheek. Rukia jumped back, swiping her sword in front of her and glaring at the Arrancar.

"Shut up," she said, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "A threat as baseless as that will not break my resolve. I trust my brother and my husband. "I don't need to run to them to make sure they're unhurt. But I will make sure that you pay for attempting to use them against me." She held her zanpakuto in both hands, pointing it at Catalina with the blade up as the temperature around her dropped steadily.

"Dance," she said, her eyes narrowing. "Sode no Shirayuki."

The world was quiet in the aftermath of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's Gokei. On the street below them, the building collapsed, the sheer force of the attack being too much for the structure. Byakuya landed on a rooftop, Yuzu's hand still closed around his wrist. He hoped that would have been enough to beat her, but as he felt Aizen's reiatsu flare up again, he realized that that may have been wishful thinking.

His eyes moved towards the woman in front of him as Senbonzakura's sword reformed in his hand. She was bleeding from a handful of small cuts, probably from his own zanpakuto, but nothing looked too serious. White mist continued to rise from the fans in her hand, and he realized that the world around him was starting to fade again, Kyoka Suigetsu's illusions reasserting themselves.

He only had a few seconds, most likely, before she disappeared from sight as well.

"Kurosaki, can you see?" he asked her.

"Hai, taicho," said Yuzu, breathing heavily. Her eyes were fixed on an empty rooftop in the distance—or what appeared to be an empty rooftop to him. As he watched, her outline began to blur, the mist that surrounded them getting pushed back and Jungetsu's glow dimming.

He could no longer feel her hand on his wrist, even though if he looked, he could still see the outline of it there.

"Taicho," said Yuzu, her eyes fixed on the rooftop. "Our enemy is very tricky. She's been spending this whole time playing with your mind, showing you things that don't exist, and hiding the things that do. In a little bit, she'll hide me from you too. But taicho, I don't want you to worry about where I am, or how I'm doing, or about not cutting me. No matter what she says. Because you know where I'll be."

She was fading fast, disappearing before his eyes from the ground up. But he could still hear her voice, could still see her face and the look in her eyes in the last second before the illusion took him again.

"I'll be right here," she said. "I'll be by your side. Just remember that."

The illusion pressed in, but not before he heard her last words. She shouted them into the air, as though afraid the illusion would snatch them away. They echoed in his mind as he stood there, facing the empty sky in front of him.

"A world where I am not by your side is not reality!"

"How sweet…"

Kyoka Suigetsu staggered forward on the rooftop opposite them, smoke and dust hissing off of her body. Blood spattered on the rooftop in front of her, coming from a rip in her kimono. Her eyes were crazed, her brown hair falling out of its bindings. She held her sword in both hands, her eyes fixed on them.

"It's so sweet, I think I'm going to be sick…" she said. Her eyes narrowed, and she held her sword out in front of her, the length of the blade glowing.

"I suppose it's about time I started taking this seriously," she said, placing her hand on the blade. "Sorry, Yuzu-chan. I hope you enjoyed your temporary immunity." Her reiatsu flared outwards, smoke rising off of the sword. She lifted her eyes, fixing them on Byakuya and Yuzu.

"Shatter."

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Yuzu's Getsuga Tenshou: Just as Ichigo has a special black Getsuga Tenshou, Yuzu and Karin's Getsugas have unique properties as well. Yuzu's have the ability to change direction in mid-flight, as directed by her fans. She does this using sweeping motions, as if she were trying to change the direction of the wind.

Omake

Flashback, One year ago

"What is it, Byakuya?" asked Ichigo, following Byakuya into an empty room in the Kuchiki Manor. He closed the sliding door behind him. "Why did you call me here?"

Byakuya turned to face him, his expression betraying nothing. "You will be marrying my sister in a month's time," he said coolly.

"Yeah," said Ichigo, frowning. "What about it?"

Byakuya cleared his throat, his face stern. "As her status in society is much higher than yours, propriety requires that I offer you adoption into the Kuchi—."

"—I refuse," said Ichigo, folding his arms.

Byakuya let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."