A/N: I'm working in a lab right now, hence the sudden slew of updates (don't have much else to do while waiting for samples to be run, and in the interests of being professional, I'm not watching anime till everyone goes home…I've been here till midnight both days I've been here so far). It has occurred to me that there is MASSIVE amounts property damage going on in this incredibly poor district right now (And the one to cause the most amount of damage at this point is Byakuya. Whoops.)

This chapter is long. Enjoy!

Mysticfolly, don't worry. These are the last two chapters of this arc. There's still two arcs left in the story. I'm thinking 50 chapters total. ^^ As for Ichigo...well…*glances discreetly down at the chapter*

Skittles Addict, Ongetsu's claims about Karin's motivations for fighting aren't her only motivations for fighting. She does genuinely want to protect the people she cares about. But wanting to protect herself is, in my opinion, probably a part of it. When her mother died, she responded by deciding that she wasn't going to cry ever again so as not to worry anyone—that's pretty severe emotional repression in my book. In the first few episodes of Bleach, the emotions she felt from that boy trapped in a parakeet were enough to make her bedridden for the rest of that episode. So there's definitely an element of self-preservation in there. If you deliberately stop yourself from displaying any other emotion when you feel hurt except anger, then eventually your only defense mechanism to any sort of emotional trauma will be to lash out. Which is what Ongetsu is trying to caution Karin against, in his own way. ^^ (She's physically strong. Ongetsu is trying to get her to back it up with being emotionally resilient, which she isn't very).

As for Toshiro, I'll try, but no promises. I find it particularly difficult to get in his head for some reason. I can keep him in character as long as I'm only showing his reactions to things, but a POV scene is more than that—it's showing how a character thinks. And I don't want to accidentally butcher him that way. (Byakuya is easier because Sugar and Ice Personalities are kind of a standby archetype for me in my other works. xD)

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

Chapter 25: Shattered mirrors

"Shatter."

"Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!"

A dark shape appeared in the air, placing one hand on the flat of Kyoka Suigetsu's blade. The other carried a black sword, which he used to stab at her throat. Kyoka Suigetsu's eyes widened, and she jumped back, barely dodging the thrust in time. The newcomer swung his sword, a blast of black reiatsu bursting outwards from it. It tore through the air towards Kyoka Suigetsu, forcing her to take a flash-step back to avoid it. The blast tore through the rooftop where she had been standing, scattering tiles and bricks and kicking a wave of dust up into the air.

Kurosaki Ichigo flash-stepped backwards, forming a platform of spirit particles under his feet. He looked back over his shoulder at Byakuya and Yuzu, who were standing a few feet away, Yuzu's eyes closed and her arm over her face as if she was trying to avoid seeing Kyoka Suigetsu's shikai.

"Yo!" Ichigo called, grinning. "Yuzu! Byakuya! You two alright?"

"Ichi-nii!" said Yuzu, her eyes widening as she opened her eyes and turned towards him.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," said Byakuya in acknowledgment, his expression cold. He looked past Ichigo to the wreckage of the rooftop behind him, then back at his brother-in-law. "You are late."

"Yeah, sorry about that," said Ichigo, turning towards Byakuya. He flash-stepped towards them, landing on the rooftop in front of them. "I got held up."

Ichigo held out a hand towards Yuzu, and she hesitated, slowly releasing Byakuya's wrist before moving towards him. He frowned, taking note of the small tears in her shihakusho, and the thin cuts that made their way up and down her arms. That hadn't come from Kyoka Suigetsu's blade.

"Oi, Byakuya," he said, his eyes narrowing as he looked up at the other captain. "We're gonna have a long talk when this is over."

"When this is over," Byakuya repeated, raising his sword arm. He pointed the blade in Kyoka Suigetsu's direction. Ichigo nodded, turning to face the zanpakuto spirit as well.

Yuzu looked between the two of them, her eyes wide. "Ichi-nii…" she said. "Kuchiki-taicho…"

"Yuzu, stay back," said Ichigo, not turning to look at her. "You've done a lot. We'll take care of this now."

On the other side of the field, Kyoka Suigetsu was getting back up, her sword upraised. She scowled at Ichigo, but other than that, didn't appear more injured than she had earlier. Yuzu hesitated, glancing at Byakuya.

"Stay back, Kurosaki," said Byakuya, echoing her brother's words. "Provide support with your technique."

The two of them flash-stepped, disappearing from the rooftop. They reappeared in the air above Kyoka Suigetsu, swords in hand. As they stood frozen in the air, Byakuya glanced at Ichigo.

"My officers?" he asked.

"Rukia's got them," said Ichigo. "Soifon and the Second are here too."

Byakuya nodded, turning to face Kyoka Suigetsu. Ichigo's expression turned grim, and he moved to face her as well.

"Get ready," said Ichigo.

Kyoka Suigetsu flash-stepped, moving quickly through the air towards them. Ichigo and Byakuya sprang apart as she came through, appearing on opposite sides of her.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Kohaku's opponent turned suddenly in the air, raising his arms to block Masaryu's sword strike. Setsuyoku's sword form swung down from overhead, liquid metal slamming into the man's forearms. The metal struck a barrier of gold reiatsu, spreading outwards from the stone that hung around the man's wrist. The two of them fell to the street, the wires of Kohaku's shikai retreating around them.

The wires formed an unsheathed katana, lying on the ground next to Kohaku's limp fingers. Masa spared the sword a brief glance as he jumped backwards from his opponent. It was still here. That was good. It meant that Kohaku was still alive.

The man in front of him straightened up, and Masa saw that a crack had appeared in the barrier in front of him where Setsuyoku had struck it. The man's eyes moved towards the crack before he pulled his hand back, dismissing the barrier. He looked up, his gold eyes piercing straight into Masa's own.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Ankoujin Masaryu."

The man's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He knew the name, even if he might not have met Masa before.

Whoever this man was, Masa decided, he wasn't an ordinary human.

He recovered quickly, his eyes moving towards Kohaku's form. The other shinigami hadn't gotten up from where she had fallen, leading Masa to believe that she was unconscious. He wouldn't have thought someone like this would be able to beat Kohaku in a hand-to-hand fight. He knew for a fact that Kohaku had come within a hair's breadth of joining the Second Division.

The man's eyes passed over Kohaku for a brief moment more, before looking towards Masaryu. "And who is this woman to you?" he asked.

"A friend," said Masa simply, holding Setsuyoku in front of him. "A friend you hurt."

"I see," said the man. "Then, there's no way to avoid this fight, is there?"

Masa's eyes narrowed. "No," he said. "There isn't."

"That's regrettable," said the man, his hand clenching into a fist. The stone that hung from his wrist flared back into life. "I'd hoped to avoid dragging the nobility into this. But if you're in such a hurry to die, then come, Ankoujin Masaryu."

Masa scowled in anger, raising his sword in both hands. He slammed it down onto the ground, his reiatsu flaring as the blow parted the earth. Liquid metal surged through the cracks, shooting towards the man.

"Setsuyoku!" he cried. "Kousen!"

The illusion shattered as Yuzu used Shinkyo, revealing Kyoka Suigetsu to Byakuya. She quickly flash-stepped out of the way as his Senbonzakura petals came through, appearing in the air somewhere to Byakuya's left. As Yuzu watched, she turned, raising her sword to block Ichigo as he came in, swinging Tensa Zangetsu at her. Their swords clashed in the air, Kyoka Suigetsu gritting her teeth as Ichigo pushed harder. Yuzu watched as the illusion reasserted itself, hiding Kyoka Suigetsu from Byakuya but not from Ichigo. The two of them sprang apart and came together in the air, moving so quickly that it was difficult for her to follow them. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breath catching in her throat as they appeared and disappeared together, their blades clashing in different corners of the sky.

So fast…she thought to herself.

She'd always known that her brother was strong. He wouldn't be a captain otherwise, and a good chunk of their history class at the Academy had been devoted to his actions during the Winter War. But knowing something and seeing something were two different things. The past sixteen years had been relatively peaceful. She didn't think she had seen Ichigo go all out until now.

All this time…she thought, thinking back to her time in the human world, almost twenty years ago. She thought of her brother coming in and out of the house at fifteen, dressed in his high school uniform with Rukia next to him. Back then, she had been eleven, and he'd usually greeted her with a pat on the head, before heading upstairs to his room. She had thought he seemed tired a lot back then, but had always imagined it had been because of school. Now, she knew better.

You were fighting so hard all this time, and I never knew…

If she hadn't died that day, outside of the clinic, she wondered if she would have gone through the rest of her life never knowing.

Never understanding how hard her brother fought for her—for all of them.

Ichigo let out a shout, pushing hard with his own blade. He slashed, the force behind it enough to send Kyoka Suigetsu flying back. "Yuzu!" he shouted, glancing at her.

Yuzu nodded, pointing her fans at Kyoka Suigetsu and activating Shinkyo. The illusion shattered again, allowing Byakuya's attack to come through. He didn't waste any time, Senbonzakura's blades whirling in the air as they rushed towards Kyoka Suigetsu. She scowled, moving her sword quickly to deflect them as she jumped out of the way.

"Too slow!" said Ichigo, appearing behind Kyoka Suigetsu. Before she could turn, he stabbed with his sword, the edge of the blade catching her in the arm as she made to pull away. Kyoka Suigetsu's eyes narrowed, and she raised her hand towards Ichigo, calling power into it.

"Hado # 73," she said. "Soren Sokatsui."

Ichigo's eyes widened as two blasts of blue light shot out of Kyoka Suigetsu's hand, rushing towards him. The reiatsu that pulsed outward from her crashed down on Yuzu, strong enough to nearly knock her over. She grit her teeth, raising her fans against it and fighting to stay upright. Ichigo raised his sword to block it, but the blow sent him flying back with a shout of surprise, slamming him into the nearest building. Yuzu's eyes widened, and she took a step towards him.

"Ichi-nii!" she shouted in alarm.

Yuzu, behind!

The words appeared on her consciousness in a rush, the strokes blurring into one another as if they had been written in a hurry. She felt Jungetsu's alarm first, then felt the sudden crackle of Kyoka Suigetsu's reiatsu behind her. Yuzu's eyes widened as she turned and spun, raising her fan in an attempt to deflect the blade. The sword caught the side of her fan, swinging through with enough force to knock her off her feet. She crashed down onto the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of her.

Yuzu placed her hand underneath her, feeling it shake as she struggled to push herself to her feet. Kyoka Suigetsu appeared in front of her, sword raised.

"You," she said, her eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to Yuzu. "are becoming very annoying."

The sword came crashing down overhead, rushing straight for her. Yuzu raised her fan over her head, closing her eyes as she braced herself for impact.

It never came.

Ichigo appeared in front of her, Tensa Zangetsu catching Kyoka Suigetsu's blade. He pushed up, his palm on the flat of his own sword, and managed to throw her back with a loud yell.

"Don't touch her!" he said, sweeping his sword through the cut. He rushed towards her, their blades clashing again. Kyoka Suigetsu scowled, glaring at Ichigo from over their crossed swords.

"I'd forgotten how annoyingly determined you were, Kurosaki Ichigo," she said.

Yuzu pulled herself up into a crouch, her heart pounding from the near miss. She turned Jungetsu's left hand fan around, spotting a crack along the steel tines of the fan. That blow had been more powerful than anything she'd felt when she and Kyoka Suigetsu had fought earlier. If she hadn't managed to block, it would have cut her clean in half.

Fear welled up inside of her, a cold hand gripping her heart. She felt like she was going to be sick. In the back of her mind, Jungetsu was still alarmed, her zanpakuto spirit having floated up to the very surface of the pond. The spirit's eyes were wide, her fingers resting against the underside of the surface as though it was made of glass. Jungetsu's mouth moved, but as usual, Yuzu couldn't hear what she was saying, and no words formed on the surface to translate for her.

She forced herself to act, to use another Shinkyo so that Byakuya could join into the fight. The use of the technique made her breath catch, her heart pounding furiously. Was it just her imagination, or did this Shinkyo appear weaker than the others? The reality it revealed was fuzzier around the edges, and it didn't last as long.

She was tired, exhausted, and nearly tapped out.

And she was afraid.

Calm, she reminded herself, forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths. I have to be calm. I have to—

Kyoka Suigetsu swatted Ichigo to the ground with a powerful strike, appearing beside Yuzu again. Yuzu's eyes widened, and she jumped back, barely flash-stepping out of the way in time as Kyoka Suigetsu's blow crashed into the roof. She spun as Yuzu appeared a few feet away to her left, her sword pointed directly at Yuzu's face.

Jungetsu shouted something more frantically, pressing herself further against the surface of the pond.

Yuzu forced herself to stare at the other woman, forced herself to keep a grip on her fans as she got to her feet. "It—It won't work," she said, her heart pounding. "I can still see you. As long as I can see you, I can get away." She'd managed to close her eyes earlier, before Kyoka Suigetsu had used her shikai. She hadn't seen it.

She hadn't seen it. That should have been enough.

But Kyoka Suigetsu only stared at her, a knowing smirk spreading onto her face.

"I see…" she said. Yuzu froze as she began to fade from view, her outline blurring. In the back of her mind, Jungetsu's eyes widened with alarm, one of her fists slamming against the surface of the pond. Her mouth opened in a silent shout, rippling the surface of the water.

"Tell me, Kurosaki Yuzu," she said. "Since when were you under the impression that you were safe from me?"

The sword split the earth, liquid metal pouring into the crack and rushing at the enemy. The man jumped back at the last moment, raising his arms in defense. As the metal reached him, it erupted from the ground, forming into several spikes. That same golden barrier that had protected him from Masa's sword rose up around the man, deflecting the first spike that shot at him. It pierced through the barrier, shattering it, but the barrier had slowed the attack enough that the man could dodge.

He ducked and wove his way through the other spikes as they sprang up to try to catch him, moving with almost effortless ease. A single metal spike tore at the hem of his long coat as he moved out of the way, but he didn't seem to notice. He leaped off the last spike as it rose up from the ground in front of him, pushing off of it and flipping over in the air. The man landed nimbly on the ground, running towards Masaryu.

Masa's eyes narrowed, and he held out his hand, recalling Setsuyoku. The man leaped into the air, aiming a kick at his face, but Setsuyoku got there ahead of him. With a wave of his hand, a plate of metal formed in front of Masa, hovering in the air in front of him like a shield and blocking the kick. Masa grabbed at the shield with both hands, pulling it apart, and the metal shifted, forming Setsuyoku's bladed rings. He held one in each hand as he charged at the man, slashing and spinning.

The ferocity of Masa's attack drove the man back, but only for a moment. His hands moved, his forearms catching the flats of the rings as they moved to strike at him and deflecting them out of the way. Masa's eyes narrowed as he fought to keep up, slashing with one ring and then the other. The man deflected the attacks easily, barely seeming to break a sweat. He jumped back as Masa swung both rings at the same time, gaining a few feet of distance.

As Masa watched, his hand began to glow again, coming from that strange stone. Masa's eyes narrowed, and he gripped the rings tightly, his reiatsu flaring as he hurled them both at the man.

"Setsuyoku: Hakkinrin!" he called.

The wheels spun as they left his hand, picking up speed. One wheel came at the man from the left, the other from the right. The left-hand wheel moved in first, slamming downward at the man and kicking up a cloud of dust as it fell. The second moved in from the right, cutting through the cloud and disappearing as well. Hakkinrin was a synchronized attack—an initial strike to off-set an opponent, and a second strike to finish them off. There was no way an ordinary human could dodge it. It was impossible.

Masa's eyes widened as he felt a presence at his back, hearing the unmistakable sound of a flash step. A knee slammed into his back, followed by a burst of spiritual pressure that knocked the wind out of him. He let out a strangled shout as he was thrown forward, landing hard on the packed earth street.

Impossible…

A foot slammed into his chest before he could blink, sending him flying back against the wall of a building. Masa's eyes widened as he crashed, and he coughed up blood. Before he could recover, the man was in front of him, swinging his fist. His punch caught Masaryu in the cheek, his head turning to the side from the force of the blow as he was thrown back to earth.

In an instant, his opponent was on top of him, pinning him to the ground as Masaryu looked up at him with wide eyes, his vision blurring.

"Who…?" he managed to ask.

That golden light started up again, wreathing his opponent's right hand. The man stared down at him, his gold eyes hard. "You can call me Yuichi," he said.

That was the last thing Masa heard before the fist crashed down.

Darkness followed.

Yuzu stared as Kyoka Suigetsu began to fade from view, her outline disappearing as she was replaced by empty sky. An illusion? She glanced around, to her left and right, but she could detect no sight of her. Even her reiatsu seemed to have disappeared. In the back of her mind, Jungetsu grew more frantic, pounding at the surface of the water between them as if it was a physical barrier.

Maybe it was.

Something slammed into her from the side, and Yuzu cried out as the wind was suddenly knocked out of her. She was thrown to the ground, hitting the rooftop hard enough to crack some of the tiles. Jungetsu slammed both fists onto the barrier as she landed, a voice ringing in the air around her.

Laughter.

A foot struck her in the center of the chest, Yuzu's eyes widening as it hit. She let out a little grunt of pain, gasping for breath. She felt another blow hit her in the shoulder, and struggled to curl up into a ball, her arms covering her head as blows rained down on her.

"How does it feel?" Kyoka Suigetsu asked, her voice seeming to come from everywhere at once. "How does it feel seeing what a real illusion can do? Huh? Huh?! Do you like it, Yuzu-chan? Are you scared? Come out and fight me, if you can find me! Oh, wait, you can't. Sorry. Maybe you should just die!"

Jungetsu slammed both fists hard onto the barrier, a crack forming in the surface of the pond. The surface shone brightly for a moment, the zanpakuto spirit's mouth opening in a scream. A bubble escaped her mouth instead, rising to the surface. Yuzu felt a sudden wave of killing intent, and opened her eyes in time to see a sword crashing down on her, pointed towards her head—

—A black blade intercepted it, the sword rattling as its wielder tried to force it down. Yuzu's eyes widened as the illusion faded, and she saw her brother standing in front of her, Tensa Zangetsu locked with Kyoka Suigetsu's blade. Ichigo let out a shout of rage, charging forward and pushing Kyoka Suigetsu back. He swung Tensa Zangetsu in the air, punctuating his words with slashes as he rushed at her.

"I told you," he yelled. "Don't—touch—my—sister!"

The world began to blur at the edges again as Kyoka Suigetsu gained ground, the battle between Kyoka Suigetsu and Ichigo fading from view. Yuzu struggled into a crouched position, gasping for breath. A sharp pain in her side told her that something had probably been broken, but she couldn't even bring herself to think about that now. What she had to do was get away. The illusion—

"Kurosaki, are you injured?" asked a voice, a presence landing beside her.

She looked up to see Byakuya standing in front of her, his hand outstretched. Yuzu stared at him, eyes wide.

"Taicho?" she asked.

"As we are both under the influence of Kyoka Suigetsu's illusions, we should retreat," said Byakuya. "Any further fighting would only be dangerous to Kurosaki Ichigo and to ourselves." He held out his hand further, his eyes narrowing slightly when she did nothing. Yuzu sucked in a breath and nodded, reaching out for his hand. She took it, his fingers closing around hers—

—Jungetsu shook her head frantically, resuming her pounding on the other side of the pond. Yuzu's eyes widened, and she quickly flash-stepped back as "Byakuya" drew his sword, the blade cutting through the air where she had been standing. The movement brought fresh pain to her side and she gasped, nearly falling over as she grasped at it.

Cracks appeared on the surface of the pond, moving outwards like a spider web as Jungetsu continued her frantic pounding. She watched, staring from her place on the rooftop as "Byakuya" smirked, his lips parting in a savage grin that distorted his features and made him look nothing like "himself". Her breath caught in her throat, her fingers tightening around her fans as they nearly slipped from her fingers. The figure advanced, closing in on her with sword in hand, and she took a step back, stopping when she realized that she was at the edge of the roof.

This wasn't real. It couldn't be. But was there an actual threat behind it, or was Kyoka Suigetsu just playing with her? Wasn't the zanpakuto spirit busy fighting Ichigo? Or had that been an illusion too?

What was real anymore?

Shinkyo, she realized, glancing down at her fans. What was it that Jungetsu had said? A mirror turned outwards could also turn in? If she used Shinkyo on herself…

…Was such a thing even possible?

No!

The words wrote themselves onto the cracked surface of the pond, startling her. Before she could do anything, Jungetsu gave the surface one last push, shoving with all her might. It finally cracked, the surface of the pond shattering as Jungetsu surged out of it, accompanied by a sudden rush of water. The zanpakuto spirit opened her mouth.

Yuzu! she cried.

She heard Jungetsu's voice in her mind, actually heard it. Yuzu's eyes widened in shock at the sound, the zanpakuto spirit surging upwards into the open air of the inner world. She felt Jungetsu's presence settle over her, felt the spirit wrap itself around her, the image of her seeping into Yuzu's body so that for a moment, they were one and the same. She felt Jungetsu's touch on the backs of her hands, felt the zanpakuto spirit's eyes line up with her own.

The world shattered.

"Some no Mai, Tsukishiro!"

A pillar of ice rose up from the earth, nearly trapping Catalina as the Arrancar tried to rush at her. She used Sonido, barely managing to dodge it as it rose from the sky. Rukia flash-stepped, appearing in the air in front of her and holding up her sword.

"Tsugi no Mai," said Rukia without missing a beat. "Hakuren!"

A blast of ice tore through the air from where she was standing, slamming into Catalina's raised forearms as the Arrancar tried to protect herself. It was powerful enough to throw her back, slamming her into a building. A bullet tore through the air towards Rukia, and she quickly turned, moving her sword through the air and slicing through it before it could reach her. It exploded into a cloud of violet smoke, engulfing her. Rukia's eyes widened, and she looked around, trying to get her bearings.

A trap?

A flash of reiatsu tore through, and Rukia raised her sword, blocking Catalina's thrust just in time. The force behind the Arrancar's blow sent them both skidding through the air, bursting out of the cloud of smoke. Another bullet tore through the air near her, this one going just over her shoulder. It exploded, and her eyes widened again as she felt a sudden wave of heat.

Fire?

Rukia quickly ducked out of the way of the spreading fireball, dropping the reishi platform she had formed under her feet and falling towards the ground. As she fell, she stole a glance at Jin. The shooter stood on a rooftop opposite her, calmly loading another set of bullets into his rifle. She raised her sword as Catalina fell with her, blocking the Arrancar's strike.

"Not bad, Kuchiki Rukia!" said Catalina, grinning. "But it's going to take more than a little bit of cold to hurt me!"

"Who said I was done?" asked Rukia, her eyes narrowing. She held out her other hand as they fell, holding it against Sode no Shirayuki's flat. "Hado # 32: Okasen!"

Yellow light spread across the surface of the blade, covering it from tip to hilt. All at once, it rushed at Catalina, a wave of power that threw the Arrancar back. Rukia swept her sword through the now empty air, turning as Jin raised his gun at her. She held up her free hand, holding it at the shooter. "Bakudo # 30," she cried. "Shitotsu Sansen!"

A triangle of yellow energy formed around her palm, expanding as it propelled itself towards the shooter. The triangle struck him head on, slamming him against the wall and pinning him there. That would be enough to keep him out of the action for now, she decided. She didn't want to have to fight the human unless it was necessary.

Rukia landed on the ground, jumping back as Catalina came crashing through. She raised her sword, blocking the Arrancar's attack easily. Catalina's sword came down three more times, swiftly, and Rukia parried each of them, feeling herself getting driven back. She flash-stepped backwards into the air, Catalina surging upwards with her. Their swords clashed a few more times, coming together and springing apart. Catalina's blows rained down on her, seeming to increase in strength and speed, the blows hard enough to send shockwaves of impact traveling up her arm. She grit her teeth as one of Catalina's sword strikes came down hard enough to swat her sword out of the way.

"What's the matter?" asked Catalina mockingly, her sword coming within an inch of slicing through Rukia's shoulder. "Can't take the heat?"

Rukia's eyes narrowed as she ducked down, holding her sword horizontally in front of her. "Some no Mai, Tsukishiro!" she cried again.

Catalina's eyes widened as the pillar came back up, Rukia flash-stepping out of the way. It caught her in its center, stretching upwards to the heavens before exploding in a flurry of ice. Rukia landed on the ground, sweeping her sword out in front of her as she turned back to face the Arrancar. Tsukishiro would be enough to kill an ordinary opponent, but she knew from previous experiences that Arrancar were often far from ordinary.

Sure enough, Catalina came crashing through the mist, her eyes narrowed and her lips pulled back in a snarl of rage. A spot of blood had formed on her previously spotless Arrancar uniform, and she waved her sword in front of her, the blow enough to send Rukia flying back.

"You'll pay for that!" said Catalina, as Rukia crashed into a building. She opened her mouth, letting out a shout of rage as she fired a Cero at the shinigami. The red blast crashed into the building where Rukia had been, kicking up a cloud of dust that made it difficult to see. There was a pause.

Rukia appeared in the air behind Catalina, her sword in hand. The Arrancar's eyes widened as she felt Rukia's reiatsu, and she turned, her expression betraying her shock. Ahead of her, the dust cleared, revealing a single translucent barrier.

Bakudo # 81: Danku. A technique that could stop any kido spell up to level 89, if used correctly.

Rukia's eyes narrowed, and she raised her sword, stabbing the air in front of her four times. "Tsugi no Mai," she said again. "Hakuren!"

A blast of ice shot outwards from her, heading towards the Arrancar before she could blink. It shot towards its target, aimed at point-blank range. It couldn't miss—

—A figure darted into the air in front of Catalina, intercepting the attack. The newcomer threw back his head, grunting in pain as he took the brunt of the attack head on. Rukia's eyes widened as she took in the scene.

Jin?

Hakuren's power faded as the attack wore itself out. Smoke rose up from around them in the aftermath, the three of them hanging frozen in the air. Rukia watched as the shooter lifted his head slowly, his eyes fixed on her. The single movement pushed back his hair, and her eyes widened further when she saw what it hid.

A mask fragment, just above his eye, framing it.

"You're—," she began.

Catalina snarled, grabbing the man by the back of his shirt as he started to fall. He dangled in the air as she held him, but her eyes were no longer fixed on Rukia. They were fixed on some point in the distance, where Byakuya and Ichigo's reiatsu's intermingled. As Rukia watched, her frown deepened, the press of reiatsus filling the air around them.

"Something's wrong…" she muttered under her breath.

Before Rukia could do or say anything, she slung the unconscious man—unconscious Arrancar?—over her shoulder, disappearing as she took a Sonido step away.

She saw two versions of the world.

Yuzu blinked, trying to clear her eyes, but when she opened her eyes again, the images were still there. They were overlaid on top of each other, overlapping, like two old pictures developed onto the same plate. Out of her right eye, she saw the demented copy of Byakuya continuing to advance on her, his sword in hand. Out of her left, she saw that there was nothing truly there, and that Ichigo and Kyoka Suigetsu continued to tangle with each other, their blades clashing against each other. She could see them fighting, but she couldn't hear them, she realized. As if sight was the only sense she possessed in that world.

Her left eye…her left eye hurt. She winced, covering it with her hand, then instantly regretted it as the view of Ichigo and Kyoka Suigetsu vanished. Yuzu uncovered it, blinking away tears, and ignored the ghostly figure to her right, turning her eyes on the battle.

My eyes…

No. Mine. Jungetsu's voice sounded strained, as though doing this was taking a lot out of her, but her presence was still there, steady against Yuzu's back. Yuzu realized with a start that Jungetsu's voice sounded exactly like her own. This is…my eye.

Yuzu blinked, but the image remained, Kyoka Suigetsu continuing to fight Ichigo. As she watched, horrified, Kyoka Suigetsu turned, pushing Tensa Zangetsu away with one swipe of her sword and kicking Ichigo in the chest. The kick knocked him back, and she followed it up by holding out her hand, sending a blast of energy towards him. Her mouth moved, but no matter how hard she strained, Yuzu couldn't hear what she was saying.

Stay…down…Jungetsu muttered in her ear, speaking as though each word pained her. …and die quietly.

Jungetsu-chan…you can hear?

Jungetsu didn't respond, only nodded grimly. Yuzu wondered if speaking really was hurting her. She watched as Byakuya charged into the fray, Senbonzakura's petals spinning around him as they rushed at Kyoka Suigetsu. The woman blocked them easily, turning her attention towards the other captain. She didn't seem to realize that Yuzu was free of her illusion.

Not that there was anything she could do about it. She couldn't fight—after the beating she had taken earlier, she could barely move. It was all she could do to stand there and watch. It felt like a cruel joke, being able to see, and not being able to help.

I…am…sorry…said Jungetsu in her ear, the pain audible in her voice now. Yuzu sucked in a breath at the sound of it.

It's not your fault, Jungetsu-chan, she said hurriedly. It's mine. If I were stronger…

Strength…why strength?

Why strength? Yuzu's eyes widened at the question. It was an echo to one that Jungetsu had asked her long ago, the first question her zanpakuto spirit had asked her before she achieved shikai. For what do you desire strength?

To protect, Yuzu replied, watching as Byakuya and Kyoka Suigetsu tangled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the illusory Byakuya stab at her, but though the outline of the sword pierced her, she felt no pain. Jungetsu-chan, you know this already.

Do I? What…protect?

What do I want to protect? Yuzu repeated, thinking about the situation. She watched as Byakuya slashed at an afterimage of Kyoka Suigetsu, an illusion she saw with her right eye. With her left, she saw the real Kyoka Suigetsu appear behind Byakuya, and she let out a gasp as she slashed at him, cutting into his back while she was still unaware. She didn't realize that she had brought a hand up to her mouth, or that there were tears in her eyes as Byakuya quickly spun to slash at her, a bloody gash torn into his haori. Everything…she found herself saying.

Jungetsu considered this for a moment, and Yuzu heard her zanpakuto spirit's breath coming in ragged gasps, could see Jungetsu's eyes fixed solemnly on the fight above them.

…Not…ready…

Me?

She found it hard to focus on the conversation. Her eyes were fixed on Byakuya, her heart pounding as Kyoka Suigetsu slashed at him again, a line of blood opening up on his side. His eyes narrowed, and he surrounded himself with Senbonzakura's petals, the petals acting as a shield as they pushed outwards from him and forced her back.

…Yes…not yet…ready soon. Have to be…

She almost didn't hear. Her eyes were fixed on Byakuya, watching as Kyoka Suigetsu stabbed downward, coming at him from overhead. He blocked her—something must have tipped him off just in time—but he was too late to block her fully, and she stabbed down with an impressive amount of force, slamming him onto the wreckage of the building below them. Yuzu's eyes widened as he hit, sound returning suddenly in a rush as Kyoka Suigetsu lifted the illusion.

"This ends now!" she said. "Kuchiki Byakuya!"

"NO!" she heard herself shout as Kyoka Suigetsu fell from the sky, all of her weight behind the sword as she angled it at Byakuya. She didn't realize she was moving until she was, Jungetsu's fans in hand as she flash-stepped towards the scene.

Kyoka Suigetsu's sword crashed down, piercing straight through Byakuya's heart. The captain's head fell back from the force of the blow, his eyes widening in shock as the sword stabbed straight through him and into the wreckage below.

He shattered.

Blood fell onto the wreckage of the rooftop as the illusion faded away, Byakuya landing on the ground beside her where she had kicked him. Yuzu reached up with one hand, cutting her fingers as she tried to grab at the sword that had pierced her torso, pinning her to the ground. She grit her teeth against the pain, fighting for consciousness as she looked up at Kyoka Suigetsu.

"Kurosaki!" she heard Byakuya say, a note of alarm in his normally calm voice.

She didn't turn towards him. There was no time. Instead, she struggled through the pain, fighting to raise the fan in her free hand so that it was pointed straight at Kyoka Suigetsu's neck. She gripped the sword tighter with her other hand as Kyoka Suigetsu tried to withdraw.

"Getsuga…" she whispered, her voice sounding faint even to her own ears. "…Tenshou."

A burst of blue light shot outwards from the fan, slamming into Kyoka Suigetsu.

The world faded.

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Setsuyoku: Kousen (切翼: 鋼閃, cutting wings: steel flash), is the technique that corresponds to Setsuyoku's sword form. When using this technique, Masaryu slams his sword on the ground, the blow powerful enough to crack the earth. Liquid metal flows through the cracks, rushing towards his opponent. It springs up from the cracks, forming large spikes in the earth which, if not dodged or blocked, will trap and impale the target.

Setsuyoku: Hakkinrin (切翼: 白金輪, cutting wings: platinum wheels), is the technique that corresponds to Setsuyoku's bladed rings form. When using this technique, Masa throws both rings. The two rings attack in tandem, flanking the enemy and attacking them from both sides. One ring attacks ahead of the second one, so that if the enemy dodges the first ring, the second can change directions to trap them.

Kyoka Suigetsu's fake attacks not causing pain is something I kind of inferred, because if Aizen could cause fake pain with his illusions, why even bother with illusions at all? Why not just overwhelm his opponents with pain until they cave? I also theorize that while Aizen can control your five senses, he can't control your perception of where all your body parts are in space (that is, you won't suddenly believe that your head is where your feet should be or that your arm has gone flying and is across the room. That sort of visual/spatial trickery is more like Shinji's zanpakuto ^^).

Omake

Flashback, Seiretei Spring Cleaning

"Alright, Masa, on three," said Ichigo, sliding his hands under the wooden storage cabinet. From the other side of the cabinet, Masaryu nodded. "One. Two. Three."

At the count of three, both shinigami lifted, the cabinet coming a few inches off the ground. Ichigo strained from the weight of it, fighting to keep his hold on it as Hinamori quickly passed a broom beneath it. The two of them dropped it as soon as she was done, the cabinet falling to the ground with a thud. Both of them stepped back, breathing hard.

"What the hell's in here anyway?!" asked Ichigo, glaring at it.

"Um…I actually don't know," said Hinamori, frowning at it. "Aizen-tai—er—the previous captain placed it here about thirty years ago." Both Ichigo and Masa jumped back from the cabinet as if they'd been burned. Hinamori gave them a quick nervous smile. "I'm sure it's nothing, though."

"Oi, Hinamori…" said Ichigo, folding his arms as he watched her. "There's a serious problem here we're not addressing…"

Hinamori didn't respond, humming softly to herself as she continued sweeping the room. Ichigo exchanged a glance with Masa.

"Inspect it?" Masa asked, glancing at the cabinet.

"Please," said Ichigo, stepping outside.

In the courtyard outside, the shinigami of the Fifth scurried around like ants, cleaning every possible surface of the barracks. He caught sight of a pair of shinigami scrubbing at the wooden floors, another group replacing some of the tiles in the roof. It wasn't just the rank-and-file either. He'd done his fair share of cleaning since getting up this morning and—was it just his imagination, or was that Byakuya on the other side of the wall hanging up laundry?

The only people not doing cleaning today, it seemed, where the two shinigami walking past on the street outside, one of them carrying a jug of sake over his shoulder. Ichigo frowned, watching them.

"Ikkaku, Yumichika," he said as they passed. "Don't tell me Eleventh is done already?"

"Huh?" Ikkaku paused in his walk, turning towards Ichigo. The bald third seat grinned. "Nah. We left Karin in charge."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "Oi, you two!" he said. "Just because my sister's in your division, doesn't mean you can give her your jobs while you slack off!"

"What?" asked Ikkaku. "No, no. She enjoys it."

Ichigo blinked in genuine confusion.

Meanwhile, at the Eleventh Division

"IMAI!" shouted Karin, standing in the middle of the hallway with her wooden sword in hand as shinigami scurried around her. "If that dojo floor isn't fucking spotless when I come in there, I'm gonna clean it with your face, you hear me?!"

"Hai, Karin-san!" shouted a terrified shinigami from inside the dojo.

"TASHIMA!" shouted Karin, glancing upstairs. "What the hell is taking you so long?! It's soap, it's not poison! You'd know that if you bathed once in a while—!"

"Coming, Karin-san!" said a rough voice from upstairs, a tough-looking shinigami rushing down the steps with a pail of soapy water in hand.

"HIRAI!" shouted Karin, spinning around and rounding onto another shinigami—

Ichigo watched from outside the window as this was going on, droplets of sweat forming on the back of his head. He glanced back at Ikkaku and Yumichika, who were watching the scene with amusement.

"Joining Eleventh definitely didn't help her personality…" he said.