A/N: Last chapter of fighting for this arc! There's a couple more things that need to happen before we move into the fourth (and final) arc of this story. ^^

It hit me after writing this that Rukia can reach absolute zero in her shikai. She doesn't need bankai to do it—bankai just finishes the job. So, whoops, that went out the window. But this still does what I intended, so I'll leave it at that and show off Rukia's bankai!

I have a theory about canon!Yuzu and her inability to see ghosts. I'll explain it more in later chapters, but there's a hint to it in this one. ^^

Ward Point, I never actually stated Rukia getting her bankai, but I had always intended for her to have one—Kubo just gave me a canon one instead of me having to make one up for myself. I figured, it's been twenty years since the original series. If she was that close to bankai at the time of the original series (albeit a bankai that came about because of a lot of external pressure), she would probably have figured it out on her own in twenty years' time (especially since the series states it usually takes about ten years of training to get bankai).

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

Chapter 39: Dragons rising

Ankoujin Ryushin stared down at the piece of paper on the desk in front of him, the last traces of ink already drying. Outside his study, the world was still. In other parts of Seireitei, shinigami patrolled constantly, yelling orders and reports to each other as they manned the walls and listened for news from the front. In the inner parts of Seireitei, where the nobles lived, the world was silent, as if the battle had simply decided to pass them by. Ryushin knew better. He'd been alive for centuries, and centuries had taught him that the noble circle had not been spared this attack.

On the contrary, they were the eye of the storm.

He settled back on his heels as he finished writing, his eyes on the seal that he had affixed to the bottom of the page. His joints creaked as he sat back, a reminder of his impressive age. He was old, he reminded himself. It had seemed like such an impossibility in the days of his youth, the centuries of his prime that seemed to have stretched on forever. But he was old now, and the world had moved on without him. The past few years had made it abundantly clear that this wasn't his world anymore. It was a world that belonged to the young.

To Isshin and Seishin, and those even younger than them. To Ichigo and Masaryu, Yuzu and Karin.

He wasn't like the soutaicho, to simply go on existing. Like most of the old in Soul Society, at some point the memories simply caught up, the thought of those who had gone before becoming too much to bear. He would follow them soon, he knew, could feel it in his bones. Ginrei had been the last of their generation, and he'd simply let go after doing what no parent should have to do—bury his only son.

The memory of Kuchiki Sojun and Kuchiki Ginrei's funerals, scantly a year apart, turned his thoughts melancholy again, and Ryushin put the thought out of his mind, his eyes moving back over the letter. This wasn't a time to dwell on the past. It was a time to think of the young.

He opened his eyes as he felt Seishin's reiatsu arrive, exhaling as the door to his study opened. Ryushin placed both hands on the paper and smoothly rolled it into a scroll, securing it with a metal clasp shaped like a dragon eating itself. There was no point in drawing attention to it now. Seishin would find it when the time came. Ryushin's hand moved from his lap to the zanpakuto on the ground at his side, feeling it crackle as he touched it. In the back of his mind, he saw his zanpakuto spirit, his partner for all of these years, raise his head, like a dragon awakening from a long sleep. He ran his thumb over the guard with the ease of long familiarity, turning his attention to his son.

"Otou-sama," said Seishin from the door, politely bowing his head. "The latest report from the front has come. The battle is still ongoing. The Gotei 13 appear to be winning. Karin has returned and Masaryu is still alive. He sent the report himself, claiming that he, Iwase Kohaku, Karin, and Hitsugaya-taicho managed to defeat an Arrancar. According to him, Karin has achieved bankai."

"Has she?" asked Ryushin, smiling. "I had no doubt she would succeed."

The spirit in the back of his mind snorted, coiling back onto itself and going back to sleep.

You're proud of all of your get, Ryushin thought towards it. Don't deny it.

A tendril of smoke rose up from the spirit's snout as it snorted again, burying its head deeper within its coils.

"He hasn't heard about Ichigo or Yuzu," said Seishin. "Or about Rukia-dono. However, the report he sent was good. From the sound of it, it appears they think they may actually be back tonight."

"Tonight," Ryushin repeated, still smiling. "Is that what they say?"

Seishin opened his mouth to respond, then paused, his eyes narrowing as he turned towards his father. "What aren't you telling me?" he asked.

"Many things," said Ryushin, pulling himself up to his feet, with some slight difficulty. He pulled the sword up with him, sliding it into his obi. He walked past Seishin, heading for the door. "For that, I hope you will forgive me."

"Where are you going?" asked Seishin as Ryushin passed him, heading down the deserted hallway. "Most of Seireitei is sealed off right now."

"There are some graves that I would like to visit," said Ryushin. "Old friends of mine. After that, there is something I would like to make sure of. If I'm wrong about this, so much the better."

"And if you're right?" asked Seishin.

"If I'm right…" said Ryushin, pausing for a moment in his walk. "…then I apologize for what I must do."

Seishin said nothing more, but Ryushin felt his eyes on him until he had turned the final corner, stepping out of the manor.

The world broke apart as Kyoka Suigetsu advanced, splitting into two versions of the same scene. Out of her right eye, the one affected by the illusion, Yuzu saw Kyoka Suigetsu turn towards her left, a look of concentration on her face as she flash-stepped and held her sword out in front of her to strike at Yuzu from the right. Out of her left eye, the one connected to Jungetsu, Yuzu saw the world as it really was—saw Kyoka Suigetsu moving towards her right, stabbing her sword at Yuzu's torso from the left. The second image was accompanied by nothing but silence, all the sound in the world seeming concentrated on her right side. It had the odd effect of making the illusion seem like reality, and making reality seem like a dream.

She managed to bring her fan up just in time, her eyes narrowing as Kyoka Suigetsu swiped at her side. The zanpakuto spirit's blade caught the side of her fan, the shock of impact spreading up her arm and threatening to throw her off. She was ready for that strength this time, and managed to hold her ground, sliding out on a reishi platform behind her as the zanpakuto spirit pushed, the lock breaking as the two of them slid apart.

Kyoka Suigetsu swiped her sword out in front of herself as Yuzu sprang back, looking her over with an expression of mild curiosity. "Hmm?" she asked. "So you've figured out a way around my illusion?"

Yuzu didn't respond, keeping her fan out in front of her. Maintaining her hold on Jungetsu took all of her concentration, but she knew if she let it slip, this battle was done. In the back of her mind, her zanpakuto spirit wavered but held fast, the two of them seeming to blend into each other, their presences intertwined and braided tightly together so that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

The fact that her illusion was broken didn't seem to faze Kyoka Suigetsu at all. If anything, she looked mildly amused, one hand on her sword. Her smile was indulgent, as if she was speaking to a child who had just started learning how to read. "Impressive," she said. "But tell me, why all the effort? You can't honestly believe that anything you do here will make that person love you."

"I'm not here to be loved," said Yuzu. "I'm here to stop you."

"So, it's revenge then?" asked Kyoka Suigetsu. She smiled, as if delighted by the idea. "For…shattering your feeble perception of this world?"

"No," said Yuzu. "It's to stop you from taking any more lives."

"Oh, don't give me that drivel," said Kyoka Suigetsu, flash-stepping forward. Yuzu's eyes widened, and she took a step back, raising her fans to block the strike. Kyoka Suigetsu looked at her from over their crossed blades, her blue eyes shining. "You hate me," she said. "Admit it to yourself. From anyone else, I might believe that childish talk—the idea that a person might be fighting purely for what's right. But we know the truth, don't we, Yuzu-chan? We understand…"

She paused, jumping back as Yuzu swiped outwards with her fans and flipping over in the air to avoid the blow. Her feet landed lightly on a platform of reishi, and she continued on as if she hadn't been interrupted, a cat-like smirk on her face. "We understand, as illusionists, that right and wrong only depends on your perception of the world."

Yuzu flash-stepped forward, closing the gap between them suddenly. Her reiatsu crackled around her as she swung her fans at the zanpakuto spirit, her right-hand fan catching the spirit's sword as her left-hand one snapped closed, stabbing below their crossed blades at Kyoka Suigetsu's middle. Kyoka Suigetsu stepped back and to the side, the blow missing her by inches.

"Don't compare me to you!" said Yuzu, flash-stepping again to close the gap. She swung her fan at Kyoka Suigetsu's head. The spirit batted it aside with her sword as if it were nothing but a minor annoyance, the smirk remaining firmly plastered on her face.

"Lie to yourself all you want, dearest, but anyone can see the truth." She reached out, grabbing Yuzu's fan by the blade as she slashed again and stopping the slash in its tracks. Yuzu stared at her, eyes wide. "You and I are both mirrors. The only difference between us is a name."

Her grip tightened on the fan, the silk crumpling beneath her fingertips. With her other hand, she swung her sword, pulling the blade through Yuzu's shoulder. At the last moment, Yuzu activated Shinkyo, dropping away from Kyoka Suigetsu. As the spirit's blade sliced through the illusion, one of Jungetsu's fans still in her hand, Yuzu swung upwards with the sash, passing just under Kyoka Suigetsu and appearing behind her. She stabbed out with her left-hand fan, aiming at the base of the woman's neck. In the instant before the attack struck, Kyoka Suigetsu grinned, releasing Yuzu's fan and whirling around. She blocked the attack with her sword, and Yuzu had to twist herself out of the way to avoid the follow-up blow. Kyoka Suigetsu slashed at her again, and it was all she could do to block. The zanpakuto spirit slashed a third time in quick succession and Yuzu slid back, letting out a grunt of effort as she tried to keep her fan between herself and the spirit's blade.

"It's such a lonely life, isn't it?" asked Kyoka Suigetsu as she attacked, raining down blows one after another. "All anyone ever knows of you is the illusion. Nobody knows who you really are, nobody sees anything behind what you show them. Everyone loves you, but they love a reflection. You've gotten so good at lying that even you don't know what the truth is anymore. You just keep showing people what they want to see, because deep down, you're afraid of showing people who you really are. A broken—," She swung her sword hard, the blow knocking aside Yuzu's block and leaving her open. "—shattered—," Kyoka Suigetsu held her sword in both hands, pointing the blade at Yuzu. "—soul!"

She thrust the blade at Yuzu, swinging down hard with both hands. Yuzu raised her fan to block it, but the blow was powerful enough to send her tumbling through the air, crying out as she went flying. The blow shattered the steel tines on the side of that fan, the reiatsu blades at the end of it fizzling and sputtering out. She hit the reishi platform she formed beneath her hard enough to bounce, gritting her teeth as the wind was knocked out of her and flipping over in the air as she tried to arrest her momentum.

"It's a shame that you'll never fully understand the truth," said Kyoka Suigetsu as she skidded to a stop. She raised her sword, getting ready to stab downwards. "Die in your loneliness, Kurosaki Yuzu!"

"Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!"

A black blade appeared in the air between Yuzu and Kyoka Suigetsu, blocking the zanpakuto spirit's sword. Kurosaki Ichigo stood between Yuzu and Kyoka Suigetsu, the cloak of his bankai outfit flaring out behind him as he held the black sword between the two of them. Kyoka Suigetsu's eyes narrowed as they fixed on Ichigo as behind him, Yuzu got slowly to her feet.

"Ichi-nii…" she said, her eyes wide.

Ichigo glanced at Yuzu for a moment, before turning his attention to Kyoka Suigetsu. His eyes narrowed, and he swung Tensa Zangetsu in an arc.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" he said, a wave of black energy appearing in the air. It caught Kyoka Suigetsu's sword as she blocked it, engulfing her.

"Rukia!" shouted Renji as Rukia's reiatsu flared. A blinding white light rose up around her, the temperature of the air plummeting. Renji skidded to a stop, throwing his arm up in front of his face as a pillar of frozen air extended outwards from her, spreading from the ground up to the sky and completely engulfing the Arrancar she was facing. An icy wind caught him in the chest, pushing him back, and he had to flip over in the air to keep his balance, skidding back on a platform of reishi and turning to stare at her. Even from here, the wind was cold, a shiver running through him in spite of himself.

"Rukia!" he called again.

She couldn't hear him. He doubted, like this, that she could hear anyone. She stood in the center of the pillar of ice, her entire appearance changed. Her hair had gone completely white, and she was dressed in an ornate white kimono, a half-crown of ice spreading around the back of her head as if in mockery of Catalina's mask circlet. The Arrancar too was frozen in the air opposite her, her eyes wide and her arms spread to either side of her. Her wings were frozen in the ice, the light shining through them making the whole scene look like a stained glass window.

Then the ice began to thaw and she simply shattered, crumbling to dust as if she had been part of the ice itself. He saw the shocked expression on her face for an instant, saw one wing twitch feebly—a trick of the light?—as she faded away. The rest of the ice pillar crumbled, shards of ice falling to the ground and disintegrating, until there was nothing there but Rukia standing in her white kimono, her hands on her sword as she held it out in front of her.

He realized he was holding his breath. Renji had seen a lot of bankais during his time in Soul Society, the whole Winter War and everything that had followed seeming to force every shinigami who could to reach their full potential, but while every bankai he had seen was impressive, Rukia's was the only one that consistently took his breath away.

A crack on the side of her face, just under her cheek, brought his attention back to reality, and he quickly flash-stepped forward, appearing in the air in front of her. It was still cold, the air biting at his skin, but it was nothing like the all-consuming cold of earlier.

"Rukia!" he said, to catch her attention. "Hey! Look at me!"

Her eyes moved towards him, the only part of her that moved. As they did, another crack appeared on the back of her hand and Renji inwardly cursed.

"Slowly," he told her, his eyes fixed on hers. "Let it go slowly."

She stared at him for a moment, and then the panicked look in her eye disappeared, replaced by something more calm as the air temperature around her slowly lifted. He watched as color started to seep its way back into her skin and hair, the ice crown and the flower over her robes fading away and her shihakusho coming back up to replace the kimono. Movement returned as she thawed, her chest starting to rise and fall with her breathing as the warmth spread from her center to her limbs, chasing the cold out behind it. When the last trace of ice left her fingertips, Rukia exhaled, closing her eyes.

Then she went limp, beginning to fall backwards in the air.

Renji's eyes widened, and he quickly flash-stepped, grabbing onto her wrist and pulling her up into his arms so that he was carrying her. She was warm, he realized, entirely too warm for someone who had just used that kind of technique. Her face was drawn and pale, her breathing labored, and she closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as if she was in pain.

"Rukia!" said Renji in alarm, landing on the ground. "Oi! Rukia!"

"—Fine," she managed to gasp out, one hand reaching out and grabbing hold of his haori. "Poison—non-lethal. Fine."

Her grip tightened as she closed her eyes, laying her head back in the crook of his arm. Renji didn't hesitate. He glanced once at the battlefield ahead of him before flash-stepping back through the lines, heading towards Unohana's medical tent near the district.

Ichigo watched as the dust cleared, revealing Kyoka Suigetsu still falling through the air, many feet away from them. He lowered Tensa Zangetsu to his side, his eyes narrowed as he looked back at his sister. "What were you thinking?" he demanded, scowling at her. "You can't just run off like that! I thought you said you weren't the one who did reckless things."

"It wasn't reckless," said Yuzu, straightening up and working on catching her breath. She glanced down at the fan in her hand, rendered useless by the broken tines. As Ichigo watched, she exhaled, snapping it shut sadly and looping the sash around her arm to keep it in place. Oddly enough, she rubbed at her left eye as though it hurt her. "I planned to do that."

"Planned?!" asked Ichigo, his scowl deepening at her answer. "Why?"

Yuzu said nothing in response, simply shaking her head. As Ichigo watched, the blades on her other fan lengthened, the reiatsu that should have gone to the broken fan getting redirected in that direction instead. "She's coming back," was all she said, looking off at the horizon. "Get ready, Ichi-nii."

"Tch," said Ichigo, holding his sword in his hand and looking back at Kyoka Suigetsu as she ran in the air, shooting towards them. "This conversation isn't over," he warned.

Yuzu nodded, snapping her fan shut and grasping it by the sash. As Ichigo flash-stepped forward, his blade moving almost too fast to see as he swung it at Kyoka Suigetsu in a rapid flurry of cuts, she flash-stepped to the side, spinning the fan by the sash a few times to gain momentum before letting it fly. It shot towards Kyoka Suigetsu, its edge glowing, and the zanpakuto spirit had to turn to knock it out of the air with her sword, that in turn giving Ichigo the opening he needed to slide Tensa Zangetsu past her defenses and strike home. The blade caught Kyoka Suigetsu in her shoulder, tearing the fabric of her ornate kimono and sending droplets of blood falling to the ground. He jumped back as Kyoka Suigetsu swung her sword at him in retaliation, flash-stepping out of the way as the spirit's sword cut through the air. Ichigo saw it cut through an afterimage of himself, and his eyes widened, glancing at Yuzu who had already leaped into the air above Kyoka Suigetsu's head, one hand extended towards the zanpakuto spirit as the other gestured to the air around her.

"Rope of stars, rope of heaven, blinding light and rising dawn…" Yellow light appeared in her left hand, blue light shining in her right. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings…"

A twofold incantation, Ichigo realized, feeling the air start to crackle around her.

"Bind mine enemies, those who would stand…ye who bears the name of Man!" He watched as impossibly, the afterimage of himself seemed to move, appearing in the air behind Kyoka Suigetsu as the first image faded away. She turned, blocking an attack that wasn't really there.

"…against justice! Rise up! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus!"

The image of Ichigo faded, appearing this time to the right of Kyoka Suigetsu. The illusions themselves only lasted a few seconds, but they were moving so fast that the separate illusions appeared to be flash-stepping, exactly the sort of thing, Ichigo realized, that he himself might do.

She's chaining Shinkyo…he realized, watching as another illusion appeared on Kyoka Suigetsu's other side. While assembling two kido spells.

He stared as the reiatsu built up around her, impressed. He'd known, and that was still true today, that out of the three of them, Yuzu lagged behind in terms of raw power. But he hadn't realized until now how far she'd lapped them in sheer control.

"Bring unto the world the shining light of dawn! In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens!" She raised her left hand, the one bearing the gold light, and pointed it at Kyoka Suigetsu as the other hand followed it.

"Bakudo # 63: Sajo Sabaku! Hado # 73: Soren Sokatsui!"

Gold light shot out from her palm, a cord of light wrapping tightly around Kyoka Suigetsu. From her other hand, twin blasts of blue fire shot forth, both of them striking the spirit before she could react. As Ichigo watched, Kyoka Suigetsu crashed to the ground, the force behind the attacks enough to slam her into the ground and form a crater in the earth around her. Dust sprang up, hiding the zanpakuto spirit from view as the air went deathly still.

Yuzu exhaled in the aftermath of the attack and then pitched forward, her body going limp as she closed her eyes in exhaustion.

Ichigo quickly flash-stepped forward and caught her, slipping an arm around her waist and holding her to him as they stood together in the air. She was breathing hard, but was still conscious, Jungetsu's fans slung over her arms and secured by the sash. He turned towards her, concerned.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," said Yuzu, taking deep breaths. "Just tired. I just—"

She stopped suddenly, interrupted by the sound of laughter. Ichigo's eyes narrowed, and he glanced down, holding up Tensa Zangetsu as the dust cleared. Kyoka Suigetsu rose up out of the cracked earth, Sajo Sabaku's coils fading around her. She got to her feet, smoke rising from her skin where Soren Sokatsui had hit. As Ichigo watched, his sword at the ready, she stared up at them, her blue eyes defiant. And then, she threw back her head and laughed.

At his side, Yuzu tensed, her eyes fixed on Kyoka Suigetsu.

"Oh," said the zanpakuto spirit. "Oh, that was good. You shinigami never cease to amaze me, how far you'll fight for a useless cause."

"Useless?" asked Ichigo, his eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"What I said," said Kyoka Suigetsu, grinning at him. "Did you really believe this was my plan? To engage you all outside of Rukongai. There's nothing here for me."

Ichigo's eyes widened as realization struck and he glanced north, towards Seireitei.

"Exactly," said Kyoka Suigetsu, grinning. She raised her hand, and the air rippled around her, forming a distortion that seemed to suck in the light around it. It wasn't like a Garganta, which opened into nothingness, or like a Senkaimon, which opened into the caverns of the Dangai. This was a curtain of pure light, the colors shifting behind it like sunlight through stained glass.

"Well, it's been fun," said Kyoka Suigetsu, stepping towards it. "We simply must do this again sometime."

She stepped towards it, the light shimmering around her like an iridescent curtain. Ichigo's eyes widened, and he flash-stepped towards her. "No, wait—," he said.

But it was too late. By the time he got there, she was gone.

When Ankoujin Ryushin felt the reiatsu ripple in the air around him, forming a half-circle around the innermost portions of Seireitei, the ground outside the prisons, he knew that his time had come. The noble lord stepped forward, moving out of the shadow of the gates and turning to face them. He had had a feeling this would happen, but like many things he had had a feeling for in the past few years, he had hoped to be wrong. He knew that Seireitei would be focused on repealing a threat from the gates, that they wouldn't even think of a threat that could slip past the gates and strike right at their heart.

He knew, because he had been there once, had stood at the head of hundreds and forced himself to think like a soldier. But now, centuries removed from that post, he could see with eyes unclouded, could see what those who had never lost could not.

Not that he truly thought Kyoka Suigetsu did what she did out of love. He had no idea what Kyoka Suigetsu's true motives were, nor did he believe that she knew herself. There were few hearts more troubled than those who had loved and were betrayed.

Still, as he stepped out of the shadows of the building, facing the army that slowly assembled, facing the group of Hollows that were led by a dark-haired youth of an Arrancar wielding a gun and a brown-haired, gold-eyed man who also looked like he had seen too much of the world, he found himself calm, and ready. It was, he realized, looking up at the sky, a beautiful sunny spring day.

He thought of his wife, thought of his parents, thought of all the ones he had loved and lost, and the ones he had loved who he had seen do the same. He thought of his sons, of the one he had lost, and mused as he studied the advancing army that love in all of its forms, pure and impure, appeared to be the driving force in everything that happened in the world. He thought of his grandchildren, all fighting, of the great-grandchildren he might never see. He thought of the future.

It was funny how many things became clear when one was old. The intersection of love and duty, once an abstract thing, now seemed the most important thing in the world.

May these children understand…he thought, thinking of his granddaughter, and thinking too of Ginrei's grandson, the grandson of a man he had at one point in time loved like a brother.

He exhaled, holding those thoughts in his mind. Then, his hand landed on his sword as he raised his eyes. The army surged towards him, moving as one towards the elderly man that appeared to be the only thing standing between them and the gates of the prison. He reached into the back of his mind, at the creature that slept there, and placed his hand on the dragon's head, signaling his old friend to awaken once more.

"Cover the world," said Ryushin, drawing the sword partway from its sheath. "Zan'ennichi."

The dragon raised his head, steam pouring from his nostrils as he drew the sword out the whole way. The reiatsu around him coalesced, glowing brightly. It shot outward from him, heading towards the attackers, and the world exploded.

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Zan'ennichi (斬剡日, slaying, scathing sun) is Ankoujin Ryushin's zanpakuto. Its release command is "cover the world". While it shares some elements in common with Fire-type zanpakuto, just like Engetsu and Zangetsu, it's more of a physical type with the ability to manipulate raw energy (Getsuga Tenshous and more). Because it is the zanpakuto of a retired captain and the head of one of the Four Great Houses, its released form is said to be incredibly powerful, although dangerous to the user.

I'm not actually going to show the battle, but I will show the aftermath. Letting you know, because I don't want to disappoint anyone who might be getting excited to see that.

Omake

"Let me see if I can get this straight," said Yamamoto, frowning at the group of captains and one vice-captain assembled in a half-circle around him for debriefing. His eyes narrowed, falling on Yuzu and Ichigo who were standing directly in front of him, Yuzu leaning against her brother for support. All around them, people scrambled to inquire about the situation in Seireitei, preparing to pack up and head home as quickly as possible.

"Kurosaki-taicho, Kurosaki-fukutaicho, the two of you abandoned your posts to engage Kyoka Suigetsu behind enemy lines."

The siblings exchanged glances, then turned to look in opposite directions, not facing Yamamoto.

"Um—yes, sir," Yuzu muttered, keeping her eyes on the ground as Ichigo scratched the back of his neck with his free hand, his own eyes turned skyward.

"Hitsugaya-taicho," said Yamamoto, looking to the left. "You abandoned your post to engage an Arrancar on the opposite side of the battlefield."

"Erm—I guess. If you want to say that," said Toshiro, nervously tugging at his shihakusho.

Yamamoto's eyes moved away from Hitsugaya, to the empty space at the edge of the group. "Kuchiki-fukutaicho, who is currently resting, did the same thing," he said. His eyes lifted suddenly, landing on Renji. "And where were you?"

Renji immediately tensed, his back going ramrod straight. "Hai, soutaicho!" he said. "I was bringing Rukia to the Fourth, soutaicho! Sir!"

"Did any of you actually stay with the Divisions you were supposed to be commanding?!" asked Yamamoto, his gaze sweeping over all of them as his grip tightened on his cane.

There was a very long pause in which Kenpachi and Kyoraku raised their hands, exchanging glances as if they were embarrassed to be saying anything at all, and everyone else looked more or less ashamed of themselves.

A vein pulsed in Yamamoto's forehead, and he slammed his cane into the ground.

"YOU IDIOTS!" he yelled.