A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews of the last couple of chapters! Glad you liked them! There are still a couple more fights to go, and (if I can squeeze it in) some canon characters may return~

RainbowPonyofEdo, there will definitely be a Yuzu and Byakuya sequel. And it will be fluffy. Because Byakuya can be really sweet under all that ice, and because after this plot, they deserve fluff.

general zargon, the reason I'm not showing Ryushin's fight is because there's nothing to show. It was a complete curb-stomp. Zan'ennichi don't mess around!

Await The Rise, I usually just think of what I want a zanpakuto to mean, then find kanji that match it with readings that sound somewhat cool. Zan'ennichi came up because I wanted to connect it to Ichigo and Isshin's zanpakuto, so I took the first character from each of theirs and then just tacked on 'sun' instead of 'moon', and after writing it, I realized it was awesome and I loved it! (No, Yuzu hasn't achieved bankai yet, but I can tell you guys that it's going to be similar to Karin's, in that like Karin's, it's an area-of-effect bankai).

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

Chapter 40: The sound of bells

By the time the main body of the Gotei 13 arrived in Seireitei, most of the action was over, and they were only there to witness the clean-up. Reports along the way had been fragmented an incomplete, even to the captains. Apparently, there had been some sort of incident at the prisons, but it had been quickly dealt with. Prison security hadn't been breached, and as of right now, Seireitei was secure, albeit under an extended state of emergency with heightened security measures.

Ichigo stepped into Seireitei accompanied by a crowd consisting of Yuzu, Karin, Masa, Kohaku, Renji, and Toshiro. Behind them, the remnants of the Third, Fifth, Sixth, Tenth, and Thirteenth limped along, exhausted. Their Divisions had been some of the last to leave the battlefield, in part because the soutaicho had wanted the Fourth and the wounded to leave first, escorted by the Second, Eighth, and Eleventh, and in part because the soutaicho had held all their commanders over to be chewed out while the wounded and their guards made their way back to Soul Society.

He stopped once he had gotten past the gates, glancing from Masa to the long line of exhausted shinigami starting to arrive behind them. "Masa, go find Hinamori. The two of you get the Division settled. I'll be right back after I go find Rukia at the Fourth."

Masa nodded, turning to go. Yuzu turned as well, looking back at her own Division. "I should go too," she said. "I need to make sure everyone's okay."

"Likewise," said Toshiro, turning to leave. He paused to glance at Karin as she turned to follow him. "Aren't you heading back to your Division?"

"If you want me to," said Karin, shrugging. "They're probably partying it up right now. They don't need me."

"If you want to come, I won't stop you," said Toshiro. "We can talk after my Division is settled."

"See you around, then," said Ichigo, raising his hand in parting as he turned to start walking to the Fourth. The others nodded, raising their hands as well as they started to go their separate ways.

Ichigo had gone about two steps when someone flash-stepped in front of him, a ninja dressed in Ankoujin colors. He dropped to one knee, resting his fist on the ground. Karin, Yuzu, and Masaryu stopped as well as the guard appeared, each of them turning towards him.

"Masaryu-dono," said the guard, looking up at Masa. "Ichigo-sama, Karin-sama, Yuzu-sama. Your presence is requested at the Ankoujin Manor immediately. Ankoujin Ryushin-dono may be dying."

Ichigo's eyes widened. Behind him, Yuzu, Karin, and Masa turned, staring at the guard in shock and disbelief.

"Apparently, Kyoka Suigetsu found some way to bypass the walls," said Seishin, standing in the hallway outside of Ryushin's chambers. "They went straight for the prison."

"They were already here," Isshin added, looking up from where he was leaning against the wall, arms folded. "She found a way to hide them in abandoned places around Seireitei, probably using the traitor officers. Somehow, the old man figured it out." He paused, his dark eyes moving past Yuzu, Karin, and Masaryu and towards the room that Ryushin was lying in. When he started talking again, he spoke as if the three of them weren't there, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular. "Kukaku and I were outside the walls. We were so sure the attack would come from there. As soon as I felt his reiatsu, I came running, but by the time I got here, it was over."

"He won," said Seishin, a note of pride in his voice. "He defended the prison gate, all by himself. But the cost—."

"He's old," said Isshin. "Not what he used to be. Using that much power is hard on the body, and at that age…" He trailed off.

Yuzu lowered her eyes to the ground, her hands clasped in front of her. Beside her, Karin and Masa said nothing, their gazes lowered as well. None of them bothered to ask why Isshin was in here. Technically, they all knew it wasn't allowed, but neither Seishin nor Masaryu was heartless enough to deny it, and Sei had thoroughly shut down the first and last elder who tried.

Outside, bells were ringing. Their sound was muted from inside the Ankoujin Manor, but Yuzu could still hear them. They were mourning bells, she knew, one for each shinigami that had died in the attack. The sound of them, echoing through the halls at regular intervals, did nothing to lift the mood of the somber party that gathered outside of Ankoujin Ryushin's room.

"Why didn't he tell anyone?" asked Karin, her hands clenching into fists at her side. They shook slightly. "Someone could have helped him."

"Someone could have," said Isshin, "But I think the old man wanted to do this."

"Wanted—?" asked Karin, looking up. "Why?"

"Because he's still a warrior," said Seishin, looking up. "Because this is the sort of way he would have wanted to die. And because if I know my father, that battle was the sort of burden he wouldn't have placed on anyone else." He looked up at Karin, his eyes hard. "You should understand."

Karin said nothing, her scowl deepening as she looked away. Her hands clenched a little tighter.

The door to Ryushin's bedroom opened, causing all of them to look up. Ichigo stepped out of the room, his expression unreadable. He closed the door behind him, walking down the hallway towards them. "Yuzu, Karin," he said. "He wants to see you two now."

As Yuzu watched, he paused to put a reassuring hand on Masa's shoulder, nodding at their cousin before starting off down the hallway. She took a breath, clasping her hands tighter together as she nodded at Karin. The two of them walked towards the door, Yuzu just slightly ahead of her sister. Karin walked with her fists balled up at her sides, her expression as determined as if she were about to go back into battle. Yuzu took a deep breath, placing her hands on the door and sliding it open.

Ryushin's private chambers were large, but not as grand as one might expect them to be. Right now, the room was lit by the setting sun, orange light filtering over the spacious chamber. Ryushin lay in bed, propped up on pillows with his zanpakuto sheathed beside him. His face was drawn and pale, but his eyes were still sharp as he opened them and turned towards the door, moving his head slowly as if even that movement took up a lot of effort.

Beside her, Karin tensed, closing the door to the room behind them.

"Karin," said Ryushin, smiling at her. "I hear you've achieved bankai. I'm so proud of you."

Karin sucked in a breath, saying nothing. She lowered her eyes, not looking straight at Ryushin.

"You've grown up so much since coming here. You've become a great warrior," he said. "And you've made me very proud to be your grandfather."

"Heard…" Karin took in a shaky breath, forcing herself to look up at Ryushin. "Heard you took down two hundred Hollows by yourself," she said, giving him a shaky grin as she wiped at her eye with the back of her hand. "Compared to that, I didn't do anything."

"Is that what they're saying about me?" asked Ryushin, smiling. He closed his eyes, turning his head so he was looking back up at the ceiling. "I think it was closer to three."

"See?" asked Karin, stepping forward and walking past Yuzu. "You're not done yet, old man. You've still got some fight left in you."

Ryushin sighed, letting out a long exhale. "I'm old, Karin," he said. "My fight is over, and I'm ready. Sei is ready, and so is Masa. But they'll need help. Stand by them, Karin. I'm counting on you."

"You—." Karin lowered her eyes to the ground, then slowly raised them again. They were filled with tears. "You got it."

"I knew I could count on you," said Ryushin, smiling. He closed his eyes.

Karin sucked in a breath, raising one hand to her mouth. Yuzu glanced at her, noticing that her shoulders were shaking. Before she could say anything, Karin turned, walking past her and heading out the door.

She moved quickly enough that Yuzu almost didn't see the tear trickling down her cheek, quickly followed by another.

The door opened and closed, and then the two of them were alone.

She looked up as Ryushin opened his eyes again, smiling at her. Yuzu stepped forward as he gestured for her to, taking up a seat next to him. He held out his hand, and she took it, holding it in both of her own.

"I'm here, ojii-sama," she said, her voice catching.

"How was the battle?" he asked. "Ichigo told me you were brilliant."

"It went…" Yuzu took a breath. "It went well," she said. "But we weren't able to stop her. I wasn't strong enough…"

"You've never been able to accept your own strength, have you?" asked Ryushin, giving her a knowing smile.

Yuzu looked up. "Ojii-sama?" she asked.

"You always…undervalue yourself. You're worth more than you believe you are, and you're loved more than you believe you are." His hand closed around hers, his fingertips brushing the back of her palm. "You know…" he said, looking her in the eye. "My wife…your grandmother…she always wanted daughters. I think she would have loved to have a daughter like you."

Yuzu sucked in a breath. Wetness trickled down her cheek, and she realized that she was crying.

"You've had a hard time of it, haven't you?" he asked. "You've had to be strong time and time again. I'm going to ask a selfish thing of you. I'm going to ask you to be strong one more time. They'll need you to look after them, Yuzu. Do you think you can do that for me?"

"Yes," said Yuzu, her lip quivering as she fought off a sob. "Yes, ojii-sama. Of course."

"I am sorry that I couldn't do more for you…" he said, leaning back. "But I hope that what I have done is enough."

Yuzu blinked, watching Ryushin. "…What do you mean?" she asked.

"It's not important now," said Ryushin. He squeezed her hand once, his grip loosening as he kept his eyes on her. "Never forget who you are, Yuzu."

"I won't, ojii-sama," said Yuzu, squeezing his hand. "I promise."

"Good," said Ryushin, smiling. "I can rest easy knowing that." He released her hand, and she pulled her hands back, lowering them to her lap as he looked back up at the ceiling. "I don't want to keep you from your duties. Please tell Masa to come in. There's a lot I need to say to him."

"…Hai, ojii-sama," said Yuzu, bowing her head. She rose slowly, giving Ryushin one last look as she started for the door.

The Fourth was crowded after the battle, most of the available rooms booked to capacity as healers scurried back and forth through the hallways, heading into each room and checking on patients. At least the bells had stopped, though. Ichigo had tried to count them at first, but had given up after fifty. All in all, they'd gotten off comparatively light in losses, but they hadn't walked away from that battle unscathed.

He sat in a small room deep in the Fourth Division, holding Rukia's hand in both of his. She was still unconscious, her body burning with fever from Catalina's poison. Unohana-taicho had come in for a minute to say that she wasn't in any danger, and that she was only being kept for observation just in case there were any complications. She was supposed to wake up soon.

He squeezed her hand tighter as Rukia's face scrunched up and she muttered something under her breath, tossing her head back and forth. According to Unohana, the poison was primarily psychoactive. Nightmares, most likely. He didn't know what she was dreaming of, but given everything they had been through together, he could imagine. Sometimes, she muttered his name, and he reacted by absentmindedly holding her hand tighter, or reaching out and brushing her sweat-soaked hair from her face. Other times, she called for her brother, or Renji.

When she spent five minutes calling for Kaien, he tried not to take it personally.

His lips brushed against the back of her hand when her body tensed suddenly before going limp, her fingers tightening around his so hard that it was almost painful before she let go and eased back into something almost like sleep. He listened to the soft rise and fall of her breathing, his mind still going back to his conversation with Ryushin. It hadn't been a very long talk. The man had only one request of him.

Protect them.

He exhaled, staring down at Rukia. He wanted to. He wanted to protect all of them. But there was only one of him, and lately, he felt like he was always being pulled in different directions. Yuzu and Karin, his Division, Masa and the old man, Rukia…

Rukia…

She looked so small, lying there in a pile of blankets with her hand in his. He stared at her, his mind going back to everything that had ever happened between them, from the moment she first burst into his bedroom window twenty years ago. The moment that everything in his life changed.

He inhaled, closing his eyes and trying not to think about what would have happened if Renji had been just a little late, if Rukia hadn't unleashed her bankai in time, if she'd let it go too quickly. Rukia always seemed to be balancing on the edge of a knife—even her own bankai was always a breath away from killing her. She'd been hurt like this in almost every major battle they'd been in, and yet, she was still strong. No one could deny that. She'd taken down an Espada by herself, and then gone on to join the battle shortly after being healed. It should have frustrated him, that she was so strong and so fragile at the same time, but those contradictions—resilience and fragility, coldness and kindness, roughness and refinement—they all added up to her.

She was who she was, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He just wished that sometimes he could prevent things like this from happening. That he could have been there, to protect her.

She's fine, he told himself, feeling the steady pulse of her reiatsu with his eyes closed. It brushed against his skin, soothing the rough edges of his own reiatsu, and that in itself was a contradiction because dammit, he was supposed to be comforting her. He felt the barest touch of a second reiatsu against his and exhaled slowly, taking note of it. They're both fine.

Ichigo's eyes snapped open, and he nearly dropped her hand. He stared down at Rukia in disbelief.

…Both?

"You wanted to see me, ojii-sama?" asked Masa, walking into Ryushin's room.

The old man lying in the bed didn't look like his grandfather. In all the years that Masa could remember, his grandfather had been strong, a presence that held the Ankoujin Clan together even in its darkest moment. But when Ryushin opened his eyes and turned to face him, Masa saw that on the inside, the man was still the same strong, proud leader that he had always been.

"I am sorry, Masaryu," said Ryushin, holding out his hand. "I always seem to saddle you with more responsibility."

"I don't blame you for anything, ojii-sama," said Masa, his voice strained as he reached for his grandfather's hand. He took a seat beside the bed. "You've done…everything you could do. It's only fair that I do what I can."

"You've done a lot," said Ryushin, looking into Masa's eyes. "I need you to listen to me, Masaryu. In all of your tasks, you've performed admirably. This family will follow you."

Masa fell silent, holding onto Ryushin's hand. In his mind, he went back to his time at the Academy, his struggle to prove himself above his cousins. He was over that now, in some ways, but in others…

"You don't believe me," said Ryushin, catching the look in his eye.

"I'm still young," said Masa. "I'm still inexperienced. I've made a lot of mistakes." Kohaku's face flashed into his mind and he glanced away, his grip tightening on Ryushin's hand. That memory still stung.

"You'll make many more mistakes," said Ryushin, tugging on Masa's hand and making the young noble look back at him. "You'll make many more mistakes, you'll make decisions you regret. You'll fall, time and again. That's just a part of living. But you have what it takes to rise above your mistakes. In this life, that's what's truly important. If that's the only thing I could leave you with, it would be enough."

"Ojii-sama…" said Masa.

"Your father will need help," said Ryushin. "Sei is ready to lead, but he can't do this alone. I need you to be there for him, as he was there for me. Someday, you'll be in his position, and you'll understand. Duty is a burden, but it is a burden we willingly bear because no one else can. Do you understand me, Masa?"

Masa's grip tightened briefly. "Hai…ojii-sama."

"Good," said Ryushin. He exhaled, closing his eyes. "Lead them, Masaryu."

Masa nodded, his breath catching in his throat. "I will," he said.

Ryushin's hand tightened around his briefly, and then it went limp. Masa sat there for a long while, unmoving, still holding his grandfather's hand.

Some of the color had returned to Byakuya's face in Yuzu's absence, but he was still asleep, a sheen of sweat clinging to his skin. Yuzu reached out with a damp towel, dabbing at Byakuya's face before replacing the cloth on his forehead. He was running a fever, but his reiatsu was stronger now, as if he was determined to come back fighting. She'd sent away the guards, now that the Division was back, sending them back to the manor where they were needed. Her mind was still fixed on Ryushin, on the things her grandfather had said to her, and on everything that had happened in the past day. She was exhausted from the battle, and she could feel that exhaustion in her bones as she sat beside Byakuya's bed, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep even if she tried. Too much was happening, too much had happened, and there was too much that was still to come.

Kyoka Suigetsu had gotten away. No matter how much Yuzu wanted to believe the battle was over, the truth was that it was still beginning.

We can't defeat her, can we, Jungetsu-chan? Yuzu asked, her mind going back to that last battle. She saw Jungetsu in her mind's eye, the spirit having gone back to her place on the other side of the pond's surface.

Not as we are now, Jungetsu agreed.

Yuzu exhaled, setting the cloth down in a bowl of water beside the bed. She watched Byakuya for a moment, her hands on her lap.

Is it time for drastic measures? she asked the spirit.

Yes, said Jungetsu. I believe so.

Yuzu nodded, her eyes hardening in determination as her hands clenched into fists on her lap.

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake

"Oi, Kisuke," said Yoruichi, walking through the training room beneath the Urahara Shop, with her arms folded. "The soutaicho sent another message. Something about the results of your research."

"Tell him I'm hard at work," said Urahara with a smile, leaning back against the rock behind him. "and that I should have something in a few days."

"Hard at work," Yoruichi repeated, looking over at him. "Kisuke, you've done nothing but sit here since the soutaicho asked for your help in the first place."

"Or have I, Yoruichi-san?" asked Urahara, smirking at her from beneath his hat as he took a sip from the cup in his hand. He was seated on a cloth spread out on the floor, his back against the rock as he looked out over the empty training area in front of him.

Yoruichi sighed. "You're impossible, Kisuke," she said. She dropped down onto the ground beside him so that she was sitting cross-legged, facing him. "So?" she asked. "What are you waiting for?"

"Oh, I have a feeling I'm going to become relevant real soon~," said Urahara.

"What does that even mean?"

"Real soon, Yoruichi-san~" Urahara repeated.