A/N: Sorry for the lateness. Been on vacation with family and haven't had much time to write. Trials update soon. The arc officially ends after next chapter, so I may try to get to the end before working on it, but we'll see.

Antonia625, thanks for the review! Glad you liked it! Actually, the Academy was 6 years long, and 4 years passed between Bleach and the start of the story (Karin and Yuzu died at 15). So 4 years + 6 years + another 10 years = 20 years.

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

Chapter 41: The love we bear

Ankoujin Ryushin's funeral was held on a gray day, the day after his death. Dignitaries, representatives from the other Four Great Noble Houses, and more people that Karin did not know gathered in the Ankoujin Manor dressed in black to pay tribute to the fallen lord. After the funeral, when most of the others had left, the Ankoujin Clan, the Kurosaki siblings, and select dignitaries moved to a smaller hall, to watch Ankoujin Seishin formally become the 25th head of the Ankoujin Clan.

She didn't remember much of that second event, except that Sei had looked older than she had ever seen him as he rose to face the elders, the heavy steel symbol of office around his neck. Toshiro had been beside her, his presence mostly ignored by the others as a matter of course, and Karin just remembered holding onto his hand, reminding herself that he was there. After Seishin's ceremony was done, and the group of mourners left the Ankoujin Manor, she was still holding onto his hand.

She was dressed in a black kimono with a black obi, her dark hair pinned up and held in place by a pair of silver hair sticks. The sticks had dragons on one end, and had been a gift from Ryushin once upon a time, so she had worn them today. Beside her, Toshiro wore black as well, using the Tenth Division's daffodil for the crest on the front of his formal kimono. He was silent as the two of them pulled away from the stream of mourners, letting Karin lead the way as she strode purposefully towards the Eleventh Division. It was only when they had left the last stragglers behind them that he turned towards her, his hand tightening around hers briefly.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." Karin hesitated, then came to a stop, turning to face him. "I'll be okay," she said. "It…it is what it is."

Ryushin had been alive for centuries. She'd always expected to outlive him, always known that this would happen someday. She just hadn't expected it to happen today. And it surprised her, how much it actually affected her. Out of the three of them, Yuzu had been closest to Ryushin. But he was still family, and it hurt having him gone. She could admit that to herself now.

And there were other things she could admit as well. She met Toshiro's eyes, taking in a slow breath.

"Listen, Toshiro…" she began. "Thanks for coming here with me."

"It's nothing," said Toshiro, watching her. "I wouldn't let you go alone."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to," said Karin. She took another breath, using the time to compose her thoughts. "You've…always been there for me. And I've done a pretty poor job of returning the favor."

Toshiro shook his head, tugging at Karin's hand. She stepped closer to him, the two of them standing together under an awning. "You've been there for me," he said, lowering his voice so that only she could hear it. "When Matsumoto got hurt, you were there for me."

"Yeah," said Karin, "But it's not the same. Look, I've been a mess lately, and I admit that. I'm not…the best with my feelings. You know that."

Toshiro's expression softened, his grip on her hand relaxing. His eyes, bright green, fixed on hers. "I know."

"I don't want you to think I don't care, because I do," said Karin. She took a breath. Three words. It didn't seem like it should be so hard to say, and at the last moment, she realized that it wasn't. It was as if all of her fear had gone towards admitting this to herself, and now that she had admitted it, telling him was only a logical second step. "I love you, Toshiro," she said. "I was afraid to admit it, because I don't love that many people, and losing them hurts me. But I'm not…" She looked into his eyes and the truth of what she was saying hit her like a ton of bricks. "I'm not afraid anymore."

"I'm not…" Karin paused. When had he gotten so close to her? Was he moving towards her, or was she moving towards him? His hand tightened around hers, surprisingly warm, and before she knew it, she was drawn towards him, their clasped hands between them as her eyes slowly started to close. "...afraid…"

She murmured the word against his lips, not caring at that moment where they were as she drew herself towards him. He tilted his head down slightly, closing the distance between them. His lips pressed against hers, and he lingered there for a moment, just long enough for Karin to become absorbed in the heat and the warmth and the nearness of him.

He pulled back, his mouth brushing against her ear as he leaned towards it. His reply was expected, given the circumstances, but hearing the words whispered still sent a thrill up her spine, her hand tightening around his.

"I love you too…"

He kissed her again, his eyes meeting hers as they pulled back. Without a word, they both flash-stepped, their hands still linked to each other as they moved towards the Tenth.

There are so many things I need to say here, but all I find myself doing is trying to think of the exact moment that I fell in love with you.

The sun shone in through the open window, illuminating the Sixth Division's captain's quarters. Yuzu sat on her heels in front of Byakuya's writing desk, a piece of paper laid out on the desk in front of her and a pen in her hand. She was still dressed in her black funeral kimono, the hair pins that she had used to pin back her hair lying on the desk beside her. Behind her, Byakuya still slept, his fever having gone down and his breathing easier now. He would wake very soon, which told her she couldn't delay this any longer.

It's easier to say when I started admiring you, she wrote, setting her pen against the paper again. Looking back, it was probably when you started helping me with hakuda. The fact that you believed in me, that you were willing to train me…I didn't know it at the time, but that was all I needed. So, yes, I admired you for that. But the exact moment when my feelings became something deeper? That's more difficult.

Do you remember my hakuda exam against Aoyagi? I think it was then. When I looked up after winning and saw you in the stands, saw you watching me, I felt like I was on top of the world. I knew then that all I wanted to do was be by your side. But when you asked me during my interview which was more important, compassion or duty, I couldn't lie. I had to tell the truth. And then, unbelievably, you took me into your Division anyway. You even gave me a challenge, to prove to you the rightness of my words.

It took me a long time, because I didn't understand my words then. I was just answering what felt right to me. But I think I understand now. My duty isn't to simply do as I'm told, even if it goes against what I believe in. That duty is empty. My duty is to do what's right, to do what my heart tells me is right. And because I understand that, I also understand that I can't stay by your side anymore. You should know this.

We all have to do our duty.

These ten years with you have been amazing, and I'm so grateful that you gave me this opportunity. If I had my wish, I would stay by your side always. But I can't. I love you, and it's because I love you that I have to go.

I wish you every happiness.

Yuzu

She exhaled as she wrote the last line, slowly setting the pen down. Yuzu rubbed at her eyes, looking over the letter. She picked it up with both hands, carefully folding it and getting to her feet. Slowly, she made her way over to Byakuya's bed.

He was still asleep, his eyes closed almost peacefully as his chest rose and fell with his breathing. She set the letter down beside him, holding it in place with her vice-captain badge, the straps neatly folded and tied against itself. Her eyes lingered over the badge for a moment, the symbol of office she had worn for only a few months. The kanji for '6' and the camellia flower seemed to look back her, as if challenging her to see this through. Her eyes moved slowly away from the badge, coming to rest back on the captain.

She felt a small smile come onto her face as she studied him, her mind going back to everything that had happened to bring her to this moment. She remembered that first terrible night, the night that she and Karin had been killed, the first night that she had met him. She thought back to those first two months living in the Kuchiki Manor, to the Academy and to lessons in hakuda, meeting Masa and Kohaku, and learning the truth about her family. Meeting and manifesting Jungetsu, joining the Sixth. Seeing her brother finally marry a woman that Yuzu had always considered a sister. Getting promoted to vice-captain. Tokyo. Inuzuri.

It had been a whirlwind sixteen years, and she regretted none of it. Except maybe that she couldn't stay.

If she had her way, she would have stayed at his side.

Her heart ached at the thought, her throat tightening as she stared down at Byakuya. One of her hands covered his, her thumb brushing against his knuckles as her other hand reached out, tenderly smoothing his hair away from his face. Her fingertips barely brushed the side of his face, her breath catching in her throat. For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine it, a future where everything was different.

Where she, not Azami, was standing with him.

His breathing changed, his hand suddenly tightening around hers. Yuzu's heart jumped into her throat, her eyes wide as Byakuya's opened, the captain's gray eyes bleary and unfocused as they landed on her. She wanted to pull her hand away from his face, but found that she couldn't move. All she could do was stand there and feel the heat slowly rising to her face as his eyes slowly landed on her.

"Hi…sana…?" he mumbled, looking past her.

Her heart sank like a stone. Yuzu gave him a sad smile, her hand tightening around his as her other flattened against his cheek, her fingertips brushing his hair. "Yes," she said, nodding. "Go back to sleep."

Byakuya stared at her, confused, before closing his eyes and exhaling deeply. Yuzu waited until his breathing had evened out and his hand had gone limp around hers before removing her hands slowly, getting to her feet.

She gave him one last look before heading out the door.

Ichigo stood in front of the prisons, his eyes on the space where Ryushin had made his last stand. The day after the battle, the damage was still there, the earth scorched and overturned in the aftermath of Ryushin's attack. The damage spread outward from a single point in front of the gates where the man had been standing, five deep furrows spreading outwards from that spot like the spokes of a wheel. From there, the damage spread out in spirals, the stone tiles of the courtyard looking like they had been turned to clay in the hands of an insane potter. The very ground appeared to have been broken and reformed. In some areas, it rippled like water, in others it was trapped in the form of a crashing wave. The scale of the battle was immense, and looking at it now, Ichigo could see how Ryushin had won against so many. He could also see how the battle had been too much for the old man to bear.

Well, you showed them, old man, Ichigo thought, making his way past a pair of distorted arches formed from the stones and making his way slowly towards the prison gates. You still had some fight in you…

He had come here straight from the funeral, not knowing what else to do, and needing to see this for himself. He knew that he was needed back at his Division, but his mind was still spinning with the events of the past few days, and he needed some time to clear his head.

After the funeral, they had all gone their separate ways. Karin had headed off with Toshiro, and Yuzu had slipped back to the Sixth Division. Isshin had vanished. He had been a silent presence in the back of the room during the funeral, and Ichigo had seen him there in the smaller ceremony, where his uncle had taken his grandfather's place, but after that, it was as if he had never even been there. There had been some speculation towards the end about Isshin and where he had gone, but Ichigo knew. He'd seen the look on his father's face as he slipped out of the room after Sei's ceremony. He would have bet anything that Isshin was in Karakura Town now, standing in front of Masaki's grave, and contemplating the two smaller headstones that had been placed there for the twins, on either side of their mother.

Thinking about his sisters' graves, even though living in Soul Society meant that they weren't truly dead, bothered him, so he pushed that thought aside. Isshin would deal with his grief the way he always did, and Ichigo knew better than to interfere with that. He had enough on his plate.

Rukia was pregnant. No matter how many times he thought it, the truth of that statement, and the enormity of it, hadn't quite set in. He was going to be a father. Ichigo shook his head. It didn't quite feel real.

He raised his eyes, studying the marks left by the battle in front of him. I'll protect them, he thought, his eyes hardening and his hands clenching into fists. No matter what it takes. I'll protect all of them.

"Ichigo."

Ichigo wasn't even surprised that she had followed him out here. He drew in a breath, straightening up, then glanced back at her. Rukia stood a few feet away from him, her hands clasped in front of her. She was dressed in a flowing black formal kimono, having just come back from the funeral as well. Since she had gone as Byakuya's representative, she wore the Kuchiki Clan's signature kenseikan in her hair, four of the pieces, arranged vertically around the back of her head so that they resembled the ice crown she wore in her bankai. He'd never seen her wear them before, even though he knew that she had them. She kept them in a locked wooden chest carved with the Kuchiki crest, wrapped in silk and tucked away with all of the other things she had received as gifts from her brother.

"I thought you were heading back home to change," he said, his eyes fixed on her.

"I changed my mind," she said, walking towards him.

He watched her, trying not to make his concern too obvious. As Unohana predicted, Rukia woke up within a few hours of their return to Seireitei, and after sleeping through the night, had made a full recovery. The child seemed healthy as well, at least as far as Unohana could see. Considering what happened to Rukia's body when she used her bankai, that in itself was a minor miracle. He resisted the urge to reach for her arm, knowing that she wouldn't appreciate it, and kept his hands at his sides as she reached him, coming to stand in front of him.

Her eyes met his, and he saw that she was just as lost in all of this as he was, and just as confused. Her hand went up, tugging at her hair, as if she was uncomfortable with the ornaments she wore in it. Her violet eyes, wide and expressive, held his gaze for a moment before she looked away.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I should be asking you that," said Rukia. "It wasn't my grandfather's funeral."

"You've been through a lot too," Ichigo pointed out.

Rukia's response was to frown, her arms moving across herself to wrap around her abdomen. Her eyes darkened, and she looked down at the ground before looking back up at him. "I didn't know…" she said. "I wouldn't have used my bankai if I had known. I—"

"Rukia." Ichigo placed a hand on her shoulder, cutting her off. He gave her a small, reassuring smile as she looked up at him, her eyes wide. "It's okay. No harm done."

"You don't know that, Ichigo," said Rukia, staring up at him with wide eyes. "I could have hurt the child. I could have—."

"But you didn't," said Ichigo. "You heard Unohana-san. He's strong. He made it out just fine."

"He?" Rukia smiled, her hand covering his on his shoulder. "What makes you so sure it's a he?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I just have a feeling," he said.

Rukia shook her head, still smiling. "She is strong and stubborn," she said, stepping forward and jabbing her finger at Ichigo's chest. "Which means she probably takes after you."

"Oh, really?" asked Ichigo. "You're the stubborn one. She probably takes after you."

"I'll accept that," said Rukia, a teasing smirk on her face. "If by that you're saying that I'm the strong one too."

"Yeah, Rukia, you're strong," said Ichigo, glancing at her. Her smile faded at the serious expression on his face. "All this time, everything that's happened, you've been strong. Heck, you're probably stronger than I am. If it wasn't for you…I probably would have fallen apart ages ago."

Rukia's eyes widened at his words. "Ichigo…" she began.

"So if he or she takes after you, they'll be alright," Ichigo finished.

Rukia stared at him as he finished speaking, not saying anything for a few long moments. The hand on top of his shook, the barest tremble before she reached forward suddenly, wrapping her arms around him. Ichigo's eyes widened slightly at her sudden movement, and his hands went up around her automatically.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"You're an idiot, Ichigo," she muttered into his chest. "You're lucky I love you."

Ichigo's held her tighter, lightly kissing the top of her head.

I am…he thought, his eyes serious as he rested his chin on top of her head.

Believe me, I am.

He didn't say it, but he didn't need to. That was the beauty of his and Rukia's relationship. She understood anyway.

"We'll be alright…" she said after a while, her eyes closed as she muttered the words into chest. "Won't we?"

"Yeah…" He felt the crackle of Rukia's reiatsu against his skin, felt the small push of the child's reiatsu as well, so obvious now that he knew what he was looking for, and realized again how much he wanted to protect them. How much he would protect them, no matter what happened next. He wouldn't let anything hurt them. Not Kyoka Suigetsu, not Aizen, not anything.

His family.

"Yeah," he said, closing his eyes. "We'll be just fine."

Ankoujin Masaryu stared up at the gray skies from one of the windows of the Ankoujin Manor and wondered whether or not it would rain.

The last of the mourners had finally left, leaving the family alone. Seishin had excused himself, saying that he needed to put his father's affairs in order. His mother, Ankoujin Reiko, had vanished into their wing of the manor with the account books, presumably to make sense of Ryushin's last requests. Handling accounts was traditionally a task left to the Lady of the House, but Ankoujin Reiko had been the Lady of the Ankoujin Clan in all but name since his grandmother's death decades ago. Both his parents had left him here, presumably to think, but Masa was under the impression that there wasn't much more he could think about. He'd been excused from all of his duties at the Fifth until things in the Ankoujin Clan were more settled, but the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to head back to the Division. At least there, things made sense. His grandfather's final charge to him had been to assist his father, though, so he stayed, roaming the halls as he tried to find something that he could do.

He shut the window and pulled away from it, starting off down the hall towards his own chambers. His father would call for him if he was needed, and his mother seemed to have the household staff well in hand. He could train, or maybe sort through the letters of condolences that seemed to be pouring in from every corner of Soul Society.

The thought was still in his mind when he felt a familiar presence behind him and drew up short, his eyes widening slightly at the sound of soft footsteps against the Manor's wooden floors.

"…Hey…" said Kohaku from behind him.

"Kohaku…" he said, turning back to face her. A part of him wondered whether he should revert back to a more formal term of address, but he found that he couldn't. Not after everything that had happened. She was dressed in her shihakusho, and glanced down at the ground, looking strangely shy as she clasped her hands in front of her.

"I came to…see if you were okay," she said. "I know it's hard…You were really close to your grandfather, weren't you?"

"Ojii-sama…taught me everything I know," Masa found himself saying. "I was the only child of the Ankoujin House for over a century."

Kohaku said nothing, worrying at her lower lip with her teeth as if she was grasping for words. Her hands gripped each other tighter, and for a moment, he wondered if she would run again. He realized with a start that he didn't want that. Not today. He wanted her to stay here, in whatever capacity she could manage.

"Do you want something to eat?" he blurted out, not knowing what else to say. "I can have something brought to us. We can talk in my sitting room."

"I…" Kohaku looked up, taking a deep breath. "I'd like that."

Masa nodded, inclining his head down the hall. His heart sped up at her answer, and he could feel the heat starting to creep its way up his neck and into his face as he turned awy from her.

"It's right this way," he said.

Yuzu took a breath, feeling the stone underneath her feet as she arrived at her destination. She gripped her zanpakuto tightly in her left hand, walking forward beneath the artificial blue sky. The pair of reiatsus she was seeking pulsed and crackled in the distance, as if calling her. She had no doubt that they already knew why she was here.

She came to a stop in front of them, her expression determined. Yuzu took a deep breath, fixing her eyes on them. In the back of her mind, she replayed her conversation with Jungetsu, wondering whether or not she had interpreted anything wrong. She didn't think so. Her zanpakuto spirit had been unusually forthright for once, telling her exactly what she needed to do.

Her job was to figure out how to do it.

She exhaled, feeling their eyes on her as she lowered her head, leaning forward into a bow.

"Urahara-san," she said. "I need your help to achieve bankai."

"Oho?" Urahara Kisuke looked up in interest from where he was lounging on the ground of his training room, a paper fan covering his mouth. Beside him, Yoruichi shot him a look, her arms folded where she was leaning against a stone.

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake

Ichigo sat with Renji on the veranda outside the Third Division office, watching as the shinigami of the Third started to train. Renji watched them carefully, his eyes narrowed as he looked up and down the ranks of his officers.

"I'm telling you, Ichigo," he said, folding his arms. "This whole betrayal thing is getting old. It's just annoying."

"Didn't the Third get betrayed twice before?" asked Ichigo, glancing at his friend.

"What?" asked Renji. "Oh yeah." He looked up at the ceiling, frowning in thought. "Once with Ichimaru, a second time with that other guy—Amagai or whatever his name was."

"Huh," said Ichigo. "Well, good thing you're not planning on betraying them. I don't think Kira could take it."

"Yeah," said Renji, his frown deepening as he considered it. "I have no idea what Kira would do."

Chop!

Ichigo and Renji's eyes widened, and they glanced to the right as a sword flashed into view, cutting down. Kira sheathed it as he finished his cut, picking the two halves of a pineapple up off the ground. He was still bandaged from the attack, but the bandages peeking out from under his shihakusho only seemed to intensify the effect as he shuffled closer to them, holding the two pineapple-halves out in front of him with his blond hair hanging over his face and his mouth curved in a smile that was just a touch unhinged. The two captains leaned back as Kira neared, approaching Renji.

Renji paled, then flash-stepped, appearing behind Ichigo and grabbing onto Ichigo's shoulder with both his hands. Ichigo's eyes widened, and he flailed backwards, trying to put some distance between himself and Kira.

"Ichigo, I'm scared!"

"Don't hide behind me! You brought this on yourself!"

The two of them fell back, tumbling off the veranda in a confusion of flailing limbs as Kira continued to approach, holding the pineapple halves out.