A/N: Double meanings! Watch out for double meanings. What double meanings, you might say? I don't know…but watch out for them! (I'm not done revealing secrets yet, guys ^^).

Urahara: I'm racking up tons of favors though!

Me: *shoves Urahara away* No! No! We are not doing that thing where the author and characters chat in script format in the author's notes. Back! Back in the box with you!

There's a new omake series based on this AU up called Tales of the Gotei 13. Because sometimes I have too many omake ideas and they're either too long (anything over 1K words is one-shot territory) or don't fit in with the story right now or there simply isn't any space for them. So they go in there. Please check it out if you enjoy the omakes.

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

Chapter 45: Garden of steel

Kusanagi's hideout was completely destroyed, an entire section of the large building having caved in on itself. Standing in the center of the courtyard in the rapidly darkening twilight, Rukia could still feel the lingering traces of reiatsu from both the attackers and defenders, hovering in the air and pressing against her skin. Around her, Ishida, Orihime, their son, and the members of the Urahara shop worked, looking for survivors in the rubble. They had already found an unconscious Yamamura Masao, and he was laid out on the ground in front of the courtyard, Orihime's Soten Kisshun covering him and healing his injuries. To her left, Yoruichi and Ishida were at work, digging Shimoda Juro and Yokota Kasumi out of the rubble.

She continued to sweep through the space, searching for other reiatsus. There were still four members of Kusanagi unaccounted for, and she refused to believe that they had just disappeared. They had to be here, somewhere.

"Kuchiki-fukutaicho!"

A voice from behind her made her look up, glancing back sharply at an opening Senkaimon. Iwase Kohaku and Ankoujin Masaryu stepped out of it, running towards her. Rukia's eyes widened as she saw them. In all the excitement, she had almost forgotten about the alarms ringing back in Soul Society.

"Iwase," she said. "Masaryu."

"There was a disturbance in Seireitei a while ago," Masa said, coming to a stop in front of her. "Some sort of reiatsu anomaly. It was traced to this place. Abarai-taicho and Hinamori-fukutaicho sent us here to investigate."

Kohaku's eyes widened, and she looked past Rukia at the scene in front of her, illuminated by kido orbs that hung in the air. "Whoa…" she said. "What happened here?"

"We don't know," said Rukia, looking back at the wreckage. "Kusanagi was attacked while our attention was elsewhere. We are still looking for survivors."

"It was…the New Dawn…" said Kasumi, making them all look up. She was starting to sit up from where she had been lying with Shimoda, pressing a hand to her head. "They came…and…attacked us. Shi…Shimoda-san…he protected us with a barrier, but he…he…" Her eyes filled with tears, and she quickly looked away, holding up a hand to her mouth.

Rukia's expression softened, and she turned towards the girl.

"It's alright," she said. "Shimoda-san is still alive. Orihime will heal him, and we'll find the others. You're safe now."

Kasumi shook her head, not looking up at Rukia. "They…" she said, in between gasping sobs. "He…Hisoka-chan…"

Before Rukia could ask her what she meant, there was a sudden pulse of power coming from the ruined hall, a weak brush of reiatsu. Masaryu turned towards it, his hand dropping to his sword. "Rukia-dono," he said.

"Mm," said Rukia, turning towards it. "Someone's there."

A fallen slab of wood shuddered, as if someone was pushing against it from below. As one, Masa and Kohaku flash-stepped, appearing beside it. They reached out, grabbing the slab and pulling it away. Rukia flash-stepped as well, joining them.

Yasui Tetsuya lay in the dirt, one arm lying flat on the ground beside him, and the other wrapped around an unconscious Kouda Mari. Blood stained his clothes, bruises covering his skin. He drew in a shaky breath, wincing as though that much caused him pain. A few feet away, Fujiwara Mizuki lay face down on the ground, in the center of several metal beams that all seemed to have moved around her. Rukia's eyes widened, and she slid down the rubble, moving quickly to his side.

"Yasui!" she said.

"Hi…soka…" Yasui gasped out, tightening his grip on Mari. "They took…Hisoka…"

Masa flash-stepped to Yasui's other side, joining her. Above them, Kohaku cupped her hand over her mouth, shouting to the others.

"Hey, can we get some help here?" she asked, before flash-stepping over to the unconscious Fujiwara.

There was another flash, and then Ishida was there, helping Kohaku lift Fujiwara. Tessai pulled Mari from Yasui's arms, slinging him over his shoulder as Yasui let go reluctantly. With Masa's help, Rukia was able to carefully maneuver Yasui out of the wreckage, laying him out flat on the ground so that Orihime could work on him. She came towards them, her brow furrowing in concern as Yasui hissed in pain, one arm wrapped tightly around his stomach. Orange light filled the air above Yasui, her Soten Kisshun going to work.

Urahara frowned in thought, resting his paper fan against the side of his face as he watched Yasui. "Yasui Hisoka has quite a lot of spiritual power," he said. "More than any ordinary human should have. She's an interesting anomaly."

"Enough spiritual power to cause a disturbance in Soul Society?" asked Masa, glancing back at the shopkeeper.

Kohaku's eyes widened, and she turned to Masaryu. "You don't think—?" she began.

"Yes," said Urahara, smiling as he rested his cane on the ground. "Uncontrolled, I'd say it would be enough."

"They went to Soul Society?" asked Ushu, his eyes wide. "But only dead people go there!"

"Be quiet, Ushu," said Ishida, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. He glanced at Urahara. "Is there any way to know for sure, Urahara-san?"

"Hmm..." Urahara frowned, cupping his chin. "It's hard to say. We could test and see if a Senkaimon opened here, but since Iwase-san and Ankoujin-san just arrived, the test wouldn't mean much."

"I saw them…"

All eyes turned to Yasui, who was struggling to sit up inside of Orihime's shield, his eyes barely open and his teeth clenched. "A Senkai…mon…" he managed to say. "I saw them…"

"What would they want with a child?" Rukia asked, staring down at Yasui.

"I'd wager it isn't Hisoka-chan herself they're interested in, but rather the power she carries," said Urahara. "Whatever the New Dawn has planned for her, it probably isn't pleasant."

"We'll go," said Masa, looking back at Urahara. "Kohaku and I. We'll return to Soul Society and investigate this."

"I'll go as well," said Rukia, resting a hand on her sword.

"I'd like to accompany you, Kuchiki-san," said Ishida, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I don't like this."

Orihime nodded, drawing herself up to her full height and looking down at Yasui. She looked troubled. "I'll go too," she said.

"Of course," said Rukia, nodding at the two of them. "I'd be honored to work with the both of you again."

"I'm…going too…" Yasui gasped out, sitting up further. He rested his arm on his knee, catching his breath.

"Yasui…" said Rukia, looking back at him.

"Hisoka…" said Yasui. "I need…to find Hisoka. Don't stop me."

For a moment, Rukia was tempted to do just that, but the look on Yasui's face stopped her. She clamped her mouth shut, frowning as her grip tightened around Sode no Shirayuki's sheath. She recognized that look on his face. Nothing she said would dissuade him, and since it was his sister that was missing, it wasn't her place to stop him from coming along. Instead, she glanced at Urahara.

"I can open a Senkaimon for you," said the shopkeeper, smiling. "But, of course, it won't be free."

"Whatever you want," said Yasui, his breathing already coming easier as his wounds faded away. He looked up at Urahara, the light of Orihime's shield reflected in his bright blue eyes. "I'll do anything."

"You might want to be careful about saying that to Urahara-san," Ishida pointed out, glancing at Yasui. "He takes it literally."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ishida-san," said Urahara, smiling. "I'm just a simple shopkeeper."

"Just open the gate," said Ishida.

Urahara smirked, turning his back to them. "Come to the shop when you're ready," he said, placing a hand on his head to hold his hat in place. He tucked his cane under his arm. "The gate will be ready for you then." He flash-stepped, disappearing from sight.

The landscape stretched on in front of her, miles and miles of shifting glass. The sky above her head was tinged a pale pink and purple, cracks spreading across its surface and making it look like a broken stained glass window. Light shone from nowhere in particular, reflecting against the glittering rocks and sands of the landscape and refracting waves of shimmering, iridescent light. Everything around her seemed surreal, like she was moving through a dream, a dream were colors shifted and wove together and light shattered. She didn't know how long she had been walking, only that Jungetsu's bankai had deposited her here, and she had been walking since then, drawn on by the pulse of reiatsu she felt in the distance, the feeling of her opponent calling to her.

Because Kyoka Suigetsu knew she was here. Yuzu had been certain of it when she first set foot on these shifting sands, and the more she walked, the more certain she was. She was especially certain of it when she encountered no resistance on her way towards that pulse of power, like the zanpakuto spirit was inviting her in.

Come here, that reiatsu seemed to say to her. Come find me. You're fighting on my territory now. There is nothing you can do.

Yuzu took a breath as she felt herself stumble, pulling her sword from her obi and taking shelter behind one of the iridescent, glass-like rocks that littered the landscape. She pressed her back to the rock and sank down onto the sand, tucking her sword into the crook of her arm and taking a moment to catch her breath. She could feel Jungetsu's pensive silence wrapping around her, the zanpakuto spirit having gone quiet ever since their entry into the Shattered World. A quick glance at her inner world saw that Jungetsu was standing at the edge of her pond, staring into the distance.

She was still dressed in her bankai outfit, one hand on the sword tucked into her obi as if she was preparing for war.

What is it, Jungetsu-chan?, Yuzu thought towards her. What do you see?

They're coming...Jungetsu said back, her mouth moving as she spoke the words. Whatever Yuzu had done in achieving bankai also seemed to have broken the barrier between them, allowing Jungetsu to speak freely.

Who's coming? Yuzu closed her eyes, opening her reiatsu sense. In this place, reiatsu swirled every which way, making it difficult to tell anything except for Kyoka Suigetsu, burning like a beacon in the distance. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, focusing on Jungetsu, but her zanpakuto spirit turned away from her.

Onii-san...she said simply.

Ichi-nii? asked Yuzu, surprised.

Jungetsu didn't answer. Her grip tightened on her sword's sheath and she exhaled, opening her eyes.

We have to hurry, she said, beginning to push herself up to her feet.

Yes, agreed Jungetsu, as Yuzu stood, slipping the sword back into her obi. Yuzu turned her eyes forward, towards that pulse, where Kyoka Suigetsu was waiting. She forced herself to keep moving forward, not allowing her resolve to waver. She didn't fully understand what it was, but something in her told her that this had to be her fight.

All of her life, Ichigo had been protecting her. Ichigo, Karin, her father, even Byakuya. She could never repay her family for everything they had done for her, for all the battles they had fought without her knowing.

She trudged on, heading towards Kyoka Suigetsu's waiting presence.

Now it was her turn to protect them.

Karin's eyes widened as she stepped through the gate, only to find herself plummeting through the air. She turned, scrabbling for purchase that wasn't there as she fell backwards through the black towards the bare earth of her inner world. She let out a shout as she hit the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of her. High in the air above her, she could see the gate that she had opened already starting to close, a square of light that quickly faded away overhead.

She placed a hand on her head, letting out a groan of pain as she started to push herself up. In her other hand, she still held Ongetsu's scythe, and she used the shaft as a lever, propping its base on the ground and using it to push herself up so that she was sitting. She took a moment to catch her breath, surveying the area around her.

It was dark, just as it always was in her inner world. While there were no sources of light to be seen, it was just bright enough for her to see the immediate area around her, a space between several black rocks that jutted from the earth. Shadows wrapped around the rocks, preventing her from seeing anything beyond the clearing. She looked to her left to find that Ichigo was already pushing himself to his feet, one hand on Zangetsu's hilt. Beside him, Toshiro was sitting up, rubbing at his head.

"Why did it open into the sky?" he asked, squeezing his eyes shut and opening them again.

"Yeah, I forgot to warn you," said Ichigo, standing up and wincing as he rubbed at his shoulder. "This is really kinda expected with Urahara-san." He looked around, his eyes moving between Karin and Toshiro. "Everyone alright?"

"I'm fine," said Karin, getting to her feet. "You, Toshiro?"

"I'll live." He took the hand she offered, letting her help him up to his feet.

"Wait a sec, where's Byakuya?" asked Ichigo, looking around.

Karin's eyes widened, and she turned to look as well. Something white lay on the ground, near one of the rocks. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Byakuya lying facedown on the ground, unmoving. As they approached, his hand twitched.

Ichigo folded his arms, a teasing smirk appearing on his face. "Fell flat on your face, didn't you?" he asked.

"I…did not…" Byakuya muttered, sliding his hand closer to his body and using it to push himself up. "I simply…" He paused, raising a hand to his nose. He pulled it away, staring down at his hand as if he was confused to find blood there.

A chill wind suddenly blew through the space they were standing in, kicking up the shadows around them. Ichigo and Toshiro's eyes widened, and they glanced behind them, where a small cloaked figure was standing with his back against a rock, shadows coiling around it like smoke. Before they could do anything, the shadows rose up around the figure, and it disappeared. Their hands drifted towards swords, narrowing.

"He…llo…" said a voice behind them.

Their eyes widened and they turned as one, just in time to see a small figure rise up from the shadows behind them, a smirk on his face. His eyes shone gold, his face appearing unnaturally pale as he tilted his head to the side.

Both Ichigo and Toshiro let out shouts and sprang back, falling backwards in their rush to get away from the newcomer. As they scrambled backwards from him, the boy disappeared, the shadows consuming him again. A cold hand landed on each of their shoulders from behind, and they turned to find him suddenly behind them again, leaning in close so that his face was between theirs. "What's the rush?" he asked, grinning in a way that bared his teeth. "Stay and play a little while. Nobody ever plays with me…"

"Knock it off," said Karin, pressing her knuckles down on Ongetsu's head just as Ichigo and Toshiro paled, both of them trying to scramble back again. Ongetsu clapped his hands to the top of his head, letting out a childish whine.

"Ow, Karin-chan, you hurt me!" he said.

"You said you weren't gonna be a brat," said Karin. "That means you stop scaring people."

"But Karin-chan, it's not my fault they're scared of me," said Ongetsu, looking up at her. His eyes widened innocently.

"Yeah, right," said Karin, folding her arms. "I'm not falling for the puppy dog face."

"Uh—Karin," said Ichigo, who was still sitting on the ground along with Toshiro. "This is…your zanpakuto spirit?"

"Yeah, this is On," said Karin, glancing at Ongetsu. "He likes to play games." To Ongetsu, she said. "Maybe you could get some light on in here, while you're at it."

"Fine." Ongetsu sighed, holding out his hands. Shadows filled them, forming the shape of the stuffed rabbit he was always carrying. His arms wrapped around the toy, and as they did, the oppressive darkness in the inner world lifted slightly, revealing part of the surrounding area.

The space outside the circle of rocks was filled with flowers, steel roses that grew in clusters and vines. The vines pressed in against the sides of the rocks, growing upward. Their metallic petals reflected the uncertain light, doing strange things to the shadows that still swirled at the edges of the garden. Toshiro and Ichigo both got to their feet, looking around with interest now. Across from them, Byakuya was standing as well, his hand falling away from his face.

"What are these?" asked Ichigo, looking around.

"My garden," said Ongetsu, smiling. "Karin-chan's heart. Each rose is a memory, or a person, or a treasured feeling. They're beautiful, but I wouldn't touch them if I were you. The past cuts deep."

"These roses are feelings?" asked Toshiro, leaning close to examine one without touching it. A scene played against the surface of the petals, too difficult to see unless you were looking straight at it. It showed, vaguely, Karin standing with Masa, Yuzu, and Ichigo immediately after the graduation, with Yuzu's arms looped through both of theirs as she smiled up at the camera. The image wavered as Toshiro got too close, disappearing into fractions of light.

"They are many things, Hitsugaya Toshiro," said Ongetsu, smiling at him. "But you'd know that. You've planted a lot of these flowers here yourself."

"Okay, if we're all done looking at my innermost thoughts, can we go?" asked Karin, turning her back to them and stomping away from the garden. "I'd like to get to Yuzu this year." She made sure to turn her head away as she spoke, so that none of them would see the flush on her face. Ongetsu smiled, watching her.

"She's shy," he said, as if he was apologizing. "But it means a lot to have you here."

"On, quit chatting, start leading!" said Karin from her position at the head of the group.

"Coming, Karin-chan," said Ongetsu. He vanished, appearing in a swirl of shadows right next to her. Ichigo and Toshiro jumped again, turning to face him, and Karin grabbed hold of his arm.

"And walk," she said, pulling him next to her.

"Aww, that's no fun," said Ongetsu, smiling anyway. He looked back at the other three. "Anyway, right this way. We have to walk a bit before I can open a door, but I'll get you to Jun-nee."

Ichigo and Toshiro collected themselves, following after Ongetsu and Karin. After a moment, Byakuya turned to follow as well, his eyes still on the roses. As they moved away from them, his eyes turned to the front of the group, where Kurosaki Karin was walking beside her zanpakuto spirit. He rested his hand lightly on Senbonzakura's hilt, musing on the nature of the garden as he watched the other Kurosaki twin. It appeared that there was more to her than met the eye.

He paused, his eyes widening slightly as he felt his zanpakuto spirit. Something felt…strange here. Ahead of him, the other four came to a stop as well, looking back at him.

"Something wrong, Byakuya?" asked Ichigo.

"No," said Byakuya, removing his hand from his hilt. "It's just…Senbonzakura…"

Toshiro frowned, reaching for his own zanpakuto. Ichigo did the same, his hand closing around Zangetsu's hilt.

"Now that you mention it," said Toshiro. "Hyourinmaru feels a little strange."

"So does Zangetsu," said Ichigo.

"It's because of where you are," said Ongetsu, looking back at them. "In the inner world, the barriers between zanpakuto and shinigami are very thin, even in someone else's inner world. I'm sure your zanpakuto spirits could manifest if they wanted to. Although I know Hyou-nii won't. He finds me creepy for some reason."

"Gee, I wonder why," said Karin, dryly.

Ongetsu ignored her, continuing on as if he hadn't spoken. "They probably don't want to manifest, because they'll fight better beside you," he said. "Which is a shame, because I kind of wanted to see Zan-nii."

"Zan-nii?" asked Ichigo, as they started walking again. "Are you talking about Zangetsu?"

"Well, who else would I be talking about?" asked Ongetsu, looking back at Ichigo. "I am Zan-nii's little brother, after all." Before Ichigo could say anything more, Ongetsu turned away, turning his attention back to the path. "Come along," he said. "It's not far now."

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake

"Right," said Rikichi, reading off the ballot. "In last place, Seventh Seat Nagai, with 54 votes."

Shiyougi smiled confidently, his arms folded from where he stood next to Nagai and Shirogane. Rikichi cleared his throat, moving on. "Followed by Eighth Seat Shirogane, with 59 votes."

Shiyougi nodded at Rikichi's words, still smirking.

"And Third Seat Shiyougi, with 115 votes."

"YES!" said Shiyougi, pumping his fist in the air. "I told you, didn't I, Shirogane-san? I told you."

"…and finally, the winner with 205 votes is Mikado-san."

Shiyougi's face fell. "What?!" he demanded.

"Well, that settles it," said Shirogane, walking past him. She nodded at Mikado, who was curled up on a cushion in the corner of the mess hall next to a Seaweed Ambassador plush toy. "Treat us well, acting captain."

The other members of the Division nodded, each of them paying their respects before leaving the room. Shiyougi stared at them, unbelieving.

"BUT HE'S A CAT!" he finally said, gesturing at Mikado as the others left the room.

"Mraw," said Mikado, looking up from his nap.

"Mou, I hate all of you!" Shiyougi whined.