A/N: Your attention please. I am extremely busy this summer, so we've gone down to weekly updates. I repeat. Weekly updates.

To those wondering whether or not Karin has an inner Hollow, she doesn't have one to the same extent that Ichigo does, but Ongetsu does have some Hollow in him. It wouldn't manifest as a Hollow mask unless she actually decided to train to do that (which is still pretty illegal according to Soul Society rules), but it's there, and it manifests in Ongetsu in certain ways (such as his winning personality). I wanted to allude to the fact that since Ichigo is basically a hybrid of everything thanks to his unique genetics, his sisters would be hybrids too, if to a lesser (and different) extent.

Lilith Jae, the omakes are totally canon to the story. (The Jungetsu/Senbonzakura ones kind of free float in time, though).

I Before A Except After K, totally valid there. Some people like the OC segments, some don't, so if you don't like them, you're totally free to skip them. I keep them on for those that do like them, because I don't want to leave them hanging with no resolution at the end of the story (and because I'm OCD about plot threads and don't like to leave things dangling, so I try and tie things up). Regarding the chapter you were actually reviewing, though, I'd go back and read Rukia's part, since Rukia, Ishida, and Orihime are decidedly not OCs, and I included Kusanagi both to close out their plot and to give Rukia, Ishida, and Orihime something to do.

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

Chapter 47: Hall of mirrors

White walls rose up around them, enclosing the both of them in a bare white room. Kyoka Suigetsu barely reacted as walls and ceiling fell into place around them, still wearing that same amused smile on her face. Her blue kimono fanned out around her, lending the room its only spot of color as Yuzu's bankai garb settled around her shoulders, the silken robe hovering a few inches off of her skin. In her shikai, it was the sash that held Jungetsu's fans together, allowing them to function as one unit, but in her bankai, without need for something to bind her fans together, things like that were irrelevant.

Jungetsu had described it as the hagoromo, the feathered robe of the lady of the moon.

"I see," said Kyoka Suigetsu, eyeing Yuzu. "The kitten's grown claws."

Yuzu said nothing, sweeping her left hand upward. The floor beneath Kyoka Suigetsu changed, white spines rising up out of the earth beneath her feet. Kyoka Suigetsu danced nimbly between them as they rose, seeming unencumbered by the kimono she was wearing. She jumped out of the way as spines rose up from the walls of the room, her slippered feet landing on the flat of one of the horizontal spines. She used that a springboard, gliding effortlessly between a pair of spikes that came at her from opposite directions, and landed on the ground. With one hand, she raised her sword, blocking the strike that came from overhead and slicing through the stone. She darted out of the way, muttering a kido incantation, and the earth rose up in front of her, blocking the next set of spines. Yuzu's eyes widened as Kyoka Suigetsu vanished from sight, and she quickly pivoted to her right as she felt a pulse of reiatsu, one of her hands going up. A straight sword formed in it, pure white from pommel to blade, and Kyoka Suigetsu's blade slid against the length of it, the force behind the blow nearly driving her back. She managed to hold her ground, gritting her teeth and taking the slightest step back as the other woman's eyes met hers.

"You don't seem the type to explain your abilities to your opponent," said Kyoka Suigetsu, smiling. "So let me guess. If your shikai is illusion, your bankai is creation." Without pausing for breath, she slid her sword out from Yuzu's hold, sweeping it one-handed towards her unprotected side. Yuzu's eyes widened, and she quickly held her hand out, a second identical sword forming in her off-hand. It blocked Kyoka Suigetsu's strike, but just barely. "A space where you can make anything you imagine. Or rather…given your shikai, a world where anything you desire can become real." Kyoka Suigetsu stared at Yuzu, her smirk becoming almost predatory. "Is that right?"

A world where anything you desire can become real.

Jungetsu had said something similar to her before, a long time ago. Yuzu's eyes widened briefly in surprise, then narrowed again, her grip tightening on her swords. She pressed hard against Kyoka Suigetsu, lashing out with them, and the zanpakuto spirit jumped back, dodging both blades by a hair. She landed neatly on the ground across from Yuzu, flash-stepping out of the way as the ceiling above her collapsed, and flitting effortlessly between the pieces of rubble.

"Of course, such a world cannot actually create anything lasting," Kyoka Suigetsu went on. "This world we stand in is merely a reflection of your desires. What is real here is not real in reality. Such a realization could drive a man mad, depending on what it is they seek to make real."

She jumped out of the way of a pillar rising up from the ground, acting as if it was only a temporary annoyance. Yuzu's eyes narrowed as Kyoka Suigetsu appeared at her side, and she quickly turned to the left, raising her blades and blocking Kyoka Suigetsu's sword as it swept down at her.

"Tell me, Kurosaki Yuzu," said Kyoka Suigetsu, in the instant that their blades touch. "What is it you desire the most?"

Yuzu's eyes widened, and for a moment, the scenery around her wavered, the stone walls seeming to ripple outward and fade at the edges. A breeze blew through the air, bringing with it the slightest hint of perfume.

The same perfume her mother used to wear.

Kyoka Suigetsu smirked, then vanished from sight. Yuzu gasped as she appeared in the air above her head, and quickly raised her swords to block the blow, the scent fading as the room around her stabilized itself. Kyoka Suigetsu's blow sent her stumbling back, and nearly bowled her over entirely. She managed to keep her balance, raising both swords to meet the other woman's as she righted herself.

Kyoka Suigetsu was still smiling. "Kinder, I think, if your bankai had simply been an illusion."

She pressed backwards, hammering down with another blow that turned Yuzu's right-hand blade aside. Yuzu's eyes widened as she was driven back, sliding against the white tiled floor. She raised her left-hand blade, sweeping it at Kyoka Suigetsu's torso. Kyoka Suigetsu smiled, turning the blow aside with a casual flick of her wrist, before slashing down at Yuzu's shoulder. Yuzu managed to block it, but doing that forced her to take another step back, giving up ground. Kyoka Suigetsu's smile never faltered as she reached up with both hands, holding onto her sword and swinging it down from overhead. Yuzu raised her hand to meet it, but it was too late, and Kyoka Suigetsu's blade came crashing down, slicing her open from shoulder to waist.

She bled light. Kyoka Suigetsu's eyes widened as Yuzu froze in the air, her head hanging limply at her side and white light pouring from the wound. The world around her froze, as if everything had held its breath, all while Yuzu's body started slowly fading away.

Kyoka Suigetsu pulled her sword back and turned, her eyes rapidly scanning the frozen world. The light poured away from the figure she had slain, reforming somewhere on top of one of the horizontal spires. Yuzu appeared there, whole and unharmed, her swords in her hands and her eyes narrowed as she stared down at Kyoka Suigetsu, the robes of her bankai fluttering and swirling around her.

"What gave you the impression," she asked, meeting Kyoka Suigetsu's eyes, "that my bankai wasn't an illusion?"

The walls on both sides of Kyoka Suigetsu exploded outwards suddenly, large pieces of white stone flying outwards in both directions.

Blue light shone in the center of the darkened room, reflecting against the faces of those gathered there. The room's occupants were all silent, their eyes trained towards the shinigami sitting on her heels in the room's center. Kuchiki Rukia sat with her hands braced against either side of a glowing blue circle, her eyes narrowed in focus as numbers flashed across the floor, in the area inscribed in the circle's borders. They darted back and forth, taking it all in as the numbers continued to flicker, her reiatsu crackling as the numbers sped past, increasing in frequency and speed.

After a few moments, she exhaled, leaning back on her heels and pulling her hands off the floor. The light faded as she did so, retreating and revealing the black lines she had drawn into the earth. A circle, quartered into four parts, with symbols drawn into each parts. She took a moment to close her eyes, taking in a slow breath, before she opened them, looking around at the others in the room.

"Well?" asked Ishida, his eyes fixed on her.

"Yasui Hisoka is in Seireitei," said Rukia, turning towards him. "As to where she is exactly, it's hard to say. I can't seem to lock into her reiatsu. But it gives us a place to start."

"Will we really be able to find Hisoka there?" asked Kouda Mari, frowning as she looked out at the courtyard through the door. "Seireitei seems like a large place."

"It is," said Rukia, "But no one in Seireitei would allow the New Dawn to run unchecked for long. We'll find help inside, and we'll find Hisoka. I'm certain of it."

Mari said nothing, lowering her eyes to the ground. Her uncertainty, however, was clear. Orihime frowned in concern, placing a hand on Mari's arm. "It'll be okay," she said. "We'll find Hisoka-chan. I promise."

"I hope so," said Mari, not looking up at them. She drew her arms close to herself, folding them under her chest. "Tetsuya…Tetsuya can't take any more loss. If he lost her…" She shook her head, trailing off.

Rukia glanced at Mari, her other hand reaching for the sword she had left at her side. With the ease of years of practice, she lifted Sode no Shirayuki from the ground, slipping it into her belt. Ishida's eyes followed the movement, and he turned towards her. "You say, 'we', Kuchiki-san," he said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Are you sure you should be going with us, considering…?"

"I'm sure, Ishida," said Rukia, placing her hand on Sode no Shirayuki's guard. "I can't abandon Yasui Hisoka to her fate. What kind of shinigami would I be?" She smiled. "Besides, if I have to, I can still fight. I'm not out of commission yet."

She thought of her child, that had survived her bankai release. That was still there, if she focused in on it, a strong, steady pulse of reiatsu intertwined so firmly with her own that it was difficult to tell where one began and one ended. Her child, not even born, had already seen battle. What kind of world would this child be born into? It was difficult to imagine.

Rukia wanted to do her best to make sure that it was the right world, though. A world that her child could live and grow in in peace, with Isshin playing the doting grandfather, and Yuzu and Karin as loving aunts.

With Ichigo. And Byakuya.

She felt a stab of worry as she thought about them, all of them, still trapped in Kyoka Suigetsu's inner world, and she quickly smoothed it away, her expression calm as she rose to her feet. They had their fight. She had her own.

"I'm going for a quick walk," she told the others, heading for the door. "But we should all get some sleep."

Without waiting for a response, she slipped out into the hallway, letting the door close behind her. Rukia hadn't intended to do anything other than step outside, but as soon as she was gone, her feet seemed to make her mind up for her, starting her down the path towards Yasui's room.

Kurosaki Isshin's new clinic was laid out in the same traditional style as most of the buildings in Rukongai and Seireitei, with a long corridor filled with empty rooms that usually housed overnight patients. Rukia found Yasui Tetsuya in one of them, leaning against a bedframe with his arms folded and his expression far off, his eyes turned towards the window. He didn't even look up as she came in, closing the door behind her and leaning against it, with her hands clasped behind her.

She waited for a few moments, studying him. In the past, when she had been a new recruit of the Thirteenth, overwhelmed by her status as a Kuchiki, overwhelmed by everything, she never would have had the confidence to seek out someone who was hurting and talk to them. She would never have known what to say. Kaien had always been the person who had known what to say in situations like this, and she had relied on him. Relied on him still, sometimes, when she thought about her position and the type of vice-captain she wanted to be. But she had changed. She didn't think she would ever be that girl again. She could help people now. She could be strong for others, for all of those who had been strong for her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, after the silence had stretched on long enough.

Yasui exhaled, his eyes moving away from the window to face her. "Am I supposed to be?" he asked. "Hisoka's missing, and that—Asakawa is here, and—" He exhaled, pressing his hands over his eyes. "I don't know what came over me, Kuchiki-san. I lost control."

"It happens…" Rukia said, her voice soft. "To the best of us."

"I just…worked so hard to keep Hisoka out of this," Yasui said, taking a breath. "Everything I've been doing for the past few years, Kusanagi, all of it, just for her. I thought if I fought hard enough, I could save her from all of this. And…after all of that, they take her anyway. What do they want with her, Kuchiki-san? She's only eleven."

The desperation in his voice made her breath catch, and Rukia glanced to the side, her eyes fixed on the corner of the room. Her mouth twisted as she tried to find the words. She couldn't lie to Yasui, offer up pointless reassurances or false hope, as much as she wanted to. But at the same time, she couldn't leave without saying anything at all.

She knew what it felt like, to have the people she loved taken away. The worry, and the fear.

"I don't know why they've taken her," she said. "But we'll do everything we can to get her back." It was all she could offer at the moment. For now, it would have to be enough.

Yasui took a deep breath, not turning to face her. He raised his eyes to the ceiling, in that moment looking much older than his twenty-odd years. "I heard, from Urahara-san…about your husband," he said. "And…your brother. I can't imagine…" He shook his head. "Kuchiki-san, you don't have to worry about this. This is my fight. I can find Hisoka alone."

Rukia shook her head. "As a shinigami, I'm sworn to protect all humans," she said. "What kind of person would I be if I left you to find your sister alone? Besides, I want to help. You don't have to do this alone."

Yasui shook his head, still not looking at her. "But, I…" he began.

"We're all here because we want to be," said Rukia. "Needing help doesn't make you weak, Yasui. Avoiding it doesn't make you strong. We all have moments where we can't stand on our own. It's moments like those when we have to be able to lean on each other."

Yasui said nothing, trailing his eyes back to the ground. He took a deep breath, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Kuchiki-san…" he began.

"There's someone that came here to help you," said Rukia, cutting him off. "Someone you love. You've been hurting her, by pushing her away. Think about that, Yasui. We'll be here, if you need us."

She offered him a reassuring smile, turning and leaving the room. As she left, Yasui stared after her, his eyes wide as she closed the door.

The streets of Seireitei were dark and empty that night, the moon lending them a silvery sheen. Ankoujin Masaryu walked down the road, Kohaku by his side. The alarm bells from earlier had long since gone silent, but there was a tension in the air coming from the recent alarm. The battle with Kyoka Suigetsu had only been a few days ago, and most of the Gotei 13 were waiting for the other shoe to fall, waiting for an attack to begin again. Masa wondered as he walked how many of the shinigami actually knew what was happening, knew that three of their captains had gone into Kyoka Suigetsu's inner world to cut off Kyoka Suigetsu at the source.

The Fifth certainly knew, as did the Sixth and the Tenth. As far as the others went, though, he doubted it. They had made great strides in recent years, but they were still, at their core, a group of disorganized squads, with each Division fighting for their own causes and their own reasons.

He rested a hand on Setsuyoku's hilt, glancing back at the girl next to him. Iwase Kohaku walked with her head down, grasping the crook of her arm with one hand. She had barely said two words to him since their arrival in Seireitei from Karakura Town, but in fairness, she couldn't be completely to blame. He had spent most of their walk searching for the words, but they were difficult to find. He didn't want to start a repeat of the conversation he had had with her in the Ankoujin Manor, earlier that day, but it was a conversation that needed to be had.

His eyes lingered on her a little too long, and she raised her head, her eyes meeting his briefly before she glanced away again. He wondered if this was how it was always going to be between them, this awkwardness. As long as their lives were as shinigami, he didn't think he could handle it. He wished he knew how to be delicate about this, but delicacy had not been something he was born with.

He drew in a breath, coming to a stop at the end of the street and looking back at Kohaku. She looked tired, now that he could look at her more closely. It reminded him of just how long a day it had been. Was it really only this morning that he had been at his grandfather's funeral? It felt like a lifetime ago.

"We should stop for the night," he said, turning towards her. "We're unlikely to find anything more before the morning."

She looked up at him, then looked away, her eyes moving over the street corner. "If—if you say so," she said.

He drew in a breath. "Kohaku…" he began.

Her eyes narrowed, and she turned towards him sharply. "Don't, Masa," she said. "Not now."

He closed his mouth on the rest of his words, falling silent. Kohaku glanced away again at his stricken expression, looking guilty as she drew her arms closer to herself.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean—I mean—I just—I need to think about things, okay? Let's find Hisoka-chan first. Then…then we'll talk."

There were a million things he could have said in that moment, a million things he wanted to say. But in the end, what he said instead was "…okay." She glanced away from him, looking relieved and guilty at the same time, and not for the first time, he wished he could have taken everything back, if only so that they could go back to how they were.

"I'm heading back to the Third," said Kohaku, her eyes moving back down the street. "Let's meet up first thing in the morning."

Masa nodded. "First thing in the morning," he echoed.

They would find Hisoka. They would end this. And then, then they would have to talk.

The Shattered World stretched on endlessly in front of them, a sea of iridescent sand. The four of them had gone for hours, heading towards that reiatsu pulsing in the distance, but it had been a long day, and from the third hour on, it started to wear on them. By the fourth hour, they were forced to stop for a rest, settling down on the sands facing that single point in the distance.

Ichigo faced it as they came to a stop, feeling Kyoka Suigetsu and Yuzu's reiatsus move through the air. They couldn't have been much farther now, just over those mountains that stood up in the distance. He guessed that it would be another hour, maybe two, before he reached them. The urge to just keep going, to completely throw caution to the wind and push himself harder, was still there, and he had to actively fight to resist it. He folded his arms, lowering himself into a seat next to Byakuya. The sands shifted as he sat, moving in the constant breeze. He watched them roll down the hill and was reminded of Hueco Mundo, twenty years ago, of coming across the desert with Ishida, Chad, Rukia and Renji to save Inoue.

Had it really been that long ago? Sometimes, it didn't feel like it.

He settled into his seat, glancing to the left, where Karin and Toshiro were lying on the ground, just close enough to each other that they were almost touching. Karin had her back turned to him, her sword lying on the ground next to her. They spoke in quiet murmurs, and from this distance, he couldn't quite hear what they were saying. He frowned, watching them.

"Hey, you two!" he said. "Keep it clean over there."

Karin made a dismissive gesture with her hand, not turning to look at him. Ichigo scowled, looking away from her and draping his arm across his knee. "Tch," he said, turning towards Byakuya. "Can you believe that?"

The nobleman didn't respond. He didn't even look to have heard, continuing to stare off into the distance as though nothing else in the world mattered but getting to that point. Ichigo's frown deepened, watching him. He had learned a lot about how to read Byakuya over the years, ever since their first disastrous meeting on Sokyoku Hill. He knew enough about the other captain to know what was normal and what wasn't, and knew enough to be able to say that this definitely wasn't normal.

He didn't want to think about what that could mean.

Ichigo drew in a breath, his eyes narrowing as he studied that point in the distance. His hand moved across the sand at his side, sweeping through the grains and gathering them up into a small mound as he considered how to start a conversation he didn't really want to have. He exhaled, his eyes fixing on that same point, just over the hills.

"So, Yuzu…" he began.

At the sound of the name, Byakuya looked up, turning towards him with slightly wide eyes. That alone should have been enough confirmation, but Ichigo couldn't just leave it there. He turned towards Byakuya, meeting the other man's eyes. As he did, he thought back to countless awkward conversations of this nature, about Rukia. He never once thought those roles would be ever be reversed. Not until now.

"…What are your intentions towards her?" he asked, deciding that there was no point in beating around the bush. Byakuya's eyes widened further, and for a moment, he didn't speak. Ichigo held his gaze, his own eyes challenging, and waiting.

"I have…" Byakuya's first words sounded like they were coming from a stranger. He paused, and when he spoke again some of the control had returned to his voice. "I have…no intentions."

"Really?" asked Ichigo. "Because you're risking a lot just to go save her."

Byakuya didn't respond, but he did look away, lowering his eyes to the ground. Ichigo waited for a few moments to see if Byakuya would speak. When he didn't, he went on. "I'm going to make one thing clear," he said. "My sister is nobody's mistress. Especially not yours. If you want to start something with her, you need to break things off with Azami-san first. Are we clear?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo…" Byakuya drew in a slow breath, raising his eyes and fixing them back on that point in the distance. He didn't turn to look at him, and when he spoke, it sounded as though he was doing everything to keep his voice in control. "That is…the last thing you have to worry about."

"Good," said Ichigo. "As long as we're clear."

Byakuya nodded, not looking back at him. He kept his eyes on that point in the distance, his expression far-off, as if he were considering something. He said nothing until they were moving again.

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake

Flashback

"Yo. Morning."

"M-M-Morning, Abarai-taicho—!"

Kira Izuru, vice-captain of the Third Division, frowned, watching as his captain sauntered past a pair of startled recruits, still dressed in that abominable pink sleeping robe. Everyday, it was the same story. Renji would haul himself out of bed and go around the Division in that stupid robe like it was nobody's business, startling new recruits, embarrassing officers, and flustering shinigami from other Divisions who thought to make a visit to the Third before breakfast.

Kira hated that robe, and today he decided that this was the last straw. He followed Renji into the administrative office, closing the door behind him.

"Taicho," he said. "We need to talk."

"What is it, Kira?" asked Renji, frowning over at him from the stack of papers he was looking through. "Can it wait? I'm kinda busy."

"It's that robe," said Kira, his eyes narrowing.

"What about this robe?" asked Renji, gripping the papers tighter.

"You can't keep wearing it. It's unprofessional, and it reflects badly on this Division."

"Huh?" asked Renji, his eyes narrowing. "Says who?"

"Says everyone," said Kira.

"That's a lie," said Renji. "There's nothing wrong with this robe."

Kira's eyes narrowed. Enough was enough.

"Take the damn robe off, Abarai."

"No!"

"Take it off!"

"I said I won't! Get off me—!"

"Excuse me, Kira-kun?"

The door to the office opened, and Hinamori Momo poked her head in, her eyes widening as they took in the scene in front of her. Kira blinked up at her from where he had tackled Renji to the ground, his hands on the other captain's pink robe as he tried to yank it forcibly off his body. Renji stared up at her as well, his eyes wide.

For one terrifying moment, Kira's eyes and Hinamori's eyes met. Then, her face reddened, and she quickly slammed the door, taking off down the hallway. "I'm sorry!"

"Wait, Hinamori!" shouted Kira, his eyes widening in horror as he jumped up. He dashed out of the room after her, Renji and his abominable pink robe forgotten. "I can explain! It's not what you think!"

Kira really hated that robe.