A/N: Went back and edited the scene where Yuzu notices the others coming after her, because I realized as I was writing this that it kind of screws with her motivation if she knows that Ichigo and co. are already there. So read the rest of this as if she doesn't know they were coming after her. (I changed it!)

Remember the stadium in the Amagai filler arc? Yeah, borrowing it again for Masa and Kohaku's showdown. Sorry, guys, I think Yuzu and Karin's fights (and the research this summer) have kind of sapped my creativity.

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

Chapter 48: Past, present, future

A blue arrow flew across the brightly lit training space, impacting one of the rocks that jutted out from the ground. The little boy standing a few paces away from the rock grit his teeth, his eyes narrowing in frustration as he pulled his hand back, another arrow forming from the simple bow in his other hand. It slammed into the rock again, leaving a mark just a few inches above the last one he had loosed.

The boy loosed another arrow, this time with a shout, then took a ragged breath, the reishi particles around his hands dissipating as he wiped at the sweat on his brow with the back of his hand. It was late at night in the Urahara Shop, and most of the people that had come here to go to Soul Society had already gone, his parents leaving through the Senkaimon a few hours before.

Without him.

Ushu scowled, the fading reishi particles around him flaring back into life as he called them back into his hand. They shifted uneasily, beginning to form the shape of his bow again.

"You know, if you keep that up, you could hurt yourself."

At the sound of a voice, the reishi around him dissipated, the bow falling apart. Ushu turned, his eyes wide, to see the shopkeeper standing there in his usual hat-and-sandals get-up, holding onto his cane with one hand and his hat with the other. The boy's eyes narrowed. His father had very specific instructions about this shopkeeper, mostly amounting to 'be polite and behave yourself, but don't trust him.'

"I'm fine," he said, scowling. "It's just a little baby bow."

He'd been trying to convince his father for months that he was old enough and good enough to move past the basic bow and into the next stage of his training, but his dad could be so stubborn sometimes.

"All the same," said the shopkeeper, smiling. "I'd hate to have to explain an accident to Ishida-san."

Ushu stared at the shopkeeper, wondering for a moment if that was supposed to be a threat. He glanced at his right hand, contemplating forming the bow in it again. Urahara's voice made him look up sharply.

"Are you worried about your parents, Ushu-kun?"

"I'm not worried!" Ushu insisted, even though a part of him was. He glanced away from Urahara, scowling down at the ground. "I'm just mad that they left me here, that's all. They're always leaving me behind, even though I'm stronger now. I can fight too!"

"Hmm? Is that so?" Urahara walked forward, moving past him. The shopkeeper peered out from beneath his hat, staring at something in the distance. "I hope that's true. It seems like things are getting dangerous. Hopefully, Ishida-san and the others can pull off another victory."

That made Ushu look up, glaring at Urahara. "They'll win!" he said. "Of course they will. Dad's like, the best Quincy ever, and Mom can heal anything!"

"Is that so?" Urahara smiled at him again, that half-smile that made Ushu uneasy, like the man knew much more than he let on. "I hope so, Ushu-kun. I do." The smile faded, replaced by the shopkeeper's usual goofy smile as he turned away. "Don't stay up too late!" he said. "You don't want Yoruichi-san to catch you here~"

Ushu scowled after him as he flash-stepped away, then looked back over the desolate landscape. A while ago, there had been a Senkaimon here, the one his parents had gone to. He frowned at the spot where the Senkaimon had been, taking a deep breath at the memory. His right hand closed over the Quincy cross he held there, feeling the cool metal in his palm.

They'll win…he told himself. They will.

They have to.

Karin spun out of reach of a Hollow, her hand closed around the shaft of Ongetsu's scythe. The black blade sliced through the two Hollows on either side of her, cutting through the neck of the Hollow behind her as she turned and sliced upward. Without even looking, she stepped out of the way of Hyourinmaru's ice, three jagged blasts of ice slamming into the group of Hollows in front of her. Ichigo appeared in the air above her head, swinging Zangetsu left and right as he plunged into the fray, accompanied by a scattering of pink petals. She took a step to the right, her eyes narrowed as she raised Ongetsu over her head and spun it, bringing the scythe blade down on a Hollow that charged at her.

The blade pierced it at the base of its neck below its mask, stabbing clean through it and into the ground. She braced her hands on Ongetsu's shaft as a Hollow charged at her from the front, using both hands to pull it upward from the ground and into the Hollow's belly. Karin sliced a clean line from the Hollow's torso up to its mask, the Hollow disappearing into motes of dust as she finished the cut. She spun Ongetsu, holding it back at her side and glanced back to check on Toshiro and the others.

They had run into this pack of Hollows at the base of the hill where Kyoka Suigetsu's reiatsu was coming from. Here, the scenery had changed, the rolling desert scape giving way to sheer crystal cliffs, reaching upward to a single peak. There was only one path that led up to the peak, and that was where the Hollows had been waiting, a group over two hundred strong. In sheer number, they were irritating, but they weren't anything more than an annoyance for a group of four captain-class shinigami.

Karin scowled, flipping her scythe around so that the blade curved out from beside her arm. She held the shaft close to her body, tucking it under her arm as another Hollow rushed at her. She pulled quickly to the right as the Hollow opened its mouth, Ongetsu's scythe slipping between its teeth and slicing it easily from cheek to ear. She swept her scythe out in front of her and twisted around again, coming to stand next to Toshiro. As soon as she was beside him, Toshiro swept Hyourinmaru out in front of him, shards of ice slamming into the Hollows ahead of them.

She frowned in annoyance as another group of Hollows rushed at them, her eyes flicking past them to the point in the distance, not too far from where they were. This was a waste of time, and every minute that slipped by was essential. Her eyes flicked upward, where Ichigo and Byakuya were fighting in the air. The two captains found themselves checked by a group of Hollows at every turn, preventing them from heading to the top. It was clear that Kyoka Suigetsu wasn't actually trying to kill them, just delay them.

"Tch," she said, swinging her scythe out in front of her with both hands. It sliced cleanly through the three Hollows that jumped at her, but the ease of the battle did nothing to calm her mood. She needed to be there, on the top of that hill, saving Yuzu and fighting a real fight. Not doing this.

Her eyes narrowed as she felt a sudden flare of reiatsu and she turned, pivoting around to face the path leading up the mountain. Toshiro, Ichigo, and Byakuya stopped as well, each of them turning towards the man that stood there. He was dressed in Arrancar white, a smirk on his face as he held his sword out in front of her. His hair was blond and wavy, cut short, and he wore a mask across his eyes, like someone at a masquerade. He took a step forward, his hand on his sword. As he walked, reiatsu pulsed from him in waves, making even the thinning crowd of Hollows pause to regard him. Karin felt his reiatsu weigh down on her, crackling against her skin.

"Kyoka Suigetsu-sama told me that you would come, but I didn't expect you to be so persistent," he said, as the remaining Hollows gathered around him. Karin glanced at the crowd, doing a quick headcount. Where once there had been upwards of three hundred Hollows, now there were more like fifty. They clustered around him without actually touching him as he faced them, his eyes touching on each of them. "I guess I'll have to deal with you personally."

Byakuya was the first to step forward, Senbonzakura's petals coming to gather around him. His eyes narrowed as they fixed on the Arrancar. "Stand aside," he said.

The Arrancar merely smiled, his eyes moving past Byakuya to look over the others in the group. Ichigo scowled, hefting Zangetsu in one hand and pointing it at him. Byakuya simply glanced at the Arrancar, the petals around him beginning to shift. "So be it," he said. Beside her, Toshiro shifted as well, raising Hyourinmaru. Karin's frown deepened, her eyes moving past the Arrancar to the top of the hill.

Not enough time.

Without pausing to think about her decision, she shifted Ongetsu, slamming its shaft down hard on the ground. The resulting crash made the other three pause, Toshiro and Ichigo turning to glance at her.

"You three go on," she said, raising her eyes to meet the Arrancar's. "I'll take care of this."

"Karin—!" Ichigo began.

"—I said go!" shouted Karin, interrupting him. She held up her hand, light gleaming off the silver bracelet Urahara had given her. "I can get home. Yuzu can't. Besides, do you really think I'm gonna lose to this guy, Ichi-nii?"

"Quit fooling around—," said Ichigo, turning to face her.

Toshiro at her side was quiet, his eyes fixed on the ground. As Ichigo turned towards him, he looked up suddenly, his eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists. "Go, Kurosaki!" he barked, his tone commanding. "We need to finish this."

"Toshiro—," said Ichigo, staring at him with wide-eyes.

Toshiro didn't even turn to glance at Karin, keeping his eyes on her brother. Karin could have kissed him. "Now!" he said. His eyes moved from Ichigo to Byakuya, standing just ahead of the other captain, and when he spoke his voice was slightly more respectful, if not any less urgent. "Kuchiki-taicho."

Byakuya nodded in response, lowering his hand. The Arrancar's eyes moved over them, his smile becoming a smirk. "Interesting," he said.

As one, the three of them flash-stepped away, Ichigo somewhat reluctantly. Karin felt their reiatsu fade from her immediate area, reappearing somewhere further up on the path. She tightened her grip on Ongetsu's scythe, looking up at the Arrancar.

"I hope you aren't having any regrets," the Arrancar said, drawing his sword. The Hollows around him shifted, closing in on her. "After all, now you don't have any support."

"Hardly," said Karin, a grin appearing on her face. Her eyes swept over the assembled group, taking it all in before landing on the Arrancar. "Looks like fun."

"Such confidence," said the Arrancar, holding his sword out in front of him. "But I wonder. Do you have the strength to back it up?"

Karin's response was to swing her staff out in front of her, reiatsu flaring around her. She pointed it at the Arrancar, the blade down in front of her. There was no point in worrying about Ichigo and the others now. She had to focus on her fight. As the Hollows charged, her reiatsu flared, bleeding from blue to black as it settled around her.

"Bankai!" she said as the Hollows rushed at her, her grin widening as her hands tightened on her scythe.

The Arrancar paused, watching her with interest. "Oh?" he asked, as a black dome settled around him.

"Mukai Ongetsu."

The sun wasn't fully up by the time Iwase Kohaku left the Third, one hand on her sword's hilt as she started walking towards the place where she and Masa had agreed to meet. She was early for the meeting—they had promised to meet a little after dawn—but she'd found that she couldn't sleep, and nor could she stay in her room. She was restless, and it wasn't entirely because of the situation with Hisoka. Masa was in her head, no matter how much she tried not to keep him there.

It was all his fault, she decided. If he could just learn to let go, if he didn't have to be so damn honorable, and sweet, and—

The memory of that night came back to her, and Kohaku's face colored. She lowered her head, pressing her knuckles against her forehead. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She wasn't supposed to have done that, she wasn't supposed to have slept with him, and more importantly, she wasn't supposed to fall in love with him. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to regret it. She wondered what kind of person that made her.

Stupid Rukongai girl…she thought. She'd ruined her friendship with one of her best friends, and for what? Because she liked him, and because she didn't want to be alone?

She had to talk to him, she decided. Soon. She would tell him…she would tell him that she couldn't be who he wanted. Because she couldn't. Quick and easy. As painless as possible. It would be best to get it over with.

If she could make herself do it this time. She had been thinking the same thought since yesterday, but each time the opportunity came up, she'd found herself unable to say anything, as though her mouth no longer worked.

She couldn't keep putting it off any longer, though. It was better for the both of them.

Today, she decided, her eyes hardening in determination. She would tell him today. She took another step, purposefully forcing herself closer to the meeting place.

That was where she paused, her eyes widening as she felt a familiar reiatsu in the air. It was coming from around the Third Division's district, just behind her.

Kintaro, she realized, her eyes wide.

But it was behind her. Further from Masa, further from where she had promised to meet him. She needed to continue, to meet Masa, to tell him everything that she had meant to say. She needed to move forward, and not back. And yet—

Her brother. It was her brother.

Kohaku took a deep breath, momentarily torn as she glanced from one direction to another. Then, before she had a chance to change her mind, she tightened her grip on her sword, flash-stepping towards the stadium.

The blasts shook the chamber they were in, walls, ceiling, and floor all disintegrating. Kyoka Suigetsu flash-stepped out of the way quickly, barely dodging a boulder that flew past her, clipping the edge of her robe. She flipped over in the air, her kimono fanning out behind her as she slashed at a second boulder. Her sword cut cleanly through the white stone, the boulder falling apart on either side of her. No sooner had she gotten clear of that than seven spires rose up from the disintegrating chamber, each of them shooting upwards towards where Kyoka Suigetsu was floating. She quickly turned, darting out of the way, but not quickly enough. One of the spires caught her sleeve, cutting through the fabric. Blood stained the white stone of the spire as it shot past her, Kyoka Suigetsu twisting away.

Yuzu darted after her, jumping from falling boulder to falling boulder, her swords at her sides. She pushed off one of the boulders, launching herself at Kyoka Suigetsu with blades flashing. Kyoka Suigetsu turned towards her and in that instant seemed to vanish, Yuzu's blades cutting through empty air. Above her, a boulder that had been hidden from her until now slammed down, and Yuzu had to throw herself to the side to get out of the way of it, feeling the wind of its passing as it plunged downward. Her eyes widened as she felt a sudden pulse of reiatsu to her left and she turned just as Kyoka Suigetsu appeared seemingly out of nowhere, catching the zanpakuto spirit's blade in both of her own.

The force behind Kyoka Suigetsu's strike sent her flying backwards through the air, and Yuzu quickly formed a platform beneath her feet. She used her left-hand sword to knock Kyoka Suigetsu's blade high, holding it there as she ducked into the zanpakuto spirit's range, slashing at her middle. Kyoka Suigetsu jumped back, moving out of the way just in time. A boulder fell between them, separating them for an instant. Yuzu glanced behind her as she felt Kyoka Suigetsu's reiatsu shift again, raising her sword just in time. Their swords slid together, locking and rattling as the two of them fell backwards in the collapsing chamber.

Kyoka Suigetsu smirked at her, pressing harder on her sword. Yuzu grit her teeth, her eyes narrowing in focus as she tried to keep her own blade up.

"Such effort," Kyoka Suigetsu said, "It makes me wonder what exactly you're trying to prove."

"I'm not trying to prove anything," said Yuzu.

"Aren't you?" asked Kyoka Suigetsu. "You're not trying to prove that you're the strong one this time?"

Her grip on her blade faltered, and Kyoka Suigetsu took the opportunity to push her harder, slamming her back against a falling boulder. The impact nearly knocked the wind out of her, and Yuzu fought to keep her sword up as cracks appeared in the boulder beside her.

"Poor little Yuzu," said Kyoka Suigetsu. "Always the one left behind. It must hurt, doesn't it? Always being underestimated? Always being…protected. Like a little glass flower."

Yuzu grit her teeth, pushing against Kyoka Suigetsu's blade with all her might. Her sword slid against Kyoka Suigetsu's own, the two swords coming apart in the air as Yuzu pushed the other woman back. She lashed out with her other blade, stabbing it at Kyoka Suigetsu's shoulder. Kyoka Suigetsu raised her arm, knocking aside the blade by the flat as if it was nothing.

"You'd know about being left behind, wouldn't you?" asked Yuzu, the two of them floating in the collapsing chamber. "Considering you've been left behind yourself."

Kyoka Suigetsu's eyes narrowed, and she gripped her sword in both hands, swinging it harder. The blow nearly knocked Yuzu off her feet as she blocked it, but it was more uncontrolled than earlier, less deliberate. "I am Sosuke's zanpakuto!" she said. "I am a part of his soul! He loves me!"

"He abandoned you," said Yuzu, catching Kyoka Suigetsu's sword with hers. Bars of stone appeared both above and below Kyoka Suigetsu, moving together to trap her. She slipped out of the way easily, her form seeming to ripple and shift as she slashed at Yuzu's side. Yuzu hurried to block the blow, the two of them sliding backwards again. "He doesn't care about you."

"Like Kuchiki Byakuya cares nothing for you?" asked Kyoka Suigetsu, sneering at Yuzu as they flew backwards. At the sound of the name, the area around them seemed to ripple, as if fading out of reality. Yuzu glanced at it, her eyes wide. She forced herself to put all thought of Byakuya from her mind.

Resolve. Her bankai was a mirror that reflected inward. It would collapse without her resolve.

Kyoka Suigetsu noticed the brief moment of weakness and seized on it, a gleam in her eyes as she drove Yuzu back. "How it must burn knowing that he'll never love you," she said, her features starting to blur. "The one thing you wanted for yourself. Poor little Yuzu." Her features changed, her eyes changing from blue to gray, her hair growing shorter, darker. In an instant, as if water rippled through her, she changed, and then it was Byakuya standing in front of her, his sword locked with hers. When she spoke, it was with Byakuya's voice.

"Always second place."

Yuzu's eyes narrowed in anger, her grip tightening on her swords. She pushed back against Kyoka Suigetsu's blade, slashing at her. Kyoka Suigetsu raised her blade to block Yuzu's strike, smirking at her with Byakuya's face.

"You're not him," said Yuzu. "You can't be him. Don't even pretend."

"Am I not?" asked Kyoka Suigetsu. The smile faded, replaced with a familiar cold look, and 'Byakuya' raised his sword, turning it to the side so that 'his' mouth was inches from the flat of the blade.

"Scatter," he said. "Senbonzakura."

The sword began to dissolve into a flurry of pink petals, settling around him. Yuzu scowled as they approached her, bringing her blades closer to her. As the petals neared, she slashed outward with both of them, one after another.

"Getsuga TENSHOU!"

A pair of crescent-shaped blades, each of them pure white cut through the haze of petals, rushing at Kyoka Suigetsu. She side-stepped one of the blades easily, still wearing Byakuya's appearance. Yuzu flash-stepped out of the way as the petals converged on her, waving her left hand out in front of her. The second Getsuga changed direction suddenly, rushing at Kyoka Suigetsu from behind. It cut through 'Byakuya's' form, leaving a smoky trail. Yuzu's eyes widened, and she quickly glanced up above her head as Kyoka Suigetsu appeared in her true form, stabbing downward.

Kyoka Suigetsu's sword thrust straight through her heart as she hovered there wide-eyed, her body leaking light. Yuzu appeared in the air above her, slashing downward with both swords, but Kyoka Suigetsu seemed to anticipate this, quickly turning over in the air and blocking Yuzu's sword with her own. Her smirk widened, and she pushed back against Yuzu's blade, sending the two of them flying back through the air.

"Your bankai may allow you to create illusions, but your creativity hasn't exactly improved," said Kyoka Suigetsu, slashing at Yuzu. "I think you're running out of tricks, Yuzu-chan."

"Am I?" asked Yuzu. The world shifted suddenly, dizzyingly, the boulders that were falling through the air beginning to rotate and spin around them. A boulder flew past Yuzu, cutting her off from Kyoka Suigetsu's sight. When it moved past, Yuzu was gone. Kyoka Suigetsu stood in the center of the storm of rocks, her eyes narrowed and her sword in her hand. She glanced around, eyeing the rocks warily.

A reiatsu signature appeared in the air behind her, one very much like her own. Kyoka Suigetsu's eyes widened and she turned, facing the man that now stood there.

"That's enough," he said, smirking. "Kyoka Suigetsu."

Kyoka Suigetsu stood frozen, staring at the man. A single word slipped past her lips.

"Sosuke."

She stood there for a moment, her eyes wide as she stared at the figure of Aizen in front of her. Then, her eyes narrowed, her lips pulled back in a snarl. She charged forward suddenly, angrily, and thrust her hand straight through 'Aizen's' chest, shattering the illusion. Her hand closed around Yuzu's hair, and Yuzu cried out as she was suddenly pulled forward, Kyoka Suigetsu's nails digging into her scalp.

"You little bitch!" Kyoka Suigetsu shouted. "How dare you?! How dare you?!"

She pulled harder and Yuzu let out a yelp, tears stinging the corner of her eyes. She slashed her sword upward, swinging it at Kyoka Suigetsu's wrist, and Kyoka Suigetsu reluctantly let go, shoving her away only to follow up by thrusting her sword at Yuzu's shoulder. Yuzu parried it, but not as strongly as before, the blade moving slightly to the side only to come back, this time aiming for her neck. Yuzu ducked her head, the blade passing close enough to shear a few strands of hair off the top of her head. The next time the blade came back around, it was with the flat, and Yuzu gasped as the flat of the blade slammed into her side with a crack, sending her flying and knocking the wind out of her. She flipped over in the air, managing to regain her footing only in time to block as Kyoka Suigetsu flew at her, swinging wildly.

"You want to talk about Sosuke?" Kyoka Suigetsu asked. "You know something? You were never worth being in Sosuke's plans to begin with! Always weak! Always overlooked! You're the Kurosaki that never needed to be born!"

Yuzu drew in a sharp breath as Kyoka Suigetsu's sword slipped past her defense, pain exploding in her shoulder. Blood stained the front of her white dress as Kyoka Suigetsu's sword slipped past.

"You're nothing! No one! You're useless! You want to play with illusions? That's cute. I mastered them before you were born! Everything you've done is just a copy of someone else! Your sister, your brother, me! Not even Byakuya wants you, no matter how hard you try to be sweet little Hisana!"

"Let's face it!" Kyoka Suigetsu said, swinging her sword at Yuzu over and over again. Yuzu took a step back, her blades flashing as she fought to keep up. "It doesn't matter how strong you get! It doesn't matter how many techniques you learn! None of it matters! And do you know why? It's because you—were never—meant to be—a shinigami!"

She swung her sword in a blow that shattered Yuzu's white blades, sending her flying back with the force of it. The void of her bankai rose to receive her, slowing her fall as she sank into it, Kyoka Suigetsu and the rest of the battle fading away. Yuzu's breath caught in her throat, her eyes closing as she drifted backwards, darkness overtaking her vision.

That's right…she thought, feeling unconsciousness take her.

I was never meant to be a shinigami.

A memory came back to her, one so long forgotten that it seemed almost like a dream. She was three years old, standing outside the Karakura Town clinic in the fading sunlight, with her hand outstretched. Blue light gathered in the palm of her hand, fragments of light swirling around her. She stared at it, wide-eyed, as the light continued to grow, absorbing more and more particles until a hand settled over hers, gentle hands slowly closing her palm.

The light disappeared as the hands waved them away, and she raised her eyes, looking straight into the warm brown eyes of her mother. Kurosaki Masaki smiled at her, cupping her small hand in both of hers. As Yuzu watched, wide-eyed, Masaki raised a finger to her lips, her smile brightening as if to say this would be their own little secret.

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake

"Ishida," said Rukia with a frown, staring down at the design in her hands. It was the same design he had drawn for her earlier, the one with the rabbit ears. "Why is there a Quincy cross on this outfit?"

"You mean you don't know, Kuchiki-san?" asked Ishida, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Rukia's frown deepened, and she looked up from studying the paper. "Know what?"

Ishida glanced away. "Nothing," he said. "Never mind."