A/N: Because what would Bleach be without last minute "you can't be serious?!" revelations?

The first half of Jungetsu's scene is my personal pet theory about Yuzu in the canon, and why she doesn't have any spiritual abilities. The second half is pure fanfiction.

Normal fan and NoIdea, zanpakuto don't have strict family relationships the same way people do, so their 'siblings' are whoever they say they are, pretty much. But Ongetsu and Jungetsu consider themselves twins and siblings, and both of them consider themselves the younger siblings of Zangetsu. The difference is which Zangetsu they feel attached to. Ongetsu considers himself the younger brother of Zangetsu (as in Hollow Ichigo/the true Zangetsu) while Jungetsu considers herself the younger sister of Zangetsu (as in the guy we all thought was Zangetsu, but who's actually Ichigo's Quincy half.). Which, incidentally, is why Jungetsu never calls Zangetsu by name, instead calling him Onii-san in the previous chapter.

Magery, she's actually just kind of crazy. Which is probably not the answer you wanted. Getting cast aside by her wielder like so much trash wasn't healthy on her psyche.

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

Chapter 49: Shatter me

The light was just touching the walls of the old stadium by the time Kohaku arrived, flash-stepping onto the cracked stone courtyard in the cool morning air. In the distance, the ruined tower still stood, a large chunk of the roof and wall having fallen off twenty years ago, during the incident with Captain Amagai. The rubble had been cleared from the stadium floor, but the building, abandoned as it was, had not been repaired. It was a place that held a lot of history for the Third Division, for a lot of reasons.

It made Kohaku wonder why Kintaro wanted to meet her there.

She loosened her sword in its scabbard as she landed on the ground, just in case. The thought that she might have to use it made her feel sick, but she couldn't disregard the facts. No matter what she thought of the matter, Kintaro was the enemy. She wouldn't be caught off-guard this time. She couldn't be.

He stood at the opposite end of the stadium ground from her, backed by the early morning sun. There was a small figure by his side, one with her arms bound behind her back and a cloth tied over her mouth. Kohaku knew even without looking that the child was Hisoka. She could feel the power coming off the girl in waves, crossing the distance between them and crackling against her skin. Even tied up as she was, Hisoka's eyes were defiant. She didn't look hurt, at least, aside from the bonds around her. A little disheveled, a little unhappy, which was to be expected, but not hurt.

Kintaro wasn't wearing his coat this time. Instead, he was dressed much as he had been in Rukongai, in a gi and hakama. His long hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he wore his sword at his side. His eyes were bright gold and expressionless as they studied her. Kohaku fought the urge to step closer, keeping her hold on her sword. Kintaro's eyes drifted from her back to it.

"I never expected to see you here, Kohaku," Kintaro said, looking back at her. "I thought you hated shinigami."

"I did, once," said Kohaku, her voice soft. "But you were the one who changed that for me."

"Did I?" Kintaro shook his head. "I made a mistake. You should have stayed in Rukongai."

Rukongai…

She'd been thinking that, over the past few days. Ever since the incident with Masaryu. She had been thinking those exact same thoughts. But if she hadn't left Rukongai, she would have never met Yuzu, or Karin, or Masa. Never met Ayatori. She would have never changed, never become more than that selfish, wolf-like girl she had been.

Her hand shook on her sword, and when she spoke, her voice broke. "What happened to you, Kin?" she asked. "You never used to be this way."

"People change," said Kintaro, frowning at her. "I changed. In the Onmitsukido, you learn things no one should have to know. This world is rotten, Kohaku."

"So this is the answer?!" Kohaku asked, angry now. She stepped forward, her eyes wet behind her glasses as she gestured at Hisoka. "Kidnapping children? That isn't something the Kintaro I know would do!"

"You have no idea what I did!" Kintaro growled, his hand tightening on Hisoka's wrist. She tensed, mumbling a protest behind her gag and shooting him a glare. "You have no clue. What I did for the Onmitsukido, what I did for you—!"

"I don't care!" said Kohaku, shaking her head. "I don't care, Kin! Just walk away. Please. Just let Hisoka go and walk away. I don't want to do this!"

Please don't make me do this.

Kintaro shook his head, drawing his sword with his free hand. "It's too late," he said, pulling the blade free from its sheath. "It's too late to walk away now." He held his sword up, pointing it at her. The early morning sun gleamed off the side of the blade. Kohaku hurriedly reached for her own sword, her hand closing uncertainly around the hilt.

"You still have a choice, Kohaku," Kintaro said. "You can join me."

Kohaku shook her head fiercely, pulling her sword out of its sheath before she could lose her nerve. "Come out to play!" she yelled. "Ayatori!"

Her sword glowed, the blade fading as the wires of her shikai wrapped around her arms. Kintaro's frown deepened, his eyes narrowing at her. "Fine," he said, shoving Hisoka to the side. She let out a muffled scream. "I won't ask you again."

He raised his sword over his head, pointing the blade at the sky. "Sing," he said. "Kaigarasu."

A light engulfed the sword, the blade changing shape beneath it. Kohaku tensed, her hands wrapping tightly around the wires. As she watched, the sword changed, shifting form from a katana to a straight sword, three holes carved into the center of the blade. A chain hung from the sword's hilt, the other end looped tight around Kintaro's arm. Kohaku stared. She had never seen Kintaro release his zanpakuto before, not even when he was a shinigami. Never cared to ask what his zanpakuto even was. Now, she wished she had.

She tightened her grip on Ayatori's wires before she could change her mind, gritting her teeth and charging forward just as Kintaro tugged on the chain, the sword's hilt settling itself into his other hand. Kohaku raised her hands as she ran, flinging the wires at him. Ayatori's wires wrapped tight around Kintaro's sword arm, tugging it sharply to the ground and putting him off balance as Kohaku closed in, raising her right hand. The wires in it gathered together, twisting into something like a spike. She pushed her hand forward and the spike flew at Kintaro's middle, aiming straight for his chest.

Kintaro's expression never changed. He braced himself on his sword arm, twisting his body around as he leaped into the air over her strike, his foot heading straight for her head. Kohaku's eyes widened, and she ducked out of the way just in time, Kintaro's foot passing inches from the top of her head. She wrapped her fingers around the wires tied to Kintaro's sword arm, giving them a sharp tug as she moved. For an instant, it looked like that might have been enough to draw Kintaro off balance, but he quickly righted himself, using the wires to pull her closer to him. Kohaku's eyes widened as Kintaro moved to elbow her in the face, and she quickly released her hold on Kintaro's sword arm, dropping down to the ground and sweeping out with her other hand.

The wires in her right hand fanned out at his ankles. She focused her attention on them, willing them to form into blades. Kintaro jumped nimbly over them as they passed by, twisting around in the air. His foot landed square in the center of her chest, shoving her back.

Kohaku let out a grunt as she struck the ground, sliding back across the uneven stones. She pushed back on the ground with one hand, flipping over in the air and landing on her feet. Ayatori's wires fanned out around her as she landed, and she moved her hands quickly towards Kintaro, bladed wires coming at him from the left and the right. Kintaro twisted out of the way of the first group of wires, blocking the second with the flat of his blade. Kohaku's fingers danced in the air, manipulating the wires, and the group of wires against his blade split apart, weaving themselves into the holes and wrapping around the sword as they aimed straight for him.

Kintaro let out a grunt of annoyance as the wires came around, jumping back and letting out the chain. He tightened his grip on the chain as he jumped, sweeping the sword through the air. Kohaku grit her teeth as she was suddenly yanked through the air by her wires, quickly releasing her hold on them and going into a roll. She sat up, crouched on the ground as the wires shot back towards her, beginning to coil over her arms again. Kohaku raised her hand as Kintaro started to run towards her, the wires coiled around her arm rushing towards him.

Before they could reach him, Kintaro flung his sword in the air, using the chain to spin it in a circle. Kohaku cried out as an ear-splitting shriek pierced the air, Ayatori's wires parting in the wake of it. She instinctively reached up to cover her ears, waves of power crashing down on her, and Kintaro used the opening to charge forward, gripping his sword tightly in his hand as he swung it towards her. Kohaku jumped back, breathing hard and ears ringing as Kintaro's sword passed inches from her stomach, slicing through the top layer of her shihakusho. She grit her teeth, raising her left hand and preparing to launch Ayatori's wires at him.

Kintaro swept his sword in front of her, the ear-splitting screech coming again. This time, she could almost feel the sound as a physical thing, slamming against her and throwing her back. Ayatori's wires fell apart at the sound, and Kintaro quickly caught his sword in his hand, charging forward and slashing at her. The blade sliced through the skin of her shoulder as she tried to pull away, and Kohaku jumped back, her hand going up to cover the wound.

Blood welled up beneath her fingers, trickling down the front of her shihakusho. Her eyes narrowed, and she looked up at Kintaro.

Her brother simply swept his sword out in front of him, holding it lightly in his hand before charging at her again.

Masa had only just stepped out of the Fifth Division that morning when he sensed Kohaku's reiatsu in the air, laced with another's. His eyes narrowed, his hand dropping to the sword at his waist as he turned his head in the direction of the Third Division. The jigokucho on his finger flew off at his sudden change in mood, his message to Rukia only half-recorded. His hand tightened on his sword, his mind honing in on that second reiatsu. He knew it, had felt it before in the streets of Inuzuri. After what had happened there and what had happened afterwards, he would have felt it anywhere.

Iwase Kintaro. Kohaku's brother.

He glanced away from the Third for just a moment, looking back down the street. Rukia and the humans with her would be arriving in Seireitei today. His instructions had been to wait for her before acting, so that they could search together.

Kuchiki Rukia was both his superior in the Gotei 13 and his elder among the nobility. The right thing to do would be to listen to her.

But that would mean leaving Kohaku behind.

Masa's eyes moved between the two points again, before making his decision. Without hesitation, he turned, flash-stepping towards where Kohaku was. If they wanted to, Rukia or Ichigo or his father or someone else with authority over him could scold him later. But he was going to help Kohaku now.

He loosened his sword in its sheath, hurrying across the rooftops to Kohaku's location.

As the Hollows charged, shadows shot outwards from Karin, wrapping around them and rippling across the ground. Her scythe changed form in her hand, the blade becoming heavier and thicker as a cloak of shadows wrapped itself around her. Before the air had fully cleared, she was already moving, swiping her scythe through the air. The blade caught four Hollows as she spun, raising it over her head and bringing it down hard over the head of a fifth. Karin swept backwards with the shaft, the blunt end catching a Hollow under the chin as it tried to attack her from behind.

Karin landed crouched on the ground, the five Hollows she had killed falling around her. She sprang forward in the instant before another pair of Hollows came crashing down, her scythe whirling and spinning. It sliced through two Hollows as she stepped out of the way of a slash from a third, the Hollow's claws coming within an inch of her flesh. Karin's eyes narrowed as she swept her blade upwards through the air, gripping it with both hands as the curve of the scythe caught one of the Hollows.

She pulled the blade through, carrying the Hollow with it on its wide arc as it caught a second one. The two of them crashed against the rocks of her bankai, dissolving into motes of dust as they disappeared from sight.

Four more surrounded her, attempting to corner her from all sides. Karin scowled as she glanced at them, her eyes moving from left to right as she pulled her scythe closer to her. At the instant that they attacked, she launched herself into the air, throwing her scythe at the nearest Hollow. The blade whistled, spinning end over end as it moved through the air before it stabbed straight through the Hollow's middle, pinning it to the ground like an insect on a card. Karin, unarmed now, rolled out of the way of another Hollow's attack, pushing off the ground and reaching for the nearest weapon.

It was a straight sword, completely black, and parted oddly through the middle. Karin tightened her grip on it, parrying a Hollow's claws with one swipe before stabbing it in the neck. She pivoted neatly to the side, pulling the blade through the Hollow's body just in time to thrust it under another Hollow's neck, stabbing through it just under its mask. Without missing a beat, she spun, her foot catching her scythe's shaft where it stuck up from the ground and knocking it loose. She caught it with her free hand as she turned, hurling her sword at another Hollow. The blade pierced it straight through the eye, and it howled in pain and fury as it was pinned to the rock.

A Hollow came up behind her, snarling. Karin tucked her staff under her arm, sweeping the shaft out behind her. The side of the shaft caught the Hollow by its mask, the white bone shattering. Karin spun around as it was knocked back, spinning her scythe back up so that she could cut downward, slicing through what was left of the creature.

Nineteen, she thought to herself, sucking in a breath as she spun, her hair and cloak flaring out behind her as she cut horizontally through an attacking Hollow. Twenty. She slammed the butt of her scythe's shaft down onto the ground, using the momentum behind it to launch herself into the air and spin around, both of her feet landing on an attacking Hollow's mask. The blow knocked it back, just enough for Karin to finish the spin and lift her scythe, slicing through the Hollow just as she landed on the ground. Twenty-one.

Her head moved, her eyes narrowing as they flicked through the crowd of Hollows in front of her before landing on the Arrancar, standing poised on a rock with his sword in his hand. The wind from her battle moved through his hair.

Twenty-two, she thought to herself, flash-stepping towards him.

Karin appeared in the air in front of him, swinging her scythe down. He blocked it with his sword, smiling as if he had expected that. As soon as she moved, four Hollows bore down on her, and she flash-stepped back and out of the way, spinning her scythe. It sliced through all four of the Hollows, and Karin came back down, the motes of darkness from the Hollows' passing swirling around her. The Arrancar slashed upward, their blades coming together. His eyes met hers and he smirked, the two of them coming apart before crashing together again.

"Kurosaki Karin," said the Arrancar as the both of them landed on the ground, Karin quickly spinning her scythe to dispatch the Hollows that moved in on her. "I've heard of you."

"Did your friend Sieg mention me?" asked Karin, flashing the Arrancar a quick grin.

"Siegel?" asked the Arrancar. "Siegel was never my friend. He was more…a necessary evil. But I have heard of your bankai. This place suppresses reiatsu doesn't it? A fitting ability for someone in your Division, who fights for fun." His smirk widened, and he held his sword out in front of him. "I'm called Erlantz, Erlantz Arkanos. You and I aren't too different, in that regard. Soar, Colibrí."

Light surrounded his sword, reiatsu pouring outward from him. Before the light had fully cleared, he had moved, appearing in the air in front of Karin and swinging his blade at her. His sword had shifted, becoming a thin dagger, but he moved with surprising speed. Karin's eyes widened slightly at his sudden approach, but she managed to raise her scythe in time to block the dagger. It was completely white and seemed to be made out of the same thing his mask was made out of, a bone-like substance that extended past the knife, over his hand like a gauntlet and up his arm, stopping at his shoulder to form the base for a set of wings that extended out his back. Her eyes narrowed again as the blade came into contact with her scythe's shaft, her eyes meeting his.

"You think I'm fighting for fun?" she asked.

"Don't bother denying it." Erlantz disappeared from sight, appearing just over her left shoulder without even a sound to announce his presence. Karin spun, swinging her scythe's shaft up and using the butt of the shaft to knock the dagger high. Erlantz barely seemed to notice as he disappeared again, appearing behind her. "I know you enjoy battle."

Karin didn't respond, stepping forward and pivoting as he stabbed at her from behind. There was no time to block, so Karin quickly flash-stepped out of the way, appearing a few feet away from him. Erlantz disappeared again, his blade flashing as he closed the gap between them and slashed at her. She raised her scythe's shaft, Erlantz's dagger striking it as the impact sent both of them moving back.

"So," he said, as they moved. "Your bankai does nothing against my speed."

Karin grit her teeth, pushing back on Erlantz's blade, and managed to overpower him, slashing downward. Erlantz disappeared as her scythe moved, her blade slicing through empty air as he appeared on top of a rock formation, several feet ahead of her. He smirked at her, holding his blade to his side as he balanced precariously on the rocks.

"How about we end this, Kurosaki Karin?" he asked.

The Hollows around him, nearly twenty-five of them, paced, crouching down on their haunches as they moved to surround her. Karin tensed, gripping her scythe's shaft with both hands as her eyes moved across the group.

Then Erlantz raised his hand.

Instead of attacking, the Hollows began to glow, a faint violet light engulfing each of them. As Karin watched, the Hollows started to dissolve, the light streaming towards Erlantz outstretched hand. Her eyes widened as the light formed an orb there, an orb that was already beginning to seep through his skin. He raised his eyes towards hers, the light flaring.

In an instant, he was in front of her, his blade slashing outwards before she could react. Karin took a step back raising her scythe instinctively. Erlantz's blade sliced through the scythe's shaft, just below the blade. The bladed half of the shaft clattered to the ground, a few feet away from Karin as she jumped back. Blood flowed freely from a cut on her arm where Erlantz's strike had cut her, dripping onto the ground.

Erlantz straightened up, the violet light still settling around him as he turned towards her. Blood dripped from the dagger attached to his arm, forming a crimson stream on the ground. Karin glared at him, still holding onto the shaft of her scythe. The nearest weapons were several feet from her, far enough away that she couldn't hope to reach them without him catching up with her.

"Looks like you're missing a blade," he said. "What are you going to do without a weapon?"

Karin glared at him, lowering the metal shaft to her side. Her reiatsu flared up around her. "Who do you think taught me how to fight?" she asked.

Before Erlantz could reply, she flash-stepped forward, gripping the shaft in both hands. Like this, it functioned as a staff, and she made full use of it, sweeping the back end around to catch him in the shoulder. Erlantz's eyes widened, and he took a step back, blocking the blow with his dagger. Karin quickly shifted her hands, sweeping the other end of the staff out to catch him in the side. The blow knocked him back, and she spun the shaft over her head, bringing one of its ends over the top of Erlantz's. The blow crashed down, and Erlantz raised his arm to block it, the metal shaft cracking the bone plating there.

She was training with Ikkaku in the Eleventh Division's courtyard, trying to keep up with his blows, a flurry of strikes in all directions. It was all she could do to block them, her eyes wide as each blow slammed into Ongetsu's blade. He was grinning, and she was getting driven back, her back almost to the Division's wall…

Ikkaku.

She swept the staff around, catching Erlantz in the ankle. He stumbled, but spun out of the way, disappearing from sight and appearing a few feet away from her. Karin flash-stepped before he could close the distance between them, her other hand snatching up the portion of the shaft that was still connected to the scythe blade. It was short, barely longer than her arm, and awkwardly balanced. The blade curved about a foot from where she grabbed it.

She spun as Erlantz approached, and he had to pull his strike, moving the blade back towards his side as he blocked the strike. Karin shifted the scythe's angle, knocking Erlantz's blade out of the way as she continued to spin, the staff still in her other hand. The scythe's curved blade was aimed for his head this time, and he had to duck to avoid getting decapitated. Karin leaped into the air, letting the scythe's momentum carry her through another rotation as she slashed downward. Erlantz raised his blade to block her, the bone dagger cracking as her scythe slammed against it.

Fujikujaku whistled through the air, and Karin's eyes widened as she took a step back to block it, her breathing coming in heavy pants. Yumichika smirked at her, barely seeming to notice the exertion as he spun, bringing the curved blades down towards his shoulder. She moved Ongetsu to meet it, her scythe's blade barely managing to catch the attack.

Yumichika.

Before Erlantz could pull back, she landed on the ground, pivoting in the other direction and lashing out with her staff. He jumped back, barely avoiding getting hit in the torso. Karin sprang back, taking advantage of the distance between them to toss both halves of the scythe to the ground, pulling a weapon out of the earth. A black-hilted katana, the hilt attached to a chain. Karin wrapped the chain around her fist as Erlantz approached again, blocking the blow one-handed with her sword. She jumped back and flung the sword at Erlantz, the Arraar having to jump out of the way to avoid the blade. As the sword moved past him, she jerked the chain, pulling the blade back just as he came rushing towards her. She held it in her hand, pointing it at him, and he disappeared again, narrowly avoiding getting his throat cut.

Karin scowled in annoyance as Yachiru's sheathed sword flew past her, quickly raising Ongetsu to block an attack from the young vice-captain. Yachiru was grinning, darting back and forth in all directions, her hand wrapped around the cord attached to her sword's sheath. As she spun it overhead, the tip of it smacked Karin in the side of her head, sending her stumbling back with a growl of frustration. Yachiru hadn't even unsheathed her blade…

Yachiru.

She landed on the ground as Erlantz vanished, the sword still in her hands. The Arrancar appeared in the distance, groaning. The violet light around him was already starting to fade, leaking through the cracks in his armor. Karin's reiatsu flared around her as her eyes narrowed, and she held the sword out to her side, the world of her bankai wavering.

"You know what?" asked Karin, as Erlantz looked up at her. "You're not wrong. I enjoy a good fight. But when I fight, I fight two kinds of battles. There are battles I fight in for fun, which don't mean anything, and there are battles I fight in for a reason." Her eyes narrowed at him, and she swept her sword out to the side, holding the blade out. "Right now, I'm fighting to protect someone I care about. Which means I don't have time to play around with you."

She raised her eyes to Erlantz's, and a light filled them, the dark gray in them changing to bright gold.

"Nisshoku," she said.

The world of her bankai began to collapse, dissolving into a river of shadow that rushed towards her, moving towards the sword in her hands. As the world around her faded, the Shattered World reappearing around them, the sword in her hands grew. It grew and grew, the power of her bankai wrapping around it, until it was no longer a simple katana, but a black, double-edged zanbato, longer than she was tall. She held it in her hand as the last of her bankai's world faded away, the last stream of shadow melding into the sword.

Erlantz stared at her, wide-eyed. He took a step back, his blade in his hands.

Karin raised her eyes to his, her eyes shining a burnished gold.

She flash-stepped forward, swinging the sword in a one-handed arc. Erlantz raised his dagger to try and block it, but there was no hope. The blade cut through his own sword and straight through him, the Arrancar seeming to dissolve wherever the huge sword struck. He hovered in the air for a few moments, cut straight through the middle, before he began to dissolve in both directions, his face frozen in an expression of shock.

Karin landed on the ground, the sword already beginning to dissolve.

Kenpachi stood alone in the center of a field of Hollows, a grin on his face as the Hollows around him collapsed, Gillians and other powerful Hollows all dissolving at once. He swept his sword out in front of him, still grinning as he turned to face his stunned squad, who had just arrived on the battlefield, swords drawn. Karin watched, her hand on Ongetsu's hilt, as he turned away from them, already replacing his sword on his back…

The last of the shadows faded from around her sword, revealing Ongetsu's unreleased form. Karin stared at the Shattered World in front of her as the cloak of her bankai faded away. Slowly, deliberately, she raised her blade, swiping it out in front of her.

Then, she sheathed her sword, flash-stepping away.

Yuzu fell through space and time, her mind still grasping at the fragments of a memory. In her mind, she was both watching herself and seeing through the eyes of the child in the garden that day, the child who could sense the reishi particles in the air around her, who could pull them from the air as though they were physical things and draw them into her outstretched hand. The memory shattered, and then she was simply falling again, falling backwards into the blackness that had come up to surround her.

Her fall slowed, as though she was falling through water, her eyes slowly opening as she was set gently on her feet. She was standing in the center of a dark room, a circle of mirrors surrounding her. Her feet hovered an inch from the ground, the white robes of her bankai hovering around her as she floated there. There was no sign of Kyoka Suigetsu, no sign of the battle at all except for the spot of red that bloomed just over her shoulder, where Kyoka Suigetsu's sword had cut her.

Yuzu blinked, realizing that she wasn't alone. A figure in white stood directly across from her, her back to one of the mirrors. She looked identical to Yuzu herself, but wore a white robe that was slightly more elaborate, a white kimono that fell all the way down to her ankles. In her hands, she held a white straight-edged sword, and she looked up at Yuzu, her expression solemn. Yuzu stared at her, feeling herself slowly lowered to the ground.

"Jungetsu…?" she asked.

"We are such a shattered soul…" said Jungetsu, her voice soft as she stared at Yuzu. "We were a shattered soul."

"What are you talking about?" asked Yuzu, looking around. "Where's Kyoka Suigetsu?"

Jungetsu shook her head, lowering her eyes. She looked almost ashamed, but no less determined. "You know what I'm talking about, Yuzu," she said.

Yuzu's eyes widened, memory coming back to her in a flood. The day her mother died. It was a day in the rain, a day when Karin was crying in the corner and no one could hear her, a day when her father had suddenly run out of the room, and her mother and brother weren't home, and she was standing there…standing there…

And then she was breaking. Something inside her, shattering, breaking, slipping away…

She didn't remember the rest of that evening, didn't remember anything except waking up the next day in her own bed, with her father there to tell her her mother had died.

The images changed in the mirrors around her, reflecting the memory. In one mirror, she was lying on the living room floor, a child of five, her eyes closed as Karin stood over her shaking her. In another, a girl that looked just like her, a child dressed in a white robe, sat huddled in the dark, her hands around her knees. Cracks spiderwebbed their way up the child's arms and across her face, like she was made of glass that had broken. The girl in the first mirror grew up, took over the house, started caring for her family. The girl in the first mirror moved on with her life, but the girl in the second mirror remained the same, never leaving her corner, never even raising her head. Yuzu stared at the second girl, feeling drawn to her in a way she never was. She took a step closer to that image and saw that the girl's sleeves were trimmed in blue, where they weren't shattered. A pale blue, the color of her reiatsu.

Quincy blue.

"This is…" she said, stretching a hand out towards the mirror. "…you."

"It is a part of who I was," said Jungetsu, coming up beside her. She stared at the image of the child, her expression strangely melancholy. "…But it isn't the whole of who I became…"

The mirrors in the room flared to life, all except the image of the child. Yuzu looked down and realized that light rippled across the floor she was standing on, coming from Jungetsu. It was a pale silvery light, like the light of the moon. Like the moon on the surface of the water.

At once, the images in the mirrors changed, reflecting Jungetsu's reflection.

Jungetsu, standing proud in the center of the water. Jungetsu, reflected in the mirrors.

Yuzu stared, her breath catching in her throat. "The flower in the mirror…" she began.

"…the moon in the water," Jungetsu finished, letting out a soft sigh as she looked back at Yuzu. "When…I, when we were broken…it was all I could do to keep us alive. We had no power, Yuzu. We had nothing. And then, on that day…"

She grimaced, raising a hand to her head as though it hurt. Jungetsu shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again. "On that day, I wanted…" The images in the mirror changed again, the small, broken child getting to her feet. There was a figure forming in front of her, forming in a second mirror. A woman, dressed in blue, staring at the child. She had blue eyes, eyes wide with tears, her fine kimono ripped and torn.

Kyoka Suigetsu and yet not. A part of Kyoka Suigetsu?

She was reaching for the child.

Jungetsu inhaled sharply, and when she spoke again, Yuzu realized that she was not speaking from the perspective of the child anymore. "…When I…when we were broken…when that person cast us away, we were completely shattered. Dissolved by the Hogyoku. We were dust. Most of me…most of what I was…it must have continued on, must have retained enough power, somehow, to manifest the way it did. But I…"

She shook her head. "You don't understand, Yuzu," she said. "I was never meant to break in that way…never meant to shatter. I wanted only to create a better world, to make a world in which the lonely child I loved could be happy. But he broke me…shattered me…and I became powerful, but I was never the same. When I was cast off, on that day, when he discarded me, part of myself, the one part that still believed in that dream, went off to find a pure soul, a soul that could share that dream. A soul that still wanted to make the world better…And I found you. Such a broken soul, such a fragile soul, just trying to make the world a good place again."

The woman in the mirror reached a hand out to the girl, and the girl reached back. Yuzu stared, her eyes wide as their hands clasped, a bright light shining between the two of them. When the lights came together again, a woman, not a girl stood on the other side of the mirror, a woman she knew.

A woman she had come to know as Jungetsu.

"I found you…" said Jungetsu, her voice soft. "And we bloomed. We became something new, something…whole. But now…"

She inhaled sharply, turning towards Yuzu. Yuzu realized that she was still holding the sword in her hands, her grip on the blade white-knuckled, but instead of pointing it at Yuzu, she was handing it to her, hilt first. "Now, as we are, we can't win. What part of me came from our enemy won't be enough to defeat her, not like this. So please. I've brought you to my heart, Yuzu, to our true inner world. Please…so we can defeat her, so we can end this. Please…" She pressed the hilt of the blade into Yuzu's hand. "Shatter me."

The hilt was cold in her hand. Yuzu's fingers closed around it instinctively, her eyes wide. She looked up at Jungetsu, at the woman who had been by her side for so long, for ten years—for more than that. The woman who's face reflected so much of her own. She looked scared, but ready, and watched Yuzu with eyes wide, her own grip slowly loosening on the blade.

Jungetsu who was still, who had always been a part of her soul.

No matter what else she was, no matter what sort of power she had borrowed, she was still a part of her soul.

Yuzu's grip tightened on the sword briefly, her eyes narrowing.

The blade clattered against the ground as she flung it away.

Jungetsu's eyes widened as Yuzu suddenly drew her into a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around the other woman. As they embraced, Yuzu realized that she was shaking.

"Thank you…Jungetsu," Yuzu said, her eyes closed as she spoke into her zanpakuto spirit's ear. "But I can't. I don't want that sort of power…I don't want any of it. I just want to have you by my side, the way you are now. So please, don't ever give me that choice again. Please…stay Jungetsu for me."

"But…" Jungetsu began. "But we'll die…"

"Then we die," said Yuzu, smiling. "But at least we'll do it together. The way we are. But I don't plan on losing today."

Jungetsu's breath caught in her throat, her arms moving up to return the embrace. When she spoke, she sounded almost like the child again. "I believe you…" she said. "I'll fight with you. I believe you."

Light flared up around them in a circle, white light like the light of the full moon. As Yuzu lifted her head, the light changed, red seeping in from the edges and surrounding them. Yuzu took a breath, her eyes slowly opening. The light flared as she whispered the word.

"Gesshoku…"

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Kaigarasu (回烏, spinning crow) is Iwase Kintaro's zanpakuto. It appears as a sword on the end of a long chain, with three holes in the sword. Spinning the chain causes a high-pitched noise to emanate from the blade. Its release command is 'sing'.

Colibrí (hummingbird) is Erlantz Arkanos's zanpakuto. While a small blade, it allows him to cover long distances quickly and silently, at a speed greater than ordinary Sonido. The effect makes him look like a hummingbird, hovering and flitting in the air. Its release command is 'soar'.

Nisshoku (日蝕, solar eclipse)is a technique of Kurosaki Karin's bankai. It reflects the fact that a solar eclipse happens during a new moon, and concentrates all of Mukai Ongetsu's nullification power into a single sword. The sword is powerful enough to nullify a weaker enemy's existence, although it can only be used for one attack before Karin's bankai collapses.

So, I've been really nervous about including that twist, but I have been leading up to it for a while. *points at Ongetsu's strange behavior and the way he first led them to a pond, and Jungetsu's strange behavior from pretty much chapter one about seeing the shape of their enemy*. I figured I did enough set-up, so I might as well follow through. *prepares the same thrown weapon shield that I employed after introducing Azami* Don't hate me?

The omake is the sequel to the Valentine's Day omake. ^^

Omake

Flashback: White Day

"Wow, someone's popular," said Kohaku, staring at the mass of white-wrapped sweets strewn around Yuzu. Yuzu shook her head, giving her friend a strained smile from where she was sitting on her heels on the floor.

"We just have really polite Division members," she said. "I'm sure you got a lot of things too, Kohaku-chan."

"Nah," said Kohaku, holding up the bag in her hand. She grimaced as she pulled a brightly colored tie dye shirt out of it. "Just got this from Abarai-taicho. I don't think he understands White Day. Oh, and this." She lifted what looked like a white figurine out of the bag, cut into the image of the Third Division's marigold. On the back of it was written a haiku about the despair of battle. She winced. "That's from Kira-fukutaicho. I think he understands White Day, he just needs serious help. Oh, and white chocolate from Masa. What have you got?"

"The usual," said Yuzu with a tired smile, gesturing at the pile. "Obligatory gifts and things like that."

"What's in the big box?" asked Kohaku, pointing at a box that sat beside her.

"That's from Kuchiki-taicho," said Yuzu. "I think he liked his present."

Kohaku lifted the lid carefully, peering into it. "Is that a cake?" she asked, her eyes widening. "With…a white chocolate replica of Jungetsu topping it?"

"Um…I think he really liked his present?" Yuzu offered in explanation, flushing slightly. "And also I don't think his chef gets the chance to make sweets very often, so he probably went a little overboard."

"Oh, I see~" said Kohaku, smiling. A gleam appeared over her glasses. "You know his staff?"

Yuzu's flush deepened. "Well, I did go over there a lot and—it is not like that, Kohaku-chan!"

"Not like what?" asked Karin, opening the door.

"Nothing!" said Yuzu quickly, going back to sorting her presents. Kohaku's smirk simply widened. Karin glanced between the two of them, a scowl on her face before she stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her and dropping a sack carelessly onto the ground. Yuzu and Kohaku's eyes widened as it fell to the ground with a clash, turning towards Karin.

Karin's scowl deepened, and she sat cross-legged on the ground, folding her arms and glaring at them as if challenging them to mention it. As they watched, several white-wrapped packages tumbled out of the bag. The two of them exchanged glances.

"Well—uh—," Yuzu began.

"—I guess Karin's pretty popular too?" Kohaku offered. "You know, in—uh—in her Division…"

"I don't get it!" Karin suddenly said, startling them. "I spend half the time yelling at them and the other half beating them up. What the hell? I didn't even hand out any damn chocolate!"

Yuzu and Kohaku turned to look at each other, sweatdrops appearing on the backs of their heads.

"You don't think…" Kohaku began.

"Yeah…" said Yuzu. "They probably like that."

There was a thump from outside, and Karin shot to her feet, her eyes narrowing. "Not again," she muttered, walking over to the door. As she pushed it open, Yuzu and Kohaku leaned forward, peering past her into the hallway. A group of three Eleventh Division members were there, white boxes in their hands. They bolted as soon as they saw her, dropping the boxes to the ground and taking off.

"I'm not going to say it again!" Karin yelled at them, looking in both directions down the hallway. Yuzu heard the sound of several scurrying feet. "Go the fuck away!"