A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews!

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FÜNFUNDZWANZIG

TIMELINE X + N

Kisuke carefully put the two Grief Seeds into secure containers, sat at his desk, and politely asked Akemi to excuse him for a few minutes while he tended to a task. They all knew it was an order to stay where she was while Kisuke rapidly typed out notes and questions about the entire debacle. Akemi played along, nodding and murmuring for him to take all the time he needed— a perfect guest. The clacking of the keyboard was the only sound in the tense atmosphere for a good ten minutes. Finally, Kisuke sat back and scrubbed his face with both hands, then sighed deeply. He dropped his hands looked at the bona fide magical girl sitting rigidly in his guest chair.

Kisuke chose to remain silent and just observe Akemi for awhile. Her mask of calm was admirable for one so young, but the emotions she tried to hide were betrayed by slight twitches and frowns. The girl was keenly aware that Hitsugaya was leaning against the door to their side not solely out of interest but to keep her from escaping, her eyes unhappily darting to him and the visible hilt of his sword now and then. If Kisuke was interpreting her disapproving glances at his computer correctly, she didn't like that he had documented anything. Her ankles were crossed and her hands were clasped in her lap in apparent passivity, but her knuckles were white. Ah, she was consciously trying to look non-threatening. And his long, wordless scrutiny was starting to unnerve her. Good.

Kisuke clapped his hands with false eagerness. "Well!"

Akemi startled like a frightened bird. Good.

He straightened and rolled closer to the desk. "I think we won't get anywhere until I address your concern about being hunted by shinigami. I beg your pardon, but I've never heard of magical girls outside of fiction, never mind missions to hunt them. If you would explain why you think shinigami would hunt magical girls, I may be able to put your fears to rest."

The girl stared at him, considering. "I only know what Karin and Yuzu told me last week," she hedged.

Kisuke nodded pleasantly. "That's fine. Do tell."

Akemi pursed her lips. "They said that what the Incubator does to make us magical girls imitates what zan...pakuto?" Kisuke nodded. "We would have if we went to... Soul Society? And became shinigami." She paused to look at him for a reaction. Kisuke displayed nothing but polite interest. "That our weapons aren't perfect copies, but they can purify Hollows and help souls cross over." Akemi eyed him again. He still didn't react. "Karin said the shinigami don't— didn't?— like it when humans can... do shinigami things. The Incubator said shinigami execute humans who get powers. It mentioned some kind of genocide?" She peered up at him in inquiry.

"The Quincy?" Kisuke asked. Akemi nodded. He scratched his chin. "Unfortunately, yes, though there were extenuating circumstances." At Akemi's skeptical look, he added, "Their methods were outright destroying the souls that made up Hollows instead of purifying them and sending them to Soul Society. There were attempts to make peace, but they fell through. I will admit it was largely due to shinigami arrogance. We've all had our hubris thoroughly shoved in our faces since then, though."

Akemi tilted her head thoughtfully. "In the war? Karin said her brother defeated the enemy and the shinigami changed their minds because he was human and shinigami and Quincy, yet still helped them. But Karin and Yuzu did not want to mention their ties to shinigami so the Incubator did not believe them when they said relations had improved."

Kisuke blinked and raised his eyebrows. "That's... vastly simplified, but— wait, the girls know all that?"

Hitsugaya scoffed from where he leaned on the door and quietly said, "If you thought the girls wouldn't succeed at prying anything out of Kurosaki after all the strange things that happened in the war, you're either a fool or have never met them."

Kisuke thought for a moment, then conceded the point with a nod. "Anyway, yes, Ichigo and his allies changed several important minds in the military and the bureaucracy was completely replaced. While still conservative, they are far more moderate. The official stance toward humans with powers has been relaxed. As long as they don't damage and destroy souls, prevent souls from crossing over, or show hostile intent, the Thirteen Divisions will leave them be." Kisuke sat back. "Do magical girls have hostile intent?"

"No!" Akemi blurted, then immediately said, "Well..." The shinigami raised their eyebrows. Akemi pursed her lips. "Not toward anyone in particular. As a whole. But there are magical girls who will aggressively defend their territory. Especially from other magical girls."

Kisuke frowned. That was actually really surprising. "Against their own? Why?"

Akemi quickly averted her eyes. He waited her out. She used a clinical voice to answer, "Grief Seeds are in high demand and limited supply. Some girls team up and share, but others do not. If they are not with someone, they are usually against everyone."

Harsh. "And what kind of magical girl are you, Miss Akemi?"

The girl pursed her lips and stared at him coldly. "It depends."

"On what?"

"On if another magical girl threatens my friends." She frowned mulishly. "I am not worried about losing territory. I can easily get new Grief Seeds elsewhere."

Kisuke hummed in thought to stall. Her attitude bespoke confidence in her abilities and experience. Not necessarily to a delusional extent, considering her performance in the labyrinth. He set aside fact-checking her self-evaluation until later. Deciding to be cruelly blunt to catch her off-guard, he casually asked, "Do you have any plans for causing an apocalypse or something in your anger now that you've failed and your friends are dead?"

Akemi recoiled as though slapped, white-faced. She nearly rose from her chair to indignantly shout something, but her eyes went wide and she snapped her mouth shut with a click of her teeth. The girl sat back hard and stared at him wildly, plainly realizing she had underestimated how dangerous he was with words.

Damn. Backfire. Too quick-witted. Work with it, work with it.

Kisuke took his hat off and dipped his head. "My sincerest apologies for the cruel words, Miss Akemi. I needed to startle a genuine reaction out of you. If I am to assist you and advocate for you, I must be able to assure my peers of your lack of ill will. In my position, I am obligated to take measures to ensure my allies' safety. I hope you understand that."

Akemi squinted at him suspiciously and resentfully grit out, "The only being anyone needs to worry about me always hating and wanting to kill is the Incubator."

"Good. I believe you." Kisuke nodded genially, making a mental note of the interesting qualifier she had used. He wondered if that little "always" was a conscious choice or a Freudian slip. Whichever it was, he needed to convince her to set aside her newly heightened suspicion for cooperation. Her friends were dead, so they would make poor levers, but— yes. Never use the stick when the carrot will suffice. Kisuke met her eyes and seriously said, "Should the information you provide lead us to determine this 'Incubator' is a threat which preys upon human souls, would you be willing to assist in its elimination?"

The girl blinked. Tilted her head in skepticism. Tried to keep a straight face. Failed to hide the eager sharpness in her eyes. "I have tried to kill it many times," she said carefully, her face sliding into that of a hardened veteran several times her age. "It has many bodies. Possibly a single consciousness. I have lost track of how many I have destroyed. It always has replacements. I have conflicting information regarding what it really is and where it comes from. It claims to have been causing this cycle for millennia."

"And it preys on the souls of innocent girls," Kisuke added smoothly.

Akemi nodded, eyes steely.

"I will take great pleasure in unraveling the net this being has caught you all in." Kisuke let his eyes get heavy-lidded, his face easing into grim craftiness. "And I do so love a challenge." He put his hat back on. "First order of business is to see if I can salvage Karin and Yuzu's souls, though."

Akemi shook her head mournfully. "Yuzu's soul no longer exists."

Kisuke and Hitsugaya tensed.

"What do you mean?!" Hitsugaya demanded. "You gave a Grief Seed to Urahara—!"

"That is not Yuzu's soul."

Kisuke rolled over to the lab table and opened the containers to feel their reiatsu. One was definitely a twisted version of Karin's. The other... was definitely not Yuzu's. He looked up at Hitsugaya, surprised. "She's right." He frowned. "How did I not notice...?"

Akemi's face relaxed into sympathy. "You were very good, but everyone's first labyrinth is very disorienting. And you were distracted."

Kisuke scowled. "No excuse." He closed the containers and rolled back to the desk. "Where is her soul?"

Akemi frowned. "I told you: It no longer exists."

"Explain."

She paused, then held up her left hand to show him the diamond-shaped amethyst on its back. "When magical girls transform, their Soul Gems do, too. They usually become some kind of ornament." She withdrew her hand and visibly debated how much to say.

"Miss Akemi," Kisuke said softly. "From their name, I presume Soul Gems are critically important and you don't want to make yours vulnerable." Akemi looked surprised. "But incomplete information can slow or kill my investigation. I need to know."

Akemi frowned uncertainly and glanced warily at Hitsugaya. The young man straightened and growled, "I want to destroy whatever did this to Karin and Yuzu. You're our only lead. No one in this shop is going to let anything happen to you. I'll be your representative at the captains' meeting. We need as much information as possible to shorten the investigation and figure out how to handle this."

After another minute of consideration, the magical girl sighed. "A magical girl's Soul Gem is literally her soul condensed into crystal. As long as our Gems do not become too corrupted, we can recover from and fight through any injury because the damage is separate from us— our bodies may as well be puppets once we contract. The greatest weakness in this system is that destruction of the Soul Gem is literally destruction of the soul." Akemi's voice quieted. "Yuzu's Soul Gem was shattered by a railroad spike this afternoon. That Grief Seed is the soul of the Witch who killed her."

Hitsugaya sagged against the door and stared blankly at the ceiling. Kisuke closed his eyes and rubbed them with one hand. "You're certain?"

Akemi nodded. "I saw the shards dissolve."

"Right. Okay. Well." Kisuke dropped his hand, breathed deeply, and changed course. He couldn't afford to dwell on the implications yet. "Karin's soul, then." He snagged a pad of paper and plopped it on his desk. Ready to write, he turned a piercing gaze on Akemi. "I want you to tell me everything you know about Soul Gems and Grief Seeds, magical girls and Witches. Even things you are uncertain about or oddities you've observed. Save the story of what brought you to this point for later."

Akemi drew a steadying breath and began to speak.

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Uryū Ishida didn't know what he expected to find when he and his friends arrived at Urahara Shop, but it definitely wasn't a half-bombed-out building with debris littering the yard. He kept moving through the shock, though, approaching the gathering of familiar reiatsu signatures with his bow drawn just in case. Uryū rounded the corner and ducked to avoid a flying two-by-four.

Chad grabbed his hand before he could loose an arrow and said, "Kon."

The Quincy stepped back. The stupid Mod Soul stood there in Kurosaki's stupid body and stared stupidly at them. He was scratched up and terribly pale. Not even the sight of Orihime affected him. His reaction was a melancholy, "Oh. What are you doing here?"

A muscle jumped in Uryū's jaw. "What are we doing here?! Twelfth Division called us because none of you would answer your phones! And what is going on here?!"

"Oh." Kon listlessly looked into the gaping hole in the shop. "I don't really understand everything, but we fought some weird-ass monsters and Karin and Yuzu are dead, but Urahara's gonna try to fix them."

"What?!" hissed Uryū as Chad and Orihime rushed into the shop. Kon just shrugged and went back to hauling debris.

Uryū caught up with Chad and Orihime, who had drawn up short at the sight of their friend and his father sitting in shell-shocked defeat by the bodies of the Kurosaki sisters.

Orihime held her hands over her mouth and made a tearful sound of dismay, then charged forward. "Ichigo! I'll heal them!" Two of her hairpin fairies glimmered and darted to the girls, fluttered around them, and made a glowing shield. Yuzu's wounds and pallor were undone, but the girls remained lifeless. Orihime's fairies returned to her and spoke in voices that sounded like chimes to everyone else. "But— but why—?"

Ichigo looked up at her with painful slowness. He stared at her dully, eyes glassy. "Their souls aren't in their bodies."

"Where are they?" Orihime asked worriedly.

Ichigo's only reply was to speechlessly sink his face into his hands and shake his head. It was one of the more disturbing things his friends had seen.

Yoruichi slunk around from behind Isshin and murmured an order to follow her. She took them aside and explained the afternoon in broad strokes. Orihime cried through most of the report while Uryū and Chad reacted with horror. They were spared having to think of something to say by the appearance of Urahara, Hitsugaya, and the dark-haired actual real-life magical girl.

Ichigo remained morose, but Isshin blearily looked up at the shopkeeper. "Kisuke, you bastard, you had Tessai drug us."

"Of course I did," Urahara said unrepentantly.

Isshin stared for a moment, mumbled, "Thanks," and went back to watching his daughters as though he might see them suddenly draw breath again if he watched long enough.

Urahara looked around the room. His eyes sharpened. "Ah! Miss Inoue! Just the talented young lady I wanted to see!"

Orihime sat ramrod straight and stared at him intensely. "Can I help?!"

"Quite possibly. I would prefer to do a bit of study and explain things to you instead of throwing you into a situation blindly. I need to be sure I understand what's happening."

Orihime clenched her fists and made a face of earnest determination. "I'll do whatever it takes!"

Urahara smiled faintly. "I had no doubt that you would." He looked around the assembly more seriously. "Captain Hitsugaya needs to leave to make a report at a captains' meeting. I am sending an official request for him to be stationed here afterward. I need to study Miss Akemi's information and do some tests. In the mean time, everyone is staying here tonight and everyone needs to eat. Tessai, Ururu, please prepare a meal. Yoruichi, please go to the clinic and fetch some things for Isshin and Ichigo." The black cat trotted down a hallway. "Jinta, prepare a room and futon for the Kurosaki family to stay in for now. Everyone else... just... do whatever. Clearing debris would be nice but you can just sit with the Kurosakis if you want." Urahara exchanged quiet words with Hitsugaya before the captain departed, then retreated to his lab.

Uryū stood and looked at the Kurosaki men for a long minute as he tried to reorient himself to a world where they could look so beaten. He couldn't, so he wandered over to the gaping hole in the wall to busy his hands with something so he wouldn't feel useless.

It didn't work, but at least he didn't have to see Ichigo's face.

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Homura stood awkwardly, unsure what to do. A dark-skinned woman with her dark hair pulled up in a ponytail strode out of a hall. Homura blinked. She knew that magical signature. "Yoru... ichi...?"

"In the flesh," Yoruichi drawled humorlessly. Her human voice was drastically different from her feline form's voice.

"Um."

"What?"

Homura looked down at her hands, which were clenched in her bloodied lavender skirt. "When you go to the clinic, can you get me something?" Yoruichi raised a brow in inquiry. "Yuzu washed my uniform and stacked it all on her dresser. It has a cream blouse and black skirt. Can you get it for me? I want to change out of this—" she indicated her costume— "but if I do, I'll be wearing Yuzu's dress. I... I don't think I can do that."

Yoruichi's face softened and she let out a puff of air. She rested one hand on Homura's head. It was strangely comforting. "Got it. I shouldn't be gone long."

Left alone, Homura desperately wanted to hide in a closet and forget the day had happened. But she didn't feel she deserved that respite when her... her friends— she had made more friends and gotten them killed a week after meeting them—! She shook her head. Her friends lay dead and their family was devastated. All because Homura had prioritized their usefulness over their safety.

Homura approached the Kurosaki family as though walking on eggshells and slowly knelt across from the men, dead girls between them. When they noticed her, she dragged herself down into the deepest bow she could manage. She held the position and said, "I'm sorry. I should have— I should have been better— I should—" Her voice choked off. She swallowed a sob. "I'm so sorry."

Isshin and Ichigo slowly looked up at her. A minute later, Ichigo rasped, "What did I tell you about always blaming yourself?"

Homura raised her head to look at him, confused. "W-what?"

Ichigo scrubbed his face with both palms, stared at the ceiling to gather himself, and tiredly looked at Homura once more. "What did I tell you about expecting to be able to handle everything yourself?"

Homura blinked, then sat up and stared. "But... but I wasn't by myself. And I held back in the fight. I could have ended it before— before—" She looked down at her lap, miserable.

"Why did you hold back, then?" Isshin asked hoarsely. One by one, the others in the room started watching the conversation.

"I— I was s-selfish," Homura said, unable to look at him. "There— there is going to be an attack on Mitakihara on Sunday. Karin and Yuzu said they would help me. I— I was holding back to see how well they fought. I did not want to take them to fight Walpurgisnacht if they were not strong enough to have a chance. But I underestimated the Witch and ruined everything. I should have known better."

The men stared at her for a long minute. Eventually, Isshin slowly said, "The three of you were fighting creatures in a maze like the one we were in?"

"Yes, sir."

"Three untrained fourteen-year-olds against some kind of nightmare army?"

Homura knit her brows and peeked up at him through wet eyelashes. "Yes, sir. But I have a lot of experience. I... did not take the fight as seriously as I should have."

Isshin paused to search her face. "You were trying to find out if you needed to protect them from something stronger?"

Homura squirmed. "Yes? But I didn't protect them from the Witch right in front of us."

Isshin scowled. "If anyone failed to protect my girls, it was me. I'm their father. I should have noticed something well before now."

"All of us who are older and have powers should have noticed something," Ichigo added firmly.

"You shouldn't have to be responsible for the outcome of battles like this," said Isshin.

"But I am," Homura argued. "I was there and I did not fight to the best of my ability."

Isshin sighed. "You made a mistake trying to protect the girls from the big picture instead of focusing on the small picture. It's a trap even experienced warriors can fall into." He looked her dead in the eye. "Given your age, your good intentions, and having seen the kind of opponents you're up against without formal training... I forgive you."

Homura stared at him incredulously. "You're... you're not angry at me?"

"How can I be? You're caught in the same trap as my girls. And if I understood you right, this would have happened eventually whether you were here or not," Isshin said heavily. "If you hadn't been there, we may never have known what happened. Instead of wallowing in guilt, focus on moving forward. Cooperate with Kisuke. Help him try to save their souls. Share information about whoever the hell did this to my baby girls so we can destroy them."

Both Kurosaki men stared at Homura with fire in their eyes. It was catching. She sat straighter, her expression firmed into resolve, and she nodded. "All right." Silent tears still trailed down her cheeks.

Isshin sighed sadly and held an arm out. "Come over here." Homura looked at him uncertainly. He beckoned her again. She shuffled around the girls and was coaxed into kneeling between the surviving Kurosaki family. Isshin took her hand, patted it, and looked at the twins again. Ichigo put an arm around her shoulders and shakily took a deep breath.

All they could do for now was wait for word from Urahara and Hitsugaya. It felt minutely better to not have to wait alone.

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A/N: This chapter brought to you by FEELINGS.

This chapter was replaced with an edited version on November 1, 2019. Reviews with timestamps before that date refer to a slightly different version of the chapter.