A/N: I originally wanted to go with another "moon" title for this story to round everything out, but I couldn't come up with one that wasn't tacky, and so I present to you the third (official) installment of the Phases/Chasing (Phasing?) series, To Each Ending, A Beginning. Good luck shortening that one. Endings, maybe?

So, my vision for this story is to obviously focus on the ByaYuzu pairing, but to give HitsuKarin and IchiRuki progression and weight. (Maybe not EQUAL progression and weight. I'd like to, but I won't promise it because my brain and fingers love to steer the story towards ByaYuzu even when I don't want it to, but MAJOR progression and weight). I know the direction I'm going to take each couple through, I know where they start and where they end, so fingers crossed that it all works out!

Regarding the geography of Seireitei, I'm aware that the barracks aren't actually stuck to each other and that they occupy different positions around Seireitei, but I've had omakes and other things about Ichigo literally being able to lean over the wall of the Fifth to look into the Sixth, and I can't get it out of my head now. XD So by some quirk of fate, there is at least a small area where the Fifth and Sixth Division grounds overlap with each other (maybe the very, very back end of the Fifth's compound shares a wall with one of the well-used areas of the Sixth).

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

Chapter 1: From the beginning again

The Kuchiki Manor was quiet the morning after the wedding, as if the whole world had held its breath. Servants moved through the halls, taking down decorations and putting away the tables and chairs that had been set out for the guests, keeping their conversation to murmurs. It was as though the whole household was in a daze, as though the events of the day before had been a surreal dream, and every member of the Kuchiki House was trying to come to terms with the fact that it had been real. And of all the people living in the Kuchiki Manor, none were more conscious of this than the lord of the manor himself.

Kuchiki Byakuya ate breakfast slowly and in utter silence, his mind still working through the events of yesterday and the fact that he wasn't married to Nishimori Azami. The servants that waited on him seemed to tell that he was in an unusually contemplative mood. They said nothing as they served the food and cleared the plates, saving their conversations for the hallways and kitchens. It was only at the end of his meal that Maki came to him personally, removing the last of the dishes from in front of him and refilling his cup with tea.

As head of staff, she was the only one of his servants who would have dared to speak at that moment, as someone who had worked in the Manor since his childhood, she was most likely the only one who felt the need to.

"Will you be leaving for your Division today, my lord?" she asked.

Byakuya responded without looking at her, his eyes drawn to the way the steam curled over the rim of his cup of tea. "I will."

"I see," said Maki. "Then…if my lord will permit me to be so bold as to make a suggestion, you should speak to Yuzu-dono. I imagine she is still very confused."

Byakuya thought of Yuzu, thought of the way she had acted around him in the gardens yesterday, the shyness with which she had spoken his name. They hadn't had much chance to speak yesterday, with most of the conversation being dominated by her family. By the time the situation had been cleared up, there had only been enough time for a hasty goodbye.

He drew in a breath. "That was always my intent."

"I see." Maki bowed, the dishes still in her hands. "Then, if my lord will excuse me."

He barely noticed her leaving the room, his eyes still fixed on the coiling puffs of steam.

Yuzu exhaled over her cup, her breath forming little ripples across the surface. All around her, the shinigami of the Sixth ate and drank with gusto, but her stomach felt like it had been tied up in knots ever since this morning. She took a small sip in an attempt to calm the butterflies, drumming her fingers along the side of the cup.

A part of her still couldn't believe that yesterday had really happened, that she was actually engaged to Byakuya. Waking up in the vice-captain's quarters and staring up at the familiar ceiling, it was easy to believe that that had only been a dream. That was, of course, until she stepped outside and found herself assaulted with congratulations, confirming that all of that had been real. She picked at her food, trying not to jump each time someone walked past her in the mess hall, her eyes occasionally straying to the clock.

He would be here soon. What was she supposed to say to him? How was she supposed to behave? Would he expect her to greet him the way she always had, or was she supposed to use a more intimate greeting?

The image of a kiss flashed through her mind and Yuzu's face flushed. She nearly choked on her food as she shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Fukutaicho?"

Shiyougi's voice behind her nearly made her hit the ceiling. Yuzu jumped, her eyes wide as she swiveled around to look behind her. "O-O-Ohayou, Shiyougi-san!" she said quickly.

"Are you alright?" asked Shiyougi, blinking at her. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine, Shiyougi-san." Yuzu took a deep breath to calm herself down, her heart still pounding. "You just startled me, that's all."

"Is that so?" Shiyougi frowned at her, scratching the back of his neck. Yuzu straightened up, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Um—was there something you needed, Shiyougi-san?" she asked.

"The captain just arrived," said Shiyougi. "He's in the office. Thought you might want to know."

The captain.

Those two words sent Yuzu's stomach fluttering all over again. She rose to her feet, abandoning the cup of tea and what was left of her breakfast. "Thank you, Shiyougi-san," she said, smiling. "I—I should go talk to him."

Easier said than done.

Yuzu moved through the mess hall at a steady pace, doing her best to ignore the eyes of the other members of her division as she walked over to the office door. Once she was in front of it, though, she found that she couldn't bring herself to open it. She shook her head, telling herself she was being silly, and slowly opened the door.

He was sitting at his desk at the far end of the room, the same way he always was, papers spread out in front of him. As Yuzu stepped into the room, he looked up at her, and she caught in his eyes the same kind of hesitance that was present in her own. She took a deep breath, closing the door behind her.

"Good…good morning," she said. "Byakuya."

The name felt strange and unfamiliar on her tongue; she was sure she said it softer than she had spoken the rest of the sentence.

"Good morning…Yuzu," Byakuya said in reply, quickly glancing back down at his papers. Yuzu exhaled softly, walking over to her desk. She sat down in front of her own work, pulling a stack of papers closer to her.

Yuzu reached out, slowly beginning to sort through them. As she worked, she couldn't help but look up and glance at Byakuya. He seemed thoroughly absorbed in his work, but strangely…agitated. Once in a while, she caught him glancing up at the same time as she did—the two of them quickly glanced away.

"Did you…" she began, in an attempt to clear the tension in the air. "…did you have a good night?"

"…Yes," said Byakuya. "And yourself?"

"Oh, um, it was good," said Yuzu. "Very…quiet." As soon as the words came out, she winced inwardly, turning her attention back to the page. Quiet? Really? Was that the best she could do?

"As was mine," said Byakuya.

"That's…nice." Yuzu took a deep breath, staring back down at the form. Her heart pounded, and the words swam in front of her, so that she could hardly make sense of them. She stared at them for a few moments longer before deciding that this was useless and sitting up.

"Um—," she began, louder than she intended. "I—."

Byakuya paused, looking over at her, and Yuzu looked away to hide the flush on her face. "I'm going to go see Karin-chan!" she said hurriedly, getting to her feet. "We didn't have a chance to talk after—last night—and she wanted me to come over."

"I…I see," said Byakuya, slowly. He looked back down at his page. "Give your sister my regards."

"Okay!" said Yuzu, quickly leaving the room.

Once she was outside, she leaned against the office door, staring up at the ceiling and letting out a long breath. Her heart was still pounding, her stomach roiling both out of embarrassment and from the situation as a whole. She pressed the palm of her hand over her face, squeezing her eyes shut at the memory of those last few moments.

What is wrong with me?

"So, um, that's the story," said Yuzu, looking over at her sister. The two of them were seated across the floor from each other in Karin's room, Karin leaning with her back against the wall. Karin's arms were folded, a frown on her face as she watched her twin. Outside, the two of them could hear the shouts of Eleventh Division members sparring in the training yard.

"I can't believe you didn't say anything," she said. "Ten years. I kind of picked up on a little bit of it, but why didn't you tell me?"

Yuzu flushed, lowering her eyes to her knees. Her fingers curled into fists over her thighs. "I don't know," she said. "It didn't seem important. I didn't think anything would come out of it, so…"

Karin sighed, tilting her head back and looking up at the ceiling. "Fine," she said, "I forgive you." Yuzu relaxed, letting out the breath she was holding. She tensed again when Karin looked back at her, meeting her eyes. "So, if that's the case, why are you here? Shouldn't you be…you know, talking to him right now or something?"

Yuzu glanced away, her hands tightening back into fists. The memory of their halting conversation still burned in the back of her mind. "I—tried, but it was awkward. I didn't know what to do. So, I…" She shook her head, trailing off as she looked back at her twin.

Karin's frown deepened, and she sat up, her eyes on her sister. "I thought this was what you wanted," she said.

"It—it is," said Yuzu. "But earlier today, taicho—I mean, Byakuya…" She trailed off again, lowering her eyes. How could she explain it to Karin? It was as though in all of her interactions with him, there had been a barrier between them. Both of them had known it existed, and maybe there were times when both of them wished the barrier wasn't there. But it had become a comfortable presence, something they both understood, and from behind that barrier, they had been able to speak to each other. Now, the barrier was gone, and neither of them seemed to know where to draw the lines.

But she couldn't put all of that into words. So she sat there, hoping that somehow, her twin would pick up her meaning.

Karin seemed to understand. She sighed again, leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes. When she opened them, she wasn't looking at Yuzu, but at the wall directly over her shoulder. "Well, of course it would be awkward," she said. "You can't just go from nothing to being engaged overnight without some kind of awkwardness."

"But what do I do, Karin-chan?" asked Yuzu, looking up at her twin. "I don't know how to deal with…" Her face flushed. "…with this."

"Have you tried telling him about it?" asked Karin, meeting her sister's eyes.

"I don't know if I can…" said Yuzu.

Karin's eyes narrowed. "Try," she said. "Look. As much as I don't like it, the two of you are stuck together. If you want to make this work, you're gonna need to be able to talk to him about stuff like this. You're not…you're not the best at telling people how you feel—none of us are—but you need to open up." She took a deep breath, watching her sister as Yuzu looked away, staring down at the ground. Her expression softened. "You love him, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes…" said Yuzu, her hands shaking slightly as they tightened again. "I do."

"Then, you really should talk to him," said Karin. "Don't…don't wait."

Yuzu nodded, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat. She forced herself to breathe, to uncurl her fists as she looked up at her sister. "I…I will," she said, starting to rise. She smiled slightly, watching her twin. "Thank you, Karin-chan. You always know what to do."

Karin flushed, folding her arms and looking away. "I do not," she said, squeezing her eyes shut. "Get moving."

"Hai, hai," said Yuzu, shaking her head. She picked Jungetsu up off the floor, slipping the sword back into her obi. Yuzu turned, about to leave the room, and had almost made it to the door when Karin looked up.

"And, Yuzu?" said her twin. Yuzu looked back, a questioning frown on her face as she met her sister's eyes. "Good luck."

Yuzu nodded in acknowledgment as she turned to leave the room.

"She just ran off?" asked Ichigo, scowling as he glanced up at the other captain from his desk. "Yuzu did?"

"Keep your voice down," said Byakuya, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at the window. His brother-in-law might have been alone in his office, but that didn't mean he wanted everyone to know why he was here. He himself wasn't entirely sure why he had come, only that he knew he couldn't sit in his office after her departure. Ichigo followed his gaze, rolling his eyes as he leaned back in his chair.

"Please," he said. "Hinamori already knows you're here, and Masa's probably figured it out."

Byakuya glanced away, the fingers of one hand curling inward. He felt…embarrassed, he realized as he looked down at the ground. It wasn't something he had felt in a long time. He had faced countless enemies, had stood up against a thousand tragedies. He had been the captain of the Sixth Division for just over half a century now, the head of his clan for just a little bit longer. And yet, here he was, reduced to feeling embarrassed and asking for advice like a stammering schoolboy.

As an audience, Ichigo was wholly unsympathetic. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long sigh as he set the papers in his hand down.

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation," he muttered to himself, before meeting Byakuya's eyes. "Look. I know you're not the most open of people, but have you tried, you know, talking to her?"

Byakuya glared at him. "I was trying," he said. "Did you not listen to a word I said?"

"That's not what I meant," said Ichigo. "I meant, talking to her about this. Your feelings, whatever. Take her out to dinner or something. Yuzu's great at reading people, but if you give her nothing to work with, she's going to think it's somehow her fault."

"That could not be…farther from the truth."

"Then tell her," said Ichigo. "Open up a little, dammit. Weren't you the one who was married before?"

Byakuya glanced away, the memory of Hisana coming back to him at Ichigo's words. Her last few moments, her eyes on his as the light faded away. With Hisana, he had certainly been more open. "Circumstances were…different back then," he said.

"Your feelings were different?" asked Ichigo, watching him carefully.

"No," said Byakuya, looking up. "But I was."

Ichigo held Byakuya's gaze for a long time before he sighed, looking away. "I wasn't kidding when I told you to take her out," he said, glancing at the stack of papers next to him. "Yuzu…doesn't need to be treated like a princess, but she'd probably be happy knowing that you cared."

"Perhaps…I'll do that," said Byakuya, watching Ichigo.

"Good." Ichigo looked up, glancing at the clock in the room. "You should probably get going," he said. "Rukia'll be here for lunch any minute now."

Byakuya nodded, his eyes moving towards the clock as well. There was a training session scheduled for after lunch. Yuzu would return to the Division soon. He had a few more moments to think about what he would say to her when she did. He turned to leave, then paused, remembering something else that he had come here to say.

"…Ichigo," he said, looking back at his brother-in-law. Ichigo looked up, watching him.

"Yeah?"

"Regarding Rukia," said Byakuya. "After…the wedding, she should change her name. It's perhaps long overdue."

Ichigo's eyes widened a fraction as he watched him. Byakuya knew that this was something he had been wanting for a long time, but the events regarding Kyoka Suigetsu's rise and Yuzu's betrothal had pushed the question to the back of his mind. It hurt in a way Byakuya would never have expected, letting Rukia go, but it was about time. Before Ichigo could say anything, Byakuya turned away, heading for the door.

"Byakuya," said Ichigo, making him pause. Byakuya stood in the office doorframe, looking back over his shoulder. Ichigo was still scowling, but his expression had become unusually contemplative, as though his irritation was directed inward now. "Yuzu…gave up a lot," he said. "For us. I haven't been able to do much more than protect her…" He trailed off, shaking his head as if he realized he was rambling. His eyes met Byakuya's again. "So you…treat her well. She deserves that much at least."

Byakuya looked away, his eyes moving towards the door. He thought back to the things Yuzu had said in Inuzuri, and the words she had written in her letter. He thought about how she had stayed by his side for ten years without complaint, how she had stood next to him at Hisana's grave.

"…If I had…a thousand lives, I could not give her everything she deserves. But I can try."

Ichigo said nothing more as Byakuya left, walking out the door.

Ichigo darted behind a tree as a group of Fifth Division shinigami jogged past, careful not to be seen. He waited until the group had passed before peering around the tree trunk, quickly making his way to the wall. A tree grew here, its branches hanging over the wall that separated the Fifth Division and Sixth Division's compounds. He paused at the tree trunk, glancing around to make sure that no one was watching, then quickly placed his hand on the lowermost branch. He pulled himself up into the leaves—

—and smacked his head right into Karin's.

"Ow, shit!" Karin cursed, squeezing her eyes shut and rubbing at her head. "What the hell?"

"That's my line!" said Ichigo, wincing as he rubbed at the top of his own head. Karin was crouched on a branch just above his, sitting with her back against the trunk and peering down into the Sixth's courtyard. Her eyes widened at the sound of his voice, and she looked down at him.

"Ichi-nii?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Ichigo repeated, pointing at her. "This is my Division! What are you doing here?"

Karin flushed, quickly glancing away and folding her arms. "N-Nothing!" she said. As Ichigo continued to stare at her, she cracked open an eye, glaring down at him. "Why are you up here, anyway? Shouldn't you be working?"

"Ah, no reason," said Ichigo, quickly looking away.

"Hey, that's not an answer!" said Karin.

"Neither was the one you gave me—!"

"Shh!"

The both of them fell silent as a sliding door opened in the Sixth, flattening themselves against their respective branches. As they watched, Yuzu stepped out of the building, standing on the veranda that overlooked the training yard. She glanced around, a pre-occupied look on her face as she closed the door behind her. She held a stack of papers in the crook of her arm, and was ostensibly watching the group of shinigami practicing in lines in the courtyard, but her eyes wandered constantly, glancing to the left and right.

Ichigo's eyes widened in realization, and he glanced up at Karin, who was watching the scene intently. Karin stared down at Ichigo, her eyes wide as well.

Before either of them could say anything, another door opened in the Sixth, Byakuya stepping through. Yuzu's eyes widened as she noticed him, and she turned towards him, pulling her papers closer to her. Without thinking about it, Ichigo shimmied out further on the branch to get a better view. He looked up at the sound of rustling and saw that Karin had done the same thing, hiding herself behind a cluster of leaves. The two of them fell silent as the pair approached each other, watching.

Yuzu fought down a wave of rising panic as Byakuya moved towards her, papers crumpling as she pulled them close to herself. She could do this, she told herself. She just had to be open. Honest. It wouldn't be that much different from when she had talked to him before, except for the fact that she could use his first name now. She would open her mouth, greet him, and the two of them would talk, just like old times.

"Um—hi," she said as he came to a stop in front of her.

Alright. So much for that idea.

Yuzu swallowed, fighting down a blush as Byakuya's eyes landed on hers before quickly looking away. He paused, as if coming to a decision, and turned his eyes back to hers again. She curled one hand into a fist, fingernails digging into her palm as she prepared to speak. She opened her mouth—

—and was quickly cut off as Byakuya spoke first.

"Yuzu," he said, making her look up. "Would you care to join me for dinner?"

The words threw her mind into an entirely new loop. Yuzu blinked at him for a while, her carefully constructed sentences escaping her like loose paper on a windy day. "For…for dinner?" she repeated.

"Yes," said Byakuya. "It…occurs to me that with the chaos of yesterday's…events, we have not had any time to properly speak. I would like to…remedy that, if possible."

Yuzu stared at him as he waited for a response, her eyes wide as she noticed things she hadn't seen earlier—the way he seemed tenser than usual, his shoulders and back unusually rigid as his eyes fixed on hers. The strange, agitated way in which he drummed his fingers along the side of his hakama, smoothing out the fabric before sweeping it back again.

It wasn't just her, she realized. He was nervous too.

The thought flooded her with a strange sense of relief, and she felt herself finally start to relax, a smile appearing on her face. Warmth filled her suddenly, a wave of giddiness taking the cold edge off her earlier fear. She felt like giggling and managed, just barely, to resist the impulse.

She didn't think she'd ever seen Byakuya nervous before. It was almost cute.

"Dinner…sounds nice," she said. "I'd love to get the chance to talk with you too."

"Very…very well." Byakuya cleared his throat, and she caught the way he forced himself to school his expression, his eyes closing and opening. The tension remained in his shoulders and back though, marring his usual calm. "Shall we meet at seven?"

"Um, how about seven-thirty?" asked Yuzu, frowning as she looked through the papers in her arms. "You have that officer interview you're attending at five, right? I don't want you to have to rush in case it runs over."

The surprise appeared on Byakuya's face for only a moment before he masked it, his eyes cool again as he watched her. "Yes," he said. "The interview. With…?"

Yuzu smiled, already rifling through the papers in her hands for the appropriate sheet. "Miyata Seika," she said, handing it out to him. "She's from the accelerated class, has high marks in zanjutsu and kido, and she already has her shikai. Her father used to be the sixth seat of the Thirteenth Division."

Byakuya took the piece of paper from her wordlessly, staring down at it as if he had seen it a thousand times. This time, Yuzu couldn't quite hold in the urge to giggle. She muffled it with her wrist, looking away from Byakuya as he turned towards her.

"I have to go and help Shiyougi-san with some things, but I'll see you tonight," she said, dashing back into the building with a smile. "We need to talk about filling in those vacant officer positions too!"

Byakuya stood there for a few moments after Yuzu ran off, blinking and staring at the paper. A rustling sound from the nearby wall drew his attention, and his eyes narrowed sharply as he glanced at it. He thought he caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye—a flash of orange and black ducking behind the wall—but upon closer inspection, there was nobody there. After a moment, he turned around, tucking the piece of paper into the inside pocket of his robes as he walked back into the Division.

Ichigo glanced at Karin as the two of them ducked down behind the wall, cautiously peering over the top. Byakuya was gone now, walking away from them. He exhaled a sigh of relief, turning towards his sister to sound the all clear.

"What are you two doing up there?" asked a sharp voice from the bottom of the tree.

Ichigo's eyes widened, and he lost his grip on the branch, sliding out of the tree and crashing to the ground. There was a thump, and then Karin landed on top of him, knocking the wind out of him.

Rukia stared down at them, her eyes narrowed and a frown on her face.

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake

It was mid-afternoon when Karin was woken up from a nap by an insistent pounding at her door. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, muttering under her breath as she got to her feet.

"What now?" she asked, opening the door.

Yachiru stood outside, bouncing up and down on her heels. She had her hands clasped behind her back, and wasn't looking at Karin. Karin blinked. Yachiru looked almost…embarrassed to be there. "Rin-chan!" she said. "Can we talk? I wanna ask a question about girly stuff."

"Um…" Karin gave the hall a sidelong glance before looking back at Yachiru. "You know, Yumichika's just a few doors down."

"No," said Yachiru. "I need to talk to an actual girl."

"Okay…sure…" said Karin, backing away from her door. Yachiru darted inside, taking a seat on the edge of Karin's futon. Karin hesitated, before pulling up a chair.

"So?" she asked. "What is it?"

"Um…well…" Yachiru placed her hands on her knees, looking up at Karin. "What's it like to have a crush?"

A crush? Karin thought, blinking at Yachiru. Does Yachiru like someone?

She didn't voice her thoughts out loud, instead, looking up at the ceiling. "Uh—it's sort of hard to explain," she said. "I guess it kinda feels…nice, but a little awkward to be around the person you're crushing on. You blush a lot and sometimes can't come up with the right words. And you think about them all the time and are always aware of them when they're around you."

"Do you feel fluttery?" asked Yachiru, placing her hands over her belly. "Like, right here?"

"Yeah, sometimes," said Karin. She hesitated, then scooted her chair a little closer to Yachiru. "Why do you ask?"

Yachiru leaned back, propping herself up on her hands as she stared up at the ceiling. "Mm…I think I might like someone. Except I think they like someone else."

"Do you know they like someone else?" asked Karin, frowning at Yachiru. "Have they said anything?"

"No, not really," said Yachiru. "It's more of a feeling."

"Well, then, that doesn't mean anything yet," said Karin, shrugging. "Anything can happen. Don't give up."

"So you're saying I can still fight my rival?" asked Yachiru, sitting up. She blinked expectantly up at Karin.

"Um…sure," said Karin. "I guess."

"Yay!" said Yachiru, jumping to her feet. "Thanks, Rin-chan. You're good at this!" Before Karin could react, she grabbed hold of her sword, jumping straight through Karin's window with a grin.

"Yu-chan!" she yelled. "Let's fight for Byakushi!"

Karin's eyes widened, and she made a grab for the vice-captain. "Hey, wait!" she yelled. "That's not what I meant!"