Echo
By TwinEnigma
Warnings: Character death, violence, language
Sasuke leapt, the shikai form of Suigetsu's sword sweeping under his feet, and landed in a crouch, swinging out a leg to sweep the other boy's legs out from under him while he was still off balance and striking him squarely behind the other kneecap with his sheathed zanpakato.
Suigetsu hit the ground with a thud, the air knocked out of his lungs.
"Good spar," Sasuke said, standing up and holding out his hand. "You've got to watch your balance, though."
"Nimble little shit," Suigetsu griped, but took his hand and used it to help pull himself back to his feet. Reaching down, he picked up the large, heavy form of his sword and returned it to its sealed state, sheathing it. "You got lucky."
Sasuke snorted, rolling his eyes.
"It's not Sasuke's fault if your footwork's still shitty," Karin piped up from her seat next to Juugo on the edge of the training ground.
"You're not one to talk, stupid," Suigetsu groused, trying to pat some of the dust off his shihakusho. "You don't even have a useful Shikai!"
"It is so useful!" the redheaded girl snapped, sulking. "A meathead like you just doesn't get how it works."
Sasuke sighed as they started to bicker. "Knock it off, guys. We're seated officers now, right? Let's try to act like it."
Suigetsu grunted, sitting down. "Yeah, twentieth seats, along with sixteen other guys."
"And if we want to change that, we have to get serious about training," Sasuke pointed out. "We'll take a short break and start again."
"You bitch like a captain already," Suigetsu said teasingly. "Oi, useless! You bring lunch?"
Karin visibly bristled and kicked him, sending him sprawling head over heels through the dirt. "Inconsiderate prick!"
"Suigetsu," Sasuke said warningly and the other boy, who had been about to say something, shut his mouth with an audible click.
"Thank you, Sasuke," Karin said, gratefully, and then reached over to pull out a cloth-wrapped stack of bento boxes. She handed the top two to Sasuke, who passed one to Suigetsu, and then tapped Juugo on the shoulder to hand him his.
Juugo looked up in surprise, as if his thoughts had been somewhere else completely, and then smiled, accepting the bento.
The four of them ate quietly.
It was Juugo who broke the silence: "Guys... Have you ever felt like something's familiar about all this? Like we're repeating things?"
The others stared at him, blinking.
Sasuke frowned as he considered it. From the moment the four of them had met in the Shinigami Academy, the four of them seemed to have been pulled to each other. It was odd, all things considered, that they would become so close. They were all from different districts in Rukongai – Juugo had come in from Zaraki in the North, Suigetsu from the East, Karin from the South, and Sasuke himself had come from the ninth district in the West. And yet, for some reason, when they'd begun working together, it had been like he'd just gained back something he hadn't realized he'd lost.
It was really very fortunate that they'd all gotten into the thirteenth division together.
"I think I understand," Karin said, pushing up her glasses on her nose. "Sometimes, I think we were like this before."
Suigetsu scoffed. "That's because we do this every day."
"That's not what I meant!" Karin huffed, puffing out her cheeks. "I meant before, as in before we woke up in Rukongai... when we were alive."
There was a heavy silence.
"I don't remember when I was alive," Juugo said quietly.
"Neither do I, you don't hear me whining about it," Suigetsu said, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly.
"It's pointless to try and remember. The past is gone," Sasuke said, standing slowly. "But... I believe we once had a bond and the strength of that bond has brought us together again. So, even if we should all die and be reborn, we will definitely meet again."
"Well said, Uchiha-san," a woman's voice called from behind them.
"Miyako-dono!" Sasuke said, quickly turning and bowing. Behind him, Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu quickly got to their feet and bowed, also greeting the third seat.
Miyako Shiba smiled at them politely. "Training hard I see?"
"Yes, Miyako-dono," the four shinigami answered in chorus.
"Captain Ukitake has given me an assignment to investigate the possibility of an unknown hostile hiding in one of the caves. A few people have gone missing in the area and there's some evidence they may have been attacked. I'm forming a scout team," Miyako announced. "I'd like you four to be on it."
The caves weren't far and, when the scout team arrived, there was clear evidence that their culprit was using one of the caves as a lair. Miyako suspected it behaved similarly to an animal and wouldn't stray too far. She ordered the four twentieth seats to set up an observation post and then took the small group of unseated officers with her to scout the area for the creature.
"Man, observation duty sucks," Suigetsu whined, staring down at the entrance to the cave. "I thought we'd, you know, be doing something."
Juugo shook his head, smiling as he leaned back against the tree.
"It's an important job," Karin said, scribbling down notes on a scroll. "If something happens, the information we collect will be invaluable to the Captain."
"Nothing is going to happen," Suigetsu said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, it's probably just some stupid animal."
"Suigetsu," Sasuke sighed, stepping forward. He plucked the pen and scroll from Karin's hands and dropped them into Suigetsu's. "It goes quicker if you have something to do other than complain."
"Asshole," Suigetsu groused, but he still smoothed out the scroll and didn't drop the pen.
Karin smiled appreciatively at Sasuke. He lingered by her, squeezing her hand, and smiled a little.
"None of that lovely dovey shit, you two," Suigetsu said, looking over his shoulder and raising the pen warningly. "We're on duty."
Juugo laughed as Sasuke's face turned red. "You opened yourself up for that, Sasuke!"
All of a sudden, Karin stiffened, her hand going to her zanpakuto. "Did you feel that?" she asked.
Sasuke strained his senses, Juugo and Suigetsu following suit. "I can't feel any of the others we brought with us," he said, his hand immediately going to his sword.
"Shit, Juugo, there!" Suigetsu shouted, pointing. "Miyako-dono!"
Miyako was running, parrying tentacles with her sword and kido, but clearly already injured. A monstrous Hollow was scrabbling after her, the arm of one of their former comrades hanging from its mouth.
Juugo started to launch himself forward.
It was too late: the Hollow ripped Miyako apart.
"We have to go," Karin said, paling and stepping back. "We have to go, now!"
Sasuke shuddered and nodded, "Juugo, Suigetsu – let's go!"
"What about Miyako-dono?" Juugo asked, panicked.
"She's dead!" Suigetsu shouted, hastily wrapping up the scroll and tucking it in his shihakusho. "We need to tell the Captain!"
"Shoot to kill."
There was a sickening crunch as the glowing edge of a sword burst through Suigetsu's chest.
"Guys?" he managed.
The blade withdrew and he toppled over, revealing the fox-faced lieutenant of Fifth division, Ichimaru.
"You..." Juugo breathed, eyes wide in horror. He then drew his sword and charged with a cry of rage.
"...are dead," Ichimaru stated, smiling cruelly as he brought his sword around in a flash.
Juugo dropped, bleeding heavily.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke shouted, drawing his own zanpakuto. "What's wrong with you?"
"There's nothing wrong with him," a calm, steady voice said and Captain Aizen emerged from the shadows, an amused grin on his lips. "He's just doing what he's been told."
Karin unsheathed her zanpakuto as well. "Dance that brings down heaven's light, Kagura Shingan!"
Her sword shifted and then an expression of utter horror crossed her face.
"Ah yes, your Shikai ability," Captain Aizen said, still smiling. "You can see the true me now, can't you? Quite fascinating."
"Monster," Karin whispered, shaking like a leaf.
"Strike down all evil," Sasuke said, stepping closer to her, "Kamaitachi Denkou."
Captain Aizen's smile didn't slip. "Do you honestly think that will help you? You're hopelessly outmatched."
Sasuke gritted his teeth as he clutched the hilt of his crackling sword. It was a futile gesture. He was nowhere near their level. "Why?"
Captain Aizen hummed, as if thinking about it. "This experiment isn't ready to end yet. A higher level shinigami would be more successful."
"You... the captain!" Karin cried out and Sasuke hissed in anger, charging at him with his sword raised.
"Unfortunately for you, you are much more useful if you're dead," Captain Aizen said, almost gleefully as Sasuke's blade plunged through him.
The image cracked, crumbling into pieces and suddenly a sword rammed itself through Sasuke's back.
Sasuke stared down at it numbly as Karin screamed and was cut short.
"...Pity," Captain Aizen said from behind him.
The blade slid free and Sasuke collapsed to the ground.
Karin, Juugo, Suigetsu... I'm sorry.
We'll meet again.
He reached, clasping the hilt of his sword.
And then we'll kill that bastard.
"Find the scroll and burn it," was the last thing he heard before the world went dark.
We will meet again, I promise.
AN: Did I just work this into Bleach's canon timeline with the death of Kaien's wife? OH YES. ROCK ON.