It took Ichigo a few minutes to take in this new information. He began by showing off a multitude of emotions new to his face and enough changing colors in his cheeks fit to complete an art class color wheel. In a minute, he pushed the words "What do you mean by that?" out of his mouth.
It was something new to everyone to see Ichigo like this. He wasn't usually so flustered. His eyebrows were often knit together above thin light brown eyes. Always so serious, but he had a strong sense of right and wrong and had resolve of steel. Still most people thought of him as scary at first glance. Many rumors had spread around school that his spiked red-head wasn't natural and that he had been bleaching it before grade school.
He wasn't in school right now, but he was, he could guarantee several mouths agape. He stood in a room with no window and one door that led both in and out. To make up for the lack of sunlight, blazing torches ran all along the four bare walls and it still was just barely enough to see the ten other women and men standing around him, for the room was a large one. There was little decoration save for half a dozen pillars and a throne atop three small steps.
Most assumed the steps were placed for the safety of Head Captain Yamamoto who was sitting in it at the moment. The Head Captain was getting older by the day. His back was already bending out of shape, he required a walking stick and his squinted eyes continued to add wrinkles to his elderly face, but the large x-shaped scar on his bald head wasn't something from tripping over his lengthily, white facial hair. Although, one could've easily done it by simply dressing as he did. Socks and a pair of straw sandals didn't help on smooth surfaces and his large black kimono was practically dragging across the ground. If that, with his white hoodless cloak, did nothing to his coordination, then it at least made him feel uncomfortable in the summer.
He might gave seemed even more ridiculous had everyone else in the room not been dressed exactly the same with swords at their sides in place of his staff. Ichigo was the only one dressed slightly differently. He didn't have the white cloak everyone else did, and his sword was far too big for a sheath. Instead, he kept it wrapped in one long piece of inch-wide cloth and tied to his back. The only reason he wasn't in possession of the white garment, was because it was the mark of a Soul Reaper Captain, a highly prestigious and sought after honor with heavy responsibilities in tow. All of which, were abandoned by the captains of squads three, five and nine for power they thought could be more easily reached by joining their enemies, the hollows. I didn't help the morale of their former comrades when they achieved that power. All that they needed was a paperweight-like object known as the Hougyoku. Appearances are quite deceiving as it can dissolve whatever barrier exists between the Soul Reapers and hollows.
Usually, it was required of one to hold the rank of captain before attending a meeting in this room. So Ichigo was caught off guard when he was called here by the Covert Ops. He wasn't even an actual Soul Reaper. Everyone else here acquired their abilities when they came here to the Soul Society. Ichigo's talents appeared much earlier when he was in the real world and met one of them named Rukia Kuchiki. She elaborated to him that it was her job to protect the ghosts that only Ichigo was able to see and protect them from the very hollows that the three traitor captains had teamed up with.
Ichigo soon found out the meaning behind the summons when the Head Captain bluntly explained, "There are people in your world who became one of us the same way you did."
All Ichigo could do was stare at each person aided by torch-light in such a mannerism that probably wouldn't have changed much if they all grew an extra head on the spot.
My first story! I'm feeling great about this one. Watch for chapter 2 and please review
Thanks XXXX::::::::::::::