Hey Interwebbers! hopefully you all enjoy this story as much as I have. It isn't a Yaoi, though it seems like one... don't worry, it will be explained later. Anything and everything happens in this one. I took some liberties with certain things, and I have completely made up Haruki... Just sayin'. Tell me what you think.

Note the Japanese used in the text… It's basic, but I'm not going to assume you know it. I like watching the show in subbed, not dubbed, so I like the occasional Japanese word or two.

Hai – Yes

Senpai – teacher or master

Arigato – Thanks or thank-you

Chapter 1

"Alright, listen up!" Ikkaku was in front of the members of the eleventh division, addressing them as though he were the captain, as he often did. Zaraki was around somewhere, though where that may have been was currently unknown, and Yachiru was undoubtedly with him. The men had just gotten notice out of the blue to come down to one of the training fields, which normally wouldn't have been strange, except for the fact that it was early in the morning, and the third seat was known to not rise before noon, save for some sort of attack.

It had been a few days since they had all been addressed and there were whispers passing through the crowd as contemplation of what was to be announced circulated through the ranks. The previous announcement had been to let everyone know that they were losing Yumichika. The fifth seat had been promoted, and was going to serve as a lieutenant after the truth of his Zanpakto had come to light.* Now there was speculation of all sorts as to what other news there might be.

"Enough! I said listen up! Anyone who keeps talking is going to get their ass kicked!" Silence flooded the training ground, as the men knew the third seat was not one to lie, and was likely to do a more than adequate job due to a lack of patience at the early hour.

"That's better. Now I know it's early, but we've got a lot ta get done, so we need ta start quick. As ya'll know, we lost Yumi last week, and that leaves us with a couple of gaping holes in our seated officers. Now, I talked ta Captain 'bout it and he said ta put the stronger guys up top. So," He looked around importantly, "Tha' means it's time for a tournament!" He pointed over to the notice board at the edge of the field. "Make sure yer clear on who yer fightin' and when. Matches are going to be initially the lower members. If ya win, ya move up. If ya lose, ya move down. Simple as that. Yer literally fightin' for yer rank, so if ya end up unlisted, ya got no one ta blame but yerself. I've got a couple guys stoppin' by ta judge, so don't blame me if ya lose either. Whoever wins the final round gets ta fight me fer third an' fourth. Good luck to all of ya." With that he waved off the men who immediately hurried over to the battle postings.

Ikkaku looked the crowd over. Fresh faces straight out of the academy and senior fighters alike were warming up, getting ready to take on their peers in mercy-free combat. A familiar rise of red ponytail coming at him through the crown drew his attention, and as it grew closer he grinned.

"Hey Renji! How's it feel ta visit yer old squad, eh?" The man grinned in response, glancing back at the noisy group preparing themselves behind him.

"Not bad, Ikkaku, not bad. Sure takes me back." He rubbed the bald man's scalp to annoy him before patting him on the back with a laugh. "So who else is coming to this thing?"

"Iba said he'd help, and Yumi's supposed to be here already." He replied, shrugging the other's arm from around his shoulders. "Plus Hitsugaya said he'd lend Matsumoto, but I'm thinkin' she might be too much of a distraction to help." Renji nodded. That woman sure liked her some man meat, and they liked her right back.

"I'm surprised you're here so early. That noble son of a bitch has really got ya jumpin' through hoops, eh?" Renji punched the man in the shoulder, a little harder than he intended, frowning, though he knew the other didn't mean any harm.

"Don't call him that, man. You know that I-"

"Ya, ya." The bald man interrupted with a grin. "I know ya kiss his boots." The banter would have continued, but Yumichika showed up then, looking magnificent, as always. He sauntered over to them, calling out to his friends.

"Good Morning!" his sing-song voice would have gotten him punched by the third seat this early on any other day, but having not seen much of the newly appointed lieutenant in the past few days, the hairless fighter simply grinned at his longtime friend.

"Hey Yumi! Ya showed up after all!" The beauty pouted slightly at that.

"Of course I did Ikkaku. I told you I would be here, didn't I? Besides," a smile returned to his shining face, "Why would I give up the chance to stand out next to all these unbeautiful brutes? You know I always looked my best standing next to you." The twinkle in his eye vexed Ikkaku slightly more than he would have liked to admit, but he let it go, happy just to have his friend by his side for the day.

Soon Iba was there with Rangiku not long after, and the tournament began. The fights were short at first; Ikkaku had decided to limit them to five minutes, the winner to be determined by the judges as he kept track of wins and losses, moving his fighters up and down the ranks. By mid day they were starting to come to the lower level seated officers, and patterns were beginning to form. It was becoming clear to Ikkaku that there were several people who had deserved a higher rank for some time – at least that was how it seemed – and though he hated to admit it, as he watched their fights, he was silently cheering them on.

One in particular shone above the rest. A blond, almost white haired, slender man who had been unseated since graduating the academy a few short years ago and moving immediately to the eleventh was tearing apart anyone he fought. He seemed unstoppable, the lower level fighters not even getting a scratch on him as they were cut down in well under the five minute limit. As Ikkaku stood, watching the man defeat another opponent with ease, he felt a hand slide in around his waist and a slim figure lean in to whisper in his ear.

"Looks like someone has a crush." The chime of Yumichika's voice cut into the bald man's thoughts and he blushed slightly beneath his frown. Pulling away from his friend's taunting display of affection, he busied himself with the names on his clip-board once more.

"Piss off, bird-brain." The raven-haired shinigami simply laughed and crossed his arms pensively.

"I can see why. He is quite the cutie. And you always do go for the strong ones, don't you Ikkaku?" He grabbed the man's shoulders from behind, leaning into his ear once more. "The ones who can take a little abuse, and give it right back, eh, you dirty thing?" He giggled, running off to the next match before the bald man could pummel him, leaving Ikkaku to fidget with his papers, watching once more the fight going on before him.

The man's name was Tanaka Haruki, a name that had previously not meant anything to Ikkaku, but which he now realized probably should have. He was not terribly tall, but certainly didn't let that stop him, and made up for it with powerful spiritual pressure. His swordplay was decent and he had a good grasp on the basics, though they were far from perfected. Even so, he seemed to be able to use what he knew to gain the upper hand. He was quick on his feet, had an excellent flash step, and could read his opponents very well. Ikkaku had to admit: the guy was good.

The third seat watched as another unseated officer fell, effectively putting Tanaka in the group to fight for the seated officers' positions, and marked it down. This man had risen from nowhere in a matter of hours, and still seemed to be going strong. He saw the blond head over to a clearing where Hanatarō had set up a rest area and was healing some of the more major injuries, and followed him over. He watched the man wipe his face off on his sleeve and grab a drink from the water that was laid out, noticing the pleasant curve of his backside as he bent down to retrieve the beverage. A heat rose up in Ikkaku and he was struck by the sound of Yumichika's voice ringing 'I told you so' in his head. Damn it, that man knew him too well.

As the man took a seat on the grass, cleaning off his Zanpakto, Ikkaku took a moment to really look him up and down. His hair was long and braided behind his head, pulled straight back without bangs and tied with a black band, though a few wisps of hair had fallen into hhis face during the fights. His form was slender but toned and his uniform, though a bit loose, hung nicely at his shoulders and hips. His face was slim but not thin, and the soft angles of his face were not harsh, but neither were they rounded. He wore his uniform open slightly, but seemed to have some sort of white beater underneath that covered his chest. His arms were covered too, with some sort of leather wrist supports that carried up to his elbows where his sleeves pooled as he rested. The man's face was drawn in an expression of detached concentration, and as Ikkaku approached, his heart skipped more than a few beats in his chest.

From this angle, Ikkaku could see that the man's face was beautiful. It was shining white and smooth, and had the soft tones that came with kisses of sun. The way his high cheekbones framed his face gave the man an elegant and nearly feminine look, and Ikkaku found himself thinking that the man could have rivaled Yumichika in his splendor. All this was nothing, however, to the man's eyes. His eyes were the most gorgeous things Ikkaku had ever seen. They were a pale lilac color, but clear as the sky and shining like diamonds. He swallowed hard, trying to calm the heavy pounding of his pulse in his ears as he drew closer to the man, his feet moving on their own.

"Oi! Tanaka!" The man turned slightly to look at his superior before realizing who it was who had called him and bolting to his feet, eyes wide. Ikkaku saw then the scars on the man's face. They were long and thin, covering the length of his face from his left eyebrow to his chin and though they looked old, he could tell that at one time they had been painful. The blond seemed not to notice the other's examination, though, as he grasped tightly to his Zanpakto nervously.

"Hai! Madarame-san!" he bowed to the bald man who had once again plastered his signature scowl onto his face.

"You did really well in there. Must have been training yer ass off ta get so good straight outa the academy. Who's been training ya?" The younger man shifted slightly on his feet.

"Actually, I've been training alone, but I was hoping that now that I'm at least going to be a seated officer, I would be able to get some one-on-one training with you." Ikkaku lifted one thin eyebrow in curiosity. He had gotten this far on his own? Now that was impressive. Ikkaku felt all the more desire growing in his loins.

"Did ya now? Well I sure don't see a problem with that." It'll give us more time to get to know each other, the man thought with an inward smirk. "I suppose after this is over I could give ya some pointers. That is, unless ya end up takin' my seat. The way yer goin' ya might just make it to the top o' this." The blond gave a sideways grin.

"Naw, I'm not that good yet. Besides, Captain scares the shit out of me." He laughed at his own comment, then glanced back down at the weapon clutched tightly in his hands, suddenly remembering it was there.

"Sorry Madarame-san, but I have to go get ready for the next round." His look changed to one of determination, "It's time for the real battles." He bowed again but before he could go, he was interrupted.

"Tanaka!" The third seat called out to him, "Don't use my last name; call me Ikkaku." He hated when people used his last name. The blond man shook his head back.

"I couldn't do that!" the other grinned.

"Well then how about Senpai?" A smile came to the younger man's face as he left.

"Hai… Arigato, Senpai." And with that, off he went, flash stepping away.

OOOOOOOO

*I am placing this sometime between when Aizen was defeated but before the reinstatement of the Visords as captains… I won't get into it too much, though. It isn't all that important to the story line. More to come soon.