Disclaimer: In a review for the second chapter of Secrets, A Familiar Stranger, someone suggested that it might make a good fic to have the past of Ichigo and Byakuya made into a story. So, here it is! It'll be an opposite of the normal stories; Ichigo's the noble, Byakuya's the one who rose in the ranks. Where it'll go, I have no idea. Well, I have sort of an idea, but whatever. So, I hope you enjoy this story! Oh, and I own nothing, of course, except for Keir of course.

Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki was born in to a noble family, and because of his background, he earned a seat as a taichou in the Gotei 13. He's always done his duty, serving the Shinigami, but he's never really liked it, often chafing under the restraints of society. So, when one day he meets nobody Byakuya Kuchiki, what's he to do but chase him down?

The Familiar Stranger

Chapter 1

"Kurosaki-taichou! Kurosaki-taichou!"

Ichigo sighed and opened his eyes at the persistant calls of his fukutaichou, Keir Dara. Man, the kid had the lungs of a giant! "In here, Keir. What do you need?" Ichigo called back, not moving from his reclining position in his seat of his taichou office.

He only had to wait moments before Keir showed himself; because he'd died young, Keir had the appearance of a teenager, no older than 18, when in reality he was centuries old. He had piercing, pretty blue eyes and long dark hair. Some would suggest that he was foreign because of his eyes, but Ichigo waved off talk like that. Keir wore the normal fukutaichou outfit; the black Shihakushou with a badge on his arm signaling his station, and his own little adornment: a black skull tattoo on his neck. His Zanpaku-to, Cho-Blanche, was strapped to his sash. He was as tall as Ichigo.

Keir bowed to his taichou, a small inclination of his head. "Kurosaki-taichou, it is the Captain-General Yamamoto. He claims he asked for a meeting today, and you agreed. He's waiting for you to invite him in."

Ichigo sighed, rubbing his ear. He probably had said yes, just to get the first Captain off his back. He shrugged, cracked his neck, and ran a quick, slightly tan hand through his messy, bright orange locks. "Fine; show him in. While you're at it, make the Captain-General some tea, and me some orange juice. You can sit in on the meeting, if you want."

Keir nodded and left the office, and Ichigo took his feet off his desk. He may hate authority, but he didn't want to respect one who was his boss above all else. He straightened his own black Shahakushou, then the ripped white Captain's robe over it, making sure his guardless, hiltless Zanpaku-to Zangetsu was in close reach of his arm. It was. Good, then everything was in order. Just as he was finishing up, old Captain-General Yamamoto walked into the room, flanked by his butler-like fukutaichou and Keir.

"I'll get started on that tea, taichou." Keir said demurely, skipping out into the back room.

Yamamoto settled himself down in the seat across from Ichigo's desk, his narrow eyes studying the young-looking Captain. He honestly looked the same age as Keir; his prime years were apparently his teenage years. "I am guessing you don't remember why I requested this meeting." He said in his aging, crumbling voice.

Ichigo laughed a little. "No, can't say I do. I remembered we were having this meeting just two minutes ago."

Yamamoto tried to look disapproving, but failed. "Of course not; it was late last night when we spoke. Ah, thank you, Dara-fukutaichou." He gratefully took the steaming cup on the saucer from Keir.

"Thanks, Keir. Take a seat, if you want." Ichigo took a cautious sip of the orange juice in his own cup; it tasted great, as always. As a Shinigami, he didn't really need sustanance, but he relished it none-the-less. Taking another sip, he got down to business. "So, the reason?" He questioned, arching a pale eyebrow over wide brown eyes.

Yamamoto nodded. "Of course. Unohana-taichou found a spirit outside of the Seiretei a few days ago, and brought him to the infirmary. She ran some tests on him while healing him, and found he had an unusual reiatsu. I have decided to put him in a squad unit."

Ichigo nodded; he understood. They needed more Shinigami, what with the rise of Hollow activity lately. "But what does that have to do with me?" He asked quietly, different than his normal loud, harsh voice.

Yamamoto turned those all-seeing eyes onto Ichigo, and the taichou felt a shiver of apprehension. "I have decided to put him into your squad, into squad 6." He waited for the objections, and wasn't disappointed.

"What?! No way! My squad is specially trained by me and no one else; the ten people under me were hand-picked, especially to suit the way my Riatsu works! You promised me that you would allow the ten I have, and Keir, and wouldn't force anymore on me!" Ichigo's very powerful, slightly unstable Riatsu flared dangerously; Keir flinched, and did the other fukutaichou, but Yamamoto just stared at him.

"I did promise that, yes. And I'm holding to that promise. It's just that the reiatsu of this spirit has a pattern to it that we've never seen before. Traces of it match yours, and the tests she ran showed that no matter how unstable your reiatsu gets around him his spirit won't break. She wouldn't say he's immune to it, but he can survive your reiatsu a lot longer than any of the other members of your squad, including Keir."

Ichigo slumped back in his chair, stunned. Because of his lineage of powerful and noble ancestors, he was born with unusual, unstable and powerful reiatsu. He wore power limiters when around the Seiretei, and most of the time in battle, too, because his reiatsu had a nasty effect on other Shinigami. That was why, with Unohana-taichou's help, he'd hand-picked the members of his squad, making sure they could stand his energy. Now, here comes a nobody spirit who could do what most taichous couldn't?! It was unbelievable!

Yamamoto sighed and stood with the help of his fukutaichou. "He's resting in the infirmary still, if you wish to see him. And if you don't believe me, just take a look at the tests run by Unohana-taichou. That should be enough to convince you." And then he was gone, as if he'd never been there.

Keir risked a glance at his taichou, not liking the blank look in those brown eyes. "Taichou? Can I get you anything?" He asked softly, flinching slightly when those eyes looked at him.

"No, Keir. Leave me; now." A sharp flare in reiatsu was all it took for Keir to obey that order. Ichigo sighed and covered his eyes; what was he going to do now? He didn't want to have to put up with another spirit; it wasn't in him!

Oh, don't be such a baby, King. I think it'll be fun to have a new person to play with, especially if he can stand to be around you!

Ichigo stiffened at the distorted voice of his other half, Ogichi, the reason his reiatsu was so unstable. He hadn't heard from the Hollow side of him for weeks, not since he'd been sent to the infirmary himself for newer tests on his reiatsu. He wasn't to happy to hear from him now. Be quiet, Ogichi. I don't want to deal with you now. He growled in his mind.

He heard a mindless cackle. Relax, King. Go see him. And remember, if you don't like him, we can always kill him.

Ichigo frowned. Why the hell would we do that? That would get me in trouble.

Another cackle. Just go see him, King. Don't argue this time. He actually sounded serious, and Ichigo sighed.

Fine; I'll go see him. But we're not killing him, no matter how much you want to!

He Shunpo-ed to the infirmary with Ogichi's laughing parting words: Whatever you say, King; whatever you say. Somehow, he didn't quite believe the Hollow.

There's the first chapter! I guess it's kind of obvious who the "mysterious" spirit is. And yes, in my past world with Ichigo and his soon-to-be lover, Ichigo still has Ogichi. He's had him all his life; two sides to one coin. And yes, it's short, but all beginnings are, you readers should know that! But anyway, why don't you guys tell me what you think? I'm curious to know how this first chapter went!

Ayame