This is a sequel to After the War. It still has a main on focus on Byakuya, it takes place 40 years after Byakuya became the Soutaicho, Ichigo is his luietenant. Other characters will be introduced in the beginning.
A New Enemy
chapter 1
Byakuya sat in the Soutaichos chair wearing his blood red haori, and so began the introductions of the captains for the new additions to their little group. First there was Ichigo, his luietenant and lover. He had stood by his side durring the rebellion that made Byakuya the leader of the Gotei 13, though quite a few captians died durring the fighting.
"If you wouldn't mind introducing yourselves now." Byakuya said casualy.
"Captain of squad two Yuroichi Shihon. Leader of the Onmitsukido." came the dark skinned woman on Byakuyas left. She wore a standard white captains Haori, then came the next.
"Captain of squad three Renji Abarai." came the red headed man with numerous tattoos on his right, also wearing the standard white haori.
"Temporary Captian of squad four Isane Kotetsu." said a soft spoken silver haired woman next to Yuroichi, and she was also wearing the standard white haori.
"Captain of squad five Shinji Hirako." came the man with long blonde hair, his bangs somewhat off center next to Renji. He wore a red Haori, the sign of fighting for Byakuya in the rebellion.
"Captain of squad six Rivu Kuchiki." he was one of the newer captians, he was the former third seat of the sixth division when Byakuya was captain. He had taken the younger man under his wing and adopted him as his son and heir to the Kuchiki throne in the off chance of his demise. He has become incredibly powerful with Byakuyas training. He had short spikey black hair and bright yellow eyes, and he was somewhat intimidating. His haori was also red, he may not of played a major roll in the rebellion he still fought alongside Rose being the only survivor from that group.
"Captian of squad seven Love Aikawa." Byakuya sent Shinji to find the man to see if he would like his old position after Byakuya killed Komamura in the rebellion. He took the position without hesitation. His haori was also white.
"Captian of squad eight Ikkaku Madarame." said the bald man with red eyeliner. He was incredibly strong for his small size. He also wore a red haori.
"Captian of squad nine Kensei Muguruma." said the silver haired man, his hair pushed up in spikes. He had a blood red haori as well.
"Captian of squad ten Toushiro Hitsuguya." He looked around 18 now his hair still bright white he grew slightly taller but was still shorter then mose of the others. He was undercover for Byakuya durring the rebellion so he was given a blood red haori after the fighting.
"Captain of squad eleven Kenpachi Zaraki." the tallest man in the room stated, he had shoulder length black hair and a eye patch covering his right eye. He wore a blood red sleeveless haori.
"Captain of squad twelve Kisuke Urahara." he wore his standard black and green robes that he wore in the world of the living. He joined to take the place of Mayuri Kurotschi after Kensei depacitated the strange man.
"Captain of squad thrirteen Rukia Kuchiki." she is Byakuyas adopted sister. She had gotten promoted after the death of Ukitake-taicho. She wore a regular white captains haori.
Byakuya stood. "I welcome you all as taichos to the gotei 13. I know you will not let me down. If you do not have bussisnes with me then you are dismissed. Everyone bowed and left the room leaving just himself and Ichigo.
Ichigo looked at his husband, they had been together for 40 years and he honestly tresured every second. Byakuya always made time for him. He was the most important person in the entire Sereitei yet to him no one was more important then Ichigo.
"So what do we do now?" Ichigo asked.
"We finish our paperwork and then we can do whatever we want." he said with his icy mask still up from the captains meeting, all Ichigo had to do was look at him and he watched as that mask crummbled before his chocolate color eyes.
They sat down and finsihed what little paperwork they had and then went for a walk. Byakuya was known through out the Soul Society, and everyone respected him. He couldnt walk through any district without everyone bowing before him. He had become much more social since getting married to Ichigo.
The icing on the cake though was for the last 40 years they had known peace. His incredibly strong dual spirtitual pressure warded off hollows, and between him and Kenpachi there was very little crime, no one wanted to see Byakuyas bad side, and that included Ichigo.
They stopped at a resturaunt that had fed him for free before he even became a captain. The only people left that remember Byakuya as the loud mouth 17 year old kid. Ichigo had heard many stories about that Byakuya, while Byakuya was gone Ichigo had spent a lot of time with Ukitake-taicho before he died.
His mind drifted off into memories.
"Do you even know how much you remind me of him?" Ukitake asked the orange haired man sitting across from had taken place before the war had ended, and before Ichigo took over duties as taicho of squad six.
The smile that he saw on Ichigos face had spoken volumes. "He is a good man." he said looking a the ground. A tear coming to his eyes, he thought back to that day, the day Byakuya was cut down. "I went to him first, I knew he wasnt dead, but I knew he was close." he almost whispered.
Ukitake was just as upset as Ichigo, they had found a small comfort in each others company. "He was willing to die to save his servants and his friends. He fought as bravely against his own Bankai as you did to save his sister. It just didnt have the same happy ending." the older white haired taicho said.
Ichigo almost laughed, "It didnt have such a happy ending then either. Aizen still rebelled, and Gin ran Byakuya through." he reminded the older man.
The memories faded when he realized they where back at the first division barracks.
He sat almost lazily in the head captian chair, 'good posture be damned.' he thought to himself. 'I regret the friends I had to slay in the battle but I could not allow the sereitei to stand for something so corrupt.' he had been lost deep in thought when he saw Ichigo look at him with a worried look, his spiritual pressure must have been flucuating.
It had taken the last 40 years just to train Ichigo the basics. Urahara did a piss poor job of training him so Byakuya took the chance and gave him formal training himself. Basic sword skills, Kido skills and not to mention vizard skills. They where all still somewhat terrified of his mask. The bright white base with purple and grey swirls over the eyes, not to mention the fact there was no bottom jaw on it, just a row of incredibly sharp fang like teeth.
"So when are you going to tell me whats bothering you love?" Ichigo asked him when all the work was done and they where on their way home.
"Just thinking about the friends I had to cut down to get here." he said looking up into the sky. They stoped walking and Ichigo looked him in the eye.
"You did what you had to do Byakuya. No one blames you for any of their deaths, and we all chose to follow you into battle." he said with a fire in his eyes. Byakuya smiled at him.
"You are right, of course you are right." he said. He pushed Ichigo up against the wall and pinned him there. "I have been waiting for this all day." he whispered into his ear as he began kissing and biting his neck. He sunk his teeth into a particularly senestive spot on the younger mans neck, he learned a long time ago that when he attacked this spot it always gave him the response he desired and this time was no different.
Ichigos moans filled the hallway he loved when Byakuya left marks it was like a sign that said "Belongs to Byakuya Kuchiki." he was so possesive and Ichigo loved it. He liked how special he felt when he looked in Byakuyas eyes, it was like he was the only person in the world.
They where half way home when Rivu ran up to them, he was screaming something that neither could make out. When he got closer Byakuya heard the words Vasto Lord. He looked at Ichigo, if his sucessor of the 6th division was running to him then it must be pretty strong, Rivu was very strong himself, almost as strong as Kenpachi.
When he reached the two he exlained, "We where on patrol, I like to take the first group out myself. We where ambushed by a group a Vasto Lords Soutaicho!" he exclaimed. "I took one down but then there were two more in its place. I lost a few men but I managed to hold the three off off long enough for them to get away.
Byakuya nodded and looked at Ichigo. "Looks like we have to rechedual for a latter time." he said sadly, Ichigo nodded. Then they followed him to where the Vasto Lords where, the dead body Rivu said he killed was still there. "Rivu, take the body and go to Squad 12 now.
As soon as he picked the body up the other two Vasto Lords showed up. They attemped to cut him down, but as with every other Kuchiki he was expertly trained in the art of Shunpo and he managed to get away in time. That had brought a smile to Byakuyas face, to see his adopted son use his training.
"Who are you?" one of the Vasto Lords asked, "you do not feel like mere shinigami." the other finished.
"Me, oh I am no one of great importance." Byakuya said, "Would you like to take care of one or would you like to just watch?" he said looking at Ichigo not looking at the Vasto Lords at all, that seemed to agrivate them.
One of them disapearded and reapeared over Ichigo, Byakuya drew his sword and parryed the blow with so much force the Vasto Lord was thrown back a few hundred feet.
"You will not attack my mate." he snarled at the beasts. "If you wish for a fight then you will have one but you will not have him." he spat at the two hollows.
They laughed, "Do you hope to defeat us? Both of us at the same time? We can tell you are stronger then the last captian that was here, but not that much." It was Byakuyas turn to laugh this time, and he looked at Ichigo.
"Are you ready? Can you hold my Kenseikan?" he asked his lover, Ichigo nodded, he loved when this kind of thing happened, he had become stronger over the last 40 years, he could now withstand Byakuyas spiritual pressure without going to his knees, and it was only a little hard to breath.
"Of course I can love." he said with a smile. When Byakuya took his Kenseikan off his his spiritual pressure sky rocketed. It was almost 10 times stronger then when it was on. The two Vasto lords looked at each other as they were forced to their knees.
"This is impossible!" one of them tried to shout but came out as only a whisper.
"You two are going to tell me why you are here right now." Byakuya said kneeling in front of the two Vasto lords. "If you cooperate then I will end your lives quickly." the two looked at each other and spat at the ground infront of Byakuya. "See, I was really hoping thats what you would do. I love teaching hollows respect."
They had been there for almost two hours. Byakuya was carving into the vasto lords skin with a single cherry blossom. Their screams filled the forrest. Ichigo would not have been surprised if half the rukongai could hear them.
"Who are you? You've been torturing us for hours and we dont even know who you are." one of them finally said exasperated. Byakuya never stopped carving, but he did respond to them.
"Me, I thought I told you I am no one of importance. Right now I am just an angry father, and you killed my sons friends." he said darkly.
The two vasto lords looked at each other and then back up at Byakuya. "Kuchiki." they said simultainiously. "We have a message for you. That is why we are here. Our master is coming, and hes looking for blood." they said ominiously. "Come, atleast let us die honorable deaths." one of them said.
Byakuya couldnt help but grant them that, he lifted his spiritual pressure enough so that they could fight. "Let us fight then." he said as one of the Vasto lords rushed him from the front while the other came from above, Byakuya expertly parried both blows.
Ichigo watched in amazment as his lover fought against the two vasto lords as if they where children. Ichigo remember fighting a vasto lord when he was in Heuco Mundo, they where strong, and here was his husband fending off two of them at the same time as if they where recruits.
Byakuya was getting very bored of this extreamly fast. "Come on, I was hoping this would be a real challenge. All I keep hearing about the Vasto Lords is that they are stronger then the average captain. Yet it feels as if I am sparring with my son." he said mockingly.
Both of the vasto lords fell for the goading and Byakuya looked at them and turned his sword to the ground and much to their surprise he dropped it and they watched as it faded into the ground as if the ground was made of water. "Bankai. Scatter, Senbozakura Kageyoshi." was all they heard before a wave of cherry blossoms crashed over them.
When Byakuyas bankai ended and he resealed his zanpaktou neither Vasto lord was even recongizable. Ichigo looked on, at the display and couldnt help but be proud. That was his husband, the man he slept with every night, the man he woke up to every morning. His long black hair swaying in the wind as he sheathed his sword. He turned back to Ichigo and they finally went home.