So...I am back. I know that I said would update in July, but a combination of a busted computer, tests and the flu kept me out of action. I am really sorry about being so late. But anyway here is the first chapter, well the rewritten chapter.


Chapter 1

The sun was beating down on Soul Society. Inside the walls of the Sereitei, countless shinigami went about their daily life. By all accounts it should have a normal day, if not for the emergency Taichou's meeting that was taking place in the First division meeting hall. The air in the hall was filled with tension, all the Taichou's of Soul Society stood waiting for the Sou-Taichou to start the meeting. The grave look on the aged and wrinkled faced of the Sou-Taichou, Genryusai Shikeguni Yamamoto's face only increased the uneasiness of some of the Taichous.

And after what seemed like an eternity, the Sou-Taichou spoke. "This meeting has been called to discuss the actions of Nakamura Hagane of Squad Three."

Immediately, twelve sets of eyes was focused on the tall orange-haired Taichou, most of them were filled with surprise. That a member of Squad Three, a squad which was known most for its adherence to the rules, was the reason for this rushed meeting, something which was only done during an emergency. .

"Yare yare, a member of Squad Three in trouble. That's kinda bad for your reputation, isn't it Kurosaki Taichou?" Commented the Taichou of squad Ten, Ichimaru Gin, with his ever-present foxy smile on his face.

In reply, the Third squad Taichou merely gave the Ichimaru Taichou a passing glance before fixing his gaze on the Sou-Taichou.

"What has he done?" Though he was showing a calm demeanour, the Taichou of Squad Three, Kurosaki Ichigo, was thinking what his subordinate could have possibly done which that must have unsettle the Sou-Taichou to issue an emergeny meeting. His nervousness must have shown on his body language as he saw his lifelong friend give him a sideways glance. Though it seems as if none of the other Taichou's picked up on his nervousness.

"He is dead." The Sou-Taichou's reply was flat and blunt.

The reply left Kurosaki Ichigo, and almost all the other Taichou's surprised. Not because of the death of Nakamura. The death of any shinigami is a great tragedy. However, the duty of a shinigami is a dangerous one. Nakamura Hagane ws not the first shinigami to die while doing his duty, nor will he be the last. All the Taichou's standing in that hall knew that. As sad as it may sound, the death of one shinigami was not something which warranted an emergency Taichou's meeting.

"Sou-Taichou", Ichigo began, " all of us here know that the death of shinigami is not enough to call an emergency meeting. So I must ask you Sou-Taichou, what happened?"

Even as he asked the question, Ichigo could see the look of distaste forming on Yamamoto's face. Whatever that had happened was not something that he liked, which meant Nakamura must have broken some very important laws. Knowing the Sou-Taichou, Ichigo was certain of one thing, had Nakamura been still alive, his punishment would have been severe.

The Sou-Taichou gave a sigh and began. "The real reason I called this meeting is to do with Nakamura's actions before his death. Before he died, Nakamura gave his powers to a human girl."

The entire hall was left in a state of shock. The last time the position of shinigami daiko was occupied, it did not end well.

"A new shinigami daiko," the Taichou of Squad Thirteen, Ukitake Jushiro, whispered.

"This girl will be your responibility, Kurosaki Taichou," the Sou Taichou said, looking directly into Ichigo's eyes.

Ichigo felt his annoyance creep up. He did not want this responsibility. But given that it was his subordinate who had caused this mess, Ichigo knew that it was duty to do what was required.. How he would do it was a question to which Ichigo did not want an answer. Given the history of this position, the possibilty of Ichigo having to kill the girl was not negligible. But of course, the fate of the girl, whoever it was, was depend on what the girl intends to do with her new-found power.

"What should I should do then, Sou-Taichou?" Asked Ichigo, feeling slightly apprehensive of the Yamamoto's answer. He knew Yamamoto very well. As a result, Ichigo knew that Yamamoto placed the safety of Soul Society above everything else, including his own life.

However, the Sou-Taichou did not reply immediately. For minutes on end, he just stood there,deep in thought.

"She could become an interesting test subject." Kurotsochi Mayuri, the Taichou of Squad Twelve, commented, which earned his a some disgusted looks, even from Kenpachi Zaraki. But, the Sou-Taichou did not even lookat him, almost as if he had not even heard the masked Taichou speak.

"Kurosaki Taichou," the Sou-Taichou began, "you will go to the World of the Living and train her."

This answer caught every one off guard. Having a Shinigami daiko trained was one thing, but having one trained by a Taichou was unthinkable.

"But Sou Taichou, why would you want a Taichou to go and train a mere daiko. Wouldn't a Fuku-Taichou suffice?" The Taichou of Squad Two, Soi Fon, asked,confusion etched on her face. And not only on her, but on also almost all the Taichou's present.

Ichigo, however, was curious. He knew there was no reason to send a Taichou to train a mere daiko. As Soi Fon had pointed out, a Fuku-Taichou would have sufficed. 'No', he thought, 'there is more to this than just training a little girl.'

"I want Kurosaki Taichou to observe her." He then turned his head and said his next words directly to Ichigo. "And then do as you see fit."

Ichigo took a sharp intake of air. This mission was a test, he realized. Having realized the true reason why the Sou-Taichou wanted him for this, Ichigo took a few seconds to compose himself.

"When do I leave?" Asked Ichigo, his voice even.

"You will leave tomorrow." Ichigo nodded. He was half hoping for a few days to finish of the work he had left. Asking Toshiro to take control of the division would be asking too much from the boy. But considering the situation, Ichigo knew that getting a few days would have been very unlikely.

"If no one has anything more to add this meeting is over."

Seeing that no one had anything more to add, Yamamoto moved forward and walked out of the room, the others then followed. Outside, he saw Toshiro who was with the other Fuku-Taichou's waiting for their respective Taichou's.

"Ichigo," a female voice called out his name. Turning around he found Retsu walking towards him with her Fuku-Taichou, Isane, walking behind her. He was aware of the gazes of some of the Fuku-Taichou's and even some of the Taichou's on them. Ichigo was well aware of the fact that his relationship with Retsu was something that was the source of gossip in Seireitei. It also somewhat annoyed him. The whispers that broke out whenever he and Retsu took a walk. He could even see the look of curiosity on Toshiro's face, albeit a very well disguised one. As it were, both Ichigo and Retsu maintained a dignified silence on this matter.

"When will you be finished with your work?" She asked, as if she was completely oblivious to the world around her.

"I should be done by evening."

"I will see you then and good day to you too, Hitsugaya Fuku-Taichou," she said addressing Toshiro, who promptly turned red, knowing that he had been caught staring at them, and then she simply walked away, with Isane trailing behind, giving Ichigo the same curious look that Toshiro gave him a few moments ago.

Ichigo could only give a sigh in response to that.

"Come Toshiro, let's go."


Ichigo gave out a long sigh. It had been hard work trying to finish of all the paperwork by himself. Toshiro was sitting in his own seat, diligently finishing his own paperwork. Ichigo would have been lying if he said that he was not worried about Toshiro taking care of the division. He had already discussed the mission with him. On hearing the news, Ichigo knew that Toshiro was feeling scared , no matter how much he tried to hide it.

The thing which worried Ichigo the most was Toshiro's pride. No matter how much he needed it, Toshiro simply refused to ask for help.

Ichigo was disturbed from his thoughts when the he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in", he called out, only to the blond head of his third seat, Izuru Kira.

"What is it, Kira?" Asked Ichigo. Inwardly Ichigo winced at the possibility of more paperwork. It's been a long day and more paperwork meant delaying the visit to the Fourth to meet Retsu.

"Um…", he started, but seemed uncertain on how to go ahead. Ichigo merely raised an eyebrow, curious on who or what could have made Kira so uncomfortable. Seeing the expression on his Taichou's face, he continued.

"Unohana Taichou is here to see you, Kurosaki Taichou," he said.

'So that was it', thought Ichigo.

"Let her in, Kira," he said to Kira, who nodded and closed the door to go and let Retsu know that he was free. Ichigo then turned to Toshiro, who nodded and left the office, but not before giving his Taichou a long backward glance.

Ichigo felt his annoyance bubble up again. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something that did not make him want to punch a wall.

"Am I so horrible to look at that you should close your eyes?" A female voice, laced with mischief, asked.

Ichigo, despite himself, felt a smile grow on his face. Slowly he opened his eyes and it fell on his old freind, who had a mischievous smile on her face, something which Ichigo wished he could see more often.

"No, just trying to get some rest after all of this paperwork." He replied, not bringing up the real reason of his annoyance. Though they both knew of the rumors and the whispering's regarding their relationship, whenever that topic came up it caused a certain amount of tension in the room, something which Ichigo could certainly do without, at least for the moment.

"Ah yes, the dreaded paperwork. You never really liked it," she said, walking forward and plopped herself down on the chair in front of Ichigo's chair, with all the grace which was symbolised by the the Squad Four Taichou, Unohana Retsu, non existant.

"True," replied Ichigo, wondering what Toshiro would think should he enter the room right at that instant. It would surely be a shock to his system to see the most the Taichou, who is often described as the most graceful in all of Soul Society, sprawled on his chair. That certainly would have been a sight to see.

"Is this your mission details?" She asked, picking up a file that was delivered to him from the Sou-Taichou's office just a few hours ago.

Ichigo nodded in response, seeing no need to elaborate further. He watched her carefully as she opened the file, carefully going through each detail.

"Ariwasa Tatsuki," she read out the name of the new daiko. "You do know why the Sou-Taichou wants you to go, don't you?" She asked, her eyes still on the file.

Ichigo let out a deep breath and lent back into his chair.

"Yes, I am well aware on what he wants me to do, or rather what he hopes that I will be forced to do." He replied, staring at the ceiling. He could feel her gaze on him.

"And?" She asked, this time looking directly into Ichigo's eyes.

Ichigo closed his eyes and lent back into his chair. He knew that as a Taichou of the Gotei 13, it is his duty to eliminate anyone or anything that could threaten the safety of Soul Society and he would do it.

"If I have to kill that girl, I will do it." He replied evenly.

"The Sou Taichou doesn't seem so sure, does he?" The long-haired Taichou asked, with what was Ichigo suspected, amusement tinged in her voice. "He doesn't believe that you can kill with the nonchalance that you did one thousand years ago," she continued, "so he sends you out to possibly kill a human, something which you never really liked doing."

Ichigo did not respond to her words. He knew that most of the Gotei 13 would have a difficult time seeing him as one of the most ruthless fighters in the history of the Gotei 13. Most saw him as one of the more friendly Taichou, though certainly not on the same level as Jushiro or Shunsui, but at least far more approachable than the likes of Soi Fon or Byakuya Kuchiki. Maybe that was the reason Yamamoto wanted him to carry out this mission. Should the Gotei 13 face a threat in the near future, Ichigo will have to once again be the same ruthless fighter that he was centuries ago. Yamamoto it seems, did not think that Ichigo was that same person from one thousand years ago.

"I have done many things that I don't agree with. But I did those things because it had to be done. And if this girl poses a threat to Soul Society, I will kill her." He said, with a sense of finality in his voice.

"Besides, there is no need for Yamamoto to doubt my ability. I am not the one who wears a façade every day, Yachiru." His words, almost an accusation caused her to stiffen. Ichigo did not know why he said it at that moment. But he knew that he had to say it. For years he had seen Yachiru hide who she was. He only saw the Yachiru when she was with him and she knew it.

"It is not as easy for me to be myself."

Ichigo lost it.

"Bullshit." He found himself standing, glaring at his long time friend, who was staring back at him with her eyes wide in shock.

"Do you know how hard it is for me to see you like this? Everyday I see you, you are Retsu, I never see the real you. I never see Yachiru. You don't even look like you are enjoying your life. You don't even smile like you used to. You are not you anymore."

By the time he was finished, Ichigo was panting. He was angry at her for hiding herself from the world. There was no reason for her to hide her entire being, True, he rarely spoke about his past, but that was the only thing that he hid. He was always himself. Yachiru however, was now a mere shell of her former self. To the untrained eye, there was nothing wrong with her. But to him, she looked as if she was just playing the part.

Yachiru had overcome her shock and was now looking at Ichigo with a sad smile on her face.

Ichigo was taken aback. He had expected her to be angry at him, not to look at him with that look on her face. To add to his confusion, she stood up and silently walked back to the door. Ichigo was about to call her, when she turned back.

"You know Ichigo, maybe Yamamoto was right. You are far too kind and you certainly wont be able to kill that girl. I will see you before you leave tomorrow." She said, with the smile still on her face.

And with that she simply turned away and left the room, leaving Ichigo alone in that large room.


I had written this chapter last week, but it ended with Unohana falling into Ichigo's arms and crying her eyes out, which I hated. So I have rewritten that last part.

The next few chapters would be probably be edited versions of the already written chapters with a few tweaks, so you can expect a new chapter next week. And yes it will be longer.

Is there anyone out there who will be willing to be my beta. PM me if you are interested.

Anyway leave a review alright.