Chapter One: Gossip!

It was almost 2 months after Aizen's defeat and Soul Society was busy recovering from the devastation caused. Everyone had their own way of recovering. The top ranking women of Soul Society's Gotei 13 especially love 'recovering' in their 'top-secret' base. Much to Captain Byakuya Kuchiki's annoyance, the Women's Shinigami Club were still holding meetings in his mansion. Today was no different.

"Yachiru," said Nanao. "What's going on in the 11th Division? I hear there's quite an uproar this morning."

"Heh?" replied Yachiru distractedly. It was their Women's Shinigami Club time and she did love the sweets available. Why, they even had Western cakes today! YUM!

"Yachiru! Really!" she huffed. "Stop munching on those Western cakes! What's happened that made all their screaming can be heard all the way over to Squad 8's head quarters this morning?"

Yachiru was not up to talking but since Nanao was insistent. "Oh that! Umm, Pachinko-ball wanted to train the unseated members of the squad because he had so much fun training humans when he was with Ichigo." She paused and looked around to see most of her Club members were listening to her story. Oh, this was fun! They are actually listening to her. Seeing the attention Yachiru decided to continue with the real story of what had happened that morning.

"So Pachinko had been training and training and training with Featherhead until only four people were not moaning. Monkey, Tree, Riceball and Sweetbuns."

"We really have to work on your nickname calling" muttered Soi-fon in a sort of aside.

"Umm...what? Oh yeah, then Pachinko-ball yelled Riceball and Sweetbuns to attack him since no one else was standing after the training."

"You mean he, he wasn't pounding them to a pulp before?" cried Nanao as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Yeap! Pachinko-ball was actually making them run up and down and carry stuff." Yachiru grabbed a piece of Western cake off the plate nearest to her and continued with her story between mouthfuls.

"Anyway, Riceball actually attacked and attacked but Sweetbuns only watched. Then Sweetbuns came over to Riceball when Riceball was almost tired when Riceball moved away and caught Sweetbuns by the hakama. Teeheehehe," she snorted, "Funny!"

"What's so funny Yachiru?" asked Soi-fon.

"Riceball!" laughed Yachiru, she was practically giggling between words. "He ripped one side of Sweetbuns' hakama. Then they finally realise after many, many years living with Sweetbuns that Sweetbuns was a GIRL!"

Nanao involuntarily spit out the mouthful of tea she was about the swallow. At the same time, a blush began to creep up most of the more prudish Women's Shinigami Club's neck in embarrassment. Which included Nemu and Isane, not to mention Nanao herself. "You mean...they saw...err"

"Nope. Hahaha. Sweetbuns bandage hers up until they are almost flat but everyone can actually see she has boobies. Hahaha."

"I thought those in the 11th squad were all men!" squeaked Isane. It took her almost a second to realise who she was talking to. "Oh – sorry, I mean..."

Yachiru shook her head in negative. Oooh, there was one slice of that strawberry cake left."Nope. There's me, Sweetbuns, Sassy, Sake-crazy, umm...don't remember their names. But, but Sweetbuns was the only one who did not say she was a girl!"

"Ah!"

A moment of silence fell over the club meeting. Everyone else, including Captain Unohana was trying to digest the importance of Yachiru's story. It was not a lot to take in. However discovering a person who actually hid her identity as a female for quite a long time was surprising. Not to mention it showed what idiots actually populate the 11th squad.

"Hey, hey," called Yachiru as soon as she finished the final slice of her strawberry shortcake. "Can I bring Sweetbuns here as an honorary member tomorrow? She's fun and her sweetbuns are really good too!"

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~~Meanwhile, back at Squad 11~~

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The sun had just dropped at an angle in the Western sky. The angle, it seemed was perfect to give Ikkaku's head a nice brilliant shine. "Haaah, I've never been so surprised in my life!"

"And here I thought he was a challenger to my most beautiful status"

Yumichika and Ikkaku were on the roof of their squad's training hall. It was the one place htey could find that was not filled with people trying to relate the heated gossip of the morning. The morning's events had given them more than enough details for the gossip anyway.

"I suppose we should start calling Yuki 'her' now," grumbled Yumichika.

"Yeah," replied Ikkaku. He rubbed his hand over his head to try and come up with more than just a grunty comment. "But she sure has tiny ones."

"Yeah."

"Even worse she flattens it"

"Yeah."

"But she's pretty handsome for a girl."

"Oooh, Ikkaku..." teased Yumichika. "Do I sense an interest growing for her?"

"I...id...idiot!" stammered Ikkaku."I'm not interested in a girl who flattens herself so much that she looks like a BOY!"

"Ooh, yeah?" said Yumichika as he continued to tease Ikkaku.

"YES! Now quit that before I kill you!"

"She's pretty..."

"SHUT UP!" yelled Ikkaku.
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~~ Not too far from Ikkaku and Yumichika... ~~

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Yuki Katahiranotsuji – the person in question who caused the uproar – in the meantime was feeling distinctly uncomfortable. The room she shared with three other guys just suddenly felt extremely suffocating. Her three roommates were staring at her like she was a Hollow or worse, one of the guys from squad 12. Now that her secret's out, she had to move out to live in the pretty crowded women's dorm which currently housed seven other girls. The dorm was not as cushy or comfy as the men's rooms and the girls do not train as often as the guys. God, she wished she would have some privacy in her new rooms.

"Hey...Yuki," said one of her soon-to-be-ex roommates. That accented voice could only be Shiro.

"What?" she snapped as she continued to fold and put away her stuff into a bag.

"Ye know...ye can still stay here if you want to," came the reply. "It's not like it's gonna be any different. Well yeah, maybe a little, with us knowin' ye're a girl an' all that..."

"Your point, will be?"

"Ahh...well, we can put a nice pretty shoji screen over in your corner of the room" said Yuzuru, her other roommate.

"Yeah, an' then we won't be embarrassed aroun' ye. And we'll still have ye as our gang an' not some upstart."

Hearing the invitation from Shiro and Yuzuru was enough to make Yuki pause. "What about you Riceball?" Riceball was the gruff one their group. However, his gruffness was only for show if his affection for baby animals were of any indication.

"Heh? Oh, haha, I think I'll miss you if you're not here."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Yuki reached scraped back the front part of her black hair to reveal her previously hidden face. It was of no wonder people could mistake her for a pretty boy, she had an androgynous facial structure that although leaned more toward feminine traits, was enough to be taken as a boy if not observed closely. And no one here in squad 11 would observe another man closely. She had purposely kept her hair longer in front and short at the back to keep anyone from guessing her true gender.

Living in Squad 11 was only was for one reason, she wanted to be stronger. And among all of the Gotei 13, Squad 11 was the strongest. It was also the most exclusively male dominated squad. Hence, her reason for hiding her gender for so long. Yuki released a long sigh at the memory of the resolve she promised herself 20 years ago. 15 years as a man, walking, talking, eating, joking and fighting as a man and living as a man had rubbed off most of her femininity. It was an easy decision to continue as she had done...but she had never done a lot of things easy.

"I have to think on your offer guys" said Yuki as she got up. "I'll see you tonight."

As she walked past the three guys who she had shared the room for nearly 10 years, she tried to give them a reassuring smile. Only it came out more as a sad smile than any reassuring grin she had ever known. Yuki paused at the entrance to tie back her long hair with one of the multicoloured hair ties she wore on her right hand as bracelets. It was easier to think that way.

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A/N: lol...okay, I'd love a lil R& R. It's been years since I wrote anything remotely fictional... Love you.