Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. All content within these chapters are for entertainment purposes only. Enjoy!

Prologue

To most residents of the Soul Society it was a beautiful day like any other. The sun was shining and all seemed right with the world. However, in the Seireitei, capital of the Soul Society and home of the famed Soul Reapers, this day marked the arrival of a very special recruit.

All captains and lieutenants of the thirteen court guard squads were required to attend a special meeting to greet the newcomer. Most of those gathered were curious to meet this person while others were less than enthusiastic about the meeting.

"Why must we all be here? We have more important things to do like filling the vacant captain positions in Squads 3, 5, and 9." grumbled Squad 3 Lieutenant Izuru Kira. He had been in a foul and depressed mood ever since the betrayal of his captain Gin Ichimaru.

Izuru was soon joined by a captain with long, white hair and a kind smile.

"Come now, Izuru, you must be optimistic. We are welcoming a new ally. I am quite curious about the head captain's new recruit." Jushiro Ukitake, Captain of Squad 13, said pleasantly.

A derisive snort could be heard from a nearby corner. Both men looked to see Captain of Squad 12, Mayuri Kurutsuchi. He was in an especially surly mood due to his suspension and loss of his right arm. Rumor had it that the two events were connected.

"Mayuri, what's wrong?" Ukitake asked, more curious than surprised by this captain's behavior.

"I know who this new recruit of Yamamoto's is." he sneered, "It is the daughter of Koji Urahara. A worthless half-breed."

Captain Ukitake's mouth dropped open in shock but Lieutenant Kira was only left confused.

"Sir, who is Koji Urahara?" he asked Ukitake.

"Koji Urahara was the brother of former Squad 12 captain Kisuke Urahara. He died in the mortal realm but before he died he had married a mortal and fathered a child. After his death, the child was never found." Ukitake explained then smiled wistfully as he remembered. "Koji was a good man and a good Soul Reaper."

"Bah! He was a bleeding heart and his child is no better!" Kurutsuchi spat angrily. By this point, the trio had attracted a group of onlookers. One of them, Shunsui Kyoraku Captain of Squad 8, chuckled at Kurutsuchi.

"You're only sore because you tried to go after her and she beat you. Or so rumors say." he said slyly, winking at Ukitake and Kira. The captain of Squad 12 was stunned by those words and became so enraged that he could barely speak.

"She…did…not…beat…me!" he said in a choked, angry voice.

Before the discussion could continue, a bell rang, the signal for all assembled that the meeting was about to begin. All of the captains and lieutenants lined up in order, with Squad 2 nearest to the doors and Squad 13 the farthest. The large double doors opened, revealing Head Captain Yamamoto and Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe. Everyone assembled bowed their heads in respect.

"Thank you all for arriving so promptly." the head captain began in his gravely voice. Both men entered the conference room and stood before the officers.

"As you may have heard, we are welcoming a special recruit this day. She has come from Karakura Town. May I present Akemi Urahara, daughter of Koji Urahara and Mayumi Hokama." The head captain motioned towards the door and at the introduction a young woman entered the room. She was around average height for a woman and had an athletic, curvy figure. Although by Izuru's estimation, she was definitely more modestly covered than the similar figure of Squad 10 Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto.

Izuru was also intrigued by her unusual long, silver hair, which was tied back in a long ponytail, and her gold eyes that darted around inquisitively as she approached the head captain. Once she reached him, Akemi faced the officers and bowed. If she was nervous, this strange woman did not show it.

"I look forward to learning from you all." she said humbly, her voice having a gentle and calming tone. The Squad 3 lieutenant was surprised to realize that now he too wanted to learn more about this strange girl.

-)*(-

As Head Captain Yamamoto continued talking about the training protocol for Akemi's stay, the young woman studied the line of captains and lieutenants. She immediately spotted Kenpachi Zaraki and noticed that he was studying her closely.

Great. He's already sizing me up. Akemi thought ruefully. She tried not to make eye contact with him, keen on continuing her perusal of the officers. Based off of her friends' descriptions, she found Rukia's captain and also Renji's captain, and Rukia's brother, Byakuya. Rukia's serious brother did not look at Akemi, preferring to listen closely to the head captain.

Akemi sensed, to her discomfort, that Mayuri Kurutsuchi was there but she chose to ignore him. She would avoid him and his squad and hopefully reduce her chances for any problems during her stay in the Seireitei.

As the head captain was finishing his speech, Akemi locked eyes with a young man, a lieutenant by the look of his arm badge. He was an inch or two taller than Akemi and had a very serious face. He had his blond hair in an interesting style, a long blond shock coming to a point over his left eye and two longer points down the back of his neck.

Akemi snuck him a welcoming grin, which seemed to surprise the lieutenant. After his surprise wore off, he attempted returning a grin of his own. Akemi guessed that he didn't smile often because it made his face look a little funny. Her grin spread into a restrained smile. This seemed to please the lieutenant though.

Well this is good. she thought. I'm making friends already.

-)*(-

After Yamamoto's speech, he gave everyone a chance to speak with Akemi before they retired for the evening. Many of the captains stayed to speak with Akemi and reminisce about her father. Izuru noticed that Captain Hitsugaya and many lieutenants simply listened with interest.

To his dismay, Izuru realized that with this crowd, he probably wouldn't get a chance to speak with her now. He turned to leave but felt a tug on his arm. Looking back, he saw Lieutenant of Squad 10, Rangiku Matsumoto.

"Hey Izuru, where are you going? Don't you want to meet her?" she asked casually.

"It seems that she is occupied at the moment." he answered somewhat stonily, "Besides, I need to get back to my squad." Rangiku let go of his sleeve, frowning.

"Ok suit yourself." she said and headed back into the room. Izuru sighed, displeased that he had disappointed Rangiku. She was his friend and was only trying to cheer him up. He looked back one last time then left, going back to train with his captain-less squad.