A/N: Am I the only person who thinks that Rukia's promotion to vice-captain is long overdue? I mean, come on. The only thing stopping her is Byakuya. I still love him though. ^^
Ukitake knew perfectly well that he should be anywhere besides up and about, especially since he still hadn't fully recovered from being impaled through the chest*. He knew he should be resting in bed, or perhaps in his office with a cup of tea. He knew that he should be doing the opposite of what he was doing now- practically chasing his fellow captain down the sixth division hall. And yet here he was, trying to do the impossible- make Byakuya Kuchiki see reason.
"Byakuya, please wait, I really think you should reconsider-"
"My answer remains the same as it was before, Ukitake-senpai."
The white haired captain sighed at what looked like the beginning of a very long morning. In all his thousands of years he had never known someone as impossibly, immovably, stubborn as the man who stood in front of him. Byakuya was impossible to argue with, and Ukitake, who almost never fought with another person if he could help it, admittedly wasn't doing a very good job of it. "Byakuya, listen. We both know that Rukia is well above the level of a vice-captain. She defeated the ninth Espada, for crying out loud! Your sister can take care of herself, I assure you-"
"No." Byakuya cut him off again. "I would not let her become a seated officer before and I will not allow her to be your vice-captain now. There is nothing that will make me risk breaking my vow to Hisana. Ask someone else."
"She is the only person in my division who qualifies for the position." At this point, Ukitake was beginning to feel very frustrated. He had no idea that Byakuya's over protectiveness extended to this level- so far that it was comparable to Ichigo Kurosaki. His task was starting to look truly impossible. He had thought that surely, after seeing Rukia's drastic improvement over the last few months, the Kuchiki clan leader would rethink his opinion on the subject, but he was clearly mistaken.
"I apologise, but on this matter I cannot, and will not, change my mind. Good day, Ukitake-senpai." By the time Ukitake looked up, he was already gone- but his reiatsu was soon replaced by someone else's.
"Yo, Shiro-chan, why the frown?" said the dark, purple haired woman who was suddenly yards away from him. He would have jumped in surprise if he hadn't been used to seeing people pop in and out of nowhere.
"Ah, Yoruichi-san. I was just talking to Captain Kuchiki…"
Understanding showed on her face before it split into a wide grin. "Say no more. Still being stubborn, is he? Che. He's a lot more like Ichigo than he cares to admit." Ukitake allowed himself a smile. He had been thinking exactly the same thing a few minutes ago.
"Poor girl. To think that the only thing standing in her way is her dear big brother," Yoruichi went on. She smirked. "No, we can't have that, can we? I'll go talk to him."
"Thank you, Yoruichi-san. I appreciate it."
"Certainly. Anything to help an old friend, eh Shiro-chan?" With that, she grinned wickedly for the last time before shunpo-ing out. Only one thought was in her head- fun.
Ukitake could only wonder what Byakuya had coming to him.
*People who read the manga will get this.
A/N: And so sets off a chain of events that will have Byakuya insane before the story is finished XD. Hopefully this is more IC than my other fic (Do NOT read it, it's HORRIBLE.) So anyway, please review and tell me what you think.