Chapter 1: Having Lost Everything Important
"Why?" In the end that was all Ichigo could ask himself. "Why did they target me? Was their lust for power really that important that they were willing to destroy me?" He would wonder as he remembered the events not yet a month beforehand.
"Ichigo give it a rest." Rukia stated as she looked up from her desk to see the same sorrowful look in Ichigo's eyes. "I know that you're still dwelling on what happened, but we can't change the past. You need to move on." She continued.
Upon hearing that Ichigo once again gritted his teeth. He hated hearing that no matter how true it was. Shukuro Tsukishima had taken everything from him before he died, and now Ichigo could no longer bear to stay in the world of the living. "I just don't understand why they went to such lengths… They didn't need to play me like a fool… Did they?" He wondered as he sat up. He had counted the days and already it had been twenty-seven since he left the world of the living behind. He hated himself now, he had not foreseen Tsukishima to be the danger that he turned out to be, and his lack of perception therein cost him his friends and may as well have cost him his life. The only solace he could find was that Rukia had arrived and restored his powers thereby unintentionally giving him a place to flee to.
"I said knock it off!" Rukia shouted as she threw an ink well at Ichigo causing the ink to fly everywhere.
"Rukia… Was I wrong to leave? Do you think they'd forgive me if I apologized?" Ichigo finally broke his silence.
"Ichigo, I am fully aware of what that man's powers were capable of, Byakuya is still mourning the loss of his so-called friend, but he had the will to show you the respect you deserve. If our friends back in the world of the living could not place your bond over his then they obviously didn't treasure that bond as much as they should have." Rukia explained, but her words were like a bitter pill to swallow.
"You know, I was only months away from graduating from high school. Orihime and I were going to attend the same college, but now…" Ichigo trailed off as tears began to well up in his eyes. "Did you know that Orihime was in love with me?" He asked and Rukia looked over at him with a shocked look on her face. "Yeah, Tatsuki told me a month ago that she had loved me for a long time… I was planning on asking her out at graduation but then I guess life has a funny way of working out." He added as he stared up at the ceiling.
"You keep sounding like you've given up and are simply going through the motions of your existence. It's not like you to be so depressed." Rukia replied as she finished the last of her paperwork. "I swear between you and Byakuya something's got to change. Now I'm done with the paperwork so once I turn these into Captain Ukitake we can leave for the day." She finished as she left the room.
After leaving the offices of Squad Thirteen Ichigo and Rukia went to see Yamamoto. "Ichigo, Lieutenant Kuchiki, welcome." Sasakibe greeted them when they entered the Squad One barracks.
"We've come to see if Ichigo's been cleared for a squad placement." Rukia replied as the two approached Yamamoto's desk.
"No, Central Forty-Six is still deliberating the matter, I believe it may take another couple of days before they have reached a decision." Yamamoto replied.
"Thank you sir." Rukia replied with a bow, and Ichigo bowed as well. "I can't believe they still haven't cleared you for placement yet!" She shouted after leaving the barracks of Squad One. "You've been here nearly a month, your physical body must have quit by now, so why do they keep dragging their feet?" She asked with a raised voice.
"You got me on that one." Ichigo replied. Strangely enough whenever Ichigo thought of how his physical body might already be dead it brought him a small bit of peace, yeah it would mean that he could no longer go back to his old life, but to him it was a pipedream anyway.
"So which squad do you want to join?" Rukia asked as they proceeded to head back to the Kuchiki Manor.
"Um which one is that one girl Momo in?" Ichigo asked as they passed a few Soul Reapers enjoying the nice spring afternoon.
"Momo Hinamori is in Squad Five." Rukia replied.
"Ok yeah definitely not that squad… Hmm I don't want to have to refer to Byakuya as Captain Kuchiki so Squad Six is out. What about Squad Nine?" Ichigo asked.
"Well the previous captain was Kaname Tosen, but there aren't many in the squad who worshipped him like the members of Squad Five worshipped Aizen. It might actually be an alright fit, I don't see you getting harassed for autographs in that squad." Rukia explained with a chuckle.
"Thank god, those requests have always been annoying. It'll be nice once everyone gives it a rest." Ichigo replied as they entered the mansion of a house that was the Kuchiki Manor.
"I can imagine… Ichigo I'm going to make some tea would you care for some?" Rukia asked.
"Oh, yes please." Ichigo replied. He never really used to drink much tea but the tea Rukia made completely changed his opinion of it. "I'm surprised your brother isn't home yet, he usually gets here long before we do." He pointed out as he sat down at the kitchen table while Rukia began to prepare the tea.
"That's because Captain Ukitake actually felt well enough to do some of the paperwork leaving not nearly as much for me to do." Rukia explained.
"So are you going to work on your jinzen training again today?" Ichigo asked as Rukia took a seat at the table.
"No I think I'll take it easy today and relax… Oh wait shoot I forgot there's a meeting today." Rukia blurted out.
"A lieutenant's meeting this late in the day?" Ichigo asked but Rukia shook her head.
"No I'm part of an organization called the Soul Reaper Women's Association, and our president Yachiru Kusajishi scheduled a meeting for this evening to watch the cherry blossoms while eating candy. Though usually she eats all of the candy which is why Nanao Ise usually brings real food for everyone else." Rukia explained.
"Wait Yachiru Kusajishi… Why does that name sound… Wait you mean your president is that little girl that is always with Kenpachi?" Ichigo asked while trying his hardest not to laugh.
"Yeah why?" Rukia asked innocently.
Upon hearing her reply Ichigo tried to resist the urge, but he ultimately failed. "That's got to be more pathetic than your lame drawings." He blurted out prompting Rukia to kick him in the shin.
"You were saying?" Rukia asked.
"I think I'll be shutting up now." Ichigo replied as he rubbed his leg.
"Oh that reminds me, there's a Soul Reaper Men's Association, but if you want my opinion it's not worth the time it takes to say the name, still I won't hold it against you if you'd like to join them." Rukia stated.
"Uh yeah I think I'll pass, if that little pink fairy is the president of the women's association, I'd hate to find out who the president of the men's association is." Ichigo replied.
"I think it's Tetsuzaemon Iba, but I'm pretty sure Captain Ukitake is a member." Rukia replied.
"Yeah once again I think I'll pass." Ichigo replied as Rukia got up to get the tea.
"Well there are other groups you could join. My brother is the chairman of the Calligraphy Club if you'd be interested in that." Rukia explained.
"Calligraphy Club?" Ichigo asked with a look of skepticism on his face. "There's a club for practicing calligraphy?" He asked as Byakuya entered the kitchen.
"Yes, and it is quite relaxing. I could let you join, all you need to do is ask." Byakuya stated.
"Uh, we'll get back to that, but are there any others?" Ichigo asked. He didn't sound the least bit interested in a club that had only men, but the idea of the calligraphy club did have the appeal of seeming somewhat peaceful.
"Well there's the Tea Ceremony Club. It is run by Captain Yamamoto, and I am also a member of that club as well." Byakuya explained.
"Hmm, I guess that one would be pretty good too. Can you put in a good word with the old man for me to join?" Ichigo asked.
"Very well I will speak to him, other than the three of us will be Retsu Unohana and Chojiro Sasakibe." Byakuya explained.
"Wait are you seriously going to join the Tea Ceremony Club?" Rukia asked.
"Well I don't know when Central Forty-Six will place me in a Squad, might as well do something to keep myself from going out of my mind with boredom." Ichigo replied before taking a sip of his tea.
"Come to think of it, he only ever seems down about what happened when he's not doing anything, maybe if he did join a group here he would focus less on them and he could get over it faster." Rukia thought. "Byakuya I would like to join the Tea Ceremony Club as well!" She declared confidently. "This way I'll be able to monitor him more closely." She thought.
"Very well, Captain Yamamoto will be pleased to have two more members to our club." Byakuya stated with a smile.
That night Ichigo was yet again plagued by nightmares of the friends he had been robbed of, and on a number of occasions he had woken up violently. "I don't know how long I can go on like this." He thought as he checked the time on the wall clock. "Four-thirty… At this rate I'll never get a good night's sleep." He thought as he rolled back over to get more rest.
The following morning he once again accompanied Rukia to the Squad Thirteen barracks. "Thanks for coming with me again Ichigo." She stated, but Ichigo remained silent as he remembered his dream.
"Why did they have to be influenced by Tsukishima?" Ichigo thought before Rukia hit him in the back of the head. "Ouch what was that for?" He asked in a raised voice.
"I thought I told you to stop doing that." Rukia replied. "They were Renji's and my friends too and you don't see us getting all moody do you?" She asked, but Ichigo could only look away in shame.
"It's different… You weren't disgraced to the point you had to leave your home…" Ichigo replied but his choice of words prompted yet another kick from Rukia.
"You fool! I told you to stop that didn't I?" Rukia asked.
"It's a little easier said than done don't you think? You don't know what it's like to have someone you like hate you." Ichigo replied but then his eyes widened. "Come to think of it, who do you like Rukia?" He asked causing Rukia to jump at the sudden intrusion into her very personal life.
"It's none of your business who I like!" Rukia replied as she started blushing.
"Oh come on I told you that I like Orihime the least you could do is tell me who you like." Ichigo reasoned, but Rukia was too stunned to respond. "Hmm, is it Renji by any chance?" He asked with a cocky smirk.
"Tell me you're joking." Rukia replied with an expression that appeared less than amused.
"Well then it must be that Sentaro guy right?" Ichigo asked.
"That's even less amusing." Rukia replied as she glared at Ichigo who's smirk grew even bigger.
"Right you seem like you would be into the strong hero type right? I bet you like Hanataro Yamada!" Ichigo exclaimed and Rukia shot him an evil death glare of doom for his joke. "Well I can go on to name a long list of people. For instance Captain Kenpachi." He added and Rukia kicked him again.
"This isn't funny you moron!" Rukia shouted.
"Well I can obviously tell it isn't me, those kicks hurt almost as much as my eyes after seeing one of your drawings." Ichigo stated nonchalantly and once again Rukia gave him a painful kick before running off leaving him crippled in the middle of the street. "God what's her problem, I thought she wanted me to lighten up." He thought as he rubbed the newly forming bruises on his legs. "Ouch, man she kicks like a guy!" He thought as he winced in pain.
Further ahead Rukia had been fighting back tears until she was in her office and she finally broke down. "I don't understand, why am I so bothered?" She wondered as she silently sobbed. "Why should I care what he thinks?" She asked herself.
"You got into a fight with someone didn't you?" Kiyone asked from the desk and Rukia's face went a deep shade of red.
"Kiyone, what are you doing in here?" Rukia asked as she quickly wiped her tears away.
"I came to talk about squad stuff, but that can wait. What happened?" Kiyone asked.
"Well, I don't really know. First I was walking with Ichigo, and then I was yelling at him for being mopey, and then before I knew it I was being interrogated for information into my l-love life." Rukia explained.
"Hmm, can you go into specifics the explanation you gave me is kind of vague I mean, I'm not some twelve to thirteen year old girl reading a romance series and know everything about the female protagonist." Kiyone explained and she cocked her head and one of her eyebrows at the thought of the description she just gave.
"Um, well he wanted to know who I liked, first he asked if it was Renji, then asked if it was Sentaro of all people, and then Hanataro, and also Kenpachi Zaraki, but when I told him no to all of them, he said that based on how short I was getting with him that it couldn't possibly be him, and I don't know I just sort of hit him and ran off. I was upset and I had to get away from him." Rukia explained not noticing the satisfied grin slowly spreading across Kiyone's face as she went on with her explanation. "Ugh, what is wrong with me?" She asked out loud.
"Rukia, I think you like Ichigo." Kiyone replied with a chuckle.
"What? Don't joke like that because it isn't funny!" Rukia shouted as Ichigo finally showed up.
"Rukia why'd you run off like that I was only joking around back there with those comments about who you like. You didn't need to haul off and kick me like you did." Ichigo stated, but before he could say anything else he received a very hard elbow to the face from Rukia that knocked him to the floor.
"Ichigo you shouldn't sneak up on people!" Rukia shouted with a glare.
"But you had to know I was there, it took at least five seconds for me to say that, even your reaction time isn't that horrible." Ichigo stated.
"Kiyone can you toss me that calligraphy brush?" Rukia asked.
"Uh okay…" Kiyone replied and she did what she was told, but Rukia made no attempt to catch it until seven seconds after it fell to the floor.
"You've got to be joking." Ichigo blurted out as a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in." Rukia called out, and Chojiro Sasakibe entered the room.
"Captain Yamamoto would like to see Ichigo, but he's not at the Kuchiki Manor, Lieutenant Kuchiki do you know where he might be?" Sasakibe asked.
"I'm down here." Ichigo called up from his spot on the floor. "Yo." He stated nonchalantly from his position when Sasakibe looked down on him.
"Yes um quite… Captain Yamamoto would like to see you, please come with me." Sasakibe replied as he left the room with Ichigo following close behind.
"So what does he want to see me about?" Ichigo asked as they left the Squad thirteen barracks.
"Well he wouldn't go into details but it's variable good news." Sasakibe replied.
"Variable good news? What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked.
"It means that directly depending on how you take it, it will be either good news or bad news. It depends on how you take it." Sasakibe stated.
"You know I remember where I knew you from, you're one of the three lieutenants whose asses I kicked back on Sokyoku Hill when I rescued Rukia, aren't you?" Ichigo asked and Sasakibe couldn't help but blush from embarrassment of his miserable failure from that day. "Sorry about that but I was kind of doing something important, I hope you didn't take it personally." He stated.
"Given the gravity of the betrayal while it was not your intention you attempted to thwart Aizen's schemes, so it's been excused as far as I'm concerned, and Isane Kotetsu isn't one to hold a grudge, the one you should convince is the Squad Two Lieutenant Omaeda." Sasakibe replied as they entered the Squad One barracks.
"Ichigo thank you for coming. I'm sure you must be curious as to why I've called you down here. Well Central Forty-Six has approved the decision to place you in a squad of your choosing however… I will not allow you to be placed until you are cleared by Captain Unohana of having any psychiatric deficiencies." Yamamoto called forth.
"I… I understand." Ichigo replied.
"What, you're taking this surprisingly well." Sasakibe blurted out.
"Well it's to be expected, I mean I want to be in a squad but I don't want to hold that squad back by any issues I may have, and after what happened with the fullbringers it's expected that there could be something wrong. Besides I was actually planning on seeing Unohana about this matter anyway. So it all works out." Ichigo explained before Yamamoto dismissed him.
When Ichigo made it over to the Squad Four barracks he was immediately taken to Unohana. "Welcome Mr. Kurosaki it's been a while. How are you today?" Unohana asked with her usual caring smile.
"Well I came to see you for a psychiatric evaluation, and I guess a physical check up wouldn't hurt anything." Ichigo replied with a calm smile.
"That's very nice Ichigo, but I didn't ask you why you've come to see me, I asked you how you've been." Unohana replied with the same smile.
"Well I've not been doing so well." Ichigo admitted as he took a seat on a recliner that was placed in front of Unohana's desk.
"Tell me about that. Why haven't you been doing well?" Unohana asked as she pulled out a notepad and a pen.
"Well, I guess it all started when I lost my spiritual powers. I guess I was fine without them at first I mean yeah I missed Rukia and Renji among a few other Soul Reapers, but it was nice to have a normal spirit-free life for a change." Ichigo explained and Unohana began to write on the notepad.
"Go on…" Unohana spoke up.
"Oh, um, right, well I guess the normal life started to eat away at me after a while, I didn't really notice until just six months ago on the anniversary of the Winter War, but I wasn't satisfied… No maybe it was more like I was unhappy without the presence of spirits in my life. It felt like something was missing, and in school my friends that fought with us in the war would often leave suddenly. Of course I knew they were going to fight hollows and on a number of occasions I felt a strong desire to want to go with them." Ichigo explained.
"And did you ever try to go with them?" Unohana asked.
"No but there was one instance I almost did. It was about two and a half months ago and I had pulled an all-nighter to study for a big exam, but the next day in school as was normal I saw them leave to go fight a hollow and it was like I could almost feel the presence of the hollow, but I was really tired so it could be explained by a lack of sleep." Ichigo explained.
"Well what happened after that?" Unohana asked.
"Oh, well life still continued on as per the new usual until I met the fullbringers. They told me I could regain my powers if I learned their abilities, and how could I pass up the opportunity to get back into the fight. I was feeling pretty low that my friends and even my younger sister were risking their lives to protect me, so low that I felt if I couldn't protect them then I could at least fight beside them." Ichigo continued.
"So you took these people up on their offer?" Unohana asked.
"Of course I did, and they informed me that they were teaching me to use the power because they needed my help to defeat one of their own that had gone rogue. Shukuro Tsukishima." Ichigo stated with a hint of disgust in his tone of voice.
"So how long did it take you to learn the ability of fullbring?" Unohana asked.
"Is that really necessary for the evaluation?" Ichigo asked.
"It could be." Unohana replied as she wrote something down on the notepad. "Ichigo pay no attention to what I am writing and answer the question." She stated sternly.
"Oh, um, right… Well the training was going a bit to slow for their preferences so a little blond kid used his fullbring to send us into a pocket dimension where he was able to speed time up for us, and while it felt like several days in the dimension in reality it was only several minutes." Ichigo explained.
"Interesting, what happened after your training concluded?" Unohana asked.
"Well I left for the night, and the next time I saw Ginjo he was panic-stricken. He went on about how Tsukishima used his power to turn the other fullbringers against us, and so we went to a friend's house, but she had been influenced too, so we-" Ichigo was interrupted by Unohana.
"This friend that you say is a girl, were you romantically involved with her or did you have strong feelings for her at all?" Unohana asked.
"What? No!" Ichigo barked back.
"Interesting, you may proceed." Unohana replied.
"So we left my friend's place and went to my home, but Tsukishima had arrived their first. So upon realizing that he had influenced my friends and family at this point we went to an old safe house the fullbringers used incase of emergency, there one of them came to invite to a mansion in the middle of a forest, but when we arrived I attacked Tsukishima but my friend Orihime simply healed the wound I inflicted upon him." Ichigo explained as the usual look of sorrow covered his face.
"This girl Orihime, did you have a romantic relation with her?" Unohana asked, but Ichigo merely drooped his head lower as tears began to flow. "I see…" She uttered as she handed a box of tissues over to Ichigo.
"Thanks… A few days before that our friend Tatsuki had told me that Orihime liked me, and I guess the realization sparked feelings in my own heart… I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend when we graduated… But that future was stolen from me. Tsukishima had succeeded in turning everyone in the world of the living that I cared about against me. In the ensuing battle Ginjo was also struck by book of the end, and revealed that he had orchestrated everything. He had targeted me because I was once a substitute Soul Reaper, and he wanted the power I would obtain through fullbring, and he took it from me… That's when Rukia arrived with that sword that helped me to regain my powers, and I proceeded to kick his ass, while the other Soul Reapers present fought a fullbringer on their own, and Byakuya was the one to fight Tsukishima, and he defeated him, and I defeated Ginjo, while everyone essentially defeated their opponents." Ichigo explained.
"What happened next?" Unohana asked.
"Well with Tsukishima dead after scrambling away from us I expected my friends and family to return to normal, but… They didn't… I had made the mistake of hastily informing them of Tsukishima's death, and they hated me for it. Even in death the man had everything I held dear in my heart. I just don't understand why… The Soul Society was not concerned with the fullbringers until they began to move and take action, they could have lived their lives in peace, but due to their selfishness I lost several bonds that I'll never get back. Well naturally I felt isolated so when Rukia invited me here I couldn't refuse." Ichigo finished as tears formed a river down his cheeks.
"I see, and how would you describe your relationship with Miss Kuchiki?" Unohana asked.
"Well she means well by trying to tell me not to dwell on the past, but to say she's a bit abrasive with this subject would be an understatement. She's like a nurse that was insulted by her patient and decided to rip the bandages off as a form of punishment." Ichigo replied.
"I see, and how would you describe your friendship with Lieutenant Abarai?" Unohana asked.
"Well, it's kind of a cocky smack talking kind of friendship, we push each other to get stronger by insulting the other, it's not a perfect system but it works well enough." Ichigo replied.
"Interesting… Ok thank you for your cooperation, now we will do some word association, I'll say a word and I want you to say the very first thing that comes to your mind, do you understand?" Unohana asked as she pulled out a deck of cards from a drawer in her desk. "Alright let's begin, animal." She stated.
"Cat." Ichigo replied.
"Food." Unohana stated.
"Rice." Ichigo replied.
"Next is plant." Unohana stated.
"Grass." Ichigo replied.
"Ok tool." Unohana continued.
"Hammer." Ichigo replied.
"Color." Unohana continued.
"Violet." Ichigo replied.
"Up." Unohana stated.
"Moon." Ichigo continued.
"Grief." Unohana stated and this was the first time she looked up at Ichigo since she started the word association.
"Hollow." Ichigo replied as his eyes met hers.
"Pain." Unohana stated and again she looked up at Ichigo.
"Loss." Ichigo replied still staring her in the eye.
"Important." Unohana stated.
"Friend." Ichigo replied.
"Joy." Unohana read from the card.
"Protecting." Ichigo replied.
Normally Unohana would have stopped with just ten words, but seeing the next card she decided to continue. "Love." She stated with her warm smile.
"Ru-" Ichigo cut himself off. "What the hell was I about to say?" He wondered as his eyes widened while his face turned a deep shade of red. "Well if I change it now it might hurt my evaluation." He thought. "R-Rukia." He stated in a hushed tone almost at a whisper.
"That last one was a very interesting choice." Unohana stated with a light chuckle forcing Ichigo to blush even further. "Though I'm surprised, normally when I say the word love in this exercise someone usually says family or friends, lie or truth. Though you were completely honest about that, but that isn't what's important, it's is it true, and if so what kind of love is it?" She asked but Ichigo was too embarrassed to say anything. "Don't worry those last two questions aren't pertinent to your evaluation. Though I have come to a conclusion." She stated confidently.
"So what are my test results?" Ichigo asked as the color of his face began to revert back to normal.
"Well while I see no immediate harm in you being placed in a squad, you do appear to have trust issues and a recently developed pathological fear of losing those who are important to you. This could effect your ability to act with a level head, so while I will pass you to be placed in a squad, you will not be eligible for any promotions or missions for the time being, and I must insist that we have counseling sessions twice a week, on Tuesdays you will come here to see me from noon until two o'clock, and on Fridays you will meet with Isane from three o'clock unto four-thirty. Do those times fit your current schedule?" Unohana asked after her explanation.
"Uh yeah I guess so… Oh wait I'm joining the Tea Ceremony Club, so unless it conflicts with those times they should be fine." Ichigo stated.
"Oh it will be nice to see a new face, but don't worry the club meetings are usually later in the evening as a means to relax after a long day of work. I also want you to give this to which ever squad's captain you end up joining. Though Squads Three, Five, and Nine are currently out of the question until your evaluation produces better results. Which reminds me, I will evaluate you again each third of the month unless the third falls on a Wednesday at which point it will be held the day before, if you miss the evaluation you will have to wait until the following third to be reevaluated. Do you have any questions?" Unohana asked as she handed a note over to Ichigo.
"Well about that physical check up?" Ichigo asked.
"Oh yes I nearly forgot, however I have a meeting I must attend, so Hanataro will examine you, just wait one moment." Unohana stated before leaving the room, and a few moments later Hanataro entered wearing a white lab coat.
"Oh Ichigo how have you been, it's been quite a while huh?" Hanataro asked he opened a folder that had Ichigo's name on it.
"Yeah it has, Hanataro have you gotten taller?" Ichigo asked with an eyebrow cocked.
"Yeah nearly a foot since you had to save Rukia." Hanataro replied causing Ichigo to blush. "Huh what's wrong did I say something weird?" He asked.
"Let's just get on with the check up." Ichigo barked.
"Uh sure, first I'll need to check your vitals, this might feel a little cold, but when I tell you to I want you to take a deep breath." Hanataro stated, and after a minute he had finished the first test. "Well your lungs are healthy to say the least. Now I must check your blood pressure. I just need to wrap this cuff around your biceps. Now you need to be still and quiet while I perform this test." He stated and once again he was finished after about a minute. "Good, your pulse is healthy and you have a safe blood pressure. Next I will test your blood sugar. I just need to prick your finger and take a sample of your blood for testing… Good it's at a safe level as well. Now finally I will need to check your ears, eyes, nose, and throat." He stated and within minutes he finished the check up. "Well Ichigo you're a picture of health." He finished.
"Wow those were the same tests I would have done if I made it through college to becoming a doctor." Ichigo pointed out.
"Really? Well maybe you should join Squad Four, we could use a medical expert like you in the squad, after all as they say it's never unhealthy to have too many doctors around." Hanataro replied.
"Thanks but I've already made my decision. I wanted to join Squad Nine, but Captain Unohana has forbade me from Squads Three, Five, and Nine. So I think I'll join Rukia's squad for the time being." Ichigo replied.
"Well if you ever change your mind you know where we are. With that we're all finished, see you around Ichigo." Hanataro stated.
"Yeah see you around." Ichigo replied before leaving the room and then the barracks.
By the time Ichigo made it to Squad Thirteen, he ran into Unohana once more as she was leaving the barracks. "So how did your check up go?" Unohana asked.
"Pretty good, aside from my mind I'm as healthy as they come… That meeting you had to get to was here at the Squad Thirteen barracks wasn't it?" Ichigo asked.
"Yes, unfortunately Ukitake's health isn't the greatest, but don't worry he still has many years ahead of him yet. Now you better get in there, I believe you have a request for the captain. You don't want him to get too exhausted to see you do you?" Unohana asked, and after they bid their goodbyes Ichigo went in to see the captain.
"Awe Ichigo what a pleasant surprise." Ukitake stated as he sat up in his bed. "What can I do for you?" He asked.
"Well sir, I was hoping I could join your squad. I don't expect any special treatment for my past deeds just put me wherever you have room for me." Ichigo stated firmly.
"Oh, well as it turns out our fifth seat is currently vacant, that is if you don't want it." Ukitake replied with a caring smile similar to Unohana's.
"Really, I mean I don't know much about the squads, but isn't a low-numbered seat a big deal?" Ichigo asked as his eyes widened.
"Don't worry about it, I would be honored to have you take up my fifth seat." Ukitake stated as Rukia entered the room.
"Captain the paperwork is finished… Oh hey Ichigo what did Yamamoto want to see you about?" Rukia asked as she handed the paperwork over to Ukitake.
"Just one second Rukia… Captain I accept your offer, from this day forward I will hold your fifth seat." Ichigo stated and Rukia's eyes widened.
"You joined our squad? But what about Squad Nine?" Rukia asked as her eyes widened.
"Well in order to join a squad Yamamoto wanted me to undergo a psychiatric examination, but while I was cleared to go ahead and join a squad, I was not permitted to join Squads Three, Five, or Nine. That and until my mental condition improves I can't advance to a higher rank, and I am not permitted to go on missions to the world of the living. Though I get reevaluated every third of the month so that could change in as early as two weeks. Though as far as a promotion goes, being that this is my first squad I will not take anyone's place, should I be deserving of a promotion I'll transfer to another squad." Ichigo explained.
"Well we look forward to having you with us. Just don't let us down." Ukitake stated with a smile.
"That's right Ichigo, but don't worry you'll fit in here just perfectly." Rukia assured Ichigo.
"Great I look forward to working with everyone." Ichigo replied with a calm smile.
"Huh?" Rukia wondered after something caught her attention. "Maybe I was just imagining it, but it almost looked like that old fierce look of his was back… In time Ichigo you will overcome even this." She thought as they bid their captain farewell for the evening. "I bet Byakuya will approve." She stated as they left the barracks.
"What?" Ichigo asked in a flustered state. "Approve of what, I'm not thinking of doing anything." He stated nervously.
"What? I mean you being accepted into the squad at fifth seat… Why what were you thinking about just now?" Rukia asked as they walked down the street.
"Oh, nothing, I was just lost in my thoughts, but yeah I bet he'll approve too." Ichigo replied, but he couldn't help but think back to that last word in the association test. "Why did I say that?" He wondered, and the two remained silent as they continued back to the Kuchiki Manor.
Chapter 1 end - here it is the long awaited, okay more like just awaited prequel to my fic Bleach: The Knots That Bind. So what did y'all think? This time though you'll get no spoilers from future chapters, after all many of you who have read my first fic will try and guess how this will play out well only MrLotus knows for sure. Please I need REVIEWS I promise I'll respond to your reviews with a heartfelt message. By the way I will be working on this simultaneously as I work on two other fics, so a chapter a day will be posted (sometimes 2) but not likely for the same fic. Anyway thanks for reading my first chronological chapter. XD
(Shunpo to bed because putting out a chapter and 3/5 in one day is mentally taxing)
Disclaimer, I do not own bleach but I wish I did, Tite Kubo has created something of pure brilliance! Mad props Kubo-sama!