A/N- 06-24-13 A HUGE thank you to reviewer, Dragonheart, who really helped me out and pointed out some flaws in this chapter that I was unable to catch! So thank you very much! (I always feel like the littlest things make the biggest difference. Especially when it comes to writing, so I'm seriously grateful you took the time to point all that out.)
Rukia Kuchiki sighed quietly, turning to glare at the sunlit courtyard outside her window. She couldn't get anything done with the godforsaken heat! Groaning, she turned back to the mountain of paperwork on her desk before the sound of running footsteps made her pause. She looked up as the door to her office flew open, a panicked Kiyone standing there apologetically.
"Kuchiki fuku-taichou! Pardon the interruption and my rudeness," She panted. "There is an emergency meeting being held for all captains and vice-captains immediately!"
Rukia's eyes widened slightly in understanding an nodded gratefully, jumping to her feet and flash stepped towards the meeting hall. She arrived at the large wooden doors in no time, taking a mere second to compose herself before making her way inside. A few of the captains glanced up at her disinterestedly before turning around to continue their hurried conversations with their colleagues. Rukia frowned at the nervous atmosphere before making her way towards the group of confused fuku-taichou. Renji smiled at her while a few of the others nodded in greeting. Frowning, she turned to her red haired friend.
"Renji. What the hell is going on?" She questioned anxiously. The last time there had been an emergency captains meeting, it was because Soul Society was under grave threat, and that was something no one wanted to relive. Renji glanced around before turning back to her with a sigh.
"I'm not sure. All I know is the captains don't know anything yet either. SO we all know about as much as you do." He explained unhappily. Rukia nodded in understanding before turning to look at the captains, who had grown silent and still.
Suddenly, they all hurried to their designated spots, their lieutenants scrambling to stand behind them while the unmistakable reiatsu of the Sou-taichou drew closer. The doors flew open just as Rukia made it to her post behind Ukitake-taichou. Yamamoto made his way to the front of the room before turning and fixing the occupants with a piercing stare. Silence reigned while Rukia and a few of the others figgited uncomfortably. After a few more moments the Sou-taichou chose to speak.
"...It has come to our attention that something of grave importance will be happening soon, and we need to prepare." He started vaugely. The Captains and vice-captains glanced at each other, whispering urgently amongst themselves. Yamamoto allowed this for a moment before clearing his throat, effectively garnering the rooms attention once more.
"This may come as a shock to some of you, but it has been a long time coming." He said slowly, glancing at the individuals assembled before him. "...As many of you know, Seretei has a duty to keep track of souls traveling between the worlds. The cycle of life and death."
He paused, gauging the reactions in the room thus far which ranged from bored to confused.
"We recently had an individual appear on this list." He took a breath, watching as the other occupants of the room looked up in interest. "...Ichigo Kurosaki will be arriving in Soul Society."
There was dead silence for a moment before all hell broke loose. Shock, happiness, and sadness seemed to radiate throughout the hall. Excited voices echoed off the walls as they discussed the meaning and prospects of seeing their ally again after so many years. Yamamoto snorted quietly before slamming his staff down, silencing the hall.
"This is a very serious affair. As you all know, Kurosaki is a valuable ally to Soul Society. A powerful shinigami and faithful friend to many. He will be an asset to the gotei 13. We must prepare." He stated, staring hard at every person in the room. They all nodded seriously.
"Now, according to our intel we will need to send someone to fetch Kurosaki within the next two weeks or so. Would anyone volunteer?" Before he had even finished speaking hands had shot up around the room. He looked them over before zeroing in on the 13th division's vice-captain.
"Lieutenant Kuchiki." He said after a moment. Rukia looked up at him, shocked, before composing herself and nodding dutifully.
"There is also the matter of position. It's obvious he is seated for no less than a lieutenant's position, so what do you all propose?"
For a moment, no one spoke. Then, Ukitake raised his hand. Yamamoto nodded for him to speak freely.
"Head captain, if I may be so bold, it's obvious the boy is suited for no less than a captain's position. He defeated many of our own seated officers, captains, and he defeated many high level hollows before and after we first encountered him." Ukitake argued. "He has shown time and time again that he has the strength and the determination required to be in command. He's also proven himself to be a strong leader. I say that we fill one of the remaining captain's positions."
There was a murmur of vague agreement following this statement. Yamamoto glanced at his student approvingly before addressing the room at large.
"How many of you would approve of Kurosaki being a captain of the gotei 13?" He asked slowly, gazing around the room. Hands rose quickly at the question.
"No way! I cannot approve of a...a...CHILD being a captain!" Kurotsuchi suddenly shouted. Yamamoto stared at him silently.
"And why not!?" Hitsuguya asked heatedly. "Even I have to admit the kids a prodigy. So what if he's younger than us?!"
The others chose to ignore the irony in his statement, considering he looked no older than a middle schooler, and silently agreed with him.
"Still! The boy has no training! He possesses no discipline, has no knowledge of our history. He doesn't even know basic shinigami knowledge or kidou! And you expect us to just hand him a position like this?!" Kurotsuchi shouted, outraged.
"Captain Kurotsuchi has a point," Yamamoto conceded. "But, so does captain Hitsuguya. I propose a compromise. What if we sent Kurosaki to the academy like any other shinigami, and then allowed him to take up his position upon his graduation? Would that alleviate any worries?" He asked. The other captains all nodded and murmured in agreement. Kurotsuchi muttered something about ridiculous, flashy brats and wasting time with 'intellectually challenged fools,' which the other captains kindly chose to ignore in favor of pursuing the matter at hand.
"Alright. Start preparing for his arrival. We'll have another meeting soon to decide the squad and any other affairs that need to be discussed. Captains Kuchiki, Hitsuguya, and lieutenants Kuchiki, Abarai, and Matsumoto. Remain here. The rest of you, DISMISSED!" He practically shouted, slamming his wooden staff down for good measure. The rest of the room's occupants got the hint, disappearing almost immediately to give the others privacy. Once the last straggler had left, Yamamoto turned his gaze upon the small group he had requested remain.
"I would like you 5, along with 3rd seat Madarame and 5th seat Ayasegawa to travel to the world of the living and monitor Kurosaki Ichigo. I know we said that it should be two weeks or so before we have to worry about that, but we have to compensate for any unforeseen...complications. We CANNOT risk Kurosaki's soul falling into the wrong hands. Understood?" He demanded. They all nodded seriously. "Good. You leave immediately. Dismissed."
"Hai!" They all said simultaneously before bowing and disappearing. Yamamoto sighed tiredly before making his way back to his office, his lieutenant following faithfully behind him.
Ok, so that's the end of the prologue/ chapter 1...thing. I started typing this at fucking 3. A. M. this morning. Damn my muse. But anyway. I'll try and post another chapter today or tomorrow. And please bear with me. I know their short, weirdly structured, and probably have horrible spelling. I don't have a word doc. program on this computer (due to extenuating circumstances), so I'm having to use this notepad thing, which has no txt choices, spell check, or even page limits. It sucks. But chapters will get longer and edited when I get my new program. SO read, review and tell me what you thought I suppose.