Bleach Continued revised

by Saberhawk

Bleach continued revised The War is over and now Ichigo and Rukia both have a decision to make. But when Byakuya decides to marry Rukia off, Ichigo must face a new threat from an unexpected source.

1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Vacancy.

Captain-General Yamamoto sat in his chair and watched as the remaining captains of the Gotei 13 came into the room and stood at attention. Yamamoto looked them over with pride. Despite the long Winter War all of the remaining captains of the Gotei 13 had all lived but not without injury. The 11th squad captain Kenpachi Zaraki looked as if the only thing holding him together were the bandages the 4th squad Captain Retsu Unohana had put on him. The rest of his captains had cuts and bruises and Soi Fon had to wear her hair in a single braid because one of her trademark pigtails had been cut off in the final battle.

Yamamoto scanned his captains. "Let us begin the meeting," said Yamamoto loudly tapping the bottom of his staff on the floor. "We have several things I wish to discuss with you before the night is over. The first this is the current status of our military forces."

Captain Ukitake cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Per your order, I have made a complete list of our losses during the Winter War and it isn't good," he started. "Most of our divisions suffered about 50% casualties during the war. The 11th under Captain Zaraki took the worst of it. They are down to about 23% combat effectiveness."

Zaraki snorted and crossed his bandaged arms. "Doesn't mean anything," he said. "We may have taken the hardest hits, but we also inflicted the most damage on Aizen's hollows."

"True," said Ukitake. "But that still doesn't change the fact that right now we are in an extremely vulnerable position. If our enemies knew what shape we are in, then we would not stand much of a chance of repelling them."

Kyōraku looked at Ukitake. "It would seem we are in some trouble," he said. "Let's just hope nothing happens."

"Thank you for your report," said Yamamoto. "This brings me to the second topic, reinforcements and replacements."

Kyōraku looked up at Yamamoto. "I checked on the Academy two days ago to check out the new recruits," he said. "We have some promising students in the upper classes, but it will take some time for them to graduate and then even more time for actual experience."

"How many new Shinigami does the Master say will be ready to join?" asked Yamamoto.

Kyōraku shrugged. "Togo-sensei says that about 100 students will graduate. Not nearly enough to cover our losses."

Ukitake shook his head. "At the current rate of graduation, it will be about 2 years before we have the numbers pre-Winter War," he said. "Unless we allow some of the younger ones to graduate early and just finish their training within the Divisions."

Zaraki grinned. "I like that idea," he said. "It would give me the chance to train them myself and make them better fighters."

"A result of Captain Zaraki training his men like that would also give my new members a chance for on the job training on dealing with combat wounds 24/7," said Unohana.

Zaraki just shrugged his massive shoulders and gave Unohana a grin. "Always willing to do my part to help out your division with their training," said Zaraki. "Wouldn't want the pansies of the 4th to forget how to patch up troops."

Unohana gave a small smile to Zaraki that made the captain feel the small unfamiliar tinge of fear creep down his spine. "I would like it if you would not call my Division pansies," she said. "Or else one day when you are under our care you may wake up to find parts of your anatomy have been moved to places where they do not belong."

Zaraki didn't say anything as he turned his head to face forward. Yamamoto cleared his throat. "I will consider the early graduation later," he said. "For now we will make do with what we have and try to recruit more aggressively in the civilian populous." He looked at his assembled Captains. "The next reason is dealing with the 3 captain vacancies brought on by the deaths of Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen," he said. "Aside from Renji Abarai of Squad 6 do any of you know if your Lieutenants have achieved Bankai?" The Captains just looked at each other and said nothing. Yamamoto shook his head in disappointment. "I will ask you to encourage your Lieutenants and try to get them to learn Bankai as fast as possible. Do any of you have any objections to the promotion of Abarai to captain of Squad 9?" None of the Captains said anything. "Good, we shall now go on to…" Yamamoto stopped talking as the 10th Squad Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya stepped forward. "Is there something you wanted to add Captain Hitsugaya?"

Hitsugaya hesitated for a moment. "Sir there is one other person who has achieved Bankai."

"Ohhhh," said Kyōraku. "Did Matsumoto-san finally achieve Bankai?"

"No she hasn't," said Hitsugaya. "I wasn't going to say anything because I gave my word that I would not tell anyone as he requested that his Bankai be kept a secret, but given the circumstances I feel I must break that promise for the good of the Soul Society."

"Yer talken about Ikkaku," said Zaraki suddenly.

Hitsugaya looked at him surprised. "You knew?"

Zaraki snorted. "Of course I knew," he said. "It's not like he could hide it forever."

"Then why did you not say anything earlier Captain Zaraki?" asked Yamamoto.

"Cause Ikkaku didn't want to be a captain. I didn't want to say anythin but since the kid was going to spill anyway I spoke up," he said. "Besides, I was hoping that he would tell me so we could have some fun with a good fight." Zaraki scratched the back of his head. "It still doesn't matter," he said. "I doubt Ikkaku will accept the promotion."

"Then I will speak with 3rd Seat Ikkaku in the morning." said Yamamoto. "He must be made to understand the importance of having Captains to train the next generation of Shinigami."

"If Ikkaku's training style is like that of Captain Zaraki then I think I should double the amount of space in the 4th squad's hospital," said Captain Unohana. Zaraki grinned as he thought of how much fun there would be if his squad and Ikkaku's squad had cross divisional training fights. The sight of a smiling Captain Zaraki made the Captains on either side of take a half step away from him. Unohana seeing his smile sighed. "I'll also double the amount of bandages and pain killers."

Yamamoto let out a small unnoticeable smile. It was good to see his Captains joking with each other. It was a sign that their morale was high. "We have one more spot to fill," he said. "To this end we come to the final item I wished to discuss. I want to offer the position of Captain to Kurosaki Ichigo."

As he expected none of his Captains protested his announcement nor did they look surprised. Ukitake stepped forward. "I'm sure I speak for the others when I say that it would be an honor for us to fight by the side of Kurosaki Ichigo."

Zaraki cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Oh this is going to be fun," he said almost to himself. "I can't wait to get that rematch with him."

Unohana sighed again and looked at Yamamoto. "I insist on a bigger facility for my hospital if you continue to give Captain Zaraki such wonderful gifts."

Byakuya cleared his throat. "I doubt that the boy will be willing to become a captain," he said. "He does not respond to authority very well and is abrasive. He will not fit in with the standards that we have for being a Captain." Yamamoto arched an eyebrow and gestured towards his fellow Captains. Zaraki was picking his nose, Kyōraku was sipping sake from a bottle and was on his way to getting drunk, Kurotsuchi was talking to Ukitake from behind his mask, and Soi Fong was sneaking looks of picture of Yoruichi. Byakuya sighed. "I withdraw that last part."

"Then it is decided that we will offer the post of Captain of 3rd Squad to Kurosaki Ichigo," he said in a booming voice. "I officially put forth the recommendation. All those in favor?" All the captains raised their hands. Yamamoto nodded. He was pleased with the outcome. He looked at Ukitake. "In three days I want you to go and offer Ichigo the position of Captain," he said. "That should be time enough to get ourselves reorganized."

Ukitake nodded the raised his hand. "I have a request to make," he said. "It concerns my Division." Yamamoto nodded for Ukitake to continue. "I have been without a Lieutenant for some time now and I wish to rectify that by promoting Rukia Kuchiki to the rank of Lieutenant effective immediately."

Byakuya stepped forward. "I must ask that this request be denied," he said. "Rukia is not of sufficient strength to take on the role."

"With all due respect to Captain Byakuya's opinion," said Ukitake. "Rukia is more than capable." Ukitake looked pointedly at Byakuya. "She has defeated many enemies, stood toe to toe with the Espada, and has grown everyday in power and ability. She is far stronger than any seated officer I have and would be able to pass on her experience to them when we train."

Byakuya looked at Yamamoto. "As head of the Kuchiki Clan I refuse to allow this promotion to happen."

Ukitake turned his attention to Yamamoto as well. "You say we need to give our new recruits the best training possible," he said. "Rukia is the best chance I have at training these men to survive and grow."

Yamamoto stroked his beard as he thought. "You make a good point Captain Ukitake," he said. "Request approved. Rukia Kuchiki is now made Lieutenant of Squad 13." Ukitake smiled and bowed his thanks to the General. He looked over at Byakuya. Byakuya's face was a stoic mask that betrayed nothing on how he felt about the current situation. Yamamoto stood up. "This meeting is adjourned," he said. "Captain Kuchiki and Captain Zaraki will send their subordinates to see me in the morning. Dismissed!"

Ukitake walked over to Byakuya before he could leave. "I'm surprised you gave up so easily," he said. "I expected you to continue to fight Rukia's promotion."

Byakuya inclined his head. "I did not see a reason to continue in light of the fact the General had already decided in your favor," he said evenly. "I do not approve of this new event, but for now this is nothing I can do."

Ukitake gave Byakuya a smile. "Don't worry about her," he said. "Rukia will be fine. She's stronger than you know."

Byakuya turned around and walked away from Ukitake without saying another word. Ukitake sighed and scratched the back of his head. Kyōraku came up and stood next to Ukitake. "He seemed to take that rather well," he said.

Ukitake bit his thumb nail. "That's what worries me," he said. "He put up minimal protest. He's up to something; Byakuya doesn't give up that easily."

Kyōraku shrugged. "Maybe," he said. "But for now let's not think about it. A new drinking place opened up and I hear they have the best Sake in town."

Ukitake looked his friend up and down and saw that he was halfway drunk already. "Might as well," he sighed. "Someone is going to have to drag your drunken ass home."

Kyōraku smiled. "What are friends for eh?"

Ukitake followed Kyōraku to the bar, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that Byakuya had one more trick up his sleeve, and he wasn't going to like it. Not one bit.

Elsewhere:

He walked into the Bar and looked around at some of the people that were inside gauging who looked to be the strongest among the gathered fighters. His name was Mako and he was the son of one of the Four Noble Families. He was here for one reason. He saw a couple of big men sitting at a bar drinking and sauntered up to the bar and sat next to them. "Buy you a drink," he said more of a statement than a question.

The man looked Mako up and down and snorted unimpressed. Mako was a rather rotund man with little in way of muscle and was not in the least imposing. "Depends," said one of the men.

Mako tried to look tough but failed somewhat. "Depends on what?" he asked in a slightly haughty tone.

"Depends on who you want me to kill and how much you're willing to pay," he said. "If I like what I hear, then you can buy me the drink."

Mako hid his surprise. "What makes you think I want you to kill somebody?" he asked.

The man sneered at Mako. "The only reason some high and mighty noble comes here is when they want someone to off a relative or a rival," he said. "So who is it and how much?"

Mako mentally shrugged and leaned next to the man's ear and whispered. "I will pay you 1 million to kill Byakuya Kuchiki," he said.

The man blanched and jerked away from Mako. "You want me to kill Byakuya Kuchiki," he asked in disbelief. Mako nodded. The man's face split into a grin and he laughed loudly causing everyone else to turn and look at them. "Hey guys," he yelled to the crowd. "This guy wants to pay a million yen to kill Byakuya Kuchiki."

Mako looked around in panic as the crowd turned their eyes on him. For a moment he thought he was a dead man until they all burst into laughter and began to jeer at him.

"Hey Toyonaka," said one of the men in the crowd. "Maybe he would like you to kill General Yamamoto while you're at it."

As the crowd continued to laugh, Mako turned to Toyonaka. "What in the meaning of this?"

Toyonaka just shook his head. "There isn't a soul alive in all of Soul Society willing to take on that job," he said. "You might as well ask someone to take on all 13 Captains at the same time."

Mako's face turned red from anger as people continued to laugh. "I will not stand here and be insulted by the likes of you."

Toyonaka gave Mako a mock bow. "Oh I'm terribly sorry," he said sarcastically. He picked up a glass. "To make it up to you, drinks are on me." Toyonaka poured his sake on top of Mako's head as the crowd roared with laughter.

Mako wiped the sake from his eyes and went for his Zanpakuto. Toyonaka saw him reach for it and faster than Mako thought possible, Toyonaka's blade was at his throat. "I would think twice before you do that," he said. "Now why don't you run home and cry to your father."

Mako sputtered as he walked away in shame. He was coming up with ways to get revenge on the men in the bar when as he started walking out when he heard the sound of a chair being pushed out. He looked and saw three people sitting at a table in a darkened part of the bar. They wore cloaks that hid their faces, but the gesture for him to sit was unmistakable. Cautiously he walked over and sat down. The one in the middle leaned forward. "I'm going to get to the point," he said in accented Japanese. "I heard what you said and I would like to take you up on that offer."

Mako arched an eyebrow. "You don't share in your friend's opinion?" he asked.

The man nodded towards the others at the bar. "They are weak and are afraid," he said. "My friends and I on the other hand are not."

Mako looked at the three people before him. The one on the right was a large man, bigger than the speaker in comparison and he could see a long black braid coming out from the hood. The one of the speakers left was obviously a woman. He couldn't make out her features, but she seemed to be on the petite side. He turned back to the speaker. "How soon can you kill him?" he asked.

The Leader shrugged. "We will need time and a place to prepare," he said. "We should be able to kill him in a few days."

Mako thought about it. "That should be sufficient," he said. "You will be paid the moment he is dead."

The girl leaned forward and spoke for the first time. "And how do we know you will pay us once he is dead?" she asked.

Mako gave her a hurt look. "My word," he said. "Along with the word of my honorable father."

"If your father had any honor he wouldn't need to hire assassins to take care of his dirty work," she said. "So your "word" and "honor" don't mean much."

Upon hearing the insult of his word and his father's honor Mako reached for his Zanpakutō, but before he could pull it from the scabbard the leader interjected. "Now none of that," he said. He looked at his female companion. "You will show respect to a noble," he told her. She nodded glumly. He turned back to Mako. "I apologize for her comments," he said. "She has had little contact with nobility and does not know that a noble's word is their bond."

Mako let go of his Zanpakutō and nodded. "I accept your apology," he said. "I will pay you a quarter of the amount now and the rest when Byakuya is dead."

The leader nodded. "That will be more than sufficient," he said. The big man on his right tapped him on the arm and pointed back into the main part of the bar. Two men had walked in and where looking everywhere but at them. The leader nodded. The men where purposely avoiding looking in their direction. "It would seem we have someone who is interested in us."

Mako looked behind him. "How do you know?" he asked.

"I can tell when I see another assassin," he said. He looked to Mako. "How long have you been looking for someone to kill Kuchiki for you?"

"Several weeks now," he said. "Why do you ask?"

The Leader nodded to his companions who got up and started walking towards the door. "Seems someone heard you where trying to kill a noble and they took offense to that," he said. "Looks like they decided to hit you first." He grabbed Mako by the arm and lead him outside. His two companions had vanished into the night as Mako and the leader walked down an alley.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Mako.

"Somewhere safe," said the leader looking around him. As they came to the end of the alley a man dressed in all black blocked the exit. The leader stopped and stepped in front of Mako. "Anything I can help you with?"

The man pulled out a sword and started to walk into the alley. Mako turned to run when, but another one had gotten behind him. He looked at the leader. "Where are your companions?" he asked.

The leader snapped his fingers and silently his friends came behind the two assassins and snapped their necks. Dusting her hands off the female assassin walked over to them. "We got the other two that were waiting in case these guys failed," she said. "We looked them over for papers or anything that would tell us who they were and who sent them, but we found nothing."

The leader nodded at one of the corpses. "What about them?" he asked. The big assassin frisked each body and silently shook his head. "Not unexpected," muttered the leader. He turned back to Mako. "It would seem someone is trying to kill you," he said.

Mako nodded. "It has to be Byakuya," he said. "He found out we want to kill him so he sent his assassins first."

"I doubt that," said the leader. "From what I know of the man, he would kill you personally. Someone else wants you dead."

"But who?" asked Mako.

The leader thought for a moment. "Why don't we take you home and speak to your father," he said. "We can offer our services as a bodyguard until we find out."

"What about Kuchiki?" asked Mako.

"I think you should find out who wants to kill you first before you try to start another fight," he said. "You can't win a war on two fronts."

Mako nodded. "Very well," he said. "I will allow you to escort me to my home and meet with my father."

The leader nodded to his two companions. "Start taking him home," he said. "I'm going to make sure we didn't miss anybody else. His companions nodded and began to lead Mako away.

Once they were gone the one of the assassins got up rubbing his neck. "Did they have to be so hard?" he asked.

The leader nodded. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Get back and report to the captain that we have infiltrated Akashiya's home. I'll report back when I have the information I want."

The assassin nodded and flashed stepped away. The leader smiled and began walking after Mako.