The Senkaimon gates opened slowly to allow the tall figure dressed in a black kimono and hakama pass through them into the light of day. She stilled and stared out at a site she had not seen in over 75 years. The white Sekkiseki stone walls on each side of her formed a maze of streets, alleys, and dead ends; making navigation difficult for any intruders. Almost hovering above the city was a cliff upon which the sacred Sokuoku grounds stood. She took a deep breath, allowing the reiatsu which made up the entirety of Soul Society fill her lungs. And the absence of honking cars, roaring plains and trains, the blaring of load chaotic music, and all the noise that made up the living world was in itself...deafening. The clear blue of the sky at odds with the black night she had just left.

She had spent 623 years as a shinigami and have spent only 13 of them here in the seireitei, but she has been a resident of Soul Society for over a thousand. She can describe the crowded towns of Japan, the desert wastelands of Australia, the fridged cold of the Arctic, and the large cities of North America; but it felt like she had just returned home.

The raven haired shinigami raised her hand to knock on the door of the 4th squad's offices, but a muffled "Come in." stopped her. Walking into the room with a smile, she stood at attention. Her Taichou's face looked up from a stack of papers she had been working on; a gentle smile spread across her serene face.

"Unohana Taichou, I report success from my assignment in the living world. Every thing ended as expected. Do you want me to send my report to you, or would you rather I just file it with Isane Fukutaicho?" Katsumi gazed upon her old friend, noting the fine lines of stress that appeared around her eyes and mouth. Of course only her closest friends would ever recognize them for what they were. She had heard of Aizen's betrayal, and that of the other two Taichous; not to mention the Winter War that ended just weeks ago.

"Ah Katsumi-san, it is wonderful to see you again. We have missed you greatly and could have used your skills these past years, as you no doubt have heard." , the Taichou of the 4th squad replied. "With all of the recent fighting the wards and dormitories have exceeded their abilities to handle all the incoming patients. But with you here I thought to assign you to a division, that should cut down on the number of cases. Given that you specialize in battle injuries I am going to assign you to the 11th division. They show great disdain to anyone who lacks their attitude toward battle, which should allow you of all the healers to fit in. You will be taking rooms there until you are needed on another excursion force."

Katsumi was a healer that specialized in battle injuries. She had just spent the last 75 years assigned to the North American Division of Soul Society where she helped to search out and capture, or eliminate if needed, a class 1 felon. What made her such an important part of the team was her ability with the blade and her advanced healing kido spells. As long as she had one hand free, she could heal injuries in the middle of battle itself.

"Of course Zaraki Kenpachi Taichou in not aware of this and will no doubt complain...loudly. But I feel confident that your fighting skills will quiet any arguments he may come up with. You may wish to speak to Isane Fukutaicho to learn more about the 11th squad. They can be somewhat quarrelsome. This will in no way be an easy assignment but I have faith in you. It should not be hard for you to gain a place within that group of barbarians..." a soft blush filled her cheeks, "I meant to say that group of...hm...shinigami." Unohana Sensei held out a letter, "This should explain everything. Welcome home."

"Thank you Taichou-sama." Taking the sealed letter Katsumi bowed and left the office to look for Isane-Fukutaicho.

...

Katsumi found the Fukutaicho in one of the treatment rooms on the other side of the barracks. Isane had not changed after all these years. Her slim frame contained the simmering strength of a fukutaicho, but one would never guess given her sometimes timid nature.

"Oi, Isane-san, if has been sometime; how have you and your sister been?" Katsumi asked.

"Katsumi-san! When did you arrive? How have you been doing? Have you heard what has been happening here? I just can not believe it. Maybe things will slow down now and everyone can rest for a while." The questions seemed to roll from the shinigami's tongue. Isane had a wide smile across her face.

"Today. I have been fine. Yes, I heard all about it. That was all the North American division could talk about. '"Could that happen here? What will we do if that madman wins? Should we even do anything about it?"' That seemed to be all I heard in the past year, as if I could tell them anything. I think I had only meet Aizen once. I almost returned, but I stayed with my team. After all, I couldn't do anything that you couldn't have done.", Katsumi responded. "We need to go out and get caught up on all the gossip. According to Sensei, I will me stationed here for a while so we have plenty of time."

Isane-san smiled and grabbed the other shinigami's arm; leading her down the hall to her own office. It had been to long time since she had last seen her friend, and she had so much to tell her. Everything from work to that certain shinigami she had been hiding feelings for.

"Isane-san, I am going to be stationed at the 11th squad's barracks. Sensei said I should ask you about them. What they are like, who is really in charge, and how to get on their good side? I do not need any hassles right now." Katsumi let out a deep sight. She had been looking forward to some rest and relaxation, but it did not sound as if she would get it.

"You are in for a vexing time. They like to fight. To them kido is for weaklings and the 4th squad are all wimps. But lets have a drink and I'll tell you how you may be able to get around them. You were always good at blackmail, bribery, and coercion." Isane laughed at the chagrined look on her friends face. "But don't worry, you can handle anything they might give you. There is only three things you have to remember...fighting...complements...and candy!"