Holy hell, I did not think it would take this long! Truth be told, I wrote this fic a while ago and totally forgot to upload it to the site! My bad guys! I'll be sure to post the next one soon to make up for such a long in between. Anyway, here it is!

YAMAMOTO and RYUJIN JAKKA

Setting: a few months after the defeat of Aizen.

It was rare for Yamamoto to be relaxed. He appeared relaxed often enough, either sitting at his desk staring into space or enjoying a cup of tea with his lieutenant. But the truth of the matter was, old man Yamamoto was constantly on the lookout. It wasn't necessarily that he felt he needed to be ready for threats, no. There were plenty of people on watch throughout Seireitei. And it wasn't even that Yamamoto was paranoid, waiting for something to inevitably go wrong. Again, there were plenty of competent people in Seireitei and he probably wouldn't have to lift a finger in any given emergency. The real reason Yamamoto, head of the Gotei 13 and leader of Squad One was always on edge, was because two thousand years of building a habit did not make it easy to break.

This day, however, Yamamoto was very obviously on watch. He stood in his office overlooking the vast majority of Seireitei out the broad window. His eyes were narrowed to slits, but nothing escaped his vision. He saw Rukia Kuchki, the newly promoted lieutenant waving her badge in the face of Renji Abarai. He saw Rangiku Matsumoto drunk in a bar, without her usual group of drinking buddies and a mournful expression on her face. He saw Captain Zaraki, for once not getting in a fight but meditating with his zanpaktou. He saw all of these things, but if he had a comment on them he did not outwardly show it. Unfortunately for the old captain, there was one person who he could never hide anything from.

"You have something on your mind." It wasn't a question, but a statement. There was another being in the room with the Captain-Commander, and "being" was the closest anyone could come to describe it. It was shaped like a man, its body and arms slim but not without muscle. It proved its strength, but promised no lack of speed from the developed muscles. Its skin was colored bronze, and shined brightly off of any light. Its legs and feet were obscured by a white sheet, tied neatly around its waist. In the place of a face there was a bright star, shining brightly. Six smaller stars circled slowly behind it, creating the appearance of a halo. The spirits voice was harsh and deep, reverberating slightly.

"It is uncommon for you to come and visit me like this, Ryujin Jakka." Yamamoto replied. Just as his zanpaktou had not bothered asking an actual question, the old man had also not bothered to give an actual answer.

"These are uncommon times" the sun spirit said, striding to stand beside the old man and look out over their shared burden. "Three traitors within out midst, and yet the mastermind behind it all was slain not by our own hands, but by an outsider"

Yamamoto showed no sign towards the "hands" comment, his own severed arm itching slightly. Instead, he continued the conversation. "Ichigo Kurosaki had as much to do with what happened as Seireitei. It was as much his right as our own."

"Indeed" Ryujin Jakka agreed, crossing its arms over its chest. "And there lies the problem"

Yamamoto did not need to ask Ryujin Jakka to explain itself. They had been partners for millennia, and their thoughts were shared as freely as their words. Ryujin Jakka had gone straight for the point, showing a no-nonsense trait that they both shared. Ichigo Kurosaki had defeated the traitorous Aizen, but in doing so had lost any trace of his shinigami abilities. He was now a normal human, like so many others in the Living World. But, the old man thought to himself, that was not the real problem he faced.

"We are still not at our full strength" he said aloud. "Even if we were, we would be no match for someone with the strength of Sousuke Aizen."

Ryujin Jakka nodded solemnly. "Having to rely on the human was humiliating and shameful" he growled. "The Gotei 13 are not nearly as strong as they were. If we are to return to our old strength, we need shinigami like Ichigo Kurosaki"

Yamamoto sighed, his shoulder slumping slightly. "This is not news to me. It is a conclusion I had come to shortly after Aizen betrayed us. If I were as brutal as I used to be, such insubordination would never have occurred. However, Ichigo Kurosaki is beyond our reach. He is a human, and a young one at that. It could be decades before he passes over into our world, and by then he could have aged well past the point where he could be of any help."

Ryujin Jakka stirred slightly, turning its blazing face towards the old man. "There are ways around this. Ways to assure that Kurosaki is here and in the prime of his strength."

If even possible, Yamamoto's eyes narrowed even further than the slits they were. "I will not allow it!" he barked, rapping his cane on the floor with a sharp crack. "Kurosaki is respected by many of the higher officers in the Gotei 13, and friend to even more. His life will run its course unaltered. It is the least that we owe him."

There was a long pause after his outburst, during which both master and sword looked out at their world. Finally, Ryujin Jakka spoke up. "You have changed Eijisai" it said, causing a slight twitch in the old mans eyebrow, just under his X shaped scar.

"Change is a natural occurrence" was Yamamotos reply. "After two thousand years, is change really that difficult to believe?"

Ryujin Jakka grunted in amusement. "We are the same being Yamamoto. Are you trying to convince me, or yourself that this change is for the better?"

Yamamoto didn't answer, and another silence swept over them. It was true, back in the early days of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto would probably have ordered Ichigo killed discreetly, just so they could use his strength. He would not have cared about the boys life, or friends in the human world. He was a strong force to be reckoned with, and had to be brought over to their side. So why had he responded so negatively to Ryujin Jakkas suggestion? Had he truly changed so much? Not even a year ago he would have denied such a change in himself, and given a stiff reprimand to whoever had suggested it.

Again, Ryujin Jakka interrupted his musings. "If Kurosaki is not an option, than there are certainly others who can be called upon to full the missing holes."

Yamamoto immediately knew to whom his zanpaktou was refering to. "Absolutely not! You would have me replace three traitors with three more? And what of the others? Would you have me reinstate them as well, push aside the younger officers in their stations?"

Ryujin Jakka did not relent. "You call them traitors, but we both know that they are innocent of that charge, and all others. They were victims, nothing more. Not only that, but they are powerful, a power that we can use to get back to our old strength."

Yamamoto went to wave a hand in dismissal, but only flailed his severed limb instead. He growled darkly and readjusted his coat. "We do not need to return to our old strength. We have lost none of it!" he spat.

"You say that, and yet you are the proof" Ryujin Jakka said, holding up his own arm. It was severed at the elbow, a clean straight cut, like a statues limb that had been removed with a saw. "We would not have had to sacrifice so much to battle one man in the past."

Yamamoto refused to speak for a long time, before finally sighing in defeat. Ryujin Jakka had gotten to the root of the problem. Now he himself had to admit it. "I am no longer strong enough to defend Seireitei" he said quietly.

"Are there not others?" Ryujin Jakka replied. "Do you think so lowly of your students? Of Shunsui and Juushiro?"

"I fear that they are not enough" Yamamoto answered.

"And you would reject the ones who would fill the balance? The only ones who can even the scales? You yourself had just said that you are not the man you once were. That man was unforgiving, even in the best of circumstances. Have you changed enough to forgive them?"

Just then, lieutenant Sasakibe Chojiro entered the room, carrying a tray of tea, one eastern and one western for himself. He paused, seeing his captain standing at the wall alone. "is something the matter?" he asked, setting the tea down on the desk.

Yamamoto turned, shaking his head. "No Chojiro. But I have come to a decision regarding our empty captain positions."

Chojiro stiffened slightly, knowing that his captain would respect his wishes to not become a captain, but fearing those very words regardless. "And that is...?"

Yamamoto took his seat behind the desk and took a long drink. "Contact Urahara Kisuke. I have a proposition for him and his so-called Visoreds."

A/N: Alright guys and gals, remember to rate and review, and I'll have another chapter up asap. Peace =P