The sound of clashing swords rang through the air. The entire group of new recruits were executing their assigned patterns perfectly, terrified of the man instructing them. The man in question paced around the training area, scowling at anyone who averted their gaze from their opponent. Finally, he called a halt. The exhausted beginner shinigami collapsed against the wall of the training room. Their instructor ran a hand through his bright orange hair, puzzled as to why he was here. There was a call from the entrance of the training room.

"Ichigo!"

Kurosaki Ichigo, Substitute Shinigami currently in charge of training the less talented members of the 13th squad, turned to see a short, violet eyed shinigami approaching him.

"Hey, Rukia."

Rukia stopped in front of him, running her gaze over the exhausted recruits.

"The idea is to train them, Ichigo, not work them to death."

Ichigo shrugged. "They don't seem to need training. They finished up without any mistakes. Pretty much a perfect session."

Rukia paused before replying. "That's surprising. Ukitake-sensei told me that this group was the least talented of the new recruits for the squad..."

Ichigo smirked. "Maybe its just because I'm just such a great teacher." He hopped around in pain as Rukia kicked him in the shin.

"I see you're still the same arrogant baka."

Ichigo groaned as he stopped rubbing his shin. "It's good to see you again, Rukia."

Rukia looked up at her orange haired friend, smiling before replying. "You were here only last weekend. At this rate you'll have to repeat the school year." Then her voice softened. "It's good to see you too, baka."

Ichigo grinned at the insult, knowing it was her way of showing affection. "I'm off to see Tatsuki. I haven't managed to run into her the last few times I've been here."

Rukia nodded, knowing that the loss of his childhood friend had hurt before he had found her again in Sereitei. "Ukitake-sensei wanted me to pass on his thanks. I'll tell him you did a good job with the training today. Maybe he'll ask you back again?"

Ichigo groaned in mock protest. He wouldn't mind having an excuse to spend more time around the 13th Division. "Sure. I wouldn't mind terrifying some more recruits."

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "I knew it couldn't be because you were a good teacher. You had the poor kids scared half to death."

"Either way, I got the job done, right? I'm off to see Tatsuki...have fun with this lot!" With that, he flashed away, using Shunpo to reach the 2nd Division.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo was halfway to the 2nd Division headquarters when he felt a wave of reiatsu pulsing towards him with killing intent. Instinctively, he grabbed Zangetsu, swinging it towards the attack aimed at him.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

The crescent of blue energy met a shroud of daggers in mid-air, causing a large detonation. Surprisingly, there was a laugh.

"Geez Ichigo, that seemed a bit unnecessary. You wouldn't be compensating for something would you?"

Ichigo scowled as he recognized the speaker, letting his reiatsu relax. "Dammit Tatsuki....You've been hanging around Soi Fon and Yoruichi for too long."

Tatsuki laughed again as she joined Ichigo on the roof he was standing on. "You should have come and visited me last time you were here."

Ichigo actually managed to look guilty, but Tatsuki continued to tease him. "Oh, you were too busy with Rukia weren't you?" She got the response she wanted in the form of a scowl from Ichigo.

"I reckon I've been spending as much time around Rukia as you have around Renji."

Tatsuki paused, shocked. "How did you know we're together?"

Silence.

More silence.

"YOU'RE TOGETHER??" Ichigo held his stomach as he burst into uncontrollable laughter. "I had no idea! I thought you were just spending tons of time at the 6th Division!"

Ichigo's disbelief was compounded when he actually saw a blush—yes, a blush on Tatsuki's face. "Shut up! You don't have to look to shocked...we actually haven't told anyone yet, so if you wouldn't mind..."

"Jeez, me 'n' Rukia's childhood friends...." Ichigo got himself under control with a mammoth effort. "So, what've you been up to lately? How's training going?"

Tatsuki's blush disappeared. "Pretty good! Soi Fon-taicho sent me on another patrol in the living world the other day, to do some more training with Yoruichi-san. That's when Kagemusha," Tatsuki indicated her still released zanpukutou "taught me an offensive move for her released form."

Ichigo inspected her zanpukutou. Its released form was a short, slightly curved blade, designed for stabbing and disabling an opponent, but could also be easily used to kill quickly. There was a red tassel attached to the base of the hilt, similar to the one on his own original zanpukutou. Tatsuki was holding it in a reversed grip, with the tip pointing upwards.

"That attack you learnt, it wouldn't be the one you just used on me, would it?"

"Yep, pretty cool isn't it?" Tatsuki replied, with a great deal of enthusiasm, considering she had just tried to kill him with said attack. "It forges daggers from the spirit particles in the air around me, and they explode when they hit a target. I'm working on controlling when they explode too."

"Little bit inaccurate isn't it?"

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. "This coming from the guy who has a meat cleaver for a sword?" She shook her head. "I can also send the daggers out in a single line, or even just one or two at a time, although its easier to just summon them and throw, rather than taking time to aim."

Ichigo nodded, absorbing all the information about her zanpukutou. "How bout Shunpo? Yoruichi-san teaching you that too?" He watched as Tatsuki's face lit up with pride.

"Yep, she says I'm almost as fast as Byakuya."

"Don't let him hear you say that..."

Tatsuki just laughed again. "Yoruichi-san said the same thing. Race you to the 6th Division!"

Tatsuki disappeared without further warning, leaving Ichigo to give out a curse and follow in her path.

Several minutes later, Ichigo appeared at the entrance to the 6th Division, followed closely by Tatsuki, both breathing heavily.

"Damn, you are nearly as fast as Byakuya..."

"Who's nearly as fast as the taicho?"

Ichigo looked up, to see a mass of red hair in leading a group of what looked like new recruits.

"Hey, a red pineapple."

Tatsuki fought to hold in a laugh at her boyfriends expression to Ichigo's taunt.

"Hey, put me down in front of the recruits and I'll have to kick your ass, Strawberry!"

"I told you, my name doesn't mean Strawberry!"

Tatsuki interrupted before their argument could get out of hand. "Uh, guys, hate to interrupt, but I think Renji is supposed to be taking these guys out for training." She indicated the group of nervous looking shinigami standing behind Renji. Ichigo looked over the red heads shoulder to examine them.

"You got saddled with this too? I got roped into the same thing over at 13th Division."

Renji smirked before replying. "And I'm sure the fact that it was asked by a certain midget fuku-taicho had nothing to do with it."

(A/N: Yes, I promoted Rukia to fuku-taicho. I figured she would have gotten it after the Winter War. And can someone tell me if that is how you spell 'fuku-taicho'?)

Ichigo blushed several shades of red before replying. "Shut up pineapple head!"

Renji doubled over in pain as an elbow was driven painfully into his stomach. "Who would this midget you are talking about be, Renji?"

Renji looked up to see a pair of narrowed violet eyes. "N-no one, Rukia."

Rukia, still somewhat out of breath from her journey from the 13th Division, nodded impassively. "Good to hear." She turned to Tatsuki with a smile as Renji waved his recruits on to the training area. "It's good to see you too, Tatsuki."

Before Tatsuki could reply, Ichigo cut across her, making sure the recruits were out of earshot. "Hey Rukia, you really shouldn't manhandle Tatsuki's boyfriend you know."

Renji bit back a gasp and Tatsuki let loose a few particularly vile curses at Ichigo as Rukia blinked in surprise, before rushing over to hug Tatsuki. "I'm so happy for you! How long have you been together?"

"Geez, you'd think they'd announced that they were getting married."

Ichigo was ignored as Tatsuki replied. "Only a few weeks now, we met up at a party that was thrown by Kyouraku-taicho."

Rukia smiled, genuinely happy for her childhood friend. She had arrived in time to hear Renji accuse Ichigo of training the 13th Division recruits only because she had asked, and had clearly heard Ichigo's stuttered reply. He hadn't denied it either. Her smile widened, and she returned her thoughts to the conversation in time to hear Ichigo's next question.

"How come there's so many new recruits around at the moment? The 4th, 6th, 7th, 10th,,11th, the 13th, hell, even the 8th have got some."

"The 2nd Division is getting a lot too, not as many as the other squads, but more than usual." Tatsuki spoke up.

Renji shrugged, while Rukia threw him a withering glare. "Don't you pay any attention to what goes on at the Captains meetings? The Soutaicho ordered all the squads who could do so to bolster their numbers."

"How come the other squads aren't recruiting as well?" Ichigo wanted to know. Rukia answered him.

"The first squad is invitation only, and is more of a formal or ceremonial squad, so they don't suffer as many casualties as the rest of the squads. The 3rd, 5th and 9th still don't have Captains, so their lieutenants have just been told to rebuild rather than recruit. And no one really wants to join the 12th, and Kurotsuchi-taicho isn't interested in recruiting either."

Further conversation was cut off by an explosion that came from the direction of the training arena. Renji sighed. "I asked Rikichi to start them on kido training..."

Rukia nodded. "I was called to have lunch with Nii-sama. He wants to discuss ways to reduce the influence of the Central 46 with the few family elders still loyal only to him."

Ichigo shuddered at the thought of lunch with Byakuya before replying. "At least he's including you in the meeting."

Rukia's face showed her pride. "Yes, Nii-sama has begun to rely on me in matters regarding the Central 46." Then her face became mischievous. "I believe he said it was because I have previous experience in indirectly disobeying authority."

Renji and Ichigo both stared, jaws dropping. "He made a joke?"

Rukia frowned at them with mock severity. "Nii-sama makes jokes all the time. Now if you'll excuse me..." Without another word she swept away, leaving the two men gaping in her wake. Another muted explosion drew their attention back to the training arena. Ichigo and Renji glanced at each other before running to the arena in a vain attempt to prevent further damage. Tatsuki sighed a followed at a more sedate pace.

When the three of them arrived in the training area, they saw several recruits sporting new, charred looks and the shinigami that Renji had asked to supervise them, Rikichi, was struggling to keep several more under control. Without thinking, both Ichigo and Renji roared for quiet, then looked at each other, somewhat embarrassed at being caught by the other in a role of responsibility. Tatsuki shook her head at their folly as Rikichi approached them.

"I'm sorry Abarai-san, but they don't want to listen to me...do you think you could show them how to perform the kido properly?"

Ichigo and Renji drew back to confer. "Can you cast kido Kurosaki?"

Ichigo shook his head. "I'm worse than you...I've never even had any training." He looked at Renji. "We could just scare them into it."

Renji grinned diabolically, glancing at the squabbling recruits. "You get their attention, I'll follow up on it."

Ichigo turned to the recruits, letting reiatsu pulse outwards as he shouted. "OI! PAY ATTENTION YOU MAGGOTS, OR YOU'LL HAVE WORSE THAN YOUR LIEUTENANT TO DEAL WITH!!"

There was an instant silence in the room, and Renji grinned inwardly as he stepped up to the plate. He was going to enjoy this....

"This is a disgrace! I thought the 11th squad had commandeered our training room...."

Several hours later, and the afternoon sun was sinking over the horizon. The training session had gone well at first, with the majority of the recruits too terrified to even consider disobeying their instructions. When the time came for zanpukutou practice, several of the less intimidated members of the recruits had decided that it was time to get some payback on their red and orange haired tormentors. Needless to say, things hadn't gone well for the recruits in question. They were now enjoying the hospitality of the 4th Squad after vexing their two instructors, while they relaxed on the rooftop of the 6th Division headquarters.

"I can't believe you actually sent four of them to the hospital..." Tatsuki had stayed to watch the entire training session, explaining that she had been given the day to rest after training with Yoruichi.

"We only sent two of them to the hospital." Ichigo contradicted. It was Rikichi who had injured the other two, after he had overheard them saying how they couldn't believe how such a weakling had become their lieutenant.

"Still, I think it was a good training session. We taught them a little about kido and zanjetsu, and more importantly," Renji chuckled "we taught them to fear their lieutenant."

"Still, that was a bit harsh, treating them like that." Surprisingly, that was from Tatsuki.

"Hey, you think we were harsh, you should go to one of the 10th Squad's training session." Renji shuddered. "I hate to think what Matsumoto would do to them."

Ichigo chuckled, remembering Matsumoto's two dangerous 'weapons'. He stood up as something-or someone- on the ground caught his eye. "I'll give you two guys some time alone. And remember, there's more comfortable places than the rooftop for certain things!"

Renji managed to blush slightly as Tatsuki sat up and stared directly at Ichigo. "You're starting to sound like your father Ichigo."

Ichigo shuddered violently. "Gods, don't say that. I'll have nightmares."

Tatsuki and Renji both laughed as he flash stepped down to ground level, reappearing beside a figure that had just exited the main building.

"Who's he talking to?" Renji was curious.

Tatsuki glanced downwards. "I think it's Rukia."

Renji chuckled and reached up to pull Tatsuki back down beside him. She fell upon his chest, letting him wrap his arms around her. "Like Ichigo said, there's more comfortable places than a rooftop for those sort of things."

Tatsuki raised her eye suggestively and placed her hands on his chest, leaning in to place a delicate kiss on Renji's lips, before leaning back and disappearing. Renji lay frozen for a moment, before recovering his wits and flashing off after Tatsuki, in the direction of his comfortable lieutenant's quarters.

"Hey, Rukia!"

Rukia turned as she heard Ichigo call her name. "Hey, Ichigo. How did the training session go?"

She was surprised to see a cheeky grin. "It was actually fun. We scared them into shape."

"Gods, you AND Renji...they never had a chance." The grin on Ichigo's face turned into a full blown smirk.

They exited the 6th Division and continued walking down a path, passing several shinigami who acknowledged both Ichigo and Rukia, despite him having no formal rank. Ichigo was becoming nervous, and seemed to be building up to something. Rukia hoped it was what she thought it was.

"So, Rukia...ano..." Ichigo mentally kicked himself. He read Shakespeare for Christ's sake, he could be more eloquent than this!

Rukia smiled slightly. "Yes, Ichigo?"

He paused for several seconds. "You get leave from duty and stuff, right?"

She nodded.

"Would you be able to come to the living world next week? There's a bit of a party at one of Mizuiro's girlfriends places."

Rukia shook her head. "I can't just get leave to go to the real world." Ichigo sagged at this. "But there's a party at the 8th Division two nights from now. All the high ranking officers are invited. I'm sure you would be allowed to come." Rukia's smile widened. "So do you want to come to the party with me?"

Ichigo gave her a rare, true smile before dropping back into his usual scowl. It was lighter than usual. "Sure. I'd like that."

The sun had set by the time Ichigo returned to the 6th Squad, where he shared a room with Renji when he visited. He had wanted to occupy Rukia's closet, as payback for the time she spent hiding in his own closet. Byakuya, perhaps anticipating Ichigo's intentions to stay with Rukia, ordered his fuku-taicho to make his own room available to share, where he could personally keep an eye on him. Things weren't turning out so well so far though, as Ichigo was pretty sure he could feel Tatsuki's reiatsu still in the room with Renji. He was stamping his feet against the cold when Tatsuki finally exited Renji's room. She looked at Ichigo with an embarrassed smile, and Ichigo saw that she was still fumbling with the obi of her shinigami robes.

"You guys had better not of left any stains around the room..."

Tatsuki grinned, still blushing. "Like I said Ichigo, you're starting to sound like your father."

Ichigo shuddered again, and decided to forgo further verbal sparring. He slipped into his room and collapsed onto his bed.

"Uh, sorry about that...." Renji spoke up from his own bed.

Ichigo chuckled, not believing that he was having this conversation with Renji. "Hey, it's your room."

There was silence for several minutes. Then Renji spoke up again. "So, what did you and Rukia get up to in our absence? Quick trip back to her lieutenant's quarters?"

Ichigo swore at Renji in response.

"So? What did you get up to?"

Ichigo mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"I said I asked if she could get some leave to come to a party with my friends in the real world."

"Good to see you finally had the balls to do something! What'd she say?" Renji was glad his childhood friend and sometime-rival were finally taking some steps. Anyone could see that they had feelings for each other.

"She said she wasn't allowed leave for things like that, especially not to the real world. Then she asked if I wanted to go to the party the 8th Squad is having in a few nights."

Renji chuckled, but felt he should warn his friend. "Just so you know, Kyouraku-taicho likes to get all the women at his parties drunk, and I don't think Rukia has been to one of his parties before, so make sure you keep an eye on her."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her." Renji was surprised at Ichigo's reaction. He had expected a mumbled threat against anyone who tried to take advantage of her.

"But I swear I'll kill anyone who even tries anything on her..."

Renji chuckled softly. That was more like it. Then he realized that Ichigo hadn't mentioned anything about Rukia being drunk when anyone tried to approach her. No more was spoken, and the two of them drifted off to an easy sleep.

They were rudely awoken in the early hours of the morning by the alarm at the 6th Squad barracks.

Emergency broadcast! Emergency broadcast! Garganta detected on the outskirts of Rukongai! Please report to your post! I repeat! Emergency broadcast! Emergency broadcast!

Ichigo and Renji rose swiftly from their respective beds, grabbing Zangetsu and Zabimaru as they sprinted into the marshaling yard of the 6th Division headquarters. They found Byakuya on the raised platform in the yard, lifting his hand to accept a Hell Butterfly. It flew away after delivering its message, and Byakuya spoke.

"The Central 46 has given me a direct order to hunt down and kill the threat that has traveled to Sereitei via the Garganta." He paused, considering his words. "I do not like it that they presume to order me without consulting the Soutaicho. The two of you will proceed to the Garganta location and eliminate any threat that issues from it." Byakuya stressed the word threat. "Is this clear?"

Renji saluted. "Yes taicho!"

"Yeah, Byakuya." Ichigo was somewhat more casual in his acknowledgement.

A vein twitched lightly on Byakuya's eyelid at Ichigo's casual use of his name. "Then proceed with your mission." He turned and walked away to issue further orders to his squad. Without breaking his stride, he spoke to Ichigo. "And try to come back unharmed, Kurosaki. I doubt my sister will appreciate it if you are too wounded to escort her to Kyouraku-taicho's party in two nights time."

Ichigo gulped and actually saluted this time. "Understood....Byakuya."

As the two of them turned to carry out Byakuya's orders, neither of them noticed the man who had stood nearby for their entire conversation. They didn't notice him as they left the 6th Division headquarters, they didn't notice him as they flash stepped towards Rukongai, and they didn't notice as he flashed after them. It was his job not to be noticed by men of power, and the Central 46 paid him well for it.

There it is, the first chapter all done. If you like it, please review, if you don't, review and tell me why.

Sneek Peak:

Ichigo halted abruptly, flickering into sight at the edge of a large crater. Renji appeared several meters to his side. There was widespread destruction all around them, with smoking craters and shattered trees obscuring the landscape.

They were on the outskirts of Rukongai, the 80th District behind them, at the location that the Garganta had appeared. There was no sign of it, or whoever had opened it in the first place.

"Smells like a couple of Hollow were fighting here." Renji sniffed the air. "Probably Espada level, going by the destruction."

"Like you can actually smell anything." Ichigo retorted. "Let's split up, see what we can find."

Renji agreed silently, before flash stepping away once more.

Ichigo stalked around the many craters in the area, building up his reiatsu and holding it in just beneath his skin, as a safeguard against sudden attacks. There was still danger here, and Ichigo wasn't about to get himself killed when he had a date with a certain someone in a few nights time. His suspicions proved correct, when a flurry of bala's flew out of a still smoking crater to his side. Ichigo turned, letting the sheath of bandages fall off Zangetsu as he parried the first three bala's, before batting the fourth back at his opponent. There was an oath of pain as it made contact, and Ichigo took his stance, prepared for more.

"God dammit, Kurosaki. You always take yourself so seriously."

Ichigo's brow furrowed into a scowl as he recognized the voice. "That's the second time today a friend has tried to kill me, temeh."

The figure in the smoke snorted. "I'm not your friend. We're just allies."

Ichigo shook his head, dropping out of his stance. "Whatever, Grimmjow."