Disclaimer – I own Bleach not.

Ch 2 – New Leadership

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. The emergency meeting alarm rang through Sereitei, easily heard by the five remaining taichous. Each taichou was wondering who had called the meeting, but each also knew there was only one way to find out.

Hitsugaya arrived in the captains' hall first, trying to find who placed the signal out. Since he could see nobody, he figured he would sit in his chair and wait. As he sat down, he thought about the captains who would not be here; as he reflected on each captain, he looked at their former seat and gazed upon the haori which adorned it.

His gaze shifted first from the 3rd seat, to the 4th then 5th, moving over each seat until he arrived at the soutaichou's chair. The huge white haori adorned with the symbol for the 1st division was strung over the back of the magnificent chair. The haori made Hitsugaya ponder the though of who the next soutaichou would be.

Just as he was about to start a small nap because it was taking the remaining captains too long to get there, Soifon and Komamura showed up in tandem, followed shortly by Byakuya. Hitsugaya, the genius that he is, decided that he now knew who called the meeting.

"Kyouraku-taichou, why has this meeting been called?" he asked the room, not seriously expecting an answer.

"Because Sereitei needs new leaders, Toushirou-kun," replied the flamboyantly dressed shinigami, dropping from his post on the roof into the chair of the 8th division taichou. "The war with Aizen cost us more than just eight captains; we need a new soutaichou. Our numbers have been cut in half, and we need to act fast to rebuild Sereitei before any malevolent forces – such as the remaining Menos or Arrancar – manage to send even a small force to finish us."

"Gentlemen, lady, I have here a sealed letter from Yamamoto-soutaichou. He said he wished to have it read as soon as he died, if he had not named a successor before then. I believe this situation calls for it, eh?" stated Kyouraku as he held the aforementioned letter in his hand in front of the other four taichous.

"Let's open it then!" exclaimed Komamura, always the impatient one. "It probably is going to tell us who he wants as the next soutaichou!"

"Alright, big guy, slow down," said Kyouraku, flippant as always. In truth, he was just as nervous as Komamura, because if it did indeed name the next leader of the Gotei 13, he wasn't sure he wanted to open it. Nonetheless he was obligated to do so.

He popped the seal, opened the letter, and began reading aloud.

Kyouraku-kun,

If you are reading this, then you must know I am dead, and Sereitei has suffered losses unimaginable. There is no soutaichou, and many taichous have been lost. It saddens me to think of how much damage was dealt to us by the Arrancar War.


I wish to name the next soutaichou to alleviate postwar conflict, but if the one I named has died before this letter was opened, the remaining taichous must choose the next soutaichou themselves.

I have named Kyouraku Shunsui as the next soutaichou, effective as soon as this letter is finished being read.


As for the remaining posts, please follow your judgment when deciding how to choose them. As the soutaichou, I trust you, Shunsui-kun.

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryuusai

Former Soutaichou

As he finished reading the letter aloud, he looked up to see the reactions of the other four remaining captains. However, he could find none, as all four had bowed once they heard Yamamoto had named Kyouraku as the new soutaichou.

As much as he didn't want to, Kyouraku shed his 8th division haori and put on the overly large haori of the 1st division. Sereitei had a new commander.

"Please, stop bowing. You're embarassing me!" exclaimed Kyouraku once he finished putting his pink haori over his white one. "Stop!" He smiled as he said this though.

However, that feelign went away as soon as the repercussions hit him. He was, barring the Spirit King himself, the new ruler over Sereitei. It was his job to find eight new captains, and fast.

"As my first order, we must put out notice of an open captaincy test. Our numbers have been cut short, and we must fill the ranks again," he ordered. New captains needed to be found, and fast.

"Starting tomorrow, for seven days, any shinigami who wishes my attempt to claim the post of captain for themselves. The top eight will be selected, and the Gotei 13 will be full again."

The notice was put out. The post of captain was officially up for grabs.

The Next Day

"Attention potential captains! Please, sit. As you know, the Gotei 13 is in need of eight shinigami who can uphold the ideals of captaincy, who can protect Sereitei should the need arise, and who can lead others effectively and decisively. If any of you feel you cannot live up to this statement, leave," announced Kyouraku, seeing nobody stir. "Okay then, welcome to tryouts!" he announced with a hearty smile on his face.

"Before we begin, let me warn you. Some of you are certainly more qualified than others." As he said this, he glanced at a shock of red hair and a bright shiny spot in the crowd. "Some of you may not be good enough. Others may be dismissed outright. Do not fret though; just know that the one who bested you is merely more able to do the duties. Know that, it may not be now, but someday, each of you may be capable of taking that post yourself. Now, please, let us begin!"

At this, the huge gathering of shinigami stood, bowed, then divided themselves up according to a number they had been given, between 1 and 6.

"Those of you who were given number one, step forward." A couple dozen stepped forward. "All else, please come back on the day noted by your paper. Number 2, come back tomorrow, number 3, the next day and so on." As most of the shinigami left, Kyouraku stepped down and addressed those who remained. "Now then, let's do this."

The other four captains were seated at a long bench, waiting to begin. Once Kyouraku sat down, the shinigami lined up and the first one stepped forward.

"Please, ocne you come up, state your name, division, and any ranking you may hold in your division," announced Komamura, taking the temporary post of Kyouraku's adjutant.

The shinigami who had stepped forward nodded. "Hai. My name is Yamada Hanatarou, Division 4, 4th seat." He stuttered it out, but managed to finish strongly.

Kyouraku nodded, and motioned for Komamura to begin.

Komamura nodded, then looked towards Hanatarou and spoke. "Yamada Hanatarou, 4th seat of the 4th division, please, let us begin. First, your zanpakutou. Are you able to release it?" asked the giant canine.

"Hai. Allow me to demonstrate," he said as he pulled out his zanpakutou. "Fulfill, Hisagomaru!"

Once the command was finished, the zanpakutou shrank down to the size and shape of a small scalpel.

Byakuya noted this, and motioned for Komamura to continue. Komamura again spoke. "What are you abilities?"

Hanatarou replied, "As a member of the 4th division, I have knowledge of healing methods, both physical and kidou in nature. I also have a number of supplements and items I carry everywhere to assist me in my duties. In addition, I..." he trailed off.

"Yes?" inquired Komamura.

"I.. I also have achieved Bankai..." he said weakly, as if he was trying to hide it.

The captains were surprised to hear that a 4th seat had attained Bankai, and even more so to discover he would try hide it. However, now was not a time to press the issue, and Komamura said what was on everyone's mind.

"Show us."

A/N – Yay! Chapter 2, done with good time to spare.

Sorry if it seems kinda drawn out. This won't happen most of the time. I just wanted to show the basics of what the process would be, and I'm only going to show a few 'interrogations' as is. If any of you wish to see anybody in particular, let me know via review. Once enough reply, I'll post the next chapter with more of these to follow.

And BTW, for those who can't figure it out, Hanatarou is one of my favorite characters.

I already have an idea for his Bankai, and I'm sure some of you know how he got it. coughUraharacough.

I might explain later.

TTFN!