Alright, so here's the second chapter already. I know fast right? I doubt I'll be able to keep uploading at this speed, but I'll try. Anyways enjoy.
'What a pain in the ass.' Was all Ichigo could think to himself as he watched the captains file out of the first squad's meeting chamber. He just stood in place, not quite sure what to do. To his right, Urahara began to follow the other captains out of the large room. He turned to Ichigo briefly.
"My, my, look what we've gone and gotten ourselves into." He gave Ichigo and exaggerated grin. "I'll see you around, Captain Kurosaki." He snickered and walked out of the room. Ichigo turned back to get a glimpse of the Captain-commander. Yamamoto was staring at the boy, he was now officially the youngest shinigami to ever achieve captain's status.
"Is there a problem, Captain?"
Ichigo blinked and realised he was being addressed. "I... uh, uhm." He stuttered. 'Wow really intelligent thing to say, Ichigo.' He thought to himself. He gathered his thoughts and finally said, "Sorry, I'm still just a little shocked. It's not every day you get asked to be a captain, right?" He chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head.
Yamamoto didn't seem to find his sarcasm very entertaining and Ichigo recoiled slightly as he saw the head captain's stern expression.
"This is a great responsibility, Kurosaki. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Ichigo thought about his words for a moment before formulating a response "Yeah... I understand that, sir." Ichigo muttered.
"Very well. I trust you know how to find the 3rd squad barracks?" The commander asked.
"Uh, yeah." He lied. He didn't want Yamamoto to think he was totally incompetent.
"Well then, you are dismissed Captain Kurosaki." The captain commander then turned and walked to the door tho his private chambers on the other side of the meeting room.
"Umm, sir?" Ichigo called to the captain commander.
"What is it Kurosaki?"
"I was hoping i could go back to the living world to inform my family and friends of my..." He paused for a moment. "Situation."
"Hmm... I see." The captain commander pondered Ichigo's words for a moment before speaking again. "Very well Kurosaki, I will give you until tomorrow to attend to your affairs in the living world. However, I do ask that before you go you will see 3rd squad lieutenant Izuru Kira and inform him of your recent promotion."
"Thank you, sir." Ichigo turned to leave.
"Oh and Kurosaki, I ask that you refrain from wearing your captain's haori until you begin your duties, tomorrow."
"Oh, yeah... Sure." Ichigo said as he slid his haori off. He folded it up and placed it underneath his shihakusho. as he opened the large doors to leave.
As he walked out he felt the fresh air of the Seireitei enter his lungs. The warm heat of the sun pressed down on his skin and he grinned ever so slightly.
"Beautiful day, eh? Captain Kurosaki."
Ichigo turned to see a man wearing flamboyant, pink, ladies kimono over his white captain's haori. A large straw hat covering the upper half of his face. All Ichigo could see was the slight smirk on the bottom half of his face.
"Oh, hey... Kyoraku, right?" He questioned.
The 8th squad captain looked up so Ichigo could see his eyes and smiled at him. "Call me Shunsui. After all, you're a fellow captain now."
"Yeah, I guess I am. Thanks... Shunsui." He chuckled nervously.
"Ah well, if you need anything Kurosaki, please don't hesitate to ask."
"You wouldn't happen to know where the 3rd squad barracks are, would you?" Ichigo blurted out.
Kyoraku laughed softly at the slightly annoyed Ichigo. "Of course, Kurosaki. Would you like me to show you?" He slowly stood and gave Ichigo a small smile before flash-stepping off to a nearby rooftop. Ichigo promptly dashed after him.
"I recommend sticking to the rooftops when you travel throughout the Seireitei, Kurosaki. You might hear things you don't like if the shinigami in the streets see a captain walking around lost."
"Yeah, I figured that out already." Ichigo replied as he and Shunsui swiftly jumped across the buildings. The Seireitei was a very large place but a proficient flash-stepper could cross it in mere minutes. I didn't take long before Ichigo saw a large fence surrounding what appeared to be the 3rd squads residence. As he drew closer he realised the sheer size of the place.
"Welcome home." Kyoraku said as they stopped in front of the main entrance. Ichigo looked back at him and thanked him for the favor.
"You should come out for a drink with me and Ukitake tomorrow night after you get back! After all, the best way to improve a friendship is to enjoy sake together!" Kyoraku spoke in a carefree, poetic tone.
"Maybe" Ichigo moaned. He wasn't too sure he wanted to see Kyoraku in a drunken state. "Thanks again! I'll see you around, Shunsui." He said as he walked away, towards to barracks. 'Alright, gotta find Kira.' Ichigo thought. 'I guess i'll just ask someone.' He searched the barracks for anyone to ask, but it was strangely desserted. Ichigo sighed as he leaned against the wall. 'I wonder why theres nobody around?' It was at that moment, as fate would have it, a young female shinigami walked into the courtyard in front of him. She looked to be in her mid teenage years, although in soul society you could never actually tell. She had long, curly, bright red hair and small black glasses seated on her soft, curvy face. Her height was similar to that of one of his sisters, so that meant, pretty short. She walked with a concerned look on her face, that is until she saw Ichigo leaning on the wall on the other side of the courtyard. Her face lit up and it looked as though she breathed a sigh of relief as she walked in his direction.
"Excuse me!" She called as she drew near. "Do you know where I can find whoever's in charge here?"
"I was hoping you could tell me." Ichigo sighed.
"Oh, uhm... Are you a member of the squad?" She asked, confused.
"You could say that." He responded.
Her expression grew even more confused. "Well... Do you know where everyone is?"
"Nope." He replied.
"How can you be a member of the squad and not know where anyone is!?" She yelled at him.
Ichigo merely sighed and rolled his eyes. He started to open his mouth to respond to the somewhat irate woman, but was cut off by the voice of a familiar blonde haired lieutenant as he walked into the courtyard.
"Ichigo... Kurosaki?" Was all 3rd squad lieutenant Izuru Kira said as he walked into the courtyard.
The red haired girl turned around and noticed the lieutenants armband that Kira was sporting.
"Are you in charge here?" She asked him.
"Kira turned his attention to the girl, slightly annoyed he replied. "Yes, I am the 3rd squad lieutenant, can I help you?"
The girls face suddenly turned a deep shade of pink as she performed a deep bow, embarrassed that she had been so rude to such a high-ranking officer.
"Uhm... I-" She stuttered
"Are you from the academy?" Kira asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Then why are you here with Kurosaki?"
"Who? Oh... That orange haired guy? I was just asking him if he knew where you were because I uh... Got separated from the rest of the recruits." The girl said nervously.
"I see... Down that hallway to the right," He pointed to the nearby hallway, "You will find 6th seat Katakura with the rest of the recruits."
The girl hastily turned to leave, once again performing a deep bow before walking down the hallway to find the other academy recruits. Kira turned his attention to the calm, orange haired shinigami slouching against the wall.
"Kurosaki? Why are you here?" He asked in a relaxed tone.
"Well... I need to talk to you." Ichigo responded.
"Concerning?"
"The squad." Was all Ichigo said.
Kira froze as he remembered a message from a hell butterfly he received earlier that day.
Flashback
Kira was just finishing off the squads paperwork for the day. 'It sure would be nice if they would hurry up and send us a new goddamn captain already, I'm sick of doing all the paperwork by myself.' He thought. As fate you have it, that was the moment when a small black hell butterfly drifted through the window of his dusty old office and landed on his desk, directly in front of him. All it said was, "A new 3rd squad captain has been selected." The butterfly then rose back into the air, and out the window it had entered.
End Flashback
His mouth dropped wide open. "Wait... Are you-" Kira was cut off.
"I'm the new 3rd squad captain." There was a long silence that followed. Kira just stared at him. It made him feel uncomfortable.
"Hey, Kira? You alright?"
Kira blinked a few times and looked up at Ichigo. "Uhh Yeah, sorry. I'm just a little... Shocked that's all." Another long pause passed. "When I got a message saying there was a new captain I just wasn't expecting... You."
"Yeah, believe me when I say I was expecting to be given the position either." Ichigo said with a smirk.
"Well then I guess you understand how I feel." Another moment of silence passed before Kira took a step towards Ichigo and held his hand out in front of him.
"Anyways, welcome to the 3rd squad, Captain Kurosaki." He said with a slight grin.
"Ichigo stood to his full height and shook his hand. "Just call me Ichigo, I'm not really good with all that 'respect' stuff." Ichigo smiled back.
Kira looked back at him surprised, "A-Alright." He stuttered, marveling at how disrespectful it would be to call one's captain by his first name.
"Well, I'm off to the world of th living. I'll be back tomorrow morning to learn about... Whatever it is that you do here. I'll see you later, Kira."
Kira respectfully performed a deep bow as Ichigo turned to leave. "Yes, Captain." Ichigo just rolled his eyes and walked away. 'All this bowing and respect is gonna take some getting used to.' He sighed and thought to himself as he made his way back to the Senkaimon gate.
Ichigo stood outside his family's clinic, his home. He carefully observed the entire building. He thought about all the memories that had been made in this house. He had just finished saying telling his friends that he was leaving.
He had asked them all to meet him at Tatsuki's house, since it was the closest to his own. Once they had all arrived, he told them his story from the moment when Urahara showed up at his front door, until the moment where he accepted the Captain's position. Everyone reacted differently to the news. Chad gave him his full support, stating that he was glad that Ichigo was moving onto bigger things. Ishida took the news with his usual insensitive indifference, but he told Ichigo that he was happy for him. Tatsuki didn't quite understand what was going on, as she was still relatively new to the whole 'soul society' stuff. But, she still gave Ichigo her words of encouragement. She understood he wasn't going to be around very much anymore, and it seemed like only yesterday that she was saving him from bullies back in elementary school. She smiled at the thought. Orihime, while she was still happy for her friend, was struggling the most with Ichigo's departure. She knew it was inevitable that they would be separated eventually when she left for university, but that still didn't mean she was be very happy about it.
"Promise you'll visit us when you can." Was all she told him as she sobbed lightly. Ichigo assured her he would. Tatsuki and Orihime both gave him a hug before he left and he shook Ishida and Chad's hand. He asked them to explain to his other friends from school where he was. After taking his last glimpse at his best friends, he left and began to walk to his house to say goodbye to his father and sisters.
As Ichigo placed his hand on the door and began to open it, he thought about what he was going to say. Surely his father would understand his decision, as he too was once a squad captain, but he was concerned how his young sisters would take the news. After all, Karin and Yuzu were especially attached to their older brother.
As he walked into the house, he noted the three figures sitting on the couch watching some strange Korean game show on the television. The first one to notice his presence was his father, as he turned his head backwards to look at his orange haired son.
"Hey, Ichigo." He said in a calm voice. HIs sisters whipped their heads around to look at him as they heard their father call his name.
"Hey! Icchy, your finally home!" His youngest sister called.
"Yeah, I am." Ichigo said in a slightly saddened tone. Thinking about how this wasn't going to be his home for much longer. "I need to talk to you guys about something." A confused look crossed all of their faces.
"Does this have to do with why Urahara-san was here earlier?" His father asked as his expression went from a confused one to a much more serious one.
"Yeah... Sorta." The room grew very quiet as everyone in his family waited to hear what Ichigo had to say. Ichigo decided that he shouldn't beat around the bush and said, "I was asked to take on the position of a squad captain in soul society."
...
"And I accepted." Another long moment passed as the tension in the room grew. Ichigo looked at his sisters very confused faces. But he was distracted as he heard a soft chuckle from his father.
"Takin' after you're old man I see."
A smirk grew on Ichigo's face as he looked to his father. "You wish." He replied.
"What does that mean, Icchy?" Yuzu asked.
"Well, you know how I run around and kill the monsters in the town?" He looked at Yuzu.
"Yeah."
"Well... Basically, the people in charge of that offered me a job as one of their leaders."
"Does that mean you're leaving home?" Karin asked. A saddened expression crossed her face.
"Yeah... Unfortunately." Ichigo replied softly. The two girls both looked at him as thought they had seem a ghost, and in reality, they had. The mood in the room dropped to a sad state.
"I'm sorry I won't be around too much anymore guys." Was all Ichigo could manage to say as Yuzu started to cry lightly. "I promise I'll try to visit as often as possible." Ichigo then walked over and sat down with his family on his couch. His sisters sobbed softly into his shirt as they leaned against him. He looked over at his father.
"Sorry, Dad."
"Don't apologize to me, Ichigo. I understand your decision." Ichigo just stared blankly at his father. He was going to miss his crazy old man.
"Masaki would be so proud." Was all he heard as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
As Ichigo made his way back to Urahara's underground senkaimon gate the following morning he couldn't help but think about all the things he was going to miss in the living world. He was starting a new chapter in his life now. It was a cloudy morning, and that made saying his final goodbye to his sisters and his father all the more saddening. He promised them he would come back to visit as soon as he got the opportunity.
As he reached Urahara's deserted candy shop he took one last look at his hometown before turning to enter, and find the senkaimon in his basement.
The new 3rd squad academy recruits had all assembled in the court-yard. They waited for someone to come and tell them what exactly they were doing.
"Hey, do you know why we're here?" One of the recruits asked another
"I have no idea. All the message said was for all the academy recruits to assemble in the courtyard at 9:30." The boy responded.
"Geez, it's almost 10! These guys sure are disorganised around here." One of them sighed.
The two recruits sat among the group and started playing with the grass in the courtyard, out of boredom. There was some slight chatter going on among the group. But it was silenced by the sound of a boy yelling.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME? YOU DIRTY PIECE OF TRASH!"
"I said, shut up."
"What was that?!"
"I said, SHUT UP!" The recruits in the yard were all silenced as they turned to witness the scene before them. A young red-headed girl, with small black glasses and soft features, sitting by herself on the ground, looking up at a very angry boy. The boy had long black hair, down to his shoulders. Some of it was wrapped in a few fancy looking braids at the front of his head. His face was sharp and his body was slender. He, like the girl, appeared to be in his mid-teenage years. He also had small slits of cloth resting in between the clean braids of his hair.
The small, redheaded girl looked at the boy in disgust. "You think you're so fucking great, just because of your stupid fucking clan, and I'm sick of listening to you go on and on about how fucking great you are! So I'll say it once more. "SHUT THE HELL UP!" She yelled at him
"HOW DARE YOU SPIT ON THE KUCHIKI NAME!" The boy yelled back as walked up to her, and grabbed her by the shoulders. He then lifted her to her feet and slammed her into the wall behind her. "I hate disrespectful trash like you." The boy said as he drew his zanpakuto. The girls eyes widened in horror as she saw the intent to kill in the boys eyes. She struggled to break free of his vice-like hold on her but failed. He was stronger than her. The other recruits stood and watched in complete silence. Nobody dared to say anything. The boy raised his blade above his head to strike. She didn't have any time to react, he was too fast. She just closed her eyes and flinched as she saw the blade that would be the end of her speed towards her throat.
She heard a dull thud followed by... Silence... 'Am I dead? I don't feel dead?' She questioned. She creaked her eyelid open to look at what was happening in front of her. All she could see were the shocked faces of everyone around her. She opened her eyes a little more to fully observe the scene. The Kuchiki boy's blade was inches from her neck, she could feel the cold radiating from the steel of the sword. She looked past the blade and noticed something she didn't believe.
A man with bright orange hair stood in between her and the Kuchiki boy. HIs hand holding onto the boy's blade. He had caught it. Her eyes grew wide as she looked past him, at the face of her attacker. A look of shock and fear crossed his sharp features. It seemed as though an eternity passed before anyone moved.
Finally the orange haired man spoke, "I suggest you sheathe your blade." The orange haired shinigami then turned to look back at her. He gave her a light, friendly smile.
She stared in awe as she remembered him. "You-you're that guy from yesterday." She said, her voice trembling.
"Sorry, I don't think i got the chance to introduce myself." He looked at her. His comforting smile still apparent on his face.
"3rd squad Captain, Ichigo Kurosaki." He said as he let go of boy's the zanpakuto in his hand. She looked down and noticed his captains haori. 'How can this be the same guy from yesterday?' She thought. Ichigo stood upright and looked back at the Kuchiki boy. "I suggest you think twice the next time you decide to attack someone in my squad."
The Kuchiki recruit swallowed, and performed a stiff bow. "My apologies, Sir." He choked out.
"Captain Kurosaki?"
Ichigo looked to where the voice came from and saw Kira, standing on the deck to the south of the courtyard.
"Hey, Kira." Ichigo called.
"Wh-what are you doing out here, Captain?"
"Oh, i was just... acquainting myself with the recruits."
"I see... If you could please come see me after you're finished. I need to discuss some things with you."
"Alright thanks, I'll be right there."
Kira turned and went back inside. Ichigo looked to the red-headed girl.
"Sorry, I didn't catch your name?"
The girl once again looked at him in awe. "H-Hikari Sayuri, Sir." Her faced turned red as she stuttered.
"Hmm... I'll see you around, Hikari." Ichigo said as he once again smiled at her before walking inside to find his lieutenant. Hikari's face turned an even deeper shade of red. He spoke to her as if they had known each other for years. She looked at the ground, to hide her blush.
"Oh, and don't try to kill each other anymore, please." Ichigo said casually as he disappeared inside.
So that's that, hope you like it. Once again i really appreciated reviews so let me know what you think, what you want to see, what parts you liked/didn't like? (Criticism is appreciated)
Couple reviews were posted on the first chapter so I'll answer here.
Phantom Claire: Are you french? The way you spoke in your review was odd and it let me to think that you're french and maybe used a translator to write your review? If you review again I don't mind if you write it in french, I am fluent in english and french so i doesn't bother to me. (Vous pouvez laisser ton critique en francais, Ca ne me derange pas :D)
BlueOwl: Well, i updated soon, hehe. Thanks for reading I'm glad you enjoyed. In response to your pairing question I'm sure that if i do decide to go with one it wont be ichigo/rukia or ichigo/orihime. I agree there are way to many stories with those two. But there's a good chance i won't have any pairings other than the canon ones in the story. (p.s Oh yeah Ichigo is gonna hate the paperwork!) :P
Also, i hope you don't mind my OC's, (There will be a few) I don't any of them will play a very big part in the story anyways.
I feel like I'm forgetting to say something but i can't remember so I guess I'll just leave it at that.