Chapter 3
Renji woke Ichigo unbearably early the next morning.
"What time is it?" he asked fighting back a yawn.
"5:00" Renji replied
"What time are we supposed to be at work?"
"5:45."
"Damn, that sucks."
"Pretty much." Renji said before leaving the room. Ichigo reluctantly got up and stumbled his way to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth and taking a steamy shower he felt much more awake. Returning to the guest room, he put on a fresh Shihakusho and slid his new haori over his shoulders, not bothering to put his arms through the sleeves. Once dressed, he headed to the kitchen where Renji had prepared toast and cereal for breakfast.
"These early mornings are gonna be a pain in the ass." Ichigo murmured taking a bite of cereal.
"You'll get used to it." Renji responded. "Today should be an easy day. Meet everyone, do some paperwork, maybe give a speech."
"Doesn't sound too difficult."
"Nope." After a few minutes of eating, Renji broke the silence. "Well we should probably head out. Don't want to be late on our first day." Renji said after drinking the last of the milk from his bowl. Ichigo looked up at him and couldn't contain his grin. "What?" Renji asked, noting Ichigo's sudden change in expression.
"You've got a milk moustache." The squad 3 captain said with a chuckle. Renji wiped his mouth with a napkin and rose from the table.
"We really should get going. If I know Rukia, She's already there." Ichigo hurriedly took the last bite of cereal and chugged his milk before handing Renji his bowl.
"Yes sir, Captain Abarai sir." Ichigo said with a faux salute. Renji grinned.
"I like the sound of that."
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When Ichigo made it to the gates of the third division, he recognized a large pair of cheery eyes peering at him through the gate. The door swung wide open for him just as he arrived at it.
"Good morning Captain." A familiar voice called from beyond the threshold.
"Good morning Hiroshi." Ichigo gave the young man a warm smile. It wasn't until he crossed the gateway that he noticed about 200 soul reapers standing in neat files in the courtyard. "Um… what's going on?"
"Lieutenant Kinjo called a meeting in the courtyard." Hiroshi eagerly chimed in.
"I have a lieutenant?" Ichigo noticed a man with a lieutenant's badge strapped to his shoulder standing in front of the group. The man seemed a few years older than Ichigo, though in the soul society age was pretty much impossible to discern. He stood a few inches shorter than Ichigo and was oddly thin. Thick, black, waves of hair stopped just above his eyes, which were hidden behind a pair of glasses. Instead of the standard Shihakusho, he was wearing form fitting black pants, a white sash around his waist, and a sleeveless, low cut, black top, similar to what Captain Soi Fon wore beneath her haori. The most interest thing about him was, unlike the other 200 people in the courtyard, this vice-captain Kinjo did not carry a Zanbato. The man caught Ichigo's gaze.
"Captain Kurosaki." In the blink of an eye, the vice-captain flash stepped the fifty foot distance between the two of them. Ichigo hadn't even noticed the man had moved until he spoke. His hand was extended. "I am Vice-captain Akira Kinjo, your new lieutenant."
"It's a pleasure." Ichigo responded shaking his hand. "I wasn't aware that I'd been appointed a lieutenant."
"I received news of my transfer just yesterday. Captain Commander Unohana moves quite quickly." His voice was calm, almost controlled. The sun reflected off the lenses of his glasses. Ichigo couldn't see the man's eyes.
"Transfer?"
"From the Kido Corps."
"Well…" Ichigo didn't know what to say. The Kido Corps, that was one of the 2 branches that worked alongside the 13 Court Guard Squads. Ichigo knew very little about the corps, but he didn't imagine they were particularly strong combatants.
"Not what you expected Captain Kurosaki?" he asked, his expression unreadable.
"Well no, not exactly." Ichigo admitted.
"Maybe a demonstration of my abilities would assure you of my qualification as your lieutenant, a sparring match perhaps."
"I won't fight an unarmed man." Ichigo stated plainly.
"It's true that I don't have a Zanbato, but Kido is my weapon of choice. I'm always well armed. En Garde Captain! Byakurai!" Akira raised a finger and a bolt of blue lightning rocketed towards Ichigo. Zangetsu was drawn and guarding Ichigo before the attack could reach the halfway mark. The bolt collided with explosive force, but was blocked rather easily.
"That amount of force in such a low level hado is a testament to your power, but did you really think that you could defeat me with byakurai?"
"I'm just getting warmed up Captain." A smirk slipped through his guarded expression. "Shakkaho! Sokatsui! Soren Sokatsui!" Three beams of blue fire and a massive fireball all hurtled towards Ichigo.
"Getsuga Tensho." Ichigo swung Zangetsu into a large crescent. A bright blue arc of spiritual energy soared from the large blade's tip and sliced through the oncoming hado, effectively negating each attack. The getsuga continued to fly towards the attacker.
"Bakudo 81, Danku!" Akira summoned a rectangular barrier just in time to prevent the getsuga from harming him.
"Use an incantation." Ichigo suggested, attempting to get a rise out of his opponent. Akira's features remained expressionless, his eyes indiscernible beneath his glasses. When he spoke his voice was serene.
"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the castle. Hado number 63, Raikoho!" The sky gave a thunderous crack! A massive wave of golden energy came rushing down from the heavens.
"Tensa Zangetsu." In a fraction of a second and with a release of immense spiritual pressure, Zangetsu morphed into an ebony katana. Ichogo's Shihakusho was replaced by a long black trench coat, his haori hanging loosely over each shoulder, just as it had been before. "Getsuga Tensho." A black and red getsuga arced gracefully skyward and cleanly cleaved through the wave of golden energy, causing it to dissipate.
"Shunko!" Akira moved so quickly, that Ichigo may not have had time to dodge if he hadn't released his Bankai. Akira flash stepped behind Ichigo. A swirling current of black energy encompassed his hands and feet. In one swift movement, Ichigo turned to face his adversary and sidestepped a punch.
"Stop." Ichigo said before Akira could strike again. "Dispel your Shunko." Ichigo's voice was steel, though he spoke softly. The currents around Akira's hands and feet disappeared. "Our spiritual pressure has been overwhelming the division." He said gesturing towards the soul reapers before them, most of who were short of breath; a few were kneeling from exhaustion. "I've only seen two other people perform Shunko. Your Kido and Hoho are at an exceptional level."
"Thank you Captain." Akira bowed slightly at the praise. "You are even more powerful than I had expected. I hoped that my Raikoho would require you to hollify."
"It takes a little more than that to warrant hollification."
"So it seems." Akira said, sliding his glasses up a millimeter.
"Is everyone alright?" Ichigo asked returning his attention to the division. There were a few nods and one or two murmurs of affirmation. "I'm gonna need you guys to do better than that. I asked if you were alright!" Ichigo yelled with a grin.
"Yes Captain!" the division yelled back.
"That's more like it. I hope you guys enjoyed the show, because it's time to get to work."
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Later that day, Ichigo found himself inside his office, staring at the marigolds Captain Kira had left on his desk. He wondered how the fight with Akira would have played out if he hadn't cut it short. He knew he had done the right thing, but he couldn't help but wonder. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in." Lt. Kinjo entered the office. "What can I help you with Akira?" Ichigo asked.
"I wanted to thank you for indulging me this morning. The test of strength was more for my benefit than yours. I'm the new guy, today's my first day in the Court Guard Squads. I wanted to make an impression." He admitted. In the soft lighting of the office, Ichigo could finally see past the lenses and into Akira's eyes. The deep blue orbs revealed a kind heart, and a sense of purity in the vice-captain.
"Well it was a pleasure. Nothing starts the day quite like a sparring match."
"If there's anything you need, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thanks, I'll hold you to that. Today was my first day in the Court Guard Squads as well. I've still got a lot to learn about what it means to be a Captain. You actually gave me my first lesson."
"What lesson was that?"
"Always put the squad first." When Ichigo said this, Akira blushed slightly.
"Glad to be of service Captain."
"When it's just the two of us, you can call me Ichigo."
"Ok, Ichigo."
"If there isn't anything else, I should probably get a jump on this paperwork."
"Of course." Akira headed toward the door.
"Akira," the lieutenant turned. "That was quite an impression you made. Good work." Ichigo said with a smile.
"Thanks Ichigo." The vice captain said before leaving the room.
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That night Ichigo met Rukia and Renji at a local pub. They'd all abandoned their uniforms in favor of more casual attire. Renji raised his shot of warm sake in a toast.
"To our promotions."
"To the end of day one." Rukia said with a sigh.
"To old man Yamamoto." Ichigo said raising his glass. The three glasses clinked and Ichigo took the shot. It burned its way down his throat and warmed his belly.
"So what happened this morning? We could feel your reatsu all the way from division five." Rukia asked while pouring herself another shot.
"My vice-captain and I had a sparring match." Ichigo replied nonchalantly.
"That reatsu came from a lieutenant?" Renji cried in disbelief.
"Yeah, he's pretty bad ass. Unohana had him transferred from the Kido Corps. He's been a big help so far, the division seems pretty enthused." Ichigo said while pouring himself another shot and taking a small sip from the glass.
"Our division definitely isn't enthused." Renji griped.
"That's because you've been scaring the living shit out of them." Rukia stated dryly.
"Well how was I supposed to know we'd get a division full of weaklings? I mean wasn't Aizen their last Captain. You'd think that they would know something about combat." Renji sighed and took another shot. "They don't have to like me, they just have to improve. If Byakuya taught me anything, it was that."
"That's so depressing." Ichigo said with a chuckle.
"They like me." Rukia put in. Just then an attractive man walked up and asked her to dance. She took another shot and allowed herself to be led to the dance floor. She looked amazing. She wore her hair down, pearls around her neck, and a silky black dress. It was strange that Ichigo hadn't noticed her enticing appearance earlier.
When Ichigo turned back to Renji he knew why he hadn't. The squad five captain was wearing a silk shirt the same blood red as his hair. He'd managed to squeeze into a pair of black leather pants that left little to the imagination. His long red locks were tied back in a black bandana.
"What are you thinking about?" Renji asked.
"You." Ichigo admitted.
"Yeah?" he grinned.
"You look good tonight." Ichigo didn't know where that came from. He'd had too much to drink.
"Strawberry," Renji said catching Ichigo's gaze. "you always look good." Ichigo blushed and looked away. When he looked back Renji was still staring at him. The man's leg pressed against Ichigo's from under the table.
"We're drunk." Ichigo said, catching himself leaning across the table.
"Yes we are." Renji said meeting the other captain halfway and pressing his lips against those of his best friend.
Okay, so we've finally got some yaoi action, expect some more in the next chapter, but nothing too graphic yet. Thanks to everyone following my story. Please review. Nothing makes an author happier than a review. Merry Chrismukkah and Happy New Year.