A/N: About Yuzu's class, since first class is the best class, I decided to go ahead and assume that the classes were ranked like that. So Yuzu is in a good class, but not in a class as good as Karin's class. Does that make sense?

Also, I didn't want to make too many OCs for this story, since Bleach has quite a few characters as it is. So I might add in one or two academy students, but not a lot of them.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. At all.


CHAPTER 7: Ceremony


"Give her the rank she deserves."


Rukia opened the door to Ukitake-taicho's quarters, wincing as the sliding door scraped against its grooves, making a loud noise. If Ukitake-taicho were asleep, that would certainly have woken him up, and although he had sent a butterfly to the manor last night telling her to come see him in the early morning, she couldn't be sure he would actually be awake to receive her. She didn't begrudge her taicho this. If anything, she hoped he could get as much sleep as he possibly could.

But a part of her was worried. That Ukitake-taicho would summon her, so soon after he had spoken with her brother…She had tried to ask Byakuya about it last night, but her brother had been his usual reticent self. He hadn't answered her question, simply stating that if she wanted to know Ukitake-taicho's business, she could ask him herself.

The captain of the Thirteenth was sitting up in his bed, although even that seemed to take effort from him in times like this, idly picking away at a tray someone—probably Kiyone or Sentaro—had left for him. She bowed.

"Ukitake-taicho," she said, "You wanted to see me?"

"Ah, Rukia-san," said Ukitake, smiling warmly at her. "Have a seat, please."

She did so, withdrawing her zanpakuto from its sash and placing it on the ground beside her as she sat in seiza by his futon.

"You're aware your brother came to see me the other day?" he asked.

Rukia nodded. "We spoke briefly when he came in," she said. "Is this about that?" She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. What had her brother asked Ukitake to do?

"Yes," said Ukitake. He frowned. "Rukia, do you know why you have never been promoted?"

Rukia's eyes widened slightly, before lowering to her clasped hands in her lap. "I have never asked him myself," she said, her face flushing slightly. "However, the rumor is that nii-sama asked you not to promote me."

"Yes," said Ukitake, surprising her. "That is correct." He frowned. "Do you know why?"

"…I always assumed it was because I was not strong enough, and that my poor performance as an officer would besmirch the Kuchiki name." Her fingers curled into small fists in her lap.

"You are wrong." Ukitake's voice was gentle, but firm. "The duties of an officer are much more dangerous than the duties of an unseated shinigami. He didn't want you to get hurt, Rukia-san."

Rukia's eyes widened at that, and she looked up at Ukitake. She knew that her brother cared for her. Over the past few years since her execution, he had shown it to her more. But her brother had never been the type to show anything outwardly, which was why she had never thought of that as the reason she had never been promoted. She looked up at her captain.

"I didn't know that, taicho…" she said.

Ukitake nodded. "Byakuya came to me two days ago with a request," he said. "He told me to give you the rank you deserved."

Rukia's eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment. Ukitake went on. "I have spent most of my time since then considering this," said Ukitake. "The rank that you deserve. You are too good to waste in the ordinary rank-and-file shinigami, so of course, I would make you a seated officer. The question remained, though. What seat do you deserve?"

Rukia stared at Ukitake for a moment as he smiled at her, then quickly bowed her head. "Taicho, please do not strain yourself with this decision. Please place me in the lower seats. Even 20th seat would be an improvement over where I am."

"But Rukia-san…" said Ukitake, causing her to look up. "I must honor your brother's request." He was smiling. "Byakuya did not ask me to place you in the seat you want. He asked me to place you in the seat you deserve."

Rukia fell silent, allowing Ukitake to continue. He did so after a short pause, taking a sip of his tea.

"You have improved so much in the time you were here, Rukia," he said. "The person you were forty-five years ago is not the same person that stands in front of me now. Despite your brother wishing to keep you from danger, your career as a shinigami has been more tumultuous than most, and you've escaped death time and again. You've become strong in your own right, and I'm very proud that I had the chance to watch you grow. You've earned the respect of the members of this division, not because of your name, but because of who you are."

"I spent a long while thinking over the rank that you deserve, Rukia-san," he said. "And that is why…" She heard the rustle of cloth as he leaned over, picking up something from his other side.

"…I would be honored if you would accept this, Kuchiki Rukia."

And then he was holding something out to her. Rukia looked down, and her eyes widened, a sharp breath passing through her lips. In his hand, he was holding out something that nobody in the thirteenth division had seen in over three decades—something that the division's newest members had never seen. The kanji for thirteen looked straight up at her, and just beneath it, the division's flower, a snowdrop.

It took a while for her mind to process what was happening. Ukitake-taicho was holding the vice-captain badge out to her. Her.

"Ukitake-taicho…" she began, when she finally found her voice.

"Becoming my fukutaicho is not easy," said Ukitake. "That's why the position has been open for so long. Because of my illness, my work habits are unpredictable. More often than not, my fukutaicho would find themselves leading the squad on their own. Yamamoto-soutaicho's new regulations, that divisions without a captain may send their vice-captains to the meetings in their place, also means I would require you to attend the meetings I cannot be present for. In a sense, I am asking not only for a vice-captain, but for a capable shinigami who could be a surrogate captain in my absence."

He looked up at her. "I'm not asking this lightly, Rukia," he said. "I believe you can do this. But I want you to understand this."

Rukia stared down at the badge in his hand. Her body felt numb, and her heart pounded in her chest like a scared rabbit. Could she do it? Would she do it, for this man? For Ukitake-taicho and his division? She thought back to the day she had first arrived, how both Ukitake-taicho and Kaien-dono had treated her with kindness, had accepted her because she was Rukia, and not because she was Kuchiki. She thought back to her execution.

Ukitake had been the only captain of the Gotei 13 to stand up for her then. When not even her brother had lifted a finger…

She felt a knot form in her throat, hot tears welling up in her eyes for a reason she couldn't name.

Of course she would do it, if that was what Ukitake-taicho and the Thirteenth required of her. She reached out with shaking hands, her fingers closing around the badge.

"I would be honored…," she said. "…to work with you, Ukitake-taicho."

Her captain looked up at her and smiled.


Renji stood in his line next to Hinamori, facing Soifon as Yamamoto banged his staff on the ground and called the meeting to order. He tried to keep his eyes on the soutaicho and not glance at the girl next to him. The first time Hinamori had been called to attend the captain's meeting in lieu of a fifth squad captain, he honestly thought the girl was going to faint. Now, though, she managed to hold her ground, standing between him and Komamura as Yamamoto began his address and across from Kyoraku.

"As we are all assembled, let us begin," he said.

Nobody called to attention the fact that the position at the end of the line, beside Zaraki, was empty. Everyone knew that Ukitake Jushiro was sick again, and would not be attending the meeting, and nobody dared to ask.

"I will begin by reporting on my own division. The First Division has accepted several of the academy's students," said Yamamoto. "Sasakibe-fukutaicho tells me they are assimilating well, and we have returned to our full number since the Winter War. Soifon-taicho."

Soifon opened her mouth, about to give her report, when the unthinkable happened.

The door slid open, admitting a single breathless shinigami, who bowed hurriedly to the soutaicho and the assembled captains and vice-captains. Renji turned, his eyes widening.

"My apologies for my lateness," said Rukia, her face flushed and her hair slightly disheveled. She was dressed in her shinigami robes, but what drew his attention was the badge tied around her arm. The badge that had the symbol for the Thirteenth Division on it. "I was only just made aware that I would be attending this meeting in Ukitake-taicho's stead."

"Of course," said Yamamoto, sounding unsurprised even as stunned silence set over the room. "Please, take your position, Kuchiki-fukutaicho."

Renji turned towards his former captain, trying to catch Byakuya's eye. The captain of the Sixth glanced once at his sister as she took her place at the end of the line beside Zaraki, then met Renji's stare coolly.

"Did you know about this?" he tried to convey, raising an eyebrow.

If Byakuya saw the question, he did not respond, turning back towards the soutaicho.

"Soifon-taicho," said Yamamoto. "Please continue."

Renji had not seen it, but Rukia had. As she walked over to her position, standing next to the hulking Eleventh Squad Captain, Byakuya looked her way. She saw his eyes on her, coldly appraising as she stood up straight, her hands at her sides and her expression schooled even as her heart was beating in her chest.

He had given her a small, barely noticeable smile before looking away.

And she smiled back.


Oh God, how much longer is he going to talk? thought Karin to herself, trying to sit still in her position at the front of the room as the Academy's head went on and on about their responsibilities as shinigami and what they would learn while they were at this fine institution and how they all should congratulate themselves for passing a rigorous testing phase. It wouldn't have been so bad if she had already had to listen to one long-winded entrance exam speech this year.

She craned her neck and looked around, trying to catch sight of Yuzu. Her twin sister was sitting with her classmates, her eyes focused straight ahead on the teacher and her hands in the lap of her red and white academy uniform. The speaker droned on and on and Karin turned away, a scowl on her face.

Come on, hurry it up already…she thought.

Finally the Academy's head stopped, looking up at all of them. "Congratulations once again," he said. "This is a great achievement, and you should all be proud of yourselves. Tomorrow, classes will begin. Take this time to explore the academy and meet the people around you, for you never know who will hold your life in their hands someday."

Maybe it was just Karin's imagination, but the applause as he finally stepped down was tinged with a small amount of relief.


"Thank God that's over," muttered Karin to herself as she and Yuzu walked down the path that led through the Academy grounds, carrying bento boxes that they had received from the cafeteria. Yuzu didn't reply for a moment, and Karin turned her head to see her sister studying a piece of paper.

"What's that?" she asked.

"It was in my room when I came back," said Yuzu with a frown.

"Your class schedule?" asked Karin. The two of them were in separate bedrooms now, but their rooms were across the hall from each other, and were small enough that they couldn't squeeze two people in them even if they wanted to.

"Mm," said Yuzu, nodding.

"Let me see," said Karin, taking it from her. She passed Yuzu another piece of paper. "Here, you can see mine."

She scanned Yuzu's schedule, her eyes going over the classes. They were the same as hers, but at different times, and with different teachers. Renji had been right. Karin's class advisor was Onabara-sensei, and she had a lot of her classes with him.

"We have the same kidou teacher," said Karin.

"And hakuda as well," said Yuzu, looking over Karin's schedule.

"Yeah," said Karin. "Hey, you have Ichibana-sensei first," she said. "Let me know how much of a slavedriver she is."

"I will," said Yuzu, handing her schedule back. Karin found herself relaxing slightly. Now that she had seen Yuzu's timetable, her worries were eased. They were in different classes, but their schedules still ran on the same time and they had the same teachers. They were in different bedrooms, but their rooms were still somewhat connected. So even though they were being separated, it wasn't a complete separation.

That made her feel slightly better about all of this.

"Do you want to eat here?" asked Yuzu, gesturing at a tree. Karin shrugged and the two of them made their way over to it, sitting down. Karin stared down at Yuzu's schedule one last time before handing it back.

"Oi," she said. "You have zanjutsu first thing in the morning. How do you feel about that?"

Yuzu frowned and took her schedule from her sister. "I…I'll have to learn it, I suppose," she said.

"If anyone gives you any trouble, tell me,' said Karin. "I'll give him hell."

Yuzu nodded, sitting down and opening her bento box. Karin opened hers and took a bite of food, looking around at the Academy students that passed by. She froze for a moment, her eyes fixing on one person.

Was it just her, or was that student in a blue uniform glaring at her and her sister?

Before she could confirm it, he looked away, talking with his friends.


TO BE CONTINUED