Undergoing rewrite on AO3 (link in profile).

Chapter 9: Gotei 13, here I come!

Tsuzuki sat bolt upright, hand scrabbling for his zanpakutō even as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. There was something lying on top of him, constricting his movement, suffocating him…

A shift in the air around him.

His reiatsu reacted immediately, shaping into the hadō spell he knew like the back of his hand, and he was moments from releasing a stream of red lightning when a warm familiar reiatsu settled around him soothingly.

"Tsuki-chan –" and Kisuke was suddenly next to him, one arm around his shoulders, pulling him into the older man's arms "– stand down; you're going to bring the house down."

"Whaa –" before he had finished the sentence Tsuzuki instinctively obeyed, pulling his reiatsu back to shroud himself like a cloak. With the haze of sleep lifted from his mind, he looked around again carefully, to find that he was in his room in the Shihōin compound, and had been struggling with his own blanket. He hoped the room was dark enough to cover the redness of his blush.

"What happened to everyone?" Tsuzuki rephrased his earlier question.

"Thanks to your valiant efforts," Kisuke replied drily with no small amount of sarcasm, "no one died."

Tsuzuki lowered his head miserably. What he did was a huge gamble, one that could have been costly not only for the Shihōin Clan, but for the entire war effort against Aizen. "I'm sorry," he whispered quietly.

Some of his feelings must have come through, for Kisuke's face softened as he laid Tsuzuki back down on his futon. "Go back to sleep, Tsuki-chan. You can visit them in the morning."

… … … … … … …

"Come again?" He must have misheard, because there was no way this was happening.

"She can never be a field agent," repeated Unohana patiently. "That last attack nearly bisected her – it was a miracle she survived long enough to reach treatment. However, the damage was too severe – half of her major internal organs were shredded to ribbons. We managed to heal the injuries, but at the cost of creating massive amounts of scar tissue that will permanently impede her ability to be active."

Tsuzuki clenched and unclenched his fists, breathing heavily. "May I see her?" he forced the words out, forcing his voice not to waver. Failure. He failed to keep them safe.

Unohana looked at him piercingly. "Himura-san does not wish to take any visitors right now."

"I would like to see her," pressed Tsuzuki.

After a moment of hesitation, Unohana relented. "Room 106. She's sleeping, try not to wake her."

The door was ajar when he arrived, and Tsuzuki nudged it open a fraction more to poke his head inside. She was indeed asleep, skin pale against the white sheets of the futon.

He must have made a noise of some kind, for Kaede's eyes snapped open, zeroing on him with unerring accuracy.

Tsuzuki stepped forwards. "I'm so –"

"Get out," she snarled.

Stopping in shock, Tsuzuki blinked rapidly.

"I hate you." A single tear trickled from the corner of her eye. "Get out of my sight." Rage twisted her features as she struggled to sit up as though to physically throw him from the room, wincing in pain as her body protested.

He went.

… … … … … … …

Instead going back to the Shihōin compound, Tsuzuki headed straight to the Second Division office. The moment he stepped over the threshold of the outer office, Soifon glanced up and was about to say something when she took a good look at his face. Something must have been visible, for her mouth snapped shut and she sat back down in her chair, ignoring the fact that he did not have an appointment scheduled and was technically intruding illegally. Thankful that she did not try to stop him, Tsuzuki knocked once on the door to the inner office and opened it before Yoruichi had even bid him enter.

"Nee-sama, I'd like to appeal to take the Graduation Test early."

Tsuzuki had never been more glad Yoruichi was highly perceptive – came with her job as the commander of the Onmitsukidō – but she just nodded without asking him any questions, and the very next day he received an official summons to Ōnabora's office.

"I understand that you wish to take the graduation test early," began Ōnabora without aplomb.

"Hai," replied Tsuzuki.

"You understand that this is highly irregular. Rarely does a first year apply to be allowed to take the graduation test, and even more rarely they are allowed to take it before the academic year has ended," continued Ōnabora.

"Hai," repeated Tsuzuki.

Ōnabora gazed searchingly at him for a while. "Recite to me the criteria for graduating from Academy," he instructed.

"The Graduation Test comprises of five compulsory tests and optional specialist exams to improve your chances of being accepted into a division. The compulsory tests examine the subjects history, hohō, hakuda, kidō, and zankō, and are scored out of ten points each. To successfully graduate in my first year, I will have to achieve a total score of at least forty as well as demonstrate considerable talent beyond the set curriculum," answered Tsuzuki promptly.

Ōnabora nodded approvingly. "Very well. Come back on Saturday at nine o' clock for your Graduation Test. You may take this week off to revise the core subjects and consider what skills you wish to demonstrate for the optional examinations. I will send jigoku-chō to invite all interested captains to attend."

"Thank you very much." Tsuzuki bowed gratefully. "You will not regret giving me this chance."

A small rare smile graced Ōnabora's face. "You have been an excellent student, Tsuzuki-san, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavours."

… … … … … … …

Yoruichi was leaning against the gate, arms crossed, when he arrived back at the compound.

"You know," she began conversationally when he neared her. "It is almost certain that every captain and most vice-captains will be attending your Graduation Test. And since you're going to be the only student taking it, all their attention will be on you, so do put on a good show, ne?"

Tsuzuki gulped at the dangerous look she was giving him.

"In fact, just to ensure you don't gravely embarrass the clan, I took the next week off," she continued sweetly.

Tsuzuki did not even manage to let out a strangled scream before he was dragged – kidnapped – to the training grounds.

… … … … … … …

Fifty laps around the training grounds every day, until dodging traps became second nature to him. There was no telling what Aizen could do with the DNA he could gain from a single drop of blood split, even though the man was no scientist, so the most sensible way was to make sure none was split in the first place. In additions, injuries would slow him down, the pain distract him, or in the worst case blood drip into his eyes and blind him.

Just to up the ante, Yoruichi and Kisuke began sparring with him on nightingale floors littered with traps even more creative and lethal than those in the public Shihōin training grounds, to simulate any possible battles he might come across. Tsuzuki had no doubt the traps were Kisuke's own conception; the flair of innovative genius with a touch of insanity was in a class of its own. Senbon tied to self-retracting wires that make it impossible to predict their path of trajectory, for instance. The only way to avoid them was to track them through peripheral vision, while sparring with an opponent who had long mastered the art of multi-tasking in such a warzone. Of course, the nightingale floors were also tuned to be extra-sensitive to the lightest step, and the only way to move across them was to continuously use shunpo so fast his weight was spread out over the entire floor.

Treat every combat situation as a war, and he would never be caught off guard.

… … … … … … …

Tsuzuki pushed the door of the testing dojo open. He paused minutely at the door, taking note of the shocking number of people present, before schooling his features into impassivity. All thirteen captains of the Gotei 13 as well as their respective lieutenants were in attendance, as well as assorted seated officers.

Ōnabora stood at the front of the dojo, hands clasped, looking completely unruffled at the unprecedentedly large audience. "Are you ready, Tsuzuki-san?" he enquired as a formality. The fluid battle stance in which Tsuzuki strode into the room was already a very clear indication.

"Hai," Tsuzuki replied clearly, bowing slightly to his teacher.

Ōnabora bowed back. "Normally, a spar would be conducted between two students, or between myself and the student in question. However, it has been determined that due to your unique circumstances, a change is necessary. You will be sparring against one of these officers in the Gotei 13. To gain the full 40 points for the combat section, you must demonstrate considerable mastery over at least three of the four fields of hohō, zanjutsu, hakuda, and kidō, as well as above-average competence in the last field. A good knowledge of tactics and overall combat ability will be a bonus."

He turned to the assembled officers. "This will be an all-out spar. Both shikai and bankai are permitted, as well as any family techniques. This dojo has already been specially reinforced by the Kidō Corps in preparation for this battle. May I have volunteers please?"

Noticing Soi Fon shift, Ōnabora cleared his throat slightly. "Due to a possible conflict of interest, no members of the Second Division may volunteer."

There was an awkward pause for a while as everyone looked at each other. None of the captains looked willing to volunteer, since if one of them beat Tsuzuki up too badly he might have the Shihōin clan after their heads – the clan head herself was right there after all, whereas if they sent someone too inept they would become the laughing stock of Soul Society. Despite being just an Academy student, Tsuzuki had been trained secretly in the Shihōin Clan for four years, and child prodigies on par with a fukutaichō were rare but not completely unheard of. For him to be adopted by Yoruichi, Tsuzuki must have been special enough to catch her eye.

"Heh. Whatever clan techniques he's got, he's still just a brat. I'll do it, knock him down a few pegs," finally, a dark-skinned thickset man drawled, stepping forwards. He unsheathed his zanpakutō, tapping it idly against his muscular thigh as he waited for Ōnabora to acknowledge his challenge.

Tsuzuki immediately recognised him as Kiganjō Kenpachi, the predecessor of Zaraki Kenpachi, who was said to have been killed by a single stroke of Zaraki's sealed zanpakutō. Lazy and overconfident, these were Kiganjō's two worst flaws, and would serve as his downfall. Now – the question was – would he be allowed to show his true ability, or would he have to hold back?

"Tsuzuki," Yoruichi raised her voice slightly, catching his attention. He turned to look at her. "Take him down," she stated calmly. With those words, he had just been given free rein to go all-out, and no one can blame him for any possible consequences. Perfect. He had been itching for a fight the entire week, something – anything to get rid of this deep-seated frustration, this helplessness that he failed to save yet another person. But really, Yoruichi must have been really annoyed by the clan brat comment to issue such a challenge.

The touch of a smile flitted across his face. "Your wish is my command, onee-sama." He had a lot of pent-up aggression to work out.

As Kiganjō made his way to the centre of the sparring ring, the onlookers having wisely retreated further in anticipation of his wild swings and tendency to push the protective barrier to its limits, Tsuzuki considered his options. Tsuzuki might not have as much muscle as the captain, but he was much more nimble, and as long as he avoided a contest of pure strength he could see himself winning. Judging by Kiganjō's haughty expression, he was either going to stand there and arrogantly offer Tsuzuki a free first strike, or he was going to charge and try to humiliate him as much as possible. Tsuzuki relaxed, unfurling his reiatsu to better sense for attacks.

"Please bow to your opponent," Ōnabora instructed.

Tsuzuki bowed properly from the waist, tracking Kiganjō's movements by reiatsu senses alone. The sharp dispel of air in his direction told him all he needed to know as he dropped to a crouch under the first thrust, hearing but not registering the cries of disapproval from the onlookers, then used a shunpo-aided leap to the side as the blade came slashing down where he was a moment ago.

Tsuzuki straightens, a safer distance away from Kiganjō, and eyed him warily. The other man was frowning that his victory was not as swift as he hoped, but a wild maniac grin spread across his features as he surveyed Tsuzuki in a new light. There was no doubt he was a Kenpachi; he had the same smirk that Zaraki Kenpachi did.

Very well. Until further circumstances come to light, he would treat the man as another Zaraki. Tsuzuki unsheathed his zanpakutō calmly. It was time to test the waters a little.

Dashing forwards at his natural speed, Tsuzuki brought his blade up, and was pleased to note he was not wrong about Kiganjō's own reaction speed. His blade was deftly blocked and Tsuzuki quickly parried, not wanting to get into a competition of strength with the other man. He skipped backwards, tilting his body to the right to avoid a strike at his vitals – ooh, getting serious, aren't we – and applied a touch of shunpo to take this chance to appear beside Kiganjō and slash down at the man.

Almost immediately he was forced to dodge as the captain recovered impossibly fast, bringing his zanpakutō back from its outstretched position in the blink of an eye to swing at Tsuzuki – who was already an afterimage thanks to a deftly applied Utsusemi.

Through the rip in the other man's clothing, Tsuzuki realised that though he had clearly cut the captain, there was no blood – Kiganjō must have been unconsciously exuding enough reiatsu that his entire body was impervious to normal strikes. The only reason why Tsuzuki had not known this already was because he had absolutely no talent in sensing reiatsu pressures unless he was specifically looking at their spirit ribbons, a fact due to his own immense reserves. For a normal shinigami, they subconsciously compare the reiatsu they sense to their own levels, and gauge the other's reiatsu pressure from there. But to a raging waterfall, all streams look around the same size. He could somewhat sense positions if he concentrated – how many streams there were and where they were, and to some extent match up reiatsu signatures with their owners if he was familiar with them – but not how much reiatsu someone had unless it was being actively used such as for bankai or other techniques.

Faced with this realisation, Tsuzuki bounced on the balls of his feet, blinked twice, and nodded sharply. Slipping to the side nimbly as a zanpakutō came crashing down in his previous position, Tsuzuki raised his own blade horizontally, swept his index finger across it, and let sparks of electricity dance down his finger and across the zanpakutō, wreathing it in a blue-white glow.

"Oooh, Tsuzuki Raiden!" Yoruichi bounced, clapping cheerfully. She received a raised eyebrow in reply from most of the other officers gathered and a few ill-concealed groans at the pun. Ōnabora merely nodded and added to his clipboard the usage of Hadō #11: Tsuzuri Raiden without an incantation.

Tsuzuki darted back towards Kiganjō, ducking a punch and blocking the next swipe with his zanpakutō. A mental command sent the lightning streaking down the connected blade as well thanks to conductivity, and he abruptly relaxed his grip at the same time. The sudden loss of an opposing force added to the mild annoyance the lightning posed – similar to a static shock, such a low-level kidō was no threat to a captain of course – caused Kiganjō to overbalance.

Capitalising immediately on the opening he had so painstakingly created, Tsuzuki channelled reiatsu into his leg and kicked viciously at the leg supporting the majority of Kiganjō's weight. In the same moment, he brought his zanpakutō downwards in a two-handed slash, and this time he felt it bite into skin.

Kiganjō stumbled under the dual onslaught but managed to catch himself before he fell. Instead he growled incoherently, shaking, and muttered under his breath.

Tsuzuki was forced to jump back as Kiganjō rose again in an avalanche of reiatsu, his zanpakutō lengthening and widening. While Kiganjō entered shikai, Tsuzuki studied the unsealed blade in his hand, taking note of the way Kiganjō handled the broadsword and its reach. Directly crossing blades with the captain would not be the wisest course of action, and hakuda against such an opponent would be suicidal without some form of protection, since it would be sheer arrogance to presume Kiganjō would be drastically slowed by the size of his unsealed zanpakutō. No matter, Tsuzuki had demonstrated sufficient hakuda and zanjutsu (he hoped) to clear the first two sections.

He knew the unspoken regulations. To gain a seated position, he must release his shikai during an appropriate portion of the exam. In his case, it would be the combat portion. So few Academy students gain their shikai that it was never an official part of the rules, but any Academy student able to demonstrate a level of competence with their shikai usually was offered a seated position. This morning, he had specifically raised the regulated output level on his reiatsu suppressor, so that he could utilise his shikai without collapsing.

However, given that his shikai form was not in the shape of a sword, he had to clear the zanjutsu section first before unsealing his zanpakutō. Given that Kiganjō was already in shikai, to leave his zanpakutō sealed was sheer arrogance that could cause him to be severely injured.

All that passed his mind in a split second as he called, "Utareru, Kurai'arashi!"

The zanpakutō disappeared from his hand, hilt and all, and without another word crystallised in the middle of the room, spread across the floor at ankle length, criss-crossed into razor-fine wires. It would at the very least slow Kiganjō down while he maneuvered across the room to where Tsuzuki stood. Seeing the sight, Kiganjō hesitated in his charge.

Tsuzuki was already pressing his advantage. "Bakudō no sanjū, Shitotsu Sansen!" A trio of yellow triangles coalesced in front of the captain, hitting him and pinning against the far wall.

"You think this weak spell can hold me?" Kiganjō roared, his reiatsu flaring up. Cracks began forming on the yellow light, showing the bakudō would not be able to handle the strain much longer.

"Of course not," Tsuzuki replied dismissively. One of the first lessons Kisuke beat into him – never stop firing until he sees his opponent's defeated body. The worst flaw anyone can have in a battle is hubris. Kisuke's first ever direct combat against Aizen stood out as a stark reminder in his mind, for Kisuke was the only one who ever managed to injure Aizen – albeit he healed swiftly – and continuously out-witted the traitor with a barrage of attacks, using anything and everything including his own body as a decoy for his multi-layered plans. If it was not for the hogyoku, Aizen would have died a dozen times over in that battle.

"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!" A bright light emanated from his index finger as he finished his next kidō. "Bakudō no rokujū-ichi, Rikujōkōrō! Six thin, wide beams of light slammed into Kiganjō's midsection, holding him in place just as the previous binding spell was overcome. Immobilised briefly, Kiganjō glared at Tsuzuki as he gathered his reiatsu once again.

"Hadō no gojū-hachi, Tenran!" Tsuzuki followed up immediately, holding out a hand before him. A widening tornado-like blast fired towards the immobilised Kiganjō, who was already able to twitch slightly.

Without waiting for the dust to clear, Tsuzuki slid into his fastest shunpo and charged straight at Kiganjō behind his last kidō, Kurai'arashi shifting itself with a mental command to clear a path for him as he moved. Halfway across the room, he felt Kiganjō's reiatsu pressure undoubtedly flare, and the wires instantly changed their position, folding themselves upon the captain like a net, sharp edge faced inwards. In the split second after Tenran impacted, Tsuzuki let loose a battle cry and smashed his reiatsu-enhanced fist into Kiganjō's right wrist.

Snarling in pain, Kiganjō's grip loosened on his broadsword, just as Tsuzuki planned. Kurai'arashi flowed smoothly to knee-level and tangled itself between the captain's legs to hopefully trip him. But Kiganjō recovered ridiculously fast, and the broadsword bit deeply into Tsuzuki's side. Tsuzuki relaxed let himself be blasted away by the impact, knowing that resistance would only make the injury worse. Instead, he reappeared behind Kiganjō, and used his momentum to crash heavily into Kiganjō's unprotected back, pinning him to the ground.

"Jūgeki Byakurai!" The hole in Kiganjō's shoulder delayed the captain's reaction just a millisecond, which was all Tsuzuki needed to bring his resealed zanpakutō up to Kiganjō's neck, drawing a sliver of blood. Kiganjō froze.

And then the applause started.

Tsuzuki straightened slowly, coming out of his post-battle adrenaline high, and blinked uncomprehendingly at the observers surrounding him. Yoruichi and Kisuke was happily cheering away, of course, but most of the other officers were also clapping, though some more enthusiastically than others.

"Captains, your verdict please." Ōnabora stated calmly, looking completely unruffled by this turn of events. The sheer amount of raw potential in the Shihōin heir has ceased to amaze him already.

"Although Tsuzuki-san is indeed capable and possesses many redeeming qualities, the First Division does not have a suitable position open for him at this moment." The vice-captain Chōjurō Sasakibe bowed slightly to Tsuzuki, who returned it, not at all bothered. He had no interest in the First Division anyway, though it would have been a great honour to be offered a position there.

Yoruichi was next. "The Second Division would like to make the offer of joint third seat to Tsuzuki-san," she said formally, but ruined the formal atmosphere by tossing Tsuzuki a small smile. Tsuzuki blinked twice quickly, the only sign of how surprised he was at the unexpectedly high seat number. It was as high as she could make it – Yoruichi was not going to give up captaincy, vice-captain had to be Soifon for political reasons, and her third seat was Kisuke. To offer him a joint third seat instead of the open fourth seat was a clear statement of her expectations and his responsibilities.

Next was Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi. "The Third Division would like to offer the sixth seat to Tsuzuki-san, in recognition of his positive attitude in the face of adversity," the laid-back man declared, throwing Tsuzuki a wink as he did so. Tsuzuki blinked slowly back.

It was Unohana's turn. "Although Tsuzuki-san did not demonstrate the stellar control over his reiatsu I generally look for in candidates, I would like to offer him the Fourth Division seventh seat in recognition of his overwhelming potential as a front-line combat medic. Tsuzuki-san's shikai, reiatsu reserves and unparalleled speed can save many lives in the immediate aftermath of a Hollow encounter should he be equipped with several medical kidō that rely more on reiatsu output rather than control.

"The Fifth Division shall offer the fourth position to Tsuzuki-san, due to his well-rounded abilities and combat readiness. What do you think of choral music?" And suddenly Shinji was grinning at Tsuzuki as if he had known him all his life, and Tsuzuki focused on the once-Visored (future-Visored?) with all his might, pretending his heart did not skip a beat at the mere glimpse of Aizen out of the corner of his eye.

Ginrei stepped up. "The Sixth Division would like to offer the eighth position to Tsuzuki-san, after seeing the versatility of his shikai and its potential in keeping law and order."

"The Seventh Division wishes to offer the third seat to Tsuzuki-san." And that was Aikawa Love, short and to the point.

Kyōraku was next. "The Eighth Division would like to honour Tsuzuki-san's capability; however unfortunately all our top seated positions are already filled." He gave a careless shrug, smiling at Tsuzuki under the rim of his wide hat. Tsuzuki bowed back in response.

"The Ninth Division offers the fifth position to Tsuzuki-san, in light of how effective his shikai would be in the capture and detainment of criminals for internal law enforcement." Kensei was all business, Mashiro a hyperactive ball of energy next to him.

"The Tenth Division recognises Tsuzuki-san's prowess and would like to offer the fourth seat to Tsuzuki-san." Tsuzuki mentally snorted at the exaggerated praise from his father. 'Good job,' Isshin added silently. Then, as if it pained him to be solemn and formal for so long, 'My darling son has grown up and is beating up captains now!'

Tsuzuki replied with the mental equivalent of a drop-kick. 'Been doing that since I was fifteen!' he snapped as Isshin sent back a mental image of tears streaming down from both eyes.

"Hell yeah! I haven't had a fight that good for ages! Kid, if you come to the Eleventh Division, you can take the vice-captain position." Kiganjō positively leered. Tsuzuki winced slightly. Great, just what he needed. Another Kenpachi chasing him for a good fight. No way in hell was he joining the Eleventh, not even with the ridiculously high position he was offered.

"While the Twelfth Division greatly respects Tsuzuki-san's combat ability," began Hikifune Kirio, "we believe he does not have the passion for innovation and technology necessary for a career in our division." She inclined her head politely towards Tsuzuki, who nodded back, not at all insulted by her words. He might respect Kisuke a great deal, but joining the research division was too far a stretch for him. Not to mention sometimes even Kisuke calls the rest of his division a bunch of incompetent fools, though it was no fault of Hikifune's. Most of the ones who do end up picking the Twelfth Division were either socially-inept nerds whose heads were so full of science they had no common sense, or those with too little combat ability and no burning desire to learn medical kidō.

Finally, Ukitake stepped up, coughing lightly. "The Thirteenth Division thinks Tsuzuki-san would make an excellent support-type fighter and thus would like to offer the sixth seat position to Tsuzuki-san."

Ōnabora nodded at all the captains and spoke up again, "What is your choice, Shihōin Tsuzuki-san?"

He had made his choice long ago, before he had stepped into the testing dojo, possibly before he had even entered the Academy. He had told no one of his goal, fearing she would not make an offer for him.

This time, he would save them all with his own two hands.

"I would like to join the Fourth Division."

Author's Notes:

All information regarding the Gotei 13 were taken from Bleach wikia and cross-referenced with the manga/anime. I was going to make either Love or Rose shove manga under Tsuzuki's nose, but then I realised manga in its present form was only popularised after WWII (at the very least, I'm quite sure Shōnen Jump didn't exist 110 years ago). Hence the lack of humour overall. For anyone who wants a refresher, Kisuke vs. Aizen can be seen in the anime episode 300.