This is it! The concluding chapter to the Beginnings Arc! It's been a thrill (sometimes a bore) to write this arc of beginnings. Anyways, the information for the accepting of OCs will come at the end of the chapter. Those of you who've submitted know that you cannot, but those who haven't still have one last chance before I close the OC bio and make up all the other characters!

Review Corner:

-Barrett M107 (Ch. 9): Trust me. I don't plan on abandoning this. But if I do, I fully expect you to snap me out of it!

-JJun (Ch. 9): Actually, if you look closely, you'll notice that all the captains on Yamamoto's team have one thing in common.

-BMACBOO (Ch. 9): Thanks a lot! I wanted to make Juuda's fight with Yamamoto very spectacular and I hope I've done that there.

-ZxZ Fic Hunter (Ch. 9): Yamamoto sure is popular.

-Iblis Jr (Ch. 1): Great. Just make sure that your OC isn't a Gary Stu because it's shaping to be one.

-Marth the Lodestar (Ch. 9): Well, thanks! I highly doubt this is the best Bleach fic around.

Ch. 10 Beginnings: Bleached Zanpakuto

Opening: "Rocks" by Hound Dog

Back at the Seireitei...

"Man! Ichigo Kurosaki is the best Shinigami in the world! I wish he was real!" Suda Tsubaki exclaimed after reading the epic conclusion between Ichigo Kurosaki's battle with Byakuya Kuchiki in the manga, Bleach. "I wish I could use Bankai also!... Although first, I need to be able to release my Shikai."

Suda leaned up from the roof of the building he was resting on and closed his manga before it got to the depressing Aizen part. Having skipped his sweeping duties for the x-teenth time, he was resting on the roof of his favorite building. He took a whiff of the nice, 8th Division air and, feeling content, laid back down on the roof.

"My lady. It won't be long now before we reach our destination."

"It's okay, Jia Li. I'm quite alright."

Suda almost jumped up and yelped from his resting spot. He put down on his manga and placed his hands in a binoculars position. From a short distance, he could spot the Chinese bodyguard Jia Li and the Noble lady Haruka Souma walking down the intersection between the 8th and 7th Divisions. His heart began to beat intensely as he saw Haruka with her smiling face and vibrant atmosphere

"Where is she going? The 6th Division is the other way," Suda wondered aloud. He looked around and saw no one around them or him. A toothy grin spread on his face. "I guess I ought to find out."

Suda wondered whether or not Jia Li really was in the 2nd Division because she couldn't sense or spot him following them. He stalked them stealthily all the way to the 1st Division. The two ladies walked into their training ground, a far cry from the 11th Company's coliseum. The 1st Division's was a simple marble-tiled rectangular box with not as many people training there. Nevertheless, Suda could sense that they were strong soldiers training to get better.

"Why would they com here?" Suda asked aloud as he watched them from a roof of a nearby building. "There's no point... WHAT?!"

He saw Haruka and Jia Li walking towards a Shinigami about the same age as them. He had flowing blonde hair that stretched down to his neck with light, yet flawless skin to match his dark-blue eyes. He had an elite air to him and a strong physique that could make any girl melt. His Zanpakuto, a katana with a dark-red hilt and a tsuba in the shape of a flame, was strapped to his waist.

"Who is this guy?" Suda seethed through his teeth.

"Hello, Souma-san," The blonde Shinigami greeted, taking her soft hand and kissing it. "How are you this fine day?"

"I'm well, thank you very much," Haruka curtly replied. "Training?"

"Of course," He replied. "If I don't stick to my training regime, I might get lazy and lose all that I've worked towards. Besides, these guys won't get motivated unless I do anything."

"Quite impressive, Kyotaka Kazoku," Jia Li complemented.

'Kyotaka Kazoku? Isn't he of the Kazoku Noble Family?' Suda thought, worriedly. 'He's the 3rd Seat of the 1st Division! And... is he hitting on Haruka?!'

"Listen, Souma-san. The Shini Festival is coming up and I was wondering..." Kyotaka began, causing all the heads of the 1st Division to turn to him in excitement. "Would you possibly be my date for the entire week?"

'OH MY GA-'

"Oh?" Haruka said with a blush. "Umm... I guess-"

"WAIT A MINUTE!"

Everyone's heads turned towards the speaker and were blinded by the sun behind the said person. Suda Tsubaki stood in front of the sun with a confident face, staring down at Kyotaka. "Kazoku, you scumbag! I won't just stand idle as you attempt to steal the heart of my- yah-hahhhh!" He screamed after slipping on a tile of the roof and landed on the training ground. He got up and scratched his head, then looked around to find himself surrounded by all the 1st Division members in the training area.

"Tsubaki! What are you doing here?!" Jia Li demanded.

"Tsubaki-san!" Haruka cried.

"Uh... ha ha ha..." Suda nervously laughed, but he died down as the 1st Division members glared at him.

"Everyone, move out of the way," Kyotaka demanded, causing everyone to move to the side to create an open path to Suda. He walked over to him and stared down. "So, you think that Souma-san's heart belongs to you? Huh?"

"Tch..." Suda grunted.

"Speak when spoken to, 8th Division trash!" Kyotaka snapped.

Suda coughed before saying, "I-I won't let y-you be the one to escort H-Haruka to the Shini Festival!"

"You have the nerve to call her by her first name?!" Jia Li demanded. "Learn your place, commoner!"

Suda ignored her and drew his double-bladed katana Zanpakuto and pointed it at Kyotaka. "I challenge you to a duel! If you defeat me, you can take Haruka to the Shini Festival! But if I win, I get to take her!"

"Fine by me!" Kyotaka replied.

"You're gonna lose, Tsubaki!" Jia Li sneered.

"...Don't I get a say in this?" Haruka asked.

All the members of the 1st Division (including Haruka and Jia Li) gave Suda and Kyotaka enough room in the center of the training area for their duel. The two stood in the middle of their battleground, their Zanpakuto drawn for battle. Suda glared at him with a determined face, but Kyotaka was quite confident.

"On the left, we have the laziest slob of the 8th Division! He's most likely skipping out on his duties right now!" Jia Li announced. "Suda Tsubaki!"

"BOOOO!" The 1st Division members yelled.

"Shut up!" Suda snapped.

"On the right, we have the handsome knight of the 1st Division! He's fighting for the love of the majestic Haruka Souma!" Jia Li continued. "Kyotaka Kazoku!"

"YEAHHH!" The 1st Division members cheered.

"I swear to you, Souma-san, that I will be the one to win your heart!" Kyotaka declared.

"Oh my..." Haruka said, flustered.

"No rules here! Just don't destroy the 1st Division buildings, please!" Jia Li said before bringing her hands down. "Ready, go!"

Suda sprung forward with the intent of getting the first strike. Kyotaka scoffed and simply side-stepped out of the way, causing Suda to run straight into the wall!

"Owww..." Suda groaned.

Suda shook his head and turned to see Kyotaka coming towards him. Suda swung, but Kyotaka easily blocked the attack and repeatedly kicked him in the gut. Suda cringed at every strike, but eventually managed to get out of his barrage of kicks by backing away. However, Kyotaka caught up to him in his confused state and kicked him in the butt, sending him flying!

Jia Li howled with laughter. "C'mon, Tsubaki! This is terrible!"

Suda got back up and tried to land a vertical slash at Kyotaka, but before he could get close, Kyotaka held up two fingers and said, "Bakudo #1, Sai!" Suda immediately felt his arms being forced behind his back, causing him to drop his Zanpakuto. He looked up helplessly at Kyotaka before the latter kicked him away.

"YEAH! GO KYOTAKA!" The 1st Division cheered.

"This is bad!" Haruka cried. "You two have to stop fighting before this escalates even further!"

"Argh!" Suda roared in frustration, swinging his blade wildly at Kyotaka. The 1st Division member smirked and dodged every attack with his Shunpo before getting behind him and kicking him away.

"Shunpo, Kido, Hakuda, and even Zanjutsu. I exceed your capabilities in every one of these fields," Kyotaka said. "I can only hope that your Zanpakuto's release can pose even a small threat against me."

"Oh... uh... heh heh..." Suda scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Don't tell me you don't even know your Zanpakuto's name," Kyotaka scoffed. "Why am I wasting my time with this fool? Oh well. Time to finish him off now."

"Huh?" Suda frowned, getting back up.

"Ohhh! Kazoku's gonna release his Zanpakuto!" One of the 1st Division members exclaimed, causing Suda to gasp in horror.

"Spread your wings of flame, Suzukimaru!" Kyotaka bellowed, jumping into the air. Flames spun in his sword before creating four orange-colored orbs above the tip of his blade in a row. Each orb was larger than the one underneath. The orb at the very top shattered like an egg would hatch and a large, flaming phoenix took flight from within.

"Holy crap!" Suda cried.

"Take this!" Kyotaka roared, bringing his blade down. The orbs followed the blade's path like a whip, also causing the phoenix to follow the path, crashing towards Suda. Suda clenched his teeth and closed his eyes in fright as he felt something crash... besides him.

"Huh?" Suda looked to his right and saw that the phoenix had crashed to the ground next to him and erupted in a pillar of flame. The flames were so intense that Suda jumped back in pain despite it not actually touching his body.

"And that is that," Kyotaka said in triumph. "I win."

Suda groaned as everyone cheered for Kyotaka's win. Only Haruka came to Suda's aid, but Jia Li got in her way to keep her from treating him.

"Don't do that. It doesn't look good for the winner," Jia Li said. "He fought for your heart, so you should allow him to receive it."

"But-"

"I'll treat the idiot," Jia Li promised.

"Hmm..."

"As you can see, Souma-san, I've won," Kyotaka said, breaking her thoughts as the two were surrounded by the cheering 1st Division. "So, let's talk about going to the Shini Festival together, hm?"

Haruka looked back worriedly before her view of Suda was filled with the masses of soldiers. Kyotaka put his arm around the young noble and left the premises, followed by his loyal men.

"I lost, didn't I?" Suda asked Jia Li as he laid there.

"Obviously," Jia Li replied. She put her hands over Suda's body and emitted a green light from it. Some of her Reiatsu was transferred over to Suda, healing some of his wounds. "That was embarrassing. I applaud you for not running away."

"Tch..." Suda scoffed. "I could've defeated him if I knew the name of my Zanpakuto."

"I doubt it. Kyotaka Kazoku is one of the most powerful Shinigami of the Gotei 13," Jia Li said. "He's quite advanced in all four arts of the Shinigami and is very close to attaining his Bankai. People say that one day, he will be the one to replace the current Captain-Commander."

"He's not so special," Suda huffed, turning to the side. "If I had more training, I could defeat him."

"Tsubaki. If you had more training, you would only be at a fraction of his power," Jia Li said.

Suda huffed again. "Why are you bragging about him anyway? Do you like him?"

"Wha- No! Of course not!" Jia Li snapped, slapping Suda on his head. "A man of his caliber deserves only the greatest of women! The other way around goes for it as well! That's why the only men worthy enough for Haruka is Kyotaka Kazoku!"

"So, you're saying that you aren't a great woman?" Suda teased.

Jia Li replied with another slap to the head. "Watch it, Tsubaki! I can kick your butt like Kazoku-sama did to you!"

"Hmph," Suda grunted in reply. "I don't get you. Why serve Haruka when you can live a life of your own? Perhaps get a boyfriend yourself?"

"I do not need a man in my life," Jia Li said, standing up after healing Suda. "Most men are dogs. Only a select few deserve women. That is why I do not have any male friends."

"I thought I was your friend," Suda replied.

"Nope."

"Then why do you call me by my last name?"

Jia Li responded by kicking him into a tree. "You talk too much." And with that, she left.

Suda slid down the tree and laid there for a bit with his eyes closed. 'Great. I try to thaw the heart of that icy princess and I get kicked.'

"Hahaha! Don't mind her!"

Suda groaned at that unknown voice, as if he couldn't believe that someone actually said that. He got up and opened his eyes for the light of the sun to pierce his eyes. He winced, placing his hands over his forehead to cover the sun, then he saw the person speaking to him.

Obviously, it was a Shinigami. But there was something about his aura that made Suda frown, as if something was off about this guy compared to other Shinigami, despite his plain appearance. He had long, brown hair with a straight strand going down the side of his right eye. He had tanned skin with brown eyes. He wore the standard Shinigami shihakusho with the lieutenant band. His Zanpakuto, a simple katana with a red hilt, bronze, rectangular tsuba, and the picture of a skull surrounded by blue fire on the butt, was strapped to his side.

"Uhhh... Lieutenant?" Suda asked, not knowing who he is. "Are you... the lieutenant of the 1st Division?"

"Yes I am. I'm the 1st Division Lieutenant Tite Kubo, at your service," He said with a humble bow.

"T-Tite Kubo?!" Suda gasped. "You're the author of Bleach! My favorite manga!"

"That's right, kid," Tite Kubo replied. "Anyways, don't mind her. Jia Li may seem like a jerk right now, but I'm sure she'll warm up to you eventually. Maybe a little more than you think..."

"Hm?" Suda said, too distracted that THE Tite Kubo to actually hear what he said.

"Wait, scratch that," Tite said, folding his arms. "So, I hear you are having a rough time with learning your Zanpakuto's name."

"Uhh... yeah..." Suda said. "My Zanpakuto isn't exactly being cooperative."

"I see," Tite replied. "Listen, Tsubaki. People call me the Zanpakuto Master for a reason. If you want, I could train you to learn your Zanpakuto's name."

Suda brightened. "You would? Really?!"

"Hey, hey! Don't get too excited now!"

"It's just that... the legendary author of Bleach, teaching me how to release my Zanpakuto!" Suda exclaimed. "Oh oh oh! Maybe my Zanpakuto's name is actually 'Zangetsu' and I'm fated to live out the life of Ichigo Kurosaki!"

Tite raised an eyebrow at Suda's childlike gestures, but he smiled. 'Oh child... If only you knew...'

Wanting to keep this training a secret from Captains Frederick and Zaizen, Tite led Suda out of the Seireitei to the outskirts of the Rukongai. Suda shuddered at the slight breeze, recalling the events of that frightening mission where he and Lieutenant Hebito were almost killed by Hollows. He still wondered to this day how they managed to survive.

"Captain Jared Frederick was correct when saying that you can get into great contact with your Zanpakuto through battle, and that's exactly what we will be doing now," Tite explained, causing Suda to back away. "The difference between him and I is our Zanpakuto. Mine works differently than several of the Shinigami here. That's why I tend not to use it.

Suda tilted his head, but he drew his Zanpakuto anyway. "What do you mean, Lieutenant?"

"You'll see," He replied, holding up his katana. "Reminisce, Dokuji." His Zanpakuto glowed a bright platinum, temporarily blinding Suda.

"Ack!" Suda cried.

"Your Zanpakuto certainly has a unique appearance," Tite observed. "I believe that your Shikai will be associated with two blades, considering the nature of it's looks. Or maybe something else? But for now, let's coerce your Zanpakuto into talking to you through action."

"Y-Yes, sir..." Suda muttered, still smarting from the brightness of Tite's Zanpakuto.

Tite made the first move, coming forwards at an easy pace towards Suda. Suda jumped back to dodge Tite's thrust, then swerved to the side and tried to strike him. Tite responded by stabbing his Zanpakuto in-between Suda's two blades, barely scraping the back of his hair. Suda gasped and jumped back in fright.

"Nice," Tite said. "Good dodge."

"Rrgh..." Suda groaned. "That was close."

"What's wrong, Tsubaki?" Tite asked. "Are you still thinking that you can overpower Kazoku at your current state?"

"O-Of course I can!" Suda yelled, puffing up his chest. Despite his boasts, Tite could see the Shinigami was shaking in fright.

"I suppose it's time for me to show you why they call me the Zanpakuto Master," Tite said, holding up his Zanpakuto. "Watch carefully, Suda Tsubaki! You will witness my prowess as the author of Bleach!"

"Huh?"

"Howl, Zabimaru!" Tite roared, sliding his hand down his Zanpakuto. Suda's eyes widened in shock as Tite's Zanpakuto changed into a long, segmented blade consisting of six pieces, with each piece producing a pick.

"T-T-That Zanpakuto..." Suda stuttered, before yelling, "That's Renji Abarai's Zanpakuto from Bleach! How did you do that?!"

"Don't ask me questions!" Tite yelled, holding up his Zanpakuto. "Right now, we need to fight! Let's get your Zanpakuto to talk to you!"

"Ah! Right!" Suda replied, gripping his Zanpakuto tightly.

Without any warning, Tite lunged at Suda and clashed blades with him. Suda cringed at the mighty power Zabimaru had over his sealed Zanpakuto. Tite grinned, sliding Zabimaru down Suda's blade, causing sparks to fly from their clash. Suda backed away and pointed his fingers at Tite.

"Don't use Kido!" Tite ordered, causing Suda to withdraw his fingers in fright. "The point of this fight isn't for you to learn magic! You're here to learn your Zanpakuto's name!"

"Easier said than done," Suda said, jumping a safe distance from the lieutenant. "It's not easy when the lieutenant shocks you by producing a Zanpakuto from the friggin' Bleach universe!"

"Heh. I'll tell you the reason why I can summon these Zanpakuto if you can defeat me with your Shikai," Tite said, resting Zabimaru on his shoulder. "Of course, you have yet to release your Zanpakuto."

Before Suda could react, Tite thrust his sword towards Suda. Zabimaru started to stretch, revealing a stretchable thread in-between each segment of the blade to enable it to act like a whip. Having already had his blade up, Suda narrowly blocked the whip's strike, sending sparks to his face! He cringed and backed away as Tite unleashed a second strike.

'I may not be able to produce the best fight, but I'm enough of a Bleach nerd to know that Zabimaru must return after the third strike to recover,' Suda thought, grinning. 'After this third strike, I'll go in for the hit.'

Tite brought the whip up before whipping down towards Suda. Suda dodged to the side, avoiding the strike, and saw the whip retracting back to Tite. As soon as it starting to go back, he made a mad dash towards Tite. However, to his shock, he had reverted Zabimaru to his original Dokuji form. Tite blocked Suda's strike.

"Suda Tsubaki! After making contact with your Zanpakuto a couple of times, I've deduced a few things about it," Tite declared to a surprised Suda as their blades continued to clash. "The first is that it doesn't like you, though you probably already knew that. The second is that it doesn't like how weak you are! I bet it would reveal it's spirit form and name to you if you even bothered to show some courage."

"I-I show courage!" Suda retorted.

"We'll see!" Tite yelled, breaking Suda's guard and taking to the air. He rose his Zanpakuto above him and immediately, ice began to form around it. "Sit upon the frosted heavens, Hyorinmaru!" A dragon made of ice appeared, circling his Zanpakuto a couple of times, unleashing a roar at the frightened Suda!

"Oh crap!" Suda screamed, instantly having a flashback to his fight with Kyotaka Kazoku and how he released his Suzukimaru to completely embarrass him. Suda turned around and ran away in terror. The ice dragon crashed into the ground behind him, freezing the ground. Before the ice could make contact with Suda, he took to the air to dodge the attack completely.

"I suppose fighting a cowardly figure such as yourself won't be settled like this," Tite sighed, reverting his Zanpakuto back to Dokuji.

"Tch!" Suda cried. He looked at his Zanpakuto and said, "Dang it! If you showed me your true form, I wouldn't be as scared as I am now!"

"That's no excuse," Tite replied, holding the blade in front of him. "Scatter, Senbonzakura." His sword's blade dissolved into hundreds of tiny cherry blossoms. Or at least, that is what it looked like. But Suda knew that they were actually tiny blades that reflected light to resemble cherry blossoms.

Suda spun around in fright, attempting to run away from the tiny blades, but they began to swarm him in all directions. Suda used Shunpo to slip through the tiny cherry blossoms... only to encounter more cherry blossoms! He futilely tried to block Senbonzakura, but the cherry blossoms from behind struck him in the back, leaving several slash marks. Suda coughed up blood and fell to the ground.

Tite retracted the cherry blossoms back to Dokuji, forming a blade again. "This is what I've been waiting for."

"W-What do you mean?" Suda asked, trying to get back up after getting wounded.

"A Shinigami gets into contact with their Zanpakuto the fastest after getting critically injured. If you die, your Zanpakuto dies as well," Tite explained. "I'm positive your Zanpakuto won't allow you to die here, right?"

Suda gulped, backing away on all fours.

"This Zanpakuto has no release call, but that's because I never intended for it to have one! After all, it would never go back to being sealed ever again!" Tite said as a circle of blue Reiatsu began to appear around him. He pointed his Zanpakuto at Suda and yelled, "Zangetsu!"

The Reiatsu circled his weapon and made it glow blue. It transfigured into an oversized knife with a hilt wrapped in white cloth. Tite grinned, bringing up his Zanpakuto and pointing it at Suda.

"THAT'S ICHIGO KUROSAKI'S ZANGETSU!" Suda shrieked both in horror and delight. "NO WAY! THIS IS SO COOL... AND SO SCARY!"

"That's right, Suda Tsubaki!" Tite said. "And now, I'm going to force your Zanpakuto to talk to you!"

He brought the blade up, causing a heavy, blue-colored Reiatsu to emit from the entire knife. Suda's eyes widened in horror as he realized what was about to happen. Lieutenant Kubo was about to unleash Ichigo's ultimate attack...

"H-Help!" Suda screamed.

"Stop being weak!"

"What?" Suda blinked. "What was that?"

Tite blinked as well, but he continued to stream his blue Reiatsu along his blade. "What is the matter, Suda Tsubaki? Are you so scared that you are hearing voices in your head? Or is it...?"

"If you keep acting like this, I'll never tell you my name! Ever!"

"Hey Zanpakuto!" Suda yelled, shaking his katana. "C'mon! Don't be like that! Please tell me your name!"

"Never! If you really want to know my name, then face that guy's next attack like a man!"

"Eh?" Suda turned around to see Tite's Reiatsu-filled Zangetsu fully charged.

"So, are you willing to face this attack?" Tite asked, grinning. "Very well then! Face this attack with every being of your soul!"

Suda's body froze. He knew what attack was coming and instantly flashed back to when Ichigo unleashed this attack on Ginjo for the first time after losing his Shinigami powers. The attack cleaved straight through the mansion! 'If I face it head on, my Zanpakuto will tell me it's name, but I might die. If I don't, my Zanpakuto won't tell me it's name, and I'll live. What do I do?!'

"GETSUGA... TENSHO!" Tite bellowed. He unleashed a heavy slash, striking the ground. The spiritual pressure charging within Zangetsu discharged and was unleashed in the form of a giant wave that came straight towards Suda!

'I...I...I can't do it!'

Suda jumped out of the way, barely evading the Getsuga Tensho. The energy wave smashed into the wall of the Rukongai, creating a huge hole that all the villagers peered into to see what had happened.

Tite sighed in frustration. Suda fell to the ground, tears in his eyes, releasing his Zanpakuto.

Tite walked to Suda. "Look. I'm pretty sure you and I have guessed that your Zanpakuto won't tell you it's name unless you stop being a weakling in combat. If you really want to find your Zanpakuto's name, respect it's wishes and show true courage. If you don't, you have no future as a Shinigami.

And with that, Tite left Suda. Suda looked up to the sunset sky and cried.

Suda sniffed, wiping his tearful, red eyes as he walked back to the 8th Division offices to lie to Captain Zaizen that he did his sweeping duties. He knew that there was a good chance that Keruno would already know he lied, but he didn't feel like sweeping after all that occurred during the afternoon. Upon entering the office, he found the captain fuming with smoke coming out of his ears.

'Well... This isn't good,' Suda thought.

"SUDA TSUBAKI! YOU'VE SLACKED OFF ON YOUR DUTIES FOR THE LAST TIME!" Keruno roared. "BECAUSE OF THIS, YOU ARE ASSIGNED TO EARLY MORNING DUTY FOR A WHOLE MONTH GUARDING OUR DISTRICTS OF RUKONGAI."

"Rrgh..." Suda groaned. "This doesn't help."

Meanwhile, somewhere in the outskirts of Soul Society...

A young man walked around his laboratory He had messy black hair, dark-blue eyes, and pale skin, wearing a white lab coat and black slacks. A lone string attached his Zanpakuto to his waist, the blade being a katana with a gray hilt and black tsuba.

He put his hands into his lab coat as he observed his test subjects in their tubes. The naked bodies weren't breathing, yet they continued to flail wildly in their tubes.

"This isn't enough," He muttered. "Sendou! Onichi!"

Two figures appeared from the shadows. "Yes, master?"

"We need more souls to power the cannon," He said. "Go back to the Rukongai and fetch me more souls. If any Shinigami appear, take them down."

"Very well." With that, they disappeared.

The young man turned back to his test subjects. "The Gotei 13 are foolish. Attempting to protect souls from the Hollows? That won't change anything. He placed his hand on one of the tubes.

"I will change the world."

Ending: "Homework ga Owaranai" by Matsuko Mawatari

That concludes the Endings Arc! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Quite depressing like the Another Story Arc, but I'm sure most of you were surprised to see Tite Kubo and his Zanpakuto. It wasn't just for fan service; there's an actual reason and he will become important as the story progresses. This story will deviate from a lot of OC stories like these because of all the canon characters.

Anyways, I have some unfortunate news. I have a large project to do and three AP exams to study for, which is why I won't be updating this until after everything is done. But that's good for you guys. For you new readers, the deadline to ask for the submit sheet will be 5/14/13. That's the end of all my AP exams so I should be about done with school. It'll also be the time where I start the 11th chapter and new arc. So, get your OCs in.

By the way, there's something that has come to my attention. I put a lot of instructions on my OC bio sheet and a lot of submitters have tended to disregard them. Please don't do that. Please read the instructions if you are going to do so. I am sorry, but I do not want ANY of these OCs as Mary Sues/Gary Stus. If I do not get enough, I'll just make the rest of the OCs myself.

Here's the Zanpakuto from this chapter:

SUZUKIMARU: 1st Division, 3rd Seat Kyotaka Kazoku's Shikai Release. It is a Kido-type Zanpakuto that controls fire. In it's unreleased state, it takes the shape of a katana with a dark-red hilt and a tsuba in the shape of a flame. It is released with the phrase, "Spread your wings of flame!" In it's released state, flames circle the sword and creates four orbs above the blade. The highest orb shatters to reveal a flaming phoenix that he can control by waving his Zanpakuto. If the three orbs in-between the sword and phoenix breaks, the phoenix will disappear, but he can still create flames with his sword.

DOKUJI: 1st Division, Lieutenant Tite Kubo's Shikai Release. It is an unknown-type Zanpakuto with no special qualities. In it's unreleased state, it takes the shape of a katana with a red hilt, bronze, rectangular tsuba, and the picture of a skull with blue flames surrounding it on it's butt. It is released with the phrase, "Reminisce." In it's released state, the blade shines a bright platinum. In this form, it can take the shape of any Zanpakuto from the manga "Bleach." Why this is possible is unknown currently.

Remember! 5/14/13 is the deadline!