Bleach Fanstory: After the War

Bleach Fan story: After the War

By Michael Xu

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters in it, apart from OC I may create.

Summary

Aizen Sousuke has succeeded in creating the King's key, and has taken his place as God of all Dimensions. The Soul Society is in ruins, with Karakura Town completely obliterated. The survivors of Karakura Town and the Gotei 13 have retreated back to the real world, merging into normal society, in the hopes that one day; they may truly overthrow Aizen for good. The story begins four years later, with Ichigo continuing his double life as a substitute Shinigami.

Story so far: Ichigo and his nakama entered Hueco Mundo to find the missing Urahara. With the help of Ashido, Ichigo successfully found Urahara and was told vital information about Aizen and Orihime. After burying Ashido, who lost his life, Ichigo, Urahara and Rukia escaped the forest of Menos and arrived at the walls of Las Noches. Meanwhile, inside Las Noches, Renji, Ishida, Sado and Hiyori, accompanied by Grimmjow, Nel, Nel's Fraccion and Gantenbein, had broken into Las Noches to eliminate the remaining Horsemen of the Apocalypse. After the Steeds had been dealt with Dondochakka, Pesche, Gantenbein and Sado, the Horseman Guerra was killed by Grimmjow. Inside the five towers of Aizen's former throne room, Nel fought Pestilencia and successfully defeated her in battle. Afterwards, everyone was reuinted on the sand of Las Noches for the final time. Ichigo and his nakama farewelled Grimmjow, Nel and the other hollows, and returned to Soul Society, where the reconstruction process was going along at full steam. As Urahara was taken in for questioning and, Ichigo and Rukia were introduced to their full strength division for the first time...

Chapter 25: Shinigami Boot Camp

Renji and Lisa received a shock when they entered the division captain's office. Sitting down on two of the plush chairs were Byakuya and Nanao. Both of them were drinking tea.

"Captain Kuchiki!" Renji exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Byakuya looked up from his cup and smiled.

"Welcome back, Captain Abarai," Byakuya said. Renji felt a bit embarrassed at his former captain calling him by his formal title, something which Byakuya picked up on. "Are you uncomfortable with me treating you as an equal? You are no longer my subordinate; you are a captain of equal rank. If you'd prefer it, I can still call you Renji, but in turn you shall call me by my first name."

"Um, alright, Captain-I mean Byakuya," Renji blushed. Lisa giggled silently, which embarrassed Renji even further. "So, what are you doing here with your Vice Captain?"

"Actually, it was I who invited them over," Lisa said. "To assist Nanao's transition from the 8th to the 6th division and to pack up the belongings left by the late Captain Kyoraku." Upon the mentioning of her former captain's name, Nanao almost broke down again, but Lisa and Byakuya both tried to comfort her.

"Let's go back, Nanao," Byakuya said. He wrapped his arms around her as they walked out of the division office. Just before he left, he gave a curt nod to Renji, as recognition of his respect for him.

"I understand what Nanao is going through now, because I've been through the process many times before. Transferring to another division is always hard, especially if you've served in one division for a very long time," Renji said.

"It's been especially hard for Nanao, because she's been in the 8th division for her whole life," Lisa said with a tint of sadness. "She was just a baby when she was found by Shunsui, who adopted her and a group of other girls orphaned by the Quincy wars. He taught her how to be a Shinigami and the two of us virtually raised her as our daughter. As her fellow orphans died, got transferred or promoted to other divisions, Nanao remained steadfastly loyal to her captain. Thus, when I was forced to leave Soul Society after becoming a Vizard, she had the honour of being my replacement."

"I guess when the person who you look up to has shaped and guided you through every stage of your life; his death would have been a devastating blow," Renji said. Lisa nodded silently. Both of them had experienced their fair share of tragedy and despair. Renji remembered the day that Kuchiki Byakuya first cast his shadow over him, the same day that he and Rukia had severed their childhood bonds, an emotional wound from which Renji required more than forty years to recover from. Lisa remembered her horrific ordeal of being devoured by her hollow, and waking up utterly abandoned by the world she had served for so long. They smiled at each other, before acknowledging that there was much work to be done.

Byakuya carried Nanao into his office room and placed her on his personal bed. Her eyes were still red and watery; clearly the memory of Kyoraku was still too hard for her to bear. Byakuya placed a blanket over her and sat on a chair beside the bed. As he looked at his new Vice Captain, Byakuya felt a swelling of empathy and emotion that he had not experienced for nearly half a century. In some ways, Nanao reminded him of his beloved Hisana. They both had the same expressions of sadness and stoic resolve in their eyes. Byakuya placed his hands around Nanao's and held them tightly.

"Nanao, do you regard Shunsui as a father or as a soul mate?" Byakuya asked.

"Um, I considered him to be more like a father to me," Nanao replied. "He found me when I was just a child, raised me in his house, and trained me to be a Shinigami. I owe my entire life to him." Byakuya sensed that Nanao was about to cry again; acting instinctively, he kissed her gently on the cheek.

"It is hard to lose someone you regarded as your father," Byakuya said. "My parents died when I was just a boy, and for most of my life I was raised by my grandfather. He taught me just like Shunsui taught you. He died shortly after I became the head of the Kuchiki Clan. That, coupled with the loss of my wife, almost drove me to the brink of despair. Only the survival of my wife's sister, Rukia, gave me any hope to keep on living." He stared down at Nanao.

"Don't be sad Nanao. I promise that I will take care of you as good as Shunsui did," he said. Nanao stopped crying and smiled at Byakuya.

"Thank you, Captain Kuchiki. I will serve you as faithfully as I did for my former captain."

Urahara walked through the entrance to the massive 2nd Division complex, escorted by Yoruichi and Soifon. To him, it felt like a home coming, a return to the division he had served faithfully as a third seat.

"Brings back memories doesn't it?" Urahara asked. "The days when you were the captain, Soifon was your Vice, and I was just your lowly third seat?" Yoruichi and Soifon both smiled.

"It does brink back good memories," Yoruichi said. "The times have certainly changed. I'm no longer the one in charge." She looked at Soifon, who was looking smug all over.

"Heh, I still remember the days when you and I used to vie for Yoruichi-san's affection," Soifon smirked. She noticed Urahara's face began to blush all over. "I guess some things still haven't changed."

The two women accompanied Urahara to the Maggot's Nest. The Special Ops personnel who were guarding the still shattered bridge and entrance were confused at the sight of their captain and vice captain escorting a man who had become a legendary figure at the 2nd division, down into the very cells he had made his name guarding. Soifon and Yoruichi did their best to put on the charade of Urahara being sent in for 'interrogation' and indeed tried to push, shove and kick Urahara all the way down the long flight of stairs to the underground chamber. Urahara of course, was secretly enjoying being the victim of abuse, and pretended to fake pain and injury. Once they had finally escorted him into the chamber, and all the guards were dismissed, Soifon and Yoruichi removed Urahara's hand cuffs. The three of them sat around a plain stone table, free from any surveillance.

"Alright Urahara, it's time you told us everything," Soifon said.

"As much as we feel happy that you're finally back with us, there's still a lot you have to answer for," Yoruichi added. Urahara sighed with regret. He knew that his actions would be questioned by the nakama who had trusted him.

"Alright, I'll tell the two of you what you need to know," Urahara said. "Some of the stuff should be familiar to both of you, especially to you, Yoruichi." He began retelling the same story he had told Ichigo in the cave. When he was almost finished, he produced a box from inside his cloak and showed it to them. They were aghast in shock.

"This box contains the Royal Key," he said.

"Are you serious? The Royal Key is in there?" Yoruichi asked in amazement. Urahara nodded.

"Can we open it just to check?" Soifon asked. Urahara nodded. He undid the seals surrounding the box and briefly opened the lid. In an instant a brilliant light as bright as the sun shown out of it, nearly blinding Soifon and Yoruichi. Urahara hastily closed the box again and redid the seals. Both Soifon and Yoruichi, having caught a brief glimpse of the object inside the box, were left in no doubt about the authenticity of it.

"So the rumours were true after all," Yoruichi said. "Yamamoto really did pass on the Royal Key to you." Urahara nodded.

"Did he tell you to flee to Hueco Mundo then?" Soifon asked. Urahara chuckled.

"I admit he didn't tell me to run away like a coward," he replied. "He merely told me to keep it safe and prevent Aizen from ever getting his hands on it. He also gave me orders to lead the Gotei 13 after he was gone." Soifon and Yoruichi became silent. Neither of them spoke for a whole minute. Then Yoruichi had something to say.

"Yamamoto intended to die didn't he?" she asked. Urahara nodded.

"He met me shortly after Inoue Orihime was abducted as we planned out the strategies for the Winter War. It was then that he handed me the Royal Key…"

Urahara was in complete shock. He didn't know what to say. The tiny box in his hands was something he had never dreamed of holding.

"Commander General, why are you giving me the Royal Key?" he asked. Yamamoto suddenly had a violent coughing fit. Urahara handing him a glass of water.

"Thank you," Yamamoto said as he drank from the glass. "To tell you a simple truth, Urahara, my time has almost come. I have lived for countless millennia, and over the years as I watched countless others die before me, I wondered if I was actually immortal. Even so, it is a terrifying experience to foresee one's imminent demise. I'd prefer to die a glorious death rather suffer the ignominy of wasting away." He hobbled across the room on his staff, looking at the portraits on the wall.

"I understand now. You want to chose a successor that will continue your legacy," Urahara said. "If so, why did you choose me, someone whom you banished a century ago? Shunsui and Jushiro were your greatest students. They should be your successors!" Yamamoto looked at him with a jolly but rather sad smile.

"They too are part of the old order, like I am. Shunsui has confided me about his depression and alcoholism. He doesn't have the motivation to be a leader. Meanwhile, tuberculosis has almost claimed Jushiro's life. He has but months to live. Both have vowed to die by my side. There is one further reason why I didn't choose them, nor Retsu, who I have also placed great trust in. In truth, we have all been victims of Aizen's deceptions. Over the past two centuries, he has manipulated us from right under our eyes. You, along with Shinji and Tessai, were the only ones to see past Aizen's lies and deceptions. Because of that, I am greatly ashamed to have ordered your exile."

"You shouldn't be complimenting me," Urahara protested. "I've made more than my share of mistakes."

"True, but far less than I have. Because of my senility, I have allowed numerous crimes and tragedies to go unpunished under my watch, whilst I blindly pursued people like you, who were innocent all along. You on the other hand, have actively worked to oppose Aizen's plans. I am sure you will find a way to defeat him in the end."

"I can't do that alone. Aizen has me under his spell as much as he had you."

"I know that. But I'm also aware that you have trained someone whom Aizen has no power over: the Substitute Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo. He is our saviour. If you cannot defeat Aizen by yourself, then do everything you can to assist him, for he has the ability to overcome the rot that is at the heart of Soul Society." Yamamoto finished speaking, and Urahara was allowed to leave, with the weight of the universe upon his shoulders…

"There you have it, that was what Yamamoto told me," Urahara finished. As he expected, Soifon and Yoruichi were lost for words. Neither them knew what to say.

Ichigo stood on the platform, his hands all sweating with anxiety. His first line in his address had not gone well with the division members. Even worse, he sensed Rukia's icy glare stabbing him in the back. Think damn it! Try to say something formal and up lifting! His inner consciousness talked to him. Ichigo remembered all of the 'talks' his teachers in the high school had given him, and channelled some of that innate enthusiasm.

"Alright, as you can tell, I'm new to this job and this division," he said in a rather overconfident voice. "Likely, most of you are also new to this division, with a few of you just having graduated from the Academy. None of that matters. We shall start from a clean slate and ignore everything that's happened to this division in the past. I know that this whole place is a mess and stacks of files need to be stored away, but administrative work can be put on hold. What is most important right now is for us to become a disciplined and highly efficient fighting force, ready for battle, within a short amount of time." Ichigo stopped and listened to the murmurs that had begun to stir amongst the crowd. He then continued.

"Now, there is not enough time for me to get to know each of you personally, let alone instruct all of you in the finer Shinigami fighting techniques, so I am relying on the more experienced members here to help out the rookies. Firstly, I want a quick show of hands, how many of you are good at Zanjutsu." After a moment of hesitation, about sixty hands rose in the air.

"Okay, how many of you are good with Kidou?" Ichigo asked. More than a hundred hands shot up. "Right then, how many of you are good with both?" This time, only thirty hands shot up. Ichigo finally asked how many people were good with neither. He got around about forty hands.

"Okay, here's the deal!" Ichigo called out loudly. "I want you all to separate into groups. Thos who are good with Zanjutsu form one group: those who are good at Kidou form another. Those who are good at both, divide yourselves evenly amongst the two groups. You shall be the secondary instructors. As for the new recruits, pick which ever group you're more interested in." As soon as he finished there was chaos in the courtyards as the members of the 5th division scrambled about trying to form the groups Ichigo had ordered.

"Wow, I'm impressed," Rukia said. "I never thought you would be capable of such clear and concise orders." Ichigo didn't know whether it was an insult or a compliment.

"I kept having memories of Ms. Ochi in my mind when I was delivering my speech," he whispered to Rukia. After nearly ten minutes, there were two rough groups formed. One group, comprised mainly of Zanjutsu experts, was eighty strong whilst the other, consisting of mainly Kidou Corps members, comprised the rest. Ichigo addressed the two groups again.

"Alright, now that you've sorted into groups, I want the people who are good at Kidou but bad at Zanjutsu come with me. The other group will accompany Vice Captain Kuchiki. We'll put you all through crash course lessons on Zanjutsu and Kidou respectively. Has everyone got that?" The members of the 5th Division all nodded silently. "Alright, men, go grab your stuff and follow us!" As soon as he finished there was almost total anarchy as the Shinigami in the courtyard scrambled back to their dormitories to their weapons and gears. As Ichigo prepared to leave, he was confronted by Rukia"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Rukia asked. "Trying to put them through a crash course training program?"

"Why not? Urahara, Yoruichi and Shinji did it to me when I was training with them and it worked out fine," Ichigo shrugged.

"You're different! You possesses the ability to learn things at an astounding rate. Most of those guys don't even know how to swing a sword properly. It would take years to get them trained into a proper fighting force, not to mention-" Ichigo suddenly kissed Rukia on the lips, stopping her from saying her last sentence.

"Relax Rukia," he said. "I've learnt one thing during my time as a Shinigami: When someone has something to strive for, whether it's an ideal, a person, or a goal, they are able to achieve astonishing results. These people have been demoralised by their former captain and Vice captain for so long, that even the faintest sign of hope will inspire them. Just trust me on this." He hugged Rukia tightly and proceeded to Shunpo off. Rukia watched him leave and after some hesitation began to Shunpo towards her group.

"Baka, I wish I had your level of optimism," she said with a slight grin on her face.

Ichigo reappeared at the Fifth Division's training field some five hundred yards away. It was fairly large place, almost like a football oval in the real world. Surrounding it were lots of tall pines, conifers and sakura trees. Before he began he did a quick headcount of the number of people present and came up with roughly one hundred and twenty heads. All of them were waiting patiently for his address. He took a deep breath before he began.

"Okay, is everybody here?" Ichigo asked. "Any of you who wish to join Vice Captain Kuchiki's class, please go now." He waited a few minutes to see if anyone bothered leaving. None of them did. "Alright then, let's begin!" He motioned Minazawa, who was standing in the front row, to stand beside him.

"First thing's first. How many of you know how to use a sword, or at least have one with you?" Ichigo asked. About sixty people raised their hands. Ichigo was a bit taken aback. He didn't count on most of the Kido Corps members not knowing how to use a sword. Sheesh, this is going to be harder than I thought. He turned to Minazawa for a brief moment.

"Are most of the people who raised their hands from 5th division?" Ichigo asked.

"No, only ten of those people are former members. Ten of the others are academy rookies. The rest must be experienced Kido Corps members who have been trained in Zanjutsu," Minazawa explained.

"That makes it easier then." Ichigo turned towards the main group again. "Listen up, I want you all to pair up. An inexperienced sword user should partner with someone who is trained in the art of Zanjutsu. Minazawa, can you instruct a few of your squad members to run to the weapons store and get about sixty training swords?"

"Sure thing," Minazawa nodded. He and five other Shinigami ran back into the barracks. Ichigo waited for them to return and watched as everyone got into pairs. Ten minutes later, the six gophers returned, each carrying ten training swords. They threw them before Ichigo and almost collapsed from exhaustion. Ichigo thanked them for their help and ordered the people who didn't have a sword to grab one.

"Alright, now that you all have a sword each, I want you to spar with each other for about twenty minutes. The more experienced person should instruct the less experienced person in how to fight using a sword," Ichigo said. "Try to refrain from injuring your companion; merely forcing the other into a defensive position counts as victory. Don't be worried about getting hurt though; thise who are wounded can go to the 4th division to receive treatment." He gave the signal to begin and proceeded to watch the hundred and twenty members of the 5th division spar amongst themselves. Some pairs managed to get the hang of it and began fighting in a fluid fashion, in a pretend sort of way. Others however, struggled to find a rhythm and resorted to hitting each with their swords like sticks. A few pairs ended up actually wounding each other. Once the twenty minutes were up, Ichigo instructed the few people who had hurt themselves to go the 4th division barracks. As for the rest, he ordered them to watch him closely.

"Seems like most of you have got the basic gist of how to use a sword," Ichigo said. "But it takes more than that to become proficient at Zanjutsu and become a decent Shinigami. To get promoted to the officer seats, a Shinigami must know how to unlock their Shikais." One of the rookie members, by the name of Tanaka, raised his hand.

"Um. Captain, how do we unlock our Shikais?" he asked.

"I was just getting to it," Ichigo said. "Each of you now have a Zanpakto of your own. As you start fighting with your sword, your spirit energy will start to merge with it. This will gradually awaken the spirit of your Zanpakto. This grows alongside you. As you grow in strength, so does your spirit. In time your spirit will start calling out to you, whether it be through dreams or visions. I want a show of hands of how many of you have been experienced weird dreams or hallucinations." About fifty people raised their hands. When Ichigo asked how many of them had learnt their Zanpakto's names, nearly twenty people still had their hands up. He quizzed Minazawa, who said that all twenty were experienced veterans of the 5th Division and Kido Corps respectively.

"Alright, things are much easier now. For those of you who have begun experiencing these dreams, I want you to find a quiet spot out here in the field and meditate. Try and to your Zanpakto spirit to talk to you, and try talking back to it. The more you talk with your spirit, the quicker you will learn about your Zanpakto's name. Communication and teamwork is essential in mastering Shikai. Once you've found out your spirit's name, you will gain knowledge of your Zanpakto's abilities. Each Shinigami's Zanpakto is unique in appearance and ability. Let me show you my Shikai as a demonstration." Ichigo placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and pulled it out a fraction. "Shine your light, Zangetsu!" As he pulled his sword out, it glowed brilliantly and transformed into a five foot long elegant meat cleaver that Ichigo had always used to carry around his back. Nearly all of the people in front of him were impressed. Some of them, especially the rookies, gasped.

"Any questions?" Ichigo asked. One person raised his hand. Ichigo recognised him as that Tanaka fellow. He allowed him to speak.

"Um, Captain Kurosaki, we were taught about how to unlock our Shikais at the academy, but we were also taught about Bankais. Can you show us how to achieve that?' Tanaka asked. Tanaka's question elicited a series of stunned reactions from his peers.

"Ah, I believe that Bankai is far too difficult a concept for any of you to grasp in such a short time," Ichigo smiled. "But, I will give you a quick demonstration. Bankai you see, represents the complete mastery of your Zanpakto's powers. Whereas Shikai requires you to communicate and work with your Zanpakto, achieving Bankai requires you to achieve total domination over it. In order to do that, a Shinigami must be able to materialize their Zanpakto spirit outside of their bodies. This is something that can take decades to achieve. After that, you must force your Zanpakto spirit to submit to your will through any means possible. This is usually determined by the spirits themselves. Mastery of Bankai is a usually a mandatory requirement for a Shinigami to attain the rank of a captain."

"Can you show us your Bankai, Captain Kurosaki?" Tanaka asked again. Ichigo was starting to get annoyed with that rookie but he obliged.

"Okay, stand back everyone and brace yourselves. This might hurt a bit," Ichigo said. He took off his captain's cloak and handed it to Minazawa. Then he placed his hands upon Zangetsu and said "Bankai." A giant sphere of black energy surrounded him, emitting a reiatsu so strong that everyone around him, even veterans like Minazawa, was pressed against the ground. He finished transforming, showing those who could still see his trademark black sword and long flowing black jacket.

"This is my Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu," Ichigo said. He quickly returned his Zanpakto to normal in order to let the people around him breathe easy again. He noticed that the sun was beginning to set over the horizon. "Alright, let's call it a day. You can all go back to your rooms to rest." He watched as his division members left the training field, some of them utterly stunned, others discussing about the amazing spectacle they had witnessed.

At the same time as Ichigo was teaching his cohorts about Zanjutsu, Rukia was showing her students how to master Kidou in the 5th division's training dojo. She was assisted by the former 3rd Seat of the Kidou Corps, a lovely woman called Ashihaka Mariko. It had taken about twenty minutes for Rukia to sort everyone into groups based on their Kidou ability. With the help of Mariko, Rukia was to pick out forty original 5th division members, twenty novice Kidou Corps members and twenty rookies from the Academy. Of those people in particular, twenty 5th division members and half of the novices had some basic understanding of Kidou. After the groups had been sorted out, Rukia stood in front of them all.

"It's time to begin everyone," she said in her most confident voice. "For those of you who wish to learn Zanjutsu instead, please head to Captain Kurosaki's class on the training field outside. Anyone wish to go now?" She waited for a few minutes. No one bothered to go. "Okay then, I take it you're all here to learn about Kidou. Now, for those of you who have experience with it, Kidou is all about precision and accuracy. You need to have complete mastery of your own spirit energy in order to cast any Kidou spells with precision. Thus, before I start teaching any of you how to do spells I want you all to demonstrate your ability to control your spirit energy by channelling some of into a ball like this." Rukia held out her left palm and created a small sphere of yellow energy, only about ten inches wide. She motioned the entire class to copy her example.

Rukia watched as everyone in the group tried to channel their spirit energy into a ball. A fair few succeeded in creating a sphere about the same size as the one Rukia had in her hand. Others either failed to create a sphere or created ones that were far too large. One person in particular, a slightly clumsy girl with glasses, ended up creating a sphere of nearly three feet in diameter. It was so huge and unstable that everyone else got well clear of her. Rukia quickly ran in and kicked the ball out of the girl's hands. It exploded spectacularly in mid air, making everyone in the room gasp. Rukia examined the girl, who was panting heavily. She then instructed one of the experienced Kidou corps members assisting her to take her to the 4th division.

"Alright, as you can see clearly, not being able to control your spirit energy properly can have dangerous consequences," Rukia addressed the group again. "Those of you who failed to create an appropriate sized energy ball will work on controlling your spirit energy here. The rest of you can come with me to the target range. Mariko, can you get some copies of the Kidou manual?"

"Sure thing," Mariko nodded. "We brought along fifty copies of it when we moved into these barracks. I'll go get them for you." Mariko asked a few of her friends to come with him, as Rukia led about fifty people into the training range. Ten minutes later, Mariko and her friends came back with stacks of training manuals. Rukia ordered them to be distributed to each person. Once everyone received a copy of the Kidou manual, Rukia proceeded to divide them into ten groups of five and directed them to stand facing a bullseye target set up a hundred yards away on the opposite side.

"Now, I want you all to have a thorough read through the manual and memorise the chants of the following spell numbers: Hadou 4, 31 and 33 and Bakudou 1. You will practice the Hadous on the targets. Each person in the group will take turns firing a Hadou spell, proceeding from the weakest to the strongest. Afterwards, each person in the group can practice Bakudou 1 on each other." Rukia gave the signal to begin. For about two hours, each Shinigami in the group had the opportunity to practice Byakurai, Shahakko and Soukatsui on the indestructible targets, before casting Sai on each other. Some managed to hit the centre perfectly. Others veered off course. A few of the more overconfident ones tried to skip the chant stage and ended up blowing themselves up. Rukia sent them to the 4th division to get treatment. After the two hours were up, Rukia addressed the whole group back together again.

"Good job everyone. Most of you have gotten the hang of casting basic Kidou spells. Those of you who still haven't mastered your spirit energy, keep on practicing. You may return to your rooms to rest now," she said.

"Uh, Vice Captain Kuchiki, can you demonstrate some of your own Kidou for us?" one of the men asked. "We've heard that experienced Kidou users can cast high level spells without chants. Can you do that?" Rukia was pleasantly amused.

"Sure thing," she said. "I'll demonstrate a high level unspoken Kidou spell for you. It'll have to be a Bakudou as a high level Hadou spell could destroy this building." She pointed her left hand at one of the walls and shouted, "Bakudou 81, Danku!" A giant barrier with an eight-pointed star embossed on it, appeared in the middle of the air. Nearly everyone in the room gasped in surprise and astonishment.

"This Bakudou can block all other Kidou spells below 90. As Hadou in the 90s are extremely difficult to cast, there's few situations where you won't be able to stop an enemy with this spell," Rukia explained. She released the Danku and allowed the group to exit the hall. Rukia followed them herself and went back to the captain's office. Along the way she saw people from Ichigo's class walk by, talking out loud about seeing a captain's Bankai first hand. Rukia somehow felt a stab of jealousy. Clearly Ichigo had done more to inspire the division than she ever could. As she walked into the office, she saw Ichigo sitting at the desk writing up papers.

"Rukia, how was it?" Ichigo asked as he got up and walked over to her.

"It was fine. Most of the group got along very well. Only a few people were sent to the 4th division," Rukia replied.

"That's good to hear," Ichigo said. He noticed that the expression on Rukia's face didn't match up with the tone of her voice. "Rukia…is there something wrong?" Rukia looked up at his eyes.

"I know it sounds selfish of me, but can you teach me Bankai, Ichigo?"

This is the first chapter in the mini-arc covering the preparations for the War against Aizen. Next chapter, Ichigo will teach Rukia how to obtain Bankai, and a big surprise will be revealed!

Notes: Some of the readers might think I've made a lot of characters completely OOC, but I'm trying to develop them in a natural and realistic way, going beyond the characterisation that Kubo set out. For Byakuya, I wanted to get him out the cold, stoic aloofness and make him more emotional, and also show that he's moved on from the death of Hisana. For Nanao, her small scene with Kyoraku in the Turn Back the Pendulum flashback arc made me think that their relationship is that of a father and daughter. Yamamoto's flashback will probably be the most contraversial aspect, as I've deliberately emphasised his failings. But that is in no way degrading his character. Him acknowledging his mistakes and swearing to sacrifice himself is a change from him being a just a strict old man.

The 5th division: The second half of the chapter was an opportunity to showcase the organisation and framework of a division as it's being built. It was also an opportunity to further develop Ichigo and Rukia as characters. I wanted to show them finding their feet as leaders, and to show the growth in both of them as leaders, demonstrating how Ichigo gradually stamps his mark on his division and trains his men.

I want to thank all of you who've sent in reviews. You've kept along with my story so far.