Well, I'm back again! Class has restarted, and my schedule is packed! T.T Poll results:
No: 65 votes
Yes: 54 votes
Neither: 40 votes
Doesn't matter: 31 votes

Some of you guys asked me why I'm having a poll, since it's my story and all that. For the record, I wanted to give Rukia an inner hollow, but it wasn't really a set thing, since I had plans for both her having and not having an inner hollow, so I decided to see which was more popular. Perhaps this shall turn 'Yes' in my favor:). Either way, Poll will still stay up, so keep on voting! And thank you once again for all your favs/follows and reviews. Continue showing your support!

Also, fyi, my intention wasn't to make Toshiro weak in the last chapter, since I based it on the fact that he is still inexperienced with Bankai and not as powerful as Ichigo.

Special thanks to The 17th Immortal for his? input of Ichigo's move's names. It makes me wonder why I didn't take Japanese as a third language... haha.

Anyway, we're on to the next chapter, so read on! It's a little filler-ish though.

Disclaimer: When I own Bleach, I'll send a box of free fresh air to each of my readers.

Chapter 35: Captain Deathberry

Ichigo glared at Rukia in annoyance. She stared back at him innocently, but her eyes were shining with laughter. "What?" she asked candidly. "You asked me to pinch you because you thought you were dreaming, and I did just that."

Ichigo almost gave in to the look she was giving him, but maintained his composure. "I didn't mean that hard," he replied, rubbing his upper arm where Rukia, as per his request, had pinched. Quite hard, mind you, and he hadn't asked her to twist it too.

"You could have been in a real deep sleep, and more pain was necessary," Rukia goaded, now trying to hold back her laughter by biting her lip.

Ichigo responded with a dangerous looking smirk. "In that case, maybe you're only dreaming that you're pinching me," he said, reaching for her arm.

Rukia let out a derisive snort and grabbed his wrist before pinning it to the table. Immediately, Ichigo reached for her hand with his other one, two fingers outstretched, forcing her to draw it back while biting back a laugh.

"Oi! Will you two stop flirting already?" a voice sounded out.

The two of them immediately blushed and looked across the table where Izuru and Momo were looking at them, albeit differently. Momo looked delighted while Izuru looked exasperated.

"We're not," Ichigo said lamely while Rukia looked slightly abashed.

"Yeah, and I'm the sou-taichou," Izuru replied sarcastically.

It was a couple of days since Ichigo cleared the Captain's proficiency test, and another week till his actual inauguration as a Captain. This night was one of the rare few where they were all free, so they jumped at the chance to use it. Momo had called Toshiro along as well, saying he looked bored, but once again, he snubbed her. Ichigo reckoned the young shinigami was sulking, but he didn't voice it. He would probably be doing the same if their positions were reversed.

So here they were, having a little feast in celebration of Ichigo becoming the first taichou of the group, well surpassing any of them, although they made it clear that the next time they hung out together, Ichigo would be paying, since he was now earning the most. None of them were even fuku-taichou yet, although Ichigo hoped that would change soon.

Renji was currently out buying some sake. He had been lamenting the lack of alcohol in their celebration and had decided to go buy some. Izuru didn't mind having some, Rukia and Momo agreed somewhat reluctantly, but Ichigo flat out refused. He knew that alcohol made people relax, but he didn't understand why they had to overdo it, get drunk, then suffer the next day. It seemed that the eleventh was having some degree of negative influence on his red-haired friend.

He wouldn't have minded a little, but until he was officially a taichou, he was still considered a fuku-taichou, and he could easily get into trouble with Byakuya. Although… now that he had Bankai, he wondered if he was perhaps stronger than his Captain.

Both Rukia and Ichigo ceased their blatant (not) flirting immediately after that denial, but Rukia surreptitiously poked Ichigo's leg, the action hidden from the others by the table, a ghost of a mischievous smile on her face. Ichigo didn't respond, because Izuru was still looking at them a little suspiciously.

"You guys seem stranger than the last time I saw you. Is there something going on between you two?" Izuru asked.

"What makes you think there is?" Ichigo replied. He wasn't denying it, but he wasn't going to confirm it either, since he and Rukia were supposed to be harboring unknown feelings for each other.

"Did you hit your eyes with Wabisuke?" Rukia asked sardonically. "Because it seems your vision is heavy with false imaging." That earned a snort of laughter from Ichigo, and Momo stifled a smile behind her hand, but Izuru only scowled.

"You laugh," he hissed, and was about to continue when Renji chose that moment to reappear.

"I can't believe this place is out of sake," Renji deplored, plonking two bottles of sake on the table. "We should never come here again," he half-joked.

There was a period of silence as Renji opened a bottle and filled all their cups. "So did I miss anything when I was gone?" he asked.

"Nothing," Ichigo remarked. "Except for Izuru claiming that something is going on between me and Rukia."

No one seemed to have noticed Renji's smile becoming a little forced. "So is there?" Renji asked.

"That depends on whether you think there is," Rukia replied just as vaguely.

"You guys don't sound like you're denying it," Momo observed.

"That doesn't mean there is," Ichigo said, but no one seemed convinced.

The only sounds for the next few seconds came from the other customers and the sound of sake splashing into Renji's cup for the second time after he rapidly drained it the first time. "I have to hand it to you, Ichigo. I never thought you capable of surpassing me," he said, changing the subject.

Ichigo scoffed. "Yeah, just like how you seem capable of beating me in a fight. Why are you still languishing as a sixth seat then? Izuru's a fourth seat while Hinamori-chan and Rukia are fifth seats."

"Aizen-taichou said that he's looking for a fuku-taichou, and he said Kira-kun and I are prime candidates," Momo piped up happily, but no one seemed to hear her.

"I'll have you know that the sixth seat in the eleventh is better than it sounds. Didn't you know that Iba-fukutaichou was sixth seat of the eleventh before he was promoted? I'll achieve that and more before long!"

Of course, they all knew that Ichigo was stronger than any of them, being the youngest taichou ever, both in age and duration of service. This exchange between him and Renji was now more of friendly banter than an actual competition.

So it went on late into the night, as the five friends enjoyed this time they had together, happy that their dreams of becoming taichou and fuku-taichou of the Gotei 13 were at least coming true for one of them.

However, only one person seemed to notice a change in Renji's demeanor as the latter drained his fourth cup of sake, but Izuru didn't say anything. While he didn't buy that there was nothing going on between Ichigo and Rukia at all, he knew that Renji still harbored hopes that there would be something between him and Rukia. Unfortunately, Izuru knew that that was all it was – hope, and he knew that Renji knew that as well.

Day before the inauguration

"Gloomy doesn't really suit you, you know?" Rukia said with a slight teasing smile as she watched Ichigo eat at a much slower pace than he normally did.

"I'm not gloomy," was the reply, but Rukia was having none of it.

"Sure you're not. You also decided not to bother responding to me when I called you. Thrice," Rukia said sarcastically. "Let's try again. Why the gloomy face? I highly doubt I've done anything that warranted it."

"Always the confident one, aren't you?" Ichigo rolled his eyes, then sighed. "I'm fine, really. I'm just a little… worried."

Rukia's smirk melted immediately into one of genuine concern. "Worried about tomorrow, or becoming a Captain?"

"The second one, more or less. They're not going to embarrass me tomorrow. I hope. I now know why I'm the youngest taichou ever. I've been a shinigami for only two decades! I don't have the experience! What if I'm not as good as they think? My men may not like me or see me as incompetent. What if I make a mess of things? I have no idea what to do! I'm responsible for them; what if I fail them?"

Hearing that, Rukia was torn between wanting to comfort him and wanting to punch him. Ultimately, she decided on the former. Realizing, but not caring, that they weren't exactly in a private setting, she reached across the table and pried the chopsticks from his hands. Ichigo didn't notice until she took his hand and hooked her fingers into his.

"You know, I could hit you for being such an idiot. What's with all that worry? It's not like you. If Yamamoto-soutaichou has declared you a Captain, doesn't that mean he, as well as the other Captains, thinks you're capable? The tenth has been without a taichou for almost a century because no one was capable enough. They have no need to rush, so what's a few more years? They're not in desperate need for a Captain, so they didn't have to make you one," she said with a mixture of concern and exasperation.

"Maybe… But there's so much I'm clueless about regarding a taichou's duty. Heck, there's still stuff about being a fuku-taichou that I'm still not clear about."

Rukia huffed in frustration. Perhaps the stress was really getting to him, but this was ridiculous. "And here I was thinking I was too hard on myself. At least I was open to advice. You, on the other hand, are really thick-headed. Aren't you forgetting how much you've achieved and how much you're capable of? Stop beating yourself up, or I'll do it for you," she said with a scowl.

She continued glaring at him for a moment before her gaze softened again. "I know it'll be hard on you. I think one reason Ukitake-taichou always gets sick is because of the demand on him, and Kiyone and Sentaro aren't exactly helping. But you can figure it out as you go along, right? I'm quite sure Ukitake-taichou and the other Captains will be willing to help you out. And I'll always be there for you, whether you like it or not. I know I'm not in your division, but I still have loads of time as only a fifth seat."

"I won't be so sure if I was you," Ichigo said with a hint of a smile.

Rukia looked affronted. "What? You don't think I'm capable?"

"No, of course not. I'm the one who said you were, wasn't I?"

"I know that, and I'm thankful for that. Your point is?"

"My point is that you're right. I shouldn't be so worried. I could always ask Ukitake-taichou for help."

"Like I said, when has difficulties stopped you? Are you forgetting the number of times I had to disarm you to stop you from training yourself to death when learning Bankai?"

"That's true," Ichigo said, this time with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Rukia. I owe you one."

Rukia laughed. "You most certainly do. And I know just how you can repay me – a nice present for my birthday." Coincidentally, Rukia's birthday fell on the day just after Ichigo's inauguration, so it would be, in a way, a double celebration.

Ichigo looked at her in mock dismay. "You're shameless, you know that?"

Rukia didn't miss a beat. "You forgot it, didn't you?"

He waved her off. "Of course I didn't. In fact, I already got something for you."

"A chappy doll?" Rukia asked immediately. Ichigo shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but Rukia cut him off. "A life-sized chappy doll?"

Ichigo realized he should've seen that coming, but seeing the cute, childlike way his girlfriend's (5 years and that still didn't sound old) eyes shone every time Chappy was mentioned, he found it hard to be annoyed with her. "Must everything be about Chappy? It's a surprise. You'll have to wait." Rukia had no argument against that.

Ichigo spent the rest of the day marveling at what a close save he had, because, as a matter of fact, he did forget it, what's with the Captain's test and all. He didn't want to think about what Rukia might do to him if she knew.

Ichigo stood at the door of his lieutenant's bunk in the sixth division and surveyed it for what would probably be the last time. He'd already turned in his fuku-taichou badge the day before, and all his possessions had been cleared out. The inauguration ceremony wasn't going to be for another two hours, but no sense being late. At the back of his mind, he wondered who the next person to occupy the place would be.

This was it. In a couple of hours, he would officially become the tenth division taichou. How he had even gotten that far was beyond him. Just a little more than two decades ago, he was still wandering around the dark, dirty streets of Inuzuri. It was surreal, really.

Sleep hadn't come easy for him yesterday, as he pondered Rukia's words. He realized they were mostly true; hadn't the Captains declared him capable? Also, it had been Byakuya that'd recommended him. Compliments from the noble captain didn't come easy, and a recommendation was as good as any… or perhaps he just wanted him out from under his skin. It was probably just nerves after all. He would not be able to back down, and after thinking it through yesterday, he knew he wasn't going to. He could do it. He was ready. So why did he feel like he was forgetting something?

As he left the sixth division, Ichigo was stopped multiple times by the many division six men he came across, all congratulating and wishing him the best when they saw him. Byakuya was nowhere to be seen; he'd probably left already. If he had to admit, he would miss the camaraderie he had with his men. He'd been able to work well with them, and they were willing to listen to him, despite some of them having served longer than him. He hoped that the atmosphere would be similar in the tenth division. Matsumoto had told him the tenth was a friendly place, but he was still reserving judgment.

He found Rukia standing just outside the entrance to the sixth division, eliciting a smile from him. She turned as he approached, but he was confused at the weird look she was giving him.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course I am," he said slowly.

"Really? Then where's your haori? Didn't you say you received it yesterday?"

"Crap!"

…Well, it turned out that he did forget something, and that something was tucked away at the bottom of his cupboard, where he'd so conveniently forgotten to check. It was a good thing he decided to leave early, although he had to endure Rukia's ribbing when she heard about how he'd nearly forgotten his haori.

"It looks good on you though," she complimented anyway. He hadn't done anything to it though, since all that'd changed was that the red strap of his scabbard was now slung over the haori as well.

They had quite a bit of a head start, so they took their time in travelling to the first division, and one and a half hours later, Rukia left him at the entrance of the first division to return back to her own division and Ichigo carried on, his emotions fluctuating between confidence and a bundle of nerves.

Finding the Captain's hall, he stood outside its closed doors, wondering what he was supposed to do next.

"My, it's a little surprising to see a new taichou arriving so early," a voice suddenly echoed from somewhere to his right.

The swish of a pink, flowery kimono at the corner of his eye betrayed who it was approaching him before he even turned. "Kyoraku-taichou, you're early."

Then, he noticed the slim figure of Ise Nanao walking behind her Captain. When she saw him looking at her, she bowed slightly in greeting. "Kurosaki-taichou," she said.

"Uh… hi," Ichigo said lamely, since he wasn't sure how to address her. After all, they'd been of equal standing just only a month ago, and now he was higher ranked than her.

"I could say the same for you. Most newly promoted captains have a knack for arriving late for their inauguration. Why, when Ichimaru-taichou was inaugurated, he was actually fifteen minutes late. Yama-jii wasn't pleased."

"Ah… he didn't seem too pleased with me during my test too," Ichigo said, unsure of how to continue the conversation.

Kyoraku chuckled. "Yama-jii merely looks that way. If you ask me, he needs to lighten up. Maybe he might consent to a drinking session sometime soon…"

"Taichou, I don't believe it's advisable to disturb Yamamoto-soutaichou with one of your drinking sessions. And in case you've forgotten, I've locked up your stash of sake ever since you got half the squad drunk," Nanao spoke up, using the bossy tone Ichigo'd heard her use often.

"But Nanao-chan," Kyoraku whined to her, leaving a muddled Ichigo to watch as the senior Captain practically pleaded with his lieutenant. "That was five months ago. Surely-"

"Five months and two weeks, to be exact, because they spent two weeks with a hangover, leaving us short of soldiers," she replied coldly.

"Ah, taichou, there you are!" a simmering voice spoke up, masking whatever reply Kyoraku said to his lieutenant. Ichigo looked past Kyoraku and Nanao to see Matsumoto Rangiku approaching. Oh, right, he nearly forgot. As the tenth-division lieutenant, she was now his subordinate.

"I was looking for you everywhere. The sixth division said you'd already left, and I met Kuchiki on the way here, and she told me you had already arrived."

Kuchiki… she probably meant Rukia. He never knew that the two of them had corresponded before. "Um, sorry about that, Matsumoto. I kinda forgot that you're my lieutenant now."

"Oh it's no problem, taichou. I was also wondering what to call you as well, since I still forget you're no longer a fuku-taichou now."

Ichigo nodded, keeping his eyes resolutely on her face and not anywhere lower as he wondered if he might get into trouble with Rukia. When he first became a fuku-taichou, there were many-a-times when he found his gaze wandering somewhere below Matsumoto's face. It was nothing to be ashamed off though, Hisagi had told him.

Still, it didn't seem right, since he was with Rukia already, so with a little bit of practice (plus imagining the harm Rukia might do to him), Ichigo trained himself not to let his eyes or mind wander. At that time, her voice also seemed to carry a little huskiness when she spoke to him, and he felt guilty to admit it made him blush a little. Strangely though, her blatant flirting ceased about half a year into his tenure as a fuku-taichou, although she continued doing it to some of the other male lieutenants such as Hisagi. He gratefully welcomed the change though, since he didn't want to feel like he was cheating on Rukia.

In fact, a few days ago, he'd broached the topic with Rukia, to see how she felt about it. Matsumoto's reputation was pretty big, especially amongst the male population. Surprisingly, she seemed fine with it, saying that she trusted him. It wasn't a trust he wanted to ever misplace.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, I presume?" a deep, gruff voice suddenly said from behind him.

Ichigo turned and looked up to see the towering figure of Komamura Saijin. He presumed the larger Captain was looking at him, but he couldn't tell due to the large helmet obscuring his face. While he'd seen the big captain a few times while accompanying Byakuya during meetings, Ichigo had never spoken to Komamura before.

"Komamura-taichou, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Ichigo greeted.

"Likewise. I would like to extend my congratulations on your feat of becoming a Captain within two decades. You've certainly lived up to expectations."

"Uh… thanks," Ichigo replied hastily. He was about to ask what expectations Komamura was talking about when he suddenly felt a familiar reiatsu rapidly approaching. "Oh no…" Ichigo said. "Aren't we supposed to go in?" he hastily asked Kyoraku.

"Well, you have to knock or holler, since the closed doors mean at least one Captain is already inside," Kyoraku said.

Ichigo hastily walked up to the huge doors and knocked them, all while trying not to make it sound desperate, but as soon as he did, he heard a rough but eager voice calling out, "Ah, Ichigo! There you are!"

Gulping, he turned around to see Kenpachi walking up to him, a huge malicious grin on his face. "Don't forget about our fight later," he said.

"Wha- I agreed to no such thing!" Ichigo said nervously, but Kenpachi didn't seem to hear him, because Yachiru's head suddenly popped out from behind Kenpachi's back.

"Hi, Icchi!" the young girl said cheerfully. "Ken-chan can't wait for you to fight him later!"

"Uh, I didn't agree to fight him," Ichigo quickly said, but both the division eleven shinigami didn't seem to hear him.

"No matter. You're agreeing now!" Kenpachi cut off with a huge grin.

Ichigo opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He hadn't even been officially named a Captain and his fellow colleagues were already making his head spin.

Luckily, he was saved from answering as the doors to the hall began opening.

He paused as he stood before the large hall. Behind him, the other Captains strolled in, Kenpachi harrumphing at the missed opportunity. Most of the other Captains were already inside, save for Ichimaru Gin and Yamamoto himself, and all heads turned to him as he stood there blankly. It wasn't the first time he'd entered this place, but the circumstance was new to him.

"Taichou," Matsumoto whispered, prodding him in the back. "Don't just stand there. Move!"

Ichigo hurriedly snapped out of his trance and moved to take his place between Kyoraku and, he noted with dismay, a sneering Kurotsuchi, while Matsumoto moved to stand behind him.

He fidgeted slightly as everyone stood still for the next couple of minutes, no one moving a muscle or saying a word. Then, just before he started to get bored to death, the commanding presence of Yamamoto arrived.

"Well, at least we won't be delayed this time," Yamamoto said dryly as he made his way to the front. Remembering what Kyoraku had said about Ichimaru, Ichigo glanced at the third division captain, but he was still smiling like he always did.

"Now, let's begin the inauguration ceremony! Kurosaki Ichigo, please step forward." Everyone snapped to attention while Ichigo nervously complied, moving to the back and facing the sou-taichou.

"The post of tenth division taichou has long been left empty for almost a hundred years. Since that time, there have been a number of elections to determine a new Captain. However, there has been a lack of a candidate qualified enough to take up that mantle, until today."

"As you all well know, last week, two candidates were judged on the requirements of a Captain through the Proficiency Test. Both have shown impressive leadership abilities and character, and under the judging of I, Yamamoto Genryuusai, as well as two others of taichou rank, little criticism can be drawn about their capabilities in leading a squad. However, in terms of abilities, it is clear that one well exceeds that of the other. Therefore, I now declare that the former fuku-taichou of the sixth division, Kurosaki Ichigo, is now officially the new taichou of the tenth division!"

Before the echoing thud of Yamamoto's cane, which signaled the end of the inauguration, had faded, Kenpachi could be found looming over Ichigo, a feral grin on his face. "Now that that's over, you and I can fight! You're definitely going to be a challenge, what with becoming a captain within two decades!"

Ichigo gulped, glancing around at the other captains. Kurotsuchi Mayuri had already stalked out, muttering something about wasted time. Some of the others cast him sympathetic and/or amused looks as they took their leave. Byakuya was one of them, and Ichigo could've sworn his former superior's mouth was twitching upwards.

Matsumoto chose that moment to butt in. "Taichou, so are you going to stay here or…"

Ichigo shot her a glare, but she merely smiled in amusement at the situation her captain was in. "I'll be awhile, so perhaps you could go back and assemble the squad first? I want to talk to them," he said, before turning back to look at Kenpachi nervously.

"Um… how about later? I need to address my squad and familiarize myself…"

Kenpachi frowned, but the feral grin reappeared soon after. "You can't hide from me forever, Ichigo! My division is right next to yours!" And with that, he disappeared, much to Ichigo's relief.

"Looks like you have your work cut out for you," Ukitake chuckled, moving to stand beside the new Captain.

"Is he always like that to the new Captains?" Ichigo asked. He didn't know how strong Kenpachi actually was, but with that hungry grin, Ichigo didn't want to find out anytime soon.

"Not exactly. He's always looking for a good fight, so he's always on the lookout for strong opponents."

"Well, he's persistent, I guess," Ichigo said ruefully.

"It's a compliment of your abilities, actually," Ukitake replied. "He seldom persists when someone rejects his demand to fight, although I believe he tried to challenge Yama-jii before," Ukitake ended with a chuckle.

"Well, I won't mind if he doesn't keep pestering me."

Ukitake laughed. "Perhaps the only way to make him desist is to actually fight him," he said to a horrified Ichigo. "Now, you'd have to excuse me, but I must be going."

"Kurosaki," a polite voice called just as Ichigo was about to leave. He turned to see Aizen Sosuke standing before him. "I would like to congratulate you on your promotion. Given what you've achieved during your short two decades, I daresay quite a bit of effort was dedicated. I suppose we should be expecting great things from you, no?" he finished with a smile.

"Thank you for thinking that highly about me. It was definitely quite tedious," Ichigo replied modestly. "But it's something I've always wanted. I'm not going to put my training on hold though. I probably still have a long way to go before I'm capable of reaching your level." Prior to today, Ichigo had had minimal contact with the friendly looking captain, since he tended to look for Momo or Izuru whenever he went to the fifth.

"And it's an effective mindset to have," Aizen nodded in agreement. "Because the nature of being a shinigami doesn't require you to push yourself, many don't, and end up stagnating."

"Indeed. But there's only so much we can do. Kuchiki-taichou provides regular training, but each shinigami has his or her limits, and they have to train on their own as well."

Aizen smiled. "I look forward to working with you, Kurosaki. I believe you have the qualities that make a great captain. In fact, Hinamori and Kira are your friends, aren't they? I believe that they too will be able to go far."

"Thank you, and I believe so. We all hope to be future leaders in the Gotei 13."

Aizen chuckled. "So I suppose you're the first to succeed. It probably won't be long for the two of them; they continue to impress me to no end."

"If you ask me, Hinamori-chan is more concerned with proving herself to you. She really admires you, you know, and thinks you can do no wrong." Ichigo didn't add that he felt Momo's fixation with her captain was a little unhealthy.

"Well, in a way, it's been beneficial to her, since it's provided her with extra drive to excel. Oh, I apologize but I must make my move first. I have to speak to my squad about something. Once again, congratulations on your promotion. I do hope to speak with you again soon."

"Likewise," Ichigo replied as Aizen left. Once the captain left, Ichigo dropped to a frown. He found Aizen's reply weird, since he didn't seem to be bothered that Momo was a little attached, if not obsessed, to him. Surely he knew that wasn't healthy, right? Then, a horrible thought struck him.

They weren't romantically involved… were they?

Over two hundred expectant faces stared at Ichigo as he stood before them. Unsure of where to begin, Ichigo looked round at all the faces, pretending to commit them to memory, although he was doing anything but. The only face he recognized was Hitsugaya Toshiro, who was standing right in front.

"Um… hello everyone," he began hesitantly. "My name is Kurosaki Ichigo, and I'm your new captain. I was formerly the fuku-taichou of the sixth division, so some of you may have seen me before."

Feeling a little more confident, he continued. "Now, I know that you guys have been without a taichou for almost a century already, but I commend you guys for helping Matsumoto-fukutaichou in making the running of the division smooth. You may not be used to having a captain, but I hope that we will be able to work well together."

Then, he turned to Matsumoto. "Could you give me a rundown of the squad's strength?"

Matsumoto nodded. "We have a total of 326 men, the lowest in the entire Gotei 13, but now that we have a Captain, that number is likely to increase. Currently, 87 of these men are out on missions and patrols, and 8 are currently ill and unfit for duty."

Ichigo nodded before turning back to the squad. "I will not pretend that I'm able to answer all your questions easily. I'm still in the process of learning, so I do not wish to impose myself on you. For the next day or so, I will be merely an observer until I have seen the culture this division has as well as any improvements I may need to make. Any questions?"

Ichigo spent the next half an hour answering questions from his men. Many of the questions centered around his time as a shinigami so far, making it quite obvious to him that some of the men were still a little skeptical about his ability to lead them. It was one of the things Ukitake had advised to settle as soon as possible; if they didn't think he could lead them, it would make his job much harder. It was one of the things he was most worried about.

After a few more minutes, the questions seemed to be waning, so he dismissed the squad, giving orders to Matsumoto at the same time to take over the running in the meantime. Just then, something black and moving in mid-air caught his attention. Turning, he saw a Jigokucho approaching him. Automatically, he reached out a finger for it to land, and immediately, he spotted the symbol for the Kuchiki clan on one of its wings.

He frowned. The Jigokucho was most likely Byakuya's, since he'd never seen Rukia use it before. Members of noble clans who were shinigami usually had a special type of Jigokucho for their personal use. They were much faster, and only the intended recipient would be able to listen to its message. Rukia said she had one too, although he'd never seen her use it; he'd only seen Byakuya use it.

Bringing it closer to him, Byakuya's voice floated out from the idle creature. "Kurosaki, I wish to speak with you *pause* if you're not currently preoccupied. Please reply using this Jigokucho, and make it no later than evening today."

Ichigo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Though they were of the same rank now, it seemed as if he still saw Ichigo as his subordinate, what with his ordering around.

Ichigo brought his mouth close to the Jigokucho, but Byakuya wasn't finished, and Ichigo's eyes nearly bulged when he heard the next few words. "You'd do well to hurry. I wish to speak to you concerning Rukia."

Hmm... like I said, filler-ish. And a great ending for the chapter!:) I originally intended to do a one-shot about Rukia's birthday, but I was halfway through it before I canned the idea :/

Do take note, though, that I generally won't delve into the challenges of a relationship, although I'm aware that it's almost never that easy. I might, but it'll be resolved quickly. I don't particularly enjoy long periods of romance-based angst. Although, I MIGHT make an exception of Renji and Orihime. Who knows...

So what's going to happen to Ichigo now? Of course, you're gonna have to find out next chapter! :) Next update should be in two weeks, because I'm having horrible writer's block for the next chapter:(. Continue showing your support with a favorite/follow and review, and I'll see you guys soon!