Kurosaki Ichigo, captain of the Twelfth division of the Gotei 13, gazed at his finished project with a gleam in his eye. There on the table lay a seemingly simple short blade, similar in length and dimension to a wakizashi, a short sword. But as its creator, the genius knew that there was much, much more to the simple blade than meets the eye. Laying a hand gently on the leather-bound hilt, he picked it up, the steel of the blade rasping gently against the table. Holding it vertically in front of him, Ichigo pulsed his reiatsu, letting the hollow side overwhelm the shinigami side. He focused his swirling black reiatsu into the blade, and it shimmered as it sucked in Ichigo's power. In an instant, the short blade morphed, transforming in an explosion of black into a giant scythe, easily seven feet long, with a blade that was as broad as Ichigo's head. He had designed it specifically to mimic the English legend of the Grim Reaper. Ichigo laughed, the sadism of his hollow personality shining through. This was going to be fun.

~Flashback, two weeks ago~

"Kurosaki-taicho, you will be sent on a long-term mission to the living world," Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryuusai announced without preamble at the start of a captain and vice-captain's meeting.

The gathered shinigami looked at the captain-commander in mild surprise. It had been decades since a captain had been sent on a long-term mission, the last being Hitsugaya Toushiro's stint to Yomiyama Town to investigate the actions of a Vasto Lorde-class hollow there. It hadn't gone well.

"With all due respect, Yamamoto-soutaicho," the orange-haired captain said, taking a small step forward, "What is the urgency of this mission that merits the presence of a captain?"

"A captain as strong as Kurosaki-taicho, to boot," added Toushiro. Ichigo, despite being the youngest among the ranks of the Gotei 13 captaincy, had quickly risen to the top of the ranks due to the boost of power from merging with his hollow.

Yamamoto rumbled, "That would have been explained if you youngsters had the patience for me to explain the details of the mission." There was slight amusement in the old captain-commanders tone, and several captains chuckled. He continued on in a more serious manner. "All of you know of the event that occurred in Great Britain in the world of the living almost fifteen years ago, correct?"

The captains and vice-captains nodded, many grimacing at the memory. There had been a man by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle, the self-styled Lord Voldemort, who had gone on a killing spree in an attempt to take over Britain. Because it was Gotei 13 policy not to interfere in the matters of mortals, even if they were 'wizards,' who had learned to make use of their small amounts of reiatsu somewhat, the shinigami who were stationed in Britain had had to work over time, sending the hundreds of souls from Voldemort's murders to Soul Society.

Yamamoto continued, "Tom Riddle's followers, colloquially known as 'Death Eaters,' went into hiding when Voldemort disappeared. However, recently, their activity has increased, and the Onmitsukidou has gathered information that there may be an attempt to restore Riddle to a functioning body."

Mutters echoed in the room as the captains and vice-captains contemplated this action. Although many in the wizarding world thought Riddle dead, the shinigami knew otherwise. He had actually split his soul with the darkest of rituals, a terrible offense to Soul Society. However, the Gotei 13 were unable to pass judgment upon the man until he had a solid body. When the first fragment of his soul was purified, the others would follow suit.

"I have decided that as punishment for his crimes, the man known as Tom Marvolo Riddle shall be permanently removed from the cycle of reincarnation. Hell is too good for a creature as him." Ichigo raised an eyebrow at this announcement. If purified normally by a shinigami, Voldemort's soul would have surely be sent to Hell due to the many murders he had committed in his life. That the captain-commander would approve of Riddle's permanent removal from the cycle of reincarnation… well, this was serious stuff.

"Kurosaki-taicho, you shall infiltrate the wizarding school of Hogwarts, as that is the most likely place where Riddle will attack after regaining a functioning body. There, you shall wait, without drawing too much suspicion to yourself, until Riddle regains a body. Then, you shall kill him. Permanently."

Ichigo nodded, a slightly bloodthirsty grin etching itself onto his face. The captains and vice-captains were used to these bouts of hollowish personality by now, and simply ignored it. "With pleasure, Yamamoto-soutaicho. And I have just the tool to get the job done."

Yamamoto nodded in approval. "Very well. You have two weeks to prepared, and then you shall go to England in the world of the living. Any and all resources you require to complete this mission shall be provided to you. Good luck. Dismissed!"

Ichigo immediately departed, headed to his underground laboratory in the Twelfth division, where he set to work on the weapon that would destroy Tom Marvolo Riddle's soul.

~End flashback~

Ichigo released his reiatsu from the black scythe, and it shrank down once again to its wakizashi form. He sheathed it in a specially-made scabbard that ran horizontally across his back, crossing with his own zanpakutou, which was sheathed vertically across the white haori that Ichigo wore. He walked over to the corner of the underground room, where a small bag about the size of a knapsack was sitting innocuously on the ground. In fact, Ichigo himself had created the bag as a pocket dimension, where all manners of materials could be stored without arousing suspicion. He had already packed everything a week ago and was ready to depart on the mission.

Making his way from his division with the movement technique that he himself had created, a cross between the shinigami flash-step and the hollow sonido, he landed in front of the Thirteen division next door, where a familiar short figure was waiting for him. Ichigo leaned down and kissed his wife, Kuchiki Rukia, the captain of the Thirteenth division, tenderly. She had been promoted when Ukitake Jushiro, the previous captain of the Twelfth division, had retired due to his illness. "I'll try to visit regularly," Ichigo promised her. "I'm not sure how much free time I'll have, but I'll make use of as much of it as possible to visit."

Rukia nodded. "Take care of yourself, Ichigo," she said softly. "We don't know the full extent of the powers of these 'wizards,' and how well they can control their reiatsu. If you need backup, don't hesitate to call for it."

Ichigo nodded. They embraced one last time, and Ichigo departed, making his way to the main senkai gate in the Seireitei. Rukia watched his departing figure and turned, her white haori billowing in the slight breeze and smiled fondly at her Strawberry. She walked back into the Thirteenth division barracks. She had recruits to train.

Ichigo skidded to a halt in front of the senkai gate. He was mildly surprised to see Kuchiki Byakuya, his brother-in-law and fellow captain, as well as Hitsugaya Toushiro and his wife Momo, waiting for him. They had become close friends when Ichigo had first become a captain, after invading the Soul Society and rescuing Rukia from an execution that was arranged by the traitor, Aizen Sousuke, who was now dead, killed by Ichigo's own hands.

"Byakuya, Toushiro, Momo, what's up?" he said, his surprise evident in his tone of voice.

Toushiro smirked. "Are you that surprised that we came to see you off?" he said, acting offended. The two had become like brothers in the years since Ichigo had become a captain, and his wife Momo was like a sister to him as well.

Byakuya nodded beside the white-haired prodigy. The stoic noble had also become close friends with Ichigo, and had given his approval when Ichigo finally asked for his sister's hand in marriage after several years of courtship. "Indeed," he agreed, a small smile on his face. "I also came to see you off. After all, is that not the duty of a brother-in-law?"

Momo, who had finally been promoted to the captain of the Fifth division, smiled from beside her husband. Because Ichigo and Toushiro were close, she was also close friends with the orange-haired captain by extension. "I'm sure Rukia has already told you, but do be careful," she said softly. "She'll never forgive you if you get hurt." All the captains smirked at this, knowing Kuchiki Rukia's infamous temper towards her Strawberry.

Ichigo grinned. "Thanks, guys," he said. They shook hands, and Ichigo turned to the senkai gate, taking a deep breath. He hadn't left the Soul Society in quite a while, not since his father and sisters had finally moved to Seireitei permanently, his father taking up Kaname Tousen's position as captain of the Ninth division, and his sisters Karin and Yuzu becoming the vice-captain of the Fifth division and Thirteenth division respectively. Ichigo took one last look at the Seireitei behind him, and walked through the gate.

#

Alright, guys. Due to popular, and I mean popular, demand, this is going to be a multi-chapter story. I'm going to be updating fairly often in the last few weeks of summer, since I have time, but the chapters are going to be somewhat short, as I'm still focused on writing my main story, When Genius Meets Death. As some of you may have noticed, this story borrows some elements from When Genius Meets Death, namely the fact that Ichigo is a genius, has merged with his hollow, and is captain of the Twelfth division, but is happening long after the timeline from that story. It is not necessary that you read When Genius Meets Death, but if you're curious about the beginnings of Ichigo's life as a genius shinigami, feel free to check it out (shameless self-advertising).

This chapter is focused mostly on Ichigo, and I'm not sure at this point whether it's going to be fixed POV from Ichigo's side, or Harry's side, or alternating. We'll see, I suppose.

Thanks so much for all the support I got for the first chapter, I had written it mostly out of whim. Hopefully it'll evolve into something much more. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you guys next time!

~fokker333