(Day 1)

Rukia's day had started as any other. Waking up early, taking a shower, kicking her husband out of bed and eating breakfast with her family. After which, she would head to her division, make a round to send home the nightshift and greet her lieutenant before getting to work.

The work being paperwork.

It was one of the most time consuming duties of a captain and, unfortunately, also the least enjoyable. But it had to be done. Without the signature of a captain-or a lieutenant or both, depending on the nature of the document-the whole Gotei Thirteen would come to a grinding halt. From fresh food to the replacement of broken furniture, everything has to be approved.

Just like transfer requests.

Big, red letters greeted her as she sat down behind her desk and already Rukia felt her good mood waver. Her brows knitted together, purple irises glaring at the words as if to chase them away. It didn't matter how often she had seen them in the last year, it never failed to ignite the disappointment within her.

Ever since the lieutenant position had been assigned to Ichigo, the numbers of her division had rapidly dwindled. After a mere three months, the Thirteenth had taken the title of the division with the highest turnover rate from the Twelfth. A feat no other division had managed to achieve since Kurotsushi had been in control there. To score beneath a captain who actively tortures and uses his subordinates as guinea pigs was not something to be particularly proud of.

Closing her eyes, she slowly let air fill her lungs. She held it, gathering the negative emotions the paper before had stirred up. Then, she let it go. Let the disappointment and anger flow out of her as the air that passed her lips.

It's not my fault. It's not his fault. They are the problem, Rukia repeated in her head. They just use him as an excuse. I don't need such people in my division.

Opening her eyes, Rukia took the fountain pen from its holder. She gave the paper a quick read before she signed her name on the dotted line and put it in the tray on her left. To her dismay, the same red letters were printed on the document underneath.

For the love of- is this going to be one of those days? The grip on her pen increased, a thin coat of frost covering the sleek black steel. Her eyes swept across the sentences. Who was the other bigoted back-stabber that had lain dormant in her division?

Dojima? But I don't have a Dojima in my division. The unfamiliar name prompted Rukia to reread the request. Taking her time, she went over the text again.

"I, Dojima Saito, hereby request to be transferred from the Fifth Division to the Thirteenth Division".

Rukia blinked, going over the sentence again. Had she read that right?

"–from the Fifth Division to the Thirteenth Division".

She had.

She didn't believe it, had to reread it five times before it got through to her. For the first time in a year, someone wanted to join her division. A breathless chuckle passed her lips, her mood taking a turn for the best. With an unnecessary flourish, Rukia signed the request and put it aside. She was going to place it on Ichigo's desk so it would be the first thing he would see upon returning from his break.

The Soul King would know how badly Ichigo needed some positive news.

As she thought about her lieutenant, a shiver went down her spine. Rukia frowned as a feeling of something missing settled in the back of her head. She looked around the room, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. It persisted, quickly evolving into a gnawing gut feeling that demanded to be resolved.

Rukia abandoned her desk and left her office. She eyed the hallway, seeing a few of her subordinates. One noticed her and approached.

'Is something wrong, Captain Kuchiki? You seem troubled'.

'I don't know', Rukia answered absentmindedly, trying to figure out what had sparked this unease within her. 'Do you happen to know if everyone that has been scheduled for today has come in?'

'Aside from Lieutenant Shiba, I have seen everyone', they replied.

'He was here earlier', Rukia told. 'He has worked through the weekend again so I send him-' She stopped, realisation hitting her harder than Zakari's bankai. 'Excuse me'. With shunpo, she left her subordinate standing in the hallway.

Rukia may not be a member of the Second but her senses were second to none when it came to Ichigo. It did not matter where he was, Rukia could pick his signature up. If she really focused, she could even pinpoint his location when he was in the World of the Living. Yet, she couldn't sense him. She couldn't find the faintest trace of his spiritual pressure and it terrified her.

Once outside, she paused to throw out her senses again. Hoping to catch a sliver of her lieutenant's signature.

Black obscured her vision. The sound of fragile wings suddenly deafening as the Hell Butterfly landed on her shoulder.

"Captain Kuchiki. I regret to inform you that your lieutenant, Shiba Ichigo, was submitted to the Fourth in critical condition–"

Rukia heard no more. On its own, her body moved. Her feet taking her outside in a single step of shunpo.

I should have known something was up! He never declines the opportunity to eat!

She was already half-way to her destination when her mind caught up with her. Taking over from the autopilot, Rukia forced herself to go even faster. Each step of shunpo propelling her near twice the distance she thought herself capable off.

When she reached the Fourth, Rukia underestimated her speed. Her landing was unbalanced and she stumbled through the doors. Had it not been for the laundry cart, she would have hit the floor. The world tilted dangerously and Rukia had to pause to steady herself. Air surged in and out of her lungs at an unhealthy pace.

'Captain Kuchiki?'

Rukia looked to the side, finding a healer of whom she didn't know the name of.

'Are you alright?' they asked.

'My... lieutenant', Rukia breathed out. 'Which– in which room is he?'

The healer blinked at her, 'Your lieutenant?'

'Yes, my lieutenant!' Rukia snapped. 'Shiba Ichigo. Has orange hair. The one with Hollow powers. You know the one!'

Her outburst took the healer by surprise. They took a step back, not liking the way the air turned several degrees colder.

'I-I am very sorry, Captain Kuchiki. I wasn't aware he was submitted', they said. 'You may have more luck asking my captain or one of the lieutenants. Maybe even his assigned healer'.

Taking the answer, Rukia pushed herself off the laundry cart and headed towards the office of her colleague. Most likely, she would find Isane there. If not, Rukia hoped to come across one of the three on her way.

As she walked through the hallways, Rukia kept on trying to find Ichigo's spiritual pressure. Surely, now she was in the same building, she would be able to pick up his signature, right?

A rush of unbridled fury brushed against her senses. Ichigo? Rukia stopped, attempting to pinpoint where the anger was coming from. She followed it to a sturdy door, reinforced with steel and Seki Seki, by the looks of it.

'Captain Kuchiki?'

Like a child getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar, did Rukia turn towards who had spoken. 'Captain Kotetsu!'

The tall woman walked over, a pensive frown on her face. 'I have only just send out the Hell Butterfly, I didn't expect you here so soon'.

'His signature vanished', Rukia told in lieu of explanation. 'How is he?'

'He is stable at the moment'. Isane smiled at her, 'Shall I bring you to his room?'

'Please'.

To Rukia's surprise, Isane led her away from the door. They walked in the direction of the healer's office, going to the door at the far left in the same corridor. The Special Care Room?

The captain opened the door and allowed Rukia to enter first. The room was quite spacious. Opposite of the door, large windows allowed natural sunlight to brighten the neutral colours through half-open blinders. There was a couch to her left with a small table and a few fold-up chairs hidden in the corner. To her right, there was a single bed with nightstands on each side. She frowned, something was missing.

Again, Rukia reached out with her senses and came up empty. Hesitantly, she strode towards the bed. Faintly aware of Isane closing the door behind them. With each step, her sense of foreboding increased. It was only when she stood at the bedside, that she realised why.

'H-how is this possible?' Rukia asked. Her brain struggling to wrap around what she saw.

'Lieutenant Shiba has lost a lot of spiritual energy. What remained wasn't enough to support his body so it had to adjust in order to survive', Isane explained. 'We do believe it to be temporarily. I expect him to return to normal once his body has recovered sufficient spiritual energy'.

Looking back at the form in the bed, Rukia couldn't comprehend how small he was. Ichigo's complexion had turned quite a few shades lighter, giving him a ghastly appearance. His hair was sticking to his forehead, cheeks flushed. His brows were knitted together and his lips were pulled slightly as if in discomfort.

'He appears to be in pain', Rukia noted.

Isane walked over, standing on the other side of the bed. Her hands glowed green as she hovered them above her patient.

'I can't find anything wrong', Isane mumbled, pulling her hands away. 'Aside from the energy depletion, he is fine. It might be a side effect from the change'.

Rukia reached out with her hand, eying her colleague for permission. When Isane nodded, Rukia took Ichigo's hand. It was strange to see her own hand dwarf his. With her thumb, she rubbed the back of his hand.

'Is his family informed?'

'I am still composing the letter', Isane answered. 'Also, I have decided that due to his current state, only those noted as his emergency contact will be allowed to visit'.

Rukia hummed, agreeing with her peer. The less people know about the details, the better. She let her eyes drift, settling on the weapon hooks that were fastened to the wall behind the bed. Hooks that were suspiciously unused.

'Where is his zanpakutō?'

Immediately, Isane tensed up, eyes shifting to the empty rack. 'While we were treating Lieutenant Shiba, his Hollow took over', she told. 'He released an enormous amount of spiritual pressure, injuring one of the healers tending to his host–'

'Captain Kotetsu. Where. Is. Zangetsu?' Rukia asked again.

Isane grabbed her left elbow with her right hand, rubbing it a bit. 'We had to forcibly materialise him so he wouldn't harm anyone else and interrupt Lieutenant Shiba's treatment', she explained.

'You locked him in the holding cells downstairs, didn't you?' Rukia accused.

'We had to, he did not listen and posed a threat to everyone in the room. Lieutenant Shiba included', Isane defended.

'Can I see him?' Rukia asked.

'I don't think that is such a good idea, Captain Kuchiki', Isane said. 'He has hollowfied and hasn't calmed down, yet. I doubt you will be able to get far with him'.

The only person who can is unconscious, Rukia thought, looking at Ichigo. 'I see'.

Mistaking it for worry, Isane spoke up. 'He will be fine, Captain Kuchiki. Lieutenant Shiba is a tough one'.

I know that better than anyone. Regardless, Rukia nodded, accepting the attempt at comfort. Letting go of Ichigo's hand, she straightened. 'If anything changes-with either of them-can you let me know?'

'Of course'.

With worry and a dash of anger, Rukia left the room. No matter how much she wanted to stay by her friend's bedside, she was a captain. Her division-her responsibility-came first. She would have to be strong, not only for Ichigo but their subordinates.

She will perform her duties and be the rock their people needed. But when she had time, she would visit.

She would visit as much as she could.

#

TO BE CONTINUED

BLEACH – Tite Kubo