...

"Aizen..." Ichigo stated, locking gazes with me as he fidgeted with the wooden sword in his hand.

"It's captain... Captain to you!" Nameless-kun pointed out from the middle of the makeshift arena in my own barracks that I'd elected to create and use. The first 'captain' had been uttered in a whisper as he visibly held in the urge to prematurely start the 'training.'

He's not wrong.

You actually care..?

Aizen chose not to respond to that.

I rolled my eyes, an easy-going smile on my face with indifference to the matter. "Ichigo, don't call me captain captain. I will literally drop-kick you back to Karakura town if you do."

Brief amusement colored the ginger's face at that before he opened his mouth to retort.

"Also no there's no hurry to going back either, according to my fellow captain captains, the little skirmishes there were dealt with."

His amusement disappeared as a frown took over, his eyes blinking a few times. "I wasn't going to ask- There were skirmishes? By who?" He questioned rapidly, his face inching closer as he leaned in the slightest, his hand gripping the wooden blade more tightly.

I blinked in response.

"Whoops. Don't think I am supposed to mention that- Anywho. What's the problem? I thought I already told you what you need to do for today's training?"

It's been about two weeks since my adventure in Huaco Mundo, and so far apart from the thirty-two tests by the science and medical departments, everything's gone relatively smoothly-

Mostly because I haven't been attending any captain meetings, avoided the other captains like the plague, and overall just kept to myself- to their annoyance, but hey, I was dealing with post-traumatic celebrity status and it wasn't fun been hounded by everyone for 'doing the impossible' and 'risking reality' and let's not forget 'reckless endangerment of personal self.'

Honestly, where did the nerve come from-

That... Has to be the worst simplification in history.

What are you-

One. You were supposed to do two hundred tests- Only, instead of complying, you chose to annoy the life out of everyone involved and forced them to delay your involvement for the rest until-

Hey, they expected me to wait hours for them to analyze each reading!

Well, they would've gone a lot faster if someone hadn't decided to trade in his Zanpakuto for a single word.

Oh,

now you're complaining about that?

Not to mention the fact they have to analyze hollow reiatsu the likes of which they've never seen-

Why are you even defending them?

...Two, Yamamoto has elected to give you the freedom of choosing between attending those meetings or meeting him alone immediately after- You've chosen to do the latter.

He keeps making me play chess against him- And drink tea. It's so weird. He hasn't even asked me about Huaco Mundo!

...He's waiting for the

experts on the matter of what went down- And need I remind you that every realm saw what went down?

I thought I was the expert? I am officially offended. When did those pesky scientists out-expert me on matters I definitely, completely, understood?

...I am done. you're clearly not taking this seriously

Though, in hindsight, it was probably because of the fact that they were still trying to decide what to do with the still bedridden Kaien Shiba once he woke up.

Though my vote evidently amounted to letting him live, which considering the reiatsu reports he'd gotten was actually a big step in the... Sereitei not-been-a-dick department.

Ichigo let out a sigh of frustration, finally catching my attention as I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry, what was that? Didn't quite catch what you said."

He gave me a deadpan look before relenting and replied, though clearly unamused.

"This... clearly isn't fair... You're asking me to fight twenty seated shinigami who can use their Zanpakuto's while I am stuck with a wooden sword... That can very easily shatter if I cover it in too much reiatsu- Or get cut in half if I use too little to reinforce it..." His deadpan look returned. "When you yourself have said that my control is too shoddy to bother working on!" He pointed a finger at me. "What happened to just throwing everything at them at once?"

I shrugged in response.

"None of them are lieutenants?" He twitched at me, causing me to roll my eyes in response. "And you can only throw everything at them once. What are you gonna do when that doesn't work?"

"...Then why tell-"

"'Cos it works for me." I smiled. He didn't. "Besides, I said you might as well not bother, I didn't say you weren't going to work on it." I waited for a single beat. "There's a difference."

He twitched again, though instead of immediately replying, he let out a resigned sigh and briefly appraised the wooden blade as he made a few test swipes with it. "You know, if I didn't know what you were capable of, I'd think you were either clueless or screwing with me right now." He deadpanned, I think to himself? Given his gaze immediately locked into mine as a sheepish expression took over his face. "I- uh meant-"

"Eh, sometimes it's both." I shrugged, watching as his expression briefly twitched again, his eyes closed this time. "Though in this case, I do know what I am doing for your training," I added on the moment he reopened his eyes, my gaze taking in the relieved and suddenly very determined expression that took over his face. A moment later, he turned on his feet and promptly flash-stepped into the middle of the arena. The rest of the Shinigami surrounding him not waiting a beat as they all started attacking.

Truth be told, I have no fucking idea what I am doing.

When he came to ask me for help, I literally thought of the first idea that popped into my head to help him train his control.

Said idea had come from my history with video games.

The wooden sword was partly for shits and giggles- And partly for the fact Ichigo definitely needed a drawback against the army of nameless-kuns.

...I am not sure what's worse. The fact you actually came up with it that way, or the fact it's actually an effective form of training.

...Neat?

No.

Thankfully, before Aizen could continuously disparage my feelings, another fellow captain's presence promptly made itself known by my side as Shunsui flash-stepped beside me, an annoyed expression on his face.

"...You know, when Yama-Jie made you that offer regarding our meetings, he did expect you to still show up to our ones occasionally." He remarked, a pointed look on his expression as he crossed his arms and leaned against the raised center of the roof of the building we were on top of, his gaze slowly lowering itself down towards the arena as he appraised the new form of training.

"Miss me?" I snorted in response.

A small part of me was pretty sure that Shunsui was still sore with me over the fact I'd kicked him back to Soul Society and took all the glory for Huaco Mundo, though I'd yet to ask him directly.

"Yup." He deadpanned in response. "When you don't show up we actually have to take the meeting seriously." He promptly took a swig out of the small bottle I'd somehow missed seeing when he'd landed. "I wasn't made for that."

"...You're a captain..." I pointed out, turning to face him.

"Wasn't made for that either." He shrugged, before he tipped his chin upwards, his gaze locked onto the arena ahead. "Control training?"

"Yup."

He nodded in approval. "Hmmm, might have to test-run it with my own barrack. Not a bad idea."

I nodded again.

No one can ever know.

I watched as his gaze slowly lowered itself to the ground right beneath the roof we were standing on. "What's with the stack?" He questioned bemusedly, referring to a large number of extra wooden swords I'd had prepared.

"Spares, in case he screws up." I shrugged. "Literally have no hope for him."

"I heard that-" Ichigo immediately decided to shout out from the arena, only to promptly get whacked on the head by nameless-kun number thirteen's kido.

Incoming. Aizen's voice pinged through randomly, causing me to stiffen momentarily, as my gaze started scouring the clearing before I let out a sigh and calmly turned around on my feet to face the other end of the roof. Shunsui bemusedly turned his gaze towards me away from the arena, and before he could say anything, a white beam of light suddenly crashed onto the other side of the roof.

A smiling Ichibe quickly appeared over the surprisingly unbroken tiles of the roof the moment the beam of light dissipated.

The majority of spikes of reiatsu in the arena behind me, at his appearance, seemed to drastically drop- Though Ichigo's stayed the same.

Shunsui held in a gasp as he shuffled around to face the other, his head bowing the slightest forward. "Your Eminence!"

"More like dickness."

Shunsui's face suddenly looked like he swallowed something sour and lodged it into his throat as he turned a very pointed look towards me.

Ichibe's smile disappeared as annoyance and irritation took over- With another unreadable emotion.

"Captain Shunsui." The Royal Guard leader remarked, letting out a sigh as he turned towards me. "Aizen."

"No captain for me?" I raised an eyebrow at him. My words only causing another unreadable expression to appear on the other's face, while Shunsui, carefully and subtly took a step backward.

"...With that attitude, I take it you intend to refuse my offer?" He remarked with a disappointed expression taking over his face.

Given I had no knowledge as to what the hell he was talking about-

"What offer?" I deadpanned. "There was an offer? I don't remember an offer." I narrowed my eyes. "I like offers, why didn't anyone tell me there was an offer?"

Neither Ichibe, nor Shunsui knew how to react to that. Though the older shinigami's expression did light up for whatever reason as he let out a scoff.

"Yamamoto chose not to tell you then?"

That sneaky little-

Aizen you don't even know what it is yet.

I- Doesn't matter! He shouldn't-

Shush, rant later, he's about to tell me- You- Us.

Ichibe's face promptly cut off into another smile.

"Aizen Sosuke, you've shown exemplary service to Sereitei in your-"

I waved away the platitudes. "Yeah, yeah, what's the offer?"

Shunsui paled as he whispered several un-endearing words towards me, while Ichibe's expression for a moment cracked before he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

"You've been offered a promotion, to the ranks of the Royal Guard!" He finished, crossing his arms. "I will be-"

And I frankly couldn't help my response as I cut him off again, raised my head, and started laughing.

...I don't know how one soul can make my contingency plans an absolute necessity yet completely worthless in the grand scheme of things.

I... What? Is that a compliment?

I am not even sure myself.

Briefly regaining control, I lowered my gaze onto a gobsmacked Ichibe and deadpanned the words-

"Hell no."

Aizen, despite his annoyance at my execution of it, seemed to approve of the rejection.

It's too soon.

Well, ain't that just ominous.

"...Excuse me?" Ichibe remarked, an utterly lost expression on his face.

I calmly waved a hand left and right before my chest. "Don't take it as an offence- I just don't think I am qualified for the job." A single beat passed as I watched Ichibe's expression crease for a moment, my peripheral idly taking Shunsui's mildly dropped jaw.

His brows furrowed, Ichibe uncrossed his arms. "You don't even know what the rank entails-"

"Yeah, I do." I nodded for dramatic effect. Watching as Ichibe's expression once again shifted into a different one. This time wariness and apprehension filling his face.

"Very well... What do you think makes you unqualified for it?"

"I have ethics."

...

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