The following information changes over time! However, do not expect the second chapter's update the match the eleventh's, for example.


Chill


Summary: It didn't help that even as he awoke with no memory that he felt chilled to the bone. He promptly rises to the rank of captain, and he jumped at the opportunity to return to Hueco Mundo, even if he was confined to the duration of the night. Maybe it was to see the moon again, or to meet with his newly acquired companions; he wasn't certain. Anything goes, he supposed.

Character(s): [OC, Tia Halibel] Tres Bestias, Aizen Sōsuke, Urahara Kisuke.

Genre(s): Friendship, Adventure

Ratings: M, for inappropriate language, gore/vore (they're Hollows, they're cannibalistic), suggestive content, mild-strong [add later] content. Strong religious dogma (multiple parties).

Warning(s): To be determined.

Language(s): English : English ; Japanese (written in English), Spanish.

Crossover(s): Bleach: Good!Aizen AU, Temporal Displacement AU, Time-Travel AU, Arrancar Members of the Gotei 13 AU, Limitless (another Fanfiction idea) AU, Worlds of the Living (Soft Multi-X-Overs) AU.

Beta(s): N/A.

End Notes: Plot Bunny!


Season #1: "Half the Pendulum." Act #1: "Unnamed"

Disclaimer:

I do not own Bleach, that belongs to Tite Kubo.

I do, however, own any and all OCs, AUs, and twisted plot/Canon.

Please support the official releases.

Now, for the love of God, let this Fanfiction begin!


Chapter #2: "Pseudo Captive"

Location: 2nd Division Main Brig

Date: Monday, 20 September, 1937

Time: 6:53 PM

POV: Third, unlimited, 2nd Division Captain Shihōin Yoruichi, aged 236 years, appearance 25


When the woman returned, he was sleeping. Considering the fact that he appeared rather peaceful and the spiritual energy that leaked from the bindings were calm and collected, she decided not to disturb him. She wasn't always one to shirk off her duties - sometimes she would even do so for the Head Captain, and he'd only shake his head in exasperation: she usually got it done within a week of the issue of the order, even if it was meant to be immediate. Plus, still wary of their pseudo captive, she figured it was better to leave him be.

Stepping outside of the barrack, she was greeted by the sight of her personal bodyguard, Fon Shaolin. The normally stoic woman immediately brightened upon seeing her. "Yoruichi-sama!" she shouted - as per usual - with both elegance and excitement.

Yoruichi smiled and greeted her, "Yo, Bee," and then began walking off, fully confident that she would follow without a verbal order, and she did, close behind. Suddenly curious, Yoruichi tilted her head enough that the little bee could see it, and she perked up at an approaching question. "What do you think of the unknown?"

Yoruichi, even though the small girl was behind her, could tell that she set her face in a frown - not in disgust, but in contemplation. She did not wear her heart on her sleeve, but for someone who can sense as well as Yoruichi can, she bared her heart in her Spiritual Energy. It twisted and frothed around her in thought. "Truthfully, Yoruichi-sama," she began, her energy flowing out in relaxation, "I haven't been around him enough to form a personal opinion of him," she confessed, "but his bluntness and honesty will certainly serve to create a good Soul Reaper in the future, but his being so candid makes him poor Onmitsukidō material," she finished succinctly.

"What division do you think he would fit in well with?"

The way her steps shifted in weight indicated to Yoruichi that she tilted her head the other way to help her think. "Without seeing his combat prowess, at this point I can only say that his open honesty would only be welcomed in the Thirteenth, Eleventh, Tenth, Eighth, and Fourth. All other divisions could and/or would not tolerate it - for desire or necessity." Having been in the Omnitsukidō for a great length of time, she had vast knowledge on the other divisions - including some of the more private information that probably should have remained as such.

Approaching the main building to the division, Yoruichi asked one final question. "Where do you think he hails from?"

She hummed, thinking on this last one. They had about another minute before they reached the main courtyard before the meeting hall, and they had a minor meeting there. Forcing aside mental notes meant for the meeting, she scrutinized his appearance. He had a long face, strong jaws, high cheekbones, and a clean shaven face. His eyes were sunken back, like they were emaciated - but that's a given considering the length of time he most likely spent in Hueco Mundo. He was tall - incredibly so - possibly taller than the current Kenpachi himself.

His build was strong, but controlled. Not overly buff and nothing too thin. Emaciated, yes, but not to the point of tearing away the image of carefully crafted muscles meant to overpower. He was skinny enough to indicate that he had a high chance of dodging attacks - maybe less so for the ambush tactics of the Omnitsukidō, but enough to hold his own in a high-stakes, high-spiritual-class fight. He arrived through the Garganta stark naked, and the Fourth Division provided clothes for him, so at least he wore something kempt and clean now. His skin was light, face hardened from constant battle, and was covered in scars. Perhaps not to the point that the Head Captain was currently at, having a millennia of battles to draw from, but enough to show that it was unnatural. With that in mind, she listed off possible locations.

"He has the facial features of a Rumination Human, and the build of a Nirn Nord. His accents takes on the tone of a commander possibly from Earth, his dense Spiritual Energy is a clear indicator that he comes from a possible Noble House yet is unfamiliar to the current ones, and he even has the hands of a deep miner worker, from where I'm not sure." She shrugged. The Omnitsukidō had been on many worlds, and she had an abundance of information to choose from, having seen nearly all they had to offer, Living and Dead Realms alike. "He had chains when I first saw him, and he was visibly freaking out. It's likely he had been a prisoner if he died recently, but that wouldn't make sense if he arrived from Hueco Mundo. Having no memory is suspicious, but his spiritual energy acts like it isn't lying, but not for sake of survival." She then sighed. "I'm not sure about the other captains, but I can't pinpoint the source of his spiritual energy...it's so muddled..." She then shook her head.

When they reached the courtyard finding Ōmaeda Takeo drilling the soldiers (it took some choice words and...motivations...to get him to do his job right, and it appears as if he had gained his own personal motivations on top of that to work even harder than she expected, but Shaolin had no idea what they were. She figured they were not her business and left it to him), she continued.

"Even with an obvious lack of social etiquette, he appears to understand the basic functions of it, and even our language - luckily. Who knows what would have happened if he didn't understand our language, or any language at all?" she mused aloud, turning her head up at Yoruichi.

"Good observations, Soi," Yoruichi smiled, and Shaolin's spiritual energy shifted to that of an excited little girl, despite her maturing levels, for the small praise. There were still a few things Shaolin had to work on - like not being stuck up most of the time and generally being a stick in the mud - but she had down the occasional gesture of kindness and that was enough for her so far. "Why do today what can be done tomorrow?" Yoruichi mused. It had been her motto for a good time, and she would be damned to change it so early.

Entering the meeting, however, she wished she could have put it off for another hour or two. While they had already been waiting for ten minutes, she wanted to push it. She enjoyed to look on the face of nobles when they were stiffed, but it appears that they had also slowly become immune to her lack of respect. She didn't blame them, it's been nearly ninety years - she would have insulted them otherwise. Still, her lack of punctuation was unappreciated, though unaddressed, made her feel giddy.

"Shihōin-dono," one of the elders asked and she sighed aloud. She would not be afraid to show her displeasure. She stepped around them and into her comfortable seat. "We've come here to discuss your spending habits."

"Ugh," she groaned now. She was a grown woman and the head of a Noble House to boot. She could do as she damn well pleased with her own funds. Some of the Elders, however, had a completely different viewpoint on this, and she'd much rather not have to deal with all of this.

As they began to talk, she wanted to tune them out, but being the center of attention would certainly draw more attention than she would want to deal with, so she let them bluster and tuned out the least important information. Today would be a long day.


Location: Eleventh Division's Meeting "Dojo"

Time: 7:20 PM (27 MINUTES LATER)

POV: Third, unlimited, 11th Division Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, unknown age, appearance 34


"Did you see 'im?"

It didn't take intelligence for Zaraki to understand what Ikkaku had meant. He also wasn't surprised that he was in the room. Despite the sun slowly going down, that bald head of Ikkaku's was like a beacon, like the moon reflecting the sun's light. Zaraki sighed and shook his head no. He did not, in fact, see him - but even he could feel the energy from so far away when they had first detected him, and it did not take a genius to aid him in navigation. He ran, Yachiru squealing in delight from over his shoulder, barreling down over fifty districts in under an hour.

The unknown's spiritual energy was so dense that it overloaded the sensors in the 12th Division and messed up the Onmitsukidō to the point to where he had arrived first. They arrived a second afterwards to their credit - but they found him heading towards it first.

He immediately jumped in to fight, laughing while he did it. The unknown had immediately began to defend himself with absolute terror in his eyes - his strength was the only reason that the Eleventh Kenpachi had felt compelled to continue fighting on unabated. The Onmitsukidō were helpless until Yoruichi had arrived to inhibit his violent jubilee, and it took the combined effort of Hirako, Otoribashi, and Aikawa to maintain his restraints long enough for Muguruma to arrive. He was able to keep the eleventh captain down while the second dealt with the unknown, trying to convince the anonymous man to calm down.

Yoruichi had sent a messenger to Yamamoto immediately after the spiritual energy had rained down on them and received an answer just as quickly. Subdue both the unknown and the Kenpachi, but do so the former in a placating manner. She had attempted to follow this to the letter but he remained in a berserk state, not attacking out of necessity or in a rage, but simple confusion. It wasn't until Unohana arrived that Yoruichi was quickly briefed on the psychological turmoil going on in the man's body, and the healer quickly moved on it, silencing him with a quick, unknown Kaidō that shut him down, knocking him out cold. With that in mind, Kenpachi finally quit squirming, admitting that he wouldn't fight him in that state. He voiced his annoyance, but everyone ignored him.

He could still feel the power falling off of the nameless entity in waves until the Omnitsukidō finally sealed it away with some special cuffs from the 12th Division. Kenpachi didn't comment on the fact that they were the personal cuffs of the Omnitsukidō Commander herself - there was even some embroidery and other etchings on it. He made out a U.K. written on it. When he figured it out, he made no comment or made anyone aware of what he thought he knew. Shihōin could be damn well scary when she wanted to be, and he wasn't about to invoke her wrath if he was wrong.

He was 93% sure she was shacked up with the deranged co-captain of the 12th, anyway. And by Aizen's incessant yammering on the artificial Soul Reaper, he's also pretty sure he's now literally married to his work. As disturbing as it was that it was still in the toddler stages.

What? Kenpachi has morals, too. Why do you think he keeps Yachiru around?

"What are they gonna do with 'im?" Ikkaku asked next after a moment of silence. Zaraki sighed.

"They're gonna shack 'im up with a buncha other captains and teach 'im. Waste o' space otherwise, apparently..." he answered, slightly miffed.

Ikkaku raised an eyebrow. "Are we one of the squads he's assigned to?"

"Nah, startin' with Yoru," he said. "We're not allowed to go near 'im - don't wanna break everything."

Ikkaku nodded like he understood. He didn't. Not yet. Not when Ikkaku wasn't as powerful as he was. So powerful that just a bit of spirit release would send him sprawling on the ground from all of the pressure. He wanted to fight. He was itching for it!

"Captain?"

That itch may have been a little too obvious. He struggled to lower his grin. He had been laying on his back on a couch he had imported into his room a good while back, and he glanced at Ikkaku briefly. "Where's Yachiru?" he deflected.

Ikkaku raised a brow. "She went over to Kuchiki's again. Probably for the Women's Association..."

"Ah," he grunted.

"Wanna fight?"

Kenpachi looked at him and scrutinized him for a moment... "Yeah." He got up.


Location: Fourth Division Staff Room

Time: 7:23 PM (3 MINUTES LATER)

POV: Third, unlimited, 4th Division Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane, 43 years of age, appearance 14


The staff room was small, since there were a pair of vases on opposing corners of the room. Two leather couches sat facing one another with a quaint little mahogany table between them. A small rug was beneath it, depicting many images and colors. Kotetsu Isane rested on one of the couches, sitting back and sighing in relief. She was alone in the room and would probably much prefer it to remain as such.

There was a bar and a kitchenette set there for any who would need it. A little invention from the Living World Earth was a wonderful little addition called a coffee maker (lots of things seem to be coming from there recently, and the 12th Division is getting heat for not inventing them first sometimes) that helped people wake up or remain energized until the end of their shifts.

Lots of jobs became more efficient after it. 12th Division's been trying to come up with something to trump it. Co-Captain Aizen wants to infuse tea with an energizing drug. Co-Captain Urahara is probably more likely to sneak it into everyone's drink without their consent - and probably/accidentally/purposefully add other drugs into the drinks (for fun, most likely).

Captain Unohana said no. Isane remembered that.

It was a relatively peaceful day, and almost suspicious that the eleventh division hadn't sent in any members as of yet. Perhaps they were deciding to take a cheat day from all their rambunctious violence between each other. Isane would welcome it all the same.

So, imagine her surprise when someone rushed into the room and shouted at her - causing her to yelp in surprise and fall off the couch. Luckily, she had deposited her coffee onto the table, safely confined by the walls of the mug it rested in. Still, her bottom was sore after falling onto it, and she was helped up by one of the lower members in the squad.

"Sorry, fukutaichō!" the man apologized. "But I need your help!"

"What's wrong, Kaito?" she muttered, yet loud enough for him to hear. She was rubbing out the pain...

"Kenpachi's fighting again!"

Suddenly, all other things were thrown out of her thoughts as decade-long drills and procedures arrived at the forefront of her mind, and she turned to him. It jarred him a bit, but he readied himself to receive some orders. "Get seats four through twelve to the C Wing, and all remaining seats to the eleventh division for pickup!"

"Hai, fukutaichō!"


Location: 2nd Division Main Brig

Date: Tuesday, 21 September, 1937

Time: 3:13 AM

POV: Third, unlimited, 2nd Division Captain Shihōin Yoruichi, aged 236 years, appearance 25


Having felt a fluctuating spiritual energy, even if it was only for a moment, woke her up. After 20 minutes of walking, she found herself in the brig, where the unknown was sitting up, and he looked to her as she stepped in. He had been asleep until then and while she preferred to have her beauty sleep, she was too curious about him to care. If he didn't know about himself, she'd learn alongside him. "Awake, sleepy-bo?"

"A," he answered, studying her features.

"Something you like?" she teased. She was disappointed that he failed to catch the bait.

"What does the symbol on the back of that white cloak signify?" he asked instead.

She blinked for a moment, looking over her shoulder in thought. "It is the number Ni," she answered. "It is is the symbol of the second division."

"Tell me about it," he said. She nodded.

"Each of the thirteen divisions have different...personalities, you could say," she waved her hand to help her continue. "The second used to do something different, but we decided to simplify it and mix it with the Stealth Force."

"They were different entities?" he wondered curiously and she nodded.

"A, I never told you my name, did I?" she asked and approached the door, reaching into her shihakushō to take out a chain of keys.

"Yeah," he started, and then smirked mischievously, catching her attention enough that she slowed down in unlocking the door. "Y'know, just because I forget my name, doesn't mean that it's okay for you to, too."

She laughed, "I think I'm gonna like you, Sleepy-bo~"

He frowned instantly. "That's my name now, isn't it?"

"Yup," she popped the p. He groaned, rolling his eyes. "Anyway," she sobered herself to be more serious as she opened the door to let him out of the semi-prison and removing the chain between the cuffs, but not really taking them off.

He sighed, annoyed. "I can't have these off?"

"Not until we get you some seals to hold back your spiritual energy," she replied. "I'm hoping to at least teach you how to make a seal or two, or someone else will." She shrugged, "Anyways, my name is Shihōin Yoruichi, Head of the Shihōin Noble Clan."

"A," he bowed, "Hime-sama."

She giggled then as he stepped out of the room and she locked it back. "Please, just call me Yoruichi," she offered, "I'm not exactly a fan of honorifics,"

"Hai," he smiled, leaning towards her and lowering the tone of his voice to as deep a baritone as he could, "Yoruichi-sama."

Yoruichi was caught off guard enough that she leaned back an inch and thanked her lucky stars that her skin had a dark enough pigmentation to hide her blush, although her face still steamed. She hadn't exactly expected him to take on a teasing personality that rivalled hers. It took physically shaking her head to push away the still strong blush out of her mind, even if it still rested on her cheeks physically.

He reverted to his more sincere side and stepped away, less mischievous and a more subdued smile on his face and gestured for her to go ahead. A gentleman, too? It's good that he was a chivalrous man.

"Anyways," she said smoothly, some pride for doing so in the face of embarrassment inflating just a tad, and continued ahead of him, "The Omnitsukidō are bound to the Shihōin House, but since I've been a captain of the second division for over ninety years, they've recently decided to just merge it into the division." She shrugged, the red finally falling off her cheeks. "Makes it easier, at least - but I'm getting heat for spending too much on 'em now that they're out of the Elders' hands."

"The Elders?" he asked, brow raised from behind her. And as she began to explain to him the normal noble regime, she took note of the feeling of his spiritual energy. It was a hardened, warrior's edge, with a softer, much kinder inside. There were many openings in his armor, she found with surprise. And although he might not remember who those openings led to, he could forge new ones.

Deeper inside, however, she found that there was a certain kind of a distinguished core, like he had been born royalty, but with a tinge of darkness mixed in. With that, she tentatively touched it with some of her spiritual energy, but was held back by the warrior in him. He was immediately on guard, but so subtly that even she wouldn't have been able to detect that he even was cautious in the first place if she hadn't been prodding him.

It was then that she realized she was in a competition. He was also prodding her with his spiritual power, but thankfully her automatic guard had been put up unconsciously. Maybe since he was still so genuine as she talked with him that he was much the same. But coming from Hueco Mundo, what sort of things did he encounter while there to get to that point? She needed a very specific type of training to even learn that habit herself for over a hundred years, and if what Shaolin's hypothesis was true - that he was recently killed - how did he master that capability so quickly?

She initially thought she would remain the only one conscient of the prodding, until his spiritual energy clammed up, forcing her away. While it was like a spear, shoving it away, he took some of it under the exterior. He was being a little trusting, but he didn't want anything obvious in him known - maybe he wanted to find out first? She didn't know, but when she thought about it deeply, she found a foreign presence in her own energy. She didn't throw it away, it was so miniscule.

She led him to one of the many dojo rooms littered around and hit a switch on the side of the wall, lights on the ceiling immediately illuminating the room. Thanks to the 12th Division, they advanced the ones in the Living World Earth from when they were invented nearly sixty years ago.

The room was sparse, open, and completely spartan. There were no more than sliding Japanese doors (for some reason, the Head Captain was obsessed with the Japanese edo era) and an inner circle of sparring carpet. She then asked him to head to somewhere inside of the blue square and she grabbed a pair of small, wakizashi sized wooden swords for them to practice with.

"The Head Captain, our top captain, has ordered me to be your teacher in certain Soul Reaper aspects," she began and he nodded as she approached. She tossed him a wooden blade. "The four most basic Soul Reaper fields are bound together into an overall name: Zankensoki. The first is Zanjutsu, the art of swords. I'm to teach you two others, someone else will teach you the fourth, you'll go to someone to learn how to write, you'll go to our resident Captain Healer and get a physical - which is basically just making sure you're healthy up to a Soul Reaper's standards - and you'll be sent to another noble for etiquette lessons."

He raised a brow as he fixated the sword in his hands. "Why can't you teach me noble stuff?" he wondered. She shook her head no and approached him, fixing his hands on the blade in the correct manner. "His hands are warm as hell," she thought idly.

"I'm not really a fan of restrictive policies," she said offhandedly, holding back a hiss from the heat rolling off of his hand. Maybe his inner spirit was a fire-type? It was a wonder, and she hoped to see his blade when he first released it. "Don't really like to get in deep with the politicals and I let the Elders handle everything. It's easier and I don't care much for them in the first place."

"Lazy much?" he joked and she swatted his arm for the comment.

"Hush you," she replied, then nodded her head a good job done before stepping opposite him.

"Got any siblings?" he asked.

"A brother," she answered with a slight frown.

"Did he wrong you?" he assumed when he noticed her frown.

She shook her head no. "Nah, just clingy. Wish he'd grow up a bit." She readjusted the swords in her hand to the correct position. "I'm not exactly the best swordsman here," she confessed.

"Probably the best swordswoman," he joked. She smirked and a swell of pride surfaced in her chest.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," she shot back, before setting herself in a stance. "Ready?"

"What, is it just random viole-?"

"HYAH!"

"Gah!"

She had instantly disappeared and instantly reappeared beside him, throwing the blade into his direction, hoping to catch him off guard. She was pleasantly surprised to find him already blocking her before she arrived and also simultaneously annoyed that he was nearly as fast as she was.

He couldn't be faster than she was. He wasn't, her pride demanded that she be faster. She is the fastest, lest she damn her own title!

He struggled to hold her back, but not for his lack of strength. He just hasn't sharpened his spiritual power, his will, yet, she realized.

"You're fast," he complimented through grit teeth, covered by his smirking lips. His eyes sharpened slightly, but so did hers.

"I'm the Goddess of Flash for a reason," she teased with a cheshire grin. His eyes widened. She had explained to him how powerful captains were, and by the feel of the energy that he had sampled earlier, every captain was a force to be reckoned with.

But his grin was back twice as strong. "Then I'll surpass you!"

She smiled as she recoiled, appearing at his left, but his eyes tracked her. "Prove it!" she demanded. A gleam in her eyes caught his attention when he pulled back his left foot and raised both hands to the left, bringing his wooden katana in front of him, parallel to the ground, horizontal before him. He held the end of the back of the blade against his shoulder to brace for an attack. Her blade swatted against it briefly and he had to turn the blade vertically block her cross slash, left hand supporting the end of the blade this time. Leaping backaways, he lifted his back left leg and swiveled his body accordingly and Yoruichi narrowly avoided it with little effort, rounding the blade one-handed in her right hand to strike his unguarded back.

Following her orders, he chambered his kicking leg and used that momentum to throw his blade around, locking them at the hilts. Continuing his motion, he threw out his left leg again into a round kick without ever having let it touch the floor. This forced her to disengage her blade and duck backwards, under his leg, allowing her to score a glancing blow on his back.

Grunting from the blow, he slid forward more purposefully, guided by the momentum, and tossed his sword into his other hand just in time to strongly block another strike. "Ambidextrous?" she said aloud, but then tilted her head. "Yur gettin' faster, Sleepy-bo," she complimented, she smiled warmly.

"I'm not that easy," he replied, grunting. When she raised a brow, for a different reason than he thought (confusion over accusation), he conceded. "Alright, fine. Maybe I am. Bow chicka wow wow!" he shouted. Caught off guard by the sudden rush of realization, Yoruichi was shoved back by his blow and he threw his leg out to tag her under her thigh, and she drew back, hissing in slight pain. "Aw, kitty, does your leg hurt?" he teased with a smirk.

Suddenly, she smirked murderously! "Com'ere, ya little brat!"

"What, cat got your to-WAHO!" he yelped, thrust back by three consecutive, instant attacks that he had barely blocked, and he continued to step back purposefully, letting his movement absorb the blows. At that point, she began to attack from the sides, becoming too swift for his eyes to see, and even in his panicked state, he noticed he was grinning widely. Obeying instinct, he threw over his wrist so that the blade of the katana was touching the outside of the middle of his upper arm, allowing the sharpened piece of wood to absorb the impact of another strike.

She was immediately behind him, targeting his right leg. Lifting that leg and sliding to his left with his remaining leg, she sailed beneath him, and he brought down the sword and just barely tagged the bottom of her feet. She rolled and he was upon her, and even if she turned too fast for the naked eye, he was still throwing her back onto her haunches. He paid for his overconfidence with her throwing a leg out and knocking him over.

A blade rested at his throat. While it wasn't a steel blade, it was still cold against his neck. With both of them panting, it took a considerable amount of time for him to say, "I yield."

She drew away slowly, sitting back on her bottom, one leg bent and up against her chest, foot out, with her other resting and threading beneath it. He took a moment before putting his hands back and pushing himself up so he was sitting up. The two of them looked at each other, quit panting and laughed.

They stood up after a few seconds and sighed. "Good match," he said, "and probably the only peaceful one," he said a little demurely, but perked up again. She nodded and led them out, remembering to replace the swords they left out on the floor, and he followed - "Like a lost puppy," she thought inside, but she didn't say that aloud for fear of alienating him. Or having to explain the concept of an animal if he was unaware.

Instead, she talked about the fighting capabilities that he had displayed. "You're strong," she began, "but you put too much faith into raw strength. And while you're conservative and conventional, that won't always hold up in a fight against someone who understands fighting etiquette," she instructed. "You'll need technique in a fight like that."

"Considering I'm still alive, I think I've done alright so far," he boasted with a smirk.

She raised a brow. "According to Kenpachi and a couple of my Omnitsukidō agents, you came through what's called a Garganta," she explained, "which is the gateway between Hueco Mundo - or Hollow World, whichever you prefer - and any other world."

"So?" he asked innocently. She sighed.

"We are what are called Pure Souls, or Pluses if you're stuck in your respective Living World after death, and as Soul Reapers, it is our job to guide them to the Soul Society, or they will become a Hollow through negative emotions, and turn into beings of their deepest, darkest desires, devouring souls for the sake of filling the void in their chest - normally referred to as their loss of heart." She shrugged, then. "Some say the hole in its chest is a representation of their loss of hearts, and others say it's the mask they can't see right on their faces. No one really knows, unless they spoke directly to a long-aged Hollow that doesn't avoid us at every turn. Least most of 'em remain in Hueco Mundo and don't cause trouble."

"What's the point?" he raised a brow.

She sighed. "Hollows are beings of instinct - no technique whatsoever - so fighting them would be easy of someone of your calibre." She turned to him as they walked, slightly exasperated. "If you tried fighting us, your lack of technique itself would be the main reason why you would lose, no matter your strength."

"Sounds like a good time," he grinned wickedly, until she swatted his arm. "Ow."

"Wild man," she chided with a light snap in her tone, but she had a small smile licking at the corner of her mouth. "I'm going to discipline you in Zanjutsu and two other Zankensoki techniques. Hohō - high speed movement techniques like Flash Step-" she demonstrated for him, Flash Stepping before him and walking backwards so she could face him. She knew the way forward and backward to the 12th Division, anyway. "-and Hakuda - hand-to-hand combat."

"A, okay," he nodded. "I'm not sure how I'll handle hand to hand, but I think I got Hohō down already, so you can skip the basics there." Again, she hit his arm.

"Hohō is about technique, not instinct," she rebuked, "You can be fast, a part of your body can utilize something close to proper Hohō instinctually, but it is not traditional. The Old Man wants me to teach you right, so I will."

"Fine," he groaned and looked away in annoyance, "and the other one?"

"Kidō?" she wondered. He shrugged, and she sighed, remembering why he was unaware of that concept. "Kidō are the demon arts. It utilizes three forms: Hadō, the way of destruction; Bakudō, the way of binding; and Kaidō, the way of healing," she elucidated. "You'll be learning from the Commander of the Kidō Corps."

"What division is he the captain of?"

"He's not a captain," she said bluntly, and he tilted his head. "The Kidō Corps are more of a special branch of the 13 Courts, like the Honorary Division you're in."

"Honorary?" he asked.

"You're not an official member of the 13 Courts, but they're willing to allow you in, and you've been let in on the 20th seat - the lowest," she answered. He balked at the low promotion but she ignored him. "At the moment, they don't currently have a captain, but they're called on for special operations from time to time.

"Anyway," she waved her hand, "like my Division, the Kidō Corps run on a completely different hierarchy compared to the 13 Squads. Tsukabishi Tessai is the name of the Commander. You'll be meeting him later this morning."

"Who will teach me the other things?"

"Co-Captain Aizen of the Twelfth will teach you speech, reading, and writing - considering he's the calligraphy teacher over at the Academy - and Kuchiki-taichō of the Sixth will teach you at least normal etiquette, though part of me thinks he'll go all the way since you already understand the basics." He groaned and she pretended not to hear it. "You also have to go for monthly checkups at our hospital for your physical with Captain Unohana and the twelfth with Kisuke for testing your spiritual energy, since we have no idea where you're from."

"Who the hell's Kisuke?"

She smiled, then, only a hint of mischief present. "Urahara Kisuke, Co-Captain of the Twelfth."

"Wait...is he captains with Aizen-taichō?"

"A," she answers, smiling more widely. "There was an exact split decision between all of the captains and Central 46 - our non-military government - concerning who the captain would be. We eventually decided since they were both so smart that it would be alright to have them both be captains simultaneously. And it's helped a lot." She then grimaced. "Except for the fact that they argue about everything and they talk with so many words it's hard to understand what it is, so we have to let them duke it out verbally..."

"When did all of this happen?"

"A little over forty years ago," she answered. "Anyways, after Kuchiki-taichō teaches you etiquette, it's likely you'll start going to Unohana-taichō for more than just checkups - mostly learning Kaidō if Commander Tsukabishi doesn't already do so. And after dealing with Kisuke and Aizen-taichō, I need to take you to the First Division for a captain's meeting at ten to discuss you. You might be here for a few hours - don't wander, and always have someone who knows the place with you," she advised, and he nodded seriously.

Soon, they came across a set of doors in the Court of Pure Souls, the Gate of the Twelfth Division Compound.

"Most Divisions don't really have gates," she started, "but this is to prevent the new recruits from wandering into the Research and Development Institute."

"Can't you just ask them to leave?"

She turned to him with her hand on the door, but she didn't push in just yet. She was serious. "They never found the first few recruits after the bigger experiments and the buildings went up." She pushed inward and he shuffled inside at her urging. "The buildings are a damn maze, and they didn't have safety procedures back then." She shut the door and brought him with.

After a moment, he realized something with what she was saying and what they were doing now. "Wait, wait, wait," he began shakily, "and we're just gonna waltz in?!"

She stopped and grabbed the shihakushō he was wearing. "Do I look like a new recruit to you?"

"N-no!" he stammered, fear in his eyes. But then, he found his pride and confidence again and shrugged her off. "But I was referring to me!" he said scathingly.

"Oh," she calmed down, "well, you're with me, so you have permission. Plus, I'm the one who is guiding you, so you should be fine."

Cooling off, no matter how much part of his mind growled at the concept, he sighed and walked inside with her.

He had a sense of foreboding.


End of Chapter 2


And that's that, everyone!


Comments:

Bob of the A(: "I don't have much to say, being a fan of your other stories, I know this will be good. Will have more to say with future updates."

Reply: "OH MY GOD YOU'RE A FAN THANK YOUUUUUUU" [my reaction to the first time someone admits they're a fan of my stories]


References:

Rumination: RWBY, by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth, extensively.

Nirn: The Elder Scrolls franchise by Gregory Keyes.


Current 13 Court Guardian Squadrons Current Makeup:

1st Division (Commander Division): Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, Sasakibe Chōjirō, 3rd-20th.

2nd Division (Stealth Division): Shihōin Yoruichi, Ōmaeda Takeo, 3rd-5th, Amagai Shūsuke, 7th-20th. (wip hierarchy)

Shihōin Guard: Fon Shaolin "Soi," Vice Guards (2-4), 5th-20th. (wip hierarchy)

3rd Division: Ōtoribashi Rōjurō, Iba Tetsuzaemon, 3rd-20th.

4th Division (Hospital Division): Unohana Retsu "Yachiru", Kotetsu Isane, Sarizawa Katio, Kira Izuru, 5th-6th, Hanatarō Yamada, 8th-18th, Shiba Ganju, 20th.

5th Division: Hirako Shinji, Lieutenant-7th, Hinamori Kasumi, 9th-20th.

6th Division: Kuchiki Byakuya, Lieutenant-20th.

7th Division: Aikawa Rabu "Love", Komamura Sajin, 3rd-20th.

8th Division (Archive Division): Kyōraku Shunsui, Yadōmaru Lisa, 3rd-19th. Ise Nanao.

9th Division (Communication Division): Muguruma Kensei, Mashiro Kuna, 3rd-13th, Hisagi Shūhei, 15th-20th.

10th Division: Shiba Isshin, Matsumoto Rangiku, Hitsugaya Toshiro, Kusaka Sōjirō, Ichimaru Gin, 6th-20th.

11th Division: Zaraki Kenpachi, Kusajishi Yachiru, 3rd-7th, Madarame Ikkaku, 9th, Ayasegawa Yumichika, 11th, Sarugaki Hiyori, 13th, Athena Jericho, 15th-17th, Shiba Kūkaku, 19th-20th.

12th Division (Research and Development Institute): Urahara Kisuke and Aizen Sōsuke, unseated, 3rd-4th, Akon, 6th, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, 8th-9th, Kagerōza Inaba, 11th, Yoshino Sōma, 13th-20th.

13th Division: Ukitake Jūshirō, Shiba Kaien, 3rd-5th, Kotsubaki Sentarō, 6th, Shiba Miyako, 8th-17th, Kotetsu Kiyone, 19th-20th.

Kidō Corps: Tsukabishi Tessai, Hachigen Ushōda, 3rd-20th. (wip hierarchy)

Honorary Division: "Sleepy-bo!", Lieutenant, 3rd-14th, Kariya Jin, 16th-20th. (wip hierarchy)

I am accepting Original Characters for the other seats!

Please be concise, but descriptive!

Please remain on topic (do not go off tangent!)!

They are allowed to be of different story origin!

Limitations!: If you want them to be a specific rank, I may have to demote or promote them in the future for characters who already own the positions with names above. Some of the positions do not have names yet because that character isn't in the story yet or because I want it to be a surprise. Most of the surprises are already being shown anyway. A list may be provided for every chapter.

For example: 11th's 15th-17th seats are taken! 12th's 2nd-3rd seats are taken! Etc. etc!


Next Chapter: Pending Completion

And now, for the love of God, let the next Fanfiction begin!