Sixteen years had passed since Sosuke Aizen had been defeated. Ichigo and his human friends had gone back to their normal lives. They now had little contact with Soul Society, except for occasional visits from Rukia and Renji. On one such visit, Rukia asked Ichigo if she could speak to him alone. He followed her into his room. "What is it?" he asked.

"I wanted to ask something of you. Would you be willing to join one of the squads? We need someone to fill in the holes that Aizen, Gin, and Tousen left behind. You could easily become a captain," Rukia said.

"Why would I do that? My life is finally peaceful!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"But if you were a captain, you wouldn't have to fight except in emergencies," she pointed out.

"I guess so. But I would have to handle all the responsibilities," he said.

"Your lieutenant could handle a lot of the responsibilities for you," Rukia said.

"I guess so. I have to admit, my life has been pretty boring lately. Maybe this isn't a bad idea..." Ichigo said thoughtfully.

"You don't have to just stop at becoming a captain. I bet you could even become head captain," Rukia said.

"Huh? But you already have one of those."

"He is extremely old even for a shinigami, and he's made a lot of questionable decisions over the last several decades. A lot of shinigami want him to retire, but a proper replacement hasn't been decided on yet. You could be that replacement," Rukia said.

"Doesn't that come with even more responsibility?" Ichigo questioned.

"It'll be fine as long as you choose the right lieutenant. Just choose someone that you really trust."

"Like you?"

"What!?" Rukia exclaimed.

"You're pretty strong and I know I can trust you," Ichigo pointed out.

"B-but I-" she stuttered.

"I'll try to become head captain only if you agree to this," he said smugly.

"Fine," she muttered.

"Well, what should I do first?" he asked.

"Well, you must join one of the squads missing a captain before you can try to become head captain. Oh, and to officially join a squad you have to pass the exams in the shinigami academy," she said.

"I have to do what!? I'm as strong as a captain and I have to train with a bunch of newbs!?" Ichigo exclaimed. Rukia laughed and nodded her head. He glared at her. "You just wanted to see me go through the academy, didn't you?" he growled.

"That was one reason," she said while still laughing. He growled at her again.


The Next Day at Ichigo's House


"You're doing what!?" Renji exclaimed while laughing his butt off. Ichigo was in a foul mood because everyone except Chad and Orihime were laughing at him. Rukia was laughing again, Renji was practically rolling on the floor, and Uyru was laughing hard as well.

"You haven't learned any Kidō so this could actually do you some good," Orihime pointed out.

"I'll probably be better at it than Renji is," Ichigo said with a grin. Renji stopped laughing and glared at him.

"You wanna find out who is better than who?" he challenged.

"Would you guys give it a rest?" Rukia said with a sigh. They continued to glare at each other.

"So when are you leaving?" Chad asked.

"Tomorrow I guess," Ichigo said.

"So soon?" Orihime said sadly.

"I'll make sure to visit as much as possible," Ichigo said. Orihime smiled.


The Next Day at the Shinigami Academy


Ichigo's foul mood was worse than ever as he stood in the training room. After he had joined, they had taken his sword from him and given him a regular katana. It could stand up to a Zanpakuto's basic form, but a Shikai or Bankai would destroy it in a heartbeat. He had started his sword training first. He was currently fighting fake hollows. Later he would move on to fighting other students. Even though that wouldn't be a challenge either, it would be better than slicing up a dummy.


A few Days Later


He hadn't started Kidō class yet, but he had moved on to fighting other students. Before he had learned to control his power better, he
had accidentally sent several students to the hospital. All the other students were terrified of fighting him. "Who will train with Kurosaki next?" the instructor asked.

"I will!" came a cocky voice. Ichigo turned to see a kid with short, slightly spiky, blue hair and blue eyes. His training uniform was opened up to reveal a surprisingly muscular torso for someone so young. He had a cocky grin plastered on his face. Ichigo's jaw hit the floor.

"Grimmjow?" he gasped.

"Yeah, that's me. How'd ya know my name?" Grimmjow asked.

"Why are you here!? Shouldn't you be in Hueco Mundo!?" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Why would I be there? Isn't that the world of the halos or whatever they're called?" Grimmjow questioned.

"Hollows," the instructor corrected.

"Yeah, whatever," Grimmjow said.

Wait, this can't be the same Grimmjow. He's younger than the Grimmjow I knew, and he doesn't have a mask or hole Ichigo thought.

"So, are we gonna fight or are you too chicken to face me?" Grimmjow jeered.

He sure has the same personality, not to mention he looks the same. So it has to be him, doesn't it? Ichigo thought.

"Come on already!" Grimmjow whined.

"Er, okay," Ichigo said. Grimmjow rushed at him. Ichigo lazily raised his sword to block. When Grimmjow's sword made contact, it hit with surprising strength. "You're pretty good," Ichigo remarked. Ichigo quickly knocked Grimmjow's sword out of his hand and smacked him with the flat of his blade, sending Grimmjow flying into a nearby wall. Oops, I guess I put too much strength into that hit Ichigo thought. Grimmjow stood back up and glared at him.

"I wanna fight again!" he growled.

"Your turn is over," the instructor said. Grimmjow huffed and turned away. After the class was over, Grimmjow walked over to Ichigo.

"Hey, your name is Ichigo Kurosaki, isn't it?" Grimmjow said.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Ichigo asked.

"I want you to know that I'm gonna kick your ass," Grimmjow declared.

"Why me? I'm sure some other students have beaten you," Ichigo questioned.

"I've fought nearly every student here, but only you and one other student have managed to beat me," Grimmjow said with a grin.

"Who?" Ichigo asked. Grimmjow's grin turned into a scowl.

"Some emo kid. I gotta beat you so I can get stronger and kick his unnaturally white ass!" Grimmjow growled. As he said this, he pointed to the kid he spoke of. The boy walked along silently, ignoring everyone else. He had messy black hair, pale skin, and emerald green eyes. Ichigo's jaw dropped again. He shunpoed over to the kid and grabbed his shoulder. The kid stared at him with large green eyes.

"Is your name Ulquiorra?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Ulquiorra replied.

"Erm, no reason," Ichigo said.

"I bet that trash Grimmjow whined about me beating him, didn't he?" Ulquiorra said.

"What did you just say!?" Grimmjow yelled.

"You heard me, trash," Ulquiorra said calmly. He then turned to leave. Grimmjow moved toward him but Ichigo blocked him.

"Calm down," Ichigo said. Grimmjow just growled and stomped off. "This is gonna be a lot worse than I thought..." Ichigo muttered with a sigh.