Disclaimer: Bleach, its characters and its settings don't belong to me

T minus 17 days and counting

Sunday morning. I can handle this.

The gate had been running for two days. Last night a bunch of the twelfth squad gang installed the matter translation equipment that allows Yuzu and Karin to use it. They've already left for the day to see Dad. Because they've been invited they're not technically ryoka, but I suspect they're going to have minders assigned to them for as long as they're there.

I'm going to have to change some rules.

The gate doesn't yet connect to the terminal in the ca- in my new quarters. They're waiting until the current occupant leaves. For the moment it connects to one of the regular launch points.

Kon has control of my body. He offered me a cocky salute and headed off to cause trouble.

I guess-

Kon is going to take my body. Seems a shame to waste it.

I cannot believe I just said that.

If I'm able to I'll try to pass my highschool finals. Then Kon becomes the new Kurosaki Ichigo, he gets my life. I don't know what the hell he's going to do with it, but he gets it.

And I don't.

I wish I could say it seems like a fair trade.

Right.

I squared up my shoulders.

Right.

Time to go.

Right.

Ah shit. I stomped forward before I lost my resolve, drew a big breath and walked through the gate into Seireitei's brilliant sunlit morning.

It was raining in the real world. And there's been some kind of time differential, it's cool and the air is still heating in Soul Society, it's earlier in the morning here.

I can smell trees nearby.

Right.

I'm in business.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

Any second now I'll figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do with it.

There's nothing like a transition plan, at least nothing they've shared with me. Even if there was I'm not sure I'd follow it. Today I'm looking for information. Currently I have none, I don't even know what's going to happen with my captains. No one has made any effort to share any information at all.

Mycaptains. Hard notion to get used to. I'm betting no one has time to talk to me today.

Tough. I'm the damn Captain Commander, or I will be. They'll make time.

I stomped forward. Time to kick a little ass. It's a beautiful day and I'm feeling the need.

It'd help if I had some idea as to where I was.

What the hell to do first?

Staff meeting. Failing that find Rukia and Renji.

Wait a sec, I felt eyes on me.

Looked around. Three very junior female shinigami were looking at me in a way that sort of made me nervous. Pointing and whispering.

Waaaaaaait a second.

Time to flash step fast.

Okay, that I hadn't counted on. The captain commander has always been a sad old geezer, not a sexy young beast. And the women here – they have this association – oh what the hell have I gotten myself into?

I can see the mountain and the tower, once I get there I can find thirteenth squad.

I thought about those girls, who just happened to be there. Dammit the captains are less scary than that.

Focus on business Ichigo. I leaped another building, scowling as I went. Can't let them rattle me. Nobody can rattle me anymore, I'm the captain commander, I have to act like it.

Something snarky comes to mind; one day Yoruichi will come out of hiding. If she tries the naked thing on me I'll have to look her up and down, sniff and tell her I've seen better.

I just hope I have.

Shit. Absolutely nothing like a provision had been made for any kind of transition, I'm guessing because they think they'll be running this place through me. I'm only seventeen after all.

Yeah, that's it, it has to be. Ultimately all they're really doing is buggering off to a conference room somewhere, they think they'll still be giving the orders.

Wrong. If I'm getting the job title I'm taking the job, I'm going to be captain commander. That's not optional and it's not subject to debate. I'm not here to babysit Zaraki; if they wanted a puppet they should have gotten someone else.

I need captains, a lot of them. Probably more than soul society has ever needed at one time. It's time to see who and what I've got to work with. My first stop is eleventh division. I need a word with a certain shinigami there, a certain shining example to us all.

Yeah. That's what I'm going to do. Time to teach everybody the new rules.

The gang at eleventh all know me by sight, so nobody gave me any grief when I hit the edge of their territory and walked in. Bad news gets around fast.

Come to think of it there were a lot of people hanging around doing nothing. Lack of orders maybe? Discipline couldn't be the problem, most of the shinigami were so hopped up with being perfect officers that it makes my teeth hurt. It's only people already at the top who seem to slack off, at least that I've seen.

I passed a few more young girls; hadn't realized there were any womenin Eleventh.

I wondered if they admired Ikkaku's sleek head.

Well you never know, somebody might. My first act as Captain Commander, me and Renji are going to hold Ikkaku down and paint some hair on that thing. A rich chocolate shade maybe. Or caramel, that'd work too.

Yachiru pink perhaps?

The closer I got the better I felt. Today was the day for that rematch. Once I had Zangetsu in my hand everything in the world becomes clear.

Some of the younger reapers scurried off; something in my smile I think.

Word would get around. Didn't matter how often I've trained with eleventh, the entire Seireitei would know there's only one reason I could be here today. Even if they didn't know who the captain commanders replacement was, if the captains were going no one would be surprised to see me.

I passed another group of the younger eleventh guys, all of whom disappeared fast. I think they were going to get their friends.

A couple minutes later I stalked onto elevenths primary training field. The eleventh guys (and women too) start early. I didn't disrupt any matches or drills specifically, but I could feel them slowing and stopping behind me when I walked past.

Wonder how wide the news is known. Maybe they thought I'd come for Zaraki's haori.

Ikkaku was at the far end of the field, berating some of their better guys. I found an empty ring nearby and walked into the circle, bled out just a little of my spiritual pressure. Not enough to burst eardrums, but enough to attract Ikkaku's notice.

He stopped the match he was overseeing, smiled that Ikkaku smile and swaggered my way, stopping just outside the ring.

I don't care what anyone says. Yuzu is right, Ikkaku walks like a duck.

A crowd was forming around the ring at the speed of shunpo.

"So Kurosaki-san," called Ikkaku, "anything I can do for you?" He's got that damn grin going.

"Yeah. You hear the news?" I didn't want to give anything away if the word hadn't been spread yet.

"Maybe I have. What do you plan to do about it?" He made like he was going to step into the ring, but didn't.

Ikkaku was toying with me. He always had to show off. You should see his lul-lul-lul-lucky dance. Only don't do it when you're hung over or you'll think you're in hell.

I raised my arms like I was stretching, walked a few steps around the edge of the ring backwards. Like I don't have a care in the world.

"I need to make a point."

"He needs to make a point. Hear that everyone? Ichigo needs to make a point."

There wasn't much laughter.

"You want to go Ikkaku?"

"Yeah," said the pachinko one. "I'll go with you." He stepped into the ring, drew Hozukimaru and released to shikai.

"That's not going to be enough Ikkaku, and we can't fight here."

"Oh, we can't fight here, can we? Where are we going to fight then?" He knew what was coming. It's not every day the gloves are off completely, but today they were and Ikkaku couldn't wait.

I looked up, stared at the sky.

"Light up, Ikkaku. You can use your Bankai, I won't."

Ikkaku gave me an incredibly dirty look. No one was supposed to know about Ikkaku's Bankai, though it wasn't a well kept secret after the war. Now it was public record.

"You bastard." The bald one shunpoed, I felt him land on Sokyoku hill. I could feel his pressure blazing already, he was bring out the big guns.

I spotted Yamichika at the edge of the crowd. "When the pressure stops get fourth squad to the hill. I want Ikkaku restored as soon as possible."

"Ichigo!" Rukia had appeared behind me, actually in the ring. She had a bundle with her.

A white bundle.

She bowed low. "Your haori, Captain."

I took a moment to pull on the white overrobe, noted it had the long sleeves of a senior captain.

There was no number on the back.

If the word hadn't been out before it'd certainly be out now. I'll admit I was kind of hoping for a cheer or something, but nobody said anything.

There was a shifting in the air, almost like a breeze. Ikkaku had released his Bankai.

I stepped from the ring to the top of the hill.

Ikkaku was blasting, his energy was rolling off him in great red waves. I've seen his Bankai before; I knew to wait while the red dragon crest fully filled.

I pulled Zangetsu off my back.

Ikkaku made one of those crazy Ikkaku sounds, shouted "aren't you going to light up?"

I shouted back "I can't," prompting Ikkaku to scream back "That's a nice haori Ichigo! I'll try not to get blood on it!"

Really? "Hey thanks Ikkaku!"

"Your blood you idiot! Not mine!"

I bowed low. "Come if you're coming Pachinko-dono. Zaraki will be here soon."

Ikkaku gave me another screaming laugh. "Don't worry Ichigo! I'll have you in pieces before he arrives!"

He was going to do everything in his power to kill me. Ikkaku was going to attack flat out and he was going to try to kill me. I couldn't release my sword, the whole point was to defeat his Bankai with my Shikai, a test of strength before all of Seireitei.

I felt good. Some things just feel right and this is one of them.

He came at me fast and hard, classically Ikkaku. Everything in the one blow because he knew he wasn't going to get a second. He knew the whole point was for me to defeat him in a single blow, but he didn't have to make that easy.