As promised, chapter 4 is up. I hope you'll enjoy it.

I want to thank my reviewers for their kind comments and taking the time to let me know how they're liking things so far. I'll try my best to meet your expectations.

I'm going back to college in a week, but I don't believe that will slow my updates because I'm super excited to write this story of all of us to read. Plus, engineering school doesn't allow me to use my imagination much (well, at least so far), so I use writing as an creative outlet.

Ok, no more ranting from my part. Chapter 4 people. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All Bleach characters are Kubo-san's property. If they were mine some wicked things would happen.... Like Ikkaku and Dordoni (the privaron espada that fought with Ichigo in Las Noches) having a dance off. I wonder who'd win. I own nothing.

---------------X--------------

All the musings of the previous day had surrendered to the back of my head. Work does help indeed. I had spent all morning taking care of the division's affairs. I can't afford to let my work grow stagnant now that Renji has left for the human world, so I carried on, focusing on the paperwork before me.

It was all peace and quiet on the sixth division's quarters, but suddenly the atmosphere changed. I could feel the air thicken slowly. This feeling is not at all unusual to me, in fact, it's usually me who creates such alteration. But something was slightly different.

What I had sensed was a soft release of reiatsu. Training must be in progress. I removed myself from the office, tired from all the paperwork, and proceeded to walk towards the training grounds. As I approached them the feeling became stronger, although that's nothing a taicho can't handle.

"Aw, you've caused my scarf to fall to the floor. Now there's dirt all over it" she pouted "Oh well, I guess we can say the same for you, can we? Which seat did you say you hold, officer?"

Those were the words I heard coming from her mouth. As agreed, Matsumoto Rangiku was heading the practices. And much to my surprise it seemed as if my officers were not able to do much to her, since so far she'd fended them easily.

"Seventh seat, Matsumoto-fukutaicho" The man contested.

"If this had been an actual battle you'd be dead by now. And all you would have caused is to force me to do laundry tonight" she replied slyly, smirking at the officer who laid still on the floor as she patted the dirt off from said scarf.

I could see the majority of the officers were in a similar condition to that of the seventh seat. Sweat dripping fast through their faces and dirt in their shihakusho. Overall, the general impression was that of a warrior who couldn't meet her match. And since it hadn't taken me long to get to the training grounds, it seemed her task was terribly easy. The rest of the officers awaited their turn to spar with the blonde fukutaichō, and from then on I expected the level to be raised.

As I suspected she had worked her way up the list of officers, starting with the twentieth seat.

"Ok, so where's the sixth seat? He's up next" she asked looking through the group to find a raised hand.

The woman made her way through the crowd and approached the blonde. She bowed to her superior and presented herself "Yamamura Kaori, sixth seat of the sixth division"

The fukutaicho nodded at the officer's gesture. "Let's begin"

The sixth seat unsheathed her zanpakuto, placing both hands on the hilt, and with a flash step approached her rival, attacking her core.

"Not quick enough, sixth seat" she mouthed, blocking the strike with her sword. She proceeded to push the officer away from her, counterattacking.

The fukutaicho flash stepped toward the officer. "Is this what you meant to do Yamamura?" She asked, steadily placing her zanpakuto inches away from the officer's abdomen.

"If you're going to use such risqué methods, you must be fully convinced that you will strike. Hence, if it were not for my care…" the blonde mouthed, leaving no room for a response.

The officer felt compelled to use alternative methods, so she threw a kick aimed towards Matsumoto's head. Needless to say, it was fruitless, as she'd blocked it with her left arm, quickly leading her sword to the officer's neck.

"You have guts officer, but we're done here. Any strike you throw my way will be blocked considering the efforts that you fail to put in them"

I stood there astonished. She moved quickly and her reflexes were sharp, showing through the battle a mixture of fierceness and grace. I couldn't help but feel disappointed at my seated officers, given all the training they receive on constant basis, and yet I was marveled at the sight of the fukutaicho's skills and class. Anyone else would have thrown the officer to the ground in a demonstration of superiority. But not her, she refrained from this.

The standards must be raised for the division, and she had singlehandedly pointed this to me. I can't have my officers be beaten senseless with such ease.

The sixth seat receded to her previous place, as the rest of the officers took their respective turns. Prior to this, it became obvious to me that the blonde's task would surely continue to be a relaxed one, having witnessed her strength.

Once she reached the third seat, I carried a small hope that her rival would at least put up a fight. I could hear the whispers amongst the officers, who held similar hopes to mine, albeit they were more outspoken about them.

They were cheering on her latest rival, hoping he would be the one who'd salvage their honor.

"Don't hold back third seat. Give me all you've got" She warned, grabbing the hilt of her zanpakuto with both hands and placing it in front of her body.

Boosted by his fellow shinigami, the third seat let out a scream in clear sign of their collective frustration. He then lifted his zanpakuto and powered toward the female shinigami.

When the battle was over all he had achieved was insignificant. The blonde only shed a few sweat drops that were seen traveling down her face. His efforts were wretched.

My disappointment continued to grow after I witnessed such sorry spectacle. She'd charged against all the officers of my division, only getting a mild workout. I was sure that if someone would have noticed my presence, they would've seen a vein popping from my forehead.

Without knowing, Renji had picked the best candidate for the assignment. I could notice she had held back, and keeping my eyes dead on her, I spared a moment to think of what Rukia said the day before. Matsumoto Rangiku really is an experienced shinigami.

Suddenly the uproar of the crowd ceased.

"Kuchiki-taicho" I could hear coming from the officers. I noticed she had turned and met my gaze.

"Kuchiki-taicho" she said slightly bowing her head.

"I can see my officers didn't give you much trouble, Matsumoto-fukutaicho".

A gasp was heard in the background as the officers realized I had watched their training.

"They seem to be a bit rusty taicho. It appears to me that they haven't trained enough lately"

"Then, you seem to be the right person to remove them from their stale state"

She smiled at me, flattered by my remark. I was glad, though it didn't show in my face.

"We'll do taicho" she replied with a soft smile on her lips.

I turned on my heel and left, not without shooting a cold stare at my subordinates. They have greatly disappointed me today, and I will make sure corrective measures are taken.

---------------X--------------

Two days have passed since the officers had their first meeting with Matsumoto Rangiku. She has come to train every afternoon since the day Renji left, keeping to her word.

I have perceived that her personal routine has changed. She goes to her division in the morning to advance her matters, then comes to practice after lunch and once she is finished she heads back to her office to complete her work. This differs greatly from my previous impression of the woman, but I can't allow myself to focus on this.

Two days have passed since she destroyed the perception I had of my division's strength, showing me all the weaknesses we possess. This fact resists hiding in the back of my head.

I'm usually composed, forbidding any kind of lingering thoughts to remain in my mind. Most people recognize this demeanor as cold and distant, uncaring and haughty. In my eyes it only corresponded to a sense of self control. But this season always aggravated me.

So I caved into the urge to dwell on it, it being the current problem within my division. I do regard my officers not being able to do so much as simply defend themselves as a problem. It is their responsibility to become stronger, but I couldn't help but think the time invested in them was fruitless.

I need a strategy and I won't stop until I find one. Anyways, it's best to think on this than to recede into memories past.

I marched toward the tenth division's quarters. It was early in the morning, so I knew she would be there, attending to her paperwork. This didn't matter to me anyway, since it wasn't her who I needed to talk to.

It's obvious that her proficiency and abilities in fight, as stunning as they could be, were not the result of innate factors. There must be something that the tenth division executes that is different from the rest of divisions, and I was determined to find out.

Since the war had ended, all divisions had taken the task to rebuild our forces, given that the gruesome fight had rendered our strengths weaker. So the level in which the officers stand is not the same as prior to the war.

Regardless of this, the manner in which Matsumoto Rangiku had brushed off my officials was more than disappointing. It was pitiful.

The fact that she is a fukutaicho doesn't matter to me. Yes, her strength must have increased during the war since we were all driven to our limits. But this is simply unacceptable.

"Kuchiki-taicho…" I heard coming from behind me. My pace slowed down. "…What brings you to our quarters?" I stopped and turned to face who had approached me.

"Hitsugaya-taicho" I replied in my usual cold tone. "I need a word with you, if you can spare the time"

"Of course, let's walk into my office" he retorted, showing a frown on his face.

I followed the young man through the halls of his division, thinking of the best way to gain the valuable information I so desperately needed.

Once we arrived Hitsugaya slid the door open, beckoning me into his office. I took a step inside and noticed she was there, focused on a pile of paperwork that laid in front of her. I stood still in my spot, waiting for the tenth division's taicho to walk in. Only in rare occasions I had entered his place of work, so my mind wanted to indulge in healthy curiosity and browse our surroundings.

But my eyes did not follow my brain's instructions, firmly staring at her. I tried more vehemently to divert my gaze towards other objects, failing in my purpose. The woman had a magnetism that I could not understand nor escape from.

"Please have a sit Kuchiki-taicho" the man said, drawing her attention towards me.

I'd heard the words Hitsugaya directed my way, but once again my brain could not respond. My eyes stayed focused on her, forbidding my head to turn away. She remained still on her desk, looking up at me, defying my gaze for what it seemed hours, even when it was only a brief moment.

There was noise coming from the halls of the division, so I took advantage of the sudden distraction and managed to pull away, sitting across his desk as I gathered thoughts from everywhere inside my brain.

"First, I want to thank you on behalf of my division for borrowing Matsumoto-fukutaicho's services, as well as apologize for any inconvenience this might have brought upon you"

"You're welcome Kuchiki-taicho. As you know, since the war ended our strengths have diminished, so we must act jointly in the efforts of rebuilding. We all must sacrifice in order to accomplish our goal"

"I agree Hitsugaya-taicho. Regardless of it, this isn't why I came here for"

"So what I can help you with Kuchiki-taicho?"

"The other day I took a moment to watch the officers during their training and noticed that their level is well under where I expected it to be. In other scenario I would have simply complemented you on your fukutaicho, after witnessing the joke she made out of my officers. But I'm afraid that would leave me unsatisfied"

I could see the frown on his face suddenly soften as he listened to me. His expression was that of a proud boss. Still he didn't quite understand my point, so I decided to elaborate on it.

"Have you given much attention to the level of your officers, Hitsugaya-taicho?"

"Of course, this is a very important matter to me"

"If you don't mind me asking, who takes care of training them?"

"Well, since some of them are relatively new to their position, I along with Matsumoto have taken this matter into our hands and train them ourselves. Most of the times it's Matsumoto who takes care of this, but I feel is important to step in and get involved as well, not only to build strength in the officers but also trust"

"Are there any particular techniques you apply in training?" I asked bluntly.

"Not really Kuchiki-taicho"

I remained still on my seat, staring impassively at the young man before me. I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me. Or maybe it was something that he could not recognize himself.

"How often do they train Kuchiki-taicho? If it's ok to ask"

"Everyday, Hitsugaya-taicho. Since the war ended I've made it a part of their daily routine"

"Hmm…" I could see him frown once again, immersed in deep thought. "…Then I'm afraid there's no advice I can give to you Kuchiki-taicho. What you describe to me it's the same plan we have here on the tenth division. I can only suggest you have patience and faith that their strength will increase"

"I see" I replied, confident that my upset did not show in my face. "Then I won't take anymore of your time". Closing my eyes, I got up from my seat. "Thank you for your help once more, Hitsugaya-taicho"

I turned and faced the door, disappointed by the lack of solution to my predicament.

As I walked out of the office, my eyes diverted from looking ahead and stared at Matsumoto Rangiku, once again meeting her gaze. This time I didn't give my brain anytime to react, as I quickly refocused my eyes somewhere else.

This time I was sure the deception could be seen in my face, but I hoped she had not picked up on this.

---------------X--------------

So that's it for chapter 4. Geez, I can't believe I've written four chapters already. Insert proud grin here.

Please leave your comments, suggestions, reviews, boosts of morale. Basically anything you want to say. Reviews always make me happy and push me to write faster. I don't have an estimate as to when I'll be publishing the fifth chapter, but I got I few ideas in my mind for it, so maybe before next friday?... Like I said, comments push me people, but I'm not blackmailing you, as soon as number 5 is done I'll publish, comments or no comments. Still, comments would be nice =D