Brief: With his Soul Reaper powers restored, and his hollow finally subdued once and for all, Ichigo Kurosaki thinks his life can finally go back to normal. However, a visit to Seireitei soon changes that theory for the young Substitute. Can Ichigo adjust to his new life, or will he give in and return to how it was before?
Warnings: Contains some aggressive language, possible violence and romance throughout. Reader discretion is advised if any of the above offend you.
Pairings: IchiRuki, may contain smaller pairings such as ByaHis or HitsuHina
SPOILERS from the Fullbring Arc and previous
Disclaimer: Bleach is the property of Tite Kubo, not me. If I owned Bleach, Ichigo would already be with Rukia ;)
Bleach: Bonds Beyond Dimensions
Chapter 2: Welcome to the Family
"Very well, then." Yamamoto stood from his seat. "Kurosaki Ichigo, in light of these claims, I have decided what to do about your claim..."
Ichigo kept composed, but a few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as he waited apprehensively.
"Kurosaki Ichigo," Yamamoto's voice ground out. "By the power granted to me as Soutaicho of Gotei 13, I hereby strip you of the rank of Substitute Soul Reaper," Ichigo barely kept himself in check at this. Great, he thought. Not only am I refused the rank of Captain, but they're going to take my powers away again? How cruel and unusual... "And grant you the rank of Captain of Squad Five." Ichigo blinked, shocked of the Head-Captain's decision. "Step forward and receive the Haori of the Fifth."
Ichigo stepped forward, but hesitated a couple of steps ahead of the old man's seat, causing some muffled words of shock and wonder in the room.
"I mean no disrespect, Soutaicho-dono," Ichigo started, knowing to keep his tone and wording formal to aid his claim. "But there is an issue not covered purely by my promotion to Captain." Yamamoto made a noise of acknowledgement, prompting Ichigo to go on. "As you well know, my position as Substitute Soul Reaper was twofold; to protect the spiritually enriched zone of Karakura Town, and to maintain my life in the World of the Living. Due to the nature of a Captain's job, neither of these are possible once I take this position. As such, there is the issue of my life in Karakura Town."
"Hm," Yamamoto agreed, nodding. "I can understand your situation, and though it has not occurred before for this reason, I am still willing to offer you the promotion. Should you accept, we will deal with this issue." Ichigo bowed a little, stepping forward the last few steps.
"In that case," Ichigo replied. "I would be honoured to accept this position, Soutaicho-dono." Yamamoto handed the Haori to Ichigo, a bundle of white cloth folded carefully into a neat square. As he took it, Ichigo noticed that the insignia of Squad Five was printed in black on the back, and that the coat held a cyan inner lining. He gently unfolded the Haori and donned it as the elder Captain spoke once more.
"That coat is a sign of your rank, and a source of great pride," Yamamoto explained. "Wear it as such." Ichigo straightened the Haori out as Yamamoto continued. "Now, since you are not familiar with the layout of Seireitei, and also the barracks of each Division, I ask that you report to the new recruits office beneath the Squad One barracks to receive vital information you might need. They will be waiting for you to arrive.
"Furthermore," he continued. "I am aware that, although you are capable of using a Kido-styled move from your zanpakuto, the Getsuaga Tenshou, you have had no training with reiatsu suppression or any form of Kido." Ichigo felt Rukia's reiatsu tingle somewhere behind him at this, a slight shift in her reiatsu telling him that she felt at fault for this. "This is not to be unexpected, considering your human upbringing with your powers, but must be addressed. I will be assigning you a three hour session for this training twice a week, with Kuchiki-fukutaicho and Hinamori-fukutaicho as your instructors due to their Kido expertise. Are there any objections to this?" No one said a word. "Good. Now then, we shall continue with the Captain and Lieutenants meeting. Kurosaki-taicho, take your place beside Hinamori-fukutaicho."
Ichigo bowed once more, then walked to his position. He noticed Rukia at the end of the line, a small, almost unnoticeable smile on her face, just as he stood beside his dark haired Lieutenant. He noted that she had a somewhat dark look in her brown eyes while regarding him, but ignored this.
"Now then," Yamamoto spoke clearly, sitting down once more. "As you are well aware, Kurosaki-taicho's promotion to Squad Five Captain means that there is only one squad left without a Captain." His eyes fell upon Hisagi Shuuhei, who was stood alone in the ranks. "I have already arranged a suitable replacement for Tosen Kaname, however this replacement will not be able to take the position for several months, due to an extended mission in Hueco Mundo. Hisagi-fukutaicho, are you able to maintain the duties of both Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Nine?"
"I am, Soutaicho-dono," Hisagi replied, bowing his head. "I have been able to catch up the paperwork from the war in the two years, and I feel it will be no difficulty to keep up this position."
"Excellent," Yamamoto nodded. "That is the sort of aptitude we need in the Gotei 13. Moving on, we have still heard nothing from the Vizards since their abandonment several months ago, but we are still watching out for them. It is believed that they have fled the World of the Living in favour of Hueco Mundo, making it much harder to locate them."
"If I may, Soutaicho-dono," Rukia's voice sounded in the large room. "I do not believe that is accurate."
"Do not talk so disrespectfully to Yamamoto-soutaicho, Kuchiki-fukutaicho," Soifon growled. "On what grounds do you make this claim?"
"The grounds, Soifon-taicho," Rukia replied levelly. "that I ran into them while in the World of the Living." A few people started muttering and Soifon looked as though she was about to snap at Rukia again, but Ichigo beat her to the punch.
"She is telling the truth," he announced, silencing everyone with a slight flare of his reiatsu. "The Vizards approached me while my hollow side was going out of control; the excessive amount of hollowfied reiatsu in the downtown Karakura area, and the extensive damage done to the area is a bi-product of an attempt to subdue my hollow which they tried and failed. I do not know what happened after that."
"Also," Byakuya added in his usual stoic tone. "I encountered one of the Vizards when trying to use Urahara Kisuke's device for subduing Vasto Lordes, a man who identified himself as Ushoda Hachigen. I am not aware of where he went after that night however, nor do I know where the Vizards currently are."
"Very well," Yamamoto nodded having heard the claims of all three. "In that case, it may be safe to assume that they are still residing in the neighbouring vicinity of Karakura Town. Squad 7 is currently on rotation for duty in that region. Have your men stationed there know that if they find the Vizards, they are to report to you at once, Komamura-taicho." The fox-man nodded respectfully but said nothing. Yamamoto turned back to Ichigo. "Kurosaki-taicho, were you approached by any other people during the two years you have been without your abilities?"
"Actually," Ichigo said, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Now you mention it, there was that one person... He appeared just before I lost control of my hollow, and just after I regained Zangetsu's physical form. He claimed to be a Knight of Hueco Mundo." Ukitake looked to Kyoraku.
"Does that mean the Court of Ickross approached Ichigo-kun?" the white-haired man wondered.
"Seems that way," his flamboyant friend replied. "I can't see why though."
"Enough," Yamamoto ordered sharply. "This is a worrying turn of events, but we cannot address it yet. For now, we shall have to make do as we are. Kurosaki-taicho, remember what I told you at the beginning." The elderly, one-armed Captain stood and slammed his staff into the ground. "This meeting is adjourned!"
The Captains began to disperse, their Lieutenants in tow, each leaving the large building except for those of Squads Three, Eight and Thirteen, who walked up to Ichigo. Renji, who had been stood a few feet away from the newest Captain, roughly patted Ichigo on the back.
"Well done," he grinned to Ichigo. "Looks like you're finally a fully-fledged Soul Reaper like the rest of us!"
"Yeah, thanks, Renji," Ichigo smiled back as Kyoraku and Ukitake approached, a smile on the elder Captains' faces.
"Congratulations, Ichigo-kun," Ukitake said. "I think you are the youngest Captain to date, since officially you have not passed on from the World of the Living."
"That's right," Kyoraku nodded. "Speaking of which, how are you going to balance this position with your life in the World of the Living?" Ichigo frowned.
"I'm not sure really," Ichigo shrugged. "I assume that Yamamoto-soutaicho has something in mind, but I can't see myself being able to do both."
"Perhaps Yama-jii is planning to-" Kyoraku started, but Ukitake shushed his friend quickly.
"Shunsui, we shouldn't jump to such a conclusion." The white-haired Captain turned to Momo and smiled. "This is a good development for you, isn't it, Hinamori-fukutaicho?"
"Yes," Momo replied with a smile and a nod. "The squad should take well to Kurosaki-taicho, especially after what Aizen has done for us."
"Yes, that certainly was a difficult time for Squad Five, wasn't it." Kyoraku said, his tone matter-of-factly as opposed to questioning. The man smiled at Ichigo once more. "You must come over to the Squad Eight barracks some time and join us for a drink, Ichigo-kun. I have always had a feeling you can really hold your liquor." Ukitake laughed at this.
"Don't feel pressured into it, Ichigo-kun," he smiled lightly. "When you are settled in, the invitation will be there for you."
"Thank you, Ukitake-san, Kyoraku-san," Ichigo bowed to them. Ukitake smiled and brushed this off.
"Please, Ichigo-kun," he replied. "We are all friends here; call me Jushiro."
"Sorry," Ichigo replied meekly. Kyoraku smirked at this.
"Don't worry about it, Ichigo-kun," he spoke up. "Anyway, I must be on my way now. Take it easy, Ichigo-kun." He waved and left, his Lieutenant following close behind. Ukitake smiled.
"I also must be going," he said. "I left Sentaro and Kiyone in charge of the barracks in my absence, and I fear it may already be in disarray." Rukia seemed to giggle about this, making herself known for the first time since she came over. Ukitake turned to her. "I will go ahead, Rukia; I know you most likely wish to discuss times for Ichigo-kun's training with Hinamori-fukutaicho." Rukia nodded.
"Thank you, Captain," she replied. "I will not be long."
Ukitake nodded and waved goodbye to the others. Renji lead Kira towards the door too.
"Guess I'd better check on Squad Three," he said, waving lazily to the others. "We should have a sparring match some time, Ichigo." Ichigo grinned.
"You're on, Renji." The red haired Captain chuckled then disappeared in a flash of Shunpo, leaving Rukia, Momo and Ichigo in the room. Ichigo started leading them out as he spoke up again. "So, when should we do this training?"
"Well," Rukia replied. "I'm free while the squad is doing joint training with Squad Eight on Thursdays and Saturdays, and also there's the free time on Sunday afternoons when everyone clocks off early." Momo nodded at this last bit.
"That might be the best time for a session," she replied. "Seeing as how the squad would need to have a Captain or Lieutenant at the barracks. As for the second session, Renji has been taking the squad for joint training on Thursdays at the same time as that of Squad Eight and Thirteen. That means that Squad Five's training area is free at those times." Ichigo grimaced.
"I'm not sure about using the squad's training area for practising my Kido techniques," he replied. "If I turn out like Renji, I might cause damage to it." Rukia agreed silently, knowing the destructive power of Ichigo's hollow when it used Cero; if that was anything to go by, even a lower level Kido like Shakkahou could cause untold levels of damage. "I know a place we can use; there's a cave on the outskirts of Seireitei where I trained my Bankai the first time; that would be more suitable as a training ground."
"Alright," Rukia nodded. "Then we'll meet at the Squad Five barracks when joint training starts on Thursday and you can take us there." Ichigo nodded in agreement. They had stopped a moment before, standing just in front of the new recruits office. "I need to head back to the barracks. Congratulations on your promotion, Captain Strawberry." Before Ichigo could snap at her, she had disappeared from sight. He fumed silently, grinding his teeth.
"Damn midget," he growled. He sighed, then turned to Momo, who seemed almost shocked at Rukia's interactions with him. "You can wait here, if you like," he offered. "I'll only be a minute in there." Momo shook her head.
"It's fine, Kurosaki-taicho," she replied. "I don't mind." Ichigo smiled and patted her shoulder.
"Hey, do me a favour, Momo, was it?" The girl nodded, realising this was the first time they had properly met. "Ok, do me a favour, Momo, and don't call me Kurosaki-taicho. Please, just call me Ichigo; there's no need for such formalities." Momo blinked then shook her head.
"I could never be so disrespectful to a Captain as to be on a first-name basis," she protested. Ichigo rolled his eyes.
"Suit yourself," he sighed. "I just don't see the point of the formalities."
Momo did not respond as they walked into the office. The woman at the desk looked up and smiled at Ichigo. She had mousy-brown hair and large grey eyes behind a pair of silver wire-frame, half-moon spectacles.
"Good morning, Captain," she said in a soft, sweet tone. "How may I help you?"
"Hi," Ichigo replied. "Uh, Yamamoto-soutaicho told me to come here after the Captains meeting."
"Oh, you must be Kurosaki-taicho!" the woman's smile widened as she made the realisation. She stood and extended a hand to Ichigo, who shook it firmly. "I am Saito Michiko, the Head Clerk and Co-ordinator here in the New Recruits and Arrivals Office." She reached beneath her desk and pulled out a few sheet of paper and a pen. "If you can just sign these forms and give a reiatsu impression on the green boxes, we can make your promotion finalised." Ichigo nodded and began reading the forms. "Take your time, I'll be back in just a moment." She bowed slightly then walked out of a doorway into the back of the building. Momo smiled a little.
"I think she likes you," she mentioned to Ichigo. He turned to his Lieutenant and frowned a little.
"Who? Michiko-san?" Momo nodded and Ichigo scoffed. "Yeah right, she's just being polite." Momo shrugged at this response as Michiko returned, several things in her arms. She placed them down on the desk and smiled again.
"Here are a few extra Soul Reaper Shihakushos for you, since you have not used your spiritual body for extensive periods of time," Michiko explained. "We have a dry-cleaning facility in the market district within Seireitei, which is also where you can find more casual clothing. We may not have quite as modern clothes as the World of the Living, but we are bringing in some of the new fashions for when there is free time or formal occasions. On the subject of your uniform, you may modify your Shihakusho in any way you please, so long as the colour remains predominately black and the underclothing remains white. You may also remove the sleeves of your Haori, but the emblem on the back must remain unaltered, as must the colours of it.
"Also, now that you are a ranked Soul Reaper in Seireitei, you will receive a monthly pay for your services," Michiko went on. "I'm not at liberty to discuss the amount in front of another Soul Reaper, but it is enclosed within this pack on page 7." She produced a booklet labelled 'Captaincy Manual' and placed it on top of the clothing. "Finally, there is the matter of your previous life; since you have decided to become a Captain, you effectively chose to end your current life in the World of the Living. As such, you have been requested by Yamamoto-soutaicho to terminate your body, so to speak. A recommended plan is enclosed on a separate paper within the manual. You will need to inform Urahara Kisuke, and also will have a day to say goodbye to your friends and family there, after which you must report back to Seireitei for official duty." Michiko had a sympathetic smile on her face. "I'm sorry this is how it has to be."
"No, it's fine," Ichigo replied, still a little shocked. "I kind of knew this was going to happen sooner or later."
"Very well," Michiko bowed. "Come back if you need any more Shihakushos or if you need to replace your Haori. The Senkaimon is scheduled to open tomorrow morning at nine sharp. Be ready to return to the World of the Living with Lieutenant Kuchiki there by eight fifty-five. Goodbye, Kurosaki-taicho."
"Thanks, Michiko-san," Ichigo bowed back. "See you around." As they left, Ichigo smiled down to Momo. "You see, I told you she was-" He trailed off as he flicked through the manual. A piece of paper was loose within it, on which, the Lieutenant noticed as Ichigo attempted to throw it away, was a number and address written on it. "Ok, maybe you were right."
Momo giggled at this, but said nothing. They continued to walk through the streets until they reached an empty room in a complex within the Fifth Squad grounds. Ichigo looked around.
The room was quite large and very plainly furnished, with a simple, low-laying desk and a bed-mat. There was a couple of windows, providing light during the day, and what appeared to be a lantern of sorts, though the young man wagered it ran on Kido and not gas, for the night. Other than these, the walls and floor was completely plain and unremarkable. Momo shifted uncomfortably as she walked in after Ichigo.
"This is the Captain's quarters for Squad Five," she explained. "It hasn't been occupied since Aizen's betrayal." Ichigo nodded. He came to realise the reason for her unease in the room; she had not been in there since the betrayal. "It's not much, but you can use your income to make any changes you want. I am two doors down if you need me at any time."
"Thank you, Momo," Ichigo replied. "I'm glad to have such a capable Lieutenant in the Squad." Momo smiled, blushing slightly, and bowed to Ichigo.
"Thank you, Kurosaki-taicho," she replied. A slight pause resided, then, "Um, could I ask you a question?" Ichigo cocked an eyebrow but nodded. "Is it true that... That you became one with your zanpakuto to defeat Aizen?" Ichigo was confused by the question, but nodded again. "Did you ever consider using that power for something else?" The worry was back in her eyes, and Ichigo could tell that she was worried that Ichigo would turn out to be another Aizen. He stepped forward and crouched down a couple of feet before her.
"Honestly, I did consider that there may have been a better use for that power," Ichigo confessed. "However, I could not ignore Aizen's sheer power, and I knew there was no way I could use Saiga no Getsuga Tenshou for any other purpose." Momo nodded, looking almost ashamed for questioning her Captain. "I can understand your worries, Momo, but there is no need for them; as long as I am Captain of this Squad, I will not let anyone repeat Aizen's crimes. You have my promise as your Captain and friend." Momo blinked.
"You consider me your friend?" she asked, amazed that the man had came to this conclusion after such a short time of knowing her. Ichigo grinned.
"Of course," he replied. "Just because we have only just met, we don't have to be strangers." He set his belongings down on the desk and took out the manual. He flicked through it briefly before setting it aside once more. "Well, should I introduce myself to the squad now, or after I've dealt with my body in the World of the Living?" Even saying it like this, which evaded the exact phrasing, it felt strange for Ichigo to hear himself implying he was about to commit suicide effectively. Momo nodded.
"Now would be fine," she smiled. "I'm sure they will be happy to meet you, Kurosaki-taicho. I'll get you once they are assembled."
Ichigo nodded and went about reading the booklet on his desk. In the time it took to assemble the squad, he had read most of the main points and learnt just how high a Captain's pay was (which explained how Kyoraku could maintain such a large stock of sake considering how much he drank). On the way to the main hall, he began to feel a little nervous, wondering how he should introduce himself, and how the squad would react to his arrival as their Captain. Before he could reach a conclusive decision on either of these, however, they were stood outside the double doors of the squad hall. Momo turned to Ichigo and smiled softly.
"When you're ready, Kurosaki-taicho," she said, "we can introduce you the squad." Ichigo nodded, took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
The first thing which struck him was the stunned silence of the large group gathered in the large building. As soon as he had entered, the quiet whispers and muffled questions instantly dissipated into the air, and all eyes, every one of the several hundred pairs in the room, fell on him. He was used to attention due to his rather vibrant hair colour, but this was a new thing altogether due to the very fact that it was stares of awe and not ones of disgust or shock, and it was starting to make Ichigo nervous. He cleared his throat, trying to claw back his remaining dignity and prowess and using it to fuel his speech.
"Um, hello, everyone," he managed to say coherently. The staring continued, as did the silence, and Ichigo mentally slapped himself. 'Hello, everyone'? he thought. Great first impression... if you want to look like an idiot. He scratched the back of his head. You can stand up to the ultimate nut-job which transcends the boundaries of hollow and Soul Reaper, fend off the most fear-evoking Espada in a second stage of release, and beat back your own hollow when it's intent on taking over your body, but standing in front of a crowd of people who are now your subordinates is too much for you? Get a grip, baka!
"Uh, thank you all for coming so quickly," he went on from his cringe-worthy start. "As you are most likely aware, I have been promoted to your Captain, so I thought we should get to know each other. My name is-"
"Kurosaki Ichigo!" someone said in the ranks, causing a slight disturbance in the crowd.
Ichigo faltered as he spotted the person, which was not difficult due to their flustered reiatsu reading. His eyes fell on him, third row near the middle, and quickly noticed that he was a fairly low-level Soul Reaper. He had messy brown hair and awestruck golden irises stood out of the crowd, looking up at Ichigo with amazement. He decided to do the courteous thing in his eyes, so stepped down from the raised section where he had been standing, walking up to the Soul Reaper, who instantly fell to ground in a low bow.
"Forgive me, sir!" he pleaded from the floor. "I- I didn't mean to interrupt! I just-"
"Don't worry about it," Ichigo smiled, crouching down and resting a hand on the man's shoulder; he looked to be twenty one in age, though, Ichigo noted with a slight sigh, Rukia was over a hundred and fifty, yet she still passed for a sixteen year old. "What is your name?"
"M- my name?" the man asked, looking up, before it clicked. "Ah, sorry, sir! My name is Kendae Omi, unseated squad member!"
"Alright," Ichigo nodded, standing again and lifting him to his feet. "Pleasure to meet you, Kendae-san."
"Th- Thank you, sir!" Omi replied quickly, and perhaps a bit too loudly. "Your work in the Winter War is what inspired me to become a Soul Reaper, Kurosaki-taicho!" Ichigo chuckled a little at this.
"Is that right?" he responded, trying to take this in his stride. "Well, I'm flattered to be the cause of this for you." He walked back onto the stage, noticing Momo's slight smile; she was clearly impressed by his change in attitude. "Yes, as Kendae-san has already told you, I am the same Kurosaki Ichigo from the Winter War two years ago. Going by Kendae-san's reaction, some of you may know of me from this war, but don't listen to the stories, 'cause I'm sure they aren't true." A quick scan showed several sceptical looks being exchanged, much to his dismay. "Anyway," Ichigo continued, "thank you all for coming here, and I hope we get on in the foreseeable future. Dismissed."
The ranks looked a little confused but moved on anyway, exchanging some words of confusion with one another. Ichigo left the room quickly, stopping just outside to read the piece of paper he had stowed in his pocket. He had been about to read it when Momo had come for him. Unfolding it, his face paled a little and his eyes widened as he let the words sink in, rereading a couple of times to reaffirm them.
"You've got to be kidding me," he growled, folding the paper back up and placing it in his pocket once more.
Sweet mother of hell, I've pulled a late night a few times to do this, but it's worth it.
Hopefully everyone enjoys this and thinks the series is going swimmingly.
Now, please read and review; it makes it better for me to know what you guys and girls think.
Ah, my eyes hurt. I'm going to bed before Rertyan crops up (reference to 'Black Hollow' and 'Bleach: After the Winter War' works; please don't eat me).
Night everybody.