Kaichou didn't say a word upon hearing that she was no longer a fugitive from the Soul Society. Nor did she say anything that she was allowed her position as Captain back.
"And now we shall return your Zanpakuto to you." Yamamoto said as a guard approached holding Hensen Tatsujin in his hands. He held out the Zanpakuto with a humble bow as Kaichou slowly grasped the sheathed weapon and held it close.
"Thank you General Yamamoto. Thanks to all of you. I believe I might take you up on the offer of being reassigned as a Captain. I believe squad Five is in dire need of a Captain since Sosuke Aizen's betrayal." Kaichou said as Toshiro arched an eyebrow.
"Squad five you say? Very well. Name your lieutenant then Captain Wrangler." Yamamoto said as Kaichou pondered.
"What's wrong with the existing one?" Kaichou asked as Toshiro looked surprised, as did Yamamoto but for different reasons.
"Lieutenant Hinamori is currently unfit for duty due to her obsession with the traitor Aizen." Yamamoto replied.
"With respect sir, let me try. I might be able to get her to see reason. Squad five can survive with only its third seat as my adjutant while I endeavor to clear her head." Kaichou pleaded as Yamamoto pondered.
"Very well. She will remain in her cell until I deem her worthy of being released. Then she will be allowed to be your Lieutenant." Yamamoto said as Kaichou gave Toshiro a reassuring glance.
"Thank you General." Kaichou said with a bow as Yamamoto nodded.
"You start tomorrow morning." Yamamoto said as Kaichou, along with Toshiro, Rangiku, and Isshin left the room and headed for the Kurosaki Estate.
"I somehow suspect you know of mine and Momo's prior history." Toshiro asked as Kaichou nodded.
"I did. I've had sources within the Soul Society that's kept me apprised of the changing situations since my departure." Kaichou said as she paused and Gigai shaped her usual attire around her before continuing on, hat included.
"Then allow me to thank you for what you're trying to do. I'll be relieved to see Momo free of that traitor's influence." Toshiro said with ana relieved expression and Kaichou nodded.
"Excuse me." A voice said from behind. They paused and turned around to see Nemu standing behind them.
"Yes?" Kaichou asked curiously.
"Your hat is ugly." Nemu said as Kaichou glanced up at her hat before walking past Nemu and rounding a corner to find an unsuspecting Mayuri with a notepad in his hand.
"Have you got a problem with my hat?" Kaichou asked, with a hand on the hilt of her Zanpakuto which started glowing with energy.
"Well it doesn't suit a Captain. And it does look a bit ugly." Mayuri said as Kaichou's eye twitched.
Suddenly…
"SHINIGAMI CHOP!!!" Kaichou shouted as she brought down her Zanpakuto down on Mayuri's head. It had taken the form however of a large, flat, paper white, open palmed, stone, four fingered, hand on a black rope like substance that retracted the hand back down to the hilt. The visibly stunned Mayuri had a noticeable rectangular indentation in the top of his head and his ear scythe had popped out and was lying helplessly on the floor.
"That was one of my Zanpakuto's abilities…The Shinigami Chop. Non-lethal while sealed but it still packs a wallop. It's essentially a combination of a bola and a whip with a nice karate chop movement. In Shikai form its powers reach a lethal stage, but in Bankai…let's just say the poor soul that got hit by it didn't even make it to the afterlife." Kaichou explained. (See A/N at the bottom)
"It's how she keeps the over insubordinate officers under control." Isshin added.
"And never insult her hat." Jushiro added.
"You could have warned me about that." Mayuri muttered as he recovered.
"But you said wanted to experience it yourself." Kyoraku said with a sly smirk.
"I meant witness it you buffoon." Mayuri growled.
"SHINIGAMI CHOP!!!"
"And that was for using Nemu like that you A-hole!" Kaichou growled as Hensen Tatsujin returned to its duel pistol form and was returned to its holsters.
"Nice to have you back B.W." Kyoraku said as he slapped Kaichou on the back.
"Nice to be back. And get your hand off my ass!"
Back at the Kurosaki Estate…
Uryu had come back since Mayuri and Nemu were attending the hearing and didn't know it. Ichigo had donned the academy uniform to make sure it fit.
"I think it looks nice Ichigo but I do envy you being able to go to the Soul Reaper Academy while the rest of us have to stay here." Orihime said as Ichigo sighed.
"It feels a bit insulting really. I mean I'm going to be the only guy in the academy who knows how to use Bankai other than the teachers!" Ichigo grumbled.
"That may be true Ichigo but part of the reason you are being sent there is to serve as Yuzu's protector. The Captains felt that Yuzu should be protected by someone she knew and felt comfortable with." Rukia said as Ichigo glanced over at Yuzu who was preparing dinner, as she had been doing every day since their mother's death.
"Hmm…I never thought about that angle before." Ichigo replied.
"You're lucky Ichigo, I'm not going to get to finish my training if Sensei get's kicked out." Tatsuki said, not noticing as Kaichou, Isshin, Jushiro, Kyoraku, Nanao Ise, Toshiro, and Rangiku flash stepped into the area behind her.
"I don't think that's going to happen." Kaichou said, startling the young woman.
"Aunt Kaichou! You beat the rap!" Ichigo exclaimed as Kaichou nodded.
"More than that, they've completely exonerated me and restored my full rank as a Soul Reaper Captain." Kaichou replied with a smile.
"Really? Which squad are you taking command of?" Rukia asked.
"Squad Five, Sosuke Aizen's former division. I figured that they're the ones in the most need of a Captain right now since their Captain was the lead traitor and their lieutenant is currently out of commission…but I hope to change that last one." Kaichou explained.
"That makes sense." Rukia said with a nod.
"Well then since I've been practically welcomed back with open arms, who's up for a little celebration?" Kaichou asked as the group immediately got excited.
The whole remainder of the day was spent reminiscing between Kaichou, Isshin, Kyoraku, Jushiro, and Unohana who arrived later on. Unsurprisingly only Kyoraku and Isshin were the only ones dealt Shinigami chops the whole evening.
The next Morning…
"GOOD MORNING ICHIGO!!!" "SHINIGAMI CHOP!"
"(Wince) Morning (Wince) Sis." Isshin winced with the Chop hand still on his forehead as Kaichou stood between him and a very awake Ichigo. Chad and Uryu both let out a groan and pulled the sheets over their heads.
"I knew you were going to do that Isshin. I just didn't know who it was going to be but I had it narrowed down to either me or Ichigo." Kaichou said as Hensen Tatsujin returned to its regular form.
"Well I'm just trying to get all the kids off to school on time." Isshin said as he rubbed his forehead.
"School?! Oh yeah the Academy!" Ichigo yelped as he quickly grabbed the uniform and stepped behind a divider.
"You think he's going to survive?" Isshin asked as Kaichou chuckled.
"It's the unfortunate students that don't know not to mess with a newcomer that's already achieved Bankai and is stalwartly defending his younger siblings that I'm worried about." Kaichou replied as Ichigo flew out of the room in uniform. Karin and Yuzu were waiting by the entryway.
"Where is Ichigo? We're going to be late!" Karin asked mere seconds before Ichigo flew out of the house and grabbed the two by the arm.
"COME ON WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!!!" Ichigo shouted as the two were literally flying in the air behind him.
"Are you sure we're going the right way Ichigo!" Karin shouted.
"Positive!" Ichigo replied. However he quickly rounded a corner and saw Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu heading towards them. Ichigo skid to a halt before the fourth squad Captain and Lieutenant.
"Ichigo, why are you in such a rush? Isn't the academy the other direction?" Unohana asked sweetly as Ichigo sweat dropped with an innocent grin.
"Told ya so." Karin grumbled.
"It gets confusing for newcomers. Don't worry Ichigo, I can show you the way." Isane said as Unohana smiled and nodded.
"How kind of you to offer Isane. Oh that's right; you're filling in for Professor Yamada today." Unohana said as Isane nodded.
"Yes ma'am." Isane replied.
"Well we better hurry; we don't want to be late." Ichigo said as Isane arched an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about? We've still got fifteen minutes and the Academy is only four minutes from here." Isane said as Ichigo's jaw dropped in disbelief. Yuzu was snickering and Karin was holding her sides from laughing.
"Then why did Aunt Kaichou-??? Oh never mind. Thanks Isane I appreciate it." Ichigo said as Unohana smiled.
"Have fun with your studies young ones. I'll be here at the Kurosaki estate when you are finished Lieutenant." Unohana said as Isane bowed and joined Ichigo in leading the group away.
"Isane, I noticed that Captain Unohana came to the party last night but I couldn't hear what they said. How does she know my Aunt Kaichou? I know that they knew each other from the Academy." Ichigo asked curiously.
"She's never told me specifically but she did say that she had a good friend in the Academy who was quite defensive of her." Isane replied as Ichigo pondered.
"I just keep wondering. Why did my Aunt stay away from us for so long? I mean I never knew she even existed until a few days ago." Ichigo said as Isane shrugged.
"I don't know. Maybe you should ask her." Isane said as the gates to the Academy came within view.
"I'm excited about this!" Yuzu said as she leapt onto Ichigo's back.
"I'm glad you are. Now Karin, Yuzu, if anyone tries to pick on you while we're here, be sure to come looking for me. I'll use my Bankai on them faster than you can blink. But you need to learn to defend yourself too, that's why we're here. Understand?" Ichigo asked as Yuzu and Karin nodded understandingly.
"Hey tell that to Yuzu. She's the one who can't fend for herself." Karin replied.
"Maybe not at the moment but she will eventually gain a Zanpakuto, as will you, and we shall see how both your powers develop." Isane said as the gates opened, revealing the Academy before them.
As they entered, they noticed that they were receiving surprised stares from the other students.
"Well-well-well. What have we here brothers? A punk wannabe and two short fries." One male student said as he approached with two other male students and one female student behind him. He and the three males looked almost exactly alike except for their hair and eye color.
The one who had spoken had flaming red hair similar to Renji's only more vibrant and spikier with matching eyes. The one to his left had blue hair that were a few shades darker than his uniform but was more curved like Rukia's only without the single dangling bang in front of his matching colored eyes. The one to the lead's right had green hair like the Vizard Mashiro and again matching eyes. The female looked normal with straight blond hair.
"I wonder what brings these three Ryoka here." The blue haired one said with a smirk.
"Yes, but alas you do know what must be done to Ryoka right?" the green haired one said as the three men started drawing their Zanpakuto's.
"Right, they must be destroyed." The red head said as he and the other two boys held their blades level.
"Glow, Nenshou dokuro." The red headed one said as his Zanpakuto's blade burst into flames. (Nenshou dokuro: Burning Skull)
"Sink deep, Dekisui dokuro." The blue haired one said as his Zanpakuto suddenly became like water. (Dekisui dokuro: Drowning Skull)
"Shock, Dendou dokuro." The green haired one said as his Zanpakuto started glowing with electricity. (Dendou dokuro: Electric Skull)
"You have made the mistake of crossing the Skull brothers. And you Ryoka shall be punished for entering the Seireitei illegally." The three said in unison.
"You've got to be kidding me." Ichigo groaned, unimpressed. He could sense that their Spiritual pressure was weak. Stronger than Karin and Yuzu's but nowhere near as strong as one's he's faced before.
"What's the matter Ryoka? Afraid of our spiritual pressure?" the three asked in unison.
Ichigo didn't even respond, but he knew just how to settle things. He allowed his Spiritual Pressure to soar and soon the Skull Brothers blades were rattling as their hands shook with fear.
"Impossible…this spiritual pressure is…impossible for someone so new!" the green one stuttered.
"Care to try and face me or have you had enough?" Ichigo asked with a hand on Zangetsu's hilt.
The three stood motionless as they mentally tried to figure out what to do.
"IDIOTS!!!" a young female voice shouted as the young blond behind them quickly leapt up and almost literally tap danced on the three's heads before jumping back down to the ground.
"You idiots think you can take a guy with that level of spiritual pressure?!" the girl asked angrily as the three cowered. The girl was smaller than them but the three were in absolute fear.
"Bit sis we were only GACHT!!!" the first grunted as the girl delivered a kick, square in his face.
"Don't "but sis" me! You guys are pathetic! Try picking on one of the easier targets like the squad four wannabes!" the girl ordered as the three backed off fearfully. The girl then turned towards the Kurosaki siblings.
"On behalf of the Skullini clan, I humbly apologize for my brothers' behavior just now." The girl replied with a bow.
"Eh…no problem." Ichigo said with a sweat drop.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Angela Skullini, the youngest of the clan. Those three idiots were Ni, Aoi, and Midoriiro." Angela explained. (Ni: Red, Aoi: Blue, Midoriiro: Green)
"Angela?" Ichigo asked as said girl shrugged.
"I'm American, but I died in a car accident when I was young. When I got here, the Skullini clan took me in and we Skullini's are notorious for passing the entry exam for the Academy but we hardly ever make it through to graduation." Angela said with a disappointed sigh. But she quickly perked up with a shrug.
"So who are you guys?" Angela asked.
"Uh, I'm Ichigo, these are my sisters Karin and Yuzu." Ichigo said casually.
"Pleasure to meet you guys. Hope you do well, oh and if you see my brothers around. Just be sure to give them a sound pummeling. They're all talk and no show so clobbering them is easy as pie." Angela said as she turned and ran off.
"That was weird." Karin said with an arched eyebrow.
"I like her. She seems nice." Yuzu said as the three headed inside. Once there they found a certain former Soul Reaper standing in the entryway and holding three cloth bags on her arms.
"Yoruichi? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked confused.
"Getting your books and study gear. That's why I didn't come to the party last night. Soi Fon and I were working out a special security arrangement for you guys with the Punishment force as well as getting your supplies." Yoruichi said as she handed a simple white bag to Ichigo, a Red one to Karin and a yellow one to Yuzu.
"Thank you Miss Yoruichi." Yuzu said with a smile.
"No problem Yuzu. Oh and as I mentioned, we've set up a special security arrangement. If you need to call for help, simply call out the phrase Karakura and then the color of your bag there. For example, Yuzu would call out Karakura yellow and Karin would call out Karakura Red." Yoruichi explained to the girls before turning to Ichigo.
"Ichigo you're a different story. You don't get security but you can work with them. If you feel through your sibling bonds that either or both of them are in danger, simply call out their code name and the Punishment force will locate them and leap into action." Yoruichi explained as Ichigo nodded.
"I get it. I won't need protection." Ichigo said as Yoruichi smiled and nodded.
"Good. By the way, your first class is Lieutenant Kotetsu's lecture. I'll show you three there." Yoruichi said as she led the three down the hall and to a large meeting hall where Isane was sitting patiently for the clock to reach the right time. She turned and gave a reassuring nod and smile to the Kurosaki's as they ascended the stairs to a trio of empty chairs.
Ichigo groaned silently as he saw the person sitting next to him was Ni. Aoi and Midoriiro respectively were sitting next to Ni. All three were snickering sinisterly.
"Oh this isn't going to end well." Ichigo grumbled mentally.
"Think you can keep Ichigo under control Lieutenant?" Yoruichi asked as Isane shrugged.
"He seems nice really. I don't think he'll be a problem." Isane said with a smile.
"He may seem nice to you, but to those who get under his skin…well…" Yoruichi said as she pointed to where Ichigo was sitting. What Isane saw made her sweat drop.
Ichigo was growling angrily as he literally glowed with blue spiritual energy, and the Skull brothers clamored to get to the end of the desk away from the Deputy Soul Reaper.
"Oh no…it's going to be Sokyoku hill all over again." Isane whimpered as she flashed back to what happened the first and last time she and Ichigo had fought…which resulted in her plus two additional lieutenants getting knocked unconscious by a single punch from Ichigo.
"Good luck Lieutenant." Yoruichi said before flash stepping away.
End Chapter 14.
I own the Skull Bros. and Angela.
The Shinigami Chop is a nod to the anime series Soul Eater which I do not own.
Oh and yes I am a proud Mayuri basher.
Soul Reaper Illustrated Guide
Kon, in his doll form, was getting annoyed. Not only was he forced to stay quiet inside Rukia's backpack all the time but he hadn't been let out in what seemed like days. Finally he had enough and escaped the bag to find himself in Orihime's house, but he didn't know it was Orihime's.
"What am I doing here?" Kon asked curiously as he looked around and saw what appeared to be Ichigo, Chad, and Uryu lying asleep on the floor as if they were rag dolls.
"What's up with them?!" Kon asked even more confused.
"HEY! ICHIGO! WAKE UP YA MORON!!!" Kon shouted as he ran up and started kicking at Ichigo but nothing happened. He then heard something hit the floor behind him. He turned around and gasped in awe of what he saw. It appeared to be Orihime, Tatsuki, and Rukia lying on the floor the same way. Not missing an opportunity, Kon started racing towards Orihime.
"Oh Orihime! You're snuggly lion of love has arrived and is awaiting your beautiful hugs to gain passage into the VALLEY OF THE GODS!!!" Kon shouted excitedly but before he could reach Orihime's limp form, he found himself being squished from under the heel of someone's sandals.
"Oh damn it all to hell! Hey Shinji! We forgot about the pervert lion mod soul!" Hiyori shouted as she ground her heel down on Kon's head.
"Did we? Oh well. Bring him here. He'll probably make a good playmate for Mashiro." Shinji replied as Hiyori shrugged and picked Kon up by the ear and stuffed him back into the backpack. This time she pinned the bag under the table leg.
"Oh so you think this was the end do you? Well I'M NOT FINISHED YET!!!" Kon shouted mentally as he started plotting his ways to escape to Orihime's inviting bosom.
To be continued…
