AU Alert…
While it is established Canon that Jushiro Ukitake and Shunsui Kyoraku attended the Soul Reaper Academy when it first opened, two thousand years before the start of the series. I am making it where the academy opened four hundred years ago so as to avoid those ever pesky plot bunnies.
This concludes our test of the AU Alert system…
It was nighttime in the Soul Society, and at the moment a sparse few were still awake. Tatsuki was one of these people. She sat on the porch of the Kurosaki Estate, with a blanket around her to keep out the cold. She didn't realize that she wasn't alone though.
"Tatsuki?" a groggy voice asked from behind her. Tatsuki turned with a flaming fist raised to shed some light, only to reveal it to be Kaichou. She was in a plain white kimono, white tabi socks, and a black and white metal bracelet on her right wrist. Her hair was also down.
"Ugh please turn out the light; it's too early for that. Besides you'll scare the sentries." Kaichou said as she leaned up against a wooden post.
"I'm sorry Sensei, I didn't mean to wake you." Tatsuki said as Kaichou waved off the comment.
"Nah, don't worry about it. I haven't even gotten to sleep yet. My mind just keeps spinning and spinning and spinning and it just won't seem. To. Shut. Down!" Kaichou said with an exasperated sigh.
"Is it something you want to talk about?" Tatsuki asked as Kaichou shook her head.
"Yes but I can't…not legally at least." Kaichou replied. Tatsuki understood that she was referring to her mental therapy sessions with Momo. Kaichou sat down on the porch next to her and they stared up at the moon for what seemed like a long time.
"Why did you become a Soul Reaper?" Tatsuki asked, breaking the silence.
"Me? Oh well…there were several reasons really. There was the fact that it would probably help to better the family name if I became a Soul Reaper. I was inspired to by my former hero. Oh and, here's the clincher, it was Isshin's and my father's dying wish for us to become Soul Reapers." Kaichou explained as Tatsuki blinked in surprise.
"Your father?" Tatsuki asked as Kaichou nodded.
"Mmm. He died when Isshin and I were only ten years old…I can't remember what it was that killed him but I remember being called to his bedside…"
Flashback…
400 years ago…
Kurosaki Estate…
A raven haired ten year old girl and her twin brother stood in the yard, playing with wooden swords.
"Oh come on Kaichou is that all you got?!" Isshin said as Kaichou struggled to avoid injury.
"HEY! I'm not that skilled with a blade you ignoramus!" Kaichou argued as she dodged a near hit.
"Heh you're too easy! NOW GET READY FOR MY BANKAI!!!" Isshin shouted as she made sound effects with his mouth and swung with all his might, only to miss and wind up getting tripped by Kaichou's foot. He proceeded to fall face first into the Koi pond.
"Like I've said before, skill with a blade is not paramount to victory. The sword isn't the deadliest weapon, it's your mind that matters." Kaichou replied as Isshin pulled his head out of the pond.
"You're just afraid to fight! That's all it is!" Isshin argued. Kaichou simply smirked and kicked him completely into the Koi pond.
"Why whatever do you mean brother?" Kaichou asked innocently.
"Very funny sis." Isshin grumbled as he surfaced with a Koi flapping atop his head. Kaichou smugly turned and started heading towards the house, just in time for a woman in a fourth division uniform to emerge with a worried look on her face.
"Ah, Miss Kaichou…your father wants to see you urgently." The woman said with a deceptively cheerful smile that crushed Kaichou's heart. She raced inside to her father's room. She found him lying in his bed, white as a sheet and with a warm damp cloth on his forehead. His breathing was shallow and raspy.
"Father." Kaichou whispered as she dropped to her knees and slowly inched her way towards him.
"Kaichou…" he whispered, "…come closer."
Kaichou complied and inched closer.
"I'm here father…what do you need. Do you need the nurse back? More water?" Kaichou asked worriedly yet knowingly with a tear running down her face.
"I know you don't want to hear this my dear…but…soon, I won't be here to protect you anymore. You've known this for a long time. Now, I want you to know this…I am leaving the entire estate and all that goes with it…to you my dear. You will be Lord of the estate." The elder Kurosaki whispered as Kaichou wept. She then felt his cold hand cup her cheek, and dry her eye with his thumb.
"No tears Kaichou…no tears. I want you and your brother…to go to that new academy that Yamamoto has built down the way…and become Soul Reapers. You must try and preserve our family name…or else the name Kurosaki will be nothing but a memory. Promise me Kaichou…promise me that you and your brother will…make me proud." The elder Kurosaki begged as Kaichou gave a teary eyed nod.
"Yes father. We will." Kaichou said as the elder Kurosaki smiled and rested his head back against the pillow.
"Now…I can finally rest…in peace." He said as he took his last breath and passed away.
With that Kaichou sobbed quietly over her father's deceased form.
In the present, Kaichou let a tear slide down her face at the memory.
"After my father died, Isshin and I were the last true bearers of the name Kurosaki. We were the last of the clan. I knew that if we were going to survive, that we needed to know how to defend ourselves, and our father had told me how we could do it. The next day we applied to the Soul Reaper academy and were immediately accepted due to our semi-aristocratic ancestry." Kaichou explained as her memories drifted back to her first day at the Academy…
Soul Reaper Academy…
Kaichou and Isshin raced into the open courtyard of the Academy with their school materials in hand.
"Come on Isshin we're going to be late!!!" Kaichou shouted back to Isshin who was falling behind.
"Hey I was up on time at least!" Isshin said with a smug grin.
"Yeah thanks for the footprints on my forehead again this morning jackass!" Kaichou growled back at him, not noticing the tall female student in front of her and thus colliding into her.
"HEY Watch where you're going pipsqueak!" the woman growled down to the two.
"I-I-I'm sorry ma'am, it was an honest mistake!" Kaichou cowered.
"Yeah I'll bet it was. You better be careful the next time you mess with a member of the Skullini family!" the woman growled as she reached for the hilt of a sword, only to suddenly thrust her hips forward as if she'd been goosed…which she had.
"Ya know Angie, picking on kids ain't exactly a bright way to get started here. But how about my Zanpakuto get acquainted with your sheath eh?" A young man with brown curly hair and noticeable stubble on his chin said with a sly smile. The woman gave an angry growl and punched him clear across the face with a mean left hook before leaving in a huff.
"Oh yeah…she digs me." The man said/winced from the ground with a smile.
"Geez are you okay sir?" Kaichou asked as she helped him up.
"Yeah I'm fine little lady. Say, you look kinda young to be a Soul Reaper student…what are you doing here?" the man asked curiously, but his answer came from another person behind him.
"She's Kaichou Kurosaki, the new clan head of the Kurosaki Clan. This is her brother Isshin Kurosaki. Oh and did I mention that a ten year old is still considered a minor, Shunsui?" A young man with a sickly pale face and matching hair said as he approached.
"Ah Jushiro, I never would have guessed." The other man greeted with a grin.
"Shunsui you're skill, or lack thereof, with the ladies is astounding. You somehow manage to get them to injure you in one way or another." Jushiro replied before turning towards Kaichou and Isshin.
"But where are my manners? My name is Jushiro Ukitake, and this here is Shunsui Kyoraku…we're a couple of your fellow first year students." Jushiro said as Kaichou gave him a dreamy smile.
"Hi. I'm Kaichou." She said as hearts practically formed in her eyes.
"Oh geez. I'm Isshin." Isshin said, resisting the urge to try slapping Kaichou out of her love-induced trance.
"Hopefully the rest of your classmates will be better than the Skullini's." Jushiro said as they all turned towards the school and headed inside together.
End Flashback…
"And that was the start of a beautiful friendship." Kaichou said with a dreamy look. Tatsuki could tell she was dreaming about Captain Ukitake.
"Didn't I hear someone mention that you were friends with the Captain with the big braid down the front?" Tatsuki asked as Kaichou chuckled.
"Oh Retsu Unohana, yes I was; only she was deemed a fourth year student from her skill and techniques. But we remained good friends…still are too." Kaichou said as another flashback started.
Flashback…
Kaichou was racing down the halls of the Academy at full speed.
"I'm-gonna-be-late-I'm-gonna-be-late-I'm-gonna-be-late." She kept repeating to herself only to skid to a halt at the door to find a note taped to it that read…
"Class Canceled for today."
"You've got to be freakin' kidding me!" Kaichou groaned as she started heading towards the School library. She then turned a corner, only to crash into someone and fall flat on her bum in a rain of books.
"Oh today just isn't my day." Kaichou grumbled, "HEY YOU WANNA WATCH WHERE YOU'RE…going?"
In front of her was a young woman with long black hair, trying to pick the books up off the floor.
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'll just pick up these books and be on my way." The woman said meekly as she continued picking up the books.
"Here let me help." Kaichou said as she started picking up the books too.
"Thank you. No one has ever been helpful like this before. No one ever is when they learn I'm a fourth year." The woman sighed.
"Why would people be mean to you if you're more powerful? Fourth year only means you're closer to graduating and thus you are more powerful. It's simple logic." Kaichou said as the woman smiled.
"I know but I believe it is because they find it unfair of me to be a fourth year student when the school hasn't even been open for one year." The woman replied as they both stood up with books in their arms.
"So where are you taking these? My last class has been canceled for the day so I can take these anywhere you need to." Kaichou offered as the woman smiled.
"Why thank you. I'm taking these outside so I can study them in some better light." The woman replied as Kaichou nodded and followed her down the halls. Kaichou then started looking at the titles and arched an interested eyebrow.
"Medical books eh? Planning on joining squad four?" Kaichou asked as the woman nodded.
"I like helping people. It's just how I am." The woman replied.
"Huh. I have no clue what I want to do. My twin brother wants to join squad eleven but having to rely strictly on your Zanpakuto is not really a smart decision. I like being able to use Kido." Kaichou said as the woman nodded.
"Kido does have its uses." The woman replied.
"Oh I'm sorry I don't think I introduced myself. I'm Kaichou Kurosaki." Kaichou introduced as the woman smiled.
"Retsu Unohana." The woman replied as Kaichou had an idea.
"Hey, are you free for the rest of the day?" Kaichou asked as Retsu nodded, "Good then why not come over to my place. It's a little estate here in the Seireitei just a few minutes' walk from here. Plenty of open air and light to read in."
"Why thank you Kaichou, how kind of you. But won't your family mind?" Retsu asked as Kaichou sighed.
"I've only got my brother. Our father died a few weeks ago and he left the entire estate to me. I'm practically the Clan head." Kaichou replied as Retsu lowered her head in slight embarrassment at broaching the subject.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a potentially sad subject." Retsu said apologetically.
"Forget about it, you didn't know. My offer still stands Retsu, what do ya say?" Kaichou asked as Retsu smiled and nodded.
Later, as they approached the entrance to the Kurosaki estate, the sounds of laughter could be heard from inside.
"I believe you already have company." Retsu said as Kaichou smirked and nodded.
"Yeah, it's Jushiro, Shunsui, and my brother Isshin. They're buddies of mine." Kaichou said as they rounded the corner and sure enough, there were the three men sitting on the porch and laughing their fool heads off.
"What's so funny boys?" Kaichou asked curiously.
"Oh nothin'." Isshin replied with a smirk as Shunsui pulled a conical straw hat down over his eyes.
"Shunsui where did you get that hat?" Kaichou asked while her eye twitched.
"Found it in one of the closets here…same with this snazzy Kimono." Shunsui said as he lifted up a decorative pink kimono. Kaichou sweat dropped.
"Shunsui you are a total PERVERT!!!" Kaichou shouted at him as she grabbed her sealed Zanpakuto (The name of which she didn't know yet) and drew it angrily.
"What? What's the problem?" Shunsui asked innocently as Jushiro instinctively scooted far out of the way.
"That was MY HAT AND KIMONO!!! You raided my closet you peeping perverted tom!!!" Kaichou shouted angrily.
"Hey Isshin told me it was a guest room!" Shunsui yelped, pointing to Isshin who now was white as a sheet.
"Is that so?" Kaichou asked as she took a fairly heavy book from Retsu's pile of books, and instantly charged towards Isshin, smacking him on the forehead with the edge of the book several times before stopping and handing the book back to Retsu.
"(Sigh) I'm sorry about this Retsu. Not a good way to meet my friends and brother." Kaichou said as Retsu chuckled.
"Oh don't be upset, it's actually quite entertaining." Retsu replied with a smile.
End Flashback…
"After that the five of us were almost always seen with each other. Even when Retsu graduated and was assigned to the fourth squad, she always came over for a visit whenever she could…she can be quite girly when she wants to be and it was nice to have someone of the same gender to talk with on a regular basis." Kaichou said with a smile.
"Nice. And all of you became Captains eventually right?" Tatsuki asked as Kaichou nodded.
"Yeah but Kyoraku has yet to return my kimono and hat." Kaichou grumbled as Tatsuki snickered.
"Well, I guess I'll be getting to bed. No offence but your story nearly put me to sleep." Tatsuki said as Kaichou let out a small chuckle.
"Bah don't worry about it, sometimes a bedtime story helps the young get to sleep. So go on, and get to bed." Kaichou said as Tatsuki nodded and headed back inside the house.
"Yes sensei. Good night." Tatsuki said as Kaichou nodded.
"Good night Tatsuki." Kaichou replied. She remained on the porch for a while, letting the breeze pass by as she looked up at the moon. She then felt a chill run down her spine as if she could feel something bad was coming. She raised her right arm to her face.
"Kae" she ordered and the black and white bracelet morphed into her Zanpakuto's sealed form. She looked around cautiously. Suddenly she noticed things get a little darker and looked up at the moon to see a trio of familiar black bulges blocking the moon, only smaller.
"Strengthen Hensen Tatsujin." She ordered as her Zanpakuto morphed into a sniper rifle. She used the sights on the rifle to look at the bulges from a distance. She watched as the bulges opened up and from them emerged three humanoid looking LeBlancs.
One looked similar to the Punissons from earlier but feminine with a large round shield on its left arm and a large broadsword on its right. Another looked similar to the deceased Espada Nnoitra in his released state only armored and without the strange scythe like weapons. And the final one was truly unique with what looked like reverse colored Soul Reaper robes but with its head, arms, and feet encased in armor as it floated down while sitting in an Indian style pose.
"So they've sent in the big guns…about time." Kaichou said before she quickly flash stepped away.
End Chapter 18.
The "Memories" chapters are going to be scattered around throughout the fic, so part two isn't going to be the next one up immediately after this one.
The Visoreds Wheel of Misfortune.
"Round-round-round she goes, where she'll stop nobody knows." Shinji said (Looking like a cheesy game show host) as the wheel of misfortune spun around, and finally stopped with Ichigo's mod soul in Orihime's body…causing Mashiro to rejoice.
"Yes-yes-yes-yes!!!" She cheered.
"Okay folks let's see what happens." Shinji said as the scene shifted to the following morning at school. Ichigo's Gigai is wearing a red bow tie and a short skirt while skipping down the hall. Orihime's Gigai has a scowl on its face with the typical school tie and long pants.
"ICHI-go???" Keigo greets before finally seeing the new frilly Ichigo.
"Hmm? Oh hello Keigo. How are you today?" Ichigo asked with a perky smile as Keigo blinked in confusion.
"Hey, Keigo, what's up?" Orihime asked grumpily as she walked up with a hand in her pocket.
"Orihime?!" Keigo asked confused before turning towards her, just in time to get clotheslined on Orihime's arm.
"Oh dear Keigo! Are you hurt?!" Ichigo asked worriedly as Keigo instantly recovered.
"DAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! THE WHOLE WORLD'S GONE MAD!!!" Keigo shrieked as the video paused, revealing the Visoreds laughing their fool heads off…well except for Kensei and Hachi who had their arms crossed in disgust at the spectacle.
"And that's it for today's Wheel of Misfortune. The next Wheel of Misfortune's victims will be…" Shinji said as he turned to Hiyori in a Vanna White styled dress, but still sporting her sinister grin, who quickly spun the wheel which stopped on…
"Chad and Rukia! Coming soon to a Bleach Fan-fic near you!" Shinji said with a grin towards the camera, not noticing Mashiro making a face at the camera before going to static…
To be continued…
