"Yumi... Why didn't you tell me?" Ikkaku asked quietly. He clenched his fists at his side, but couldn't bring himself to turn his glare on his best friend.
"Because... I was afraid. This is my home. I may not be the typical member of the 11th, but I can't imagine being anywhere else... It is the unwritten rule of the 11th, only melee type Zanpakuto are allowed..." Yumichika sat on his bed, his sword laying across his lap.
"I told you my secret, but you kept yours from me... What kind of a friend does that?"
"I hate to break this to you, but yours wasn't much of a secret." Yumichika's mouth curled upward against his will. Ikkaku looked directly at him for the first time since he had learned his secret.
"Not. The. Point!" The bald man growled.
"I am sorry, Ikkaku. I should have told you long ago. But what if Captain Zaraki had ordered me to leave the division?"
"Then I would have left with you. You've fought beside me from the day we met. I respected Zaraki. I admired him and I was loyal to him, but you've always been my best friend, Yumi." Ikkaku shook his head. "You're strong. Zaraki would have never kicked you out. Who'd do all the paper work?"
"You make a good point." The beautiful man stood up and looked at his sword, then held it out to his friend. "I should have never doubted you. And I promise, I never will again."
For a moment, Ikkaku maintained his glare, then relented and grasped the hilt of the short, curved blade just above Yumichika's hand.
"You better not."
Line -
"Captain, you have a visitor." Rangiku forced her face to remain passive, while inside, she was bouncing with excitement. The white haired shinigami, who was finally beginning to look like a teenager, though not nearly his true age, looked up from the last sheet of paper in his stack with a sigh.
"Matsumoto, I am nearly finished for the day. Unless the whole of Soul Society will be wiped out in the next ten minutes should I ignore this call, I would appreciate it if you would inform them I am busy." Toshiro Hitsugaya resolutely turned his attention back to his work, his pen moving steadily toward the signature which would signal the end of his day.
"Oh, I think they would be very displeased if you turned them away. After all, you did schedule this appointment... four years ago?" Matusmoto leaned on his desk, ensuring her chest obscured his view of the paper he was intent on working on. He slowly began turning red, whether from anger or embarassment, it was hard to say.
"You will not allow me to finish my work until I see this visitor?" He asked calmly.
"You got it, Captain." She let her internal grin come out as a slight smirk. His eyebrow twitched, but he finally nodded. With a small skip, she ran to the door. While she was on her way, he hurridly scribbled the last line and signed the page before tossing it into the pile of completed forms. The door swung open, and a figure walked across the room.
The figure in question was a black haired woman, dressed in the white and red of a student at the shinigami academy. She had her long raven locks tied back in a simple pony tail. If it were not for her confident stride, cocky grin, and fiery grey eyes, he would never have recognized her.
"K-Kurosaki?!" He stammered, eyes widening as he stood up from his desk. "You can't be dead..."
"Nope. Learned another bad habit from my idiot brother. I left my body right after graduation, and joined the academy. Urahara rattled off a big pile of science mumbo jumbo about why I need to keep my physical body and spend at least a day in it every year. He also gave me some special pills so that my body and soul will age at different rates. But besides that, I'm going to be a regular shinigami." Karin Kurosaki walked across the room and sat on the white haired boy's desk. "So, you think there is a place for me in the Tenth?"
Line -
The silent procession was almost unbearable to watch. The war was long over, but the Quincy had struck one final devastating blow. And none were more devastated than the Eleventh. Many would be unable to recognize the somber group that was widely known for their riotous energy. At the head of the procession, Ikkaku Madarame walked with his head bowed low. Over his shoulders hung the white captains Haori, torn and stained with blood. His back was bent as if the white cloth carried the weight of the great man who wore it until that day.
At the end, ready to catch his friend if he should fall, walked Yumichika Ayasegawa. The battle had cost everyone in the division a great deal. They had lost their beloved Lieutenant. Ikkaku had lost his hero and mentor. And Yumichika may have lost his closest friend. At the height of the battle, when he had to choose between his secret and the life of his friend, he chose to save Ikkaku's life by fully releasing his Shikai.
In the center of the crowd of warriors, carried on a stretcher made of scraps on the battlefield, lay the broken body of Kenpachi Zaraki. On his broad chest, curled as if she were asleep, was Yachiru Kusajishi. Their swords lay along side them, the longer one chipped and ragged as ever, and the shorter one snapped in two.
"What happened? Who killed Zaraki?!" Some one shouted from the crowd of onlookers. The procession slowed as Ikkaku's feet stumbled. Few could hear his mumbled reply.
"I did..."
Line -
"Kurosaki. Am I to assume you are here to inform me that I should surrender all hope for a peaceful Soul Society, as you are moving here permanently?" Byakuya Kuchiki sighed as he opened the door to find the orange haired hero.
"Well, that's part of it. Do you mind if I come in? I'd like to have a few words in private." Ichigo said, looking around the mostly empty division training grounds. The noble captain raised an eyebrow, but nodded and turned, leading the younger man into his office.
"What is it that you wished to speak about?"
Ichigo shifted nervously, then pulled a small box from his pocket, passing it to the head of the Kuchiki family.
"I... I want to ask for your permission to marry Rukia."
"And if I were to refuse, would you respect my wishes and cease all romantic pursuit of my sister?" Byakuya asked, looking at the small silver ring that set in the box. Inside the ring was an inscription showing a black sun and a white moon eclipsing each other.
"No. I'm sorry, but I am asking for your permission, but the only consent that truly matters to me is hers. However, your permission would mean a lot to her." Ichigo stood taller. "For what it is worth, it would mean a lot to me too."
"Rukia is the heir to the Kuchiki family. It is expected that she marry a ranking noble. You are asking me to jeopardize the future of my family." Byakuya kept his tone even as he closed the box and handed it back.
"That... Really isn't an issue anymore. The Shiba clan has been reinstated as the fifth great noble family." Ichigo took a moment to enjoy the brief look of shock that passed across the older man's face.
"..." Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment. "As an older brother yourself, you will understand that I will hold any of Rukia's suitors to an impossibly high standard. They must be ready to die for her. Strong enough to protect her. Pure of heart and intentions. You may well be the only man I have met who could meet these standards."
Without warning, the captain drew his Zanpakuto and flicked it under Ichigo's chin.
"You will protect her. You will make her happy. And if you ever once give me reason to doubt your intentions, you will not have time to release your bankai." He reluctantly lowered the sword. "You have my permission, and my blessing to marry Rukia."
Line -
"Shunsui! Get out here!" Ichigo shouted at the door. "Ise, I'm going to kick your captain's ass, if there is anything you'd like to add on!"
"Oh, what has he done now?" Lieutenant Ise Nanao stepped out of the next door, a book gripped dangerously in one hand, ready to pile her own punishment on the lazy man.
"He's been teaching Kaien an endless stream of shenanigans to get him in trouble, and by extension, get me in trouble. Kaien went and died Byakuya's haori pink. I'm lucky I'm not farting flower petals." Ichigo turned back to the slab of wood standing between him and his target. "Shunsui, if you don't open this door, you'll just have to put up a new one tomorrow!" Nanao winced in sympathy, both for her captain, who was facing imminent doom, and for the orange haired captain, who had dealt with the wrath of Captain Kuchiki.
"Alright, alright. I surrender! I do apologize, Captain Kurosaki! Kaien just overheard Juushiro and I reminiscing over our academy days! I promise, I was not passing ideas along with the intention of corrupting the young minds of the Seireitei!" The captain commander of the Gotei 13 slowly eased the door open, hands up in a gesture of peace. For a moment, it looked like he had talked his way out of it. Then Ichigo snatched the book from Nanao's hands and smacked the man's head so hard his hat was left floating for several seconds before it reunited with its host.
"Don't you start with that formal crap! I've told everyone a dozen times, it is Ichigo! Captain Ichigo if you absolutely have to! I'm not going to put up with two people being called 'Captain Kurosaki'!" The orange haired hero returned the book to the startled lieutenant and sighed. "Hey, Ise, Lisa wants to know what night you have off. She wants to take off and catch up some."
"Oh! I am free tomorrow, if that is convenient for her." Nanao clutched her book possessively, slightly at a loss for what to do when she was not the one wielding it as a weapon.
"I'll let her know." He turned back to the older captain, who was sitting on the floor and leaned casually against the wall, as if he had not just been brutalized with a fantasy novel. "If my son puts any more of your stories in to action, you're head's gonna get introduced to the entire Seireitei library."
Ichigo waved his goodbye casually to the pair left behind him. Down the hall, Mizuiro chuckled to himself. He would tell his friend later that he was the one who suggested to the boy that he try out some of the experienced trouble maker's ideas. But it would be much, much later. Long enough that he would not be introduced to any large books.
Line -
"What the hell, Hiyori?! That hurts!" Shinji Hirako shouted, the stinging outline of a flip-flop visible on his cheek.
"Then don't make stupid suggestions! There is no way I am joining the Fifth Division! And I won't join the Twelfth under that stupid clown, so you're just gonna have to declare this room my own sovereign nation within the Fifth!" The short woman demanded. Shinji made the mistake of laughing at the suggestion and received an identical flip-flop outline on his other cheek.
"You're gonna teach our daughter bad habits! I don't want her poor future husband to be as badly abused as me!" He pretended to pout, but dodged the next slap. He was running out of cheeks and he needed those for sitting.
"Yeah? Well I want her daughter to be able to take care of herself in case she falls for some idiot jerk like you!" Hiyori dropped her shoe to the floor and slipped her foot into it. "Where is she, anyway?"
"Probably out causing trouble with Kaien again." Shinji blew the hair out of his face. "Your own sovereign nation, huh?"
"That's right..." She blushed. "With... diplomatic relations with the Fifth. Frequently."
Line -
"Yumi, you got that paperwork done yet? Hey, Yumi, are you in... here... Tatsuki?" Ikkaku stopped and stared, his mouth hanging open. Inside the room, Tatsuki Arisawa lay naked, covered only by a thin sheet and one of Yumichika's bare arms. "Damn... I just lost two bets at once..."
"Captain?" The woman stirred, blinking in confusion at Ikkaku. Then her situation caught up with her and she yanked the sheet more firmly around herself. "Get the hell out!"
"Ikkaku, please close the door. The paperwork is finished and on your desk." Yumichika cast a cocky grin over Tatsuki's shoulder at his best friend.
"Think he'll care about the fraternization regulations that seem to have been completely thrown out the window by the rest of the Gotei 13? You know, since the Eleventh has always been the upholders of proper protocol and such." Tatsuki asked once the door had closed.
"He is still trying to riddle out the finer points of fraternization himself. With my expert guidance, of course. He need not concern himself with the two most beautiful members of the Eleventh and what we choose to do with our free time." Yumichika waved his hand dismissively.
"Only of the Eleventh? What brought on this modesty?" Tatsuki grinned.
"Oh, very well. Two most beautiful in Soul Society. We have about two hours before he realizes I lied about the paperwork, and it will only take me ten minutes to finish it..." Yumichika left the sentence hang. The woman rolled on top of him.
"I think we can drag it out."
Line -
"There are more Quincy than we had expected... Can we really do this?" Love looked to the man who was leading them on this last attempt to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Ichigo took a moment to look at his allies. Four visored. Love, Hachi, Hiyori, and Lisa. He shook his head slowly.
"I don't know. But we have to try. We're all dead if we don't, so what's it matter?" He grinned and gripped his zanpakuto tightly in each hand. "Hey... This sounded painfully lame before, but I can see the appeal now." He released one of the handles and extended the free hand into the middle of the group.
"They still do this? I thought it was going out of style a century ago..." Lisa chuckled and placed her hand on top of the orange haired hero's. Slowly, the other three followed suit.
"We, at this moment, prepare to enter the decisive battle! Have faith that our blades will not shatter! Have faith that our resolve will not waiver! And if our paths should diverge, we share a heart of iron! Swear, that even if the ground beneath our feet should be rent asunder, we will live, and return here, together!" Ichigo spoke loud and clearly, eyes closed, remembering the last time he had heard those words. They had pulled it off then. In this very world. Now, it felt like they had hope.
"You better live through this thing. They're bound to make you a captain, and I think I could follow you." Lisa pulled her mask over her face, and her voice took on the doubled, echoing tone of the hollow. "So, what's the plan?"
"Love and Hiyori will guard Hachi and get him to Halibel unharmed. His kidou should be enough to free her from anything the Quincy have cooked up. Lisa, you come with me. We'll free any arrancar we find, and create a distraction to draw away the guards." Ichigo said simply.
"You think you can fight the Quincy with just the two of you? You're crazy! Idiot!" Hiyori growled. Ichigo's grin grew and twisted as the mask grew on his face.
"You mean with the three of us? Yes. I think we can fight the Quincy. They won't know what hit them." The hollow and Ichigo were not competing for control. He had accepted his power, and so it had accepted him. "Now, go!"
Line -
"Kaien Kurosaki! You're late! Sit down!" The enormous man at the head of the class room growled loudly. The black haired child ran to his seat quickly, avoiding the stern gaze of his teacher.
"Sorry, sir."
"Right. Where is Kirio Hirako? She is usually here before you, even when she's in the same pile of trouble." Sajin Komamura asked, looking around as if the girl might be hiding nearby.
"Uh... She won't be in today." Kaien said, not looking up at the former captain.
"Explain." Sajin new from experience that although he would find no end of ways to get in trouble, the boy would not lie, and would not ignore a direct order.
"She went overboard training this morning." It became clear that Kaien wasn't avoiding the specifics to avoid self incrimination, he was protecting her privacy. Sajin nodded.
"Very well."
Class passed without incident, and as the students were filing out at the end of the day, the werewolf caught Kaien and held him back.
"I respect your decision not to share her activities with the entire class, but I would like to know the condition of my students. What happened this morning?"
"She hollowfied for the first time. She attacked me, and when she was in control again, she was really shaken up. Her parents wanted to spend the day with her, and help her get better control of her inner hollow, now that they know she was born a visored." Kaien explained. Sajin was not surprised. One thin did surprise him.
"Why aren't you with her?"
"She asked me to let her deal with this one with her family first, and she'd talk to me this evening. I'm supposed to bring the work she missed as well."
"I see. In that case, here. Get that to her, and pass on my best wishes to her and her parents. I won't keep you any longer."
Line -
"C-Captain!" Omeada jumped at the sudden entrance of his superior. He quickly hid the bag of crackers he had been eating stood at attention, waiting for the wrath that was sure to be dropped upon him.
"Hm? Oh, you. Take today off. No training today." Soifon waved dismissively at the man. He stared in shock. A day off? That didn't happen. If he was to receive time off, he would have to request it a month ahead, and then he would have to toe the line for that month or risk having it revoked. She wasn't even wearing her white haori.
"Uh... Captain? Are you feeling alright?" Omeada was not eager to question here sudden generosity, but he was also completely loyal to her, and if there was something wrong with her, he would always be there to help.
"I'm perfectly fine." Soifon smiled happily. Her lieutenant's confusion and concern only grew. Soifon smiling? Handing out time off without a literal fist fight? Out of uniform in front of a subordinate? Was she humming?! A door opening drew the attention of both ninjas. The large man immediately turned his red face away from his captain's open door.
"Little Bee, what are you doing up so early? I thought you were going to give the division the day off..." Yoruichi yawned and stretched, wearing nothing but Soifon's white haori, which was riding dangerously high due to the stretch.
"I was going to fix breakfast and surprise you after I told them to take the day off. Why are you up so early?" Soifon was not at all fazed by her idol's lack of clothing, nor the impressive shade of red Omeada had become.
"The bed's a lot colder without you. I'd rather have my heater than breakfast." The noble woman smirked, beckoning suggestively. Omeada could not justify staying another moment. He decided it would be in the best interest of his continued breathing to exit immediately and ensure no one else entered the office area for the rest of the day. Just before he had closed the door behind him, his captain addressed him and he heard a hint of her usual tone through her happiness.
"If one word of this leaves this room, I will cut out your tongue with Suzumebachi."
Several members of the second division learned that the large, incompetent man could flash step as well as one would expect of a highly ranked member of the Stealth Force, when properly motivated.
Line -
"What is it that you really want?" Ichigo stood on the window of a sky scraper, arms folded and facing his double. "Do you still want to overthrow me and take my body?"
"No... Although it is fun to be able to fight someone besides you. Taking your body has... lost its allure... I experienced something better when we merged. For that time, we were one, King. It wasn't my soul in your body. It was our soul. I had a heart, King!" The hollow sounded close to crying or yelling. "I wasn't hungry anymore... I didn't feel the need to eat souls... I was satisfied for the first time since I came into existence. I... I want to feel that again. I want to have what no hollow can have..."
"You want us to merge again... Can we even do that? I thought that was a one time deal... It seemed so final, I guess I never thought about it being possible to do again. Old Man!" Ichigo shouted, and before his voice stopped ringing in the air, the manifestation of his Quincy powers stood by them. "Is it really possible for us to merge again?"
"Of course. If you can accept us. We are one being. We are your power. You have only to call us into your soul, and we will be one again. However, your power will be too great to stay in the living world. Even as you were with Rukia's power, you had a significant effect on those around you. With the entirety of your power, you would run the risk of bringing about the apocalypse. And if a single hollow were to get lucky and eat your soul, it would become more powerful than any Vasto Lorde to ever live. If you accept these risks, I have no objections. My power will still be used to protect you, Ichigo."
Ichigo stood for a moment, thinking over the situation. Then he turned back to his hollow.
"When I graduate. Five years, I will graduate from college and come to Soul Society permanently. When I do that, we'll merge again. Okay?"
"Yes, King. That is worth waiting for. Even for five years." The hollow stepped forward, and rather than draw his sword, he extended his hand. "For that, I will protect you as well. I will fight for you. I will fight with you."
"Thank you... Zangetsu."
"You must do one other thing for me, King... Protect our Queen." The hollow met the eyes of the King and they both nodded as they shook hands. They both knew who the Queen was.
Line -
"Hey Karin, what's wrong?" Rangiku Matsumoto asked the new third seat curiously. The fiesty girl was unusually subdued, moving through her paperwork steadily, but more slowly than ever.
"It's nothing." The young woman's eyes flicked up to the captain's closed door. Rangiku sighed. Of course.
"You aren't doing anything wrong. It's just terrifying to him."
"Why? He's been a captain for longer than I have been alive... How can a date scare him?" Karin asked angrily. Rangiku took the pen from her before she murdered the paper and had to start over.
"Because he is afraid that the girls he likes all suffer. Momo was broken by Aizen. It is a miracle she ever recovered, and she has never been quite the same again. And just when he was coming to terms with the fact she would never look at him the same way again, he got close to Yachiru. She died in less than a year."
"I didn't know about Yachiru... I only met her once or twice... I came to the celebration at the end of the war. She was the Lieutenant of the Eleventh, right?" Karin asked.
"That's right. She was the adopted daughter of the Kenpachi of Zaraki, the captain of the Eleventh before Ikkaku. I'm sure you remember him." Rangiku smiled at the wide eyed nod. No one could forget meeting a man like that.
"He must know that neither of those were his fault... He's brilliant. He can't possibly be that stupid when he is that smart." Karin growled. Rangiku laughed.
"You'd think so, but he's not as mature as he would like others to think he is. He is a genius. He is powerful. He is a wise leader and a good captain. But he's still just a teenager, really. And he made himself grow up too fast. He was so busy learning the lessons of an adult that he forgot to learn the lessons of a child. But he will learn. You'll just have to be patient with him."
"I waited eighteen years just to become a part of his division... How patient do I have to be?" The dark haired girl asked. Rangiku didn't have an answer. Someone did, though.
"I think you've been patient enough. Friday, as soon as the paperwork is finished." The white haired captain walked past them. Neither had heard his door open. Neither saw the small smirk on his face. He hated to admit it, but sometimes his lieutenant knew just what he needed to hear.
Line -
"Dead? No... She can't be dead!" Ikkaku shouted at the blood splattered messenger. He grabbed the man, a seated officer of the second division, and shook him by the shoulders. "She has to be alive! You must have been mistaken!"
"Third Seat Madarame, I am not mistaken. I am sorry. Now I must report to your captain. I am under orders to deliver this news to him at once." The messenger reached into the bag at his side and pulled out a long cloth package. He unwrapped it. Inside lay a pink wrapped sword hilt and three inches of jagged metal. "Do you believe me now?"
Ikkaku sank to the ground and reverently lifted the remains of the sword. He felt a hand on his shoulder.
"We will deliver this and the news to our captain. Thank you for your service." Yumichika forced his voice to remain strong as he dismissed the man. For a moment it looked like he might argue the orders, but decided against it. The Eleventh Division was dangerous enough when they were not emotional.
Yumichika waited until the second division officer was out of sight before he dropped to his knees beside his friend, tears already falling down his face. The pair found their captain already on his way out to meet them.
"Have you seen Yachiru? She left a hell butterfly saying she was going to kill some Quincy... Ikkaku... What is that?" The tall man asked, his rumbling voice going quiet.
"Yachiru... She fought five rebel sternritter alone... She killed two, but they overpowered her." Ikkaku repeated what the messenger had told him. "A messenger from the second division arrived in time to witness the fight and recover her sword, but her body is still out past the 80th district..."
"Captain, we're going with you." Yumichika said firmly. Kenpachi Zaraki hesitated for only an instant before nodding.
"She'd want you to be there. Both of you. Come on."
No one in the Gotei 13 dared try and stop them. Ichigo might have been the only one capable, and he was miles away and in another world, sitting in a classroom, without any knowledge of what was happening. The three powerful warriors were followed by the entire Eleventh Division.
The three remaining Sternritter stood around the broken body of the young woman that had killed two of their allies.
Kenpachi killed the first with his bare hands before demanding their names.
The corpse in his bloody hands was "The Bladeless". The two remaining Quincy were "The Soulless" and "The Nameless". The battle was over in minutes. There was no desire for a long and enjoyable battle. For the first time, Kenpachi fought for no other reason than to end a life. Yumichika released his true shikai, leaving The Soulless dead and Ikkaku still breathing. He would answer to his friend for that later.
The Nameless left Kenpachi mortally wounded before he met his end. When all hope seemed lost, the Eleventh Division was reminded why they followed Kenpachi Zaraki. The man was the embodiment of what it meant to be in their division. Until he died, he would never be beaten. It took one word for the Quincy to be crushed beneath the unbearable wait of the warrior's spiritual pressure.
"Bankai!"
Line -
"You believe that Shinigami come from Hollows? What evidence do you have to support this theory?" Mayuri asked curiously. Most inhabitants of the Seireitei would have immediately called for the scientist's incarceration at such a suggestion, but despite his ego and rivalry, Mayuri still respected the mind and abilities of his former captain.
"I do not have evidence yet, but I have a logical reason for the theory. Without humans, there would be no Hollows, and their would be no Shinigami. Both come from pluses that either linger too long in the mortal world, or who develop spiritual powers. From this, we can conclude that humans came first, or at the same time, as the other two." Kisuke Urahara explained. Mayuri nodded his agreement.
"For the moment, let us go on the assumption that the three came into existence at separate times, rather than all together. With that assumption, and the belief that humans were the first of the three to develop or be created, the next question is whether Hollows or Shinigami followed."
"Ah, and since Hollows follow naturally, in this hypothetical world with humans but no Shinigami, then the answer must be that Hollows followed humans into existence." Mayuri added, following his mentor's train of thought.
"Exactly. Now, when a Hollow grows strong enough to eat other Hollows, it becomes a Gillian. From there it can evolve into and Adjuchas, then finally into a Vasto Lorde. But, in this hypothetical world without Shinigami, how would any souls ever reach Soul Society? I believe that when a Vasto Lorde reaches a certain level of power, it's Riatsu will become too strong for it's Reishi to withstand, and it will collapse. When that happens, it's souls will pass on to Soul Society, and the single consciousness that ruled the body will become a Shinigami." Urahara finished excitedly.
"Hmm... It is a good theory, but you will need evidence before presenting it to anyone else. Have you considered that it could be a more complete form of Arrancar, where the mask and it's Hollow nature were completely cast aside, rather than only torn? Or perhaps if a Menos class Hollow were to eat a simple Plus rather than a suitable Hollow, the Plus's consciousness could take over the creature rather than become a piece of instinct and energy. Regardless, it merits further investigation." Mayuri considered it for a moment. "I'll assign a small group to the project. They will report to both of us on any and all findings, on the condition you share your research with them and myself."
"It's good to be working with you again, Mayuri."
"And it will be Captain Kurotsuchi if you wish to continue our collaboration. I will not have you forget that I outrank you now."
Line -
"He's beautiful. Have you decided on a name yet?" Kukkaku Shiba had set her pipe aside and was holding the small, black haired child with her good arm. He had his mother's hair, but she could already tell he would look like his father.
"We wanted to ask you for permission to name him Kaien." Ichigo said slowly. "It was the only name that everyone agreed on, but I don't want to offend you if you are against it."
"Kaien... Kaien Kurosaki. I like it." Kukkaku smirked. "My brother would have, too. You may not have met him, but you sure took after him. I'd be proud for my cousin's son to bare his name."
"Where's Ganju? We wanted to tell him as well, before we made the official announcement." Rukia asked, looking around.
Kukkaku laughed.
"The idiot is on his way to the 4th Division to suggest you name your child Kaien."
Line -
"Seeping crest of turbidity. Limit of the thousands hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky. Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt sleep! The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders. Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Unite! Repulse! Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired. Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness! Senjū Kōten Kurohitsugi!" The Shinigami cried out. The air around him tore apart and congealed into blades of red light, then shot away from him, piercing an opaque black box that had appeared at his words.
"Most impressive, Lieutenant. A double incantation with a couple of ninety level kidous isn't something even all of us can do. Unless my colegues have any objections," Shunsui looked behind him to see two heads shaking, then turned back, grinning. "then it is my honor to promote you, Izuru Kira, to the position of Captain of the Third Division. Congratulations!"
"Thank you sir!" The blonde man bowed. He had passed! His bankai had not seemed to impress them at all, but he had practiced his kidou with every master he could find. Between Urahara and Tessai, he had improved rapidly.
"I'm sure you are eager to go tell your friends. We won't keep you any longer. Tell Hisagi to come in on your way out." Captain Ukitake came to stand next to his friend, followed slowly and gracefully by Byakuya Kuchiki.
"I would like to have a word with you before you go, Captain Kira." Byakuya said calmly, following the newly appointed captain out of the room. When they were alone outside in the hall, he faced the younger man. "You were in the academy with my Lieutenant, Renji Abarai, were you not?""
"That is correct..." Izuru wasn't sure where this was going.
"Do you think he is capable of serving as a captain?"
Well that was a surprise.
"Well... Yes. He has always been strong, and he's learned to be a more level headed leader in the years he's been in your division. But he would have to learn kidou to pass the exam... You want me to teach him?" Izuru asked. Byakuya gave one small shake of his head, dismissing the suggestion.
"That is a hopeless cause. There is another way for him to become a captain. If he is recommended by six captains and approved by an additional three. If you agree, you would be number five. I am hoping that Lieutenant Hisagi will complete the requirements. Despite his lack of skill with Kidou, I believe my lieutenant has more than earned the position of captain." Byakuya said. It was quite a thing to put his reputation on the line for. Had the orange haired hero changed him that much?
"I'll recommend him. I believe Hisagi will too." Izuru thought for a moment. "What about Lieutenant Kuchiki?"
"My sister has chosen to remain the lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division, and I will respect her decision. Should Abarai refuse the promotion, then the other captains will find a suitable substitute. Perhaps Aikawa would consent to return. Most of the Visored have reintegrated into the Gotei 13 once more."
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Ran-chan.
I can never put into words how much it pains me to write this. I can only hope that I succeed in my mission before my guilt out weighs my conviction. The evils Aizen has committed, and plans to commit, are beyond comprehension. And I have been a part of them for many years now. I console myself with the fact that if I were not doing his bidding, someone else would. I must continue down this path. One more person fighting him head on would never make a difference in his downfall, but perhaps one person fighting from the inside will.
I won't ask you to forgive me. I don't deserve that. But I will ask that you do one thing for me. Live well. Be happy. Never forget, I love you with all my heart. You are my world, and my reason for fighting. Even if I die, or spend all of eternity in a cell for what I have done, I will not regret it, so long as you are safe, and have a chance to live free and happy.
Let your friends help you. Don't cry alone, and don't let happiness pass you by waiting for me. Smile.
Gin
Rangiku folded the letter and sighed. It had been three years since he died. Three years exactly. The letter had been found on her pillow when she returned from his funeral. She had no idea where it had come from. She doubted Izuru could have kept such a secret through everything. Her own captain... Well, she would not say it was impossible, but beyond unlikely. Regardless, she had long since accepted that Gin laughed at the idea of conforming to the widely accepted laws of possible and impossible almost as much as Ichigo.
"Oh Gin... I would have been happy if you had just stayed by my side..." She kissed the letter and slid it into the top drawer of the short table by her bed.
"Matsumoto! You've got a mission in the living world! Get out here!" Her captain's irritated voice interrupted her musing. That's right, I agreed to go with Shuhei... I forgot what day it was... I really just want to sulk, but I did promise... Okay. Up, Rangiku! She forced herself to her feet and took a moment to straighten her clothes and run her fingers through her hair in front of the mirror before grabbing her Zanpakuto and joining the others.
She saw her captain's expression soften when he caught the haggard look in her eyes. He never forgot that the man who had once been labeled a traitor had meant everything to her. Shuhei looked guilty.
"I realized I had forgotten... I'm sorry for asking you to go with me today. I can find a substitute, if you would prefer..." The tattooed man looked away from her. She shook her head.
"No, I'm alright. I need to stop sulking. A mission in the living world will be good for me. Keep my mind off the past and on the present." She stepped out the door and into the sun, stretching and feeling the breeze on her skin. She smiled. This is what you wanted... My smile? Well, you better be watching, cause I won't promise to come out and let you see it if you miss it!
Inside, the white haired captain held back the newly appointed captain of the Ninth Division.
"Hisagi... I expect my Lieutenant to be back in one piece. And, if possible, a bit happier for the experience. She is fond of ice cream in the living world. Take her shopping. I'll reimburse you for anything she buys." Toushiro said quietly. "And get her to talk about it. Don't tell me a word about it. But it will be good for her to let it out, and I'm not the right person for that."
"Yes Captain Hitsugaya." Shuhei said, looking over his shoulder at the door. "A lot of people wonder why she would stay a lieutenant with a captain so cold, but I am glad to see you care about her."
"You are a shining ray of hope for her to recover from losing Gin. If you break her heart as well, you'll find out just how much I care about her, and just how cold I can be. Now, get going." Toushiro gestured toward the door.
"I would expect nothing less." Shuhei smiled. Since his promotion, he had found his opinions of the captains changing slowly as he interacted with them as equals for the first time. And as those long held views of his superiors changed, he grew to like the youngest captain more and more. His no nonsense attitude, strong sense of right and wrong, hot temper, and level head in battle... Even his white hair. He reminded Shuhei of his hero when he was only a child. Kensei Muguruma.
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"Captain Madarame, what happened? A hollow attack?" Lieutenant Kotetsu rushed to the injured man's side, helping him walk to a bed. He shook his head.
"Fell asleep during training..." His head leaned against her shoulder.
"Fell asleep? Have you not been sleeping well?" Isane leaned the bleeding man back onto the mattress and began a healing kido to seal the wound. Again, he shook his head.
"Haven't slept well since I... Since Captain Zaraki died... Haven't slept at all in... days? I think it's been days. Hope it's not been weeks... That would be kinda bad..." His eyes fluttered closed, but almost as soon as his breathing began to even out, he bolted upright, face twisted in horror.
"I see... Nightmares..." Isane gave him a sympathetic smile. "I used to have nightmares all the time... You have a lot more reason for it than me, but it kept me from sleeping as well. I actually developed my own kido for it. I was very proud of it. Would you allow me to use it on you?"
"It will let me sleep without nightmares?" Ikkaku asked hesitantly.
"Yes. Dreamless sleep." She smiled and put a hand to his forehead. He had a slight fever, but that was likely a symptom of his insomnia. His body was under too much stress. "Please, let me do this for you."
"Alright." Ikkaku let himself relax onto the bed as she began her chant. He knew very little about the finer workings of Kidou, but he knew that the careful weaving of a binding kidou and a healing kidou was an impressive act, made all the more so by the fact she had invented it herself. "Why haven't they made you captain yet?"
"No bankai... I am not strong enough to be a captain. I wouldn't last a day in the Eleventh." She glared at the ground. She missed her captain, but she also felt a little... betrayed. She had been the greatest warrior in the Gotei 13 and never taught her lieutenant to fight? Never left her a way to defend herself from the truly dangerous enemies they faced? She could barely handle Gillians, and even then she usually needed help if her first Kidou didn't take it down.
"The Eleventh wouldn't stay strong without the Fourth here to patch us up..." The kidou was working, and Ikkaku's eyes fell shut. He did not sit up in a panic this time. "You're as strong as the people you keep alive..."
She blinked, then giggled as she pulled a blanket over him. She watched him sleep for a few moments, then whispered to herself. "I'm keeping you alive, so I guess I'm not so weak..." She hesitated, then kissed his cheek. "Thank you." She blushed and was on her way out of the room when she bumped into a smirking Yumichika.
Her eyes went wide and she stumbled back, but he caught her by the shoulders and steadied her.
"Woah, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you or anything, I just wanted to check on him. He is right you know. The Eleventh Division couldn't be strong if we didn't have the Fourth Division. You are as responsible for the protection of Soul Society as we are. More, since you heal the other divisions as well. I think it is quite a beautiful thing. I'm grateful you were here to protect him from his nightmares. You will have to teach me that kidou, in case he gets stubborn and needs to be forced."
"Oh... I will. You know kidou? I thought the Eleventh was against it..." Isane had not spoken to the man much, but she was beginning to think he was not the typical Eleventh Division member.
"That rule, luckily, has been discarded. I would prefer to keep this secret out of the wider circle of knowledge, but it will be easier for us both to take care of this idiot with fewer secrets between us. I have a kidou type zanpakuto. I'm actually better with Kidou than half the lieutenants. Although, the past decades without even releasing my shikai, I am better with a sword as well."
"Then maybe between the two of us, we can keep him alive." She smiled. Yumichika laughed, then turned away, waving cheerfully over his shoulder.
"Maybe we can. For now, I leave him in your capable hands." He shook his head. He had heard with his own ears. Ikkaku was finally picking up some wisdom. And if he wasn't mistaken, he may finally have seen value in a person, other than their fighting ability. He grinned. Oh how he would enjoy watching the man realize that combat skills weren't all that mattered to him after all.
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"Ah... That feels nice..." Shunsui Kyuraku sighed contentedly as he let the cool water rush past his bare feet. Beside him, Captain Ukitake was stretched out on his own discarded white Haori and black Shihakusho, hair tied back loosely as he enjoyed the warm sunlight.
"It has been too long since we visited this place, Shunsui." The white haired captain kicked his own feet in the water. Down the bank a ways, barely in sight, were his two third seat officers, arguing as usual. Beyond them, reading a book in the shade of a tree, was his best friend's lieutenant. "So... How are things going with Nanao?"
"Hard to say... She's not like any other woman I have ever met, Juushiro. She certainly keeps me on my toes. I am surprised she condoned this little outing, actually. I thought for sure she would consider it a waste of time and veto it, but she decided to come along instead. She never ceases to surprise me..."
"Completely love struck, huh? Haven't seen you like this since our academy days." Juushiro laughed. A loud splash signaled to him that one of his officers had been thrown bodily into the stream. Judging by the voice that began swearing in an impressively creative fashion, he would have to guess it was Kiyone.
"Yeah... Well look who's talking! Taking a day off? You haven't been this carefree since the academy either! Whatever Isshin's done worked, didn't it? You're cured?" Shunsui turned to look at the other man hopefully. He received a grin and a nod.
"Turns out it is a relatively common affliction in the living world. Kidou was only fixing the symptoms and making the base problem worse. Apparently this is one of the areas the humans out did us in the last thousand years. They made medicine that kills the illness without killing the host. I'm really cured... I feel like a teenager again, Shunsui!" Juushiro sat up with a mischievous smile. "It's been a while since I could keep up with your plots and schemes... What do you say we give our officers a little surprise?"
"I say of course, my friend! I have missed getting in trouble with you! Too bad Yama-jii isn't here to yell at us again... Did you have something specific in mind?"
"I did." Juushiro leaned in and explained his plan to his friend. Minutes later, the two flash stepped away, leaving their officers alone on the shore, unaware of their impending fate.
Line -
"Good, now, try to flow through the motions, rather than treating them like a series of steps. Like dancing. The time it takes you to switch from attack to defense and back gives your opponent an opportunity to strike." Toushiro side stepped the wooden blade and used his own to slap the hilt from the woman's hand as she began to pull back for a second attack.
"I understand, but it is easier said than done..." Karin Kurosaki sighed, attempting the move again, this time striking immediately from the end of the first attack, rather than returning to her guarded stance. She grinned when she felt the blow land.
"Excellent. You're learning quickly. Now, try to do it from defense to attack. You opponents will make the same mistake. You have to be able to use the instant of hesitation and delay between their attack and their next move." He lunged and intentionally left a gap for her to strike at. She did not waste the window of opportunity.
"I know you are letting me win..." She pointed out.
"I am a captain, and one of the most skilled at that. What good would it do you to attack me if you could not touch me? I am not pitying you. I am teaching you so that someday you can match me without me holding back. Do you wish to continue, or shall I send you back to training with the regular class?" Toushiro smirked at her annoyed huff. "It is time for a break, anyway."
After the woman had left through the doors to the garden, he went to find his lieutenant.
"What's going on, Captain?" Rangiku looked up from her paperwork, eager for a distraction from he dull duties.
"How long did it take Ichigo to master the sword?"
"I think... Didn't Urahara teach him in seven days?" She thought back to when he had first invaded Soul Society. "And he took on Kenpachi at that level, so I'd call it mastery."
"Agreed... And in two more days he achieved Bankai and took on Captain Kuchiki..."
"Yeah, everyone knows about that... Scary, isn't it? Glad he's on our side."
"Indeed... What is scarier is that his sister is picking up the same skills at a very comparable rate... I would predict that in under a month, I will not be able to beat her with swordsmanship alone."
"No way... How did our old captain have a bunch of mutant super shinigami?!" Rangiku stared at her captain. He could only shake his head.
"Urahara warned me about this, but I didn't expect it to be as dramatic as he had implied. Apparently since they are all still technically alive and in yearly contact with their living bodies, they don't have the same limits as ordinary Shinigami. They have the spiritual power of Shinigami, and the infinite potential of humans... A dangerous combination."
"So what will you do?"
"Teach her until she surpasses me, of course. Then leave it to her brother and the few who would still have anything to teach her. But hopefully that is still a while off yet. She hasn't begun learning any advanced kidou yet. And she will not be taking any shortcuts on Bankai."
"Captain... She's his sister... Is she part hollow as well?"
"Yes. And when she hollowfies, I have promised to turn over her training to the Visored and her brother until she can control it."
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"It is a bit unorthodox, but I can see why you would prefer something like this... Sure. I'll sign off on it. Yuzu Kurosaki, you are hereby excused from all further combat training, and granted permission to join the fourth division at whatever level the captain feels appropriate. You certainly have the kidou skills for it. You'll do fine." Shunsui Kyoraku smiled warmly at the woman standing before him. She was a strikingly beautiful woman, and everyone who had known Masaki said her daughter was her twin in feature and personality.
"Thank you very much. I won't disappoint you." She bowed and smiled brightly. As she left to report to her father, and now captain, Shunsui turned to Nanao Ise. "You don't approve?"
"I... Am uneasy about the decision, yes. She is the sister of the hero of Soul Society, and the rising star of the Tenth Division, as well as the daughter of a captain, and she is being excused from combat training? She would be a valuable asset. And beyond that, she is being assigned to her father's division. He is known to be fanatical about his children, you don't worry that he may give her a higher rank than she is capable of holding?"
"She worked with her father for years in the living world, long after her brother and sister came to Soul Society. They have learned to keep their professional relationship and their personal relationship separated. Isshin would never endanger his daughter or his patients by giving her a higher rank than she could handle. As for her lack of combat training, I think that between her siblings and her father, their family has contributed enough offensive power to the Gotei 13. She fears her inner Hollow, and I can not blame her for that. You have heard Lisa's account of what happened in Hueco Mundo. Ichigo's hollow tore through the Quincy army like a hurricane through tissue paper. Even Byakuya reported fighting it briefly during the first invasion, and he said himself that he could never have beaten it, even then. I will respect her decision on this point. Should her father's judgment prove to be unreliable, then I will step in, but until then, I would like to trust them." The captain commander said to his lieutenant.
"You gave this more thought than I anticipated. Very well. I approve of your decision. That was the last order of business for the day. I finished the paperwork hours ago... Do you want to have dinner together?"
Nanao would treasure the image of her captain turning as pink as his kimono for decades.
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"Kaien! Help! It hurts!" Kirio bit back a shriek of pain as her vision began to blur. Then the pain faded and a mass of white began to pour from her mouth and spread across her face. "Get my dad! Hurry!"
"Kirio, hold on! I won't leave you!" The black haired boy lifted his friend carefully and began helping her toward the Seireitei. He mentally cursed. It had to happen when they were out in the Rukongai... If she overpowered him, she would be able to eat thousand of souls before she could be stopped... Her hollow would only grow stronger as her true self fell further below the surface... No. He wouldn't let that happen.
"Kaien... I don't want to hurt you... I'm slowing you down... You can't flash step while carrying me..." She was tearing chunks of mask from her face as quickly as they solidified, but it wasn't stopping.
"I can! I've been practicing!" He concentrated and they rushed forward in stumbling leaps. Finally, they came within sight of the Fifth Division. "Captain Hirako! Help!" His words hadn't stopped ringing in the air when he felt the weight lift from his side. The girl was cradled easily in the arms of the blonde haired captain.
"Thanks for getting her home, Kaien. You should get to class. I'll take care of her, and you can talk to her later. She'll be mad if you don't get her homework." Shinji gave his typical lazy smile and carried his panting daughter into the division barracks, his wife coming to walk by his side without a word. His smile didn't waver, but her quietness betrayed their worry.
Kaien could only stand in the street, lost and scared, until he felt his mother's familiar riatsu and a warm hand on each shoulder.
"Come on, Kaien. She'll be alright. She's got a hard day ahead of her though, and it's not something you can help her through, as much as you may want to. If you're there, she'll be too afraid of hurting you to do what she needs to do." Rukia took her son's hand.
"Shinji's right about you needing to be in school. You were planning on skipping out when it happened, weren't you?" Ichigo crouched beside the boy that was already beginning to resemble him.
"Maybe..." Kaien wouldn't look at him. "You're sure she'll be okay? Has anyone below captain or lieutenant level ever survived hollowfication?"
"Yes. My sister did. I can't tell you all the details about it until it is your turn to go through it, but I promise, she'll be okay." Ichigo smiled and hugged the boy. "Now, class."
Line -
"I had hoped to never see that side of you again..." Uryu said with a shudder. Ichigo winced.
"I know. But it was necessary. Have they all pulled back?"
"All but five... But they were five crafted specially to kill the Zero Division. The Nameless, The Bladeless, The Soulless, The Lifeless, and The Honorless. They were brainwashed more extensively than any of the others... It is impossible to tell what they will do with their creator gone and their purpose extinguished."
"We won't hunt them down... If they don't cause trouble, they can live in peace. But if they choose to attack, I will not be able to spare them... You know that, Uryu."
"Yes, I know." Uryu sighed. "I'm sorry I was not more help. His grip on me was tighter than I anticipated when I joined him. I'm glad you were able to handle him on your own."
"I didn't. Zangetsu did. I don't think any number of Shinigami could have beaten him. It took a hollow. That's why he attacked Hueco Mundo first." Ichigo said.
"I have a question about that... How can you live, being part Quincy and part Hollow at the same time?"
"Urahara has a theory about that..."
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"Ichigo! I couldn't feel your riatsu! What's happened?" Rukia came to a stop at his side as he stepped out of the Eighth Division. Rather than answer, he dropped to one knee and held a box out to her.
"Marry me. I have your brother's blessing. I graduated from college. I am a captain. I have accepted all of myself. I love you, Rukia." He looked up at her. She smacked him and snatched the ring.
"Of course I'll marry you, now answer my question!"
"Ouch! Midget! I merged with my inner hollow again. My power is even higher than it was when I faced Aizen. No one can feel my riatsu anymore. At least not in any way they would comprehend as riatsu. I'm fine." Ichigo scowled. So much for a romantic and picturesque proposal.
"Was that so hard to say?" She punched him, but followed it with a kiss. "My brother gave you his blessing?"
"Yeah. So did Zangetsu. He made me promise to protect our queen, so from now on, I am under orders. I will never let harm come to you again." Ichigo said. Rukia looked at him in surprise.
"Your hollow wants to protect me?"
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It was a wonderful day. Momo Hinamori stepped out of the Fifth Division's front doors and onto the streets of the Seireitei, smiling brightly. Her smile evaporated when she witnessed a certain white haired captain brush a brief kiss across the lips of a certain black haired third seat of the very same division.
She began walk toward the young woman as her childhood friend disappeared into the morning's captain's meeting. A hand caught her shoulder. She turned to find another friend shaking his head.
"Izuru, let me go!" She glared at him, but knew he was right. She had passed up whatever chance she may have had with the prodigy when she had undergone her mental collapse from Aizen's betrayal. He needed someone stronger than that. It had been easy to deny that he had loved the pink haired demon of the Eleventh when she never saw it with her own eyes. She had been busily setting her mind straight for the past few years, ignoring the rest of reality unless it was directly in her way. Now it was time to face the world as it was, not as she had needed it to be. "He's not mine anymore, is he?"
"No... He's not." Izuru said gently. "But I would bet he is still your friend if you give him a chance. I am."
"Thanks, Izuru..." She turned and noticed she now stood only a few inches shorter than he did. "Did you shrink or did I grow?"
"You've gone and gotten taller, Momo. You never noticed?"
"I... I didn't notice a lot of things... Let's go catch up. Do you still like Agar?" She smiled up at him.
"I do." He returned her smile and extended his arm to her, which she accepted.
Maybe she could cope with this new world she was thrown into after all.
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