"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, gray 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.
"Very impressive! A double incantation with a couple of ninety level hado spells is something not even all of us could pull off." Shunsui patted the blonde man's shoulder. "Unless my collegues have any objections..." He paused to look over his shoulder. The two men behind him both shook their heads. One smiling warmly, the other as expressionless as ever. "... It is my pleasure and honor to promote you, Izuru Kira, to the position of Captain of the Third Division! Congratulations!"
"Th-thank you Captain Comander Kyoraku!" Izuru had been worried when his bankai was met with only mild interest, but he had put all of his effort into his kidou training for the last few months, and it had paid off. With Urahara and Tessai in Soul Society full time, he had had no shortage of wisdom to draw on.
"Well done! You have become quite the Shinigami in the last few years. It is admirable that in the face of all the hardships you have faced, you rose above them, rather than being beaten down as many others would have been. You have more than earned this." Captain Ukitake came to stand at his friend's side and extend a white haori to the newly appointed captain.
"I am honored. I will do my best to live up to this responsibility, sir!" Izuru reverently accepted the garment.
"Send in Shuhei Hisagi on your way out, please! What a busy day... Doesn't help that Komamura retired to a teaching position when we were already short on captains... Can't be helped though. Maybe this will be the first time in Seireitei history that we'll fill two captain seats in one day!" Shunsui added. Izuru nodded and began walking toward the door. A hand caught his shoulder. He glanced back to find Captain Kuchiki at his side.
"I would like to speak to you for a moment, Captain Kira." Byakuya said in a way that left no room for refusal. Izuru nodded again and followed the older captain out of the room and in to the hall.
"What did you need to speak to me about, Captain Kuchiki?"
"You graduated from the academy with my Lieutenant, Renji Abarai, correct?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Do you believe he is capable of serving as a Captain of the Gotei 13?"
"Renji? He would have to master Kidou..." Izuru had not expected this from the typically emotionless captain. He had always thought of Renji as the stronger Shinigami, compared to himself, but Kidou was the one skill that set them apart. "Are you suggesting I tutor him?"
"No, that is a lost cause." Byakuya dismissed the suggestion immediately. Izuru winced slightly. That was harsh. True, but still. "It is possible for a Shinigami to become a captain without all of the requirements if he or she is recommended by six captains and approved by three of the remaining captains. Ordinarily, this allows for three or four captains to oppose the candidate, but as the Fourth, Seventh, and Eighth Divisions are all lacking their captains, that leaves room for only one. Captains Kyoraku, Hirako, Ukitake, and myself are all agreed to propose him. If yourself and Shuhei Hisagi will join that number, I believe we can count on Captains Soifon, Hitsugaya, and Zaraki to approve him."
"I see! Of course I will agree to help! I am sure Lieutenant Hisagi will as well, if he passes his exam." Izuru smiled. It would be nice to have a captain from his own class to learn the finer points of the new position with him.
"I am pleased to hear that. Lieutenant Abarai has proven himself to me as a capable leader and soldier, despite his deficiency with Kidou. It seems the only way I could properly repay his service is by seeing that he is given the rank he has earned." Byakuya turned away. "Send in Hisagi."
"Yes Sir!"
Line -
"Kenny?" Yachiru peaked into her father's room. He was sitting cross legged in the center of the floor, his sword planted in the boards between his feet, his hands on his knees. His eyes were closed, but his eyebrows twitched at the sound of her voice.
"Not now, Yachiru. Got bother Ikkaku and Yumichika. I'm busy." Kenpachi Zaraki, in the wake of the war, had finally felt the loss of Unohana's death. The one and only Shinigami he could have ever fought on even ground with was gone. And as he was now, no other Shinigami could hope to stand before him. Ichigo was the only man stronger, and the gap in their strengths was as great as the one between him and the average Shinigami. So, he dedicated himself to becoming stronger.
This meant he had spent the majority of his waking hours in his inner world with his Zanpakuto, with less and less time for his Lieutenant and adopted daughter, Yachiru Kusajishi. Ikkaku and Yumichika had done their best to maintain he girl's happiness and involvement with the Division, but in the end, she had turned to a different outlet for her frustration.
Captain Toshirou Hitsugaya, having recovered fully from his brief time as a zombie slave, was not thrilled to find the pink haired demon spending more and more time sitting on his desk. At first, he had vehemently ordered her to leave him to his work, but the girl knew the value of persistence. Within a week, he had stopped verbally trying to send her away. Within three weeks, he no longer blinked when he found her there. By the time five weeks had passed, he was genuinely concerned when she was missing from her spot in the mornings.
The two slowly began to get to know each other as more than the energetic lieutenant and the icy captain. As their morning conversations evolved from arguments to curiosity, and finally into something like friendship, Toshirou could not help thinking about what he had missed out on, scorning the childish girl for all these years.
She was brilliant, when she could be persuaded to focus on something for more than a handful of seconds. Not a prodigy, but sharper than anyone had given her credit for. She was strong, and when handled properly, knew where to draw the line on her playfulness.
Two months after the war had ended, Toshirou would finish his paperwork early, and rather than taking a nap, he would follow Yachiru off on an adventure into the Rukongai so she could show him something interesting she had found, or so he could teach her a combat technique she was interested in, or simply so they could talk for hours without them having to pretend they were more or less mature than they really were.
Yachiru told him the entire story of finding Kenpachi and eventually broke down and cried as she explained how she felt abandoned by him lately. With her namesake's death, it was as if she didn't matter any more. She could not present a challenge to him, so he had no interest.
Toshirou recounted his time with his grandmother and Momo, and coming to join the Gotei 13. He let her comfort him when he could not stop his own tears as he remembered his captain being pronounced dead, with no body and no explanation. He told her about his fear that Momo would never see him the same way she had before Aizen's betrayal had left her broken.
But sometimes, even with the white haired captain there to lean on, she could not stop herself from wishing everything were back to how it had been before. Just her and Kenpachi.
As she closed the door to the captain's quarters, she came face to face with a black-clad member of the stealth force. He was lucky he had not registered as a threat to her, or he would have been dead long before she recognized him as an ally.
"Lieutenant Kusojishi, I have a message for your captain." The ninja said quietly. Acting in secrecy for too long seemed to have left him in a constant state of quiet.
"He is busy at the moment. Deliver your message to me, or get out." Yachiru snapped. It was becoming more and more common for her to have to fulfill her roll as Lieutenant.
"Yes, Ma'am. Five rebel Sternritter have been located at the very edge of the Rukongai. The area is now under surveillance, but the Eleventh Division is being dispatched to eliminate the threat."
"Understood. You're dismissed." Yachiru turned her back on the messenger and began walking toward the office of the Third Seat. As the ninja flash stepped away, she slowed down and finally stopped. Five Sternritter... Kenny had killed three at one time in the war... Then another one later... then one more near the end. If she could match his five, maybe he would consider her worth his time again...
Without further thought of reporting the situation to Ikkaku, she set off for the edge of the Rukongai.
Line -
"Urgent message for Captain Kenpachi Zaraki!" A black-clad man appeared in front of Ikkaku and Yumichika on their way to the training grounds.
"He's busy. What is it?" Ikkaku raised an eyebrow.
"I am to deliver this news directly to the captain..."
"You will deliver it to me, right now, or else..." Ikkaku gripped his Zanpakuto threateningly.
"I... Very well. Lieutenant Kusajishi confronted five rebel Sternritter alone. She killed two, but fell in battle. She is dead." The messenger reported as if he were reading a grocery list. He barely dodged the blow that split the stones where he had been standing.
"Is this some kind of sick joke? Cause we're not laughing." Ikkaku raised his sword again, this time taking time to truly gauge his target. He would not miss twice.
"It is no joke." The messenger held up a piece of black cloth and unfolded it to reveal a pink wrapped hilt with two inches of broken steel. "This was all we could risk recovering without backup."
"Yachiru... No..." Ikkaku dropped to his knees and reverently lifted the small sword hilt. "Yumi... Get the captain." He clenched his fists until blood ran from between his fingers.
"Get me for what? … Ikkaku, what are you holding..." Kenpachi Zaraki towered over the men, his one open eye fixed on the familiar pink hilt.
Line -
Toshirou felt like vomiting as he watched the procession. He may have been the only one who fully understood why Yachiru had gone out alone. He may have been the only person who she had chosen to confide in. He had brushed it off as senseless worry when she had not appeared on his desk that morning. Now he could do nothing but clench his fists and try to convince himself that his inaction had not caused this tragedy.
Many did no understand what was going on at first. It seemed unthinkable that it could be a funeral. The Eleventh Division never mourned the dead. But today, the usual rowdy and belligerent group walked in solemn silence through the streets of the Seireitei.
At the head of the procession was Ikkaku Madarame, followed closely by Yumichika Ayasegawa. Occasionally, Ikkaku would stumble. Yumichika would steady him, then withdraw. Behind them, the entire Eleventh Division followed. In the middle of the group, lifted to shoulder height by two dozen men, was a large stretcher. In the middle, laying on his back with his eyes closed, was the body of Kenpachi Zaraki. Curled against his side as if she were asleep was Yachiru.
Their swords lay on his other side. Hers was shattered into fragments. His was more ragged than ever, and crusted black with blood. Kenpachi's blood soaked haori lay across Ikkaku's shoulders. The bald man walked bent low as if the cloth carried the weight of the great man who wore it until that day.
"What happened?! Who killed Zaraki!?" A voice from the crowd shouted. Ikkaku stopped and swayed on the spot. Yumichika caught him and glared at the crowd, unable to identify who had spoken. No one but Yumichika heard Ikkaku's weak reply.
"I did..."
Line -
"Why didn't you ever tell me, Yumi?" Ikkaku asked quietly. It was the first he had spoken to his friend since the fight.
"Because... It is the unwritten law of the Eleventh Division... No Kidou type Zanpakuto. I would have been cast out..." Yumichika sat on his bed, elbows on his knees and face in his hands. "It was worth keeping it a secret so I could fight by your side."
"But you kept it a secret from me, Yumi... I told you my secret from the start..."
"I hate to tell you this, but yours was not much of a secret." Yumichika managed to smile at his friend, receiving only a scowl in return.
"Not. The. Point. You should have trusted me... You're my best friend."
"I thought you would hate me if you knew..."
"Never. I would have left the Eleventh of you had been kicked out. You fought by my side since the day we met. I admired Zaraki, but you've always been my best friend. You should have told me."
"I know... I'm sorry, Ikkaku. I should never have doubted you. I won't doubt you again." Yumi stood up and extended his Zanpakuto, blade pointing toward the ground. After a moment, Ikkaku grabbed the hilt directly above his friend's hand.
"You better not." Ikkaku released his friend's Zanpakuto and studied it more closely. "I'm impressed you have kept up with me all these years without ever releasing your Shikai... You've gotta be at captain level by now."
"I have no intention of becoming a captain when I finally got the Third Seat I have wanted for decades!" Yumichika laughed.
"Third Seat? You're supposed to be my Lietuenant!" Ikkaku demanded. His friend shook his head.
"I'm staying Third Seat. And unless they can beat me, no one is taking the Lieutenant position. It can remain empty as a tribute to Yachiru, just as your title is a tribute to Zaraki." Yumichika said. Ikkaku nodded reluctantly.
"I guess we can get a modified Lieutenant badge made for you, so they know you're my second in command and the Third Seat." Ikkaku turned over the badge in his hand. "We can put this with her sword, then."
"I think that is an excellent idea, Captain Kenpachi Ikkaku Madarame. You're getting the hang of this job already."
Line -
"What happened?! Was there a Hollow attack?!" Isane Kotetsu rushed to the man's side and took him to a bed. Blood was dripping from his fingertips as it poured out of a deep cut in his shoulder.
"I fell asleep during training." Ikkaku mumbled, his sword dragging along the ground behind him as he sat on the edge of the bed he was guided to.
"You... Fell asleep? Have you not been sleeping well?" Isane asked, curious and concerned that anyone could fall asleep in a fight. Although, if anyone could, they would be in the Eleventh Division.
"Haven't slept in days... Not since I... Not since Zaraki died... Hope it's only days... Weeks would be bad..." Ikkaku leaned back on the mattress and his eyes flickered shut. Isane began a series of healing spells as the bald captain as his breathing slowed and evened out.
Almost as soon as he slipped into unconsciousness, Ikkaku bolted upright in a panic.
"Ah... Nightmares..." Isane smiled sympathetically and continued her healing. "I used to suffer from nightmares all the time. You have more reason for them then I ever did..."
"How did you get rid of them?" Ikkaku looked up at the healer.
"I... I invented a new kido spell by fusing a healing kido with a binding kido. It lets a person sleep with no dreams at all." Isane finished closing the wound. "I could use it on you, if you would allow me."
"It is not the way of the Eleventh to run away from an enemy just because we are not strong enough to fight it, nor let someone else fight our battles..." Ikkaku looked at his sword. "But I can not fight this enemy at all... And it is stopping me from fighting other enemies."
"So you will allow it?"
"...Yeah..." Ikkaku released his grip on his sword and ran a hand over his scalp. "It is impressive that you could created a kido like that... Yumi's been explaining the finer workings of Kido to me lately. I still don't understand it all though... Why haven't they made you captain yet?"
"No bankai... I am too weak to be a captain. Even the head of a group of healers must be able to fight." Isane said quietly.
"Bullshit. You're as strong as the ones you keep alive." Ikkaku smirked up at her as his eyes drooped shut again. She began casting the spell and he immediately felt the difference. He had been all but asleep already.
"I'm keeping you alive... I guess I am not so weak then..." She smiled as he fell asleep. This time, he did not awaken in a panic.
Line -
"Hey Sis!" Kiyone grinned as she slid in to a chair across from the silver haired Lieutenant.
"Hey Kiyone. How have things been in the Thirteenth?"
"Really busy, with Rukia on an extended assignment in the living world. But it's great! There is enough work that Sentaro and I can both show what we've got without stepping all over each other! Captain Ukitake has been very pleased with us!" Kiyone said excitedly. "And what about you? Must be hard, acting as temporary captain of the Fourth Division."
"It's not so bad. I get to choose my patients more than I used to." Isane smiled and looked away from her sister. Kiyone noticed a trace of pink on Isane's cheeks.
"Oh! You've been enjoying the gratitude of some handsome soldier, huh? I thought you seemed more relaxed than usual!" Kiyone leaned over the table and whispered. "Who is it? Do I know him?"
"I'd be pretty surprised if you didn't at least know his name..." Isane was no longer able to pretend to hide her blush as she focused intently on the cup of tea in her hands.
"Hmm... So it's probably a Captain or Lieutenant, right?" Kiyone received a reluctant nod. "You probably always got the Lieutenants before, so I'm gonna guess it's a captain." Kiyone smirked at the slight droop of her sister's shoulders. "You said it's a guy, so Two is out... It has to be someone who's been injured since the war, so One, Five, Six, Ten, and Twelve are out. Eight and Four are empty. That leaves five options... Kira, Abarai, Hisagi, Madarame, and Ukitake... You wouldn't dare seduce my captain... Would you?!"
"No! It's not Captain Ukitake!" Isane barely restrained herself from shouting.
"Good... So. Blonde, Red, Black, or Bald... Kira is so depressing, I don't think he'd make you so relaxed and happy. Hisagi has been crazy for Matsumoto for as long as I have been drinking with them, so I doubt it's him. So... Is it Renji Abarai? Those tattoos are kinda hot..." Kiyone asked. Isane shook her head and closed her eyes. "You can't be serious... You're seeing the captain of the Eleventh?! You're a healer!"
"I know..."
"He is Captain Kenpachi Ikkaku Madarame! That means he is the greatest killer alive today!" Kiyone is frantic now.
"I know, Kiyone! Just... He's a great man. The Eleventh Division is... Really beautiful, if you get to know them." Isane smiled and set her cup down and looked at her sister. "Do you trust me?"
"Isane..." Kiyone sighed. "Yeah. Of course I do, Sis."
"Then trust me that he is a good man. Even with the title of Kenpachi."
Line -
"Soi? Little Bee? What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Yoruichi sat on the top of her friend's dresser in her cat form, watching silently as the short woman jumped and took only an instant to locate her.
"Ah... Lad-... Yoruichi... I was expecting you to be in human form... Wait! No! Don't..." Soifon's objections trailed off as her idol stood naked in front of her. She watched in stunned silence as the taller woman walked across the room, picked up a robe, and slipped it on with no urgency in her motions. "I wanted to speak with you about the Stealth Force."
"Oh. I have administered a few tests without informing them. You've done an excellent job training them." Yoruichi smiled as she took a seat on the Captain's bed.
"Thank you... But I don't believe I should be the one training them anymore, now that your exile has been lifted. The Shihoin Clan has traditionally been the head of the Stealth Force. I... I would like you to return to your former position as head of the Stealth Force. I will remain the captain of the Second Division. We'll be equal's, as far as rank is concerned..." Soifon looked away from her bed. Yoruichi's robe covered very little while she was standing, and less when she sat down and leaned back.
"Calling me Yoruichi instead of Lady Yoruichi... Wanting us to be equal in rank... Little Bee, I am on to you." The woman almost purred as she stood and moved to stand directly behind her friend. "I won't be taking my old job back as a condition for any such thing, naughty girl. You'll have to ask me out on a date without knowing if I will accept the position or not first."
"But... I can't... You're a noble and I'm..."
"A Captain. A well respected Captain, who has earned the admiration and loyalty of her men and her peers. That is worth a lot more than my family name. Just ask, Little Bee. I won't make any promises about the job, but I will not say no to a date with you." Yoruichi wrapped her arms slowly around the shorter woman.
"You shot the scene I had planned in my head all to hell..." Soifon crossed her arms over her chest and huffed indignantly. "Would you like to go on a trip to watch a movie in the living world with me? I here they are a common thing for humans to see on dates."
"I would love to, Soi." Yoruichi smirked and nuzzled Soifon's hair. "And I would love to work beside you as an equal. That was what I always wanted when I was teaching you all those years ago..."
"Why did you leave me?" Soifon clenched her fists.
"Because I wanted to watch you grow strong on your own. You relied on me too much, and if I brought you with me, you would have never seen me as an equal." The cat woman kissed Soifon's head. "Can you forgive me?" The shorter woman all but melted in her embrace.
"You already know the answer to that... You just like making me say cheesy things."
"You got it, Little Bee." Yoruichi grinned. "But if I here those cheesy things, I may take you out next time... For a nice fried fish dinner, or something of that nature."
"That's quite the offer..." Soifon smirked.
"And I also won't tell anyone about your black cat panties."
The smirk vanished at a speed that put the Flash Goddess to shame.
Line -
"Ouch! What the hell did I do this time?!" Shinji glared at the short woman as the red outline of her flip flop slowly became visible on his cheek.
"Dumbass! I am not joining the Fifth Division! And don't you dare suggest the Twelfth with that creep in charge! You'll just have to declare this room my own sovereign nation within the Seireitei!" Hiyori demanded as she swung her shoe threateningly at the man.
"You're pretty demanding for someone so short..." Shinji should have seen the second smack coming.
"Shinji..." The small Visored growled as she raised the shoe yet again.
"Alright, alright! I'll make sure you can stay without joining the Gotei 13! The Captain Commander is pretty easy going about stuff like this, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal." Shinji dodged the next attack. He was running out of cheeks and he planned on sitting down at some point. "Our future kids are gonna learn abusive habits if you keep that up!"
"Kids? You haven't even manned up and married me yet! I told you I was going to be a virgin bride!" Hiyori dropped the flip flop and slid her foot back into it.
"So... Sovereign nation?" Shinji grinned at her.
"That's right. With... diplomatic relations with the Fifth Division... Frequently." Hiyori smirked and grabbed the front of his haori. "Get a ring by the end of the week, or you'll never have children. Mine or otherwise."