A/N: Thanks guys, for the reviews! Much appreciated!

After some consideration, I've decided to let Ichigo and Rukia take a stronger appearance in this fic too. ^^ (Both because they also don't get enough love in either of the Phases/Chasing stories, and because they have a definite ten-year timeline I can use to keep SOME structure in this plot XD. After all, there's a major life event for both of them that kind of gets glossed over between Phases and Chasing.) This chapter checks in on IchiRuki, and then there's going to be some HitsuKarin in the next.

I couldn't get the thought out of my head that Ichigo is a closet workaholic. XD We've all seen that he takes his studies really seriously, surprising a lot of people. Why not the same thing with paperwork?

aSilentReader, Karin, Yuzu and company graduated in a special officer ceremony, so the ordinary graduates wouldn't know what division they decided to join. They might not even know who they were, considering the twins kind of stayed among the top classes for their whole time at the Academy. Regarding bokkens, yes, you can and do use the term 'blade' to describe the 'blade' side of the bokken and the term 'flat' to describe the other side of it. This is because when you train with a bokken, you're treating it as if it were a real sword, except for the fact that it (probably) won't kill your opponent. (Source: I do swordsmanship, and when we use bokkens, we treat them as though they are live, making a distinction between the ha or blade-side and the mune or flat.). Thanks for asking, and never apologize for long reviews! I like long reviews! As for Masa/Kohaku, well...we'll see~ Fufufufu~

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. At all.

Chapter 2: Those first few nights

Kurosaki Ichigo, captain of the Fifth Division, stared down at the form in front of him, his pen scratching against the paper as he wrote out a few more lines. The sound echoed in the quiet office, the only sound besides that of his vice-captain doing her own paperwork as well, steadily moving through her own stack. He paused as he looked up, wondering what time it was anyway. The world outside had already gone dark, the office lit by the soft glow of the lights set into the walls. His eyes moved towards the clock on the office wall opposite from him. It was almost eight. He glanced at Hinamori again, then put down his pen, raising his arms over his head in a stretch and rubbing at a crick in his neck.

"Alright," he said, making her look up. "That's enough for today. Get out of here, Hinamori."

Hinamori blinked, looking up at him. "Taicho?"

"If you stand up Kira one more time, we're gonna have to put him on suicide watch," said Ichigo.

"But—." Hinamori's eyes moved towards the paperwork again.

"There's nothing here that can't wait until tomorrow," said Ichigo, leaning back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling. "Go on. Scram."

He heard the sound of Hinamori's chair scraping against the floor as it slid back, followed by the vice-captain getting to her feet. "Well, um, if you're sure, taicho..." she began uncertainly.

"I'm sure," said Ichigo, waving his hand in the direction of the door.

He heard Hinamori gather up her things and start to walk towards it. She paused at the door to the office, realizing something. Hinamori placed her hand on the door frame and looked back, her eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. "This doesn't mean you get to do the paperwork while I'm gone," she said, pointing at him. "You have to leave the office too!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Ichigo, sitting up and looking at her. "I'm done for the day."

Hinamori didn't look convinced. Her eyes narrowed further, as if she was trying to glare at him, but with the rest of her expression, it looked more like she was pouting. "I don't believe you," she said.

"Do I look that hard-working to you?" asked Ichigo. "Go on, Hinamori."

Hinamori stared at him for a moment more before she stepped back, evidently satisfied. Her expression brightened, and she smiled. "Alright," she said. "Have a good evening, taicho!"

"Yeah, you too."

Hinamori's footsteps disappeared down the hallway, moving quickly. Ichigo waited until she reached the corner, then glanced down at his desk, his hand moving towards the pen again. He looked up sharply at the sound of a flash step, pulling his hand away from the pen and straightening up just as Hinamori poked her head back into the office, her eyes narrowed.

"This also doesn't mean you get to take paperwork to your room," she said. "I mean it, taicho. If I stop working, so do you."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it, I got it," said Ichigo, waving his hand. "Get going. You're gonna be late."

"Hmmmmmm..." Hinamori paused, giving him a suspicious stare, before turning around and walking back down the hallway. Ichigo let out the breath he was holding, listening as her footsteps faded away. He considered the stack of papers in front of him.

Another flash-step brought her back, causing him to sit up straight again.

"I will know," she said.

"Just go, Hinamori!" he yelled.

Hinamori gave him her best impression of a withering stare, keeping her eyes on him as she stepped back and closed the door. This time, Ichigo waited until he was sure he heard the doors to the barracks open and close behind her, then exhaled, reaching for his pen—.

"Ichigo!"

The window behind him slid open, a shinigami leaping into the room. Ichigo let out a shout of surprise, dropping the pen and quickly throwing himself away from the window. The sudden motion pushed his chair off-balance, and he fell over, knocking a handful of files off his desk and scattering papers all over the floor. He pushed himself up on his elbows, his eyes wide as he kicked the chair away from him and his heart feeling like it was going a mile a minute.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked the intruder.

Kuchiki Rukia gave him a tense smile, the corner of her lip twitching with the effort as she walked over to him. "Now, now, Ichigo," she said, her foot landing on his chest and pushing him back onto the ground. "Is that any way to talk to your girlfriend who you love?"

Ichigo used both hands to remove her foot from his chest and put it down on the ground beside him, sitting up and rubbing at the back of his head. "Give me a break," he said. "You're the one coming in through the window in the middle of the night."

"Nostalgic, isn't it?" asked Rukia, looking down at him.

"A pain is more like it," said Ichigo, getting to his feet. He bent down, starting to pick up the files that had fallen. Rukia moved over to help him, picking up the papers and stacking them into neat piles on his desk. "What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked, as they worked. "You know, Byakuya's gonna kill me if anyone saw you come in that way. He made me promise not to cause a scandal."

"Ichigo, please," said Rukia. "You're a living, walking scandal. Nii-sama only expects you to mitigate those effects." She handed the papers back to him, and he took them from her gratefully, setting them down. Rukia folded her arms, perching at the edge of his desk and turning to face him.

"So, what are you doing here anyway?" he asked, after she had made herself comfortable.

"Renji and I drew straws," said Rukia. "He wanted to come through the wall."

"Renji?" Ichigo repeated. "Why...?" He trailed off, his eyes moving towards the calendar. They widened. "Shit," he said, looking back at Rukia. "That was today?"

"Don't worry," said Rukia. "You didn't miss much. Matsumoto tried to convince the others to bring the party to you. We talked her down."

Ichigo let out a sigh of relief. The thought of a drunken Matsumoto and whoever else she managed to drag along with her bursting into the Fifth in the dead of night was terrifying enough. Hinamori had already been through enough trauma. He blinked, noticing that Rukia had picked the topmost file off his desk and was now flipping through it casually, her eyes moving down the page.

"Hey!" he said. "Don't just read another Division's paperwork!"

Rukia waved him off, pulling back as he lunged forward and tried to grab the file from her. She glanced up at him from over the folder's rim. "A request to the soutaicho for training exercises outside of Seireitei?" she asked. Her eyes moved over the other files on his desk. "New orders for your seated officers? Squad rearrangements? My, Ichigo, you've been busy."

Ichigo sighed, running a hand over his face. "Look, it's just an idea," he said, placing his hands on the desk on either side of her to keep himself up. At Rukia's raised eyebrow, he went on, scowling. "The Fifth doesn't really have a specialty," he explained. "Ever since Aizen happened, it just kind of fell apart. But everyone's worked really hard, and we're almost back to the same numbers we had before the Winter War. I want the Fifth to become something more than what Aizen turned it into. A Division that protects people. Go on and laugh if you want."

Rukia met his eyes, her own gaze softening. "Ichigo, I'm not going to," she said, releasing her grip on the file. "That sounds like a good plan, and...very much like you." Her hand went up, brushing the side of his face. Ichigo paused, realizing suddenly how close they were. While trying to get the file from her, he had moved forward without thinking. Now, he was standing in front of her, leaning into her, his hands braced on either side of her as she leaned back.

"...Ichigo?" asked Rukia, her fingertips brushing his hair. He took a shaky breath and slowly pulled away.

"Sorry," he said. "You were saying something?"

"I was just asking about the new officers," said Rukia. "Masaryu moved in last week, didn't he?"

"Yeah," said Ichigo, nodding. "He's got a room down the hall. He's doing fine. Hinamori's already found a place for him helping out Sanada's team. The new guys are fitting in well too." He paused as he remembered an altercation earlier that week, where some of the new members wouldn't help clean out a storage room. Something about some of the old materials in there being cursed. Ichigo had had to go in there himself to show them that there was nothing to be afraid of. He put the thought out of his mind, turning his attention back to Rukia. "How's the Thirteenth doing?" he asked.

"About the same," said Rukia, shrugging. "The recruits are getting along fine. Sentaro and Kiyone keep asking the new members to choose between them." She paused, looking up at Ichigo. "I hear Karin made another scene at Eleventh today."

"I'm trying very hard not to hear what Karin's up to," said Ichigo, folding his arms. After the first day, when Ikkaku and Yumichika had regaled him with a story about Karin cowing her entire recruit class into submission, he'd decided that paying too much attention to Karin's activities would give him a heart attack.

Rukia smiled at him. "She was out with Hitsugaya-taicho today," she said. "I think they went to dinner."

"Trying very hard not to hear anything about that either," said Ichigo, his eye twitching. He paused, opening his eyes. "Wait, do you know where they were going to dinner?"

Rukia blinked. "No, I don't," she said. "Why?"

Ichigo's eyes moved to Hinamori's empty desk, a droplet of sweat forming on the back of his head. "No reason," he said.

"You're here too, Hitsugaya-kun?"

Toshiro and Karin looked up at the sound of the voice, their eyes widening as they saw Hinamori approach their table, a slightly flustered looking Kira in tow. The two of them were seated at a table in the corner of the restaurant, the half-eaten remnants of their meal spread out on plates between them.

"Hinamori," said Toshiro, blinking. "What are you doing here?"

"Just going to dinner," said Hinamori, her eyes moving over the two of them. They widened slightly as they noticed Karin. "Oh! Are you on a date, Shiro-chan?"

Karin turned bright red, her grip tightening on her chopsticks. Across from her, the same flush was mirrored on Toshiro's face, along with a sudden look of annoyance. "Who is Shiro-chan?!"

Hinamori ignored the outburst, clapping her hands together and smiling brightly. "Aha! I knew it! You two are so cute together!"

"Cute?!" Karin and Toshiro demanded at the same time, turning towards her.

"Oi, come off it," said Karin, settling back into her seat. She scowled, her eyes moving over the two of them. "You're on a date too!"

"What?" Hinamori blinked in confusion, looking back at Kira. She turned back towards them, smiling. "No, it's not a date. Kira's just a friend!"

Kira's eyes widened, the air seeming to shatter around him. He mumbled to himself, darkness surrounding him as he turned away from her. "It's not a date...I'm just a friend..." Hinamori continued to smile, seeming not to notice, as Toshiro and Karin stared at Kira with wide eyes.

"Oi, Hinamori..." Toshiro began.

"...I think she broke him," said Karin.

"Anyway, Shiro-chan, we'll leave you alone," said Hinamori, walking off. "Don't want to bother you on your date!"

Toshiro stared after her as she disappeared, dragging a depressed Kira along with her. He blinked, and then Karin saw his eyes narrow, his grip tightening on his chopsticks as a vein pulsed on his forehead.

"It's Hitsugaya-taicho!"he shouted to no one in particular.

"Anyway, that's not really important." said Ichigo, looking away from Hinamori's desk. Was it just his imagination, or could he feel Toshiro's reiatsu flaring up from somewhere on the other side of Seiretei?

Nah. Couldn't be.

"By the way, Rukia..." He looked back at her, his eyes narrowing as if he was noticing her for the first time."How long are you planning on sitting on my desk?"

"Oh?" Rukia gave him a teasing smile, crossing her legs. "You don't like me on your desk, Ichigo?"

No. I like you there too much. That's the problem, thought Ichigo, sweat drops forming on the back of his head as he considered her. He thought of Byakuya tearing into his office with the full power of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi coming in behind him, and the thought was enough to help him keep his cool for a few moments.

Hinamori, he reminded himself. Hinamori did not need any more trauma.

As if reading his mind, Rukia sighed, pushing herself off the desk and landing neatly on the floor so that she was standing in front of him. She folded her arms and leaned against the edge of the desk, sighing. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he thought she looked a little...disappointed? "Anyway," she said, changing the subject. "About your plan. I think it's a good one. If you don't mind, I'll go over it with Ukitake-taicho tomorrow and see if we can't hold a joint practice."

"That would be great," said Ichigo, meaning it. "Thanks."

Ukitake was one of the most experienced captains in the Gotei 13, and probably the one most willing to work with another Division. It would be great to get Ukitake's opinion on how things were going with the Fifth. He paused as he realized where his thoughts were going, looking out over the office.

Five years.

He hadn't realized it had already been that long. When he'd first accepted this position, he hadn't really known what he was doing, only that the Fifth had been incredibly damaged from Aizen's betrayal, and was still trying to recover. He'd managed to muddle through somehow, with Hinamori's help, had managed to get the old hands to trust him, maybe even respect him. He hadn't realized before how much work actually went into being a captain—running the Division, keeping things in order, filing paperwork and making sure that everything was the way it should be.

Now? The Fifth was a livelier place. There were more people than before, and it wasn't as gloomy as it had been. Hinamori had even started smiling for real in the past few years, instead of the sad smiles she'd given him before. Things were getting better. Soul Society was starting to trust them again.

He still didn't know what he was doing.

There were still conflicts within the Division. A lot of the old guard didn't see eye-to-eye with Ichigo's new officers. They still didn't really have a specialty, and were still not pulling as many new recruits as the other Divisions. And Aizen's presence hadn't really gone away. It still hung over the Fifth like a cloud, a name that everyone knew and nobody wanted to say.

"You've done a lot for the Fifth..." said Rukia softly, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Ichigo glanced at her, realizing that she probably did. "As much as anyone can do. Don't worry about it."

"We're not there yet," said Ichigo, folding his arms as he looked out over the office.

He didn't know where there was, only that he'd know when they got there. A Division that protected people...that trusted each other. That protected itself.

Well, it would be a start.

He walked over to the desk, sliding a thin folder out from underneath the file and flipping through it. "Tell Ukitake," he said as he scanned the list of names. "If he wants to do joint training, he can have Hamasaki and Ikegami's teams." He thought for a minute. "And Masa." Hamasaki was part of the old guard, a fifth seat under Aizen. Ikegami was one of the new, a seventh seat that Ichigo had managed to pull out of Third. They didn't see eye-to-eye. Maybe having Ukitake's eyes on them would make them reconsider.

Tossing Masaryu into the mix was just an afterthought. It would be interesting to see what he'd do.

"I'll tell him," said Rukia nodding. "Tomorrow. Don't work yourself too hard."

"Yeah, yeah," said Ichigo, waving a hand dismissively.

"And Ichigo..."

He froze as Rukia stepped closer to him, her lips millimeters from his. She smirked at his expression, her breath fanning against his lips. "Nii-sama doesn't know everything..." she whispered.

She pressed her lips lightly to his and stepped away, disappearing out the window before he could think to move again. Ichigo blinked, frozen in place as he stared at the open window. He could still feel Rukia's lips on his, the feather-light touch of her reiatsu against his skin.

—Dammit. He was going to die a cherry blossom related death thanks to that woman.

The worst part was, he didn't even care.

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake: Masa (AND KOHAKU)'s Shinigami Diary (OF AWESOME)

Masa frowns as the lights come on, looking up at the title above his head. His eyes narrow, and he turns to the girl next to him. "Oi, Iwase," he says. "Did you change our title?"

Kohaku smirks, pushing her glasses up with one hand with her eyes closed. "Fufufu~" she laughs. "I made it better!"

Masa folds his arms, clearly wondering whether or not it's worth correcting her. His eye twitches, before he looks to the audience, deciding it's best to just get on with it. "Well whatever," he says, pulling his pointer out of the sleeve of his shihakusho. He unfolds it, pointing it at the screen. The screen changes, showing a katana with a white and blue hilt. In the background are two white fans, connected by a white sash. "Today, we will be discussing Jungetsu, my cousin Kurosaki Yuzu's zanp—"

Kohaku lets out a sudden squeal, turning towards the screen with wide eyes. "—Kyaa!" she says, interrupting him. "We're discussing Yuzu-chan's zanpakuto?!"

"Um...yes," says Masaryu, frowning. "After all, Jungetsu is next in the order of things."

"Jungetsu is so cool!" says Kohaku, excitedly.

Masa gives her a strange look. "I'm...sure, Iwase," he says. He turns back towards the audience. "Anyway, Jungetsu's shikai manifests as a pair of white fans. The fans themselves are not sharp, however, the tines are hollow, allowing Yuzu to form blades using her reiatsu. The blades appear light blue." The images change as Masa speaks, illustrating what he is saying.

"And the sash is extendable!" says Kohaku, interrupting. She starts speaking rather quickly. "So Yuzu-chan can throw the fans in any direction she wants! And the blades can change size too! And she can use them open like fans or close them and use them like daggers! And she can also fire the blades like projectiles in a technique called Haneame—which is so totally not like a Quincy attack at all!—and she can use Getsuga Tenshou, and, and—!"

"Iwase..." says Masa, taking a step back as Kohaku takes over the screen. "You're scaring me."

"Don't listen to him, Yuzu-chan," says Kohaku, pulling out a small plushie from the sleeve of her robes. She sets the doll on her shoulder, patting it on the head. "He doesn't understand."

Masa gives her a flat look, still pulling away from her. "...Is that a chibi plushie of my cousin?" he asks, as if he's afraid to know the answer.

"It's a Shinigami Women's Association approved shinigami plush!" says Kohaku, patting the chibi on the head. "There's one for a lot of people—although for some reason the Kuchiki-taicho versions got cancelled because of severe cherry-blossom petal related damages. Which is a shame, because I'm sure Yuzu-chan would have loved one. But anyway, yes, this version perfectly reflects Yuzu-chan's sweetness and elegance! Kya, it's so cute!" She hugs the plushie closer to herself. It lets out a small squeak.

"Iwase..." says Masa, looking more than a little creeped out. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but do you and the plush representation of my cousin require a few minutes alone?"

"Masachin's just jealous because no one wants to hug him," says Kohaku to the audience.

"I—IWASE!"

"Anyway," says Kohaku, ignoring him. She reaches down towards the bottom of the screen, pulling up the review box. The chibi plushie of Yuzu sits on the corner as she holds it up. "If you have any questions for me and Masachin, or for anybody in this alternate universe, please feel free to type them here. We'll answer them when we can, okay?"

Masa pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing. "We're inviting audience participation now?" he asks.

"Always, Masachin! Always!" says Kohaku. She turns to the audience, grinning. "So type up your questions, and we'll see you next time! Ja ne!"

The screen fades to black again.