Hello Again Everybody!

First off I would like to apologize I said in my last post that I would take car of two things in this chapter. After writing I found out that what I wanted to accomplish would better be realized in two chapters.

I hope you guys like this one Ichigo gets to meet his squad for the first time!

Thank all of you for your kind comments and continued reading. You are my inspiration.

DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT OWN BLEACH.

_Chapter 11_

You Will Protect

Isshin Kurosaki sat in his study. He had just sent back a message to Byakuya telling the man that he would be at dinner tonight. As he had thought, his son and his third daughter had finally came to terms with the way they felt about each other. This was great news. The hard part was going to be when they had to tell them about Ichigo's true lineage. He had left all that behind when he had found Masaki. It was almost an irony of fate that Ichigo would fall for a Soul Reaper when he had fell for a human. The problem facing him now was the fact that with him being the former head of the Shiba clan Ichigo is the rightful successor, heir to the throne as it were. Byakuya of course knew this. In order to keep with tradition the only thing that would be required for their union is for Ichigo to take his rightful spot in the clan. In order for this to happen he would have to talk to Kukaku. He had not seen his cousin in years. Ever since Kaien had died in fact. Sighing loudly he looked at the ceiling and thought to himself

"I hope that woman doesn't try blow my ass up. She always was a little crazy." smiling he thought about his cousins both alive and deceased. He had always liked Kaien they had been very close long ago. It had hurt him deeply when he had found out about his passing. The similarities with him and his son were uncanny especially their mannerisms.

"I guess it can't be helped. We all are a little crazy I guess."

Isamu looked at the gathered shinigami. They were all curious as to what would be important enough to call the entire squad in at once. Raising a head to silence them he waited til all that chatter died down. Stepping forward he began.

"Thank you all for coming in and gathering in one place. It is good to see all of your faces.

As I am sure all of you are wondering why I called you here. I have very exciting news to share with you guys. First though I have to go through a few logistical matters."

Ichigo was waiting behind the door with Rukia waiting on their cue. Isamu had said that he had to take care of a few things before the announcement. He was bored. He was nervous. Maybe even a little scared. He had been a leader before but only for a few. There were hundreds of people out there that were going to be looking to him for guidance and direction. Was he going to be able to live up to their expectations? What if he failed? Rukia looked over and could see the worry drawn all over his face.

"Idiot." she thought to herself " He worries to much"

She decided to act before his head exploded. Grabbing him by the shirt and snatching a quick kiss she smiled up to him.

"You will do fine. I am right beside you remember that"

Looking down at her Ichigo was happy that his mind was finally empty.

"That obvious huh?"

"I know you better than you know yourself. Just say what you feel and be honest. Have you decided on a goal for the squad yet?"

She saw the fire ignite in his eyes.

"Yes I have."

Outside Isamu was finished with the small details.

"Now to the reason that you are all here. As you well know we have been without a Captain for over a year and without a Vice Captain for over six months." murmurs of agreement spread throughout the crowd.

"I am very excited to be able to tell you that as of today we have a new Captain and Vice-Captain!"

Applause spread throughout the formation.

"Guys it is my honor to introduce you to out new Vice-Captain..."

A thick veil of anticipation was in the air.

"Rukia Kuchiki, former Vice-Captain of squad 13."

As Rukia walked out she was met by a roar of applause. Her exploits during the winter war were very well known. She waited for the applause to die down before she started to speak.

"Thank you so much for that warm welcome. I am humbled by your enthusiasim and will make a promise to you that I will strive to do the best I can for all of you in the future."

More applause.

"Now I am sure that you are wondering who has been picked for your Captain. It is my pleasure to introduce him to you although for most I am sure he needs no introduction. I present to you your captain. Former substitute soul reaper, hero of the winter war...Captain Ichigo Kurosaki."

The roar of applause was almost deafening as Ichigo walked out in front of his squad and looked over the heads of his men smiling. They were all excited and honored that someone so famous had been chosen as their Captain. After a minute Ichigo held up his arms for silence. It took a minute but after a time all eyes were on him. He looked to Rukia who had a encouraging smile on her face before he began.

"Hello. It is my honor to say that I am truly excited to be your Captain. I promise you here and now that I will do everything in my power to make sure that each and every one of you will make it to your true potential. Over the next few days Rukia and I will be observing your training sessions and missions in the world of the living. I want to see where exactly each of you need help. Seated members I want each of you to help with this. I want a list from each of you of the people who are under you and their strengths and weaknesses."

Ichigo surveyed the group trying to feel out the potential larger spiritual pressures among them.

"If you didn't know I am new to Soul Society. I only recently regained my shinigami powers after losing them after defeating Aizen."

Interrupted by applause Ichigo took a moment of silence. Smiling at the enthusiasm of his squad members. It didn't take long to subside.

"Ever since I found out that I was going to become your Captain I have been thinking of a goal that I want this squad to meet. A mission statement I guess you could call it. This is what I have come with."

"I expect each and every one of you to strive to continue to push yourself to new heights. If your shunpo is lacking train with it. If you need help with your kido or kendo ask for it. I expect you to be ready if I call upon you. This is a promise that each one of you need to make not to me but too yourself. As for a mission it is very simple. I expect you to protect those who cannot protect themselves.. If you see someone who is weaker being harmed. You will protect. If one of your loved ones needs you. You will protect them. I want each of you to look around."

Pausing for effect he watched as his squad looked around.

"Each of these people will protect you and you will protect them. We will all fight on the same side and go down to the last man if need be for one another. I will not tolerate anything else. If it is not in you to put yourself before others I will happily sign your transfer paperwork. Any takers?"

In unison all present shouted "No sir!"

"Good I am glad we are all on the same page. Now that I have told you what I expect of you I will tell you that you can expect the same from me and Rukia. We will do everything in our power to protect you. You will be more than just our men you will become our family. We will fight with everything we have for you as long as you fight with everything you have for us. That is all I have for you today. Those of you that do not have missions today will start training for the rest of the day. Seated members I expect those lists by the end of the week. Just because this is a time of peace does not mean danger is not around the corner. Squad five dismissed."

Another larger round of applause. Some members left for their respective duties, many stayed and asked their Captain questions about his life, the war, is it true he had hollow powers, what is it like living in the living world and just about every other question imaginable. Ichigo played along for awhile. They had been betrayed by their last Captain it was within reason for them to get to know him as much as possible.

-Three Hours Later

Ichigo and Rukia sat in their office. After questions many of the seated members wanted to show Ichigo what they got and went to the training area to spar with other. Ichigo was only to happy to oblige. While he watched he offered pointers and advice. The two of them were exhausted. It had been a busy day and the hardest part hadn't even came yet.

"Do you think that I did okay out there?" Ichigo asked

"I am proud of you. The men seem to really like you. As for your mission, Ichigo from the moment I met you you have been protecting everybody that you care about. I knew you would pick that as your squad's goal before you did. I am happy to be the one who stands besides you. I have a feeling with our guidance and your conviction squad five will become a force to be reckoned with. I am sorry to change the subject but I have to ask...What are we gonna do about tonight?" she asked with a worried expression.

"We will face it like we have everything else...together." Ichigo smiled at her.

"I promise I will try to be on my best behavior. Your brother knows how to get under my skin if he tries I will..."

"You will do nothing! I want this to work Ichigo. I told him I was willing to leave the clan if he didn't approve of us. Please for me do not pick a fight or let yourself be goaded into a fight tonight. If my brother picks at you he will be doing it to judge your reaction. It will be a test Ichigo."

Looking at her he could see the worry in her eyes. He did not want her to leave her clan even if it was her idea. Gritting his teeth he nodded his head and thought to himself.

"Byakuya I am doing this for her. I hope that you can see that you bastard."

Rukia rose and came over to him giving him a quick kiss.

"I have to go get ready see you soon. Do you have anything to wear?"

Ichigo deadpanned. He had never seen anybody wear anything other than their shihakusho before of course it made sense that there were other things to wear when you were off.

"Uh...no I guess I should go get something huh?"

"Yes you should." holding out her hand she summoned a hell butterfly which soon went over to Ichigo and fluttered in front of him.

"I have told this hell butterfly to show you where the shops are that have formal kimonos. Pick one out your Captain's salary should have posted by now. You get a bonus for getting the position you know. If I remember correctly Captain Ukitake said that he put in a requisition to get you back pay as well for what you did for us during the winter war. Just tell the shopkeeper to bill it too your account. You should have plenty. Goodbye I will see you later."

With a smile she vanished.

-One hour and a half later

Ichigo walked towards the mansion. He did not want to mess up his new kimono so he had not used shunpo to get there. The shopping experience hadn't been bad at all. When he had arrived he had told the shopkeeper everything and asked for help picking something out. After seeing several choices he had chosen a dark green kimono with a striking orange sash. The shopkeeper said that this kimono had the air of reality and it perfectly matched his hair. Reaching the gates he was bid in by the guards. When he arrived at the door he was met by Rukia. If his mouth wasn't attached it would have become unhinged.

She stood before him every bit the noble she was. Her hair had been fixed and was perfectly ironed out. Her usual bang hung between her eyes. On the right side of her head sat a Lilly bloom holding up a portion of her hair above her ear. Never seeing her with make-up before he was shocked to see the full red color of her lips and light tint on her cheeks. Looking down he marveled at the beautiful deep blue kimono that hugged her in all the right ways. He could see the curves of her hips and her cleavage was just peaking through the top. He had always known that there was much more to her figure than what could be seen under her shihakusho. But he had never seen her look so strikingly beautiful before.

Looking at him she couldn't help but think his reaction was perfect. She had worked hard to look good for him. She was a girl after all and she wanted to look good for her man. Unlike him she had totally realized he had never seen her in formal wear. They had of course went out and done things in the world of the living. She had always tried to look her best but she had never tried to get a reaction from him before until now. Right now he was staring at her slack-jawed and in a daze. It was perfect.

"Rukia, you look absolutely beautiful." he stammered. Reaching into his robes his produced a bouquet of roses. Handing it to her with his face turning red he remarked.

"These are for you but I am afraid that your beauty overwhelms theirs."

Smiling as she took the flowers she smelled them deeply. Holding her hand out to him she turned to take him to the dining room where Byakuya was surely waiting. When they arrived at the door they stopped momentarily and looked at each other.

"We can do this." they both said together.

Turning to the door the were greeted with two figures instead of just one. Byakuya was sitting in his usual spot drinking tea talking to the man beside him.

It wasn't possible.

Why is he here?

They both turned to the two shocked people who had just walked in.

"D-d-dad? Why are you here?" Ichigo could not believe his eyes. Glancing at Rukia he could tell that she felt the same way.

"Ahh...You two are here. Hello my son! Hello third daughter! Come on in Byakuya and I have much to talk to you about."

A almost childlike smile spread on Isshin's lips as he saw their perplexed looks as they took their seats across the table.

Truly tonight would be one to remember.

Well thats it!

I hope you guys liked Ichigo's goal for his squad.

As always thank you for your continued support.

POLL:

Guys I need nine names and nine zanpakuto powers that you would like to see. The true entrance of the bad guys will be soon and I only have one name and zanpakuto power right now. I need help I am horrible at coming up with names. All responses will be considered and I need both male and female names.