After rescuing Rukia, Ichigo thought his normal life would return to him. After all, barring the occasional hollow that had to be cut down to size, the affairs of the afterlife had nothing to do with him. Sure, Aizen was out there, doing whatever it was that an Aizen does, but that didn't concern him. His duties were to his family and his close friends. And from there, Karakura, because that's where his loved ones lived. He wasn't some grand hero who wanted to save the world. He was just a teenage boy with a chip on his shoulder who wanted to protect those he loved.

But as always, he'd be dragged away from his normal life kicking and screaming. He knew that the moment Rukia showed up on his doorstep, smiling that smug smile of hers. The one that told him that she knew something he didn't. He didn't even get a chance to say anything before she quite literally slapped him out of his body and grabbed him by the hair.

"Ow, the hell are you doin' Rukia?!"

"The Captain Commander wishes to see you, we're going to Soul Society."

Well, that wasn't a good omen. Then again, nothing that had to do with that wrinkly cranky old man ever was. But even so, did she have to tug so hard? And when did she get so strong? Has regaining her powers been that beneficial for her?

Still, he had one more thing to say as she opened up a Senkaimon. "What about my family?! I just got home like, a day ago!"

She turned toward him and the look on her face would give him nightmares. Because it looked like an expression that would be at home on Kisuke Urahara's smug punchable face. "They'll be joining you soon."

What the hell kind of answer was that?! And why did it sound like a threat?!

"No! Let me go! I refuse!"

"From now on, all your objections are rejected!" she retorted as she dragged him through the Senkaimon.

So this was how it felt to be on the receiving end. Karma was a bitch.

A lot of bitching on his part later saw him in front of Commander Dumbledore once more and he couldn't help but feel nervous. Why was he here? Did the man have a delayed reaction and just now decide to burn his ass to crisp? He certainly hoped not. He had too much to live for!

"Kurosaki Ichigo'' the grumptastic grandpa grumbled as he glared at him. "It has come to my attention that you have a Bankai."

He blinked, unsure where the guy was going with this. But upon deciding that being a smartass would just lead him to an early grave, he decided to play it smart and answer truthfully. "Yeah, I do. Why?"

The man who seemed larger than life stroked his beard. "As you know, we have recently lost three Captains. Which means that there are vacant positions. And as much as I'd like to fill them, finding Shinigami capable of utilizing Bankai who also have a good head on their shoulders is more difficult than you think."

Ichigo had a bad feeling about this.

"So upon asking around for likely candidates, Kuchiki Rukia of the 13th Division came up with a suggestion. That I instate you as a Captain, given that you have a Bankai and are most definitely Captain level."

Oh, he was going to throttle that midget.

"Now, I didn't take her word for it alone. I asked around and I even got a few glowing reviews. Both Captain Kuchiki and Captain Kenpachi vouched for you. As well as, surprisingly enough, Captain Ukitake."

He swallowed hard. Three Captains had recommended him? And one of them was Byakuya? It was going to be really hard to weasel his way out of this, wasn't it?

"I understand that you may have reservations. As you clearly still have ties to the living world. Which is why I will be allowing your family to move here, to Soul Society."

So that was what Rukia meant. If his family was here, he wouldn't need to worry about being separated from them. But what about his close friends like Inoue? And Uryu? And Chad? And as much as he'd been avoiding her, Tatsuki was also on that list.

"I'm honored that you're willing to go so far for me. But I have more than just my family."

The Commander held up his hand to silence any further objections. "Your friends are free to visit whenever they like. Is this acceptable?"

Ichigo mulled over the options in his head. He couldn't really see any downsides. Not immediately anyways. The guy must really be desperate to bolster his forces again. Not that he could blame him.

In the end, it wasn't a hard choice to make. If his family was here and his friends could visit whenever, there wasn't much keeping him rooted in Karakura Town. Plus, he could be with his friends in Soul Society too. Like Rukia, Renji and Hanatarou.

"Say I accept, do I get to choose which Division I take over?"

The Commander stared at him for a moment before nodding. "That is correct. You also get to choose who to have as your Lieutenant. You can replace the current one if you so desire. Or, if you'd like, you can even have Co-Lieutenants. It's not unheard of."

Ichigo rubbed his chin before he stood up, a burning resolve in his eyes. Before he had left Soul Society last time, he had spent some time with Renji and his friends. The redhead had wanted to introduce him to them. Among them was one Momo Hinamori. The Lieutenant to Aizen and a girl who had clearly been traumatized. She had barely talked the entire time and was clearly recovering from being skewered through the chest. According to Renji, Aizen had been everything to her. And his betrayal had broken her.

Ichigo wasn't a selfless hero, but he couldn't just let someone suffer like that. It was clear what he had to do.

"I'll take over the 5th Division," he said. "I'll keep Hinamori as my Lieutenant, but I may add a Co-Lieutenant in the future."

"That is acceptable. Now please proceed to the combat area."

"Huh?"

"It is time we prove you're Captain level."

Ichigo regarded him warily before he walked into the combat area the room over. And upon doing so, he wished he hadn't. Kenpachi was there.

"You kept me waitin' Ichigo!"

He gaped. "Oh, fuck me."

Momo wasn't sure what to make of the announcement. Her division was getting a new Captain? Already? And it was one of the Ryoka? Couldn't they have just left well enough alone? No one could replace Aizen. No one. Not even that . . . monster who claimed to be him. She refused to acknowledge it. That couldn't be her Captain. That monster had killed him. That had to be it. There was no way he'd been lying this entire time.

She sighed and shoved a stack of papers to the side. As the Acting Captain, it had been her duty to make sure everything was organized. But now that she had a new Captain, a lot of it would likely fall to him. Which wasn't the most appealing idea. The paperwork kept her distracted, kept her from collapsing in on herself.

And that was when the door to the office slammed open, almost causing her to jump in fright. This was the first time she'd ever witnessed the man up close. He was tall and was actually quite imposing, like a member of 11th.

He had spiky orange hair, fierce brown eyes and a scowl that made her want to run and hide. He wore the Captain's haori over a standard black Shihakusho. On his back was one of the biggest Zanpakutou she'd ever seen. Was it in Shikai? Why had he not sealed it?

"I can't believe that geezer," he groused as he trudged over to his desk and took a seat. "Having me fight Kenpachi as my test. I nearly died."

Her eyebrow rose. The Captain Commander had made him fight Captain Kenpachi for his Captain's Exam? What had he done to deserve that?

Oh, right. Probably best to introduce herself.

"I-It's nice to meet you, Captain Kurosaki! I'm Lieutenant Momo Hinamori!"

He glanced at her. "I know who you are, Hinamori. We met before."

That brought her up short. "W-We did?"

"Yeah, a few weeks ago. When Renji invited me to meet you guys."

Her brain stuttered to a stop. That's right. Someone like him was there. She tried to say something, but it only came out as a squeak. Oh, she was so embarrassed!

"Relax," he said with an easygoing smile. It was different from Captain Aizen's smile. She hated to say it, but it felt so much more genuine. "You were still in pretty bad shape then, I don't blame you for not paying attention."

She looked down at her desk. "I-I guess."

"So!" he said as he stood up. "Mind showing me around? I kind of just got here and have no idea what I'm doing."

She stood up as well, glad to have something to distract her. "Right away, Captain Kurosaki!"

"Just call me Ichigo."

"I can't! That'd be disrespectful!"

He rolled his eyes. "You're going to need a lot of work."

"Huh?"

He ignored her and gestured for her to lead the way.

She nodded and walked through the division halls, glancing back at him ever so often. He was so different from the other Captains. In some ways, he reminded her of Captain Ukitake with how relaxed he was. In other ways, he reminded her of Renji with how quickly his temper could flare up. Especially when he glared at one of their unseated officers who was being nosey.

It was different, she decided. But not a bad different.

Maybe he wouldn't be so bad after all.

He decided that he liked Hinamori. She was a bit skittish, but had an underlying iron to her that made him respect her even more. Lesser people would have shattered entirely from the trauma she underwent, but she was still moving forward, no matter how painful it may seem.

Though right now, he was witnessing something even more intense than normal iron. It was hot iron. And it was directed at him.

"What do you mean you can't use Kidou?!" she shouted at him. "5th Division specializes in Kidou, Captain Kurosaki!"

He picked his ear and stared at her, unflinching. Compared to Rukia's temper, this was kind of cute. Adorable even.

"I'm just not that good at controlling my reiatsu. Got too much of it. That's why my sword is always in Shikai."

She gawked at him before running her hand down her face and muttering something about he was going to be the death of her.

"If that's the case," she said as her eyes glinted. "I'm going to have to train you how to control your reiatsu, because clearly, everyone else thought it was unimportant!"

He took a step back. Okay, now she's starting to get a bit scary. "I take it you're passionate about Kidou?"

She appeared before him in a flash of speed and glared up at him with such intensity that he was fairly sure that if she had fire powers, he may have spontaneously combusted on the spot. "Oh yes, I'm going to enjoy beating the ignorance out of you."

It was then that Ichigo realized. This girl had grown up with Renji as a friend. He was clearly a horrible influence.

"What happened to being respectful?"

And she smiled. It was one that sent chills dancing up and down his spine. "Oh, but this is different, Captain Kurosaki. I recognize that you're powerful. And that you're quite a splendid leader. But as a Kidou Master, I have my own pride. And I will not have you making a mockery of it!"

He held up his hands in surrender, trying to think of a way out of this particular situation. No solutions were coming to mind. "Okay."

She paused. "Huh?"

"You can teach me."

And all at once, she deflated. "I didn't expect you to actually say yes" she mumbled, gazing down at the ground.

"Why not?"

"Because . . . no one ever takes me seriously. They all saw me as a Captain Aizen fangirl. Not even my own division mates thought I was worth their time. I kept trying to teach them Kidou, but . . . "

Oh, this was a potential landmine. Should he trigger it or try to avoid the conversation until he had a deeper connection to her? He noticed her meet his eyes with his own. And his decision was made for him.

"Then I guess I have some division reforms to make. And a classroom to procure for you."

The way her face lit up made his day.

She felt embarrassed. When she had learned her Captain sucked at Kidou, she had lost control. Kidou was one of the few things in the world she cherished more than her old connection to Captain Aizen. And to see her new Captain disregard it pissed her off in ways she couldn't even comprehend herself.

She knew what she was doing was wrong. And every heated word that flew out of her mouth just made her feel more and more mortified. But then she was blindsided by him agreeing to learn from her. And not only that, but he was going to make some reforms and give her a classroom!

No one could ever replace Captain Aizen.

But in his own way, Captain Kurosaki was quickly becoming irreplaceable himself.

If only because he was the only one since Aizen to treat her with any common decency. Sure, Renji was nice and so was Izuru. But they were only nice in a pitying kind of way.

This was different. She felt like she could rely on Captain Kurosaki.

She was wrenched from her musings as she watched her Captain explode spectacularly after trying a basic Hadou that she had instructed him to use.

A long suffering groan escaped her lips.

He was certainly going to try her patience though. That was for sure. But in a way, she welcomed it.

"Now, now, Captain Kurosaki" she said as she approached the smoldering form of her Captain, a soft smile dancing upon her face. "To utilize that Hadou properly, you're going to want to . . . "