Disclaimer: Bleach is a non-edible chemical, please do not drink it. I am not the owner of said liquid nor its manga counterpart.

Also, it's surprising how I typed this down in a single day after I accidently started hearing the bleach character songs and suddenly had a euphoria/ inspiration moment.

#16#

"I wonder what's taking Ichi-ni so long." Wataru sighed from his position sprawled all over the table as he kept on shooting weary glances towards the main entrance.

Shunsui snorted as he moved a shoji piece forward after a long period of debate. He instantly deflated though, when Wataru merely lifted an arm and moved his own piece in an almost non-caring way. The worst part of it, is that though the youngest Shiba was distracted, he was playing a very hard game against Shunsui.

"It's not that easy to just declare yourself head of a great noble clan, strip someone of their rank permanently, get a solid trial and make a verdict." He pointed out grimly as he whined softly at how he was being cornered "Besides, Ichi also said he wanted to try something else that would help avoid any future issues with elders in your clan."

Wataru sighed for what had to be the hundred time before glancing longingly towards the door again as Shunsui made another move. He barely glanced back to look at the board before moving a chip and turning back.

"I know, but it's been a whole day and he still hasn't come back." He turned back to look at Shunsui with a raised eyebrow as a thought came to mind "And shouldn't you be at work for that matter? I would have though the Captain Commander not as lax as to just let you play hooky."

The brunet spluttered "I'll have you know that I am fulfilling an important mission given to me by my ranking superior."

"Not your direct superior though." Pointed out Wataru with a sigh as he flopped backwards to lie on the tatami floor instead "This is boring. And you keep on losing which makes it even more boring."

"Well I'm sorry for losing. Not all of us are trained in shogi since the day we could walk."

As a response Wataru straightened his position and sat up to glare indigently at the other. Shunsui merely smirked in response which only made Wataru's glower harden.

"That scowl has nothing on Ichigo's Wa-chan, you can't intimidate me like that." The brunet laughed.

His scowl turned into a pout "Ni-sama is a master in the art of scowling, that's like comparing a puppy to a wolf."

Shunsui snorted "So now you're a puppy." Cue another cheap scowl "But you know what? That's a side note." The brunet leaned in seriously as he stared into Wataru's green eyes with a somber expression "What I really want to know is why you Shiba siblings change your form of address all the time."

Wataru almost fell over "Ugh, are you serious!" he cried indigently "That's your great question? Why does it matter how we address each other?!"

"Because one minute you're all like Ichi-ni! And then you're Ni-san. And to top it off, sometimes you switch to Ni-sama or my Ni-sama!"

The raven head blushed deep red as he crossed his arms and turned the other side to hide his embarrassment in vain.

"Ni-sama is Ni-sama, that's all that matters."

Shunsui hummed to himself in thought "Could it be that Ichigo is forcing you to address him as such?" he questioned amusedly.

Wataru bristled "Don't speak about Ni-sama like that! He's a kind and compassionate brother that would play with me whenever Chichiue or Haruka-ne were too busy and taught me a lot of stuff and never brushed me off with my annoying demands and-"

"I get it, I get it." Shunsui placated "So you just have a brother complex; makes sense I guess."

"Ni-sama is awesome, of course I admire him!" he exclaimed proudly with an odd sparkle in his eyes.

Shunsui sweat-dropped "That's not what I said."

All of a sudden the door slid open which caused both occupants of the room to turn in that direction. The moment Wataru locked eyes with amber brown he visibly brightened further and almost looked like he wanted to tackle the orange head in a hug.

"Ichi-ni, you're back!" the teen exclaimed in honest delight as he ignored Shunsui's mutter in the background about conflicting signs.

"Hey," Ichigo greeted with a cheeky grin to showcase his obvious good mood which could only mean a great sign "What's this I hear about admiration?"

Wataru shook his head rapidly as he flapped his hands around in denial "Nothing at all Ni-sama, everything is fine. Right Shu-ni?" he turned back to give the brunet a menacing smile in warning.

Shunsui merely snorted "Yup, nothing to talk about here." He leaned in excitedly as a grin creeped onto his face "And, how did it go on your side?"

"Well," Ichigo began as he sat down cross legged at the edge of the low table "We got Gen sentenced and he is now officially terminated… permanently." His grin was pretty much a giveaway of what kind of permanent this termination was "And I was able to convince the council to call in an emergency meeting for all clan heads."

"Really?" Shunsui arched an eyebrow in shock while Wataru just looked on. He really didn't know how hard it was to get one of those authorized. "So my father was there as well?"

"And so was mine." Jῡshirō cut in as he entered the room with a tray filled with food to the brim followed closely behind by Haruka with another tray.

"Okay," drawled Wataru as he immediately grabbed the closest dish and leaned in to grasp some chop sticks "So all the noble head guys gathered in C46, then what?"

Ichigo sweat-dropped "You do realize I'm one of those guys right?

"Ah," he paused his eating "Ichi-Ni doesn't count?"

"Ha-ha," Ichigo mocked laughed as he grabbed his bowl of rice "Very funny Wataru-chan, I think we may need to go back to those manners lessons."

"I'm okay. Really!" Wataru instantly cut in as he threw his elder brother a panicked expression which quickly melted into a scowl when he realized how he was snickering into his rice.

"Anyway!" Jῡshirō cut in when it seemed another banter was about to ensue "Ichigo got all the clan heads gathered and an emergency meeting about the elder system was issued. I got kicked out of the room as expected along with Kuchiki-san so what happened next is an honest to god guess from my part. The only thing I know, which I bet everyone else can tell as well, is that it went well."

At this point everyone turned to look at Ichigo who paused mid-bite to blink curiously at the rest. When it became obvious that they would not be able to wait any longer, he sighed and put down his bowl as he swallowed the food he had in his mouth.

"This will became general knowledge tomorrow onward, therefore, as Head of this Great and Noble Clan of Shiba, it is my responsibility to remind you not to say-"

"-A thing until then. We get the point big shot, now get to the juicy part." Haruka cut in which made Ichigo glower menacingly while she merely pretended to ignore it.

He cleared his throat "As I was saying," a sadistically satisfied smirk curled the corners of his mouth "make sure not to slip because this is big."

#Flashback#

Bang!

"We shall now bring the 36th Noble Meeting to order!" resounded a voice from high above somewhere to the left.

If Ichigo was being honest with himself he was actually terrified to be here. He had heard stories about these meetings, and they all sounded like horror stories at the time. Seated as he was at the end of the abnormal table he couldn't find it in himself to disagree with that previous thought.

It was actually worse.

The table was a long and rectangular with chairs on both sides and a nameplate showcasing every clan name. At the end of the table, the side closest to the Central 46 council the table widened to form a semi-circle with five bigger and fancier chairs with no nameplates. The only reason he could think of for this discrepancy was the fact that you would have to be an idiot to not know who sat at each chair. The chair was intimidating enough, but as Ichigo sat on one of said seats he couldn't help but think that sitting at dead center right of the semi-circle was even worse.

"As the one who brought to attention our current meeting, I would like to ask 3rd Head of the Great and Noble Clan of Shiba, Shiba Ichigo to take the floor." The same voice from before bemoaned.

Ichigo stood up as calmly as possible with the steadiest air around him he could muster. He did not want to be picked on for being the newbie here, but he most defiantly did not want to show himself as an arrogant prick; he needed to get their support one way or another.

"This emergency meeting was called mere minutes after one of our previous high elders was trialed for murder, attempt murder, complot, manipulation and blackmail among others." He began slowly.

The table went up in shock as they all murmured to each other while others stayed deadly still. To Ichigo's left he saw Kuchiki Taiki make a minute flinch before he clamped it down in a mask of indifference. It was obvious he knew what Ichigo was talking about, but Kuchiki was a man of few words and carefully manipulated plans where he would not contribute unless his win was assured –something Ryōtaro would complain about all the time.

"Silence!" yelled one of the councilmen followed by a loud bang from his mallet.

Once the room was silent again Ichigo cleared his throat and looked around the room. They all seemed at least interested in what was going on, while others actually appeared apprehensive or excited.

'That's a good sign.' he thought to himself.

"Shiba Gen has been sentenced to death at seventeen hundred hours today with all you present. He was stripped of his rank and claimed an outcast even before the trial, which as you all know, now makes him a mere clan member." He looked around the table to see that all those that looked previously annoyed were actually taking him serious now. "Gen has sinned against Shiba and Kuchiki alike and while I hope that was the extent of his damage, I cannot in good conscious overlook the fact that it was very unlikely."

Many of the nobles nodded gravely while others refrained from commenting at all. It seems that they at least knew that the elders are seriously controlling the clans.

"The main reason for this meeting is to inform the council of this situation. But I believe the most important issue, which involves all of us gathered today, is the elder system themselves."

Everyone had been piqued into interest, even the ever stoic Kuchiki looked interested in what Ichigo was about to say which was good. If he wanted to win this, he would need the backup of all other four Great Noble Heads, nothing less.

"The Elder system was integrated into the clans approximately 600 year ago to even out the power the Head has over their clan. It must be noted that the elders in question must report to the C46 every major decision that may impact strongly in the future, short or long term to make sure there are no issues." Ichigo explained calmly "In resume, this is the elder system: a way to make sure the Head does not create a monopoly out of their clan behind the C46's back" He pointed out, it was a gamble to openly out the Central 46 but he really had no other option "The internal mayhem caused by what the elders want and what the main family wants makes sure the clans are behaved and busy in their own stuff which can only benefit this council." He turned towards the podium where the 46 were seated "Am I right?"

The silence was thick and heavy but everyone stayed in their chair and no one yelled out in outcry. It seemed everyone else also wanted to know the answer to that, and the council was at least willing to negotiate the matter otherwise they would have never agreed to call this meeting.

"We must retain order of the Soul Society, otherwise the civil wars that can ensue for the power could cause mayhem." Someone finally answered.

"Yet this same elder system has caused more trouble than before. Many of the main families have their hands tied behind their backs because the elders have too much power and opposing them is suicide while others have no means of voicing their situation." Ichigo calmly reasoned.

No one dared speak after that. Everyone knew the truth of the situation and they all knew that what he was saying was the hard reality. If this continued any further, there would be even further disaster and they all see it coming. Even the C46, who rarely concedes a point is willing to acknowledge that they made a mistake.

"The fallout has already began." Stated a clam voice from Ichigo's side which had him instantly turning in time to see Kuchiki Taiki standing from his seat "Many of our heads have been in and out almost as soon as they have been posted and some lines have had to be crossed to make sure someone adept kept the position." He took a deep breath and glanced around the entire table "This is unacceptable."

A lady from mid table also stood up gracefully as she kept her expression in a permanently set scowl. Almost immediately attention was diverted to her as she calmly lifted her chin and made sure to not look down at those at the head of the table while still appearing haughty.

"If I may?" she asked.

Ichigo glanced down towards her nameplate and filed away the clan for later use before nodding lightly when it became obvious Kuchiki would differ to him in this situation.

"The Shiba clan may not have noticed this because it is a well-known fact that their noble lineage is fierce and stubborn in their decisions so they have stood relatively strong for the past 600 years." She calmly explained without a tone of offense "However, almost every clan, as Kuchiki-sama has mentioned, has had to rapidly switch heads because they do not last."

Ichigo turned to survey the tables and noticed that they were all somewhat right. The number of heads seemed to differ from clan to clan, but with the exception of Shihōin, Feng and Ise –and obviously Shiba- they were all in their double digits for clan heads. Ichigo discreetly turned to Kuchiki Taiki and saw as plain as day the number 25. It seemed this issue might be even worse than he initially thought.

Another male stood up at the furthermost end of the table, his yukata simple and appearance modest.

"May I, Shiba-sama?"

Ichigo looked down at the nameplate and almost did a double take "Go ahead Omaeda-san."

The man nodded in thanks "Is it safe to assume that the great clans stand together in this motion?"

Almost instantly a dark skinned women wearing an extravagant Kimono hanging around her shoulders seductively stood up as she closed her gold patterned fan. "The Shihōin stand with Kuchiki and Shiba."

Internally he almost cheered; two to go.

A cranky old man sitting on Kuchiki's right looked around with a low growl before standing swiftly as well. "The Ozutsuki clan stands with Shihoin, Kuchiki and Shiba."

Finally everyone turned to look at an angry looking man who sat with his arms crossed over his chest. From what Ichigo knew of him, he was the 37th head of the Fujiwara Clan. They had been staying under the radar lately, and Ichigo would bet good money that someone was being held hostage for a man that reminded him of Kenpachi Zaraki to remain tame.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was only half a minute at best, the heavy man stood up slowly, as if cautious of the situation, before standing proud and straight. "The Fujiwara clan stands with Ozutsuki, Shihōin, Kuchiki and Shiba."

Check mate.

#Flashback end#

"And since no one wants to go against the Great Clans, all the other ones fell like domino soon after. While the C46 didn't want to denounce the elder system, they were able to see the danger this posed for the entire high society and it was agreed that we would disband it completely and start from scratch." Ichigo explained to his dumbfounded audience.

"But that just means that they're back to square one." Pointed out Jῡshirō who had completely paused in his eating to pay closer attention.

Of all those present the white-haired shinigami was the one more aware of the political side of Soul Society and it's law. Ichigo often found himself paying attention when Jῡshirō would go on a political spree since the other always seemed to know insignificant looking facts that were actually noteworthy.

"Yes and no." the orange head agreed "The elder system was disbanded and a new system was implicated. The clan will decide if there will be elders or not but that just means the head has to do the job of six including himself."

"That's just forcing the clans to keep them!" cried Wataru in anger as he slammed a hand on the table "They're getting their way anyways, nothing changed."

Ichigo merely smiled "Be as it may, but the elders do not have the final say anymore."

"Wait, they don't?" Haruka questioned in shock as she set her chop sticks down to give Ichigo her full attention. "Then doesn't that defeat the point? C46 wanted to keep the clans under control."

"Correct." He praised "But the system is different now. First: The five elders are chosen by the entire clan and appointed internally; no more outside influence." All four sighed in relief "Second: The Elders cannot make an important decision without the Clan Head present and even then it is up to vote." They all perked up in interest, beforehand one of the elders would always run the show –Gen being a good example of this. "Third: The elders are mere advisors, not in charge. If all elders are against a decision the Head is making, they can explain their point while the Head explains theirs. Two hour minimum period before a vote is drawn again. If the result is the same the Head has the ability to disregard their opinion so long as the previous has been met and the good of the clan is in mind."

Everyone stayed silent in response while they all processed this new information. It seemed like the system was pretty much refined and all loopholes were covered. While there might still occur conflict, it can be swiftly resolved and no one has to lose anything. It was obvious that some information had been specifically left vague, but in Jῡshirō's honest opinion the Heads probably had the full information and what Ichigo had decided to share was pretty much the gist of it.

Either way it could not be debated that this was swifter and way better than what any of them could have hoped for. It also didn't help that Ichigo had probably cemented his position no matter how young or new he was at the job.

Everything would be okay.

#16#

Everything was not okay. Why did he have to go and jinx it? If only he had shut his big fat mouth maybe everything would have been fine but nooooooo. He just had to make the situation somber –even though logically speaking he really hadn't done anything, it was bound to happen anyways.

Shiba Ryōtarō was dead, KIA if you wanted to be specific, and so once they five returned to the main Shiba compound the mood pretty much latched onto every living thing causing even the trees to look down. Jῡshirō hadn't really forgotten about the late Shiba, let's just say that there were more pressing matters at the moment and so he had pushed it to the back of his mind for the meantime. Needless to say, it's back.

As he shares a quiet glance with Shunsui who also looks abnormally down, Jῡshirō grimaces and discreetly motions towards the Shiba siblings who seem to have a perpetual gray cloud floating above them that grows larger and larger the closer they get to the compound.

Everyone seems to be distracted even though there is a visible bustle of activity in the manor that can be discerned from miles away. The guard at the gate looks apprehensive as well, and it seems he really hasn't noticed their approach until his expression visibly brightens even though the lines of stress remain.

He turns around towards the inside and yells something to one of the other retainers walking by who also perks up and runs off somewhere else, leaving his broom on the floor in his haste.

They really can't hear what was said from their current position, but Jῡshirō would be hard pressed to deny it had anything to do with their arrival.

"Ichigo-sama!" the heavily muscled guard cries out in glee "Haruka-sama, Wataru-sama, you are all well!" he runs up to the group with such happiness shining through that it almost seems the man wants to hug the three but refrains from doing so out of respect.

Ichigo seems to be the only one able to quirk a crooked smile that looks a million times worse than if he had stayed frowning but in the end it's the thought that counts. The guard visibly deflates as well but the honest happiness at seeing the three Shibas remains nonetheless. He quickly waves them inside with a kind smile that belies his sadness before closing the big wooden gates, something Jῡshirō thought he would never see.

This doesn't surprise the three Shibas so apparently it's some sort of clan custom they are not pry to and leaves it at that. They are outsiders, they shouldn't even be here and for a minute Jῡshirō hesitates as he casts a glance towards the Shiba members walking around and their tangible mourning before turning to Shunsui with an arched brow. They share a silent conversation, and it's obvious that the brunet believes they shouldn't be here either. But as they were about to turn towards their orange-haired friend to excuse themselves, said person neatly deposits himself in-between the two and grasps their shoulders before giving a shaky smile.

That's all the promoting Jῡshirō needs, so he slides his hand into Ichigo's and gives it a squeeze in support before letting go just in time to see Shunsui mirroring his own action. The slightly steadier smile that Ichigo gives them makes him feel certain that he has done the right thing.

Because while Ichigo is now Head of his clan and a person worthy of respect –they respected him with or without the title anyway, Ichigo's that kind of person- he was their friend first and foremost and they intend to stay that way until their last breath. Everyone knows that Ichigo is the steady pillar for the Shiba Clan, the one they all go to and Haruka and Wataru rely on him even further as the younger siblings. So Ichigo needs his own support, and they'll be damned if they don't fill that role.

And so they stay.

The funeral of the late Shiba Ryōtarō is as somber as to be expected. The Clan gates remained closed for 10 full days after his death and the members all grieved their deceased head. The only thing that seemed to lighten the mood was their new head and all he had accomplished in the small time he had gained the position. The eldest Shiba sibling had caught the culprit of their sadness and made him pay ten-fold while making sure something of that sort would not happen again. Needless to say they were all glad the late Shiba had appointed Shiba Ichigo as his successor.

It was obvious he was mourning though. His smiles only for show and holding a tang of sadness that would probably stay for a while but it was obvious he was trying to make an effort for the clan. The orange head made sure to keep up with his duties at the tenth squad, and many Shinigami regardless of squad also grieved for the man many had looked up to. Ichigo merely responded to the condolences with a calm and understanding smile that never failed to make people feel worse –the Shinigami theorized that their powerlessness only made them feel shitier. But through it all, it was refreshing to see both 3rd seats of the 1st squad giving the orange head all the support he needed every step of the way.

After the ten days were up the gates opened again and the Shiba main Compound went back to the way it was. The clan symbol was polished squeaky clean everyday like always, the doors remained wide open with one guard on each side proudly displaying their Clan and the pathways were kept leaf tree even though the trees surrounding the house were many. The only thing weird at first, new once you actually notice, was the Elm Tree proudly sitting on the right side of the path to the main entrance about 75 feet tall that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

The proud and longingly smile Ichigo would throw its way whenever he passed by made those present think that maybe this was another one of those Shiba customs that only the head was privy to.

It sure seemed like the case.

After those long ten days Ichigo sat down with Shunsui and Jῡshirō, a couple bottles of sake settled neatly in the middle of the table with a serious expression that had them both tensing up in apprehension.

"The future is not a nice place." He tells them.

If he ever wanted their full attention this took the cake. And so they find out. About the past, the present they share and the future that once was.

He had promised to stop fantasizing about running away to some other life and start figuring out the one he had now.

To be continued…

Quick comment, the Elm tree that suddenly appeared -in case some of you were wondering- is a Shiba Clan tradition that only the Head knows about (not canon, do not quote me please). Ryōtarō means Splendidly Stout Son and stout can be interpreted as Strength and Determination. Elm in plant language signifies inner strength and realm of intuition.

I tried to make the beginning happy go lucky because I knew it would end sad so I hope I succeeded somewhat. As seen –even if vague- Shu and Ju are now in the know of what kinda happened in the future/past. Yes, I am being purposefully vague because at this point in the story many past/future details must still remain unknown.

Hope this was worth the long wait – . !- and thanks for reading.