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A New Window	By : Platinumsabr Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 13905 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. Any Original Characters are mine however, as is the story itself, and if you see it or any part of it posted elsewhere please report it

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Welcome

Both Ichigo and Tatsuki
smiled, and right after that a blinding white light illuminated behind them.
�Looks like it�s here, let�s get going.� With that, Ichigo, Tatsuki, Tsukiyomi,
Masaki, Kin, and Kaien, walked into that light to the next world.

To Soul
Society.

~~~~~~~~~

Running,
running, running. That was the only prerequisite. No spirit could be
used, so that meant no Shunpo and no Sonido, just straight running. He could only thank God that
the Janitor wasn�t here that particular day, as he had been told the stories by
his father, but the time limit was a pain in the ass. Luckily, the white light
at the end of the tunnel was getting brighter.

The irony of his thoughts caused
a chuckle.

Finally, the light exploded
around them and they passed through the Dangai. His
hypersensitive eyes were momentarily blinded by the bright light and he winced
as he felt his feet land on solid ground. He could hear sounds around him but
he couldn�t see yet, though that was unimportant, he could tell the difference just from the air. While
not as strong as Hueco Mundo,
the very air around him seemed to thrum with spirit particles, and he hadn�t
realized how much of a damper being in the Living World had put on him until he
felt his muscles strengthen like a dehydrated sponge being put in water.

Of course.
No wonder we�re so much stronger in Hueco Mundo, Shinigami can absorb reishi
from their surroundings to strengthen themselves.

It was then that he realized he
was seeing something other than simply white, and he blinked a couple of times
to recognize his eyes had readjusted. He looked over to where Kin should be,
and saw her flexing her hand and looking down on it in wonder. She certainly
was observant, that was for sure; it had taken his father being told by Uryuu that that was possible to realize what was happening
naturally. �Heh, so you noticed already. I thought
the only reason I noticed so quickly was because of my blood,� he said
mirthfully.

Then again, his father never had been the most observant person in
the world.

Kin looked over to him with her
amazed wide eyes. �It feels so much different from home. I actually feel like
I�m stronger here.�

�That�s because you are,� a voice
interjected. They looked over to see Tatsuki stretching after the long run, and
her zanpakutou was back at her side. Since she had a Soul Reaper form, when her
body was converted to soul form it merely changed her into her Shinigami state
without any potential damages to the baby that might have happened had she
merely ejected her soul from her body. This way the baby�s body was converted
too. Since the body does everything but all-out die when the soul left, be it a
Soul Reaper or not, the baby�s growing body would have no doubt died from the
lack of nutrients and life in general from its mother�s body.

�Our powers are even stronger in Hueco Mundo, which has even more reishi, and it�s because though Soul Reapers use their
reiatsu, or inner power, to fight, like a Quincy
we also absorb reishi from our surroundings to
bolster that power, though not quite as consciously as the Quincy do. More like a natural tendency,� she
concluded.

The implications of this were not
lost on Kin. Though she may be stronger here, how much stronger would someone
with Hollow blood be? That wasn�t even taking into account his natural
home was Hueco Mundo, where
they were even stronger. Even when she was thinking about Kaien, Kin
couldn�t help but recognize Ichigo, who was merely standing off to the side
breathing in the air he hadn�t in nearly two decades. His captain haori was swaying gently in the breeze and with the spirit
particles around him, plus the lack of the reiatsu dampeners that his house was
equipped with, she was feeling the full force of his
reiatsu in its lowest possible state.

She had her hesitancies about
Kaien, but she was absolutely terrified of his father now.

He was a captain, no doubt about
that.

�So what�s going on now?� Kaien
asked as he scratched the side of his head disinterestedly.

�I�m going to talk to Old Man Yama before I go lay the beat-down on that bastard Kurotsuchi. I don�t care if the Captain Commander doesn�t agree;
I�m not letting him get away with that no matter what!�

�So what
about us?� Tsukiyomi asked off-handedly. She, as usual, was in
her normal state, that of her parents� White Transformation. She wasn�t going
to be ashamed of her form, neither was she going to
back down if anyone confronted her about it.

Ichigo gave them a lopsided grin
with a wicked glint in his eyes. �You can go look around for a while, and
you�ll know when the shit hits the fan because you�ll feel the reiatsu. Feel
free to come and watch, but you don�t have to.� He turned back around to go
pick up Tatsuki, but he stopped short and turned around one last time. �I know
you�re you-know-what you-know-where,� he whispered quietly, likely talking
about their royalty status in Hueco Mundo, �but here you�re simply seated officers in the
Special Living World Corps, got that?�

Tsuki
huffed indignantly, but Masaki nodded understandingly. �Yeah yeah, you told us back home already, Will Ikki be able to come out
sometime?� she asked hopefully, for the both of them.

Their father winced. �We�ll see, that�s all I can say right now Masaki, I�m sorry. For now,
please just bear with it. I know Ikki, it�s not the
same viewing it through her eyes but we�re in dangerous territory right now.�
He went over and hugged his daughter after speaking to both aspects of her like
it was nothing strange at all, though it might have looked that way to anyone
watching.

Masaki sighed happily and hugged
her father back. She knew, and Ikasam knew, how much
their father loved them. They could handle the odd request from him, heavens
knows he didn�t ask very much of them normally. �Okay Daddy.�

Okay Daddy, Ikki echoed from inside, though she knew it was heard.

He smiled and ruffled her hair,
which she straightened out immediately, though she knew it was all in fun. If
anyone other than their father did that to Tsukiyomi however, that
anyone would quickly find themselves bereft of their
arms. He turned away once again and called over his shoulder as he picked
Tatsuki up effortlessly. �Buddy system guys! I don�t
want any of you alone, even if you think you can handle anything. No telling
what the Twelfth Division is up to now that Kurotsuchi�s
lost his lieutenant. Most of the Soul Reapers here should be harmless, but you
should be careful anyways. Ciao!� And he was gone before any of them could
voice any kind of protest.

The only orange-haired Kurosaki
left among them sighed in frustration and ran a hand through her neck-length
hair. �For some reason I should have seen that one coming.�

Tsukiyomi gave an odd laugh with
her two-toned voice. �His first time here wasn�t exactly a walk in the
park. Still, it�s pretty annoying to be treated like a kid again.�

At that Kaien couldn�t help but laugh.
�Have you forgotten you�re only fourteen? If height dictated age I�d think you�re
even younger!� he taunted jokingly, and watched his sisters� faces go red with
outrage.

�Kin�s not that much taller than
us!!� Masaki fumed as she pulled the aforementioned person to her side and
showed the truth of her words. Kin really was only a couple inches taller than
the twins, but then again Ichigo had always towered over Yoruichi too.

It was obvious Masaki was trying
to get a rise out of the older teen, so she was surprised when instead Kin gave
her a sultry smile and turned to stand chest-to-chest with the slightly shorter
youth. �That may be true, but your figure still has a long way to go.� The
youngest Kurosaki burned with embarrassment as her growing bust was pushed
against by the much larger bosom of the cocoa-skinned beauty.

�You�re so easy to
manipulate, Masaki. Four years makes a difference you know, so stop getting so
upset,� Tsukiyomi explained like the person she was talking to was a
two-year old. Besides, she thought with an evil grin, I
heard Byakuya-sensei�s wife was Auntie Rukia�s older sister. You could still be better in
comparison even now. She snickered for no apparent reason to any
outsider, which caused said people to look at her confusedly. Naturally, being
who she was, she did nothing in response.

Tsukiyomi may seem cold
outwardly, but she was still a woman. An evil woman,
but a woman nonetheless.

And Kaien, though slightly
turned-on by the sight of his fianc� rubbing breasts with another woman, was
still sane enough to remember the other woman was his sister. �Uh, maybe
we should get going�� he suggested hastily, and the two females split apart, to
his relief.

Kin flicked some hair out of her
face. �I guess so. Not like there�s anything better to do.�

�Mind if I tag along? This stupid
buddy thing is for the birds, if I have to go with someone, I might as well go
with more than one,� Masaki stated matter-of-factly.

Tsuki
huffed. �I guess that means I�m going too. Can�t wander
off on my own, Heaven forbid!� She had inherited her parent�s�
sarcasm, that was for sure.

They started off for no
particular area, or at least, that�s what they tried to do, but before
any of them had even moved a reiatsu so powerful the killing intent was almost
palpable had pushed down on the air around them. Kin was the most shocked by
the sudden pressure, but she was able to get used to it after a second, a
second which she soon realized she should have used, because it was after that
second that she felt a large presence behind her, and she knew right then she
was completely at whoever-it-was� mercy.

�I�m sure I just felt Ichigo
here. Where�d the coward run off to?� a gruff voice ordered irately.

The white-haired Kurosaki was hypnotized
looking up at the head of spiky hair far above her vision. She and Masaki
almost came up to Kaien�s shoulders, but on this man they barely made it above
his abs. It was the haori�d uniform of someone they
knew quite well, another someone they also knew well dangling from his
shoulder. They did like to go to Hueco Mundo for a challenge every now and then after all. They
were some of their more frequent visitors.

The head she was looking up at
turned back to look at them and the pink head of hair beside it turned with it.
�Been a while, girls. Where�s your dad at?� The Eleventh Division captain both
greeted and asked.

�Ken-chan
hasn�t had any fun in ages!!� the little pink-haired cutie added joyfully.

Tsukiyomi failed at giving her
usual cocky grin and felt her ashen skin heat up under the intense one-eyed
gaze of the eye-patched captain. His reiatsu was one that she could respect,
that was for certain. �H-He went to talk with Old Man Yama.
Some internal politics with the Twelfth Division went wrong and Dad�s hoping to
beat some sense into Mayuri for real this time.�

Kenpachi
Zaraki snorted derisively. �Tch,
figures he would only come here for something like that. That science freak
wouldn�t even be fun to fight; he always lets other people do his dirty work,
the fricken coward! That Kisuke
guy was hard to understand but at least he wasn�t a freak show! Gotta have some
respect for a guy who can do that kind of thing with his bare hands.�

Kin stood a little more proudly
after that last statement. Her father may be an exile, but he had definitely
not lost any of his usefulness or battle capability. Soul Society simply didn�t
want to acknowledge him for what he was. Arrogance is like that.

Meanwhile, Kaien was thinking of
every possible scenario that could help them get out of this meeting without a fight.
If Kenpachi was bored he was most likely to attack
anyone strong, and at the moment there were four strong people all around him,
even if they weren�t on the same level as Ichigo. His first fight with their
dad had been when Ichigo was only sixteen after all. Strength had nothing to do
with age.

�The captains might be called to
a meeting if the Captain Commander wants to stall our dad for any length of
time. I don�t think he�d approve of two captains killing each other,� Masaki
said, and Kaien knew she had been thinking of the same thing he had.

Another snort.
�Bloody politics. I only want to fight!�

�Um,� Kin interrupted as politely
as she could, �I�m sorry but I don�t know who you are. I know you�re a captain
but of what division?� She only said this because she and Kaien had been to his
front while Masaki and Tsuki were behind him.

A little girl unceremoniously
landed in front of her and looked up at her with wide eyes containing none of
her surprise. �You don�t know Ken-chan? Where�ve you
been?�

�Cut it out Yachiru.
I�ll answer your question only if you answer me this: are you strong?�

Kaien saw her mouth open with her
usual pride and he quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, as rude as it was.
�Her zanpakutou�s Kidou
based,� he said quickly, and any interest was lost immediately in Kenpachi�s eyes.

�Damn! Here I thought the brat of
those two was gonna be fun to fight with. Screw this,
I�m goin� after your dad!� Kenpachi
may appear unintelligent, but he did know how to use his brain. Blonde hair,
bronze skin, and the exact figure of a captain he once knew, it wasn�t rocket
science to put two and two together. Yachiru jumped
back onto his shoulder right away and the two had taken off in an impressive
burst of speed, the same malicious intent back in the air with the chase
renewed. They heard Yachiru squeal something about
going back to watch the pretty lights again, but they shrugged it off.

The second after he was gone from
sight Kin angrily swatted her fianc�s hand away from her mouth. �Why the hell
did you do that!?!� she exclaimed.

Under any normal circumstance
Kaien wouldn�t have really cared who she fought, but this time was different. �This
may be our first time to Soul Society, but he came to Hueco
Mundo quite a bit before, even if it�s been a couple
of years since then. You really have no idea who was picking a fight with you,
do you?�

Kin rolled her eyes. �If I did, I
wouldn�t have asked him for his name, now would I?�

�That�s Kenpachi
Zaraki,� Masaki stated simply, �captain of the
Eleventh Division and nicknamed �The Immortal�. He won�t fall no matter how
much he�s cut, and his bloodlust for battle is greater than most Hollows�. He�s
actually pretty nice, when he isn�t trying to kill something so he can �enjoy
fighting� more, as he calls it. Believe me, he�s someone you don�t want to
tangle with if you value your life.�

The blonde-haired young woman
actually had the sense to look afraid, being that Masaki, the kindest out of
all the Kurosaki children, had said everything in the deathliest of
seriousness. She tried to recover with grace. �It almost sounds like the
princesses are afraid of something, for once.�

Tsukiyomi actually glared
at Kin, and Kin was so both frightened and shocked that she backed up on
impulse. Be that as it may, it was Kaien who said the words her glare conveyed.
�Kin, none of us ever said we were fearless, in fact, each of us has a fear
greater than almost anything. All of us share the same fear, because even
though Ikki is normally mild-tempered, both Tsuki and I can easily change that. Besides, if you�d ever
seen him fight, you�d be scared too. The guy simply sees Ierro
as the hardness of a person and just adjusts his strength to cut
through it. Not to mention that with his reiatsu his skin might as well be Ierro!�

Kin gulped.

�Anyways enough
of this! This is our first time in Soul Society and we�re standing
around! Let�s go for a jog around Seireitei!� He said
happily as he clapped his hands together. Masaki and Tsukiyomi smiled, they
knew very well what Kaien meant when he said �jog�.

�Where should we stop after
that?�

�If the fireworks haven�t started
by then, then let�s go to the academy. I wanna see
what all goes on there.�

They shrugged. �Meh, good enough for me!�

With that, all three shot away
from sight, leaving Kin wondering what had happened until her eyes widened in
shock. �Hey! Don�t leave me here!!�

And she too was gone.

~~~~~~~~~

Unlike a lot of things in his
life, Kaien positively loved this.

The world was frozen around him
as he flew past the scenery like a mere static shift in the air. Speed, this
was speed. He wanted to go faster, and he knew he could, but if he picked up
his pace even a little he would probably lose everyone, and leave behind
a whole lot of quasi-clones, but that was beyond the point.

�How do you get anything out of
this when you pass it by so quickly?� a voice called out humorously, and he
looked beside him in slight shock to see Kin keeping up to him with relative
ease. He had to admit, he was impressed.

He tapped the side of his head
lightly. �Memory. I�m just getting a layout of the
place so I�ll know how to get around later. That, and
I love this feeling!!� To punctuate that, he leaped with a burst of reiatsu
blown from his feet and launched himself into the sky, simply allowing himself to gain altitude and fall at the breakneck speed
attained in the fall down his arc. The wind pushing back his hair, pressing
against his skin, billowing his clothes, it felt
like�freedom. His father was the speed phantom, and his son followed that very
closely. His power was supernatural, but his speed was his true strength.

He landed heavily on a white roof
and felt the material crack under the impact, but luckily it held firm. He
leaned back and inhaled the fresh air hungrily. It was a beautiful day in Soul
Society, and no cold like in the Living World. Three shifts in the air were
heard behind him and then the sound of light gulps as the others caught their
breaths. They weren�t really winded, but anyone would be feeling enough of a
strain by that time to need larger intakes of air, though for anyone other
than them they would likely need more. �Just what I�d expect
from the number two track star in middle school!� Kin complimented
snottily. �It�s almost like we were training to use our powers before we
even knew about them!!�

Kaien could feel his eyebrow
wanting to twitch in annoyance and fought it off. When they still thought they
were normal they had done everything together, and that included sports or
other events. Unfortunately, he had never beat her once, and he
wasn�t even sure he could beat her now if she was completely serious.

His sisters sensed his state, and
while fighting off giggles of their own, one of them decided to mercifully
change the topic. �This place sure is different! Seems like only captains would
be able to see us, because I saw lots of Shinigami though none seemed to see
me,� Masaki commented idly as she stretched her arms above her head.

�What did you expect? We
weren�t trained by an amateur.� Masaki just shrugged indifferently in
response, though remembering who their teacher was was
always a delight for the orange-haired girl.

�Where are we?� Kin asked out of
curiosity.

For the first time since they
stopped Kaien finally took the time to look around. Something about the scenery
seemed�familiar. The wood catwalks on the buildings around him almost resonated
with the footsteps of time gone by, and the very atmosphere around him seemed to
welcome him back into its embrace like a lost child that had returned home.

He�knew this place.

�Why is this�so familiar?� he
muttered breathlessly, and a sharp inhalation beside him clued him in to some
kind of discovery. He turned around to see it had been Masaki to take that
harsh gasp, and she was turned away from them looking up at one of the taller
towers they had jumped over to get to where they currently were. Instead of
doing the stupid thing and asking, Kaien simply looked up to see what she had
found so breathtaking.

His slim, seductive eyes widened
to twice their natural size and his breathing stopped completely. His pupils
were mere pinpricks in the incredible yellow light surrounding them as they
looked up at the tower, one which unlike the others, had a marking on it.

The Division Thirteen Symbol. Their headquarters.

A hand went to the side of his
head almost instantaneously, almost as if it was trying to get a physical grip
on the torrent of pure memory that assaulted his mind. He remembered. His old life... he remembered. He remembered talks with Ukitake, his
rejection of the lieutenant position, drinking with Kiyone
and Sentaro, him constantly being reminded of his
great accomplishments at the academy.

With that more came: academy
training, Kidou spells, incantations, explosives
creation, hand movements; his body remembered everything about wielding Nejibana, his first time hearing her voice, the way she
sang as she flowed around his wrists and hands, purifying everything in her
wake with her crystalline water.

His hand tightened and clawed,
his own ears unhearing of everyone�s surprise. Still he remembered. He
remembered his pride at showing his younger sister and brother his impressive
new rank, even if it was taken under less-than-amicable circumstances. Again, his
eyes widened and he fell to his knees, both from the mental shock and the
lightheadedness his hyperventilating was imposing on him. He had almost
completely forgotten about them until now.

Kuukaku,
Ganju. Siblings from a life gone by, family to a
brother reborn again as the oldest sibling. Family both
still alive. He remembered Ganju�s stupid
grins, his pride at having such an impressive older brother. Decades had gone
by since that time, how much had the little boy changed he wondered? He
remembered Kuukaku�s fiery spirit, as explosive as
the fireworks they all made; her raging green eyes, as beautiful as emeralds
dazzling in the light of the sun, just as they did under the bright flashes of
fireworks in the clear night skies. Had she changed too? How badly had his
death affected them both?

The thought was fleeting, as more
and more memories rushed past him, guided through Nejibana
in a current that was almost too much to handle; yet he knew without her that
�almost� would not have been there. He kept remembering: Rukia�s
induction, her sad and potentially prissy attitude spawned from a family she
was trying desperately to please. Training with her, encouraging her, watching
her grow, seeing the pure innocence her charade of nobility had tried to hide
release in Sode No Shirayuki�s
attacks. With that came more, more yet: a white blade, a beautiful white blade
pushing through glass and sickly water, a snow white savior from the beast that
had tarnished his body, the body that had gladly died trying to avenge his lost
love.

Lost love.
His tightening hand stopped completely as tears fell from his eyes without his
knowledge. He wasn�t crying, it was the man�s
soul reborn that was shedding tears. Miyako. His wife, Kaien Shiba�s
wife. He remembered; he remembered their meeting, their dates, their
first kiss, her incredible patience and kind spirit, lesser only to Retsu Unohana�Ukitake
now. Her gentle eyes, compassionate smile, the kimono
she had worn on their wedding day. His mind remembered everything, even their
nights of passion where all he could see was her, warmth radiating from her
every pore.

Kin.

Then he remembered Kin. His
wife, Kaien Kurosaki�s wife, the love of his life and arguably the woman that
had held his heart since he was four years old, even if he hadn�t known it at
the time. To the three around him he seemed to undergo a polar change, as his
quick breathing seemed to return to normal at an unhealthy, if not inhuman
speed. Kin. He not only had a mother and father, with
three sisters who loved him, but he also had a family of his own, a woman that
time and again had shown her unconditional love for him. It only made sense
that she deserved the same.

Memories were what they were:
memories, things from the past. He may hold knowledge inside him that put him
on a different playing field than everyone his age, and privy to personal knowledge
of two he had all but raised, but if he were to
interact with them again it would be as Kaien Kurosaki, not their brother. That
didn�t stop him from wanting to see them again though.

With one long, shuddering breath,
Kaien returned to his feet and wiped the tears that had fallen of their own
volition. When he tightened his hand he really felt it, it was his hand.
Though he may not have a good grip on his other memories, and he had no idea
what could trigger them again, he felt he was on a good road to grasping that
end now. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see the woman he had
been thinking of standing beside him, looking at him with only understanding
flooding her catlike eyes.

�Are you okay now?�

In response he did what he hadn�t
done since that morning: he took her in his arms and kissed her senseless. When
he pulled away and took in her unfocused eyes, he was more assured than ever
before. She never ceased to do wonders to his ego, even if at times those
wonders involved showing him she was nothing to laugh at either. �I�ve never
felt better.�

�Obviously,� she croaked contently
as she tried to stay steady on her feet.

�Let me show you around, I�m sure
no-one would mind since it�s the day after Christmas. They�re probably all at
home drunk anyways!� he laughed as he started walking over to the nearest
catwalk.

�Show us around? You mean here?�

He turned around and raised an
eyebrow that clearly conveyed �what else could I be talking about?� before he
turned back and motioned his hand for them to follow. It took Kin a few steps
before she remembered what he had said back when he had first received Nejibana. Kaien Shiba had
been the Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division under Jyushiro
Ukitake, of course he would know his way around the
division headquarters, as long as no changes had been made naturally. She had
never thought too seriously about his previous life before, he was Kaien
Kurosaki and always would be Kaien Kurosaki to her, but the fact that he knew
so much about a place he himself had never been to before was� disconcerting at
best.

As they followed him through the
halls he walked with confidence, calmly explaining what went on where and
pointing out any object of interest along the way. He had absolute assurance in
what he was saying and where he was going, even though more than once they had
had to maneuver around unconscious bodies and sake bottles in certain rooms.
Apparently there had been Christmas parties sometime the night before, or most
likely through the night since. It felt good to be back here, Kaien could sense
that with every fiber of his being. The familiarity in what was once a strange
place was greatly relieving, though he could see the trepidation momentarily
cross Kin�s eyes every now and then when he once again explained something he
should have no knowledge of. He couldn�t stop the memories if he tried, so he
thought he might as well explain what he was seeing to the others as well.

As they neared a certain area of
the headquarters, loud, boisterous voices thick with the effects of alcohol
could be heard through the walls. Kaien was sure he knew a couple of them, but
he just couldn�t place them. He slid the door opened and the stench of sake was
almost overpowering, and apparently there were quite a few members that had
managed to last the night, and most were still drinking. Two in
particular caught his attention, probably because they were easily the loudest
out of the entire bunch. One was a woman with dirty-blonde hair and the other
was a strange man with black hair sporting a headband around his forehead and a
rather odd device of white ropes over his shihakushou.

�Ah�m tellin� ya Shentaro, Ishane�s kid�sh lookin� mowe wike
hish dad evewy day!!� she
exclaimed drunkenly as she slammed back another dish of sake. �It wash great shpendin� Chrishtmash wi�t �em and great ta come back ta a partah like thish!!�

The man drinking beside her was
no better off when it came to blood-alcohol content and he whooped in
agreement, which made Kaien plug his ears before they went into another
sake-induced bout of �who could scream the loudest�. Kiyone,
Sentaro, he knew them all right. Honestly, the two
were like a couple of children fighting over whose father could beat whose. The
memories hit him without warning, and he found the words escaping his mouth
before he even knew what he was saying.

�S-So
annoying!! You two are always so annoying when you�re drunk!!� he
shouted irritably, and promptly slammed his hands over his mouth in a mortified
expression of disbelief. He couldn�t believe he had just done that. That had
been his other self�s memories, without doubt.

The two in question stopped dead,
like their minds couldn�t believe what their ears had just heard. All the
chatter of the room seemed to die as one by one the people turned to see who
had dared enter their party with a sober mind. Through the sake hindering their
thought processes and their bodies� coordination, the final two both turned
their heads to the source of the noise with incredibly wide eyes.

�Thish ish shome shtrong
booze Kiyone, Ah cud shwear
Ah�m seein� Kaien��

Kiyone
rubbed her eyes in some futile attempt to see better through her inebriated
sense of sight. �Ya know I think I see him too�� It was amazing how much better
her speech became when she was actually trying, or maybe the sight of someone
she long knew to be dead had killed whatever buzz she might have gained. She must
have developed some inhuman kind of tolerance to alcohol over the years for
that to be possible, though Kaien wouldn�t have been surprised if that was the
case.

Though Kaien was slightly scared
that they might put two and two together faster than he wanted, or more accurately: didn't want, in this place
he couldn�t stop his old memories, and right now he found himself getting
angrier and angrier the more he thought about what Captain Ukitake
must have had to put up with after his�Kaien Shiba�s,
death. With him still being sick at the time, that
meant the person taking care of the division would be�

No way in hell�he realized
with growing annoyance. Them�? What on earth did Ukitake
do in a past life to deserve that?

Just the thoughts of the
disasters the Thirteenth Division must have gone through under their direction
caused his blood to boil, and here they were more intoxicated than he�d ever
thought he�d ever see them, and that was no small feat. They did have reason
he supposed, being that it was the day after Christmas, so punishing them now
seemed wrong.

Later though�

He grit his teeth to fight off his
incredible urge to drown them both in Nejibana�s
water and slammed the door he was standing in front of before running off,
surprising the other three women that had been following him. He ran out the
nearest exit he knew of and kept running until he knew he was a safe distance
away, not like those two would have been able to keep up in their condition
anyways. He knew the others would be able to keep up though,
he hadn�t made the effort to be that fast without warning. He
just�needed to be away from there for a little while now. To be absolutely
honest, he wasn�t completely sure what he would have done had he stayed any
longer.

At the very least, it
would have taken a few weeks to dry the place out.

�Where to
now, genius? Wasn�t exactly the most graceful exit I�ve
ever seen.� A voice asked from behind him, and
he could hear the mirth and sarcasm ringing in his sister�s voice.

�Anywhere but
here.�

�The academy it is then,�
she concluded right away. At his surprised double-take the two beside Tsukiyomi
laughed.

�Come on Kai, it wasn�t brain surgery. You said you wanted to check it out anyway, so what better time than
now?� Masaki said with her mother�s patented grin on her face.

Kaien grinned
right back and rolled his eyes dramatically.

�Sure, why not?�

~~~~~~~~~~~

�YOU�VE GOT TO BE KIDDING
ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!�

The loud shout practically shook
the room itself. Inside aforementioned room stood a few individuals: one rather
calm Genryuusai Yamamoto, one
furiously-fighting-to-keep-her-anger-in-check Retsu Ukitake, and then there was also one openly pissed,
not-at-all-fighting-to-keep-anything-under-control Ichigo Kurosaki,
beside his wife, who herself was in a similar state. As per usual, out of those
mentioned people there was only one who would have done that�two, had her
chemical balance not been out-of-whack at the moment, but that was beside the
point�and said maker of that outburst was now heaving over the heavy oak desk
in the First Division�s captain�s quarters, barely restraining the black
coating over his eyes like the an oil spill.

�As I said, Captain Kurosaki, if
you wish to press any kind of charges against Captain Kurotsuchi
than you had best fill out all the proper paperwork and wait until Center
Forty-Six has come to an agreement on the issue,� the aged commander stated
again with his usual authority.

�Like hell I will!! I�m not about
to give that maniac any more time to plot whatever-the-hell he can think of to
hurt Hanatarou or Nemu!!�
He shouted as he slammed his fist down on the desk, and the resounding crack
spoke all too well as to the newfound structural integrity, or rather lack
thereof, of the antique desk.

Yamamoto slammed his cane down on the floor and Ichigo actually flinched back at the sound as the ancient commander calmly
stared him down. �You have been granted the title of Captain, and have been
able to use that authority as you have seen fit for the past twenty years. This
does give you the special authority to discipline lower ranking members
of other squads, considering that any member of any squadron can be picked for
your squad on a short-term basis.� Ichigo raised his finger and tried to start
in to the explanation, but he was cut off immediately. �However!
This does not give you any power to try and pull rank on a member of
equal status. Captain Kurotsuchi was indeed wrong in
his handling of the Fourth Division�s seventh-seat, Hanatarou
Yamada, and with the forms filled out he will be dealt with accordingly. Keep
in mind though that Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi is fully under his jurisdiction, and could be
handled in whatever way the Captain saw fit, therefore she does not fall under
any notion of disciplinary action against her captain.�

The sound of Ichigo�s
teeth grinding together could be heard without fail.

�I strongly object to this,� Retsu said, and her willpower could be seen in how her
voice failed to rise above its usual level even though that was what she wanted
to do, for the first time in her life. �My seventh-seat was found beaten and
near death all because of Captain Kurotsuchi�s
actions. Had he not gone to where he was found there is little doubt as to his
life expectancy, and had he not been with the Lieutenant to help her she would
have surely met the same fate far before him. Discipline is one thing, but the
attempted murder of them and their unborn child is another matter altogether!�

After a long and terse silence,
those in which even she had felt the urge to rub her hands together nervously
not unlike her seventh-seat usually did under her superior�s intense gaze, the
bald man sighed heavily. �I do agree with you Captain,� he admitted, and her
gaze lifted only long enough for him to sigh again. �Yet Center Forty-Six would
not see it that way. Both members are in fact alive and well and we have only
recently filled the vacant Captain positions after all this time, not to
mention the fact that the Center Forty-Six itself was just reestablished.
Court-Marshalling a captain at this time would be very difficult, but other
punishments can be enforced if the proper channels are taken.�

Both Ichigo and Tatsuki seemed to
breathe easier under the very logical explanation that had been given. Being
that they had been away for so long�and before that even they had never really
paid attention to the internal workings of Soul Society�the answers they had
been given had never occurred to them before.

�Can I at least ask that Nemu be transferred to my squad for a longer term? I want
to make sure she�s well out of that bastard�s hands until she�s had her baby,
at the very least. She shouldn�t even be on duty in that condition in
the first place!�

The old man gave a gentle smile
that crinkled his squinted eyes even more than they already were. �I had the
feeling you would request that. I already have the forms printed out for you.�

At that, Ichigo gave the first
genuine smile he had made since coming to Soul Society hours earlier, and possibly only the second genuine smile he had ever made to anyone in Seireitei.
�You�re not bad, Old Man. Thanks,� he said as he grabbed the forms the Captain Commander
had put out on the cracked desk and turned to walk away, being sure he didn�t
make Tatsuki rush herself of course.

He opened the door for her and as
she walked out he turned back to the other to occupants of the First Division�s
Captain�s quarters. �You do realize this doesn�t change a thing though, right? As soon as
I�ve got Nemu and Hanatarou
safe and sound I�m going to make sure that science retard gets what�s
coming to him,� he said in a sickly sweet voice. �Thanks again Old Man Yama, I�m going to follow my heart instead of my head
again, but hey, that�s what you gave me this handy little thing for isn�t it?�
he finished, and flapped his captain haori with an
evil grin.

And with that, he walked out and
slammed the door, which caused Retsu to flinch
slightly at the loud sound.

Yamamoto sighed deeply as he
slumped back into his chair. �I did indeed say that, didn�t I?� he asked the
other captain present as he regarded her with one eye open.

For once, Retsu
Ukitake felt no need to restrain the joyful smile
that broke out over her face, and the sweet nature of the gesture wasn�t forced
at all, though one could question the other, darker, emotion that was present there as well.

�Yes sir, I do believe you did.�

Even after all the time that had
gone by, it would seem that Ichigo Kurosaki�s mission hadn�t changed. Just like
his fight against Byakuya Kuchiki,
his real enemy wasn�t the one in tangible form, no, it
was the very laws of Soul Society itself. One thing had changed though.

Paperwork
first, ass-kicking later.

~~~~~~~~~

Author�s Notes: You know, I almost wanted to title this chapter �Welcome�to
Filler� just because nothing huge
really happens in it, but whatever, I knew it needed to be done. I hope you all
enjoy it and I�m sorry for not getting it out last week like I could have. I�ll
try to be more on the ball when it comes to updates, but I can�t promise
anything, sorry. I had to make this chapter a little more boring because let�s
face it, I have to try to be somewhat realistic when
it comes to politics, especially politics after a major holiday, LOL!

Thanks to all my reviewers but it�s
kinda disheartening to see the hits go up but only
the same people reviewing. Thank you though to my continued reviewers, I write
this completely for you guys! I thrive on encouragement!! Oh well, I�m not
groveling or anything.

Once again, I hope you enjoyed
this installment and I hope to write the action soon!
- 17
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