Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ 30Kisses ❯ What if? ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

It was complete and utter disorder. Conflicting requirements, of who wanted to be on the advance force, who needed to stay behind to run Seireitei, who had up-to-date knowledge of Ningenkai, who had bankai and most importantly of all, who could actually pass for a normal human. Hisagi and Kira were both out, overwhelmed both by their own duties and those of the absent Hinamori. And despite the overwhelming clamor, most of the Eleventh Division volunteers were turned away, too weak or too eccentric to be even considered. The same was true of the Twelfth Division, even though almost evey member, up to and including Captain Kurotsuchi expressed interest.

Ultimately, the advance party was reduced to a minimum, only those with both bankai and the ability to pass for high school students (to better coordinate with Kurosaki Ichigo) were allowed. Matsumoto and Abarai, Ikkaku and Yumichika, were the only ones deemed acceptable.

Three exceptions were made.

The first was Kuchiki Rukia. Although not an officer and lacking a bankai, her ability to work with Kurosaki and her recent foray to Ningenkai were deemed valuable enough to be placed in the party. In addition, Sode no Shirayuki was one of the stronger zanpakuto. Combined with her regenerated kidou abilities, she was capable of taking down a Gillian or even an Ajuukar(?). She was given strict orders to stand down in the event she encountered an Espada and sent off.

The second was Hitsugaya Toushiro. The Tenth Division Captain certainly had the power and knowledge . . . but he looked like a ten year old. A ten year old with stark white hair. Finally, it was decided that the advantages of having a Captain-level member outweighed the problems of trying to pass him off as an ordinary student. (Besides, half the officers agreed that everyone would be far too busy staring at Matsumoto to even care about Hitsugaya).

As for the third exception . . .



"Now that you've met the new students, I have more news for you. As you've heard, Shokan-sensei retired at the end of last term. We've had some difficulty finding a replacement for him however we were lucky to find a candidate at the last minute. Please give a warm welcome to your new sensei."

Ichigo frowned. He had liked Shokan-sensei, even if the man had been a bit old and cranky. He hoped the replacement wouldn't be nearly as bad. He saw a quick gesture from the corner of his eye and turned. Rukia was smiling and waving happily to him. He waved back disinterestedly, waiting for the new teacher to walk in.

Hold on a second. Rukia. Waving. Smiling. And not that fake, pretty, polite smile either. No this was her smug, I-know-something-that-you-don't smile. He would have pounced her right then and tried to shake some answers out of her skeletal frame but that at that moment, the new teacher entered the classroom.

He was tall. He was dark. And he was more than a little familiar. Ichigo pushed himself back so fast his chair hit the desk behind him. Oh, hell no, they couldn't have . . .

"Greetings class, I'm your new teacher, Kuchiki Byakuya. And before you ask, yes, Kuchiki Rukia is my younger sister. Do you have any questions? Oh and I won't answer any about my personal life."

Ichigo swore he could hear the collective squealing of the entire female population of the school.