Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ The Cursed Taichou ❯ Part One ( Chapter 1 )

The true problem, however, lay with the Captaincy Tousen had left. The first two men that had been chosen by Yamamoto and the other court guard Captains had met rather untimely and gruesome deaths. The current Captain, a Tochigi Kisho had already suffered two close calls, though it was debatable whether or not it was the curse that had done in the other two, or his own clumsiness. How he had gotten Yamamoto to give him the position, no one knew.
It was believed that Tousen with his blind sense of justice had left in his position a curse. All those who tried to Captain the ninth squad were quickly and effectively dispatched by some misfortune. It was enough to keep the Court Guard uneasy where they might have been able to find peace once more.
Katsumi, unlike the thirteen squads, had been able to fall into a normal routine once more. After her ordeal, she was eager to resume life as she had known it. For the first few weeks after returning, she hadn't had a moment alone, by choice. Ukitake had kept her company most of the time and when he was unavailable, Shunsui, Nanao or Toushiro had kept her company. She'd found a friend in the young Captain and he had been able to give her valuable advice on how to deal with Momo. Although it was indisputable that he was an amazing Captain now, his skill and wisdom would rival Yamamoto's after he'd grown fully into his own.
She sat alone now, the fading daylight forcing her to light a candle. Ukitake was due back any moment, having stepped out to finish his work for the day. Removing her haori, she draped it over a chair. Like many of the Captain's, she had chosen to personalize her Captain's uniform. The inside hems at the opening had been embroidered with vines and leaves in green with small, four petaled black flowers to match the pattern along the bottom of the over coat. As an addition, she'd added black ribbon in a laced, corset pattern up the back to keep the haori close to her form, rather than baggy like the rest. She'd also taken to braiding her hair in a particular fashion, allowing the long braid to form a square like pattern rather than flat.
Just as her mind began to wander, Juushiro walked in. In an unusual show of affection, he came up behind her to kiss her cheek. Reaching up, she rested her hand on his arm and smiled, looking over her shoulder. He pulled away gently to remove his haori, draping it over hers. “Yamamoto has called for yet another meeting tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Kisho...again.” He informed her, sitting on the floor at the table to pour himself a cup of tea, slightly chilled but still good. Katsumi turned in the chair, resting one arm over the back to look at him.
“Again?” She asked with a frown, annoyed more than anything. “He's accident prone and that's all there is to it. He shouldn't have become Captain in the first place and he shouldn't continue to be allowed to Captain a squad. He's just fueling this silly curse legend.”
Juushiro simply shrugged, sipping his tea. “It is ultimately Yamamoto's choice. Besides, he hasn't done anything wrong.”
“Yet.” Katsumi added, getting out of her chair to sit beside him as he poured her a cup as well.
“Try not to let it bother you. You have enough to worry about as it is. It's not easy getting used to such a high rank and it certainly isn't any easier following in a dark shadow such as Aizen's.”
“I'll try not to.” She promised, cupping the vessel in her hands to heat the tea. “It's just that he's such a...” She left off, not sure what to say.

“Moron!” Rangiku raged, arms outstretched as she looked down at her ample chest, soaked now by hot tea. “I can't....I can't believe....” She fumed, standing abruptly and stalking out of the room. Toushiro raised a brow and looked at Kisho.
“I didn't mean to!” He called after her, standing up quickly. By doing so, he caught the low table with his legs and upturned it. If it hadn't of been for his spilling tea on her, Rangiku would have been caught underneath it. “Oops...” Toushiro sighed and left the room, unable to take the man's presence anymore.
Without bothering to fix the mess he'd made, he ran after them. He was stopped abruptly by a hand on his chest as he tried to leave the room. The imposing figure of Kenpachi loomed over him, dark eyes looking down his nose at the smaller man. “Yamamoto will be here soon. You should stay.” He said with a grin that struck Kisho cold. Man, that guy was intimidating! Yuchiru peeked up over his shoulder with a bright smile, not a single pink hair out of place.
“Yes, stay and talk with us! Ken-chan can't wait to spar with you!” She grinned, slipping off his shoulder to see if she could salvage any tea from the mess he'd made. Kenpachi righted the table, then leaned against the wall to wait for the others. The Captains, as well as their Vices, slowly filtered in. Toushiro returned, followed by the freshly changed Rangiku who made it a point to keep her Captain between her and Kisho at all times.
“Sissy...” Toushiro whispered with a completely straight face, making his Vice color slightly.
Katsumi arrived with the last group, consisting of her, Ukitake, Shunsui and Nanao and Gin's Vice. Yamamoto entered from the opposite door, tapping his cane on the floor for a call to attention. The room silenced and everyone filed into two lines, according to position.
“Thanks to the help of Mayuri and his research squad, new information has come to light. Tochigi Kisho's life is truly in danger, though we have yet to figure out by what. The deaths of the two previous squad nine Captains were not accidents or mistakes. They were deliberate, as well as one of the attempts at Kisho.” It took great will for several of the Captains and Vices not to laugh. Yamamoto had just confirmed that Kisho was responsible for the other 'attempts' on his life.
“As such, we are going to take precautionary measures to ensure his safety. I would like one Captain to volunteer for an assignment. We will then send Kisho, and this Captain, to the living world. There, they will hide until we can determine who the perpetrator is and ensure Kisho, and everyone's, safety here.” He looked down each line, though no one volunteered. Understandably. Everyone had a massive amount of work to do cleaning up after Aizen. Except...
With a long, drawn out sigh, Katsumi stepped forward. “I volunteer.” She said simply. Yamamoto turned his wizened eyes to her.
“Thank you, Captain Onishi. I was hoping you would step up. This will be your first visit to the living realm, correct? It will be a wonderful experience for you I hope. There are plenty of people there who are considered friends by the Shinigami and you will not be lacking help in protecting Kisho.” He assured her, nodding. Katsumi stepped back into line, all the while wondering what it is she had gotten herself into. All of the other Captain's looked quiet relieved.
Shunsui stepped forward then, the glint in his eye suggesting to all that he was up to no good. Raising a finger, he spoke. “Might I suggest something?” At Yamamoto's nod, he continued, grinning at Katsumi. Oh how that grin made her want to beat him senseless. Or, more senseless anyway. “Would it not be a good idea to send Yuchiru with the two? They could pose as a family to blend in better.”
Kenpachi growled menacingly, his way of saying he didn't like the idea at all, but Yuchiru gave a happy cry and jumped off his shoulder. She ran to Yamamoto and grabbed his robbed pleadingly.
“Please, please, please, please, PAHLEASE!” She cried. Yamamoto didn't seem to notice the little girl hanging from his robes as he nodded. “Very well, if she is willing to accept the mission. The three can leave as soon as they're ready. If there are no other matters, questions or concerns, dismissed.”
As they were walking out of the meeting room, Yuchiru babbling on about how excited she was, Katsumi grabbed Shunsui's haori and pulled him close. “You will pay for this in a way you can't even imagine.” She growled. The tall man just grinned.
“I live with Nanao, what can you possibly do to me?” He asked before walking off with an infuriating grin.

“You're sure you want to do this? You've never been to the living world before.” Ukitake pointed out gently. They were laying in bed together in the darkness, her head rested against his shoulder as he stroked her hair lightly. Despite his seemingly weak body, the beat of his heart was strong and sure, finding a steady rhythm with her own. “And I know how you feel about Kisho.” He added gently, as if brining up a delicate subject.
“I'll be fine. Soi Fong seems to trust Yoruichi, and Yoruichi trusts Urahara. I'm sure we'll be safe. Besides, we have Ichigo and his friends, who have shown multiple times that they are willing to help us. If it comes to the worst, Yuchiru will be there to make sure I don't beat Kisho to a bloody, twitching pulp.” She half joked.
With a gentle nod against her forehead, his hand stilled in her hair. “Just means our honeymoon won't be much of a surprise anymore.” He finally admitted his real reasoning behind his questions.
Tilting her head up gently to look up at him, Katsumi smiled, finding his other hand to lace their fingers together. “That will be an entirely different matter.” She promised. “And with the way things are going now, we might have to wait a while for all those things to occur. There just isn't time to allow two Captains to go roaming around the living world for fun.” She pointed out gently, closing her eyes. “We've waited this long just to be together, a wedding and honeymoon are just ceremonies and traditions. You're here with me when I thought you never would be again. I can't wait many more lifetimes as long as it's with you.” Katsumi wondered when she'd gotten so sentimental and sappy.
Juushiro gave a rare smile, black eyes loving as he looked down at the woman in his arms. “Once again, Katsumi, you're right.”
It didn't take very long for Katsumi to drift off to sleep. For many months after her return she'd suffered from nightmares, as she had her entire time in the half world realm. Now, back in the comfort of friends and familiar places, she was sleeping more peacefully. Tonight, she didn't dream so much as recall memories from years past, drudged up by her subconscious. This dream just so happened to be one of her favorite memories.
“Run, Katsumi!” Nanao cried out in warning, waving her arms and jumping up and down. Her academy uniform tightened against her form as the wind blew against her. Her short cropped black hair blew into her eyes, forcing her to blink for a moment, losing sight of what would surely be the tackle of the century.

“UNCLE! Say it!” She order, twisting his wrist. Before she could twist any more, with an act of pure flexibility she didn't know he had in him, he kicked her in the back of the head and once he felt her weight over his back, rolled on top of her, with his hand still in her hold. Didn't matter now though.
“Ah, what a lovely sky today!” He exclaimed happily, tugging his arm free. He looked over his shoulder and grinned. His curled, black hair fell directly in her face leaving her to spit it out. “Oh, Katsumi. Uncle.” His infuriating grin returned. At a gentle clearing of the throat, his head snapped forward again, hitting her in the nose.
Just then, she started kicking and thrashing, catching him good a few times with her knees against his back and legs. He rolled off and stood in one swift motion, brushing off his clothing and clearing his throat as well.
“That's better.” Ukitake said, glaring at his friend as he helped Katsumi up. Shunsui just grinned back, head cocked slightly. “No way to treat a lady.” He admonished, voice soft.
“Yeah!” Nanao ran up to him, punching his shoulder.
“Ow...” The feigned complaint came from Shunsui, rubbing his shoulder. He feinted as if he were going to tackle her as well, making her squeak and cover her head with her arms. Having accomplished his goal, he chuckled and walked off.
“I told you to run.” Nanao reminded her, crossing her arms over her chest. Although these three were already out of academy and ranking Shinigami, Nanao had taken to keeping their company. Or rather, Katsumi and Ukitake's. Shunsui just came with the package it seemed.
“And give him the satisfaction? I'd rather beat him up.” She defended.
Ukitake shook his head, guiding the two women back toward the academy grounds, leaning down to scoop up Katsumi's paper. “It certainly looked like you were winning.” He teased, though is voice was flat and serious.
“Oh, shut up.” Both women said at once, Katsumi grumbling, Nanao teasing.

Katsumi was dressed in clothes normally found in the living world. A pair of jeans with a black leather belt, a tight fitting white button up shirt tucked in. Her long hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, the end falling nearly to her waist line. Kisho was dressed similarly, with black slacks and a blue polo shirt. Yuchiru had donned a pink dress to match her hair, with pink stockings and sparkled pink shoes. She fit in the most out of all of them, fitting her targeted look with stereotypical perfection. The dress fell to her knees and puffed out, a cute belt around her waist. The left breast of the dress had an embroidered butterfly on it.
Right now, however, she looked anything but adorable. She was clinging for all she was worth to Kenpachi's neck and even his considerable strength could not pull her off. Kicking her feet and shaking her head, she screamed; “I DON'T WANNA GO! Don't make me Ken-chan!”
“You promised.” His deep voice rumbled, trying to calm her down.
“Yuchiru, we're leaving now!” Katsumi called, walking toward the gate. “Sorry you don't want to come with us!”
The little girl stopped all motion immediately, opening her eyes. “Leaving without me?!” She planted her feet on Kenpachi's chest and did a back flip off of him, landing on her feet and bolting for Katsumi. “You wouldn't leave without me, would you?!” She cried, clinging to Katsumi's leg. She pat the girl's head and shook her own.
Ukitake came up for one last farewell. He knelt down and brushed away Yuchiru's residual tears. “Take care of Kisho, okay?”
She gave a brisk salute and nodded sharply. “Yes, sir!” Then turned on her heel and marched through the gate with a backward wave to Kenpachi. “See you later, Ken-chan!”
With the barest of smiles, he stood to face Katsumi. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, then closed it again. He brought his fingers to his lips and tapped them lightly. Katsumi was loving his discomfort, tapping her foot with feigned impatience. Finally, she reached for his hand, pulling it away from his face. “Would it kill you to admit that you love me when there are other people around?” She asked, one slim brow raised. “I know it's not considered proper, but barely anyone is watching.” At that, she heard a snicker from behind Juushiro. “And we both know that Shunsui doesn't count.” She added, without missing a beat. As luck would have it, she could see his face from the corner of her eye.
“You're completely right, Captain Onishi. I need to loosen up.” He agreed with a bare smile.
Katsumi gave a happy nod, releasing his hand. “Good, I'll see you in a few days when I report in. Take care of yourself.”
Before she'd fully turned around she felt his slim, chilled fingers on her arm. Turning slowly, it took only a matter of seconds for Ukitake's lips to meet hers. The kiss was light and brief, but the feeling was definitely there. Opening her eyes, his black one's came into her vision, alight with amusement. “You too.” He smiled and straightened, clasping his hands behind his back.
A few feet behind him, Nanao let out a wistful sigh. Then, with a delicate cough, she straightened her glasses and her stern look returned. Shunsui raised his brows and looked over at her. “I can...” He was immediately cut off by the back of her hand a mere centimeters from his face. He just grinned and waved happily at the departing Katsumi.

“WELCOME!” Urahara exclaimed and made a big show, wrapping his arms around Katsumi for a giant bear hug, then sweeping up the giggling Yuchiru. “Of course, you're all welcome to stay here as long as you'd like.”
Yuchiru cocked her head as she looked at him, eyes hidden by the brim of his hat. To take care of the problem, she plucked it off his head and placed it on her own. He just grinned and took her inside. “I like him, Shishi!” She giggled, climbing up to sit on his shoulder.
“The two girls will be staying in here,” He waved a hand as he passed a large room with two beds, fresh flowers on the night stand. “And Klutz will stay in the spare room.”
A black cat sauntered out of the indicated room, tail swishing back and forth. “With the litter box.”
Kisho groaned, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand. “It can't possibly get any...”
“I wouldn't say that if I were you!” Urahara trilled happily, flipping open his fan. “Well, ladies and Klutz. It is late, the shop is closed and it is time for us to go to bed.” He set Yuchiru gently down on the floor, patting her back to send her off to her room after retrieving his hat. “Sleep well everyone!” In a matter of seconds, he'd disappeared.
“Kisho, we'll leave the door open so if anything happens, just yell.” Katsumi disappeared as well, following the little pink haired Vice. “Good night.” Her soft voice sounded from inside the room. It had been a short reception to be sure, but warm, quite unlike what she'd expected after hearing Renji's horror stories.

Katsumi woke several hours later, blaming her sleeplessness on being restless. With a glance across the moonlit room, she saw that Yuchiru was fast asleep, mouth open, pillow drenched in drool. A Vice she may be, but a child still. Slipping silently from between the covers, she padded out into the main room of the shop. She stopped suddenly in the hallway, closing her eyes to focus all of her effort on listening. Perhaps it wasn't just restlessness that had woken her up. Was that a baby she heard crying?
Urahara sat by a window, sipping on steaming tea. He was dressed as usual, bringing up the question in Katsumi's mind: Did he sleep in that hat and coat? He turned his head to give her a pleasant smile, patting the ground beside him. She sank down obediently, glancing out the window. With a sudden gasp, she grabbed the sill and pulled herself up slightly.
“That is a baby!” She whispered harshly. “What's it doing out there?”
The shopkeeper put a gentle hand on her shoulder and pulled her back into the sitting position. He tisked and shook his head, setting down his tea to snap open his fan. “I surely thought a Captain of the thirteen court guard squads would have sensed the Hollow behind the building to the east. This one is using a technique not unlike the one that robbed Ichigo of his dear mother.”
She saw then as the creature came out from behind the building, pacing restlessly. “I'll work on that.” She smiled slightly. “Doesn't it know better than to hang around a shop with three high ranking Shinigami and two retired Captains?”
“Perhaps if it were a bit older it might. Or, perhaps it thinks it can take us on.” He gave a delicate shrug and returned to his tea. Yuchiru came out and plopped herself down in Katsumi's lap, rubbing one eye to remove the sleep-sand.
“Whatcha lookin' at?” She asked, tilting her head back to look at Katsumi.
“The Hollow out there.” She replied.
Yuchiru peered out the window and giggled. “You two are silly. That's not a Hollow.” She scoffed. “What's missing?” She asked with an air of importance, sounding like the gentle teacher. Both of the older Shinigami immediately snapped to attention at that, looking carefully at the Hollow that paced back and forth. When neither could see anything out of the ordinary to answer her question with, Yuchiru whispered loudly. “NO HOLE!” Then giggled again.
Depositing the little Vice into Urahara's lap, she shot up, pulling at the frame of the door to stand fully and propel herself down the hall the few feet to Kisho's room. She tugged the blanket off and shoved him hard. “Wake up! We have to go, right now!” And before he'd even opened her eyes, she'd returned to her room to retrieve her Zanpaku-to.
Suddenly the Legend of the Cursed Taichou wasn't sounding so silly anymore....


To Be Continued.