Protect - Ch 8 +Bleach fanfic+

Chapter 8

“I believe Kurosaki is able to carry out the duties of a captain,” Byakuya said after a moment, “He has my recommendation.” Hitsugaya raised his hand to second it and smirked faintly. There was another silence before Unohana nodded.

“Yes, I believe he is able to become captain,” she murmured.

"He has proven himself worthy of the position many times over. He has my recommendation as well," Ukitake said firmly.

"He did save lil' Rukia. I say he can be a captain," Kyoraku agreed.

"He'll have to stick around and fight some more if he's a captain. Bring 'im in," Zaraki said with an evil grin.

There was another silence before Yamamoto sighed. "Even though I was against it, Kurosaki has proven himself," he admitted quietly, "I approve these recommendations."

Everyone was struck with slight shock at the general's approval. Those who had recommended Ichigo felt a wave of relief as the elder agreed while those who were against it felt a sharp sting of irritation and disappointment.

"If Yamamoto-soutaichou approves," Komamura interrupted the silence, "Then I approve as well."

There was another silence and Mayuri nor Soi Fon made a move to say anything. Then, when Yamamoto was about to reject Ichigo, Soi Fon raised her hand, glaring at the floor. She didn't want a guilty conscience.

Ichigo's eyes widened with excitement and he couldn't hold back a smile. He quickly hid them but his eyes still shone brilliantly.

"Very well." The general returned his gaze to Ichigo, "You have fulfilled the conditions of becoming a captain. You will assume the command of the 5th division." An air of apprehension filled the air at the decision as memories of Aizen were stirred. But the tension didn't last long as Yamamoto continued, "Welcome to the Gotei 13, Kurosaki-taichou."

Again Ichigo couldn't hold back his joy and a smile overwhelmed his face and the bowed at the waist. "Thank you!"

Rukia grinned and did the same. Byakuya relaxed on the sidelines and watched the two. Then they were all dismissed.

Once outside, Ichigo grasped Rukia's shoulders with hands shaking from the sudden release of tension. "We did it!!"

Renji slammed his palm into Ichigo's back and scowled at him. "You jerk! You passed my ranks..." Ichigo stood, surprised and suddenly afraid that he had insulted Renji.

"Renji... I..." he couldn't find anything to say. An apology wouldn't be enough to make up for this.

Renji glared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. "C'mon! You really think I'd let that bother me?! I can still take you on any day!" He punched him lightly in the shoulder, "Good job!!"

Rukia laughed and threw her arms around Ichigo's neck, hugging him fiercely.
"I'm so happy for you!" she squealed happily. Byakuya watched them from where he stood, looking amused.

"Ichigo!" The fierce voice of Kenpachi roared over the group. Ichigo jumped and wrapped his arms around Rukia in order to make it look like he was busy. "Don't expect me to call you 'captain'" Zaraki continued regardless of Ichigo's actions, "But I expect you to fight me soon," he growled before he left.
Ichigo sighed and let Rukia slide to the ground.

Rukia hit the ground, but didn’t loosen her hold on the boy. Captain Hitsugaya approached him next. The little white haired captain looked him up and down for a moment before holding out his hand.

Ichigo shook it and smiled. "Looks like we'll be seeing each other a lot more."

“It looks like it,” Hitsugaya said before smirking and crushing Ichigo’s hand in his own.

"Ah!" Instinctively grasping his wrist with his free hand, Ichigo let out a slight cry of pain.

The captain laughed and let go before bowing.
“Welcome to the Gotei 13,” he chuckled and walked off. Rukia held in a giggle.

Ichigo glared after him as he massaged his hand. "Little brat," he muttered jokingly under his breath.

Ukitake and Kyoraku came up as Hitsugaya left. "Congratulations on making it in," the thirteenth captain said happily. "I look forward to working with you, Kai-" he paused awkwardly before smiling and correcting himself, "Kurosaki-taichou."
Kyoraku merely nodded and smiled.

Next Unohana approached Ichigo. She smiled at him gently. “Well, Kurosaki-taichou, I imagine you’re going to get yourself into trouble with Zaraki-taichou. Know my team is open to you,” she murmured, bowing.

"Thank you," he replied and bowed also.

She gave him another gentle smile before walking away.

Mayuri walked by without acknowledging Ichigo. After he had passed he stopped abruptly, spun around, and stormed up to him "You had better not take this lightly, boy." He turned and walked off.

Rukia watched him go and shivered slightly. That guy scared her a bit. Soi Fon approached Ichigo, narrowing her eyes at him. She stiffly held out her hand without saying a word.

Shaking it, Ichigo felt awkward but didn't say anything either.

The other captain bowed in respect before hurrying off.

The last two captains came together, Komamura following behind Yamamoto like a loyal dog. They bowed and Ichigo returned the gesture.

"You've done well to get so far considering," the general paused, searching for the right words, "Considering your current state. You will be receiving your captain's haori soon. Welcome to the Gotei 13." He bowed again and walked off leaving Komamura behind.
"Yamamoto-soutaichou seems to have interest in you," he said flatly before hurrying after the general.

When they had all left, Ichigo turned stiffly to his friends and paused. Then he whooped again and laughed aloud.

Rukia laughed as well and hugged Ichigo again. But to Byakuya, it seemed that the girl wished she could do something else. He shrugged faintly before stepping forward.

Ichigo received another hearty slap on the back from Renji and spun Rukia around once before turning to the fourth person in his excitement. "Byakuya, we did it!"
This time, the stoic captain actually smiled. It was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Yes, you did," he agreed, holding out a hand.

Grasping it firmly, Ichigo grinned. He paused a moment before saying, "Thanks. For all the help and your support. We couldn't have done it without you."

Byakuya looked startled for a moment before returning the grip just as firmly.
"Always a pleasure to help a friend," he murmured and Rukia grinned widely at that.

Both Renji and Ichigo stared, dumbfounded at the captain's reply. Then Ichigo smiled and nodded, "Yeah."

Byakuya clapped a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.
"Kurosaki-taichou," he murmured, "welcome to the Gotei 13."

Rukia smiled and fisted her hands in Ichigo's sleeve. "Well, I'll show you to your quarters then," Byakuya said after a moment and let go of Ichigo's hand.

It took a moment for this to settle in. "Quarters?" Ichigo asked, surprised. "The 5th division quarters?" He stopped and thought how silly the question sounded. Of course it was the 5th division quarters.

Rukia giggled and Byakuya raised an eyebrow for a moment.

"Come along then," he said, starting down the hallways.

As they followed Ichigo bent down and whispered excitedly and jokingly in Rukia's ear, "I get my own quarters!"

Rukia snickered at that.
"Well of course. You're a captain now," she reminded him, jabbing him in the ribs with a finger.

He laughed and straightened up. "If I'm a captain then I have a vice-captain, right? Who is it?"

Renji cast a worried glance at him before looking ahead at Byakuya again. "Hinamori Momo," he stated.

"Momo?" Ichigo clarified, "A girl then?" Renji nodded. After a moment he spoke again.

"She was really attached to Aizen. She isn't over his betrayal yet. Chances are she won't like this," he said softly.

Byakuya nodded slightly and Rukia's grin faded.

"Probably not... So, don't take her words to the truth," Byakuya warned Ichigo as he stopped in front of the 5th Division quarters.

The doors swung open into a spacious room. They entered quickly and shut the doors behind them. Ichigo scanned the room and his eyes fell on a small girl. She was sitting in front of a desk, staring at the wall in front of her. She was a small girl, only about Rukia's age in looks. Her hair was up in a bun that was secured by a light blue cloth but two strands hung by her face that came to her jaw. When the door closed, she looked over at them.

"Kuchiki-taichou, Abarai-kun," she gasped, jumping to her feet and bowing deeply.

Renji bowed slightly and smiled at her. "Hey, Hinamori-kun. You're looking well."

Ichigo also bowed slightly but remained silent.

Hinamori gave him a small smile. "It's good to see you... But who's this...?" she asked, turning to Ichigo.

"This is Kurosaki Ichigo, the new 5th division captain," Byakuya said in a firm voice. Hinamori stared at Ichigo.

"Nice to meet you," Ichigo bowed again, this time more formally.

Byakuya fixed Hinamori with a stare but she didn't move.

"You're... replacing Aizen-taichou..." she whispered and the other captain stiffened. "No! I won't allow it! It's your fault he's gone!" she shouted suddenly, "Ever since you came, he started acting strange! It's your fault! Yours!!" Then she fled the room, sobbing.

Shocked, Ichigo winced as the door slammed into the wall. After a while he smiled awkwardly. "That went well," he said sarcastically.

"Though she's much tamer than I thought she'd be," Renji admitted.

"Agreed, she could've slapped you," Rukia decided to point out. Byakuya sighed softly.

"Well, these are your quarters. You may decorate it as you like even though you might not be here all the time," he murmured.

Ichigo scanned the room again and nodded absentmindedly.

Rukia scowled up at them for a moment then she trotted over to the couch and grabbed one of the pillows off of it. She smirked at the three men and jumped at Ichigo, whacking him on the head with the pillow.

"Agh! What was that for?!" Ichigo cried. Then he dashed for the couch and armed himself before clobbering Rukia.

"Oi! You can't hit a girl!" Renji called after him, laughing and grabbing another pillow. He hauled it around with both hands and whacked Ichigo in the back, throwing him off balance and tearing the pillow slightly.

Rukia gave a yelp as she was thrown to the ground by Ichigo's attack. But she was soon on her feet again and attacking the new captain. Byakuya watched them, leaning against the doorway slightly. Well, this was amusing.

Ichigo dodged one of Rukia's attacks and it ended up hitting Renji in the face. The redhead retaliated and landed a hit on the top of Rukia's head as Ichigo whapped him in the stomach.

"Oh Nii-sama!" Rukia shouted before launching at her brother. Byakuya was caught off-guard and received a pillow to his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow before seizing the pillow from Rukia and attacking her. She squealed and ran off to find another pillow.

Renji and Ichigo laughed and joined the assault, attacking Rukia from all sides.

"Not fair!" Rukia shouted, grabbing a pillow and using it as a shield. However, Byakuya whacked her over the head from behind. Though it looked fairly comical; he was completely serious throughout this.

Pulling around with a strong swing, Ichigo scraped Rukia's pillow but kept the momentum and ended up knocking Byakuya in the side of the head. He instantly held up his pillow in a defensive position as he jumped back and cracked up. Renji hit him from behind yelling jokingly at the attack on his captain.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow before grabbing Renji's pillow away from him. Then he leaped after Ichigo, landing both pillows on the orange-haired captain's chest. After that, he turned on his vice captain. Rukia jeered at them both from where she was.

Being unable to resist the opening, Ichigo struck Byakuya's back and ran forward, grabbing the last pillow from the couch and tossing it to Renji as he went.

Byakuya whirled and caught Ichigo in the stomach as Rukia jumped on Renji's shoulders, intent on knocking him over so he would be an easier target.

Renji toppled over and rolled, pinning her against the floor and began a consistent flow of light blows to her head.

Rukia squealed loudly and used her pillow as a shield.

"Fukutaichou, that's not a very appropriate position," Byakuya called blandly before landing a blow on Ichigo's face to distract him a moment before going after Renji.

"She jumped on me first!" Renji cried, trying to reason as he ran from his captain.

Ichigo ran tackled Rukia as she got up and took up where Renji had left off, laughing loudly.

Rukia yelped loudly as she was, again, thrown to the ground. She scowled up at him before whacking him in the face.

"Hey, that's cheap! Not the face, cheater," he joked as he smothered her face with his pillow. Renji, still running from Byakuya, ran past and dragged Ichigo off of her in the process. "That's not a very appropriate position, Ichigo!" He called as he kept running around the room.

"Hypocrite!" Rukia accused past the pillow. Byakuya waited until both boys were away from his sister before using both pillows to hit both of them in the side of the head. But it was away from each other so they wouldn't get seriously hurt.

The both rolled to the side and landed hits on either side of Byakuya as they did so. Then they charged and began pummeling each other.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at this. Rukia finally got up and snuck up to her brother before whacking him on his back which caused him to stumble, but he whirled and retaliated.

Then Renji and Ichigo pulled around and ganged up on Byakuya again, striking him on the back as he went for his sister.

Byakuya, still using two pillows, started to use them much like he would a sword. Rukia jumped away, using her pillow as a shield again.

The younger boys saw and adopted Byakuya's style, using the pillows as their would their own zanpakutou, grasping them around the middle so that they would easily flow the way they wanted them to. This made for harder and more solid strikes.

Byakuya smirked at them before hitting Ichigo hard in the stomach with one pillow while whapping Renji in the face with the other.

Both boys fell back and paused before choosing their next targets. Renji went back after Byakuya while Ichigo dashed around to Rukia.

"Still trying to defeat me?" Byakuya inquired of Renji as he attacked the redhead. Rukia yelped and ran away from Ichigo.

"Even in a pillow fight!" Renji leered and targeted Byakuya's head. Ichigo jumped at Rukia and swung at her legs in an attempt to knock her off balance.

The girl cried out as she was knocked to the ground again. She scrambled to get to her feet though. Byakuya shook his head slightly, moving out of the way and hitting Renji in the back.

Renji spun around and pulled the pillow behind him, swinging it around at Byakuya's midsection. Ichigo loosened his grip on the pillow so that it was lighter and whacked Rukia's side as she stood.

Rukia spun and scored a hit on the side of Ichigo's face. Byakuya dodged again and grabbed Renji's pillow in an attempt to take it away.

Following through with the force of the jerk, Renji leapt forward, releasing his pillow and ripping one of Byakuya's from his grip.

Missing Rukia because of the attack to his head, Ichigo fell forward, just short of Rukia's side.

Rukia smirked down at Ichigo before giving him one more good hit before helping Renji attack her brother. Byakuya, not expecting Rukia, stumbled forward from her sudden attack.

Pulling himself up, Ichigo darted toward the battle and struck Rukia in the back as he shot towards Renji. The redhead knocked Ichigo in the head and headed for Rukia and Byakuya again.

Suddenly, the door slid open and the little white-haired captain appeared in the doorway. He froze in shock and all activity ceased in the room.

"A pillow fight?" Hitsugaya asked, sounding shocked, "Kuchiki-taichou?!"

Renji couldn't help but snicker and Ichigo nudged him in the side, trying hard not to laugh as well.

Hitsugaya blinked. "Well, why didn't anyone inform me?" he demanded suddenly and leaped on Byakuya to steal one of the pillows.

The fight commenced, this time with Hitsugaya in the fray. Ichigo targeted Renji again. Renji dodged easily and landed a hit on Rukia.

Unfortunately for Hitsugaya, the door slammed open again and this time, Hinamori was standing in the door shocked.

"Shiro-chan!" she scolded, putting her hands on her hips. Hitsugaya was caught in mid-hit that was aimed at Byakuya. "What are you all doing?!"

"Pillow fight," Renji replied laughing.

"Want to join us, Hinamori-fukutaichou?" Ichigo asked, trying to be friendly.

The girl blushed darkly. Whether it was from rage or something else, it was hard to tell. Byakuya cleared his throat.

"She's right," he said softly, tossing the pillows back on the couch. Hitsugaya grumbled about bad timing before doing the same before he walked out the door, scowling. Hinamori blinked before rushing after Hitsugaya to try to fix what she'd done.

Ichigo straightened up. Renji stretched. "Well that was fun," he said as he relaxed.

"And a bit random," Ichigo admitted, laughing a little.

"Ahhh..." Rukia sighed as she fell back on the couch. Byakuya shook his head at them, amused. "Consider that a sort of celebration, Ichigo," Rukia said after a moment.

He smiled gratefully. "Thanks. That was fun."

She blushed before nodding. "Y-You're welcome..." she mumbled.