The Broken Souls of the Seireitei

A/N: Thank you for reading. You all are wonderful. If anyone would like me to email with updates then leave the address in a review. Enjoy.





Ichigo sighed, throwing his arm on the other side of the bed. He remembered last night, that he had bed company, and that he could have possibly just knocked that bed company out, and his eyes flew open as he scrambled to look for Byakuya on the other side of the bed.

He was gone.

The pain hit him, and it felt strange. It wasn’t that he had given his virginity to Kuchiki, that was eh, whatever. Good for what it was worth. But the fact that he couldn’t face Ichigo in the morning made him angry. And sad. And hungry. He sniffed, smelling eggs and pancakes and bacon, and tossed the covers off of him to go walk to the kitchen to eat his pain away.

“Good morning, Ichigo.” Rukia was spooning the last bit of eggs from the pan onto a heaping plate, dressed in a pair of black track pants and a blue sports bra. She fixed a plate of food for Ichigo and sat it at the table and motioned for him to sit down.

“What is all this?” He snapped, not caring how grumpy he sounded. She smiled at him and handed him some orange juice and syrup.

“I wondered the same thing last night. I heard you and Nisama had a wonderful time.” She got some tomato juice from the fridge and sat down beside him, drinking the juice.

Ichigo frowned. “Apparently not wonderful enough. He left before I woke up.” His voice sounded moody, and Rukia could sense his hurt. She calmly sipped her juice and nodded at his food.

“Make sure you eat all of that. He just made it.” She stood and emptied her cup, rinsing it out with a hidden smirk on her face. Ichigo looked dumbfounded. “He made it? How?”

Rukia sat down and laughed at him, ruffling his hair. “With ingredients and careful planning. He read the instructions. You know I can’t cook, and no one else is up. Dumbass,” She muttered, snatching a piece of his bacon.

“Okay then, smartass, then if he just left, then why didn’t he just wait on me to wake up?”

Rukia frowned. “It’s 9:30. He stayed as long as he could, and the taicho periodically have morning briefings after exercises. One such meeting was actually this morning. A text message sent by Ukitake taicho was what actually woke him up. Then he called to remind him. The meeting was at 9:30, and he left here anout fifteen minutes ago, no shower, hair messy, but with a huge smile on his face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile like that. Or be late. Even when he is sick, he is early or on time. You must have done something special, and he said he wants you to come to our house this afternoon,” Rukia said warmly, pouring more juice in his cup.

Ichigo felt like a fool. Here he was, angry and disappointed that Byakuya didn’t stay with him, and in all actuality, he not only stayed with him, he also made breakfast enough for everyone in the house. Ichigo hung his head and ate the lukewarm food quietly, mentally kicking himself for making such a mean assumption. Rukia watched him as he chewed slowly, replaying the earlier events of the morning.
********************

Rukia opened the closet door, looking annoyed. She thought she had been smart to lie down in the closet of the purple room, but apparently she was wrong as she walked past Rangiku and Orihime, who were both still snoring loudly. Somehow they had meandered their way inside the room, and all night Rukia heard their farts and snores. Her stomach growled angrily, and she walked to the kitchen to prepare something for herself.

“Nisama?” She was more than surprised to see Byakuya standing in the kitchen, wearing the pinstripe pants and the white button down shirt, his vest and jacket draped neatly over the couch.

“Rukia-chan. Are you hungry?” His voice was light and almost cheerful. Rukia started to run to see if Ichigo was still breathing, and Byakuya smiled.

“So, my little sister’s plan came to fruition. Are you pleased?”

Rukia gave him a wry smile. “By your demeanor, I’d say that you were the one pleased.” A slight flush through his cheeks made her smile and wrap her arms around him. “Yay!” She yelled directly in his ear, and he used the spoon in his hand to try to pry her off.

“Go make yourself useful and do a head count so I’ll know how much to cook. And try not to wake Ichigo. I put him down for quite a nap.” Byakuya wore a sexy smirk, and Rukia ‘meowed’ at him and pretended to claw as she skipped away to count how many mouths they had to feed. As she walked away, she heard a ringing noise, and knew it was someone calling from home. Byakuya looked annoyed and closed his phone, chucking it at his jacket.

“Meeting now. Ukitake taicho had sent me a text earlier that woke me up saying the meeting was at noon, but was pushed back to the normal 9:30 time. I’m going to be late, it’s 9:15am now,” Byakuya mused, running fingers through his hair. He looked at the eggs in the pan, and motioned for Rukia to come over. “Stir these eggs and take them out in about fifteen minutes, and please don‘t burn down Sado-san’s home. He cannot live with us if you do, Rukia.” Byakuya was moving briskly, shoving his arms into his jacket, trying to put on his shoes and walk at the same time. He opened the front door and turned to smile.

“I’m off, Rukia. Ask Ichigo to stop by later on today if he has a free moment. And stir those eggs! NOW!

Rukia smiled as she decided she needed a second cup of tomato juice. The thumping in her head had ceased, and she was very happy that her hangover was finally going away. She smiled at Ishida, Chad, Nemu, Orihime, Rangiku, and Nanao, who were waking up from their sleep also. Winking at Ichigo, she got up and started fixing everyone a plate, her smile never leaving her face.
********************

Isshin braced himself for the kick that never came. He had waited until morning to tell his daughters of him and Ichigo, and even though Karin knowing about Ichigo buffered the emotional blow, Yuzu felt pretty much betrayed by everyone, and Karin felt lied to also.

“So let me get this straight, Goat Face. You want me and Yuzu here to join you and Ichigo in the old style ninja outfits and battle Hollows? You’re a fucking idiot,” Karin said flatly, her hands on her widening hips. Both girls were taking on their mother’s shape, especially Yuzu, who have become quite fleshy over these past few years. Isshin would have to keep his eyes on her around Iba and Renji.

“Karin, don’t talk to Dad that way. He can’t help that the PCP he took when he was younger has affected him adversely.” Yuzu was trying to wash the dishes, grabbing them from Karin before she could chuck them at the only parent they had left.

“But my darling candy bars, Daddy isn’t lying! Karin, you have seen Ichigo fight and you know Matsumoto and Hitsugaya are shinigami also! And Yuzu, I know you can feel things, even if you can’t see them. You just aren’t trying, but it is in you. Daddy needs you, the world needs you two to step up! And besides, Mommy would be so happy that her babies are heroes!” Isshin ran over to the MASAKI FOREVER poster and hugged it, kissing and slobbering over it before Karin kicked him away from it.

“Don’t drag Mom into your soul reaper crap!” Karin’s cleated shoe dug into Isshin’s face, and for a moment he cursed himself for buying her those damn contraptions.

“Please. I’m begging both of you. The Seireitei needs you. I already know who your taicho will be, and what divisions you will be in.”

“Divisions?!! So we won’t be together?” Yuzu exclaimed, complacent until she found out she’d be separated from her twin. She blinked rapidly, and her chest heaved, huge tears falling down her face. It felt like someone had stuck a hot iron on Isshin’s face. He honestly felt bad about turning his daughters over to Yammamoto, but better to him than to Aizen. He grabbed both girls and hugged them tightly, and neither objected. He stroked their hair and allowed them to cry and clench at his white lab coat, and after awhile, he felt his own face become wet with tears. Their emotional trauma great, both girls cried themselves to sleep, and once they were snoring, he gently placed them in their beds, letting them sleep off their sadness and have one last day/night in their room. He reached into the sink for the freshly washed glasses and poured himself a glass of Absinthe, reached for his spoon and some sugar cubes, and got wasted on the couch. He realized it was just mid day, and that doing this would surely label him in the alcoholic category, but he didn’t care. It would give him plenty of time to sober up. And if not, then it wouldn’t be the first time he would have returned to the Seireitei with a hangover.
****************


“I am soooo glad we aren’t taicho! We would have had to leave with Kuchiki taicho, and that would have been terrible! He always walks so fast. Rukia, I don’t know how your stubbly little legs keep up with him!”

“Well, Rangiku, not everyone can be a giant like you. Why are you so big anyway?”

“I’m not big, I just have big bones!” The reply was huffy and arms were crossed over bulging breasts.

“Big bones? What does that even mean? Are you a dinosaur?” Rukia burst out laughing at Nanao’s innocent observation.

“Nemu, what do you think?” Rangiku looked at their somber companion, refusing to be overrun by the two black haired midgets.

“I think that Kurotsuchi taicho will beat me upon my arrival.” The small voice sounded frightened and sad.

The girls stopped laughing and paused on their walk, with Rangiku looking sympathetically at Nemu. “You can tell him that you were helping me with paperwork. Or something. And if he beats you, let us know so we can fuck his shit up.” Rukia and Nanao nodded behind her, each one of them giving her a brief hug.

Nemu nodded, but looked confused. “Matsumoto fukutaicho, why would you want to fuck Kurotsuchi taicho’s shit?” Nemu blushed and chuckled at the good hearted laughs she received, and smiled when Rukia wrapped her bony arms around her and walked with her toward the 10th division headquarters.
**********************

Byakuya picked his fingernails and tried to look attentive. The meeting called by Yamamoto was boring at best, both he and Zaraki looked like they were struggling with staying conscious. Shuuhei had already been firmly reprimanded for not only falling asleep, but snoring, and Kira’s head lolled periodically, but the bitch fit at Shuuhei seemed to straighten him out. Momo sat at the meeting also, and she kept bouncing, which annoyed Byakuya. Part of him longed to kick her, and he had to smirk, as Rukia’s thuggish ways were obviously rubbing off on him.

“I heard you last night.” Byakuya raised his eyes at Zaraki, who was giving him an insane grin. There was a brief intermission for the meeting, and Zaraki looked like he wanted to piss his pants with glee. Actually all the taicho/taicho stand ins were happy for the intermission, but for different reasons.

“Really. What did I sound like?” Byakuya asked, throwing on his bored façade. His face fell as Zaraki started making noises that sounded like farm animals. People started to look over at them and Byakuya reddened and started to walk away, but was stopped by the hand on his arm.

“Do you care about Ichigo?” The uncovered eye gave an serious unwavering glare, and Byakuya frowned. He managed to shake Zaraki off and returned the glare.

“As much as you care about her.” Zaraki’s lips thinned and he held up his hands in a truce. “Listen, I’m not trying to start any shit with you or come across whack. I consider you a friend most of the time. But I don’t want you to just be trying to…replace something that you lost. Something that is dead and gone. Do you understand?” Zaraki’s voice was almost gentle as he spoke low to Byakuya, not wanting nosy ears to hear.

Byakuya wore a pained look. “I understand all too well about people you love being dead and gone. And some things can’t be replaced, Kenpachi. Yes, I definitely understand.” Zaraki’s eye widened at the use of his first name and he sighed and nodded, rubbing the back of his head. He patted Byakuya’s shoulder gently and returned to the side of the room where he was previously sitting, waiting for the meeting to resume. Thankfully, Yamamoto called the meeting back in order moments later, and Byakuya didn’t have time to ponder on what his friend said.
********************

Nemu walked briskly to her division quarters, clutching a mountain of paperwork and praying that Rangiku was right and that this scheme would work. The captain’s meeting was ending, and now would be the perfect time to look like she had been busy. She took a deep breath and turned the corner, practically bouncing off of Zaraki taicho, who looked like he was trying to tell a fleeing Kuchiki taicho something. She was knocked to the ground, papers flying everywhere.

“Oh, Zaraki taicho! I am so sorry! I didn’t see where I was going and ah!” She yelled as Kurotsuchi taicho appeared from behind him and grabbed her wrist barbarically and pulled hard.

“Stupid wench! All these messy papers flying! Why did you not do the paperwork last night?” Kurotsuchi raised his hand to slap Nemu, but was stopped by Zaraki.

“Is that how you get off? I mean, since you digitally enhanced your cock or whatever, is beating on a practically defenseless woman your way of gratification?” Zaraki’s voice sounded annoyed and angry, and Nemu swallowed and prayed she wasn’t the source of it.
Kurotsuchi snatched his hand away and glared at Zaraki. “First Ikkaku, now my own fukutaicho! You are always ruining my fun!” He snatched himself from the vise grip and glared at Nemu before looking at some of the scattered pages.

“This is paperwork from the 10th Division! And from the 8th! Where are Ise fukutaicho and Matsumoto fukutaicho! Those fat, lazy cows! And you, being stupid enough to be their lackey! You just wait until we get back to our squad! I will-”

“Touch her and you will be able to look at your dick in a jar of formaldehyde beside your bed.” There was a dark, elusive hint to Zaraki’s voice, one that made Kurotsuchi giggle.

“Yare, yare, Zaraki taicho. Many references to my penis. Have you gone to the land of faeries like many other men around here?” Kurotsuchi goaded him, purposely trying to antagonize him for interfering with Nemu.

Zaraki smiled, chilling and sinister. “No worries, Mayuri. I’d rather let a woman stick a dildo in my ass and fuck me raw than even cum on your face. Kama-sama knows what kinds of cretin and diseases I’d get from you. I‘ll be damned if I‘ll be a lab rat for your nut job ass.” He smirked and walked a few steps away, and then paused and came back. “Oh and the reason why I talked about your dick so much was because I was waiting for you to correct me and just flat out say you didn’t have one.” Kurotsuchi glared at him as he bent to hand a shaking Nemu her papers and then casually strode away again. Flustered and embarrassed, he grabbed the papers from Nemu and ripped them to shreds, spreading them like confetti in front of the meeting hall before storming away. Nemu released a trapped breath and sagged against the wall. Thank goodness it was old papers that no one needed anymore. She was safe…for now. She wiped at tear that managed to slip down her cheek and gathered the torn pieces of paper to discard them, the way she wished Kurotsuchi would discard her and get it over with.
**************************

Ichigo tossed his coat on the couch and yawned, stretching his sore body and smiled. Byakuya had invited him over in only a few mere hours, and he wanted to get some rest, because based on previous events, he felt like he needed it.

“Hey!” Ichigo’s coat talked to him, and it scared the shit out of him. He walked around the couch to see his father, tangled in his jacket, sticky with sweat and liquor. A smelly burp made Ichigo dry heave and wave his hand in front of his face.

“What the fuck happened to you? And why aren’t you in the Seireitei?” Ichigo’s voice was hard on hungover ears, and Isshin held his head between his legs.

“Imloumphredsitbers.”

Ichigo cocked his head to the side. “Come again, I didn’t have the subtitles on.”

Isshin raised his red face and sighed. “I told your sisters.”

Ichigo looked confused. “You told them?” Then it registered. “You told them?!!! Why would you do that?!! Why do they need to know? Was Yuzu upset? I know she was…” He paced frantically and ran his hand through orange spikes. He stopped pacing when Isshin looked like he was going to barf and instead glared at him.

“Why did you tell them, Goat Face?”

Isshin sighed and hiccupped, trying not to barf in front of his son. “They have reiatsu. You know that.”

“SO?!!” Ichigo was antsy, and he prayed for the best but expected the worst.

“They are going to become shinigami. Yuzu will train under Unohana taicho and Karin will be with Soi Fon taicho.” Isshin hiccupped again, feeling the bile rise in his throat. Ichigo would not take any prisoners.

“Who’s brilliant fucking idea was that?!”

Isshin looked at Ichigo and held a finger to his chapped lips. “They are sleeping. Stop being a bitch and be glad I didn’t beat your ass today. It had to be done. We need all the strong shinigami we can get.”

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. “We? So you are going back too huh? Well isn’t that great. Masaki would be proud,” He sneered, eyes widening when he was slammed against the wall by his throat. His father, drunk as he was, managed to go from nearly passing out to flash stepping and catching Ichigo by the neck and slamming him into the wall, making pictures rattle and fall.

“Ichigo. Do I look like I want to be bothered with you right now? Besides, don’t you have somewhere to be tonight? I don’t think Byakuya likes his peaches bruised.” He paid no attention to the astonished look on his son’s face and gently let him go. Ichigo’s hands flew to his neck as a knee jerk reaction; his father didn’t hurt him, only just really pinned him. He narrowed his eyes and cautiously walked a few paces away from him, his eyes never leaving him.

Isshin smiled. “I could sense him on you. I could smell sakura on your skin.” He sat back on the couch and poured another glass of Absinthe and reached for a sugar cube. “Tell him I said hello and wash all your naughty spots. I don’t want him finding doo doo streaks in your undies.” Isshin drank the liquid and ignored the spike in Ichigo’s reiatsu. He spiked his own and felt that damned ignorant hollow battle itself to his son’s frontal lobe, but didn’t move and just waited. He turned to see Ichigo sweating and clutching his chest, the roots of his hair turning white. It lasted a moment, and then faded. His eyes met Ichigo’s and he nodded, proud that his son could contain himself. If a simple insult was enough to set him off, then he could definitely not control himself in the Seireitei. Ichigo took a deep breath and walked to his room and quietly shut his door, exhausted and needing sleep, Hichigo not helping the situation at all.



A/N: Goodies planned for you guys...mmmmmhmmm oh buddy. Warm e-sake for all!