A Marriage of Inconvenience

Setting: This story is set in the future, following the Winter War. In this future, Aizen and his arrancar army were defeated by the shinigami but Aizen escaped.


The captains of the Gotei 13 stood at attention. The ten captains faced each other in silence. Commander General Yamamoto was seated at the far end of the room, a grim expression on his lined face. Two posts remained unfilled following Aizen's treachery against the Soul Society. Several of the men shifted uncomfortably as they waited to discover the reason for the emergency session. The tall doors at the rear of the room opened to reveal the small figure of Isane Kotetsu, vice captain of Division 4. She glanced nervously down the twin line of captains as she walked forward hesitantly.

"Captain Unohana," she spoke in a low voice. The captain of Division 4, Retsu Unohana, stepped forward out of line to face her lieutenant.

"Yes, Isane?" Unohana said, her face rigid with unspoken tension. The younger woman lowered her eyes, unable to hold her captain's gaze as she replied,

"Please forgive my delay, Captain Unohana. I triple checked the final test results."

"And the results...?" Unohana asked quietly.

"They're all positive," Isane said, her voice barely a whisper but it carried easily through the great hall. "Everyone who tested positive for the virus..."

"Thank you, Lt. Kotetsu. That will be all," intoned the deep, rumbling voice of Commander Yamamoto. The young woman nodded her head stiffly then hurried from the hall. A low whisper ran through the ranks as Captain Unohana walked to front of the room to stand next to Commander Yamamoto. Her soft voice carried easily as she said,

"It is as we feared, Commander."

"Thank you, Captain Unohana." Yamamoto said with a deep sigh.

"Commander Yamamoto, what is this all about?" Captain Kyoraku called out, tipping back his wide-brimmed straw hat as he spoke.

"It would be better if Captain Unohana explained, I believe," the older man said, leaning back
in his chair. With a nod of confirmation, Unohana turned to face her fellow captains.

"Most of you are aware of a highly contagious virus that has plagued the Sereitei recently," she began quietly. Her words prompted a throaty cough from Captain Shuusuke Amagai, the newly appointed captain of Division 3 and the most recent victim of said virus. Captain Unohana gave him a patient smile as she continued,

"The virus affects the respiratory system and for the most part the symptoms are temporary. I have discovered that it appears to have another more serious side effect though. Some of you may be aware of Kaeda Oimikado's recent miscarriage. Her pregnancy was only in the first trimester so it is unfortunate but not entirely unexpected."

"It was a great loss for Kaeda and her husband," Captain Juushiro Ukitake of Division 13 spoke sadly. Both Kaeda and her husband were members of Division 13.

"Yes, the number of births within the Sereitei has declined dramatically in recent decades," agreed Captain Unohana. "But now, we face a greater crisis. The virus I spoke of earlier was responsible for Kaeda's miscarriage. Based on all my research, the virus mutates in women. Once it enters the bloodstream, it attacks the reproductive system. In Kaeda's case, it caused the fetus to miscarry but in nonpregnant females it damages the system severely."

"What do you mean?" Captain Soifon snapped sharply. Her sudden words seem to surprise herself more than Unohana.

"It has come to our attention that the end result of the virus in healthy females is the inability to conceive and carry children to term," Unohana announced softly.

"In every patient?" Captain Komamura asked, his soft voice belying his large stature and animal-like physique.

"So far, yes. It's uncertain whether this situation is permanent or not. I can only hope that we will find a way to reverse the effects of this virus," Captain Retsu Unohana completed sadly. Most of the captain's remained silent and emotionless. The only reaction was seen on the face of Captain Soifon. Soifon's jaw tightened slightly and a faint tremor shook her small body.

"There must be some kind of mistake." she insisted loudly.

"No, Captain Unohana's research has been verified by labs in Division 12," Captain Kurotsuchi said coldly. All eyes turned to the masked man.

"I'm sorry, Captain Soifon, but I completed your tests personally. There is no mistake. All of the females within the Sereitei and those tested from the Rukongai are barren....myself included," Captain Unohana explained quietly. Commander Yamamoto waited for a minute or two, allowing the news to sink in, then he cleared his throat loudly before saying,

"As a result of these new findings, a new ruling has been issued by Central 46. All current male captains of the Gotei 13 must marry or they will lose their status as captain."

"What?" Kyoraku exclaimed loudly. A roar of complaints rippled through the assembled group.

"You gotta be joking," Captain Zaraki growled unhappily. Yamamoto let the chorus of outrage erupt then die down before continuing calmly.

"The decision was not mine. It was made by Central 46 and stems from an overall concern regarding our potential inability at maintaining the balance between the Soul Society and the human world. There have always been births within the Soul Society, although not as many as in the human world obviously. With the steady decline that has become increasingly troublesome and Captain Unohana's discovery, actions were necessary."

"What good does it do for us to marry when the women of the Soul Society can't conceive, Commander?" Captain Hitsugaya spoke up for the first time.

"The official proclamation does not directly address that, Captain Hitsugaya, but I will," Yamamoto said. As he spoke this time, his tone was less rigid. He leaned forward slightly, meeting the questioning eyes of his captains.

"I am personally requesting that your brides come from the human world, men. Select your wives from the women there that can see spirits but they should not know of the Soul Society. Despite his defeat, Sosuke Aizen lives and remains a lingering threat to our security. Any woman with a familiarity with the Soul Society is a potential liability. I ask that you avoid them at all costs. And before you refuse outright on principle, please bear in mind that Central 46 has no jurisdiction outside of the Sereitei. Only shinigami may travel to and from the human world. That is the reason for this ruling. They can not force you to marry. They can not force you to bear children. But they can make it a requirement for captaincy. And without your assistance, the future of the Soul Society is at risk."

"It ain't right," Zaraki complained.

"There are, of course, exceptions to the rule," Yamamoto said calmly, ignoring the tall, spiky-haired captain. His gaze moved over the two lines of men as he continued,

"Those who are currently, or have been married prior, are exempt. Exceptions will be made based on age and other special considerations." as he spoke, his eyes fell upon Captain Komamura. "As I said before, at this time, the new ruling does not apply to female captains but that could change at any time. I will speak with each of you in private, if you so wish but at this point, the new ruling directly effects the following Captains...Captain Shuusuke Amagai of Division 3, Captain Shunsui Kyoraku of Division 8, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki of Division 11 and Captain Juushiro Ukitake of Division 13. I will ask that you hold your questions until I can speak to you one on one. Thank you."

As the elderly man rose to his feet, signaling the end of the meeting, loud outcries and complaints ripped through the once quiet room.

"He can't do this...can he, Juushiro?" Captain Kyoraku asked his friend and fellow captain. Juushiro Ukitake's usually calm face was set with a deep frown as he replied,

"He can and apparently has."

"Fuck it! I don't need this kinda shit," Zaraki growled, turning to leave.

"Captain Zaraki, I would think you of all the captains could see the logic in Commander Yamamoto's announcement," Captain Unohana spoke quietly, stopping the big man dead in his tracks.

"Why's that?" he snapped.

"You are raising a young child alone. Surely you can see the value of taking a wife. For Yachiru if not for yourself. As she nears puberty, she's going to need the influence of a woman in her life. She'll need someone to turn to with questions that you're not able to answer." she continued in that same quiet tone. Zaraki scowled but said nothing.

"I wouldn't mind marrying," Captain Amagai said with a smile. "It's not something that I had planned on at this point but why not? It would be nice."

"No one asked you!" Zaraki growled, silencing the gentle natured man. "I don't like being told what to do. And why a damn human? They don't fit in here. The whole thing's bullshit."

"For once, I agree with Kenpachi," Kyoraku said with a sullen expression.

"Perhaps, but if we wish to remain captains, then we have no choice," Ukitake noted with a sigh as they filed out of the great hall.

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This chapter is a little short but it lays the ground work for what's to come. I'd love to know what you think so reviews are always appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read my story.