• Chapter One
    Nanao Ise


    I am Nanao Ise, assistant captain of the 8th division of the 13 court squad. I have been manning this post for over 100 years and I'm still as young as when I started this job. My captain, Shunsui Kyoraku, may not look bright but his sword skill is to die for, and I don't really mean that at all. He is amazing when it comes to his fighting, yet he always says that fighting is just another way out of every thing and that people should set aside every thing and just get on with life.
    That is what made me want to try out for his squad. He really is a down to earth guy, but his way around me is something that I try not to get to me. He more or less idleness me then what he should be in giving me orders. I try to keep him in line as best as I can but nothing seems to be working.
    I stop and look over at what I have written and sighed softly to my self, why am I doing this again, I tell my self. “Oh, thats right, captain Shunsui wants me to wright down what is going through my head each day so that at the end of the week he can find new things to talk about to every one else and flirt about it!” I take the peace of paper that had the writing on it and crumpled it up and threw it into the fire that was going on in my fire place in the room. I patted my hands as if I got some dirt on them and got up and walked out of my room. As I stepped out of the house that was deemed mine when I became a assistant captain, no thanks to my Shunsui as well, and onto the front pouch I took in a deep breath and took in all the smells. I was the middle of spring and all the for trees where still in bloom. I closed my eyes and pushed my glasses up with my index finger and slowly opened my eyes to see all the flowers around me.
    It was hard to have a life of my own with me being an assistant captain and all. A lot of them where always coming to me for things that they needed, plus on top of that the assistant meetings that always find a way to take me by shock that they where being called. Today was nothing out of the ordinary and I thought that it would be nice to take a little walk to clear my mind of what my captain wished for me to do and how, if any way, to get out of this so that he wouldn't have anything to hold above my head.
    I took another sigh as I took up my Zanpakutou,and putting on my assistant captains badge, then made my way through the streets. Most of the time we were told not to have them with us, or at least most of them. I of course was able to seeing as where I was ranked. I tightened my arm band to show that I was not just any soul reaper and that I was a higher up and was needed to be given the up most respect in all of the word.
    I really wasn't thinking of where I was going when I looked up and seen the house that I really wanted to stay away from. I frozen in shock that my mind and my feet would do this to me. I wanted to run before he could feel my spirit pressure, but some how I knew that it was too late. I could hear foot steps coming to the door. Don't get me wrong again I did want to run, but if I ran then that would give him all the reason to go after me and think that I was playing hard to get. I didn't want to face him like this and find out what sick twisted thing he had planed today or what my orders where. This was one of the few days that I wanted to see him and yet here I was, right in front of his door.
    With ease I see the door open and there he stood, that smile that I wish I could just slap off his face but some how knew better then to do that. I looked down trying not to see into his eyes knowing that I would find something that I didn't want to see at all with in them. Some how he seemed pleased that my feet had given into him and that I would find myself in front of his door. I sighed again and then saluted to him “Good morning sir. I came to see what duties that you wanted me to do for the day, and if there is some way to get out of that journal that you wanted me to keep for you and let you read it?”
    Crap, I thought, now he will never let me get out of it because now he knows there is something that I don't want to put down in words and that is something that I really don't want him to get at. Because there is something that I don't wish for his eyes to see and get a hold of, but there might not be a way around it at all.
    As I stood there something in his eyes seemed to light up as if this was what he wanted to here so that way he could push this on me and claim it as something other then what he was telling me what it was. He was going to call it a report of my day and then read it for himself and see where my day was spent and that he could follow me and not give me any, or what time I had, for my self. I kept my salute up until he will tell me to be at easy, but some how that wasn't going to be happening too fast. Then it hit me, the smell of sauke was on his breath. I rolled my eyes and let my salute fall as I looked at his blushed cheeks. “SIR, FOR HAEVENS SAKE ITS EARLY IN THE MORNING DO YOU THINK THAT YOU NEED TO DRINK THIS EARLY!”
    This was just like him, drinking any time he could, he then came closer to me and hugged me and said in his normal voice “Now, now, my Nanao. I was only having a morning round and then lay off till noon and then have a few rounds then and then hold off till night and waste the night away with all the drinks I can get!”
    I always hated him calling me his Nanao, it was all because of my looks that he wanted me in his squad. Yet he still knows this pissed me off and I looked at him, more like glaring really, “Who's your Nanao?”
    “Aw, why do you have to be that way my Nanao? There is nothing going on and every one has there orders, but you, I still want that journal, as part of your daily report that only I will know about. I want to see what my Nanao thinks of her captain.”
    I rolled my eyes at this and pulled out my little pocket book that I always carry with me and opened it up to today and looked down at it then back up at him, “Sir, you have a meeting with the other captains this morning, due to the fact that Rukia Kuchiki has not come back from the world of the living. Its been about a few months and no one has heard or seen from her. Captain Kuchiki as well as his assistant Renji are willing to take the time and go there and get her themselves but it needs to be run through all of the court first to see what needs to be taken to course. I too have a meeting on this very thing sir. So put the drinks down and get going.”
    I seen that his eyes where starting to sober up a little at this and then shook his head and turned on his heals to get what he needed. He was back outside with in a few minutes and looked down at me “where would I be if my little Nanao wasn't here to help me?” He reached out ready to touch my cheek and I slapped it with the book that I still held in my hand.
    “Who's little Nanao?” I growled as my book landed on his hand full force and he giggled with pleasure at the site of it. I knew he like me pissed off but I wasn't wanting to have him think he can get away with everything. His smile told me all as he says “aw, why do you have to be this way my Nanao?”
    I turned on my heals and started to walk I could here him behind me. I knew that he never really wanted this post, but it was something that he needed to do but not really liked. I sighed again and looked up at him as he walked next to me. “Sir, you are really the only one that I know that really doesn't care about this job, why is that? You never really told any one on why you don't like fighting and would rather drink the day away.”
    Some how I knew that he would never tell me any of this. It was something that I guess only he would know and the others would have to dig really deep to find out what it is that makes him go. He looks at me and shacks his head “Sorry, but that I will not say as of right now, we need to part and go our different ways my Nanao. For are path's don't go the same way from here out.” I looked around and seen that he was right. The captains meeting was one way and the assistant captains was the other. I nodded as I took off full speed to the assistant captains meeting wondering why on earth would Rukia be stuck in the world of the living and not report back to any of us, and most important why she wouldn't report to her captain at all and saying how things where going in the world of the living.
    I slowed down a little knowing that I have more then enough time to make it to the meeting and looked up at the sky. I pushed my glasses up and sighed a deep sigh. What is going on here. I don't get why things are going on like this and why things have to be played out like this. I get stuck babysitting my captain and more or less running the show for him. I guess there is no chose but to do the “reports” or what ever he wants to call them so that he knows what I think and how the whole squad feels about things. I nodded at this thought. Thats it! It wont be all about me but also about the squad and what they feel and think about things. I more then less run the show for him and have to keep things going for him so that he can do as little work as what there needs to be.
    I started to make my way to the room that was to be where the assistant captains where to be at. I looked up at the clock tower and seen that I still had more then enough time to do what ever I wanted to do. I walked out onto the deck in the back of the room and looked around. Every thing was so peaceful and nothing was going on. My hand slid to my zanpakutou, and my hand folded around it. Something was going to be going on here and it wasn't any thing good.
    I looked up to see a hell butterfly go by, I listened to the order that it was telling me an nodded. “Good, the time for the meeting moved up, so every one should be coming soon. But that means that the captains meeting is under way as well.” I waved my hand at the hell butterfly as it left and turned on my heels and went back into the room to see a few of the assistant captains there waiting just like I was.
    They looked at me as if they didn't see me, but some how I think they did know that I was there. I pushed my glasses back up onto my nose as I looked at them and smiled. “Good morning,” I said in a low voice. They rolled their eyes at me, and said to me “Whats so good about finding out that Rukai is stuck in the world of the living and that we need to go get her and bring her back to kill her.”
    I jumped slightly as they said that, not wanting to take in any thing that what they said would be true. Had the captains already decided on that fate for Rukai? Or was this some one else saying that this was how it was going to be? Maybe, just maybe, there was some other reason on why they had said that this would be the fate to be given to her. But what could she have done to be called to death so soon with out stepping foot into the Soul Satiety? This wasn't making any scene at all, maybe Shunsui would know what all this madness about and why we where all called to meetings.
    Just as all of us assistant captains where here Sasakibe Choujirou stepped in and looked around and seen we where all here. “Alright lets start this meeting” He slowly started to passing the room. “As you all know Rukia was sent into the world of the living six months ago and no one has heard or seen from her scene. However, we have sent some one to the world of the living and he has come back with news that she has done something that is the worse thing that any soul reaper could ever think about doing.” He paused and looked at all of us, “She has given her powers to a human! And not only that, she is having him do her job and destroying hollows. That is why Captain Kuchiki and Renji are willing to bring her back. Captain Kuchiki wishes to see his sister back and have her on trial to see what is going to be come of her.
    “If any one has any objections to this please see Captain Yamamoto at once! We will not wast too much time and getting her back here and under a trail.” He looked around to all of us and sighed. “Its a shame that she had to go on and do something like that. I heard that Captain Ukitake was about to make her his assistant captain as well. What a wast of raw talent. Well that is it, go back to your captains and disuse the next step on what should be done. Dismissed!”
    Every one was gone in a blink of an eye all but Renji and my self. I turned to look at him, but his eyes where sad, as if she was already died. I knew that he and Rukia where good friends but I never thought that he cared that much about her and that he would be willing to sit back and watch them kill her. “Renji, you don't have to push this all on you,” I said it slowly, I didn't want him to snap at me and take it all out on me. To my relief he didn't and slowly nodded.
    “I know, but you know how it is? Its captains orders. No mater how much I try to plead with him he will not listen and is set to kill her just for doing it. I know I wouldn't dream of doing it, but if it was life or death, I could see a reason on why, maybe she did.”
    I nodded as he talked, knowing that if it was me and I was about to die, I might have done the same. Only if it was by the hands of a hollow. Then it dawned on me, there was a sighting of the Grand Hollow in the world of the living and that mock of a soul reaper took care of it with out any help at all by any of us true soul reapers. Maybe, just maybe there was something to this human then meets the eye and maybe one day he could become a true reaper, if not that but also a captain. I shook my head knowing that would never happen at all.
    “Well, I'm sure my captain is starting to loss his mind that I'm not there to hold his hand and tell him what needs to be done. I'm sorry I wasn't much help for you Renji. I wish you luck on your trip to the world of the living. I'm sure if you have any idea's my captain would be willing to hear them if you wish to fight for Rukia.” I turned on my heels and took off full speed to my captains place where we would be talking about what should be done with Rukia Kuchiki.