Chapter One

It seemed like a normal day…or what would be considered normal for a substitute soul reaper that is. A boring day at school, a few lost souls to send to the Soul Society, and a fight with weak hollow sounds like a pretty normal day for Ichigo. Of course the minor annoyances of your friends knowing you're a soul reaper now can be a little over-bearing when they all try to help out. Not that he was really complaining because they provided a great distraction but sometimes they tried too much.

Ichigo sighed as he headed home, school bag thrown over his shoulder. If honestly felt weird not having Rukia following him home but for once it was nice to have his silence to replay everything that had happened over the past few years. The past two years had flown for the now seventeen year old going from rude high-school teen to somewhat nicer substitute soul reaper. Most of it was probably due to the people he'd been trained under and the things he'd endured.

Ichigo sighed again as he walked up to the door of his home and entered, calling out "I'm home."His father, of course, greeted him like normal by getting smacked to the ground and his sisters welcomed him home. A few hours later had the teen resting on his bed deep in thought once again. Maybe tonight he could get some decent sleep with no hollow attack or a spirit wondering into his room.

Just when he'd finally relaxed and got his eyes shut, and the calm had taken over, he felt it: the strong, overbearing sense of spiritual pressure. He shot out of bed, a hand to his chest. It almost felt like the head captains' spiritual pressure…

A knock on his door had his sisters enter, followed by his father.

"Ichi-ni, did you feel that?" Yuzu asked, holding tight to her sisters' arm.

"What was that big brother?" Karin asked.

"I dunno…but whatever it was, it wasn't a hollow."

Ichigo faced his father, who held a stern expression.

"Almost felt like a captain, but none that I know." Isshin noted.

"I'm gonna go check it out. I'll be home soon." The red-head stated, separating himself from his body and playing out the window.

"Be careful." Yuzu stated, as her sister led her back to bed.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The teen stood on the river bridge overlooking the town having lost the strange spiritual pressure. As quickly as it hit, it disappeared. He frowned at the predicament, only to grin upon hearing his name. Looking down, he found Chad, Uryu, and Orihime on the ground below. Jumping down, he greeted his friends.

"I'm guessing you all felt that pressure too?"

The three nodded in unison.

"It's completely vanished. And I can guarantee that was a captain." Uryu stated.

"None that I've ever felt before." Chad pointed out.

"Should we report it?" Orihime asked.

A bright light hit the group and they turned to see one Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai appear.

"What's going on?" Orihime asked.

"We need all of you to come with us. You've been summoned." Renji said.

"What for?" Uryu asked.

"Seems like you have a mission."

The group of four looked at each other behind entering the doors. Night turned to mid-afternoon in the blink of an eye as the doors shut. The group of now six found themselves in the forest just outside of the Seireitei, its massive buildings hitting the sky off in the distance.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Ichigo asked.

"Nothing too big from what I assume. But all the captains are busy at the moment so Rukia and I volunteered you to help with guard duty." Renji explained.

Ichigo hit the redhead upside the head with the back of his hand.

"Like I want to babysit!"

Uryu cleared his throat before the argument could start.

"What Ichigo is forgetting to mention is that we need to go visit the head captain. A small disturbance hit Karakura Town tonight, one that had the spiritual pressure of a captain."

"All of the captains are busy here in our world to be there at the moment." Rukia explained.

"That's what I was afraid of." Uryu replied, adjusting his glasses.

"Are you saying we have a new threat?"
The sounds of horse hooves had the team turning to find a small parade of two wagons, a carriage, and ten guards stop in front of them.

"Oh, I had no idea we would have soul reaper escorts." The front man noted.

"Uh yeah sorry, we were just passing through." Ichigo stated.

The man removed his helmet to reveal dark brown eyes and a short buzzed head.

"Forgive me: I'm known as Rusho Kito, head guard of the Noble Academy. Having escorts such as yourselves will ease my worried soul."

Renji blinked.

"The Noble Academy? Are you heading to the Seireitei?"

Rusho nodded.

"Then allow us to escort you then."

"But Renji…" Rukia started.

"Look in his eyes..."

The team then noticed the tense forms of the parade.

"…someone's following them."

"Awww…why ruin our fun?"

Everyone tensed as people, now noted as soul reapers, appeared.

"A nobleman with such a small entourage is such easy prey." A large burly man came from in front of the group, obviously the leader.

"Lieutenants? But boss…" One noted.

"Shut up and get them!"

"Protect the princess!" A guard shouted.

Ichigo moved to stop a few soul reapers from attacking the carriage, only to small into said wagon. Shock registered on faces as Rusho shouted "Lady Ayame!"

As the dust cleared, tsking could be heard.

"My my my, such rudeness…and destroying my beautiful carriage, a gift from grandfather-sama…"

The blurry figure was revealed to be a young woman, dressed in a pale blue kimono, roughly a little older than Ichigo. What shocked the team the most was the two long daggers, one white and the other black, in her hands. Flames licked along the blades. She smirked, eyes on the rebel leader.

"Now you owe me a new carriage. My turn."