Warnings for the occasional bad language (which tends to flare up suddenly when our characters get too riled up and stuff), and the lemony goodness that we all know is going to happen one way or another. This warning goes for the entire story by the way, not just this chapter. You have been warned.

I will be using a few Japanese terms in this fic. They shouldn't present any problem if you've watched the anime in the original dub or are familiar with the terms from other fics. At any rate, if I introduce something relatively uncommon, I'll include a translation in the notes.

Welcome to the world of Ichigo and Izuru, dear reader. With my sincerest hopes that you enjoy, I present to you A Captain's Promise.

Elidyr.

Prologue

Abduction

"Getsuga Tensho!"

I braced Zangetsu in front of me again as I watched the gigantic hollow lose its balance when the arcing black light hit it right in its ugly face. The thick white material covering the lower half of its face down to the upper regions of its chest cracked under the massive force, but the damage wasn't enough to break the mask entirely. My eyebrow twitched slightly—these damn bastards lately surely were tougher than usual.

"Rukia, now!" I yelled, ignoring the sweat trickling down my temples. I would have finished the job myself, but it was kinda hard to fire another Getsuga when I was too busy avoiding the hollow's thrashing and flailing limbs.

A little figure jumped up the nearest post nimbly, avoiding one of the hollow's enormous tentacles as it whipped around, and gripped her katana tightly. An unnatural cold breeze blew sharply as the female shinigami gracefully tapped her katana's point into the plane before her, drawing four glittering trails of ice in a slow, graceful motion.

I watched in quiet awe as reiatsu swelled around her, concentrating at the point of the pure white katana she held.

She took a deep breath and drew her sword back, her body angling into a beautiful battle stance. Her wide eyes were like pools of water—calm and deep and beautiful. Then a gleam passed over it.

"Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!"

There was a split-second of silence, then a ferocious hail of snow and ice flared towards the hollow. I flash-stepped away from the vicinity as its massive body was slowly encased in diamond-hard ice, the edges sharp as blades. It didn't take long before the deafening growls stopped, and the hollow finally disintegrated into glittery ashes.

Grinning, I jumped back down to the ground using unsuspecting people's houses, careful not to break roof tiles and windows. Not too long after, Rukia and I were back in the alley where we were talking about relatively mundane things before the hollow suddenly showed up.

She was dusting her skirt mechanically when I walked up to her, her usual thoughtful expression pulling her brows together. She was already back in her gigai.

We were on the way back to the house when a sharp rip in the sky caught our attention, followed by the appearance of a hollow with a colossal body and elongated tentacle-like limbs. This hollow was almost thrice as big as the usual hollows that have been popping out ever since Aizen defected, and apparently stronger than ever too. However, it was still no match for our coordinated moves.

I blinked out of that line of thought when I felt a light tug on my sleeve. Rukia was looking at me expectantly, tapping her foot on the ground. It occurred to me just then that I've never told her yet how comfortable she seemed to be in our school uniform—the pleated gray skirt, the white blouse, the long sleeved gray coat, the red ribbon, and even the knee-length black socks that she favored.

"Snap out of it, Ichigo," she said, waving a hand over my face suddenly. "Are you hurt somewhere?"

I shook my head at her. "That was really beautiful," I grinned at her, thinking about her unique stance from earlier.

I've always been fascinated by Sode no Shirayuki's techniques and their activation, but today's seemed more graceful than usual. She made it look like an art, but I knew the power of the recoil from the technique she just used—I really have to give it to her, hands down, for being able to look so elegant under tremendous pressure.

Not even seconds later, her foot shot out to kick me in the shins. I dodged it cleanly though, having expected it in the first place. I didn't really know why, but it seemed to me that the adopted Kuchiki had a weakness for praises, which she tries to hide with well-placed kicks.

I tried my damnedest not to laugh, but I failed to bite back a chuckle at the thought, making her flash her wide—and intimidating—eyes at me.

"Good job, Rukia," I smiled widely at her, mussing her hair with one hand.

"Shut up," she snapped, biting back a smile of her own. "You too—good job, Ichigo."

We continued to walk in relative silence. The only sound was the rustling of wind through the trees in the neighborhood, and the soft tune I was whistling under my breath. I wasn't even sure where I picked the tune up—I woke up this morning with the vague melody stuck in my head. If I was being honest though, I had to say that I thought I've heard it in Seireitei before…

As we rounded another corner, Rukia's communicator started ringing.

"Hollow? Where?" I asked before she could even take the phone out of her pocket. I really wanted to get it over with at once so I can go home and eat—I was bushed.

"Calm down, Ichigo," she muttered, placing a hand on my chest to stop me from leaning over too closely. I grumbled lightly, earning another sharp gaze from her, which I promptly ignored. Rolling her eyes, she pushed a button and put the phone on her ear. "Hello?"

I made a face as I straightened up and proceeded to watch impatiently as Rukia answered the call. It wasn't often that she got a call on that communicator. Usually, it was just a hollow alert on a map of Karakura set on a grid.

Fortunately, I didn't have to wait for long before knowing what the call was about.

"Are you…sure?" Rukia suddenly asked, her voice low and serious. I quickly looked over, noting the way her already small mouth was set into a straight line. "Alright, then. I'll leave it to you."

She held out the phone to me before I could ask what was going on.

"Just take it, Ichigo," she said.

Reluctantly, I held the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Kurosaki-kun," the familiar voice said—in an unfamiliar tone.

It was exceedingly rare to hear Urahara speaking in such a grim tone. As in, apocalypse-happening-right-now kind of rare. There were only a few reasons in my mind why Urahara would sound like that, and none of them were good. A chill ran down my spine briefly as I thought of the possibilities…

Aizen might have finally declared war with Soul Society—not that he didn't already do when he defected, but still.

Or he might have attacked Soul Society at last… Or walked into Seireitei with an army right at his tail…

I shuddered at the mental images. Without having to hear anything else, I knew at once that whatever it was that was happening, it was definitely bad. Urahara Kisuke did not speak with a voice this somber for nothing.

"Hello…? Kurosaki-kun?" his voice crackled from the receiver.

I snapped out of my grim thoughts. "Urahara-san," I said, swallowing uneasily—I could see Rukia looking at me apprehensively from the corner of my eyes. "What's going on?"

For a moment, there was only a faint scratching sound—I could almost see the former Captain scratching his chin with his paper fan. I bit back a nervous growl.

"Urahara-san…just spit it out, alright?" I said through clenched teeth. "Tell me."

There was a sigh. "Kurosaki-kun, you need to go to Soul Society at once."

My imagination launched into overdrive immediately. "Soul Society? But w—"

Urahara coughed deliberately, cutting through my question. "We've already notified your family. Your sisters are under the impression that you will be attending a…er, school trip. For the next few days, at the very least."

"School trip," I repeated dubiously. I chose to ignore the fact that he took it upon himself to meddle with my own business again before I was even notified of things, but this was Urahara Kisuke we're talking about—he would do as he pleased. So I focused on the more immediate stuff instead. "What the hell's going on? Why do I need to go there? A few days? What's happening, Urahara-san?"

There was a lengthy silence. "Soul Society is in grave danger."

Gripping the phone with enough force to break it were it a normal one, I looked around just in time to see a jigokuchou fluttering away from Rukia.

"Ichigo," she started, stepping over to my side quickly. The uncharacteristic look was still on her face, her brows furrowed in complicated thoughts. "I need to go back to Soul Society as soon as possible."

My eyes widened. "Eh? Me too."

Then I realized something—if Rukia was being summoned back despite the fact that she was the only shinigami officially assigned to man Karakura at the moment, then things have got to be really bad.

I was starting to get nervous, that's for sure. "Let's go together, Rukia."

Instead of agreeing at once, Rukia just fidgeted—much to my surprise. I felt my eyebrow twitch again as I took in the awkward tension that suddenly hung between us. What the hell…things were getting weirder by the moment.

"What?" I demanded, half-glaring at her. "What are you not saying?"

Rukia immediately held up her hands, shaking her head slightly. "No! That's not it—I'm not hiding anything, alright? Just—Well, I'm…" she trailed off suddenly. And yep, she was definitely fidgeting.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Rukia…"

"I'm headed to the Kuchiki estate," she breathed, looking away sharply.

"Oh…" was all I managed to say for a while. Right—Kuchiki estate. Which translated to I'm going to see Nii-sama.

I remembered that the Kuchikis had a private Senkaimon. And if Rukia was headed there, then…Byakuya probably won't appreciate my presence. Not that I minded, of course, but I figured now was not the time to play games with Byakuya and his bankai.

"The jigokuchou was from Nii-sama. He wants me to go back to the estate as soon as possible," Rukia explained further. "Apparently, there's an urgent matter in Seireitei and—"

I almost jumped when I was suddenly reminded of my very cryptic conversation with Urahara and the man's vague explanations about an impending danger. Without wasting time, I quickly explained everything to Rukia, including my theory that our immediate summons back to Seireitei has got to be connected somehow.

"I don't know any more than you do, to be honest," Rukia said, her eyebrows meeting together as she thought about it. "It's not like Urahara-san to say something is in grave danger if it's not, but…"

My thoughts were so wrapped around different scenes of Aizen attacking the shinigamis that it was a while before I noticed Rukia's contemplating look.

"What?"

She just shook her head. "Nothing."

When I opened my mouth to push the question, Rukia kicked me again. This time, she didn't miss.

"Dammit! What was that for?" I groaned indignantly, clutching my knee. Rukia might look like a midget, but she was still a shinigami who could easily break bones with a single hit.

By the time I was able to put down my foot without sharp tingles running up my leg, Rukia was already drawing her sword. She turned to me with a glare when she noticed me looking.

"Idiot. I told you I need to go back to Soul Society at once."

I pursed my lips at her. "Yeah… Urahara-san also told me to go to his shop."

"Go, Ichigo." She patted me once on the shoulder—which was a surprising thing given her height—then opened a Senkaimon with a graceful twist of Sode no Shirayuki. "I'll see you later."

The black butterfly fluttered shortly before her, then she was gone.

I stood before the makeshift Senkaimon at the basement of the Urahara Shoten, looking apprehensive. A few steps to the side, the former Captain just looked at me, licking a largish pink lollipop. I've said earlier that I could just open one up for myself and go to Soul Society that way, but Urahara just laughed at me. He spouted some crap about my zanpakuto not being authorized to open a Senkaimon or something.

"You said this is connected to the big one in Seireitei?" I asked again, fighting the urge to punch Urahara in the face.

"Yep."

To my extreme annoyance, Urahara told me nothing when I asked him what was going on in Soul Society. The man just said that I should see for himself. Damn bastard.

"But they're in danger, you said," I said through gritted teeth.

"Yes yes, they're very frantic right now, and they need you to go there at once in order to help them out," Urahara explained in a singsong voice, waving the lollipop around in a carefree manner. I wanted to pry it off his hands and shove it into his ears so badly I could have sworn my hands were shaking. "They're in dire need of manpower right now, and they need you to help them sort things out."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed instead. I had to remind myself that even if this man was looking, sounding and acting like a clown, he once stood among captains and remains to be a brilliant shinigami. But seriously, who wouldn't have trouble taking a man seriously if he said things in a conspicuously doubtful manner?

"Kurosaki-kun, you should hurry," Urahara said, interrupting my annoyed thoughts.

At that moment, I seriously considered drawing Zangetsu and using it to slice his striped hat—and maybe him too—into pieces, and I was well aware it showed in my face. I didn't even know what was stopping me—it wasn't like human police was going to be after me for murdering a nonexistent person. But I didn't—I wasn't going to admit that maybe I couldn't.

"I'm sure they're waiting for you," he sang, the twinkle in his eyes more pronounced than ever.

My eyes narrowed at the statement. To think that he had insisted earlier that he knew nothing about why I was being summoned—not that I didn't know Urahara was lying, of course. There was nothing the man didn't know, I was sure.

"Go on," he coaxed, waving a hand lazily.

Stepping into the shabby-looking gate, I threw Urahara one last dirty look. I hoped he got the message—if things turned out to be ugly, I was so going back to kill him.

"Good luck, Kurosaki-kun," was the last thing he said through the infuriatingly goofy smile before the gate disappeared behind me.

Walking quickly through the unrelenting darkness of the Severed World, I tried not to overanalyze things. If there was one thing Urahara said that was true, it was that I would find out what was happening soon enough. But even so, I just couldn't shake the eerie glint in the blonde's eyes off my mind.

That kind of look on Urahara could only mean a few things, just as his somber tone did. The maddening part was that, even though there were only a limited number of reasons, it wasn't like they were easy to guess.

"Dammit," I growled, tripping yet again.

The jigokuchou flew just a few paces in front of me, helping a bit—I could barely see the black wings in the dark, but the soft flutter of its wings was enough for me to follow. But still…can't they install torches here or something? It was awfully dark in here. Instead of butterflies, they would have done infinitely better if they used fireflies.

Fortunately, I reached the outline of a gigantic door soon. Just about time, I thought irritably.

I sighed loudly as I leaned on the exit—this might be the first time I've walked through the Severed World without getting chased by the Capturing Ram. After allowing myself a brief smile, I straightened up and pushed open the heavy doors.

I scrunched my eyes shut almost immediately as the blinding brightness of the afternoon sun flooded over me. I've forgotten that Soul Society wouldn't be as dark as the Severed World, distracted as I was.

My vision was just starting to adjust when…

…the unthinkable happened.

"Seize him!" a deep, authoritative voice barked.

My eyes immediately flew open in surprise, my hand instinctively darting towards the handle of my sword behind my back. But it was too late, I realized—I was already firmly restrained by members of the Onmitsukidou.

"What's the meaning of this?" I demanded angrily, trying to shake their hands off me.

Strong grips were bending my arms behind my back, and I could no longer feel the familiar weight of Zangetsu resting on the dip between my shoulder blades. When I tried flailing my legs, I realized with a sinking feeling that they have restrained me thoroughly.

"Release me at once!" I yelled again, refusing to just go down without a fight or something.

Needless to say, their hold on me was firm and unyielding—not to mention that I was totally caught offguard. I had no doubt I could force them off me if I really wanted to, but should I?

"Kurosaki Ichigo, we are hereby taking you into custody," Soifon announced smugly, stepping into my line of sight with deliberate slowness, as if to intimidate me. Behind her stood in attention half of the Second Squad.

My eyes went wide as I processed what she just said. "What is this? What's happening?"

A messenger wearing a roof-shaped hat appeared behind the slim captain in a flash. I struggled to hear what the messenger was saying, but of course I heard nothing. Dammit.

Soifon's eyes glinted—not unlike Urahara's—as she turned to me with a triumphant look on her features.

"Take him to the Soutaichou!"

By the time my surroundings stopped spinning enough for me to form a coherent thought and actually speak them, I was already being marched into the hall outside the room where the captains' meetings were held.

Running out of patience, I shook them all off me forcibly and turned to Soifon angrily. "I can walk on my own. You didn't have to drag me here if the Old Man wants to talk to me."

With a smirk, Soifon opened the door and stepped inside. "Believe me, we have to," she muttered before leaving me standing there like an idiot.

I followed inside the large room mechanically, my eyes narrowing further as I saw the captains lined up before the Soutaichou. An inexplicable nervous feeling struck me again, but I couldn't place it. I looked around me warily.

Soifon was already on her place near the front, smirking at me. Byakuya and Kurotsuchi were both looking very bored, as if they'd rather be minding their own business at the moment. Unohana-taichou, Kyouraku-taichou and Ukitake-taichou were all throwing me off me with gentle, encouraging smiles—what the hell was that for?

Toushirou was just looking at me with a benign expression. Komamura-taichou, on the other hand, was studying me from head to foot, like I was some kind of racing horse being auctioned. But at least it was better than the look Kenpachi was giving me—the Eleventh Squad Captain looked like he wanted to have a go right away, if it weren't for the fact that we were in the presence of the Soutaichou. But even that restraint looked like it was reaching its limits.

"How long do you intend to stand there, Kurosaki Ichigo?" the oldest shinigami in the room—maybe even in Soul Society—bellowed, making my ears ring. "Hurry up and enter. We do not have all day."

I immediately bristled at the treatment, but after a moment of internal cursing, I decided to just grit my teeth for the moment and wait. Things have got to be serious enough if the captains have to be gathered like this.

I cleared my throat quietly as I marched inside, the heavy doors closing behind me on their own. "Urahara-san told me that Soul Society is in grave danger, and that you need me," I said expectantly, hoping I'd get a proper explanation this time.

Soifon immediately snorted. "We do not need you, Substitute Shinigami. And it would do you no good to believe the words of that—"

"Enough!" Yamamoto-soutaichou boomed from across the room, striking his staff against the ground menacingly. He fixed his heavy gaze on me, his hand gripping the head of his staff tighter. "Kurosaki Ichigo, Seireitei is indeed in a situation where your assistance is invaluable. I hereby assign you to take office in—"

"Hold on for a second!" I protested at once, ignoring Soifon's immediate jabs about misconduct and other whatnot. "You're not explaining things properly to me. What is going on in here? What is this danger you people keep on talking about? That's what I want to know first."

I did not miss the sigh from Ukitake-taichou, nor the amused chuckle from Kyouraku-taichou. I looked around, but it seemed that no one wanted to say anything at all. This was definitely…strange. Even Unohana-taichou was subtly avoiding my eyes.

"We have no choice but to do this," the Head Captain said after a loaded silence. "You are not allowed to refuse our decision."

Before I could blink, Soifon snapped her fingers once and people in black immediately surrounded me again. I tried to break free as members of the Onmitsukidou pulled my arms apart and forced something ungodly tight on my waist. I tried to protest, but no one in the room made any kind of move.

"Seriously?" I yelled through the sudden torture. This was freaking nuts! "What the f—"

Before I could even finish, the people harassing me vanished just as fast as they arrived. One moment, I was almost getting strangled to death, then the next, there was no one in the large hall aside from the captains and me.

"What the hell was th—" I roared, only to trail off as I noticed just exactly what they did to me. My mouth fell open.

My black shihakusho was gone.

No, not gone, I corrected myself as I looked closer. It was just hidden under the knee-length sleeveless haori that I was now wearing.

A white haori...

Byakuya coughed softly, snapping me back to my senses.

"What is this?" I demanded hoarsely, barely getting the words out, pointing at the pristine haori fixed on me snugly. As I moved, the material swayed elegantly, revealing a dark red underside.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri snickered, making me jump. "Pathetic. The boy does not even recognize a haori. I did not think the Thirteen Court Guardians could sink any lower. First it was traitorous captains. Now—"

"Enough!" the Head Captain bellowed for the second time. Mayuri rolled his eyes at him, but said nothing else.

I still wasn't making any sound, but not for lack of trying. My hand was frozen on the thick, white sash tied murderously tight around my waist, its ends tinged with a dark red as if dipped in blood.

The Head Captain struck his staff on the ground again, drawing everyone's attention. He looked at me with extremely narrow eyes, his unbelievably long beard as still as a statue.

"From this day onward, you, Substitute Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo, will serve the Seireitei—"

I swayed on the spot weakly.

"—as captain of the Third Squad."

As a heads-up, I would like to inform you that the word count for the first chapter is almost the same as this one, but all the rest are two to three times longer. Just thought I'd mention it. :))

And yeah, I eat up reviews. They make me very happy. I'd appreciate if you send one my way every now and then. I don't want to bug you with pleas for reviews every chapter, so let's do each other a favor. If the fic makes you happy, then the reviews make me happy. Haha! Hope to hear from ya!