Zanpakotou speech

§At the 8th Squad barracks§f

Three Captains and one Vice-Captain were currently enjoying a not-so quiet afternoon. Those currently present, namely Unohona Retsu, Ukitake Jushiro and Kyouraku Shunsui were all nursing a cup of tea while listening to the fukutaichou of the 13th Squad wax poetic about his younger brother, the future head of the Shiba clan, Shiba Ichigo. Retsu had to admit that even though the constant chatter about the apparent prodigy was getting annoying, she was curious about the young man, who was by Soul Soceity terms still a child. She had been surprised to learn about the cure for the millennia old sickness that the taichorakuu of the 13th was available in the World of Living.(AN:GO WITH THE FLOW!). And though she had to ask (read:intimidate) the Captain of the 12th, Urahara Kisuke to reform it to a soul's prescription, it was only a little time before Ukitake was fully free from the illness. The 1th Squad's Captain was doing better than he'd done in the two millennia of his existence, all thanks to that orange haired prodigy. At the thought of the prodigy, Retsu remembered a certain fight and turned her attention towards the enigma that was the host of the gathering, one Kyouraku Shunsui. Cutting off Kaien,(who was talking about how elegantly Ichigo held his chopsticks?! Seems like he was coming down with a bad case of fanboy-fever.) the formidable Captain of Squad 4 asked;

"Say, Shunsui-san, why did you fight the boy? I know that he insulted you, but that was rather unnessecary, don't you think?" Retsu's question garnered the attention of those present, and the woman thanked the Reiou for small mercies as she managed to shut up Kaien. Shunsui, meanwhile, looked highly amused, as if anticipating the question, and knowng the sharp bastard, he probably wasn't planning on givinig a straight answer.

"He insulted me, so I decided that the brat needed a spanking. Turns out the dog had bite to his bark." the laid back man answered smirking and knowing that Retsu wouldn't be satisfied by his answer. Like he predicted, the subtle glare that was sent his way would have sent a lesser man for the hills, but Shunsui 's just raised his tea-cup.

"Don't compare my baby brother to a dog, Kyouraku-taichou! I distinctly remember him kicking your..." as Kaien launched into another spiel, Retsu's glare was smoldering enough to melt steel.

§Shinou Academy§

Both Ichigo and Byakuya were enjoying a day out in the open park beside the Academy. They had returned from a trip to the Living World, which had gone with smooth-sailing, and were resting as it was a Sunday. Byakuya cast a sideway glance towards the only person he considered a friend in this fangirl-filled hellhole. Shiba Ichigo was a lauded and proved prodigy. The boy had trounced every person he was pitted against in the practical sessions they had, and Byakuya almost winced at the memory of how one particularly arrogant Sixth year's face had looked like after a six-second long beating he'd recieved after alluding that the Shibas had put their influence to good use for Ichigo to be able to attend Sixth year classes despite a 31 year old firstie. Byakuya still marveled at how such a prodigy could be that young. Byakuya had been lauded as a genius himself, as he was finishing the Academy in three years, but that was after he'd celebrated his 80th birthday.

And somehow Ichigo had managed to bring all the attention Byakuya had (suffered) held to himself in the span of one day! Not that Byakuya was complaining, in fact he was very happy not to be the center of the fangirls' focus. What he couldn't understand was Ichigo's continued confusion about why he attracted them. Even Byakuya. known for being blind to human beauty, could see the appeal Ichigo held. Long orange tresses pulled back in a low ponytail swayed in the , angled features, a straight nose, and truly captivating chocolate brown eyes with flecks of gold. And then there was the way he moved...with the grace of a trained assasin. Even his voice had a calming quality to it, though the Kuchiki heir suspected that he was the only one who had heard him speak, as Ichigo interactions with the rest of the Academy's populace consisted of garing and ignoring. Byakuya was staight as a pole, but he'd admit that he found the orange haired man handsome.

"Is there something on my face? You've been staring at me for the past twenty minutes." Ichigo's voice cut of Byakuya's decidedly inappriopiate train of thought. Byakuya almost flushed, but thankfully he was born and bred a Kuchiki, so the man took the oppurtinity to ask the prodigy something that had been niggling on his mind.

"Ah, Ichigo-san, I was wondering if you could help me with my training? You see, I was hoping to achieve Shikai by the time I would be graduating, but I've only been able contact my zanpakotou a few times, but i can't hold the connection." Byakuya ran a hand through his shoulder length hair in a frustrated motion. He could sense the fact that he was close to achieving the first release, but somehow his connection with his zanpakotou had not been as established as it should have been. Ichigo looked vaguely bemused at his question. It seemed like Senbozakura was avoiding his wielder, though he could see why. He'd observed Byakuya's spars in classes, and the way he wielded his zanpakotou was impersonal, like it was only a tool, and not an extension of himself. It seemed like Byakuya required a lesson in Shinigami-Zanpakotou relations.

"Byakuya-san, what exactly do you think a zanpakotou means to us Shinigami?" Ichigo asked the man he'd considered a brother long ago in the future. Byakuya's answer was sharp and predictable.

"A zanpakotou is a tool we Shinigami use to purify the Hollows. Nothing more, nothing less." The orange haired man had to fight not to smack Byakuya in the head. Shiro was outraged.

"Tools, are we?! Motherfucker...WE ARE ALIVE! WE ARE EXTENSIONS OF YOUR SOUL! HOW WOULD YOU GUYS FARE IF YOU LOST US, HUH?! PROBABLY BE RUNNING AROUND LIKE HEADLESS CHICKEN, LIKE YOU DID UNDER MURAMASA'S RAMPAGE! What the fuck are they teaching in that fucking Academy, King?" Ichigo winced at the shear sound Shiro produced, but he had to agree with his zanpakotou. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"The relationship between a zanpakotou and a Shinigami is much more complex than that. A zanpakotou is a part of yourself, an eternal companion who knows every secret you have, and stands beside you regardless, and quite literally, an extension of our soul. I think the reason for your failure of not getting Shikai is because you don't respect your zanpakotou, and only view him or her, who knows, as a tool. Zanpakotou will give you all you want, the only thing they want in return is respect and acknowledgement. If your zanpakotou is anything like you..." Ichigo gave a wry smile as he finished his largely paraphrased explanation. Byakuya looked shell-shocked, before a determined expression took over his features.

"Thank you for your explanation, Ichigo-san. No wonder he didn't want to talk to me, if he indeed is anything like me." the last part was muttered quietly, but Ichigo heard it anyway, and snorted. The companiable silence was broken by the sound of rustling leaves. Ichigo and Byakuya exchanged wary glances. Ichigo got feeling of dread creeping up on him.

"Do you think..?" Byakuya nodded grimly in response to Ichigo's question, knowing that the beastly beings had them cornered. Both heirs waited warily for the rustling to subside, but as it was coming closer and closer, they lost the hope that the beasties had missed them. Ichigo began swearing under his breath, cursing his luck. Byakuya wasn't doing much better.

"Be calm and quiet, please, Ichigo-san. They smell fear. Pretend like everything's fine." Byakuya hissed through his teeth. Ichigo nodded solemnly.

"Look at you, king! The big hero of Seiretei, cornered by a couple of fangirls! I'm dying!"Shiro added his two cents. Ichigo scowled. 'Then come out and deal with them yourself, you big bad hollow.' A simple 'tch' was Ichigo's only response, and he allowed himself a smirk. Byakuya sent him a weird look, wondering what that was about.

'Acting casual.' Ichigo mouthed back. Byakuya nodded in acceptance. The tension was palpable now. The subject of every female and even some male students tensed, before he decided that he'd had enough.

"Fuck it, I'm out of here." Byakuya let out a surprised yelp as Ichigo grabbed him and shunpoed at lightning speed towards the safety of their shared dorm room. The Kuchiki heir stared wide-eyed at his surroundings before turning to Ichigo with an amazed expression. That was almost as fast as the hellcat! Then it was Ichigo's turn to be surprised, as Byakuya kneeled in front of him.

"Please take me as your student, Ichigo-san." the heir of the Kuchiki heir said, head bowed. Ichigo sputtered for a full minute before sighing.

"Very well. But be prepared to be train to your dead on your feet, Kuchiki. Now stand up. Oh, and trainig starts at 6 am" The smirk on Ichigo's face sent shivers down Byakuya's spine. What had he gotten himself in to?

AN: A filler, I know. But establishing the friendship betwen Byakuya and Ichigo is important for the story. Unohona will have a recurring appearance in this one. As for the tuberculosis thing, let's not bother about historical accuracies here, and just go with the flow.