Bleached

Chapter 16: Central 46 pt 1

Disclaimer: I. do. not. own. Bleach. Comprende?

AN: So...I've been putting this off... -.-''. BUUT anyway, let's get onto it, shall we?

§ Reio's palace §

One lynchpin of the worlds was quietly sipping a warm cup of tea. As one would imagine, he had a lot on his mind. But today was a specially headache inducing day. Not that he got headaches, but he was sure that if he was able to get them, he would have one. The King sighed. Ichigo Kurosaki had finally told his friends of his past, or rather, their alternate fate. But now that Seiretei's elite knew about Kurosaki's position as a hybrid, it was only a question of time before the official at Central knew. The King took another sip pf his tea.

Central...the Central 46 was established to work alongside the Gotei 13. As the Gotei were purely a military organisation, the Central 46 was a supposed government, responsible for oragnising districts, food supply, provide education etc. The 46 didn't have any power over the Gotei. And the Gotei didn't have any power over 46 either. The king had designed the two organisations to work together. But over time the 46 had assumed power over the Gotei. The Reio grimaced. Truth to be told, he hadn't been to angry at the 46 in the beginning. The Gotei had begun to be too reckless with their missions, and even the lowliest of the shinigamis' head was filled with arrogance. At first the Reio had approved of the 46 reigning in the Gotei. He had thought that it would improve the shinigamis, and for a while, it did.

But after the early bloom, nothing seemed to happen. Instead of walking forward, the Seiretei just became stagnant. And the Reio blamed the 46. The old geezers were too stuck in their ways. They feared change. This fear had ultimately transferred over to the Gotei. And this fear could lead to a disaster if the 46 heard of Ichigo's disposition. The King absently refilled his cup, by magic of course. A thoughtful expression came over the Reio's face. As the King he had full, absolute control over both the Gotei and the 46. And he could also appoint out Members(for 46), or Captains if he wished to. And he had the power to fire Members as well. An idea came to the King. And he smiled. Central was in for a change. And a shock. Not necessarily in that order.

§ Captain's meeting, two weeks after Ichigo's breakdown §

Ichigo cast a quick look around himself, exchanging smiles with his fellow Captains. He was truly happy that his friends has accepted the truth about his past. They had all grown closer, and the training sessions had been much more fruitful. Maybe it was the knowledge of their deaths,the imminent bloody war, and how Ichigo had been forced to fight regardless had hit them hard, but nevertheless, it was a welcome change. Shunsui who'd gained notoriety for skipping the Captains' training, had also been participating recently. The eccentric had mostly been sparring with Juushiro and Ichigo, as they were the only ones able to keep up with the easy-going man. Shunsui was a powerhouse, his technique was flawless. And Ichigo was very happy to call himself his student.

Ichigo recalled the training session from yesterday. Shunsui had commented offhandedly about how Ichigo's fighting seemed to have used the 8th's captain's style as a base, to which Ichigo had wryly replied that in his timeline, it was Shunsui who had teached him how to wield both his swords simultaniously. Shunsui had seemed thoughtful, before replying that his counterpart had done a good job. Ichigo snorted. What a way to compliment oneself.

The orange haired man was shaken out of his thoughts as Yamamoto announced the meeting to begin. Ichigo sighed inwardly. Meetings like these were pure hell. Everybody was required to report the bi-weekly happenings at their respective divisions. Surprise, surprise, a military organisations didn't have that many fun activities planned or done. Shinji was often spotted nodding off. Shunsui had no such shame, and he just sprawled in his seat, going to sleep if the occasional snores were any indication.

Ichigo, on the other hand, tried to concentrate on what was being said. He had found ot that paying attention more often than ot led to useful information that either being omitted, or just ignored. Especially Yamamoto's speeches were loaded with hidden info, and after 50 years of listening to the man's coded speeches, Ichigo considered himself a pro at getting vital info out of the tight-lipped old man.

Before long it was time for Yamamoto to speak, but before the old man could get around to dish out hidden info, he was interrupted by a bright light appearing in the middle of the room. Ichigo shielded his eyes, preparing to face whatever that might com out. Fortunately it seemed like it was someone friendly with the Soul Soceity. Ichigo blinked as he both rubbed his eyes free of residual light, and as he took in the sight in front of him.

"Reio-sama?" those words seemed to have an instant effect on the room, as every captain hurried to kneel before the King. The Reio just waved a hand, dimissing it. Yamamoto cleared his throat.

"Welcome, your Majesty. If I may ask, what brought you here?" the room was waiting for the Reio's answer. The King smiled.

"Oh, a certain thing caugh my attention. You see, when I first established this system, I gave an equal amount of authotrity to both the Central 46 and the Gotei 13. But for some time, the Gotei has been subservient to the 46. So, as an equalizer, I've decided to make a certain change. I've decided that a Captain of Gotei will now serve as Member of the 46. He will have the same rights as a regular Member, as well as the authority of a Captain. This Captain, will be Shiba Ichigo." Stunned silence met the Reio's announcement. The King looked smug, before a slightly irritated expression overtook his features.

"Shigekuni, I thought you were aware that the Central has no power over the Captains of Gotei, or hos things are done. Why have you allowed them to walk over you? I am truly disappointed. See that it changes pronto. Now if you excuse me, I have other duties to attend." with that, he was gone. The elite warriors of Seiretei stared gobsmacked at each other. Shunsui asked the imoirtant question.

"Did Yama-jii just get scolded by the Reio? Oh, congratulations by the way, Ichigo." Needless to say, Yamamoto was not happy. Ichigo on the other hand, seemed to have frozen.

From his seat, Byakuya snorted. He didn't envy Ichigo at all.

Next Central 46 pt 2

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-iamAdisco