--o--

I don’t own Bleach, but I wanna so badly it hurts.

This is my first UkitaSoi long fic and I really hope you like it.

Two things before we begin. One: I know the Central 46 were butchered, this is a new one. Two: Don’t tell me that there are some Captains and Lieutenants missing because I know. I haven’t chosen who I want them to be yet.

This fic is dedicated to arrancar125, the inscrutable one, musicallady1 and living arrow. Thanks for all your support guys!

--o--

The Captain of Squad Two fingered the cuffs of her white robe agitatedly. The meeting was scheduled to begin several minutes ago, and yet, several members were absent from the meeting room.

Besides her, only Captains Unohana, Kuchiki, Komamura, Hisagi, Hitsugaya, and the Captain Commander were present. And the Lieutenants were even worse. Sasakibe was there, as was her own lazy Lieutenant, Kotetsu, and Kurotsuchi, but all the rest were…well, not there. Hissing, she began to tap a foot restlessly.

The door burst open seconds later to reveal most of the AWOL fukataicho’s and a few of the taicho’s. They staggered in sleepily, their bodies obviously not caught up with the summons. Though to be fair, it was half three in the morning. Even for Yamamoto, that was a tad unorthodox.

Izuru, Renji, (who seemed too beat to even notice the glare that Byakuya shot him) Tetsuzaemon, Nanao dragging her taicho who was still sleeping despite being hauled over the rooftops, a groaning hung-over Matsumoto and the third seats of thirteenth took their places.

Over the next few minutes, most of the others began to filter in slowly, or in Kenpachi’s case, barrel in with a cranky sleep deprived Yachiru screaming death on everything. Ukitake arrived in last, though it was to his credit that he turned up at all, given his proneness to exhaustion and the unsociable hour. Soon only two taicho’s were missing, Kurosaki and Kurotsuchi.

Scowling as was her custom, Soifon wondered where that freak Kurotsuchi was. It was well known that he had a high opinion of himself, and regarded his own worth just a little too highly for people’s comfort, but to not turn up at a meeting was new. Kurosaki was in the living world so he had an excuse.

By this point, Yamamoto was considering new methods of informing his colleagues of impromptu meetings. It seemed that where this bunch were concerned, hell butterflies just weren’t cutting it anymore.

He began. “We have waited long enough. The meeting must commence now!” he stated calmly, though Shunsui and Jyuushiro didn’t miss the dangerous glint in his eye. Someone with a lot of brains and apparently no common sense was going to be severely reprimanded later.

“The Central 46 have issued new orders to be put into effect immediately. The Captains, Lieutenants and special forces of the Gotei 13 will be split up into priority teams based on their strengths that will cover the high risk zones targeted by Aizen’s campaign. Senior seated officers will be used also. The designated zones are as follows…” he boomed.

1) The area directly surrounding each of the four gates.

2) A Lieutenant be assigned to every twentieth district of Rukongai.

3) The cities of Osaka, Tokyo, Kyoto and Sapporo.

4) Karakura Town.

Shunsui stepped forward. Shigekuni affixed his beady eye on his former student. “Yes…?” he inquired. Kyoraku dipped his hat a little more. “If I may ask, why those other cities need protecting? Karakura Town, I realise the need to monitor it, but Aizen hasn’t shown any interest in the rest” he said quietly.

“True. He has not. But the reason behind this decision concerns reports from Shinigami allocated to the aforementioned sections which show alarming reiatsu spikes within shunpo distance from the centre points of those districts” Yamamoto intoned.

This time it was Hitsugaya who interrupted, which surprised everyone. He wasn’t the type to question orders. “Commander, there are inexplicable reiatsu spikes every hour of the day. They rarely come to anything” he said.

Strangely, Yamamoto didn’t seem to be irritated by all this grilling. But irritated or not, it was clear that he wanted to end the chatting and get them moving. “Indeed they don’t, you are correct. However, it is not the mere existence of these fluctuations that is cause for concern, it is the frequency and the quantity in which they are being recorded. Never have such readings been collected since the formation of Soul Society” he explained.

There was silence after this statement. He was the only one who would know that. All of them were too young to draw a conclusion based on personal experience. Even the Thirteenth and Eight squad taicho’s were many centuries younger.

“I presume that your silence means that you are all in agreement. Yes?” he asked, his voice containing a steely edge that dared anyone to speak again. “Yes Sir” they all chorused. “Meeting concluded” he rumbled “We will meet in the morning to discuss the groupings for the mission. Do not be late” he growled. Everyone gulped and nodded, more than ready to leave their pissed General to steam alone. Without further ado, they filed out of the room.

While the line was preparing to disperse, they heard the Commander call something that made all of them vow to be on time in the morning come hail or high water.

“Please inform Kurotsuchi-taicho that I would like a word”. The cold words cut through the air like a lance. Nemu hesitated, but was taken firmly by the shoulders by Rangiku and Izuru and steered outside.

--o--

It was morning, and Soifon was once again, fidgeting. She would really have to stop that, discomposure was not something she wore well. However, she needn’t be doing it at all, she reminded herself. It was not everyone else who was late; it was she who was unreasonably early. Even the General had not arrived yet.

Soifon sank into one of the chairs that lined the corridor with a drained sigh, rubbing her weary eyes. She was ashamed to yield to her body’s exhaustion, but couldn’t help it, she was just so tired. She had tried to sleep after arriving at home, she really had, but it had twisted and writhed in her grasp and escaped her longing clutches.

But now it wanted her, she thought tetchily, forcing her groggy eyelids open as they had drifted shut for the eighth time in as many minutes. ‘Stop it’ she berated her body exasperatedly.

“You sure look tired Captain Soifon” a voice said smoothly. Startled, she jumped and looked around in time to see a curtain of white hair in her line of vision. He sat down beside her. “Captain…Ukitake” she managed, asking herself how she had become so embroiled in her musings that she had failed to detect the remarkable reiatsu until it was right next to her.

“That’s what they call me” he joked when she said nothing else. Soifon closed her mouth and turned away, embarrassed by being caught so off guard. Jyuushiro said nothing, just smiled benignly. They stayed in silence after that until she herself broke the peaceful stillness permeating the air.

“Are you going be assigned a zone too?” she asked. “Yes, I’ve been enjoying a rare remission of my illness and I suspect that sensei wants to make some use of me for once” he grinned good humouredly. Soifon smiled rather brokenly back, curiosity sated. A tapping sound alerted them to a new presence. Ukitake smiled broadly and rose to meet the newcomer and she followed suit.

“Good morning Matsumoto-san” Jyuushiro said cheerfully, beaming like a floodlight, a copy of which was directed back at him by the obviously recovered woman. Soifon suspected that the fourth squad had a few less bottles of hangover remedy than they had started with a few hours before. Whatever the case, she was here.

Rangiku glanced around. “Oh, is it only us three?” she asked. She laughed, ironic mirth bubbling up from within her. The other two looked at her blankly. Rangiku noticed this and attempted to calm herself. “I’m sorry” she giggled “It’s just that my taicho is going to have a heart attack when he sees me on time and early!” and she dissolved into giggles again.

“Don’t give yourself too much credit Matsumoto” a sarcastic voice told her. She swung around to reveal her adorable taicho. “What do you mean?” she asked, puzzled. A thought struck her and she gasped. “Were you following me you cute little stalker you?!” she cried, grabbing him and glomping him happily. “I feel so loved!”

The forgotten two Captains watched stunned and at least on Jyuushiro’s part, hugely entertained. Eventually the boy’s flailing arms found her shoulders and used them as leverage to push himself out of her voluptuous cleavage. He gasped for breath like a drowning man. “MATSUMOTO! Put me DOWN!” he bawled, red-faced. Rangiku blinked and then… “Okay!” she chirped, dropping him with no warning whatsoever. He hit the floor with a bang, making them wince.

Groaning, Tōshirō picked himself up, rubbing his head and glaring at her one-eyed. “Now that you’re finished…” he growled. Rangiku clasped her hands behind her back, put on her best toothy smile and feigned innocence, which made him scowl even harder. “To answer your original question (more like assumption Soifon thought) I was walking behind you, not sneaking, not hiding and most certainly not stalking!” He yelled this last part and the woman jumped back into a coat rack with the shock. As the pile of fabric and fukataicho went down screaming, he sighed resignedly.

Tōshirō turned to Ukitake and Soifon and started to apologize, but was stopped by Jyuushiro bringing up a shaking hand to halt him. The shaking was due to the uncontrollable laughter that was currently racking his thin frame. The apologetic look was replaced with a scowl ‘I should have known he’d find that funny’ Tōshirō thought, his brows furrowing into an aggravated frown. A small cough drew his eyes to Soifon and he wondered had he imagined the tiny smile he’d seen hanging on the corner of her lips. He thought he must have, as no sooner had he looked at her than her customary stony glare was back. Maybe it had never left.

As Matsumoto rose from the ashes like a buxom, perverted, Lazarus phoenix hybrid several pattering noises caught their attention. The rest were beginning to arrive.

Jyuushiro turned to the slightly spacing Soifon. “Are you ready?” he inquired. “Hm? Oh, yes” she replied, standing. Together they walked inside.

--o--

“I am pleased to see that punctuality has improved today” Shigekuni stared pointedly at Mayuri who ducked from his eyes with a bitter expression and curled lips.

Ichigo, who had returned an hour before might have thought this was aimed at him had he not heard of the soon to be legendary taking-down-a-peg-or-two of the twelfth squad Captain. Those who were sleeping were woken; those who were conscious were scared witless by the sheer anger of the General’s reiatsu. The only reason anyone knew that it was between those two was because of Mayuri’s own reiatsu rising to a level that could have been considered threatening.

‘Oh foolish man’ Jyuushiro thought almost sympathetically. He had been Yamamoto-sensei’s pupil for long enough to know when someone was in his bad books, and more than long enough to see when someone was going to receive a hell of mental torture for insubordination.

“Let the meeting commence” he affirmed.

It didn’t take long to figure out who was going where with who. Obviously Yamamoto had called last night’s assembly to get the annoying details and arguments out of the way. They were sorted by in pairs for the most part, aside from the bulk of Soifon’s Special Forces who were pre-assigned to the Rukon districts.

Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai: Osaka

Captain Zaraki and Lieutenant Kusajishi: Tokyo

Captain Kyoraku and Lieutenant Ise: Kyoto

Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto: Sapporo (to which Rangiku shrieked that it was cold and she didn’t wanna go there, and was promptly whacked by her taicho with a mysteriously materializing sheaf of paperwork she had neglected to complete).

Most of the others were dispersed to the gates and the closer Rukon districts. The Special Forces were scattered throughout both worlds, as were the seated officers.

Nothing had been said about Mayuri, and it really didn’t need to be. They all knew he wouldn’t leave his laboratory, and even if he had agreed to do so, sending him to protect anyone was defeating the purpose of the exercise anyway.

Soon there were few who had been left out, and Soifon was beginning to wonder if she was one of them. It was getting pretty close to the end of the list.

Shigekuni squinted at the scroll. “And the last team are…”

“Captain Ukitake…”

Ukitake was getting sorted now…

“…and Captain Soifon”

Their eyes met and she would later say that was when she began believing in fate.

--o--

Well there it is! And I must say, I think it’s good! Are you impressed with my vocabulary Nick? I had you in mind every time I summoned the thesaurus, lol.

Please tell me if Yamamoto or anyone else is really OOC.

I hope you liked the ToshiRan scene. That was fun to write :)

Please review!