Bleach: Reloaded

Part 1 Chapter 1:New Beginnings

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo does. Any other references made in this story belong to their respective owners. I only own the OC characters.

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Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki finally received a mission they could go on together. Not that they haven't gone on any together before, but it was the first legitimate mission with the Soul Reapers since Ichigo regained his shinigami powers. He initially thought it was going to be a bore, but the presence of Rukia would lighten the burden. He always looked forward to seeing Rukia, since she was the one who made him a Soul Reaper in the first place. For that, he was eternally grateful. During the time he was a normal human again, Ichigo missed Rukia, as well as the absence of his powers. However, he never admitted it to himself that he liked her in that way, even when she returned. He could feel it though, a small feeling, like a flame, that rekindled when he saw her face again. It was one of the happiest moments of his life. He still couldn't figure out what this feeling was, since his brain had never pondered this specific feeling before. Every time he saw Rukia's face, his heart beat a little faster, his cheeks flushed a little deeper. And he thought 'Rukia looks really good today.'

This is what he thought when he emerged through the Senkaimon, and she was standing there waiting for him. She had grown her hair out to its original length when she left. The band of a lieutenant was tied around her upper left arm. "Took you long enough," she teasingly reprimanded.

"Yeah, well," Ichigo defended, "I had to wait for the cleaner to finish its cycle before going through."

"I see," Rukia mused.

"Anyway, what's this mission that's so important that they need me for it?"

"Well, it's really more of a recon mission," Rukia explained, as they headed for the First Division barracks. As they walked, she filled him in on the details. There had been an influx of spiritual pressure near the coast in the Rukon District. It was powerful enough that it was felt throughout the entire spirit world, and it held the level of a captain. Ever since it appeared, it had been constantly fluctuating, as if waiting for something to come through.

"Our job is to go and investigate and see if it's a threat," Rukia finished.

"And I'm assuming that this recon mission is just going to be a two-man job?" Ichigo asked, secretly hoping that only him and Rukia would be going alone together, like they always do.

Rukia smirked. "Actually, she said, "the Head Captain doesn't want to take any chances with this amount of reiatsu, so he's sending along three captains and their lieutenants as well as you and me for extra backup."

"Better safe than sorry, I suppose," Ichigo agreed. "So which of the captains are coming with us?" he asked, just as they reached the door of the Head Captain's office. As Rukia opened the door, Ichigo blanched as he saw who would be accompanying them on their mission.

"It's about time you showed up, Ichigo." Renji Abarai's condescending voice reached Ichigo's ears. He was standing next to his captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, along with the other two captains and lieutenants, Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto, and Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru. Ichigo quickly turned to Rukia and put his hands on her shoulders, looking her directly in the eye. "What on earth made the Head Captain think to send these guys along with us?"

"I vouched to be on this mission to look after Rukia, nothing more," Byakuya simply stated.

"Once I heard that the Head Captain assigned Ichigo a mission, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity," Kenpachi explained.