A Different Kenpachi

– "Azashiro Soya, I acknowledge you as my successor and—" However, to everyone's surprise, as Kurayashiki expected to fall to the ground to his death, drained of all his strength, he was stopped, being gently held in the hands of the Young Heir Kenpachi.

– "Don't talk too much, you idiot. Save your energy." Azashiro scolded as he carefully laid the man on the ground, a green glow emanating from his body.

– "W-What?" Kyouraku was as confused as everyone around. First, the young man had challenged and in seconds left Kurayashiki at death's door, and now, he was holding him tenderly, with a loving gaze of a sweet lover? This young man made no sense!

– "What, you ask? It's simple. I KILLED Kurayashiki Kenpachi, purged him, and now I'm the current Kenpachi. Since there's no longer a 'Kuruyashiki Kenpachi,' there's no reason to let him die. Now his life belongs to me, 'Kuruyashiki of Soya!'" While closing the wounds of the former Kenpachi, the young man explained his reasoning.

Strange indeed was one way to define the current Kenpachi.

– "Hehehe, what surprises we're witnessing, huh?" Kyouraku commented as he went back to drinking, unsure where this would lead.

Kurayashiki looked with both doubt and amusement as his head rested on the lap of his young successor. He was in great pain, even after the healing, too weak to refuse such comforts. He merely smiled while nodding his head. His heir was strange, and his logic equally so, but he had lost, and as Azashiro said, he belonged to him now. He had no choice but to accept it.

As he took a sake cup that had conveniently appeared in the young man's hand, he turned his eyes to his shocked subordinates and, with a broad smile, shouted—

– "A NEW KENPACHI HAS RISEN! LET'S CELEBRATE!"

– "YEAH! KURUYASHIKI-SAMA! YOSH, AZASHIRO-SAMA!"

Meanwhile, Azashiro watched the scene impassively.

"I'm surrounded by idiots." In his mind, he could clearly hear a woman's laughter; she wouldn't let him forget this.

______________________________

『WEEKS LATER, 1ST DIVISION HEADQUARTERS』

In the headquarters of the Gotei 13, in the meeting room of the captains.

"This concludes my report, Yamamoto-sama," said the new Kenpachi, Azashiro, handing in yet another report after searching for more "fissures" that had recently been appearing in Rukongai.

"I see. Very well, YOU ARE ALL DISMISSED! Return to your posts!" The Head Captain concluded his order, tapping his cane on the ground, thus ending the captains' meeting.

Soon, the captains began to leave, some using Shunpo, others walking. The young Kenpachi walked with his usual taciturn expression before being stopped by a few of the pesky captains who had taken a liking to him since his entry.

Kyouraku Shunsui

Juushirou Ukitake

And Retsu Unohana

The first two he could understand. After all, they were friends of Kuruyashiki and were somehow tasked with "looking after" him. But the captain of the 4th Squad? Unohana was terrifying in her own way and seemed, for some reason, to watch him like a hawk.

("Kihahahaha, Azashiro-chan! Are you scared?") In his head, it was possible to hear Urozakuro laughing. She seemed more active now.

"YO! Aza-chan, how are you? I hope Kuruyashiki didn't give you too much of a headache! Hahaha!" The captain of the 8th Division laughed as he walked beside the young man who, just a few weeks ago, had nearly killed his friend.

"Don't tease him too much, Kyouraku! He's been working hard to contain the fissures in the Rukongai districts!" At his side, the Captain of the 13th Division reprimanded his friend while giving a warm look to the youngest one.

"Ara ara~ I really like Azashiro-kun. Under his leadership, the division has become more civilized. I no longer have so many of its members coming to me as before. Right, Azashiro-kun?" And there she was, the current source of Azashiro's nervousness: Retsu Unohana, or rather, Yachiru Kenpachi! The woman he was trying to avoid. Whatever this woman had, she was terrifying even to him.

As they left the hall, Azashiro quickly turned to the trio and spoke—

"Thank you for your words, Kyouraku-san, Ukitake-san, Unohana-san, but I must take my leave. I need to keep an eye on the more chaotic members of the division, and I fear Kuruyashiki might throw another party out of my sight!" Without another word, the soft-voiced young man used Shunpo to quickly distance himself from the three.

As they watched the young man's departure, Kyouraku chuckled and murmured to himself.

"Still nervous around Unohana-chan, I see."

"Hm? Something to say, Kyouraku-kun?" said the captain with a smiling face, eyes closed, sending shivers down both captains' spines. They quickly apologized before fleeing as well, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

After seeing everyone had gone, the captain allowed an unsettling smile to cross her face.

"Azashiro-kun… what kind of secrets are you hiding… I wonder… could you be a match for 'that person'?"

With this thought, the captain used Shunpo like her companions and returned to her division.

______________________________

『11TH DIVISION HEADQUARTERS』

"AAAH!"

BOOM!

"Come on~ that can't be all, right boys?" The voice of the former captain, Kuruyashiki, now lieutenant, was heard throughout the complex as he helped a fallen subordinate to his feet.

Today was one of the "Training Regime" days imposed by the new captain, a day when everyone had to spar with each other, especially against Kuruyashiki, in an effort to improve their Zanjutsu techniques.

The former captain, now lieutenant, wasn't far from hearing the groans and complaints of the subordinates. Even the bloodthirstiest feared the training sessions supervised by Azashiro.

"Captain, can we go drink now?"

"Yeah! Azashiro-sama must have gone to do one of his observations. We've got time!"

"Come on, come on, Fukutaicho!"

Kuruyashiki could only laugh as he nodded to his subordinates. He didn't enjoy beating them up like this either.

"All right, all right! YOSH! Let's take a little break and have a drink! Right?!"

However, a cold and calm voice soon spoke behind him.

"You pamper them too much, Kuruyashiki-san!" Behind Kuruyashiki now stood Azashiro, looking at his predecessor with cold and accusatory eyes.

But, to anyone's surprise outside the division, the former captain wrapped an arm around him in a side hug, smiling.

"Come on, Aza-chan! Let's have some fun! If you keep working like this, you'll end up getting wrinkles!" said Kuruyashiki. "Besides, we've been working non-stop these past weeks because of the fissures. We need a break, don't we?"

Azashiro merely stared at him indifferently, locking eyes in a brief standoff.

After a few seconds, he could only sigh as he freed himself from his lieutenant's arm and advanced toward his office.

"Don't bother me! And Kuruyashiki, finish your paperwork!"

THUMP.

"Well… that went better than expected…" said Kuruyashiki nervously, before being called back to the attention of his celebrating subordinates.

______________________________

In his office, Azashiro reflected on what had brought him here while reading and signing his paperwork.

The last thing he remembered was injecting himself with the same poison developed by Mayuri that led to the death of the Eighth Espada Szayel, and suddenly, he woke up in the past, right after escaping to Rukongai.

He had a few years to plan what to do and whether to change anything. He thought about going back to his plan of creating super-soldiers and lobotomizing humanity, but he gave up later, having seen where that had led him in the past and not wanting to repeat the same mistakes. Besides, thanks to the new Shinigami he faced in the future, he knew the Gotei was more than ready to defend itself. Aizen Sousuke's defeat had proven that to him.

And as he was determined to change his ways and regain what he had lost, he started with Kuruyashiki. He knew this man would be of great help in the future against Aizen's forces, he was certain.

Besides that...

"Heh... Kenpachi of Zaraki... I'll be waiting for our future rematch, my successor..." The current Kenpachi smiled calmly as he looked out his window.

240 years... he could wait all that time to face his successor. But first, he had to deal with a problem... a problem called "Aizen Sousuke."