Been a long while, but it’s finally here.

This is labeled chapter five, but for those of you who read the original document, it follows immediately after.

-]|[-

“Man, that’s creepy.” Ichigo shuddered as he appeared straight out of the shadows on the roof of the school. “It’s so freaking cold in there.”

“It’s the inside of a shadow.” Liltotto deadpanned as she also stepped out, wearing the Karakura high uniform. “Did you expect it to be warm?”

“I suppose not.” He sighed as he watched Giselle step out as well, also in uniform.

They waited a few seconds and his eye twitched. Giselle let out a giggle, “They’re not haaaaappppyyyy!” She sang.

Ichigo let out a sigh, “Girls.”

The shadows surged and his three girlfriends stepped out, two of them looking more than mildly irritated. Meninas was the only one who didn’t really look mad. Candice had quickly styled the uniform to her liking, and he had little doubt that the staff was going to complain. And that he’d be suplexing Keigo at some point. Bambietta looked more like she wanted to explode. “Why. The fuck. Are we doing this?”

Ichigo rolled his eyes. At this point, they’d gone through every argument in the book. “Because if you’re going to live in the human world with me for a few decades before we move on, you need an identity.”

“But I know all this stuff already!” Candice groaned, glaring at him some more. “Especially math and physics!”

“Great. It should be easy for you then.” Ichigo replied nonchalantly.

“And why the hell is Bazz-B not here?” Bambietta snarled.

“Because unlike you five, he actually looks like an adult. He’d look totally out of place in a high-school classroom.” Ichigo deadpanned, “You all look like you’re my age or younger.” He paused for a moment, before saying, “Plus I don’t really give enough of a fuck about what he does after this is all over to argue with him.” They made some faces and he dragged a hand down his face, “Look, if it really bothers you that much, I’ll write this whole thing off.”

Liltotto sighed, “No, we’re already here. Let’s just get this over with.”

Bambietta was still the one grumbling the most as she stomped after them. Soon enough, they were in their classroom, and Miss Ochi took roll. “Well, this certainly is unusual. Looks like we have a couple late admissions this semester.” She even had five students (read: side characters) moved out of her homeroom into others. “Please come in and introduce yourselves.” She called out, and the door opened.

Ichigo hid a smirk behind his hand as the girls started to walk in, and predictably, Chizuru and Keigo went ballistic, “OH MY GOD! THREE ANGELS HAVE BLESSED US!” They had hearts in their eyes as they stared at Bambietta, Candice, and Meninas. Giselle let out a cute little ‘tch’ and she noticed that the buxom three were the only ones getting the hearts.

Despite not wanting to be there, Candice put on a friendly smile, “Sup everyone. I’m Candice Catnipp, and I’m from Ireland. Call me Candi. Also, I’m taken, so look elsewhere.”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!” Chizuru and Keigo both yelled out as their dreams were crushed.

Bambietta went ‘tch,’ before glaring, “Bambietta Basterbine. Germany. I like soccer so I suppose I’ll try out for that team.” Her glare sharpened, “Also taken, so buzz off.”

Keigo and Chizuru started to sob.

Meninas stepped forward, “Meninas McAllon. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’m from Sweden and…” She smiled slightly, prepared for the hilarity incoming. “Also off the market.” She giggled as the two idiots turned to stone. Liltotto made her introduction next, and then finally, Giselle introduced herself, pouting outrageously when neither Keigo nor Chizuru showed any interest in her. Not that she was interested in them, but it was the principle of the matter!

“Excellent!” Miss Ochi wasn’t put off by the short introductions. “Go ahead and find some seats. There should be five empty ones near Kurosaki, Ishida, and Inoue. Go ahead and raise your hands.”

“Oh, we already know them.” Candice said cheerily, “Though it looks like there are only four seats open.”

Miss Ochi blinked and looked over, seeing the conspicuously missing fifth seat. “…How did that happen?”

Eight people simultaneously thought, ‘Urahara.’ To themselves.

“Well, no big deal.” Meninas said, before walking over and… plopping herself onto Ichigo’s lap.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT????????!!!!!!” Keigo and Chizuru screamed in shock. Chizuru collapsed out of her seat and started to punch the floor as she sobbed. “IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!”

Ichigo rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Idiots.” He murmured to Meninas, who let out a giggle over the hysterics.

“That… isn’t what I had in mind.” Miss Ochi said as the other girls (Candice and Bambietta shooting her light glares for having thought of it first) found their seats. “Eh, whatever. I’m sure a seat will open up when one of the hoodlums is absent again.”

‘Hoodlums?’ The class deadpanned as their teacher nonchalantly accepted the seating arrangement.

“Anyway, let’s have a good semester, everyone. Keep those grades up!” She walked out, and then their first period teacher walked in.

And five girls who were a fair bit older than they looked felt despair as he began to drone on about Japanese history. Two of them glared at Ichigo, vowing vengeance.

-]|[-

It was just after the third period right after they were let out for lunch when it happened. Ichigo, the five girls, Orihime, Chad, and Uryū twitched and looked over at the door as one. They all started to hear a commotion as mostly unfamiliar voices rang out, “So, which classroom is it?” A male asked.

“Don’t know!” A cheery female voice answered.

“What? I thought you wrote it down?” Another male responded.

“I did, but… I lost it!” The cheery female was obviously enjoying herself.

“You WHAT?! You lost it?! Hmph!”

A much younger voice let out a long-suffering sigh, “Relax. Just search for his Reiatsu.”

Inside the classroom, Michiru whimpered, “Oh no, not more weird stuff!”

“Are they fucking serious?” Bambietta deadpanned as they listened in.

The conversation continued, “It’s my first time in one of these things! It’s hard to control my Reiatsu because-”

“You suck?” The woman asked, audibly amused.

“I don’t suck! Why are you so calm anyway?!”

“They’re serious.” Candice started to giggle.

“They’re not very smart, huh?” Meninas asked as if she were talking about the weather.

“Can’t you lot be quiet like Kurotsuchi-san?” The youngest-sounding voice asked again.

“Argh, this thing’s so uncomfortable.”

“Just untuck it, like us.”

“Are you insane?! Where would I put my wooden sword?!” He sounded incensed, “You should have let me bring a real sword!” The students in the classroom started to sweat heavily.

“It’s the law, stupid.”

“What a stupid law. Who ever heard of a ‘no swords’ law?!”

“Enough! You’re making a scene!” The young one snapped. “He’s in here. Open the door.”

Ichigo was facepalming and shaking his head as the door opened. “Yo! How have you been, Ichigo?” Renji waved at him

The class deadpanned. Of course Kurosaki Ichigo would know these freaks! One of them even had visible tattoos on his forehead and chest and neck. One looked like he belonged in elementary school. One was bald and really had a wooden sword of all things hanging from his belt loop. One looked incredibly effeminate with some weird feather things attached to his right eyebrow and eyelash. And finally, two utterly gorgeous women, one with strawberry-blonde hair and the other with dark purple bound in a braid, who were just popping out of their school uniform shirts stood in the doorway.

Ichigo dragged his hand down his face but stood and made his way over. “Yo! Renji. Ikkaku. Yumichika. Rangiku. Nemu. Tōshirō.” He exchanged fist-bumps with Renji and Ikkaku, though he didn’t bother with the rest of them. He only really knew the two of them with any familiarity. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Don’t be so familiar, Kurosaki.” Yumichika scolded at the same time as Tōshirō’s eyebrow twitched and he declared, “That’s Hitsugaya-Taichō.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Ichigo said irreverently. “So, why are you here?”

“We were sent here to help the deputy Shinigami prepare for the fight with the Arrancar.” Renji told him.

Nemu also spoke up for the first time, in that quiet voice of hers, “We’re also curious as to the gigantic bump in power we recorded from you during your battle.”

“And they’re just talking about it in the middle of the normies.” Liltotto deadpanned as she watched in almost morbid fascination.

“I feel like I was insulted.” Ryō mumbled as she stared.

“Nah, nah, you’re fine.” Giselle giggled. Suddenly, she, the rest of the girls, and most of Ichigo’s close-ish friend group twitched and looked towards the window.

“Hmm, well you’re a bit late there.” Ichigo smirked, “This is good though. You lot can focus on the Hollows so I can stop missing classes.”

“What was that?” Ikkaku and Renji’s eyebrows twitched.

“Well, it looks like you’re in good spirits, Ichigo.” A seventh new called out, and Ichigo’s eyes widened as he turned around.

‘This little idiot.’ He thought to himself as he gaped at Kuchiki Rukia. “Rukia.”

“Woah, did she just come from outside?”

“Is she fucking serious?” Tatsuki gaped at the sight of Rukia standing on the windowsill.

“Who the hell are these guys?” One of their classmates gaped.

“Just a bunch of idiots. Don’t mind them.” Bambietta dragged her hand down her face.

“Hmm?” Rukia looked around, “I see some new faces.”

“Welcome back, Rukia!” Orihime smiled at her cheerfully.

Rukia grinned back, “Hey, Orihime!” She waved, making half the class goggle that the class beauty knew her as well.

“Can you get off the window?” Ichigo sighed, “Why didn’t you lot wait until I got out of school?” He rolled his eyes.

“Hello? Who are these guys?!” The class wasn’t too happy with being ignored.

“These guys are bad news.”

“Look at those tattoos.”

“That guy’s got a wooden sword down his pants.”

“Baldy.”

“Silver hair.”

“Baldy.”

Ikkaku turned around with a furious smile on his face as he started to draw his wooden sword, “You two who said ‘baldy,’ step forward.” A massive vein was pulsing on the side of his head.

“Okay, you know what, forget I said anything. This is gold.” Bambietta was fighting a full belly laugh.

“Right? I’m glad we didn’t miss this!” Candice was snickering as she watched. She wished she had popcorn.

That statement had Tōshirō’s eye twitching, “Why did I volunteer for this?” He asked himself, sounding like he was just done with everything.

“Well, show’s over.” Ichigo deadpanned, “Unless you plan on sticking around for classes, buzz off and we’ll meet up later.” He ‘shooed’ them off.

“I suppose I could sit in.” Rukia said as she hopped off the windowsill finally. “I kind of missed this place, actually.”

“Wait, everyone knows her? Why don’t I remember her?” One of the boys asked.

“Can the two babes stay as well?” Chizuru asked, having not taken her eyes off of Rangiku’s breasts for a single microsecond. A thin line of drool was running from her lips, and she had a funny smile on her face. Even her glasses were fogging up.

“Oh, and Ikkaku, put that wooden sword away somewhere before some policeman tries to arrest you.” Ichigo said.

Ikkaku glared, “Arrest me?!”

“Yeah, dumbass, arrest you. They’ll think you’re a hoodlum or a gang member.” Ichigo deadpanned again.

“I did warn him.” Rangiku giggled, “But does he listen to me, nOoOoOo.” Ikkaku’s vein twitched a little harder.

“I’d like to see them try!” Ikkaku, still steaming over the ‘baldy’ comments, seethed.

“Simmer down, bullet head, or I’ll tell Yachiru.” Rangiku’s expression was flat as she stared at him. He twitched and started to sweat. “Good. Now come on, you idiots. Let’s get out of here.” She clapped her hands.

“You’d better not be calling me an idiot too.” Tōshirō grunted as they turned to leave the classroom.

Most of them burst out laughing as Keigo showed back up, saw Rangiku, and did Keigo things. Rangiku casually knocked him out with a quick, nonchalant backfist as she skipped away, leaving him with a smoking crater in his face.

“So, who are the new girls?” Rukia asked curiously, nudging Orihime.

“Ichigo’s girlfriends.” Tatsuki grunted as she sidled up to her and threw an arm around her shoulders. “I’d be wary if I were you.”

“What?!” Rukia gasped, “All of them?!”

“No, just us.” Candice said, pointing at herself. Bambietta and Meninas did the same.

“WHAAAAAAATTTTTTTT???????!!!!!!!!!” The class collectively screamed in shock.

“Did you turn into a Casanova while I wasn’t looking?” Rukia looked like she was doing incredibly difficult math in her head.

“Casanova? This grump?” Liltotto deadpanned as she jerked her thumb at him. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yeah, I can’t see it either.” Rukia agreed with Liltotto. She started poking Ichigo, “What’s your deal, huh?”

Candice threw a hive of wasps into the middle of the classroom, “The huge dick helps.” She grinned like the cat that had caught the canary.

‘Well, there goes my reputation.’ The look of jealous worship present in the guys matched the shock on Rukia’s face. ‘Though I suppose now I’ll have an entirely different reputation.’ Ichigo wanted to facepalm. Why, oh why, had he thought this would be a good idea?

-]|[-

“RUUUUUUKIIIIIAAAAAAA!” Kon wailed in excitement as he sailed towards her.

She casually lifted a leg and caught him on her foot, stomping him into the floorboards with one smooth motion. “Long time no see, Kon.”

“I’m so happy I could cry! It really is Rukia!” Kon mumbled from the floor.

“Is it me or is he getting worse?” Candice deadpanned as they all wandered in.

Rukia finally looked up, “It’s been a while since I’ve been-” She stopped and looked around, “…What in the world did you do to your room?”

“Did you think the girls were here by accident?” Ichigo raised an eyebrow as Candice and Bambietta flopped onto the bed.

“…Right.” Rukia stared at the bed like it was going to bite her.

“So, what’s the plan for Aizen and the Arrancar?” Ichigo asked as they all found seats.

“Wait.” Ichigo twitched as he looked up at the new voice. Everyone else did as well. “Let us tell you.” His light cover popped off the ceiling and Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rangiku, and Nemu’s heads popped down.

“Wh-what the hell?! What did you do to my light?!” Ichigo freaked out as they all dropped out of the ceiling. He realized they had been hiding in the attic and that they had ripped apart the entire fixture to move it out of the way. How had they been getting any light?!

“Ikkaku’s head is like a light bulb.” Rangiku said cheerfully. Ichigo could almost hear the heart emoji in her statement.

Ikkaku twitched, “What was that?” But his gleaming dome told the story.

And then Kon lost it. “That uniform of yours is a deadly weapon, young lady!” He jumped at her.

Rangiku didn’t lose her beaming grin as she punched the plushie, sending it flying. “Is that some kind of custom around here?” Ikkaku asked, remembering Keigo.

“No, just a bunch of morons.” Ichigo rubbed the side of his head as he glared at the new hole in the ceiling. “And you owe me a new fuckin light.” He deadpanned. “And where’s Tōshirō?”

“Oh, he was a party pooper and didn’t want to hide in the attic with us.” Rangiku said cheerfully, before looking over at Meninas, who was the closest. “Can you open the window, please?”

“Sure.” Meninas looked amused as she did so. Tōshirō immediately sat on the windowsill, his legs half hanging out.

“Were you just waiting outside all this time? Not too smart. Boys with silver hair aren’t common around here.” Renji said.

“And more importantly,” Candice looked amused, “They’d assume you were skipping school and call the police.”

Tōshirō’s eyebrow twitched, “I’ll remember this when we get back.” He glared at Renji, before looking at the girls, “Who are all of you, anyway?” After a quick round of introductions, he looked over at Ichigo, “So, you didn’t sound all that surprised when we mentioned the Arrancar. Did Urahara fill you in?”

“Kind of.” Ichigo made a ‘so-so’ motion with his hands, “I know the basics. They’re Hollows who ripped their masks off and gained Shinigami powers, yeah?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Renji said, “They’re few in number and fewer still ever fully develop those abilities. Or at least that’s how things were. After Aizen stole that damn Hōgyoku, we suddenly started dealing with a lot more of them. And stronger ones too, like those two you faced the other day. Are you following me?” The redhead asked.

“Yeah, but the visual presentation is a bit distracting.” Ichigo bit back a smirk, ready for Rukia’s reaction to his insults to her art. He wasn’t surprised when she flung the notebook at his face. He caught it and tossed it, allowing Meninas to catch it.

“Hmm, I don’t know. They’re kind of cute.” She said as she looked at the drawings.

“Finally, someone who appreciates my artistic talent.” Rukia sniffed imperiously.

Nemu spoke up, “Initially, the Seireitei was just going to monitor things until Aizen made a move.” She told him, “We’d just lost three Captains and needed time to rebuild.”

“Yeah, but these fully developed Arrancar appeared sooner than expected.” Renji said.

“And they came to the world of the living, so we had to take action.” Rangiku finished.

“And who picked you guys?” Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yamamoto-Sōtaichō is in charge now.” Tōshirō said, “Until the next council of 46 is formed, he’s commander in chief.”

“Don’t know why you guys don’t just stick to that.” Ichigo said nonchalantly, “Your Central 46 are a bunch of morons with too much power.”

“H-Hey!” Several of them shouted.

“Two words: Rukia’s execution.” He deadpanned.

Renji grimaced, “That was Aizen’s fault, and you know it.”

“And how many questioned it?” Ichigo shot back, “If we hadn’t invaded to save her, she’d be dead. Even her own damn brother…” He trailed off, the thought still making him seethe. Rukia didn’t flinch, but she did close her eyes. 

Renji cleared his throat, “Regardless, they are formed by and given authority by the Reiō. Unless he changes those orders…” He shook his head, “No, let’s not get into that. Rukia was chosen because she knows you best.”

“H-Hey! I was chosen for my ability, blockhead!” She hissed at Renji.

“And I was chosen because I’m one of her superiors.” He continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “I was told to choose a combat team made up of members outside of the Captain class, so I asked Ikkaku to come. Yumichika obviously demanded he come along as well. Then Rangiku heard about it and didn’t want to miss the fun.” Rangiku tossed him a peace sign, “And because Rangiku was coming, Hitsugaya-Taichō reluctantly came along as well to keep an eye on us.”

“What is this, a picnic?” Ichigo’s eye twitched.

Renji ignored him too, “Nemu was a last-minute addition. Kurotsuchi-Taichō had her waiting for us at the Senkaimon.”

“Yes.” She bowed to him slightly, “Kurotsuchi-Taichō was quite intrigued by the readings he collected from your battle. He determined that not only was your Reiatsu several orders of magnitude stronger and denser than it had been during your battles in the Seireitei, but it also felt different. He instructed me to collect more data and samples.”

“Giggity.” Candice whispered to Bambietta. The purple-haired woman bit back a snort and Liltotto rolled her eyes.

“Indeed.” Tōshirō glared slightly at Ichigo, “Care to explain, Kurosaki? That and why you haven’t been using your badge?”

“You mean the badge the Shinigami stationed here in Karakura didn’t even recognize and had never heard of?” Ichigo deadpanned back, going with the lie his dad had told him about. Several of them twitched. He then allowed his spirit form to exit slightly, making it appear like he had a third arm, “Also, I don’t need it.” He said, before bringing the arm back within his body.

“Alright.” Tōshirō allowed, “But what about your Reiatsu?”

Thankfully, they had a lie prepared for this as well. “#BlameUrahara.” Candice snickered at the befuddlement on their faces.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, so I was at Urahara’s store.” Ichigo said, “And Tessai asked for some help moving a few things before I went down to train. One of these things was an Asauchi.”

“Wait, what? How did Urahara get his hands on one of those?” Renji gaped as their eyes all widened.

“They’re under the control of the Shin’ō Academy!” Rangiku blurted.

“Well, you know Urahara.” Ichigo shrugged, “He was probably experimenting and managed to make one. I don’t know.”

“Okay, so he had you move an Asauchi he shouldn’t have had in the first place. What does that matter?” Tōshirō narrowed his eyes.

“Well, the weird thing was, my powers were awakened by Rukia and started developing despite being kinda smothered by hers. But it was completely backwards from you all who managed to get Zanpakutō the regular way. I had never touched an Asauchi before.” Ichigo explained, “And when I did… well…” He shrugged, “Things got weird, and my Zanpakutō changed. It became ‘complete,’ I suppose you could say.”

Rukia’s jaw dropped, “Wait, so you lost Zangetsu?!”

“Nah, still Zangetsu.” Ichigo said, “But the blade changed a bit, I got a second, smaller sword, and apparently I’ll need to train for Bankai again.”

They all gaped at him. Well, the Shinigami did. His girls already knew all this. “Can you be normal for FIVE MINUTES?!” Rukia shrieked at him.

He chuckled, “But that’s boring.”

Tōshirō pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright, thanks Kurosaki. I’ll make sure that information gets to the relevant department. In any case, let’s get back to the Arrancar. While you all are correct in stating that an Arrancar is a Hollow that has torn off its mask, removing the mask of a random Hollow won’t make an effective Arrancar. Aizen wouldn’t waste his time or energy on that. No, if he truly intends to wage war against the Seireitei, he’d start with the Menos or higher.”

“The Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde.” Liltotto grunted.

“So uncute.” Giselle followed up.

“That’s right. Only they would be worth the effort.” Tōshirō nodded, “The Adjuchas are much more numerous than I’d like, but the Vasto Lordes are worse. They’re stronger than most Captains. Only those like Yamamoto-Sōtaichō or Kyōraku-Taichō are strong enough to face them. Only a small handful even exist in Hueco Mundo, but if he is able to bring even ten of them under his control…” He trailed off.

“Soul Society is doomed.” Rukia said somberly.

None of the Quincy girls allowed their thoughts to show on their face. If their former King had his way, Soul Society was doomed anyway.

…

“So that’s why it can move. It’s a Gikongan! I thought it was some weird kind of wind-up doll.” Renji held it in his fingers.

“I’ve never seen anyone use Soul Candy on a teddy bear before. I didn’t know it worked with stuffed animals.”

Candice grumbled, “Why are they still here?” Her voice was low since she didn’t want to be rude.

Ichigo was kind of getting irritated too, “Yo, when are you guys leaving?”

“What? We’re not. We’re here until the Arrancar have been defeated.” Renji replied, nonplused.

Ichigo’s eye twitched, “Yeah, I get that, dumbass. I mean when are you leaving my house? Did you guys think you could just make yourselves at home? Where are you guys going to sleep and stuff?”

“We can’t stay?” Rangiku sounded crestfallen. “Not even me?” She pouted at him.

“No.” He deadpanned, “We don’t have room nor food for all of you. This ain’t a boarding house.” She continued to pout, before she reached up and started unbuttoning the uniform. He raised an eyebrow. One button popped, and then he turned to Meninas, “Hey, is she bigger or are you?” Rangiku’s eyes widened.

Meninas tapped her chin and looked to be deep in thought. “Hmm, I’ve never been beaten in that department. We should check.” She started unbuttoning her de-Wandenreich’d coat as well. Rangiku’s eyes widened even more before a grin crossed her face.

“Boob fight!” Candice cheered, grinning salaciously.

“I think I’ll go stay with Orihime.” Rukia blushed profusely as she lunged out of the window, almost toppling Tōshirō over.

Ichigo smirked at a gaping Renji, “You goin’ or am I tossin’?”

Ikkaku put the redhead in a headlock. “We’re going.” He had a small smirk on his face as he, Renji, and Yumichika followed. Tōshirō just shook his head and leapt down.

Liltotto rolled her eyes as she closed the window and started walking out of the room. She then stopped, “Aren’t you leaving?” She looked at Giselle.

“What, and miss this?” Giselle asked back.

“You try to join in, and I’ll kill you.” Bambietta glared at her.

A look of genuine pain crossed Giselle’s face before her happy-go-lucky look replaced it, “Okay, you got it, Bambi-chan.”

Liltotto snorted before she started walking out again. Then she froze, “Wait.” She whirled around, “What about that one?” She pointed at Nemu. Nemu was staring at them all without blinking. A very light flush graced her cheeks.

Candice snorted, “Well, she did say she wanted to collect ‘samples.’” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“I don’t think those were what she had in mind.” Rangiku giggled as she freed the last button and then stripped off her skirt, leaving her just in her underwear. “Now who’s going to be our impartial judge?” She asked, a teasing lilt to her voice.

“I WILLLLLL!” Kon exclaimed as he sprang at them.

Ichigo caught him with a roll of his eyes, bustled past Liltotto, and tossed the plush perfectly so he bounced off three walls into his sister’s room. “You going?” He raised an eyebrow at the petite blonde who had yet to leave the room.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going.” Liltotto said as she brushed past him. She stopped, and he raised an eyebrow at her. They looked at each other for a moment, a smirk growing on Ichigo’s face. She blushed and walked back in, found a chair, and sat next to Giselle.

Ichigo chuckled as he locked the door and took off his shirt. He thanked every deity in existence for Yhwach being a fuckin’ idiot.

-]|[-

“Thanks for having me, Orihime.” Rukia sighed as she got into the bath.

“You’re welcome.” Orihime said brightly as she sat next to the glass door of her bath. “I’m surprised you didn’t try to stay with Ichigo again, though.”

Rukia snorted, “When the hell did he turn into a manwhore?”

Orihime flinched, “…That’s mean.”

“Am I wrong?” Rukia asked, her face a little flat. She did not mention the… new additions to Ichigo’s bed, knowing it would probably make her friend feel worse. It certainly didn’t make her feel good.

“…He’s changed, ever since those girls showed up.” Orihime said, her face sad and somber. “It’s like he got super strong overnight.”

Rukia heard more than what she was saying, “…Are you okay, Orihime?” She asked softly, “You’re really somber.”

“…” Orihime was silent for a moment, “I’m just… I thought I just wanted Ichigo to be happy… but… I’m so jealous.” She was silently crying.

Rukia let out a sigh, “I… can’t say I don’t know how you feel. Everything he did for me…” She shook her head, “But I guess it wasn’t in the cards. I’m certainly not sharing.”

“Yeah…” Orihime agreed with the sentiment. “…But the feelings won’t go away. I’m okay at school but as soon as I get home… I feel like a witch…”

Rukia got out of the tub and grabbed a towel. She wrapped it around her and sat next to Orihime, putting an arm around her. “You’re not. It’s okay to feel jealous, as long as you don’t let it consume you. You’re doing your best to deal with your feelings and trying to accept them.” She said, resting her head against the orange-haired girl’s. She sighed, “Honestly, Rangiku would be way better than me at this. It’s not like I have any more… experience than you here.”

Orihime shook her head, “…I prefer that it’s you. We’re already friends.”

Rukia smiled softly, “Look at us. A pair of idiots.” She chuckled, and that got a wet giggle from her more buxom friend. They continued to sit there and chat until they got too tired to stay awake.

-]|[-

The entire group made their way to Urahara’s basement dimension for training. Even Tatsuki was there. She demanded that she at least be allowed to watch, and Ichigo hadn’t denied her. It would help her figure herself out. “So.” He said once they were all in their combat forms, “You said the Vasto Lorde are more powerful than average Captains, right?”

“That’s right.” Tōshirō nodded, crossing his arms. “Every time in the past thousand years that there’s been an incursion into the living world by a Vasto Lorde, at least one Captain has died putting it down. The last time was over three hundred years ago. Three Captains were dispatched, and only one made it back, and she was missing an arm.”

‘Oh yeah.’ Meninas thought to herself, remembering studying that incident in detail. It had been long before her time, but it had caught her interest. The sheer degree of power the Hollow had displayed had been frightening.

Ichigo let out a whistle. “That sure is something. I fought a couple of you, but certainly not three at once.” That got several nods, “Alright then. And how do you stack up against the other Captains, Tōshirō?”

Tōshirō’s eye twitched, “That’s Hitsugaya-Taichō, Kurosaki.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ichigo rolled his eyes, “You’d have better luck drawing blood from a stone. Now, how do you stack up?”

Tōshirō let out a small growl, “…Decently well, I’d say. I certainly can’t even come close to the top three, but I think I’d be about middle of the pack.”

Bambietta was hiding a smirk. ‘Well someone sure likes to get high off their own supply.’ She scoffed internally. The kid could beat the Doggy and that was probably about it.

“Alright.” Ichigo nodded, “And how do the rest of you stack up against him?” He directed the question at the other Shinigami.

“Well, he is a Captain.” Rangiku said, still blissed out of her mind from the amazing night she’d just had. She was very glad she had picked up some Kaidō, otherwise she’d still be bowlegged. “Even with Renji’s Bankai, we probably couldn’t beat him.”

“Oi!” Renji snapped, looking irritated.

“Which means that if a Vasto Lorde comes, or even too many Adjuchas, you’ll be in trouble, huh?” Ichigo said flatly.

Ikkaku’s eye twitched, “Isn’t that supposed to be ‘we?’ Don’t get cocky, Ichigo!”

“Regardless.” Tōshirō said, cutting off that train of thought, “You’re not wrong. That’s why we’ll be here, training with every opportunity we get. We all need to get stronger.”

Rukia sighed, “Though I don’t know how much stronger we could get in so short a time. They could attack at any time. Your growth is abnormal, baka.” She glared at Ichigo with no heat.

“Yeah, I know. But I have a solution to that problem.” Ichigo said, smirking. He drew his larger Zanpakutō, “After all, the soul grows stronger when it’s in danger, doesn’t it?”

An evil grin was starting to cross his face as Nemu responded, “That is correct.” She suddenly had her Zanpakutō in a vice grip, her spine stiff.

Rukia, Rangiku, and Yumichika all suddenly felt chills run down their spines. “Ehehehe…” Rangiku giggled nervously, “…Why do I suddenly hear Latin chanting?”

Candice giggled evilly, “Because you’re smarter than you act, Ran-chan!”

Ichigo started to raise his Reiatsu, “First of all, take off whatever stupid seals you’re wearing. I know you all aren’t this weak.”

Urahara chimed in cheerfully from where he sat next to Tatsuki and Tessai. The big man was protecting them with a barrier so they could collect data. “I already ran things by the Research Division. As long as you’re within this pocket dimension, you have advanced permission to remove your Gentei Reiin without needing to set up barriers.”

Rangiku and Renji looked at Tōshirō, who closed his eyes and sighed. “Do it.” He raised his hand to his chest, an action mimicked by Renji and Rangiku. Tattoos of a daffodil appeared on his and Rangiku’s chest, while a camellia appeared on Renji’s. “Gentei Kaijo!” They yelled before being engulfed by towering pillars of Reiryoku. Their Reiatsu spiked fivefold as it diminished.

“So, how is this going to go, Ichi?” Rangiku smiled at him once it died down. “Battle Royale?”

“Something like that.” Ichigo smirked.

Giselle sang, “And by that, he means no.” She grinned, eager to see the incoming ass-whooping, “More like everyone against him.” Jaws dropped all around.

“What she said. Now if you’ve got Bankai, use it.”

That immediately raised eyebrows, and Renji glared. “Aren’t you getting too big for your britches, Ichigo? You might be stronger now but-”

This time, Urahara interrupted him with a jovial laugh, “Oh, Abarai-san, I’m afraid Ichigo isn’t being arrogant.” Beside him, Tatsuki blinked in shock as she looked over at him, “He’s being sporting.”

“Tch.” Renji clicked his teeth before growling, “Fine. BANKAI!” Once again, Reiatsu erupted from Zabimaru’s transformation. Once the smoke cleared (and Tatsuki got to gape at the sight of a Bankai) he said, “Hihiō Zabimaru.”

Ichigo twitched slightly as his eyes doubled momentarily. He remembered this, and remembered it being different in the future, ‘Why is it so different?’

Tōshirō had also gone into Bankai, revealing Daiguren Hyōrinmaru. Ichigo nodded, “Good, anyone else?” The rest of them shook their heads. “Tch. Hey, Urahara, do you have any more Tenshintai lying around?” He called out after a moment of irritation.

“I only ever made the one, Kurosaki-san!” The blonde called back. “And we don’t have it here.”

“Well, shit.” Ichigo sighed, “Well, hard way it is then.” He scratched the back of his head in irritation. “So before we get started, how many of you have any experience at all with Arrancar?”

“None of us, as far as I know.” Tōshirō said, “As we said, they weren’t exactly common before Aizen got his hands on that Hōgyoku.” He turned and glared at Urahara, “Thanks for that, by the way.”

“Oh, Aizen made his own.” Several of them almost fell over when Urahara responded, “But his was always incomplete. That’s why he never had great results. He needed to combine his with mine for this.”

“Still your fault then.” Tōshirō grumbled.

“Well, alright then. Looks like you all need some experience with Arrancar then.” Ichigo commented, moving past that particular bit of nonsense.

“Great.” Rukia snarked, “Let’s just go pluck one off the Arrancar tree then.”

Ichigo snorted, “We may not have Arrancar.” He said as he raised his hand. The Quincy all leaned forward in eager anticipation. “But we have the next best thing!” He swiped down, and his Reiatsu skyrocketed and became dark and hungry. Several of them felt like they were being choked as they watched his Reiatsu burn the very air around him. It looked like even little crackles of electricity were spontaneously forming at the edges of his aura.

All of them took steps back in shock and sudden fear as Ichigo stood there in Vizard form. “What the hell-” Tōshirō’s eyes were bulging.

Ichigo leaned forward and a violet Cero started to swirl before his horns. “Ichigo, ARE YOU CRA-” Rukia began to call out.

The Cero fired, burning even the air as it raced towards Tōshirō. The young Captain called out, “Bakudō #81: Dankū!” in a major panic. The transparent pane appeared in front of him just before the Cero impacted. And then the pane cracked, and Tōshirō crossed his wings in front of him. His Dankū shattered and the doom blast smashed into him. He screamed in agony as the explosion sent him hurtling away. His icy wings shattered and his Bankai vanished, his Zanpakutō spinning through the air away from his hand.

Tatsuki was shaking like she had a fever as she watched.

“ARE YOU INSANE?!” Rangiku, Renji, and Rukia screamed as Yoruichi appeared in midair, caught Tōshirō, and immediately brought him over to Orihime.

“This is what you’re up against.” Ichigo said flatly, with that dual reverb to his voice, “What we’re up against. I’m not going to coddle you.” He stalked forward, lamenting how vicious he’d have to be. Even weakened, even lacking their Schrifts and their Vollständig, he could tell the Quincy were stronger than most of them. “So I’m going to push you. I’m going to push you harder than anyone has ever pushed you. Try not to break.” And with that, he was in front of Ikkaku, who tried to parry his small blade with Hozukimaru. Ichigo cut clean through it and carved Ikkaku from collarbone to hip in a single slice. The look of complete and utter disbelief on the bald man’s face was a sight to behold. Again, Yoruichi appeared and grabbed him, before vanishing.

“Hikotsu Taihō!” Renji roared as he fired a red beam of energy at Ichigo’s back from Hihiō Zabimaru’s mouth.

“Good.” Ichigo said as he turned around, blocking the attack with his hand and making it splash all around him. He clenched into a fist and the beam was extinguished, revealing his hand to be completely unmarked.

“Some no mai, Tsukishiro!” An angry-sounding Rukia used Shunpo to appear behind him, her beautiful white blade swinging. A white circle appeared beneath their feet, before a pillar of flash froze everything from floor to ceiling, Ichigo included.

“Growl, Haineko!” Rangiku yelled as her Zanpakutō dissolved, not unlike Kuchiki Byakuya’s Senbonzakura. She swung and the ash surged at the frozen Ichigo. It buried into the ice, and she swung her wrist again, allowing audible SHIIINGS to carve up the ice.

And yet again, to their disbelief, Ichigo himself was untouched, even as the large chunks of ice fell. He vanished, and Rukia’s eyes immediately unfocused as his fist landed in her stomach. She was instantly out cold, and he himself dropped her off with Orihime.

“Damn you, Ichigo!” Renji yelled as he sent Hihiō Zabimaru to engulf him. Ichigo’s Zanpakutō flashed half a dozen times, before the large bone chunks that made up Renji’s Bankai were sliced to bits. He vanished and reappeared in front of Renji, grabbing him by the face. He turned around and threw him at Rangiku, and the beautiful, buxom woman didn’t have a moment to even twitch before the redhead smashed into her and knocked the both of them out cold.

Yumichika’s blades hit him in the back… and skittered off with loud shrieks of metal-on-metal. Ichigo turned around and backfisted the effeminate man’s Zanpakutō. The blades all shattered, but before he could act, Nemu appeared in front of him. Her entire arm was spinning like a hammer drill as she thrust it forward, smashing it into his sternum. A grinding noise rang out from his chest, but even with her overclocking her body slightly, she wasn’t able to damage him. A simple palm strike sent her crashing into Yumichika and the two of them smashed into a boulder before slumping.

The whole exchange took twenty seconds.

Giselle was grinning wildly as she held up a scorecard with a ‘10’ on it.

…

“What the hell was that?!” Rukia spat once they were all awake and well again.

“Spike your Reiatsu.” Ichigo said blandly, having taken his mask off.

They all glared heatedly at him but did as ordered. Their eyes all widened. “That’s-” Tōshirō sounded astonished, “Ten percent. Ten percent without even getting a single chance to even attack?!” He sounded incredulous.

“I’d say I’m about as strong as Ulquiorra, if that release of his showed his full power.” Ichigo crossed his arms, “That’s the same Arrancar that attacked us last week. If he was still sandbagging and had more in the tank, then I might even be weaker. He was number three.” Rangiku and Rukia swallowed heavily, “And Aizen is presumably so strong that they’re all his bitches. That’s what we’re dealing with here.”

“Fuck.” Renji cursed softly.

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Ichigo said, “So buckle your fuckle, boys and girls. You’re nowhere near ready to face these guys, and you weren’t going to get it if I took it easy on you. Chad already knows it, because if I’d been a second slower he would have been missing an arm. And that was against the weaker fucker of the two.” He uncrossed his arms, “Now let’s get back to it, and this time,” He turned to the ready-and-eager Quincy, “-you all join in. You too, Chad.”

“One moment.” Tōshirō held up a hand, “Before we get started-”

“What the HELL was with that mask, Ichigo?!” Rukia demanded.

Ichigo shrugged, “When I was training to get my powers back to save you, I had no idea what I was doing, and Urahara is a cunt.”

“Hey!” The blonde called out in affront. “It worked, didn’t it?!”

“They cut my Chain of Fate-” Rukia, Rangiku, Renji, and Tōshirō’s jaws dropped among the Shinigami. His girlfriends all suddenly twitched and started glaring at Urahara, “-and told me to either Hollowfy or yank out my Shinigami powers. I kinda ended up doing both.” No, he was not going to share his unique origins, thank you very much. It still gave Rukia an intense pang as she realized just what he could have sacrificed to come save her.

“Is it dangerous?” Tōshirō asked, intently.

“Nah.” Ichigo waved him off, “My ‘Inner Hollow,’ I guess you could call him, is actually one half of Zangetsu.” He raised the larger blade slightly to indicate which one.

“Ichigo.” Rukia said calmly after a moment of them all staring at him like he had spontaneously turned into a fish. She then grabbed his Shihakushō and started shaking him, “CAN YOU BE NORMAL FOR FIVE MINUTES?!”

Candice laughed, “You might as well tell the sun to rise in the west and set in the east.”

Ichigo chuckled, “Enough yapping. Those asses aren’t going to kick themselves.”

“One moment.” Renji said, before grabbing Ikkaku and dragging him away. The two seemed to be arguing vehemently as they watched curiously. Finally, Ikkaku seemed to throw in the towel as they walked back, with the bald man looking like he was steaming. “Okay, good to go.”

Ichigo raised an eyebrow but decided to just go with it. He put his mask back on as Renji and Tōshirō got back into Bankai. And then Ikkaku shocked them all when he yelled, “BANKAI!” His Zanpakutō transformed, wind blowing around him before revealing him with what looked like three separate weapons: a huge Chinese monk’s spade in his right hand, a giant guandao in his left, and what looked like a titanic axe blade that chained the two other weapons floating behind him. “Yes, I have Bankai. No, I don’t want to be a Captain. Please do me the favor of not fucking mentioning it on any official reports so no one harangues me.”

“Idiot.” Tōshirō grunted, “Handicapping yourself for such a stupid reason. No one can force you to leave your division to go lead another, Madarame. Sasakibe-Fukutaichō has had Bankai for a thousand years.” Ikkaku almost fell over in shock. Tōshirō refocused on Ichigo, “Let’s go.”

The basement dimension erupted into action.

-]|[-

The others were practicing against themselves now, and Ichigo plopped down on the dirt next to Urahara and Yoruichi. “So, dads told me the brass tacks, but who are the Vizard?”

“Ah, so they did approach you.” Urahara rubbed his chin, “Simply put, they were the Captains of squads three, five, seven, and nine over a hundred years ago.” He said, “As well as the Lieutenants of the eighth, ninth, and twelfth divisions. Their final member was the Lieutenant of the Kidō Corps.”

Ichigo let out a whistle, “And those Central fucks just said, ‘fuck it, we got spares’ and ordered them all dead?”

“Ayep.” Yoruichi was lounging with a lazy look on her beautiful face. “And it was all Aizen’s fault. Like usual, for anything in the past one hundred years.” She scoffed, “He framed Urahara and Tessai for it and I had to save their sorry asses. That’s why we’re all exiles.”

“Now, now, my dear.” Urahara smiled behind his fan, “If I recall, you were ecstatic to finally be away from all the, ahem, responsibility.”

Ichigo snorted. “Lazy cat.” He said fondly. She smiled at him, shrugging like she was replying ‘What can you do.’ His smile dropped, “Will they help against Aizen?”

“Oh, they’re all burning for revenge.” Yoruichi scoffed, “He and his cohorts did ruin their lives, after all. But they won’t exactly be eager to buddy-buddy with Shinigami anymore. Betrayal hurts worse than any blade.”

Ichigo frowned, “Can’t say I would be either. I’m surprised Rukia seems as okay as she does.” He muttered. “I suppose I should at least go talk to the rest of them.” He looked back at Urahara, “Now… what do we do about Inoue?” He muttered, “She’ll never be a fighter. Not like the rest of us. Her healing is already miles better than it was even just from when we left the Soul Society, but she doesn’t really have the heart for combat.”

“You’re not wrong. Especially when her main attack can be easily defeated due to a lack of will.” Yoruichi sighed, “I really tried with her, but she’s as pacifistic as it gets without being willing to forgive someone who set you on fire. She’ll fight, but she hates it.”

“Hmm…” Urahara closed his fan, “Actually, we might be able to kill two birds with one stone.” He tabbed it against his chin, “Take her with you when you go visit the Vizard. Ask for Hachigen. He was Tessai’s Fukutaichō, but unlike Tessai, specialized more in barriers and the like as opposed to the more combative spells. He’s probably her best shot.”

“Got it.” Ichigo said, “Thanks, Urahara, Yoruichi. Now, I’m going to go get my ass kicked.” He said, before vanishing in a burst of speed.

“Get his ass kicked?” Yoruichi blinked at the empty space he had been standing in. “By whom?!” Urahara had a pair of binoculars up to his eyes, staring into the far distance. He held it out to her, and she used it to see Ichigo summon both halves of Zangetsu. “Ah.” She said blandly. And then lowered the binoculars and closed her eyes, right before the red flash of a blinding Cero explosion rocked the underground training area. “Yeah, that tracks.”

-]|[-

“So, where are we headed, Kurosaki-kun?” Orihime asked cheerfully as she followed him.

“Hmm?” Ichigo hummed, “Oh, we’re headed for Shinji and his little tea party.”

Orihime clapped, “Oooh, it’s been a while since I had a tea party!”

Ichigo let out a little chortle, “Not a literal tea party, Inoue.”

“Awww.” She pouted, “I got excited.”

Ichigo had a fond smile on his face, “You’re heading there with me because we’re hoping one of them will be able to mentor you. I know you’re pretty sad that we haven’t been letting you participate in the spars.”

The smile dropped from her face, “I’m not…” She stopped and let out a sigh, “No, I guess you’re right. I’m never really happy fighting. Not like you and everyone else. But I still want to help.” She said passionately.

“I know you do.” Ichigo turned slightly and smiled at her, “You always do. And hopefully, this Hachigen guy will be able to. He specializes in stuff like barriers. Maybe he could help you figure something out.” She smiled back, happy that he was thinking of her. “Well, looks like we’re-” He trailed off, his face going deadpan. “Here. Seriously? The old, abandoned warehouse trope?”

“It’s a classic!” Orihime protested.

“Yeah, if you’re an idiot.” Ichigo snorted, “At least Urahara has a front. How do they make enough money for stuff?”

“QUIT YER BITCHING!” A young girl’s voice yelled, “AND GET IN HERE!”

“Yeeesh, touchy.” Ichigo snickered as they entered the premises.

“I didn’t think you were coming.” Shinji was grinning as he and the rest of his friends sat above them, “Ichigo.”

“Shinji.” Ichigo stated, his expression deadpan, “Why are you lot posing?” Shinji almost fell over.

The blonde pipsqueak with a snaggletooth who had yelled earlier ground her teeth together, “You think you’re hot shit, huh?”

“I don’t know.” Ichigo said, smirking. He still had his hands in his pockets. “You tell me.” He said as his mask appeared right on his face. His Reiatsu skyrocketed, and even Shinji, who had felt it before, felt his knees wobble. Hiyori was the one who got hit the hardest. No matter what she liked to pretend, she was the weakest one there. And then Ichigo let his Hollowfication go, still smirking as Hiyori gasped for breath as the pressure on her vanished.

“Well…” A woman with a long ponytail was sweating lightly, “You’ve certainly got the same ease of use as we do.”

Shinji sat heavily, “Why’d you even bother coming?” He asked, “You certainly don’t need the help.”

“Two reasons.” Ichigo said, before turning around and walking past the barrier. “Come on, Inoue.” He walked back in with her.

“Oh? You brought ‘Hime-chan with you?” Shinji raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Which one of you is Hachi?” Ichigo asked curiously and then widened his eyes when he saw how huge the man was when he raised his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“You as well, Kurosaki-san.” Hachigen bowed politely. “I take it you wish for me to speak with the young lady?”

Ichigo nodded, “This is Inoue Orihime.” He introduced her, and she waved cheerfully. Several of them let out little smiles and waved back. He turned to her, “Why don’t you show off a bit, Inoue?” He raised a fist.

“S-Sure.” She raised her right hand to her hairpins, “Santen Kesshun, I reject!” Her golden barrier formed between her and Ichigo.

He then hammered a fist into the barrier so hard that a small windstorm erupted in the warehouse, even lifting up Lisa’s skirt. Orihime’s barrier was undamaged, though she grunted from the sudden exertion.

Shinji let out a little whistle, “That’s some shield.”

“Got any attacks?” Hiyori asked, having recovered from the exposure to Ichigo’s Hollow Reiatsu.

“I do.” Orihime chirped… before wilting slightly. Several of the Vizard got the sudden urge to pet her. “It’s really only ever been useful against common Hollows though.”

“Inoue isn’t really a fighter. More of a Healer and a Shield.” Ichigo told them.

“Ooooh!” Another young-looking girl with green hair raised her hand like she was in class, “So she’s a paladin who multiclassed into cleric!”

Ichigo and Orihime both blinked. “You know, not a bad description.”

“I like it!” Orihime clapped excitedly.

“You’re missing the sword though.” Ichigo grinned, nudging her. That made her pout again. “Anyway, Urahara and I got to talking and he came up with the idea of introducing you two.”

“It was very similar to my own techniques.” Hachigen smiled before standing. “Shall we go downstairs, Inoue-san? I’m quite interested in seeing what else you can do.”

“Sure.” She turned and waved at Ichigo, “Bye, Kurosaki-kun!”

“Have fun!” Ichigo called out, before refocusing on an amused-looking Shinji. “As for the other thing.” He rubbed the back of his head, “I talked to dad, and he told me a bit about what you guys went through. Looks like Aizen was always a cunt, huh?”

“Not just him.” The silver-haired man in a tank top growled, “Him, Ichimaru, and especially that bastard Tōsen.” He growled, before throwing himself down and stalking up to Ichigo, “He was my fifth seat. Someone I trusted to have my back. And he took the opportunity to stab me in it with the Bankai I didn’t even know he’d unlocked.”

Ichigo’s expression closed off. “I suppose that’s as good a segue as any.” He straightened and looked the man in the eye, “What Aizen did was fucked. What the Seireitei did was worse. So the question is… do you lot hate Aizen more than them?”

The two stared at each other for a moment. The silver-haired man scoffed and walked off, “If Aizen ever did one good thing, it was killing those morons. I don’t give a fuck about the Shinigami.”

The woman with the ponytail shrugged, “Some of us feel more strongly about it than the rest of us. The ones I cared about had nothing to do with my exile.”

“So if you’re here to ask if we’ll fight with you when the time comes-” Shinji smirked, “You couldn’t keep us away. What comes after?” He shrugged, “Well we certainly won’t be coming quietly if that’s what they want to do. Don’t expect us to buddy-buddy with the rest of your little group.”

“Didn’t think you would.” Ichigo smirked, “You guys figure anything out about your Hollows since we talked?”

Shinji’s smirk dropped right off his face, “Not a damn thing.”

“No time like the present then.” Ichigo said, before starting to walk downstairs. He summoned Zangetsu and planted the blade down on the ground, before summoning the spirit.

“Suuuup, Chuckles.” Zangetsu grinned as all of them except Shinji recoiled.

“Holy shit, Shinji was telling the truth.” Hiyori gaped.

“Telling the- OF COURSE I WAS!” Shinji snarled, “Why would I make that up?!”

“It’s utterly surreal though.” The other blonde man commented.

The silver-haired man looked to Ichigo, “How long can he stay out for?”

Ichigo shrugged, “Doing nothing? The sun would die first.” Several jaws dropped.

“And how long can you keep the mask on for?” The sexy woman in the sailor fuku asked.

Ichigo blinked, “…There’s a time limit?”

“Oh, fuck off.” Hiyori snarled, “What can’t you fucking do?!”

Ichigo shook his head in bemusement but didn’t get a chance to speak before Zangetsu spoke, “Any time limit yer workin’ with is because yer not synchronizing with yer Hollows.” He said, “Chuckles over there said ya beat them down and buried them. Yer stealin’ their power. All that means is yer the Kings and they’re yer horses. But a horse that doesn’ want a rider is gonna buck and kick and try ta knock ya off. The horses want ta knock ya off yer perches and become Kings themselves. Ya ain’t ever get stronger like that.”

“Tch.” The silver-haired man clicked his teeth. “So if we want to get stronger, we have to unbury them. And then earn both their trust and respect.”

“That’s right.” Ichigo said.

“How the hell did you manage that?!” Hiyori snarled, “I fucking talked to Urahara when Shinji came back empty handed. You’ve had your powers for less than a year. How’d you fucking do it?”

“No point in telling you.” Ichigo shrugged, “It’s not something you guys will be able to replicate. As I’m sure you’ve realized… I’m a bit of a special case, and my circumstances are unique.”

“Which means you don’t even know if this will work.” The man with the afro said.

“We’re a sample size of one.” Ichigo deadpanned, “But Zangetsu is my instinct and as a Hollow, would probably be the authority on the subject. If that’s what he says on the matter, then I trust that it’s probably the only way.”

Shinji sighed, “I guess we’re digging them out, huh?” He scratched the back of his head. “This is going to be such a drag…”

“Well, no time like the present.” The silver-haired man said.

“Before that-” Ichigo cut him off, “I still don’t know who like three-fourths of you are.”

He snorted in response. “Muguruma Kensei.” He introduced himself, which set the rest of them to doing so as well. “Now let’s get fucking started.” He smashed his fingers together, “We do this quick enough and maybe I’ll even get to fucking feed Tōsen to him.”

“That’s the spirit.” Zangetsu grinned madly.

And off to the side, Orihime flinched slightly as Hollow Reiatsu flooded the dimension.

-]|[-

A month had passed in surprising silence. There had been no further incursions into the Living World, and several of them wondered if perhaps Aizen wasn’t quite as prepared as they had believed. They continued training hard, though the two groups never comingled. Ichigo, Orihime, and his girls split most of the training time going back and forth between the Vizard and the Shinigami.

The entire time, they expected more probing attacks on Karakura. They needed to figure out just why Aizen was seemingly so interested in the city. But day after day passed, and no one ever seemed to show up.

Until they did.

In the dead of night, beneath a waning crescent moon, a man with icy-blue hair and a snarling jawbone stuck to the side of his face sat on the ledge of a building. He had an impatient look on his face. “Is that everyone?” He asked suddenly, and a group of men dressed in while wearing their own masks descended next to him. “Anyone see you?”

“Of course not.” The one who seemed like the leader of the group said.  “A felt a number of strong Reiatsu signatures on the way here. Many more than Ulquiorra reported.”

“Tch. They must have called for reinforcements from the Seireitei. Open your Pesquisas all the way.” They closed their eyes and immediately started sensing the whole city. Over a dozen pings hit them in their mind’s eyes, looking like little blue flames. “That damned fool might be strong, but he’s soft. If he had just killed the kid with that fancy Segunda Etapa of his, this wouldn’t have happened.” He stood and glared at them, “D-Roy, Shawlong, Edorad, Ilfort, Nakim… everybody ready? There’s no need to hold back. If they have any Reiatsu at all… kill them. Spare no one!” He snarled out, an utterly bloodthirsty expression on his face.

“Oh, but why should you get all the fun, huh?” Two more men dressed in white appeared in the air behind his group. The taller one had a slasher grin on his thin face, “Someone’s been naughty, Grimmjow.”

Grimmjow’s expression was full of even more fury than before, “Nnoitra.” He ground out. “Why are you here?”

“Why else?” Nnoitra grinned evilly, “I could hardly let you have all the glory here. And so many little Reiatsu signatures… I’m not sure they can all even fit in my stomach.” He licked lips nearly-nonexistent lips. “But I’m so ready to try.”

“Tch.” Grimmjow clicked his teeth, “Just stay out of my fucking way.” The snarl vanished, having been replaced by a grin, “Kill them. Kill them all. Let’s go!” The subordinates all flashed away, and instantly, over a dozen people realized that the enemy had finally arrived.

-]|[-

Aaaaand that’s a wrap.

There is one thing in here that’s subject to change, judging from you guys’ opinions on it. I won’t mention what it is, but I’ll know. :haha:

Anyway, I’d LOVE to say next will be more Nascent, but that would be a dirty lie. Balls are currently firmly grasped by Star Wars and I’m FINALLY writing out the fic I had a prologue for 80% finished like three years ago.

Also, don’t forget that Not So Solo Leveling 1 is now available to everyone!

Enough yapping from me.

Catch you later!