They finally stepped out of the Garganta, reappearing deep within Urahara's underground base. The dim lighting flickered as spiritual pressure settled in the air, still humming faintly from Ichigo's presence.
The floor beneath them rumbled softly from their arrival. Dust scattered into the air as the massive portal behind them sealed with a resonating thud.
Ichigo yawned loudly, his body aching with exhaustion from everything he'd just gone through. "Ugh… finally," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
Nel, perched on his shoulder, mimicked his movements perfectly. "Aaah~" she yawned, flopping forward onto his head like a lazy cat.
Ichigo didn't even flinch. "Alright, guys—I'll catch y'all later. I'm freakin' tired, starving, and my brain hurts. Peace."
And with that, he rocketed upwards at light speed, disappearing in a blur of motion. Nel shrieked with joy, arms locked around his head like a helmet. "Weeeeee!"
The sudden gust of air left Shinji's coat flapping wildly, and Urahara had to adjust his hat to keep it from flying off.
They both stood in silence for a moment, the quiet settling like dust after a storm.
"…He really did it," Shinji said under his breath, still stunned. "He actually beat Aizen."
Urahara didn't respond immediately. He turned slowly, his usually sly expression replaced by genuine curiosity as he glanced back at the now-contained and defeated Aizen, sealed in spiritual restraints and forced to kneel.
"Did you… hold back by any chance?" Urahara asked, tilting his head inquisitively.
That question dug deep into Aizen's pride. His eyes flickered with the faintest hint of fury, jaw tightening. Of all the insults he'd suffered, that one might've been the worst.
"…No comment," Aizen replied coldly, refusing to meet his gaze.
Urahara's eyes gleamed beneath the brim of his hat. "That's what I thought."
....
Ichigo finally made it back home, appearing in his room with a tired exhale. His substitute body lay slumped in the corner where he left it, and with a flicker of energy, his soul re-entered it. A deep breath escaped him as he stood up.
"God, that's always weird," he muttered, twisting his neck until it cracked. He began stretching his arms and legs, groaning with each pull and twist. It had been a while since he'd been in his body—things felt stiff. Nel, in her childlike form, sat cross-legged on his bed, her wide teal eyes following his every motion with innocent curiosity.
She mimicked his stretches, albeit awkwardly. When he yawned, she yawned too, eyes watering as she tried to keep up.
Just as Ichigo was mid-stretch, the door slammed open.
"Ichigooooo!!" roared a familiar voice.
Isshin Kurosaki stood in the doorway, eyes ablaze like twin infernos. The second his gaze landed on Nel perched on Ichigo's bed, something inside him snapped.
"Wait! It's not what it looks like!" Ichigo yelped, arms flailing.
But it was too late.
With a war cry, Isshin launched forward like a torpedo, his fist cocked back. It smashed directly into Ichigo's face, sending him crashing through the wall and landing in the backyard with a loud THUD.
"ICHIGO!" Nel shouted in a panic, hopping off the bed and running to his side.
Isshin cracked his knuckles as he stepped through the freshly made hole in the wall. "I thought I raised you better than this, boy. Bringing girls home in the middle of the night—small ones! Are you trying to get arrested?! I'm gonna kill you before the neighbors do!"
Ichigo groaned from the grass. "It's not like that! She's not even a kid! She just looks like one—wait, that sounds worse! Damn it!"
Nel, realizing the misunderstanding, stood up straight. Her small hands clenched into fists, and with a small burst of reiryoku, her mask cracked and her body shifted. In a glow of energy, she returned to her adult form: tall, beautiful, and curvaceous.
The change stunned Isshin, who froze mid-rant with his mouth hanging open.
"See?" Ichigo muttered as he sat up, rubbing his jaw. "She's just stuck like that sometimes... and her transformation really hurts."
Isshin blinked slowly, then gave a sheepish chuckle. "Ah... my bad, son. From where I was standing... well, you can imagine how that looked."
Ichigo rolled his eyes but cracked a small smile. He dusted himself off and walked past his still-awkwardly-smiling father, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, I get it. Now what's cooking? I'm starving."
Nel quickly fell in behind him, now fully grown again, though Ichigo glanced at her outfit—her usual torn white armor wasn't exactly casual wear.
"Yeah, we need to get you some clothes," he muttered.
Isshin stayed behind, standing in the rubble of the wall, watching them with wide eyes.
'What the hell happened to my son?' he thought. 'Who is this calm, cool imposter?'
---
Later, Ichigo and Nel sat at the kitchen table, devouring bowls of rice and grilled fish. Nel beamed after each bite, her cheeks puffed up adorably.
"Mmmm! This tastes so good!" she moaned between mouthfuls.
Ichigo raised a brow. "What did you guys even eat back in Hueco Mundo?"
Nel paused, spoon halfway to her mouth. "Uhh... mostly sand. Sometimes Hollow meat."
Ichigo almost gagged. "Sand!? Hollow meat!?"
He shivered violently at the thought. 'I can only imagine what that tastes like... probably like raw sewage with bones.'
In the middle of eating, Nel suddenly reverted back to her child form with a puff of smoke. She pouted, her eyes barely above the table now.
"Uwah! I can't see my food anymore!" she cried.
Ichigo laughed loudly at the sight, earning a deeper pout from Nel. Still chuckling, he stacked a few books on the chair and gently sat her on top so she could reach the table again.
Behind a wall, Isshin peeked around the corner with narrowed eyes.
'I know he's planning something… he's too calm. Too polite. He even washed his own dish! What is he hiding from me?!'
---
Not long after, Karin and Yuzu woke up and rushed downstairs, eyes lighting up when they saw their brother.
"Ichigo!" they squealed in unison, throwing themselves at him.
Ichigo grinned and hugged them both tightly, ruffling their hair. Nel watched this from her seat, her arms crossed, brow twitching in visible annoyance.
She suddenly leapt from her booster seat and landed squarely on Ichigo's head, hugging him from above.
"My Ichigo!" she declared proudly, sticking her tongue out at Karin and Yuzu.
The two girls glared up at her.
Nel glared back.
Thus began the most intense staring contest the Kurosaki household had ever witnessed. Ichigo, meanwhile, sat at the center of it all, completely unfazed and focused on chewing his food.
Eventually, Karin and Yuzu, still glaring, returned to bed grumbling about "weird Hollows" and "brothers being dumb."
Ichigo also turned in for the night, flopping on his bed with a content sigh. Nel followed, curling up on his chest—then promptly rolled onto his face in her sleep.
"Nel... seriously..." he muttered, his muffled voice barely audible beneath her.
But despite the awkward position, Ichigo found himself smiling before drifting off into a deep, well-earned sleep.
But we're not done here.
TO BE CONTINUED