Back in the outside world, nothing had changed. Ichigo was still knelt in front of Aizen's corpse, still clutching the Hogyoku and Kyoka Suigetsu in his non-gauntleted hand.

With a swift pair of slices, most of Aizen's hand had been relieved of its grip on the Zanpakuto. Since the sheath was nowhere to be found, Ichigo held the naked blade in his offhand, and stared down at Aizen's mutilated body.

Surrounding the Strawberry was barren, destroyed landscape, a few sheared mountaintops, and many displace trees. At the very least, Karakura Town seemed to be in more or less one piece.

Unsure of what to do, Ichigo resigned himself to waiting around for someone to come scout the remnants of the battle. The Substitute Shinigami sat down on the flat ground, then lay back to look up at the clouds.


The Captains of the Gotei 13 found Kurosaki Ichigo sleeping on the ground near AIzen's corpse, snoring rather loudly, with a bit of drool pooling on the ground under his head.

Soifon made to kick him awake, but was stopped by Kyoraku.
"Maa, maa, little bee-" The man had to hastily avoid an indignant strike, "-Woah! We should let the poor boy rest. After all, he did just finish a war."

"Of course you would advocate laziness, you drunkard!" Soifon cried. "Regardless of what he has done, the Captain-Commander needs to hear of what transpired here!" She looked at Yamamoto, silently asking for backup.

The Captain-Commander remained silent for a bit, examining the boy, before focusing on the silver blade held in his offhand.

"...Yes. Wake the boy, Soifon"

Said Captain shot a smug smirk at Kyoraku, who merely shook his head in exasperation. Soifon resumed her previous position, and this time succeeded in planting a foot in the boy's ribs.

Oddly enough, the woman ended up crouched on the ground, nursing her very bruised foot. Ichigo merely grumbled in his sleep, then rolled over- right into his puddle of spit.

"Herfgh… Aw, nasty!" The Substitute Shinigami shot up, then roughly scrubbed at his face with his remaining Shihakusho sleeve, looking rather irritated by the rude awakening.

Many of the present Captains expressed varying degrees of amusement, and it was Kenpachi Zaraki's boisterous laugh which drew the boy's attention.

"Oh, when did you guys get here? I've been waiting, like… a long ass time!"

"We have only just arrived, Kurosaki Ichigo, but we have wasted enough time. Can you confirm that Aizen Sousuke is, indeed, dead?"

A nod was the only response.

"Excellent. Now, about that sword in your hand…"

Temporarily forgetting about Kyoka Suigetsu, Ichigo held up Tensa Zangetsu with a less than amused expression.

"Well, see, this is Zangetsu. You know, the sword I had since the beginning?"

Eyebrow twitching in annoyance, Yamamoto spoke again, far more forcefully.

"We already know about that sword, foolish boy! I am speaking of the other one; Kyoka Suigetsu."

Understanding dawned on Ichigo's face, as his mouth widened in a silent 'Ohhh'.

"Right… I just kinda, picked her up, ya know? Spoils of war, and all that jazz."

When Yamamoto opened a single eye to stare at Ichigo, the teen nervously chuckled. Despite the fact that he was fairly certain he could handle the old man, considering Aizen beat Yamamoto, and Ichigo beat Aizen, it was still unnerving.

"Old man, has anyone ever told you you're creepy as hell?"

The surrounding Captains openly gaped/snickered, while Yamamoto simply closed his eye.

"Duly noted. Captain Kurotsuchi, you may have Aizen's corpse for your… research." The clown's deranged giggles interrupted the Commander, sounding near orgasmic. "Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake will oversee the proper return of Karakura Town, including it's restoration. Captain Unohana, attend to the wounded. The rest of you will oversee the reorganization of our troops. Dismissed.

With a collective chant of "Hai", the Captains vanished, leaving Ichigo alone with Yamamoto.

The Commander didn't say anything for a long moment, simply regarding Ichigo as if he were a particularly annoying puzzle piece that kept changing shape. Of course, the man didn't show any of it on his face; he had far too much control of himself to let anything like that happen. It was just the general vibe Ichigo got from him.

Finally, Yamamoto spoke, "Meet me in my office in three days. We have much to discuss, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Without giving the Substitute Shinigami a chance to respond, the Captain Commander shunpo'd away.

"Well, that was… intense."


Three days passed fairly quickly.

After doing a bit of scavenging, Ichigo finally managed to find Kyoka Suigetsu's sheathe, in the area with the highest collateral damage. Kyoka Suigetsu had said this was where Aizen made his first transformation, where his Zanpakuto became fused to his right hand, rendering the sheathe useless. It was after Ichimaru Gin's betrayal, according to the Hogyoku, when Aizen 'evolved' due to fear of not being able to survive.

The pure white scabbard was a bit scratched up, but could easily be repaired with a bit of paint and polishing.

Ichigo had also released his Bankai, to find some… interesting, changes. It seemed he was currently no longer able to disperse Bankai- most likely his Reiatsu levels were too high- but the gauntlet had dematerialized, and a void black sheathe had suddenly appeared on his back. The chain wrapped around his right arm melted into the sleeve of his Shihakusho, which was a fairly odd sensation. The two reappeared whenever he held Tensa Zangetsu.

Zangetsu had said that when Ichigo finally got some Reiatsu control, he would be able to lower his power levels to the point where he could return to Shikai, and eventually completely seal his Zanpakuto, which Ichigo was eager for. If there was one thing he hadn't liked about the massive cleaver, it was the unwieldiness. He was thankful Tensa Zangetsu was so slim; the Substitute Shinigami much preferred technique over force, supported by the fact that he was an avid practitioner of Taekwondo. Unfortunately, some things required the subtlety of a brick.

Despite what Tatsuki thought, Ichigo had never stopped training. Just because he left the dojo doesn't mean he couldn't practice at home, and for whatever reason, Goat-Chin knew quite a bit about martial arts. He was also willing to be more ruthless than the dojo's sensei, which pushed Ichigo to improve faster than ever. It had been a while since the two had a serious spar, something Ichigo sought to remedy once the dust cleared and the water settled. It would be a good way to get used to his Human body again, as well as reconnect with his dad after the recent events tore him from home.

Chad and Orihime returned home to help the Eighth and Thirteenth divisions resettle Karakura Town, as well as take a much needed break. Uryu had immediately sought out his father, Ryuken, and demanded more training. It had been a humbling experience for the young Quincy, to have his ass handed to him so many times by Hollow scum.

Urahara and the Vizards also returned to Karakura Town, though mostly kept to themselves. Jinta, Tessai, and Ururu went back to the Shoten, while Yoruichi remained in Seireitei to bug Soifon.

Isshin, with nothing better to do, accepted the Captain Commander's offer (order) to become a Captain again, and was assigned to the Ninth Division. Goat-Chin was fairly happy with this, as his old subordinates were now his neighbors. He especially had fun irritating Captain Hitsugaya with his "Shiro-chan" nickname.

Now, Ichigo was seated in the First Division's Captain's Quarters, staring down Yamamoto.

"So… I'm here. What did you need to talk to me about?" Ichigo began.

Yamamoto remained silent for a moment, seemingly content with the quiet, before cracking open his ancient eyes.

"I wish to examine Kyoka Suigetsu."

Slightly taken aback by the unexpected request, Ichigo complied, unclipping the white sheathe which rest on his waist, and handing it over.

The Captain Commander stared at it for a few seconds, then took hold of the sword. Without a word, the old man unsheathed the blade, setting the scabbard to the side. For some odd reason, the man was hesitating to touch the metal, his fingers hovering over it for a time, before glancing at Ichigo. It almost seemed as if the old man was asking permission.

"You can touch the sword if you want, old man. Just stop being so… weird about it! Honestly, the worst thing you could do is leave a fingerprint. She won't shatter just like that."

Raising an eyebrow at the teen's brashness (and his seemingly innocent word choice), Yamamoto proceeded to poke the steel, then exhaled slightly deeper than normal, in what seemed to be a sigh of relief, when Ichigo remained Ichigo.

The Captain Commander resheathed the sword, then handed it back to the Substitute Shinigami. "It seems you are not secretly Aizen, tricking us all with an even more complex illusion than before."

"Uh… what?"

"You know of Kyoka Suigetsu's Shikai abilities."

Ichigo nodded as realization hit like a hammer.

"Ya know, that's pretty rude, suspecting like that for no reason."

"And what would you have me do? You show up with such a drastic change in appearances and defeat Aizen, something the combined might of the Gotei 13 could not do, and you expect me to simply accept this without question? It is entirely possible that Aizen could have masqueraded as you, and then would slaughter us while are weakened and surprised."

"Yeah, but old man, you just said you guys couldn't beat Aizen, right? So if he killed me, he could have slaughtered you all without the fanciness."

Yamamoto made to reply, but seemed to be stumped by Ichigo's logic.

"...You are correct. My apologies, Kurosaki Ichigo."

The Strawberry's orange eyebrows shot up into his orange hair. The old man, probably one of the most proud people he knew of(behind Kuchiki Byakuya and Aizen), had just apologized- he even bowed his head a bit!

"It-it's alright, old man. I guess you had a right to be suspicious… It's your duty to make sure Soul Society is safe, and me being Aizen would probably be the exact opposite of that."

Yamamoto nodded.

"Now that we have finished that, I have a real question for you; what will you do now?"

Ichigo was silent for a few moments.

"I haven't really thought about it much, but… I guess I'll go back to the Living World? My friends are still there, and I haven't finished school yet, so…"

"Ah, yes, you are still a student. After all you have done for Soul Society, all the power you have, it is often easy to forget you are still a child."

Ichigo was going to retort, but then reconsidered when he remembered Yamamoto was over a thousand years old. Just about everyone in Seireitei was a child to him, and the Substitute Shinigami let that be known.

"Damn, you really are old, old man."

Yamamoto simply chuckled, knowing the teen's thought process. All young people hated being called young, despite the fact that it was true.

"That I am, Kurosaki Ichigo. That I am."

The two sat in comfortable silence, simply sipping the previously neglected tea that Sasakibe Chojiro, Yamamoto's Vice-Captain, had brought in at the beginning of the conversation.

The Captain Commander's face slowly became stony again, and he put down his tea cup. Ichigo, sensing the importance of the man's next words, also set down his cup.

"Unfortunately, Kurosaki Ichigo, I cannot allow you to return the Living World."

Ichigo froze, brain unable to completely process what his ears had heard.

"Wh-what the hell-!?" The Substitute Shinigami was so surprised, he could hardly finish his sentence.

"Fear not, Kurosaki-san, you are not being punished for anything. It is merely because you cannot control your enormous Reiatsu, and would disintegrate any humans you came into contact with, regardless of the fact that it is too high to actually register. Until you learn to conceal your power, you must stay in the Seireitei."

Ichigo calmed down slightly, before blanching at the thought of accidentally killing all of the students at Karakura High.

'Uh, yeah. That's probably for the best. How am I supposed to learn to do that, by the way?"

"Hm… Perhaps Captain Soifon can teach you. After all, it is a requirement for the Onmitsukido to be able to hide your presence, which includes your Reiatsu. Shihouin Yoruichi could also help you, for the same reasons. Either that, or you could ask the Twelfth Division for a limiter similar to Captain Zaraki."

"Um, no thanks. I've seen that thing, and those little teeth are weird… I guess I could ask Yoruichi. After all, it's not like she has any duties or missions to perform. She's just wandering around and bugging Soifon."

"Excellent. Onto the next order of business; your father."

"Ugh, what did Goat-Chin do now?"

Yamamoto chuckled. "He did nothing wrong, Kurosaki-san. I trust you know of his decision to rejoin the Gotei 13?"

Ichigo nodded.

"Considering all you have done for us, I feel I must extend an invitation to you, as well. Should you wish, you can also join your father as a Captain of Soul Society."

Ichigo nodded his head slowly, measuring his response. "Well, thanks for the offer, but I don't think I'm really cut out for that. I've heard about the paperwork from pretty much everyone, and I don't want to deal with it."

Yamamoto simply nodded, as if he was expecting this response. He made to speak, but stopped when the Substitute held up his hand.

"But, I do know some pretty powerful people who can fill in those empty Captain's seats. I think you know 'em, too."

"...The Vizards, I suppose. You are not wrong- they would be wonderful Captains, considering they once were. However, you must also take into account the fact that we wrongfully exiled them, for something they had no control of. I do not believe they would rejoin us, after such a betrayal."

"Yeah, but they came to help you guys! I think-!"

"They came to help you, Kurosaki Ichigo. They did not seem particularly concerned with our fate."

"That wasn't it at all, and you know it! They've just been isolated for so long they don't know how to show that they care! If you would just give them a chance, I think they would take up the positions in a heartbeat."

Yamamoto was quiet, for a few long moments. Almost too long for Ichigo.

"...They shall receive a full pardon for their past transgressions-"

"What transgressions?"

Yamamoto glared at Ichigo, cowing him into silence.

"-And I shall send an offer for them to retake their previous positions. However, I will only send one messenger. If they choose to refuse, then that will be the end of it. We have no right to make any demands of them, especially after what we have done."

"That's fine! You'll only need one messenger, you'll see!. Matter of fact, I'll do it myself!"

Yamamoto bowed his head, reminiscing about the great Shinigami the Vizards had been before that bastard Aizen had corrupted their souls. He was also going over Ichigo's resolve to right past wrongs, impressed that the young male could be so optimistic after war.

"Perhaps, Kurosaki-san. Although, while we're on the topic of reinstating previous Captains, why don't you ask Urahara Kisuke, Tsukabishi Tessai, and Shihouin Yoruichi?"

"Weren't they pardoned already? They could have requested it… unless they just didn't want to seem clingy. That's probably it, knowing that damned shopkeeper." Ichigo clenched a fist, vowing to punch Kisuke for causing this whole mess. "I guess I can ask 'em about it, though."

Yamamoto took a sip of his tea, using the cup to hide his near-grin. He didn't want to creep the teen out anymore, after all.

"Yes, well, your problems with Urahara-san aside, I believe that is all I needed to discuss with you. You may go do as you young people do, causing trouble and noise wherever you go. And remember, if you ever tire of the Human World..."

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. "Whatever, old man. See ya around."

And with that, Ichigo shunpo'd out the open window, leaving behind a spilled cup of tea. It was Yamamoto's eyebrow that twitched this time.

"Insolent brat… Chojiro!"


Unsure of where to find Yoruichi, Ichigo headed to the Second Division quarters. He was fairly certain that the Flash Goddess was mostly following Soifon around, and the Captain didn't seem to do much other than work, so it was probably a safe bet.

Upon arrival, he caught the attention of one the members walking by.

"Um, excuse me! Do you know where Captain Soifon is? I need to find Yoruichi, and I figured that she'd know."

The man nodded, and gestured for Ichigo to follow. Without a word, the two walked through the halls of the Second Division, until Ichigo was stood in front of a normal sliding door. He thanked the man, who promptly walked away, then knocked on what he assumed to be the Captain's door.

"You may come in." A woman's voice called out, which Ichigo vaguely recognized as Soifon. The two had rarely interacted in the past.

Ichigo was not expecting an assault upon entrance, and as a result, ended up on the floor. The Strawberry blinked, uncomprehendingly, as laughter filled the room.

Sitting up, the Substitute looked around, and his eyes landed right on Yoruichi's naked form. Said eyes nearly popped out his head, and he scrambled back to get enough space to right himself without accidentally touching her.

Apparently, Yoruichi had been residing in her cat form prior to the interruption, and transformed abruptly to attack Ichigo, if Soifon's surprised expression was anything to go by.

"Ha! You shoulda seen the look on yer face, Strawberry!" Yoruichi wheezed between laughs.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, used to the woman's antics. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I came to ask you for help, but considering you're too busy having fun, I can just ask Soifon."

"Hmm? And what is it that you need from me, Kurosaki?"

"I need someone to teach me how to suppress my reiatsu. The old man said if I tried going back to the Human World like this, I'd end up disintegrating everyone I touch."

Soifon pondered this for a moment. "Yes, I can help you. It is a requirement for the Onmitsukido to be able to take your reiatsu to near non-existent… However, this will not be free! I will likely have to spend a lot of time helping someone with your reiryoku reserves, and my time is valuable."

Ichigo rubbed his chin, in deep thought, before nodding his head. "Alright. Yoruichi, I challenge you to a game of Shunpo Tag. If you lose, you have to stay in Soul Society until Soifon says you can leave, or an emergency comes up where your skills would be better suited elsewhere." Ichigo turned to Soifon. "That enough for ya?"

Soifon rolled her eyes. "How arrogant. To think a lowly human would be able to match the wonderful Yoruichi-sama in her specialty…" Soifon trailed off, and scoffed, no doubt insulting Ichigo some more in her head. "But, fine. If you really believe you can do it- which you cannot- I will not stop your attempt."

Ichigo grinned. "Well, Yoruichi? You up for it?"

Yoruichi smirked. "Strawberry, you're a thousand years too early to even think about challenging the Flash Goddess to a shunpo match. Guess I'll have to beat the arrogance out of ya! Soifon, count it down!"

Yoruichi lowered herself slightly, every muscle tensed- which was quite visible, due to her lack of clothing- to move in less than an instant. Ichigo didn't shift at all, something which slightly irritated Yoruichi.

"Players, get ready! Begin in three, two, one… Go!"

Ichigo had his arm wrapped around Yoruichi's throat before Soifon's hand, which was raised to emphasize the signal, could drop.

Speaking of dropping, one could have heard a pin drop with how silent the room was.

'Fast!' the two women thought in unison. Yoruichi could scarcely comprehend that Ichigo had not even blurred in her superior kinetic vision- the teen simply vanished.

"Well, I won. Guess I'm getting those lessons, right Soifon?" He asked teasingly.

The Captain could only nod, unable to formulate words for a moment. She cleared her throat and finally gathered her thoughts. "Yes. As a matter of fact, we shall begin now, so please unhand Yoruichi-sama."

The Substitute forgot he had Yoruichi subdued, since she had moved at all. Soifon saw the momentary surprise on his face, and got slightly annoyed. 'That bastard, putting his wretched hands all over Yoruichi-sama's nude body!'

However, Soifon didn't let her face even twitch- perks of being an assassin. She would simply make the teen's training much harder to compensate.

"Well, let's get started. First thing, release your Bankai. It will increase your reiatsu output by five to ten times."

"See, there's an issue with that… I kinda can't."

Soifon closed her eyes for a moment, and pinched her nose bridge.

"Kurosaki, I really thought there was a limit to how stupid a soul could be…"

"Hey, it's not my fault! Zangetsu said I couldn't, because my reiatsu is too high to drop Bankai!"

"And what happen if you did?"

'Uh, Tensa, why can't we go back to Shikai?'

"Because if we did without you learning to seal your reiatsu into your body, your sword would attempt to take in the excess, would get overloaded, then explode with more force than a Cero in less than a millisecond."

Ichigo looked Soifon right in the eye. "...He said bad things."

Soifon shook her head. Yoruichi had transformed back into a cat, and curled up in the corner to take a nap.

"Alright, let's start simple. First, do you have any skill with channeling your reiryoku?"

"Yeah, I guess. I kinda have to for the Getsuga Tenshou…"

"Is that the only thing?"

"Yeah, I don't have any other attacks"

"That… may work. The only issue is that the reiryoku is channeled into your sword, when it should be in your body… That is your first lesson."

"What?"

"Learn to generate a Getsuga Tenshou with your hand."

Ichigo looked at her strangely. "You sure that'll work?"

"Positive. The concept is the same, there is merely a difference in location. Once you have managed that, we will work on separating the reiryoku from the effects, then focus on keeping it contained."

Ichigo looked down at his hand, then shrugged. He visualized his arm as the black blade of Tensa Zangetsu, grabbed hold of reiryoku, and pushed.

Soifon jumped up in alarm when black flames manifested on the Substitute's arm. She leapt at him, and brought her hand down on his head- a decision she immediately regretted.

Ichigo's head only moved back, so the attack fulfilled its purpose, but at a cost.

The Strawberry opened his eyes to see Soifon kneeling in front of him, clutching her extremely red hand close to her chest. She was glaring at him with eyes that promised eternal torment.

"Um… what happened?"


:P Got my interim report. I'm failing two classes- French and Physics. Only cuz I don't do the work, so don't go thinking I'm stupid or anything. I got my phone taken away, so I'm gonna be using my laptop a lot more. You know what that means? More chapters! For various stories, of course, because I'm fickle like that. Speaking of other stories, if you're reading this, check out my profile :D