Hello, everybody, I'm Astromormy and I'm back with another chapter. I'm trying to make up for the long hiatus with a steady flow of updates until I get around a 100k words. Just some things I want to point out. Any criticism is accepted as long as it's constructive and any ideas people might have are equally accepted. I have the destination of where I want this story to go planned, but only a rough path on how to get there, so if you have any ideas for an OC story arc, then tell me about it through the comments or PM me. I plan to do the Quincy war, but it won't start for two years or so and that means I've got plenty of time to put in a few OC story arcs. Also, I'm going to set up a poll to find out if I should have Ichigo sleep with more woman besides the ones on his harem. These woman will essentially just be one night stands and I won't do it with all characters, just a few. Even if I decide to do this, I won't have any lemons for a good while yet, so don't expect any. Also, if I do this, the story won't just turn into a smut story, it will still be primarily driven by the plot.

My thanks also goes out to Lynansidhe who sent me a PM detailing several grammatical errors in chapter 3. With his help, I fixed almost a hundred individual errors, mostly centering around contraction misuse. This is what comments are for, if you see any problem in my story, I can't fix it if you don't tell me and I will most likely keep making that mistake unless you tell me about it. Even if you're not reporting errors, comment, that's where I get my motivation. I started working on this chapter immediately upon reading the first comment my story got after being updated, which was approximately 20 or so minutes previous. So if you want me to write faster, comment, comment, comment.

Chapter 4

"Regular Speech"

"Thoughts"

"Hollow Speech"

Techniques

When Ichigo arrived home, he was immediately met with his dad's foot in his face.

"HA, HA, YOU LET YOUR GUA- AHHHH,"screamed Isshin as Ichigo simply ducked and allowed his father to continue flying out the door.

"I'm not in the mood old man," he said as shut and locked door.

"That ought to keep him out of my hair for a few minutes at least," thought Ichigo as walked up the stairs.

As Ichigo left the bathroom, ready to go to bed, Isshin popped back up in front of Ichigo.

"Ha, you thought you could lock me out, but you failed to remember the key under the mat" exclaimed Isshin.

"Damn, I forgot about that key. Next time I'll have to remember," cursed Ichigo to himself.

Isshin jumped back and sobbed, "You didn't even try to deny it."

Then flinging himself at a nearby poster, Isshin shouted, "MASAKI, OUR SON IS SO MEAN TO ME."

"SHUT UP, YOU OLD GOAT. YOU'LL WAKE THE GIRLS" shouted Ichigo just as loudly.

"That statement'd be more realistic if you were talking about the neighbor's kids," said Karin as she and her sister, Yuzu, walked out their shared room.

"What are you two still doing up at this hour, it's past midnight and don't you have to work the clinic tomorrow, Dad?" she asked.

"Yes, but I had to stay up and wait for your delinquent brother to get home because he was out all night. Why were you out so late, Ichigo. Could it be that you've finally found a girlfriend," said Isshin grinning like mad, knowing EXACTLY what was going to happen.

"What? You have a girlfriend now, Ichigo?" asked Yuzu, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"WHAT? No, I don't have a girlfriend." said Ichigo indignantly.

"Oh, when do we get to meet her, Ichigo? Is she nice? Is she pretty? Does she like to cook?" asked Yuzu in rapid succession, all traces of sleep gone from her face.

"I've already told you; I don't have a girlfriend" said Ichigo, trying to win what he knew was a losing battle. "Tell them the truth, Dad. Tell them that I don't have a girlfriend," pleaded Ichigo.

"Oh, I don't know Ichigo. Everything adds up, you staying out late, being so secretive. Are you sure you're not hiding something from us, Ichigo?" said Isshin with a cheshire grin.

If looks could kill, Isshin's entire family line would have spontaneously combusted from the look Ichigo was giving him.

"Now don't give me that look. I don't know why you're being so defensive for. Wait, could be that you don't have a girlfriend, but a b-"

"Finish that sentence and I tell Karin what happened to her goldfish," threatened Ichigo menacingly.

Squinting in suspicion, Isshin said, "You wouldn't dare."

"What are you two talking about. Bubbles died of old age while I was at school, right?" said Karin, staring angrily at Isshin.

"Um, well, you see, Uhhhhh, NO MORE QUESTIONS! It's well past your bedtime. So go on, shoo, back to bed," stammered Isshin as he shepherded both Yuzu and Karin back to their room.

"But I still wanna find out about Ichigo's girlfriend," whined Yuzu.

"If I find out you killed Bub-" threatened Karin.

Isshin quickly shut the door to starve off what he knew was going to be a disaster.

Turning back around, Isshin looked up into Ichigo's triumphant face.

"You may have won the battle, but not the war. One day you'll come home with a girl and I'll be waiting. It might not be today; it might not be tomorrow, but when it comes..." proclaimed Isshin, chuckling evilly at the thought.

Ichigo sweat dropped at his dad's antics before saying, "Yeah, sure. Is there anything you actually want."

Recomposing himself, Isshin said, "Hm, I noticed you got that armor off. What was up with it?"

Yawning, Ichigo said, "It was my projected reiryoku. All I had to do was reabsorb it using quincy powers."

Hearing that, Isshin immediately paled, expecting anything but what he had heard. "Wha-What? How do you know about your quincy powers?"

Ichigo had expected his dad to be surprised, but not to this degree. Frowning, he said, "I found out from the old man Zangetsu. Turns out he's the manifestation of my quincy powers."

"I believe you, it's just that, I never expected you to find out like that. I planned to tell you the truth the same time I told you about my past, but I guess that doesn't matter now does it," said Isshin chuckling nervously.

"Yeah, I guess not, but that does beg the question. How did Mom die against Grand Fisher if she was a quincy?" asked Ichigo.

Sighing, Isshin said, "That's a story for another time. I'll tell you when you're ready. Now lets get to bed. It's already going on one in the morning."

"Alright, Dad. I'll see you in the morning."

In the Morning:

Ichigo woke up in time to catch his dad as flew towards him. Grabbing his dad's foot, Ichigo proceeded to throw his dad out the window.

"CAN'T YOU EVER GROW UP YOU OLD GOAT," shouted Ichigo angrily.

After the ensuring morning chaos had died down and the twins had gone to school, Ichigo sat at the table with his dad, neither interrupting the silence until Isshin asked.

"What do you plan to do now? Are you still going to be a soul reaper or are you going to try and forge a new path?"

Sighing, Ichigo said, "Honestly, I don't know. I know I'm going to have to confront the Court Guard Squads eventually and tell them what happened since I'm sure no one here told them anything."

"That's right. With you still unconscious, we didn't know everything that needed to be said, so we put off telling them anything except that you'd 'sacrificed' your powers to defeat Aizen till you woke up. If you want my advice though, I'd say deal with the Court Guard Squads as soon as possible, today even if possible, just to get it out of the way" answered Isshin calmly.

"Well, what do you think I should do after that now that I've changed?" asked Ichigo, contemplating his new existence.

Thinking for a moment, Isshin said, "If it was me, I'd try and return to what made me happy."

"Well, I was happy being a soul reaper." responded Ichigo.

"Then there's your answer. If there's nothing stopping you, then I'd be happy to see you become a soul reaper again."

"Alright then, I'll go to the Soul Society today and set things straight," said Ichigo, convinced.

Grinning again, Isshin said, "Great, and when you get this whole mess with the Soul Society situated, we can do our rounds together. Now that I'm back in the game, I can continue my duties as a soul reaper. Just imagine it, father and son, fighting hollows and protecting humans. We'll finally be bonding."

"Yep, and just like that, the moments over. I'm going to Urahara's. He wanted to see me," said Ichigo as he rose from the table.

Isshin flung himself at the poster of his wife and sobbed, "MASAKI, OUR SON DOESN'T WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH ME."

Sighing at his dad's idiocy, Ichigo focused and in an instant was gone.

Urahara Shop:

"Okay, I may not have wanted all these changes, but this teleportation is kinda of cool," said Ichigo as he appeared on Urahara's doorstep.

Ichigo knocked on the door and waited for Urahara to open the door.

"Ah, Ichigo, good morning. Come on in, I've got some things I need to discuss with you," greeted Urahara.

After they had situated themselves and Tessai had brought them some tea, Urahara asked, "Have you decided what you're going to do about the Soul Society?"

Ichigo set down his own tea and said, "Yeah, I've decided I'll head over there today and tell them I still want to be a soul reaper."

"That's probably a good idea. There's just a few things I need to tell you before you go," said Urahara. "Come down to the training room and I'll set you up a senkaimon."

"All right."

A few minuets later they were both standing in the training room under the store.

"All right, Ichigo, before you go, I need to warn you," said Urahara, unusually serious.

"Warn me? Warn me about what?" asked Ichigo, confused.

"You already know that your soul is composed completely of pure reishi, correct?"

"Yeah," said Ichigo, not sure where he was going with his questions.

Nodding, Urahara said, "Good. When you were unconscious, your inner hollow appeared before Yoruichi and myself."

This bit of information immediately caught Ichigo's attention.

"WHAT! How did he get out! What did he do!," demanded Ichigo, frantic at what his inner hollow could have done without him there to stop him.

"Nothing like what you're thinking. He came to warn us not to let you use your mask. He said that doing so would mix your reiryoku with his and cause a chain reaction with enough power to end all life as we know it," explained Urahara solemnly.

"What! No, that's impossible. Nothing could cause that much destruction. He had to be lying," denied Ichigo, not wanting to believe such destruction could be possible.

"I don't believe he was, Ichigo. Your inner hollow is extremely powerful and incredibly dangerous, but he's not stupid. He wouldn't risk destroying everything just to try and take over your body. What you don't under stand is just how much power you have. The oin is nothing compared to your power and yet it has enough to warp reality. Just imagine what you could do once you learn to control your power. Following that, it's entirely possible that once you learn to control it, you could destroy the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, the Human World, and every other plain of existence in the blink of an eye. The thought of power like that getting out of control terrifies me more than anything else as there is nothing anyone could do to stop you," explained Urahara, trying to impress upon Ichigo the depths of his own power.

Ichigo could only stare in shock as Urahara explained to him just how dangerous the power he wielded was. He knew he had gained power previously thought impossible to have, but it wasn't until right now that he realized just how much he truly had.

"No. It can't be true. I never wanted this. Please, there's got to be something you can do to turn me back to normal, anything," begged Ichigo desperately.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo. Though it may seem at times that I have all the answers, I don't. But it isn't all bad. I told you yesterday that you had the powers of a god at your fingertips and I wasn't lying. Just imagine all the good you can do for the Soul Society once you learn to control those powers. You could bring equality to all 80 districts; you could serve as a deterrent to all future conflicts in the Soul Society; the possibilities are endless," said Urahara, trying to cheer Ichigo up.

"But how do you know I won't slip up? How do you know I won't turn bad and try to hurt the people I love?" pressed Ichigo.

Sighing, Urahara said, "The humans have a saying, some men are born great and others have greatness thrust upon them. You, Ichigo, I believe are both. You were born the first and only perfect hybrid between all four known races with a potential for growth unmatched by any that came before you and when it came time for you to defend the Soul Society, you shouldered a grown man's burden without complaint and faced down an enemy that warriors with many times your own experience couldn't. You were even willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect what was important many times over, and yet you somehow always managed to pull through. Ichigo, if there was anyone I would entrust unlimited power to, it would be you."

Touched by his teacher's words, Ichigo looked at Urahara and said, "And you''ll be there to help when I need it?"

"Every step of the way if need be along with the rest of your friends and family," said Urahara firmly.

Smiling to himself, Ichigo said, "Thanks, Hat-an-Clogs. I've made my decision. I'm going to master my power and protect Soul Society. But I do have a question though."

"Oh, and what is that?" asked Urahara, curious as to what his student could want to know.

"You said that my inner hollow came to tell you this. Why didn't he tell me this himself?"

"Hm, if I remember correctly, he called you an arrogant bastard that never listened to him and that you'd probably use the mask anyway, blowing up the world in the process," said Urahara, grinning at the look of irritation that appeared on Ichigo's face.

"Hmph, yeah, that sounds like him, calling me arrogant, the dick," said Ichigo irritably.

"Yes, well, while we're on the subject of your inner hollow," said Urahara, serious again. "I won't tell you not to trust him. I just want you to know that he isn't to be trifled with. Your hollow isn't like the inner hollows that the other vizords have. Theirs are nothing more than mindless beasts that operate purely on instinct. Yours, on the other hand, has the cunning and intelligence that would give Aizen and myself a run for our money with power that far outstrips our own. So, in your dealings with him, just be.., weary," said Urahara carefully.

Nodding grimly, Ichigo said, "When I spoke with Zangetsu, he said I should try to form a bond with him, and I plan to do so, but I'll take your advice to heart too."

"That's all I ask," said Urahara before grinning again and saying, "Well, we've wasted enough time. I say it's about time we got you to the Soul Society."

"Alright, am I going to be using the same senkaimon gate I used when I first went to the Soul Society?" asked Ichigo.

"No, that thing was an antique. This time, since you're not an enemy invading, we'll be using the official senkaimon gate," answered Urahara.

"Alright, what do I do?" asked Ichigo, ready to be on his way.

"Well, for now you can't open a senkaimon gate. Each soul reaper has to have their unique reiryoku signature keyed in by the Department of Research and Development. This is done by draining a small amount of reiryoku from a soul reapers zanpakuto and inputting it into the senkaimon control module. When you finish with the Court Guard Squads, have them input your reiryoku signature. After that you can open a senkaimon gate by accumulating your reiryoku at the tip of your zanpakuto and twisting it about 90 degrees to the right," explained Urahara.

"So what, are you going to open a gate for me this time?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes, until you get your signature keyed in, I'll do it," he said as he quickly unsheathed his sword and stabbed it into the air, then turning it, opened the glowing gate.

Stepping up to enter the gate, Ichigo was about to step through when Urahara halted him.

"Hold on for just one moment Ichigo, I want you to take this camera and communicator with you so I can monitor you in case anything interesting happens," said Urahara with a deceptive grin on his face.

"Why do I feel like there's more to this than you're telling me?" asked Ichigo, weary.

"That's because there is, now go on, get out of here, the senkaimon won't stay open forever," said Urahara, still grinning as he pushed Ichigo through the gate.

Ichigo stumbled through the gate as it closed. Looking back, he said, "I don't know what it is, but I feel like I'm going to have to punch him when I get back."

Setting off at a brisk pace, Ichigo was glad that the cleaner was still in shambles as he was sure that under any other circumstances, it would just happen to be passing through at the exact time he was going through.

Quickly reaching the end and exiting, Ichigo didn't walk two steps before massive alarms went off throughout the entire Seireitei.

Scowling, Ichigo growled, "Urahara." Immediately grabbing the communicator/camera that Urahara gave him, Ichigo shouted into it over the alarm, "You knew this was going to happen, you bastard! When I get back, I'm going to shove my foot so far up your ass that they'll have to mail it back to me. You hear me, Hat-and-Clogs, your ass's days are numbered!"

Back at the Urahara Shop:

Urahara's eyes grew wide in fear after hearing Ichigo's threat to his ass. He immediately wrapped his hands around said anatomy and tried not to think what such an experience would feel like while Yoruichi was laughing her ass of behind him.

Back in Soul Society:

Ichigo crushed the camera/communicator in his hand and threw it to the ground. Then scowling, he began his trek towards squad one captain chambers where he knew the captains would be convening in response to the alarms blaring across the Seireitei. When he arrived at the entrance to the chambers, he tried walking through, but was stopped by a soul reaper appearing in his way.

"Stop, this room is off limits to all but the captains," said the nameless soldier.

"I'm sure they'll make an exception for me. Now, can you move, please?" asked Ichigo, trying to walk past the soul reaper.

"No, I can't allow you to go in there. I was made the guard for this door because I am the only one amongst thousands of others able to protect the captains while they convene and I will perform my sworn duty by stopping you. Surrender now and I may allow you to live," said the nameless soul reaper pompously.

Sweat dropping, Ichigo said, "You have an awfully high opinion of yourself to think ONLY you have the skills needed to play bouncer for the captains and even more so to think you can actually stop anyone that would pose a true threat to the captains. But, ignoring that, answer me this. If you're so strong then why didn't I see you fighting Aizen in the Winter War?" asked Ichigo, doubting the man's strength with every passing moment.

"Blasphemy. I did more than simply fight in the war, for I was one to strike the killing blow against the traitorous Aizen. He begged for his life as he trembled before my might. This is why I have been made to protect the captains. This is also why you will now tremble in fear before me, now that you know the extent of my power," said the soul reaper smugly.

Hearing this, Ichigo couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing.

"You dare laugh in front of the face of your executioner," said the soul reaper angrily.

Swallowing his mirth for the moment and frowned, Ichigo said, "I do dare. I dare to laugh in the face of a bold faced liar taking credit for others work and exaggerating his own skills to the point of lies. I fought Aizen and I can tell you in full honesty that under no circumstance would Aizen ever view you as threat. The only way you could have killed Aizen is if he suffocated from laughing to death," said Ichigo, watching the man's face turn redder with every word he said.

"That's it. I have suffered your presence long enough. Prepare for death heathen!" shouted the man angrily.

Sighing, Ichigo said, "Alright then, show me this unbeatable strength you possess, show me your shikai."

"I haven't yet achieved a shikai release, but I will have no need of one to dispatch one as weak as you" yelled the man, somehow sounding even more stuffed up than before.

Widening his eyes in disbelief, Ichigo said, "Wait! Not only do you claim to have more strength than the captains, but you claim so without even having your shikai. I can't even find the words to describe how pathetic you are."

Forgoing words, the nameless soul reaper drew his asauchi and attacked Ichigo. Not even bothering to move or make any other action to defend himself, Ichigo let the man approach before stretching out and catching the man's blade with only his finger."

"Wow, now I know why Aizen did that, it's awesome," said Ichigo nonchalantly as the man before him began sweating in fear at such a display of strength.

"H-How could you possess such strength to stop my blade with just a finger?" asked the man fearfully.

Frowning, Ichigo said, "I'm not usually this cruel when dealing with idiots, but you had it coming. The question you should be asking yourself isn't about my my own strength, but about your own lack of. Honestly, I'm pretty sure anyone that's worth anything as a soul reaper could have stopped your blade. With your level of strength, I doubt your sword could cut butter. I'm actually surprised you were admitted into the academy, let alone graduated, with a soul and sword as weak as yours. You claim to be stronger than the captains and to have faced down Aizen, and yet you don't even have your shikai, nor do you know the first thing about the responsibilities and duties of a captain. As you are now, I see nothing more than a nameless peon trying to make himself bigger than he actually is."

Struggling to hold in his anger at the insults to his strength, the soul reaper said, "And what about you, what makes you so powerful that you can talk down to me?"

"Me," said Ichigo, gesturing to himself. "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki and I'm the one that defeated Aizen, not you."

The man's eyes before him widened in shock and surprise at hearing that hero of the winter war was standing before him.

"W-What, that's impossible. They said that Ichigo Kurosaki was a human turned soul reaper who gained the strength to defeat Aizen when even all the captains combined couldn't. Something like that's impossible. No mere human could ever defeat a captain, much less myself," said the soul reaper derisively.

Frowning again, Ichigo said, "You make it so easy to hate you. In fact, I'm done wasting my time with you. Move now or I'll make you," demanded Ichigo calmly.

"No, I'll nev-," started the man, but before he could finish, Ichigo grabbed the man by his robes and flung him several feet behind him and into a wall.

Glad that all immediate nuisances had been dealt with, Ichigo stepped up to the door and was about to open when it opened for him and Captain Hitsugaya stuck his head out.

"What's going on out here? What's with all the noise?" demanded Hitsugaya.

"Ah, hey, Toshiro, how's it going. I just came here to talk to the old man," greeted Ichigo happily.

"Ichigo, when did you get here?" asked Hitsugaya in surprise.

"A few minutes ago. I tried to come in but was held up by the idiot back there claiming to be the captain's guard," said Ichigo.

"'Captain's guard? I've never heard of such a thing, but I do recognize that soul reaper. He was put on probation for spreading lies throughout the squads and was being punished with cleaning duty. Apparently more severe measures need to be taken if he's still spreading his lies around. What did he say to you?" asked Hitsugaya, curious.

Ichigo recounted his meeting with soul reaper and his ensuring lies to Hitsugaya and even managed to get a slight grin out of him when he told him about the man insulting Ichigo indirectly by insulting humans.

"And that's why he's taking a nap in the wall," said Ichigo simply.

Sighing briefly, Hitsugaya said, "While I don't necessarily agree with your methods, I won't deny that he deserved it, nor that it was effective. Now come in here and report in to the Captain Commander. An alarm in the R/D Department was just set off and I'm sure he'll want to know what you had to do with it.

"Hey, how do you know I had something to do with it?" asked Ichigo, irritated.

"Are you saying that you didn't have anything to do with the alarm going off?" asked Hitsugaya pointedly.

"Well, no, but it's hardly fair for you to immediately assume it was my fault just because it went off as soon as I arrived... in... Soul... Society. Ya, I guess you have a point." conceded Ichigo.

"Wait. The alarm went off as soon as you arrived. I had just figured you broke something on your way here. You're not invading again are you?," said Hitsugaya, surprised and slightly worried at the same time.

"Well, I guess that all depends on you all, now doesn't it. Are you holding anymore of my friends captive and threatening him/her with death by incineration?" asked Ichigo with a growing tick mark.

"I don't think so," said Hitsugaya thoughtfully.

"Then I guess not," said Ichigo ground out, tick mark still growing. "Honestly, does everyone immediately assume the worst when I show up?"

"Yes," said Hitsugaya without a moments hesitation.

Sweat-dropping, Ichigo said, "You didn't even hesitate."

"That's because there was nothing to hesitate about. When ever you show up, something terrible has happened or is about to happen. The first time you arrived in the Soul Society, you threw the Seireitei into war with some of the most dangerous enemies it has ever had to face. So, yes, you appearing is an immediate cause for concern," explained Hitsugaya calmly.

"Glad to know I'm thought so highly of," said Ichigo glumly.

"Try not to think of it like that. Think of yourself as something of an early warning system for the Soul Society. With you, we can prepare ahead of time for whatever disaster follows you here," said Hitsugaya, trying to raise Ichigo's spirits, but only managing to lower them further.

"Wow, thanks for the confidence boost. Goodness knows what I'd do without your constant encouragement," said Ichigo blandly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You're welcome. Now, we should go back inside so you can report in," said Hitsugaya, not seeming to get Ichigo's sarcasm.

When Ichigo entered the room, all eyes turned towards him.

"Hey, Ichigo, nice of you to join us. What's with your hair, you get extensions or something?" asked Captain Kyoraku, yawning in boredom.

"No, it grew over the course of three months," said Ichigo.

"Hm, I'm not even going to question how that's possible seeing as I only saw you last week and your hair was much shorter then, but knowing you, I'm sure were both telling the truth and time just decided to fuck itself," said Kyoraku nonchalantly.

"Well, it's that and other things that I hope to tell you all while I'm here," said Ichigo.

"Quiet! We are in the middle of a crisis. This is no time for meaningless banter," commanded Yamamoto angrily.

"I would hardly call this a crisis sensei. The alarms have been known to trip before and based on that, I highly doubt this will be any different," commented Ukitake pleasantly.

"This is no mistake. I built that alarm myself. The thought of it malfunctioning is impossible," said Kurotsuchi derisively.

"Enough! I won't have anymore bickering amonst you children," said Yamamoto angrily, causing all other talking to subside. Then, looking towards Ichigo, Yamamoto said, "Ichigo Kurosaki, why have you come here. We were told that you sacrificed your powers to defeat Aizen. Though we are not ungrateful, I must ask if this was false. With the Seireitei in a state of emergency, I find your timely arrival too coincidental to be by mere chance?"

Ichigo's eye twitched as he was reminded of Hitsugaya's earlier words before saying, "That's what I came here today to explain. Originally, I was supposed to lose my powers, but some something happened that allowed me to keep them."

Yamamoto merely nodded at this and motioned for Ichigo to begin his explanation.

"I'll start from the beginning then," said Ichigo before turning to look at each of the captains. "When Aizen managed to defeat the head captain, Urahara, my dad, and Yoruichi all attacked him together. Urahara managed to restrain him for a few moments with several high level bakudo spells, just long enough for him to shoot hado number 91, Senju Koten Taiho, at him with a special sealing kido hidden within it. Aizen then appeared to gain the upper hand when he slashed Urahara, but Urahara had tricked and sealed off the outlets for spiritual energy on his wrists using a special kido he developed to burn Aizen up from the inside using his own reiryoku."

Before Ichigo could continue with his story, Kurotsuchi spoke out, "If that was all it took to defeat him, then I fail to see what you did to stop him. If all it took was a simple sealing kido from a fool of a scientist to defeat that mindless degenerate, I could have done so myself and been done with the whole problem before it began," he scoffed.

Several of the older captains that remembered when Urahara had been a captain frowned at hearing the insult to the accomplishment that none of them could achieve when working together. Frowning, Ukitake said.

"You shouldn't denounce Kisuke Urahara as such, Captain Kurotsuchi. According to Ichigo, he was forced to create a seal that would have had to have been far stronger than any known seal to seal away Aizen's reiryoku to such a degree that it would cause him to be incinerated from the inside. And as you should well know, creating any form of kido, even single digit kido, is a skill of the highest degree that takes an extensive mastery over all forms of kido to even attempt, let alone succeed in. To think he developed an easily forbidden level kido, it places his skills at levels not seen since Tessai Tsukabishi was the Kido Corps Commander. And I very much doubt Ichigo has finished his story, so it may be better if you hold your judgment until afterwards."

Kurotsuchi simply sneered at the elder captain telling him off, but wisely didn't retort. Then, looking at Ichigo, Ukitake gestured for him to proceed.

Nodding his thanks, Ichigo said, "Aizen didn't die when Urahara sealed his power. It managed to work for a few moments, but because he had fused with the hogyoku, he managed to survive and evolve into a stronger form."

"Where were you in all of this?" asked Captain Soi Fon.

"I was fighting Gin. While Urahara and the others fought Aizen, I kept Gin from attacking them," answered Ichigo.

Satisfied with his answer, Soi Fon merely nodded in response and motioned for him to continue.

"Eventually, Aizen managed to get away with Gin and head back to the Soul Society, where the real Karakura town was. When he did, I can only presume he destroyed the cleaner as he was going through the Dangai."

"How did Aizen manage to destroy the cleaner?" asked Yamamoto calmly "The remains of the creature have already been found, verifying your words as fact, but it was designed to be immune to all forms of damage."

Thinking for a moment, Ichigo responded, "From what I know, when Aizen destroyed the cleaner, he had already evolved further than before and obtained power much greater than that of any normal soul reaper. I would have to guess that he managed to gain enough power that the cleaner couldn't consume him and was destroyed as a result of it trying."

Frowning, Yamamoto said, "That is unsettling. The cleaner was built so that no measurable force could harm it. The thought that power like that exists does not bode well for the 13 Court Guard Squads."

Deciding to put the man's mind at ease as best he could, Ichigo said, "The only way Aizen gained that much power was with the help of the hogyoku. Without it, it'd be impossible to gain that much power and survive."

Before Ichigo could continue with his report, Soi Fon questioned the Captain Commander,

"Head Captain, how will Kisuke Urahara be punished for his creation of the hogyoku?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Ichigo loudly before Yamamoto could respond. "Punished? Why would Kisuke be punished, he wasn't the one that nearly killed several thousand people and wiped the Court Guard Squads off the face of Soul Society?" said Ichigo angrily to Soi Fon.

Looking at him with disdain, Soi Fon said, "The fact remains though that he created the instrument of our destruction and because of his actions, we were almost destroyed. Such actions can not go unpunished."

"No, that isn't fair. Kisuke may have created the hogyoku, but he didn't make it to destroy the Court Guard Squads. He made it to help study the barrier between soul reapers and hollows. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to save Shinji, Love, Lisa, or any of the other vizords when AIZEN almost killed them by turning them into what they are now," refuted Ichigo angrily.

"What is this? Kisuke Urahara saved those infected with hollow powers 100 years ago," asked Yamamoto, cracking an eye open in surprise. "This information is unheard of, where did you hear of it?"

"I heard it from Urahara himself and his story was later confirmed by Aizen when he addressed the vizord as 'failed experiments' when they came to help in the war," answered Ichigo.

Contemplating what he had been told for a moment, Yamamoto said, "This changes things. If Kisuke Urahara is indeed innocent and was framed, then he will be pardoned along with Tessai Tsukabishi and Yoruichi Shihoin."

"And what about the vizord? Will they be allowed back into Soul Society?" asked Ichigo.

"For their assistance in the war against Aizen and their proven control over their hollow powers, the vizord will be granted amnesty along with Urahara Kisuke, should he be found innocent," said Yamamoto finally.

"Despite this new evidence, Head Captain, it is still the actions of Kisuke Urahara that brought about the arrancar and Espada," said Soi Fon, slightly irritated that someone she viewed as a threat was being considered for a pardon.

"That's not true!" countered Ichigo quickly.

Scoffing, Soi Fon said, "Idiot boy, Aizen stole Kisuke Urahara's hogyoku the day of his betrayal and created his army of arrancar with it. I knew you were young and inexperienced, but I didn't know your stupid too."

Prickling in anger, Ichigo managed to rein in his emotions before they got out of control, they wouldn't help him here. Then scowling, he said, "That's not what I meant. I meant that Aizen never used Urahara's hogyoku."

"Are you implying that there are multiple hogyoku?" asked Soi Fon dangerously.

Not frightened in the least, Ichigo said, "Yes, Aizen had one of his own."

"Explain quickly. I want you to finish your report as soon as possible," said the head captain simply.

Nodding, Ichigo said, "Urahara developed a hogyoku while he was the captain of squad 12. When he was exiled, he took it with him and placed it within Rukia's soul and when she came to him asking for a gigai after she gave her powers to me, he gave her a special one that would turn her human and hopefully destroy the hogyoku."

"He did what?" asked Byakuya icily.

"Don't judge him to quickly," said Ichigo, trying to delay Byakuya's anger until he could explain. "I asked him why he would do something so underhanded and he told me that it was because he was out of options. He'd been working tirelessly for the past hundred years, trying to destroy the hogyoku to keep it out of Aizen's hands, but every attempt ended in failure. Eventually he got desperate and was forced to choose the lesser of two evils," explained Ichigo.

Byakuya wanted to be angry with the former captain, but now knowing the circumstances, he couldn't find it in himself to fault the man for what he did, instead he just gave a nearly imperceptible nod for Ichigo to continue.

"Obviously, despite Urahara's actions, Aizen got hold of his hogyoku when he took it from Rukia that day on Sokyoku Hill. Aizen then fed Urahara's hogyoku to his own to complete it. This technically means that it wasn't Urahara's but Aizen's hogyoku that created the arrancar and Espada," pointed out Ichigo.

"This information will be considered along with all other evidence when Kisuke Urahara's case is reviewed, but for now, complete your report without any more interruptions," said Yamamoto, looking pointedly towards each of the captains that had spoken out and gotten them off track.

Continuing once again, Ichigo spoke, "When my dad and I followed Aizen through the Dangai, we noticed the absence of the cleaner. My dad then told me about the time difference within the Dangai and we decided to take advantage of it. With it, I spent three months training with my bankai spirit, Tensa Zangetsu, and my inner hollow through the use of jinzen while my dad fixated the restrictive current. That's also why my hair is longer than it should be," he added as a side note.

Despite the previous warning, this information caused several outbursts among the gathered captains before one by one, they managed to break through to Ichigo.

"You expect us to believe that you, a mere human, not only stayed in bankai for three months, but also gained the strength necessary to defeat an opponent that the entire Court Guard Squads couldn't defeat in that same time. Preposterous."

"Are you insane? A stunt like that was incredibly dangerous. If your father had run out of energy, what would you have done then?"

"So if you've trained for three months, that means you've gotten stronger and we can fight."

"Impossible, a bankai requires enormous amounts of power to sustain for just a few short minutes. The thought of someone maintaining one for three months is ridiculous."

"Silence!," shouted Yamamoto, raising his spiritual pressure, causing silence to quickly fall over the room.

Then speaking, he said, "I will not have my captains bickering amongst themselves like children. What you do outside this room isn't important, but in here, you will control yourselves."

Looking towards Ichigo to continue, Ichigo said, "I don't know if my bankai is different from any of yours, but the only time I've felt a drain from using my bankai was when I first used it against Byakuya during our fight on top of Sokyoku Hill. I hadn't learned how to properly control my spiritual pressure yet and the resulting out of control pressure exerted by my bankai was slowly crushing my body. As for the safety of my training. I didn't have any other choice. Everyone else had already fallen and I was the only person left capable of fighting Aizen. At the same time though, I wasn't strong enough to fight him and win, leaving training in the Dangai as my only option. I also had faith in my dad to know his own limits."

When some grumbling and other murmurings broke out, Yamamoto slammed his cane on the floor, sending a resounding crack throughout the room and silencing the room again. Speaking, he said, "Ichigo Kurosaki, your bankai is Tensa Zangetsu and if reports on it are correct, it is a compression type. This type of bankai is extremely rare, in fact, only two known people have ever been known to possess a compression type bankai, yourself and one other that will remain unnamed. Alongside this, a compression type bankai is extraordinarily powerful and can give birth to some of the strongest abilities ever recorded. Unlike other bankai though that project reiryoku outwards to form a giant construct or something similar, a compression type concentrates a soul reapers reiryoku inwards and compresses it within the body, negating the expenditure of reiryoku as none leaves the body," explained Yamamoto.

"And what about his training in the Dangai? What is your verdict on it?" asked Soi Fon.

"His training in the Dangai is inconsequential. It's already happened and it is as he said, there was no other choice at the time," answered Yamamoto. "There is a problem though," he continued, getting Ichigo's attention. "No matter who you are, whether that be hollow, quincy, human, or soul reaper, there is no possible way you could have spanned the massive gap in power that you imply in just three short months. Even your own incredible rate of growth wouldn't have been enough to bridge such a massive difference in power. What aren't you telling us?" he commanded.

"You're right, I haven't told you everything," admitted Ichigo. "The truth is, the training I undertook in the Dangai was spent trying to learn just one technique." Noticing the confusion on several captain's faces, he continued, "The technique I learned is known as the Final Getsuga Tensho and it's what allowed me to defeat Aizen. I'll go into more detail on it in a moment."

"Before I say this next part though, since I know it'll raise a lot of questions, just wait until I finish before asking, I'll answer what I can while I'm talking."

Taking a breath, he said, "When I left the Dangai with my dad over my shoulder, I learned what had transpired during the hour that had pasted outside the Dangai. Aizen had cornered my friends and was taunting them after having killed Gin."

At this Ichigo was careful to watch out for any one about to interrupt, but was surprised when everyone held their tongue. He continued.

"From what I learned, Gin was never on Aizen's side. He only teamed up with Aizen to get revenge on him for taking something from Rangiku when they were both young. Since that time, he worked hard to get himself into Aizen's good graces, even going so far as to making everyone believe he had betrayed them, all until the perfect moment presented itself to him and he took it. Apparently Gin had kept the true ability of his bankai a secret from Aizen and he used that to catch him by surprise and take the hogyoku from his chest. It almost worked, but even though the hogyoku wasn't in him, the hogyoku still served Aizen. It caused Aizen to transform again and fully regenerate. Aizen then killed Gin after confessing that he secretly knew about Gin's plot against him the whole time. It was at that point that I arrived."

Ichigo stopped and like a well oiled machine the questions came.

"That can't possibly be true. If it was then he would have told us before hand and we could have planned accordingly," said Soi Fon, disbelieving.

"No offense, Captain Soi Fon, but you've refuted and denied almost everything I've said thus far, only for it to be proven true moments later. What reason do you think I'd lie now for?" asked Ichigo, irritated at her constant mistrust in him.

Several captains gasped at this remark and Soi Fon's face grew red in anger. Before she could retort though, Yamamoto called for silence before saying, "The truth behind Gin Ichimaru's betrayal is enlightening, but it is not important now that he is dead. Continue your report from that point onwards."

Nodding, Ichigo continued, "When I left the Dangai, I had gained strength and power that was impossible for even Aizen to comprehend. He didn't believe it at the time and instead thought that I had failed to get stronger when he couldn't sense my power. He then later changed his mind when I managed to pick him up and throw him several miles."

Just as someone was about to open their mouths to either question him or announce their disbelief, Ichigo said, "STOP, no questions, I assure that what I'm telling you is 100 percent true and possible. Just let me finish and then you can question me, alright."

When no one spoke out, he continued, "Eventually it got to a point where Aizen evolved again because I wounded him. After wounding me in turn, I was forced to use my ultimate technique against him, the Final Getsuga Tensho," he finished, causing several Captains to widen their eyes in comprehension as they saw the pieces falling together.

"Psh. A mere mockery of the true thing, no doubt," scorned Kurotsuchi.

Ichigo wasn't sure how to respond to that. Was he referring to his standard Getsuga Tensho or something else entirely. He got the feeling it was the latter of the two. He considered questioning the captain, but decided against it for the time.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ichigo said, "The Final Getsuga Tensho is a secret technique known only to myself. It's a sacrificial move that gives me more power than you can possibly imagine by converting all of the reiryoku in my body into pure reiryoku, which is comparable to pure reishi."

Instead of questions flooding him like he expected, the room was dead quiet, but not because of lack of questions. Breaking free of his shock first, Byakuya said.

"Everything you've said thus far stretches the boundaries of possibility further and further, but you've finally hit the point of impossibility. Nothing but a vessel formed of pure reishi, such as the oin, is capable of containing the nigh unlimited amount of power pure reiryoku contains. Simply being exposed to regular reiryoku is enough for pure reiryoku to begin warping and bending reality. This is why the oin is kept in it's own pocket dimension which is devoid of all normal reiryoku. Even attempting to contain pure reiryoku within a normal soul would cause said soul to immediately evaporate," explained Byakuya.

"Well, I did say it was a sacrificial technique, didn't I. The cost for using the technique is the loss of my soul reaper powers. That's why it's called final," said Ichigo, trying to convince them.

"Ichigo," said Unohana gently. "You have to understand, the thought that anyone could contain that much power is incomprehensible. Even when it's you,who's known for doing things others would believe to be impossible, such as mastering bankai in three days, it's impossible to understand how you could achieve something like what you described."

Frowning at the lack of trust, Ichigo said, "Well, it doesn't matter if you believe me, I'll show you proof soon when I finish my report."

Looking back at each of the captains before starting again, he said, "After I used the Final Getsuga, I used my strongest attack, Mugetsu. With it, I cut Aizen in half along with most of the mountain we were standing on. After I used it, my powers started to fade and I was left exhausted. Unfortunately, Aizen proved to be able to survive even being cut in half and he was slowly regenerating, though he was a lot weaker because of it. Regardless though, my powers were disappearing rapidly and he was quickly regaining his strength. As a final attack, I gathered what was left of my reiryoku and pushed it into my right fist. I then ripped the hogyoku out of him in the hope that maybe it could kill him now that he was weak. Unlike with Gin though, it actually worked.

"When I tore the hogyoku from him, the seal that Urahara placed on Aizen when he fired his Senju Koten Taiho at him, activated. It sealed Aizen off from all his power because I had pushed him to his limit and weakened him, causing the hogyoku to reject him as it's master and take the power that it had given him away.

"As Aizen was sealed, I fell unconscious. It was only after I woke up that I found out I had some how become the master of the hogyoku and because of it, I kept my powers. When I spoke to my zanpakuto, he told me that in order to do so, the hogyoku changed the composition of my soul into pure reishi so that I could contain all the power of the Final Getsuga Tensho," finished Ichigo finally.

The room was silent for a moment before erupting into chaos.

After several moments of shouting and yelling in controversy over what Ichigo had said, Yamamoto slammed his cane against the floor and released a wave of his spiritual pressure, bringing silence back to the room.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, are you saying that you possess the hogyoku?" asked Yamamoto gravely.

Realizing the trouble he might be in, Ichigo quickly clarified, "No, I do NOT have the hogyoku. The hogyoku has been destroyed. What I meant to say was that I was the master of the hogyoku temporarily. When the hogyoku finished changing my souls' composition, it shattered."

Hearing that the the hogyoku was destroyed, everyone relaxed, but still remained tense.

Yamamoto spoke, "Ichigo Kurosaki, we have listened to your report and now I must ask if there is any evidence you can produce to back up your words."

Thinking for a moment, Ichigo said, "When I went to Urahara to find out what happened to me, I found out that I had unlocked several abilities. One of them was teleportation."

Then acting, Ichigo teleported several feet forward. To those looking, it appeared as if Ichigo had simply disappeared. There was no warning, no build up, he just disappeared and reappeared immediately without any noticeable time elapsing, almost as if he had been in two places at once.

This stunt was met shocked silence before pandemonium broke lose.

Breaking free of his stupor first, Kurotsuchi said, "Head Captain, this boy has just displayed an ability which has only been recorded twice before in the history of Soul Society. You must let me study him."

"He is a serious threat, Head Captain. He must be eliminated before he can turn against us," said Soi Fon.

Ichigo would have liked to say he was shocked by the requests for either his imprisonment or death, but seeing who it was coming from, he just couldn't bring himself to it. He was offended though and was about to make his discontentment known before Yamamoto beat him to it.

Sending out a wave of spiritual pressure, Kurotsuchi and Soi Fon immediately stopped talking and waited for Yamamoto to speak.

Glaring angrily at the two captains, Yamamoto said, "We will do no such thing. Ichigo Kurosaki has served the Soul Society faithfully and fought along side us though he has no such obligation to do so. To turn against him after such loyalty shames me to even think about."

Ichigo was touched, if a bit weirded out, that old man defended him. He was about to say something when Yamamoto turned to him.

"After hearing your report, is it safe to assume that you wish to continue serving as a soul reaper?"

Not hesitating for a moment, Ichigo said, "Yes, I want to continue being a soul reaper."

Nodding, Yamamoto said, "Very well. If you desire it, you will be made a fully fledged soul reaper."

"Thank you, sir. I accept," said Ichigo formally.

"From this day forward then, you will serve under the 13 Court Guard Squads as Captain Kurosaki of a new squad who's sole mission is to protect Soul Society from threats bigger than it can handle."

"Whoa, wait, did you just say 'captain'?" asked Ichigo in shock and disbelief.

"Yes, I did. Our war with Aizen showed me that despite being united against our enemy, we still fell short against him in terms of power. Before the war there had been only one other time in recorded history where the Soul Society was truly at risk of destruction, and yet, never before has it come so close as to depend on a single person to do what an entire army couldn't," answered Yamamoto solemnly.

"But I can't be a captain, I don't have any of the experience or anything else that I need," countered Ichigo, convinced this was a terrible idea.

"Captains are rarely chosen for their battle experience, but instead for their ability to lead others into battle, which you have proven able to do many times over during your tenure as a substitute soul reaper," responded Yamamoto calmly.

"Yes, but I'm still living my life in the human world, and I can't just stop doing that to be a captain," said Ichigo, thinking he had won the argument.

"I am aware of your life as a human and allowances will be made for it," said Yamamoto.

Frowning slightly at his answers, Ichigo asked, "Ok, but why me? Why would you not only make a human a captain, but make an entirely new squad for them?"

Ichigo noticed at this that several of the other captains sent slight side glances to each other. So, there is more to this that they were telling him and they were all in on it. Well, he'd find out one way or another.

Frowning, Yamamoto said, "Despite being a human, you've proven yourself to be one of the strongest among us. Making you anything less than a captain would be a waste of potential. As for making a new squad. It is as I already said, the Soul Society needs a final line of defense that will protect it when all else fails. You being the one to defeat Aizen, are the only one that can fill that role. Alongside that, if you were to become the captain of one of the current captainless squads, it would undermine your position among the public as a result of the previous captains deserting."

"Alright, just stop. I know there's more to it than that. What aren't you telling me?" demanded Ichigo.

Yamamoto contemplated for a moment before saying, "Before Aizen killed Central 46, it was known for being extremely harsh against things it felt threatened by. This is why Central 46 banished Kisuke Urahara and sentenced those known as the vizord to death. When the Seireitei officially went to war against Aizen, the Soul Society was put under military rule. Now that the war is over though, a new Central 46 will be elected and as you yourself are only loosely affiliated with the Court Guard Squads, it is very likely that they will see you as a threat and act accordingly."

Ichigo glared at the Head Captain and asked icily, "Are you saying that despite everything I've done for them and the Soul Society as a whole, they would turn against me just because they're scared I might dethrone them?"

"Yes, and a war between the Soul Society and your group would not end well for either side. This is why we wish to make a bold statement by making you a captain. We hope that by making you a captain and thus allying yourself with us, that Central 46 will not act against you," said the Captain Commander honestly.

"Those bastards," cursed Ichigo.

"Regardless, this is the only practical solution. Originally we had hoped you'd lost your powers and that Central 46 would not bother you, but when we considered the possibility that you might retain them, this was the only solution," said Yamamoto firmly.

Narrowing his eyes, Ichigo said, "Damned if I do, damned if I don't. If I accept I would be tying myself to Soul Society permanently and if I don't, I'm hunted down like an animal, possibly bringing my friends and family into harms way. I have no other choice than to accept."

Yamamoto nodded and said, "You will be given time to come to terms with this new development. You can come back in a few day to be officially inaugurated and receive your haori."

"Ya, I'll do that. Will that be all, Head Captain," said Ichigo coldly.

Not seeming phased in the least by Ichigo's condescending tone, Yamamoto said, "Yes, if nothing more needs to be said, then this captains meeting is adjourned."

And that's a wrap. Honestly though, this chapter was a bit bigger than I wanted, but I was determined to at least finish Ichigo's talk with the 13 Court Guard Squads and be named a captain. I'm sorry for all the mostly stale dialog, hopefully I'll have more action and plot driving events next chapter. Also, I don't have a name for Ichigo's new squad yet, so if any one has an idea then PM me it or put it in the comments. I want to name it something not overly presumptuous like "Delta Force: or something equally as stupid. His squad will essentially be Squad Zero only for Soul Society and it will have only captain class people in it, so consider that when you might think of a name. Also, I have a poll on my profile where you can vote on whether Rangiku should be added to his harem and whether I should have Ichigo sleep with other woman, so vote in if you want your voice heard. Till next time.