A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Karakura Town

At a park a few blocks away from the Unagiya home, Isshin and Ryuken finished wiping the floor with the Soul Reapers, the ground littered with men in black uniforms. On their armbands was the special sigil of Central 46. The two fathers who'd dispatched the men were taking a light break, having barely broken a sweat in the fight against them. Isshin sat back against a tree while Ryuken lit a cigarette.

"Your people truly think so highly of themselves, believing they could sneak here without us noticing them," Ryuken mocked, taking a long drag of his cigarette.

Isshin stood up and stretched his arms before heading back to Ikumi's house. "Can't fight that argument. I'm just wondering where they came from. Kisuke said that Kyoraku shut down the Senkaimon for forty-eight hours."

"Knowing how sneaky Soul Reapers are, they must have arrived with the first group that took Bambietta and were waiting for orders."

"Makes sense. I can tell from their uniforms these guys were sent by Central 46. I always hated their lousy responses."

"Lousy responses? That's rich coming from a guy who used to work with them."

Isshin chuckled. "I never worked with them. Even back when the Shiba Clan was one of the Five Great Clans. My niece, Kukakku hates their guts and would probably bust their heads if they got on her bad side.

Ryuken was silent, not wanting to ask how fierce his niece was when he had already been on the receiving end of an angry woman's rage. He still felt pain from the beatdown Ikumi gave him. Just even thinking about it gave him shivers.

"Let's head back." Ryuken put out his cigarette and turned away. "We told her that we'd be there to support her until Ichigo brought her daughter back."

Isshin nodded and stepped around a fallen Soul Reaper, giving another look at the sigil on his armband. 'I'm guessing Kisuke's got a plan for these guys since he warned us they might try this,' he thought to himself as he followed Ryuken back to Ikumi's. He had faith in his son. And while Ryuken didn't show it, the man had faith that Ichigo would bring Bambietta home…

With Bambietta and Yoruichi…

Bambietta hurried to catch up with the purple werecat as they walked across a grassy meadow. Yoruichi turned her head and saw how haggard and worn-out Bambietta looked and slowed her pace to catch up with her. "Are you alright?" she asked as Bambietta walked up to her.

"This…has not been my day…" Bambietta huffed. She took off her hat and wiped her sweaty forehead. She felt tired, as if the events that'd occurred in the past few hours had lasted lifetimes. "Why can't we just go home? I mean, I'm safe now."

"You're safe now, yes. But that might not last. The Soul Society won't just sit still and let you saunter off home after the measures they took to capture and to keep Ichigo out. It isn't enough to just save you. We have to make sure Kyoraku doesn't send more men to recapture you. Plus, the captains won't take kindly to Ichigo and your friends for their interference and just let them off scot-free. We have to end this once and for all." Seeing the gleam in Bambietta's eyes, Yoruichi frowned and wagged a finger in front of her. "We're not killing anyone."

Bambi slumped in disappointment. "After all they did to me I'd hoped to get some more payback on that bitch with the braids at least," she lamented. Straightening up, she saw a house in the distance with a large chimney. "So, what're we doing here? Don't tell me your big plan is to just hide until it blows over."

"Not quite. We're meeting someone here. The only person who can help you at this point."

As they neared the place, Bambi saw the banner flying high by a pair of giant statues and frowned. "Wait, this is Kukakku Shiba's place. How's she going to help me?"

"Not her. We just decided here was the place to meet since we're outside the Soul Society. It was convenient your old comrades took you out of the Seireitei or this would have been difficult."

"I don't follow."

"The order for your execution was delivered by Central 46. Due to their laws, once they make a decision, nobody has the authority to overrule them. Not even the Head-Captain. But…" she pointed a finger up in the sky. "There is one group whose authority supersedes theirs."

Bambietta froze. "You aren't serious."

"Yep. Kisuke already sent them a message and told them to meet us here."

The Sternritter almost flipped her lid and had to restrain herself from punching Yoruichi. "Are you out of your mind?! You're going to entrust my safety to the likes of-"

Boom!

The ladies' conversation was cut off when a giant white pillar slammed into the ground like a meteor nearby, the impact almost knocking Bambi off their feet. When she saw the symbol on the door to the pillar she froze. While Yoruichi considered this part of the plan, Bambietta felt like she'd gone from out of the frying pan and into the fire. She immediately drew her sword but Yoruichi put a hand on the hilt and pushed it down. "What do you think you're doing?" Bambi spat, growing angry. "I thought you were going to save me from the Soul Reapers, not hand me back over to them."

"Bambi," Yoruichi slowly said, looking the girl in the eye. "Do you trust me?"

For a tense second, Bambi hesitated to answer. She wanted to run away or at least stand her ground and fight. But the look in Yoruichi's eye reminded her of Ichigo and she felt compelled to stand down. "Yes…" she finally said, banishing her sword right as the doors open.

Out of the Tenchuren emerged five powerful figures. The leader of the group, a bald man with a huge beard, walked over to them. "Well now, Yoruichi Shihoin. It's been a long time since we had a nice chat," the man greeted before his eyes turned to the Quincy before him. "And you must be…"

Standing behind the girl, Yoruichi put her hands on Bambietta's shoulders. "Osho, this is Bambietta Basterbine Unagiya. On behalf of Ichigo and Kisuke, I'd like to make a request…"

Meanwhile…
Sokyoku Forest

Ichigo dropped to one knee as the pain in his body increased. Even Tensa Zangetsu felt heavy in his grasp. "Mayuri…" he glared with his heterochromia eyes.

"Oh glare at me all you want, boy. Right now glaring is all you can do. I'll be sure to surgically remove those eyes of yours first after I bring you back to my lab," Mayuri gloated, Kyoraku looking at the mad scientist with disapproving eyes, slumped against a tree while nursing the sump on his left hand.

"Mayuri," Kyoraku addressed, getting the man's attention. "What have you done with Ichigo?"

"Heheh, oh don't glare at me too. It's rather unbecoming of you, Head-Captain," the scientist sneered. "But to answer your question…" Mayuri pulled out a rectangular device, about the size as an old handheld game. "I decided to test a theory I've had about Ichigo Kurosaki. His rebellion seemed like the perfect opportunity to test my device."

"Theory?" Kyoraku repeated.

"Mayuri!" Ichigo roared. "What've you done?" He struggled to rise to his feet and pick up Tensa Zangetsu. He struggled to raise his arms to fire off a Getsuga Tensho but his spirit energy flared up and the agony inside him increased. "GAHHHHH!" he screamed before dropping to his knees again.

"Temper, temper," Mayuri chided playfully. "You brought this on yourself, boy. But to answer the Head-Captain's question." He turned back to his wounded commanding officer. "I always had my suspicions about where Ichigo Kurosaki's power came from. The war with the Vandenreich provided me with all the evidence I needed. By the end I understood that he was a perfect fusion of Soul Reaper, Quincy and Hollow. A triumvirate of power, if you will."

The scientist turned back to the ailing Ichigo. "And now to your question, Ichigo Kurosaki. Tell me, do you even understand the delicate power balance you have inside you?"

"What?" Ichigo sputtered, his head feeling foggy. "I don't understand."

"I thought not. To put it simply, I disrupted the power balance inside you. The key to a triumvirate is that between two opposing powers is a third to mitigate them. Without that interfering third power, the two opposing sides destroy each other." He held up the device in his hand. "As demonstrated by Kisuke Urahara, when a Quincy takes in a Hollowfied Bankai, it becomes a poison to him. Thanks to the Soul Reaper powers you have, your Inner Hollow's energy will not clash with your Quincy blood while you've activated your Bankai and in a Hollowfied state…until now." He held up the device. "The energy wavelength that this device emits was designed specifically for you."

Kyoraku remembered the pills Kisuke had given them and the effects the Hollowfied Bankai had on the Sternritters. Only in Ichigo's case it was far more severe.

"The device disrupts the balance between you. Now your Soul Reaper powers are not mitigating the conflicting powers and your soul is breaking down from the strain. How ironic…" he sneered. "All that power and yet I've got you on your knees at the push of a button."

"Gahhhh!" Ichigo screamed in pain, his vision blurring as he lay on the ground. 'If…it's my Hollowfied state and my Bankai that's causing this then…'

The two captains watched as Ichigo's Bankai flashed and turned back to his two swords and his Hollowfication ended. Kyoraku shook his head in disapproval. 'Ichigo, you fool. You've played directly into his hands,' he thought to himself, pitying the boy.

Yet even depowered Ichigo was in pain, though his agony had lessened. "Mayuri…you...bastard…" Ichigo huffed as he struggled up onto his knees.

"Still defiant, eh? But I assume you realize the position you're in. Even without your Hollowfication and your Bankai, your body is still struggling with itself with your Soul Reaper powers disrupted. I bet you couldn't even get off a Getsuga Tensho in your state. And now that you so graciously powered down for me, you've made it that much easier to collect you. It's useless," he told the boy as he stood up. "Against an opponent of my caliber, without your full strength, you've no chance."

Ichigo hung his head for a moment, as if he was about to admit defeat to the man's machinations. To Kyoraku's surprise, Ichigo let his swords fall to the ground. "Ichigo…"

"Oh? Have we decided to be a good boy and give up?" Mayuri taunted. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to put yours and Bambietta's containment vats together so you won't feel lonely."

"Not yet, you bastard," Ichigo retorted, looking up at Mayuri with defiant eyes. "I won't let you kill Bambi."

"And how do you intend to stop us?"

Ichigo reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. "For someone as smart as you, Mayuri, you forgot something important. I'm not just a Soul Reaper or a Hollow." He opened his hand and revealed the cross in his hands. "I'm a Quincy too."

Previously…

The couple sat on a bench and watched the clouds roll by, taking a break from training. Bambietta never really thought of Ichigo as a romantic but she treasured the small activates they did together and the talks they shared. Her hand reached up and touched the bill of her hat. "Hey, Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"I uh…have something for you. Since you got me my hat."

Ichigo looked at her and was curiously surprised to see Bambietta looked flustered. Bambi was a lot of things but flustered was a rare sight. "What is it?"

"Well…" Bambi started having second thoughts about this. But the look in Ichigo's eyes told her she was committed. "I talked with Uryu about it earlier so I went to go talk to your dad." She recalled the awkward conversation she had with Isshin about Ichigo's Quincy training.

"What about?"

"Well…you are a Quincy and Uryu and I are teaching you how to control your Blut but…" She reached into her pocket and pressed something into Ichigo's hand. "What Quincy is without a cross?"

Opening his hand, Ichigo found a metal pendant in the shape of a cross. It didn't look like the five-star pendant Bambietta possessed on her hat. Rather it looked more like a version of Uryu's old Celtic cross. "This is for me?"

"Uh huh. Uryu and I both figured it'd be bad taste to give you a Vandenreich cross so I asked went and asked your Dad. He said I should be the one who gives it to you."

"Wait, so this is-"

"Yep. That's the cross used by the Kurosaki family. Your mother's."

Ichigo looked down at the object and felt his heart swell with emotion. He understood why his father kept this from him, not wanting to reveal Ichigo's parentage and spare him the pain of knowing he was a Quincy. The fact that he'd let Bambietta give it to him showed just how much the man respected Bambietta and what she meant to him and how much it meant to Bambietta to give such a personal item to him.

Pressing the cross to his heart, Ichigo smiled lovingly. "Thank you, Bambi."

"No problem. Don't think I'll let you go slacking off on training though, even if Uryu does. I am going to work you to the bone to get you to produce a bow like a proper Quincy."

"Wait, why don't you use a bow?" Ichigo pointed out.

Bambietta merely grinned and shrugged her shoulders. "When have I ever been a proper Quincy?"

Laughing, Ichigo embraced his girlfriend with a hug…

Back to the present…

Concentrating his energy through his Quincy blood, Ichigo let the cross fall out of his hands and let it burst with life. A small blue energy bow, tinged with black energy, emerged in his hand. "It's not quite what Uryu has but…" He pulled back on the bow and aimed it at Mayuri, "I'm glad Bambi worked me to the bone."

"You-"

Ichigo didn't want to hear Mayuri monologue anymore and he was tired of the man messing with him. With careful aim he let an arrow loose and shot the device out of Mayuri's hand.

"No!" Mayuri yelled before the device smashed to pieces on the ground. "You brat!"

Ichigo let out a sigh of relief as he felt the pain in his body go away, the disruption of his Soul Reaper powers ending. He drew another arrow and aimed it at Mayuri's head. "You sick bastard!" he seethed, his anger returning with his strength. "How long have you had that device? You were waiting to use it on me at any time!" He gave a quick glance over to Kyoraku but it was clear from the man's stoic expression that he had no intend on interfering. "You were the one who told Kyoraku about Bambi! Which meant that you wanted me to come here to use that on me and experiment on me and Bambi! This is all your fault!"

"You impudent, little brat!"

Ichigo fired another arrow. Mayuri had learned from his fight with Uryu and dodged the shot. He drew his sword and moved to cut Ichigo but found him gone. "What the-" He froze when he saw a light at the edge of his peripheral vision.

The Substitute, having Flashstepped to Mayuri's side, drew his bow back and prepared himself for what he was about to do. "I won't kill Kenpachi or Kyoraku. Kenpachi wanted to fight me and Kyoraku did what he thought was his duty, even if I didn't agree with him. But you…I can't forgive you."

"Wait…don't…" Mayuri pleaded. The look in Ichigo's eyes told him he was serious. "Head-Captain! Stop him!"

"I'm afraid not," Kyoraku stated bluntly. "I'd give you a hand but I'm one short. And thinking about what Ichigo said, this whole mess started because you came to me. I'm sorry but…you reap what you sow."

"YOU BASTARD!"

Ichigo let the arrow fly. A sickening gurgle left Mayuri as it went through his skull. A thud later and Mayuri Kurotsuchi was dead. Ichigo dispelled his bow as he stared at the dead captain. He should have felt horrified at taking the man's life but all he could feel was catharsis from everything he'd put him and Bambietta through. He turned his head to address the spectating Kyoraku. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"What, did you expect me to take one for the team and jump in front of the shot?" Kyoraku said as he picked himself up. "Like I said, Mayuri made his bed and caused this mess. But Ichigo, now you've truly erred." He picked up his longsword with his remaining hand. "You just added murder to your list of crimes."

"I know. But we both know he deserved it."

Kyoraku sighed. If only Ichigo wasn't so difficult. "I guess we're right back at it then. I am more than prepared to fight with one hand-"

"Shunsui," came a new, booming voice. "That's enough."

The Substitute and Head-Captain turned and were shocked to see who'd interrupted them. Ichigo's jaw almost hit the floor when he saw who it was. While Kyoraku wasn't as visibly startled as Ichigo, he was still profoundly shocked.

"Osho? What are you and the others doing here?"

"Bambi! Yoruichi!"

Through the dead forest walked Ichibé Hyōsube. Behind him walked the other four members of Squad Zero. Beside the bearded monk was Yoruichi and an uncharacteristically nervous Bambietta. "Quite the mess you've started, Shunsui."

"I merely acted as Old Man Yama would," Kyoraku said in his defense. He looked over at Bambietta, who glared at him with her sword in hand. The handless head-captain sighed in disbelief. "I don't suppose you're here to deliver the criminal who caused all this trouble?" he asked, though he knew the answer.

Stroking his beard, Osho put a hand on Bambietta's shoulder. "Shunsui, I understand that Genryusai's shoes are hard to fill, but your lack of judgement is what caused all of this. I have seen this girl that you're dead set on executing."

"And?"

"I see a girl whose made terrible choices and has suffered tremendously for them," he said while looking at Ichigo, Bambietta blushing and looking away. "This is a girl who has already payed the price for her sins and made good use of the second life that Kisuke Urahara granted her. I don't need to look at Ichigo to see the love they share." Ichigo likewise blushed at that remark.

Kyoraku sheathed his swords and leaned back agasint a tree while nursing the stump of a right hand. "Ohso, I know of what has transpired between these two. But that doesn't absolve her of what she's done. Someone has to pay for what Yhwach-"

"Yhwach is dead!" Bambietta roared. Both Ichigo and Kyoraku almost jumped from the heat in her voice. "He's dead! Ichigo killed him already! The Vandenreich has already been destroyed! You've already got your revenge! Let me live my life in peace!"

"Young lady-"

"Shut up!" Bambietta seethed with pure rage and would have blown Kyoraku's head off with the Explode had Yoruichi not kept her still. "I already died! TWICE! What more do you want from me? You guys kept talking about how evil I am, have you even looked in a mirror?"

"As she said, Shunsui, you let your vindictiveness get the better of you," said Osho. The other four members of Squad Zero likewise nodded.

The Head-Captain's shoulders slumped and he hung his head in shame. Having Osho scold him was almost as bad as Yamamoto. And during this whole fiasco he'd grappled with the ethical implications of what they were doing. Hearing Osho admonish him hurt him worse then he'd cared to admit. "I simply did what Yamamoto would have done," he said. It was a weak defense but it was the only thing he could say.

Back to her plump self, Kirio Hikifune patted Bambietta's unoccupied shoulder. "Shunsui, you aren't Genryusai. You knew the consequences of capturing this girl and still went with it. Instead of following the old example of Genryusai, use this as a learning moment to set a new example."

Kyoraku sighed. "A fair enough." He gestured to Ichigo and Mayuri's corpse. "But I'm afraid I can't overlook what Ichigo did to Captain Kurotsuchi."

Ichigo almost jumped out of his skin when he heard Senshumaru's voice behind him. "Please, everyone present knew Mayuri deserved far worse." The woman appeared behind Ichigo and turned Mayuri over with her skeleton hands. "He wished to experiment on Ichigo by luring him to the Soul Society and having him branded as a traitor for saving the girl. And he wanted the girl to join his collection of Sternritter corpses to join his freakshow menagerie of zombies. As far as we're concerned, Mayuri was the instigator in this and he's now dead." She looked up at Ichigo and eyed the cross in his hand. "Nice shot."

'Thanks. Um…" He quickly put the cross back in his pocket.

"Oh please, we knew you were half Quincy long before you ever did. For us, you saved the three worlds from Yhwach's insanity. Your bloodline doesn't matter."

"Osho," Kyoraku interrupted, looking over at Bambietta, still fuming. "I take it you want us to rescind the execution order? On what grounds?" he demanded.

"In light of Ichigo's servitude to the Soul Society, I believe that just this once, we should do the humane thing and let things go."

"Ah," he turned to Yoruichi. "Getting the one authority to overrule Central 46. Impressive. I'm surprised they came."

Yoruichi flashed her old friend a grin. "Well, when I said how much carnage Ichigo and his friends were causing, Osho and the others decided to intervene."

"Now then…" The bearded monk nodded to Senshumaru. "The Tentei Kǔra."

Dabbing ink onto her skeleton arms, the tall woman muttered an incantation before thrusting her arms out. Black squares appeared in front of each hand, signaling to Osho that she was ready.

Clearing his throat, Osho began to speak…

Byakuya vs. Renji

Both men were exhausted, the battle wearing them down as it continued to drag on. Sweat pouring down the side of his face. "Hihio-"

"Attention all captains, lieutenants and Ryoka!"

The lieutenant froze. He looked over at his captain and saw his head cocked, the message clearly reaching him too. "Captain, that's-"

"Squad Zero. But why are they here?"

"By the authority of the Royal Guard, all hostilities between Court Guard Squad officers and Ichigo Kurosaki's allies are to cease. Captains and lieutenants are to stand down. We of Squad Zero have elected to overrule Central 46's order to execute the former Sternritter, Bambietta Unagiya. She is to be released into the custody of Ichigo Kurosaki, who will promptly take his allies and leave the Soul Society peacefully."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. As a man of the law, he knew that Squad Zero was the only entity with more authority than Central 46. But they never intervened whenever something happened in the Seireitei. "Kisuke Urahara," he concluded, sealing his Bankai away. "So that is how it is." He looked back at his lieutenant and saw that he was still raring to go. "Sheathe your weapons, Renji. This battle is over," he declared.

Renji wanted to curse. He was glad that things worked out for Ichigo and Bambietta thanks to Squad Zero, but things were still unsettled between him and Byakuya. But as brave as he was, Renji wasn't foolish enough to ignore a direct order from Osho, the strongest Soul Reaper alive. "I suppose it's over?" he asked as his Bankai was dispelled.

"So it would appear." Byakuya sheathed his zanpakuto and took a breath. "It would seem you'll have to wait until Ichigo's next rescue attempt to fight me."

Renji couldn't help but chuckle, feeling a modicum of pride. True, he hadn't bested Byakuya but he'd lasted far longer than last time and had fought him to a draw. "Something to look forward to." Sheathing his sword, Renji walked over to his captain and bowed in front of him. "Captain, now that the hostilities are over, I await your punishment!" He wasn't stupid. Renji was aware that there were consequences for following Ichigo regardless of whether he could beat Byakuya.

Byakuya was silent for a moment before turning around, ignoring the penitent lieutenant. "Your actions were predicted by the Head-Captain, who was adamant that you and Rukia were not punished for your actions. For now, all I will say is that we will discuss this later."

Renji was shocked. He'd at least expected a harsh reprimand. "Yes, sir," he said before straigtening up.

"One more thing…"

"Yes?"

Byakuya turned his head. It was faint but Renji could swear he could see the shadow of a smile. "You have always been worthy of Rukia."

Renji's cheeks matched his hair when he realized what Byakuya had said. "Y-yes, sir!" Elation coursing through his heart, Renji happily followed his captain out of the ruined area…

With Orihime, Nel and Rukia…

"Wow!" Orihime was impressed by Osho's command as the four lientenants sheathed their swords. "This is wonderful! Bambi's going to be okay!"

"I can't believe Kisuke was brave enough to call Squad Zero," Rukia noted while helping heal Shuhei. "There was always the chance they'd side with Head-Captain Kyoraku."

Shinji leaned back on his makeshift seat and shrugged. "Honestly I'm not surprised. As someone whose known Kisuke for a hundred years, I know that he's the kind of guy who believes that any plan that isn't bold is no plan at all. So then…" Shinji hopped off the rubble and dusted himself off. "That's that, I guess."

"Right," Rukia breathed a sigh of relief, happy that it was over.

Orihime walked over to her friend, Rangiku. She saw the angry look on her face and bit her lip nervously. "Um…Rangiku? I'm…I'm sorry…"

The strawberry blonde sighed before she stood up and pulled Orihime into a warm hug. "It's alright. You did what you thought was right. That's all." Orihime smiled and embraced her friend, happy to be forgiven. "But…" Rangiku pulled away and pointed to her ruined uniform. "You owe me a new top."

"Right…sorry…"

"Orihime," interrupted Nel. A bright flash of light illuminated the woman as she sealed her release states and returned to normal. Once she was no longer a Centaur, she pointed to the area she'd fought the Vizards. "You should go see to the Captains I fought and heal them. I didn't want to but I had to be rather harsh to them."

While Nel led Orihime, Shuhei and Izuru to where she left Kensei and the others, Rukia turned to Rangiku. "Now that it's over, we need to dig out Captain Hitsugaya. He's still trapped in my snow."

Alarmed at what Rukia did to her captain, Rangiku stiffened. "I'll go gather some men to help." The pair of lieutenants left to excavate the frozen captain from his snowy tomb. Shinji watched everyone leave except for Momo, who looked at her captain confusingly.

"Um…Captain? What should we do?" she asked.

Sighing, Shinji merely walked back in the direction of Squad Five. "Go and help Rangiku and Rukia dig out Captain Hitsugaya. All this commotion, I need a nap…"

Back to Ichigo & Bambietta…

"Everyone got the message," Senshumaru told Osho. "It looks like everyone's stopped fighting."

Tenjirō walked over to Shunsui and took a look at his severed hand. "Bit off more than you could chew, didn't you?" he teased.

The man gave his senior a chuckle. "I suppose this has been a humbling experience for all of us." He pointed to where the fallen Kenpachi lay. "Better go and give him some much needed aid." The man nodded and walked away. "So then, might as well face the music." Turning back to Ichigo, he walked forward and bowed. "Ichigo, I am sorry for all the trouble."

Ichigo sheathed both swords and pointed at Bambietta. "Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Bambi!"

"Right…" The Head-Captain cautiously walked over to the angry girl and gave another courteous bow. "Miss, I'm sorry for what we've done. We should have followed Ichigo's example and let things go."

Bambi's first impulse was to rip Kyoraku's remaining eye out. But she looked over at a smiling Ichigo and remembered what Yoruichi said. Sighing, Bambietta bowed in front of the Soul Reapers. "I'm…sorry too. I won't give you some lame excuse like 'I was duped by Yhwach' or 'I didn't really like killing your men'. All I'm going to say is that I'm trying harder to be better than the Sternritter you knew."

All of the Soul Reapers, especially Kyoraku, was shocked by her apology. Yoruichi and Ichigo looked at each other and smiled while Osho and the other Squad Zero members nodded. "I can see why Ichigo fought tooth and nail for you," Kyoraku said before turning away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see Ms. Inoue about my hand or Nanao is gonna have to start opening up my jars from now on. Ichigo," he addressed before walking away.

"Yeah?"

"Let's not do this again."

The group watched Kyoraku Flashstep away. Putting her hands on Bambietta's shoulders, Yoruichi smiled in anticipation for the moment they'd all been waiting for. "Ichigo, don't you think you've kept Bambi waiting long enough?"

Grinning, Ichigo ran to the Quincy. Her heart beating fast, Bambi ran to meet him and the two embraced each other. Ichigo wasted no time in planting a deep kiss on Bambietta's lips. Bambietta ran her hand through Ichigo's sweaty hair as he spun her around, the others watching the romantic scene with smiles on their faces. Kisuke and Chad, having just arrived, walked up next to Yoruichi and were relieved to see the two back together in each other's arms.

Breaking the kiss, Ichigo grinned. "Guess I'm two for two in stopping executions."

Bambietta patted his cheek. "Aww, that's cute. You actually thought I needed rescuing. I did pretty much save myself, you know."

Ichigo kissed her cheek before taking hold of her hand. Looking over at Kisuke, Yoruichi and Chad, he pointed to the Seireitei's Senkaimon.

"Let's go home."

A few hours later…

The sun was setting on Karakura Town. Ikumi thought she was going to die from worry. She paced the living room back and forth while Isshin and Ryuken sat on the couch, Isshin occasionally giving her a reassurance that Ichigo would pull through. Kaoru was upstairs, silently waiting for his sister's return. He didn't know the full circumstances but understood that something had happened to his sister.

As the light outside faded, Ikumi fought back tears. She'd lost her Bambi once. Now it felt like she'd lost her forever. "I can't…"

"Ikumi!" Ryuken jumped up in alarm as Ikumi crumpled to her knees and started crying.

"I can't do this again! She's my baby girl! I already lost her once before!" the woman wept, abandoning her willpower and strength. "My Bambi's gone…"

As Ryuken knelt down and gave her a shoulder to cry on, Isshin's ears perked up when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs to the front door. 'Moment of truth…'

Ikumi heard the door open but didn't have the heart to open her eyes.

"Mama?"

The crying Ikumi looked up when she recognized the voice. Her eyes widened and her heart fluttered when she saw Bambietta in the doorway, Ichigo standing behind her. "Bambi!" Ikumi almost knocked Ryuken to the floor when she stood up suddenly and ran to her daughter. "You're okay!"

"Ugh!" Bambi gasped when her mother pulled her into a hug so tight she thought her bones would break, Blut Vene be damned. "It's…nice to see you too…Mama…" she said in between gasps of air.

"I was so worried! Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened? Your brother and I were worried sick!"

"Mama…I…I'm glad…you're…happy but…you're…choking me!"

"Oh, sorry."

Ikumi finally let go of her daughter and turned to Ichigo. "Ichigo, did you save Bambi?"

Before Ichigo could answer, Bambietta wrapped an arm around his neck and put him in a headlock. "Please, like I've ever needed saving!" she teased.

"Ow! Bambi!" Ichigo shouted, Isshin laughing at the scene.

When Bambi let go of Ichigo's head, Ikumi embraced her daughter's boyfriend with a bonecrushing hug of her own. "Thank you," she said as she started crying again. "Thank you so much, Ichigo…"

"See?" Isshin proudly said. "I told you Ichigo wouldn't fail you."

Ryuken slapped Isshin upside the back of his head. "They're having a moment. Don't ruin it."

Bambietta embraced her mother again, feeling the warm sting of her mother's tears as they fell onto her face. "I'm home, Mama…"

"I know…welcome home, Bambi…"

"Bambi!"

Everyone turned to see Kaoru running in, his face covered in tears when he saw his sister okay. He ran past the two fathers and shoved Ichigo to the side before hugging his big sister. "You're okay!"

"I'm here, little brother." Bambietta hugged Ikumi and her brother, giving a touching scene to the three visitors. Bambietta closed her eyes and felt the love radiating through her family and felt tears start to fall down her face.

"I'm home."

To be concluded…