"I see... So that's how you ended up here" Isshin said after hearing Nelliel's whole explanation.
"Yes. My brothers are staying with Urahara-san, while I... I preferred to stay by Ichigo's side" She got a bit red as she confessed that.
"No problem. I'm actually glad that he has your company. He's been down in the dumps ever since he started losing his powers, so any friend that comes to visit him, be it human, Soul or... Well, Hollow, is welcome!"
"I've been fine... Just a little bored" Ichigo replied with crossed arms.
"Anyway, the fact is that all Hollows escaped Hueco Mundo because of an invasion done by the Oni" Isshin concluded.
"Correct" She replied.
Isshin sighed in sign of worry. "Just after dealing with Aizen, this happens... It may be just a hunch, but I get the feeling that the Oni won't stop after conquering Hueco Mundo"
"Then with more reason I have no time to lose!" Ichigo said all fired up.
"Ichigo..." Isshin sadly replied as he looked at his almost powerless son.
He was about to remind him about his condition, but he chose not to.
"Ichigo, shouldn't we go see Urahara?" Nelliel reminded him.
"You're right! Let's go at once!" Ichigo got quickly out of the bed and grabbed his Badge.
"W-Wait!" She tried to call his attention, but failed.
"Let's go, Nel!" He said in his Shinigami form.
"Wait, Ichigo..." She replied with a soft voice. "My clothes..."
Nel was covering her breasts with her hands since her green cloth had been torn apart when she transformed. She was fine before, since the bed's cover was concealing her body, but after Ichigo's impulsive actions she had to act quick to not be seen by Isshin who was right in front of her.
"Oh... Sorry, Nel. I think I left your Yukata around here..." He replied as he looked for it in his closet. "Dad, don't you dare-!"
"Don't worry, son. I've seen enough" He replied in a cool manner as he exited the room with his back turned. "Just... Make sure you don't let her go"
Ichigo got a bit red by that comment and then he sighed in relief as he gave Nel her clothes.
"Sorry for that. It must've been pretty awkward" He apologized while scratching the back of his head.
"No, don't worry. Your dad looked another way as soon as he noticed my little situation"
"I'm gonna go outside so you can change"
"Okay, I'll be quick"
Two minutes later Nelliel came to Ichigo all dressed and ready to go.
"Very well then, let's go see Urahara!" He told her, unable to contain his excitement.
"Yes!" She happily replied, since she loved seeing Ichigo so motivated.
Once at the shop, no one was waiting for them in the entrance.
"Pesche? Dondochakka?" Nelliel called.
Immediately, two figures appeared in front of them.
"Good morning Nel-sama!" Greeted Pesche.
"And don't forget about Ichigo-sama!" Dondochakka reminded him.
"Oh! Now Nel-sama is in her normal form! Did something happen?" Asked Pesche.
Ichigo gave a troubled look at Nelliel, but she preferred not to worry them.
"It's nothing. I was just practicing my transformation" She lied.
"So it was just that..." Dondochakka replied with relief.
"Where's Urahara?" Ichigo asked.
"Boss is downstairs at the training ground. He is checking up on a pair of Arrancar he found during the night" Pesche replied.
"Boss?" Nelliel repeated confused.
"It's just a way I started calling him since he's making us work to pay for the room" The blonde Arrancar replied.
"We were actually carrying some boxes when we heard your voice, Nel-sama" Added his brother.
"Urahara never changes... Well, we gotta go see him, so you guys stay here at the shop" Ichigo told them.
"Understood, Ichigo-sama!" The two replied full of determination.
"What's with the sama?" He asked Nelliel as they headed towards the training grounds.
"It's their way of showing respect for you. After all, you saved me, so it's to be expected that they treat you like that now" Nelliel replied with her sweet voice.
"I see... I'm not so sure about that though. Like I said before, if it wasn't for you, maybe I would've been killed"
"C'mon, Ichigo, there's no comparison. You got all beat up countless times for my sake..." She sadly remembered.
"And I'd do it again. I don't care how bad I have it. As long as my friends are okay, I won't regret anything" He replied with a smile.
"That's what I like about you the most" She whispered to herself.
"Did you say anything?"
"No, I was just talking to myself!" She replied a bit red.
The two entered the training grounds, and became very surprised as they saw two especially powerful Arrancar passed out on sleeping bags.
"Yo, Kurosaki-san! Nel-chan!" Saluted Urahara as he saw them enter.
"No way... That's Harribel-san!" Nelliel exclaimed as she noticed the queen of Hueco Mundo.
"And... That's none other than Grimmjow" Muttered Ichigo in disbelief.
"Oh, these poor guys were wounded and exhausted yesterday, so I thought that I could help them regain their energies given the current situation" He carelessly replied.
"Hey, Nel. Is that the actual queen of Hueco Mundo?" Ichigo asked her as he gave a look at the exotic looking female Arrancar.
"Yes. I had never been so close to her before, but I had heard of her great beauty and power" She replied as she got close to get a better look at her.
"I managed to heal her, but she'll probably be a couple days asleep to recover fully" The shop owner clarified.
"What happened to her?" Ichigo asked.
"According to our wild friend here..." He looked at Grimmjow. "She fought hordes of Demons on her own. He wasn't able to finish the story before he collapsed, but for the wounds she had, it was more like she had faced another Arrancar"
"What? How is that?" Asked Ichigo.
"She had burn marks that were clearly produced by a Cero. I know for a fact that the Oni don't have such kind of attacks. Of course, I have my theories, but it's best just to wait for her to wake up and tell us"
Nelliel remembered the green Cero she saw that night and felt a shiver go down her spine.
"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked her after he noticed her reaction.
"Yeah, I'm fine"
"Anyways. This proves how much we need you back in the game, Ichigo. Even, if you don't mind, it'd be great to have you fight as well, Nel-chan" Urahara offered as he got a white armband out of his pocket.
"What is that?" She asked curiosly.
"Put it on. That's the short-term solution to your shapeshifting problems"
She did as he told her and wore it on her left arm.
"Feel any different?" Ichigo asked her.
"Not really. Does it really work?"
"Believe me it does. Why don't you try finishing what we started yesterday to prove it?" Kisuke said as he got the special Hogyoku out of his pocket.
"It won't wake up those two?" Ichigo asked doubtful.
"Don't worry, they are more than fast asleep" Urahara replied.
"Okay" She decided.
Once again, she raised her Reiatsu while holding the artifact. This time she decided to trust Urahara, so she tripled the amount of Reiatsu she was letting out.
Ichigo felt her Reiatsu. It was indeed very powerful, but at the same time it was kind of soothing to him.
"You're so powerful, Nel. If only you realised how strong you really are" He thought as he looked at her charging the Hogyoku.
Five minutes later, the sphere inside the Hogyoku stopped shining.
"It's ready" Said Urahara.
"How do you feel?" Ichigo asked her.
"Great! This thing really works!" She replied excited and proudly showed the armband. "Thanks, Urahara-san"
"Don't mention it" He replied with a smile.
Ichigo looked at the object and took a deep breath.
"Are you ready, Kurosaki-kun?" The shop owner asked.
Ichigo felt weird about the situation. In a way, he didn't want to use it because he still had hope that he would be able to regain his Reiatsu on his own. On the other hand, Urahara and Nelliel had made a good effort to help him, so it would be disgraceful not to do it, without mentioning the fact that he was eager to get his powers back in any possible way.
In the end, there was only one answer, and he clearly knew what it was:
"Yeah. Let's do this"
Urahara gave him the Hogyoku in the palm of his hand.
"Now, remember when I told Nel-chan that she didn't have to press it while charging it?"
"Yes, I remember something like that"
"Good. Now I tell you the opposite. Press it as hard as you can while you raise your Reiatsu"
"Understood" He replied seriously.
He looked at Nelliel before initiating the process. The smile she gave him was the last thing he needed to do it.
"Well, here goes nothing..."
He did as Kisuke instructed him. Now the whole Hogyoku was shining inside of his hand.
As this occurred, he felt a strange heat inside of him. As if a blue flame was intensely burning inside his soul.
"HaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" He yelled as he felt his Reiatsu rising.
After a couple more seconds, the cube cracked. Once, twice, thrice. In the end, the Hogyoku was shattered, letting out a blinding light that forced Urahara and Nelliel to close their eyes.
When they opened them again, Ichigo was standing proudly in front of them. There was no physical change, but as soon as he let out his Reiatsu, it was clear that his powers were back.
"So, how's it?" Kisuke asked him.
"I don't really know... How about...?" He said as he grabbed his Zanpakuto. "Getsuga Tenshou!"
A giant slice of Reiatsu shattered a whole mountain that was in the training ground.
"Not as powerful as when I battled Aizen, but I guess I can work with this" He replied in a cool way, but inside, he couldn't have felt happier.
"I'll be the one to judge that" Said a familiar voice Ichigo hadn't heard in a while.
As soon as he turned around, he saw a particularly enthusiastic Arrancar asking for a fight. He showed no signs of recently waking up, despite having been asleep a couple seconds before. After all, he was a natural fighter.
"Grimmjow, it's been a while. Are you sure you wanna fight right now? Urahara told me you were very tired..." He replied with a grin, as he knew that the Espada would get worked up with that.
"Ha! Don't make me laugh... I'm always in perfect condition to kick your ass!" He replied as he punched the air.
"Fine by me, but no crying after I break the shit out of you!" Ichigo pointed Zangetsu at the Arrancar.
Urahara and Nelliel stood by and just watched.
"Is this alright?" She asked the shop owner.
"If he feels like he's ready to give it a go, who am I to deny his wishes? Also, I'm curious to see how powerful is Ichigo right now" Kisuke replied, wondering why he didn't take a couple snacks to enjoy the fight.
"I guess you're right" She replied a bit unsure. She didn't want Ichigo to get hurt after he just got his powers back, but seeing his enthusiasm, she decided to comply with his desire to fight.
"Let's go!" The two rivals said as they charged towards one another.
Ichigo activated his Bankai, but did not summon the Hollow mask. He wanted to try his strength in that stage first.
"I don't recommend not using that mask. I've become stronger during the last weeks" Grimmjow said.
"Really? Then stop talking and show me" Dared Ichigo.
The Espada used Sonido to attack Ichigo from the back, but he saw his movement and blocked with his blade.
After that, he countered with a black and red Getsuga from point blank range. Grimmjow wasn't able to block it fully, so he shot a Cero to cancel the rest of the attack.
"Ah, that reminds me, please refrain from using devastating attacks like Gran Rey Cero!" Urahara shouted at them.
"Looks like we'll have to wait a little to go all out..." Grimmjow said in reply to the request of the shop owner.
"Don't worry. Once we get Hueco Mundo back, we can have a full-fledged battle like the last time" Ichigo replied.
They kept clashing with their swords. Sometimes Grimmjow managed to deal a blow or two with his punches and kicks, but Ichigo countered easily with a swing of his Zanpakuto.
He hadn't felt so alive ever since he lost his powers. The battle Ichigo was having was an unimaginable event until the day before, but now that was history.
Now, his Reiatsu only rose as he clashed against his Hollow rival, who was just as motivated to fight. They continued fighting in the air to let it all out.
"Thanks, Urahara. Thanks, Nel. Thank, God... For I have the chance to fight again!" He thought as he sent a barrage of Getsuga Tenshou at Grimmjow, who evaded the most but was ultimately hit by the last three.
Grimmjow fell to the ground, but withstood it pretty well with his blade.
"Heh, it's been nice..." He started saying. "But I think we're done warming up, aren't we?"
"You're totally right. Show me a real fight, Grimmjow!" Ichigo replied as he got his Hollow mask out.
"Grind, Pantera!"
After both transformations, the Reiatsu in the training ground became really dense. Nelliel and Urahara got a bit worried about Harribel, who started moving uncomfortably in her sleep, probably reacting to the fierce battle happening only a couple hundreds of meters from her.
"They are not gonna stop, are they?" She asked.
"Probably not. But don't worry, I'm pretty sure I can handle them. I wouldn't mind if you lent me a hand with that, actually" Urahara replied.
"I'm pretty sure I'm stronger than Grimmjow at the very least, but I'm not sure I can handle him in his Resurrección"
"Oh right, I almost forgot to tell you. That armband has a limitation. It probably won't hold too much if you use your Resurrección"
"How much time would I have?"
"I'm not sure, but probably from five to ten minutes at most"
"I understand... However. Is there a way to heal my skull entirely?"
"I have someone in mind who might be able to help with that" He replied with a hopeful smile. "In the meantime, try to increase your powers in your current state, but don't overdo it"
"Okay"
Grimmjow slashed his way through Ichigo's attacks until he was able to hit him directly.
Ichigo used his sword to control his fall, but the Espada appeared from the side and striked again.
"C'mon, I know you can do better than that!" He tried to provoke Ichigo.
"Tch... Getsuga Tenshou!" He did the same attack.
"You're no fun... if you keep attacking the same way, I'll just see through all your movements!"
"Are you sure?" Asked Ichigo as he sliced Grimmjow in the back.
"What the-?!"
"A diversion, of course. Get real, Grimmjow!" Now it was Ichigo who provoked his rival.
The wild Arrancar jumped before falling to the ground and took a special position in the air.
"Now you've done it! Desgarrón!"
He was about to slice the air with his claws, when he felt someone put his hand on his shoulder.
"Enough, buddy" Urahara told him with a smile but very fearsome aura.
"Or what?!" The Arrancar dared.
Urahara didn't reply and instead he hit Grimmjow with his Zanpakuto faster than he could react and tossed him into the ground.
"Bakudou 63: Sajou Sabaku!" Chanted Urahara as he strongly binded an already weakened Espada.
"What the hell is this?!" He asked angrily.
"Insurance. You guys battled, had fun for a while, but enough is enough"
"And why am I the only one getting the stick?"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that..." Said Urahara as he looked at Ichigo, who had been immobilized by Nelliel with a leg lock.
"But Nel, we were just having fun!" He protested.
"Sorry, Ichigo, but I think you guys went a little overboard with your sparring. Don't worry, there are plenty of Demons in Hueco Mundo waiting to fight you" She tried to comfort him.
"I guess you're right... Now, could you let me go?"
"Um... What is the magic word?" She put an innocent face with her index finger in her cheek.
"Please?!" Now Ichigo was getting upset as it was starting to hurt.
"Of course Ichigo, anything for you!" She let go of the lock and gave him a little hug instead.
"Thanks, Nel" He said after she let go and retrieved the Hollow mask from his face.
After that, he gave a look at the field. It was in that moment that he realised the destruction their battle had caused.
"It seems we did go a little overboard" He admitted.
"But despite that, I'm glad to see you so happy. It makes every ounce of Reiatsu I poured into that thing more than worth it" She replied with a smile.
"Hey, Nel. Thank you. Like, you have no idea of just how happy you made me by helping in getting my powers back. I really don't know how to repay you"
"You don't have to do anything, just letting me stay by your side is more than enough. I'm so happy that I found you, and it makes me even happier that I could help you" Her kind words and her cute voice made Ichigo red as a strawberry.
"Well, if that's what you want... Then I won't leave you alone, ever again" He swore as serious as he could.
Once again, she felt the strange feeling in her chest, at the same time as she wanted to taste his lips.
"Would it be too weird if I asked for...?" She thought as she stared at Ichigo.
She was building up the courage to ask him what she really wanted, when a group of people entered the training ground.
"I should've assumed that it was your doing..."
Ichigo tilted his head towards the voice. Uryuu was standing firmly with his hand on his glasses.
"Of course. I had to let you guys know that I was back" Ichigo replied to the Quincy with a smug face.
Chad and Rukia appeared from behind him.
"That means you're done crying like a baby for your lost powers?" Rukia asked ironically.
"Yeah... From now on, just training and getting stronger to fight some Demons"
"Demons? What do you mean?" Asked Chad.
"Sorry, I forgot you guys didn't know about that..."
"Kurosaki-kun!" Shouted a female voice.
Orihime came running from behind the rest of her friends right at Ichigo. She could feel how happy he was, which made her really happy as well.
"Inoue!"
As she ran towards Ichigo, she felt how the weight of the world was lifted from her heart. She couldn't control herself from jumping and embracing Ichigo as soon as it was possible.
"I'm so glad you got your Shinigami powers back, Kurosaki-kun!"
"Yeah. Though it wouldn't have been possible without the help of Urahara... And Nel"
"Huh?" Orihime suddenly let go of him and looked at his side.
The turquoise haired Arrancar was there smiling at her with open arms.
"Nel-cha... I mean Nel-san! How have you been?" She hugged her, although she still couldn't entirely process the event.
"No way... Is that... Nel?!" Uryuu couldn't believe his eyes.
"Yeah. It's a long story, but this is her real form" Ichigo explained.
"She has the same hair color, scar and broken skull" Chad pointed out.
"Now that you mention it, it couldn't have been more obvious" Uryuu admitted embarrassed.
"Great! Or well, the invasion of Hueco Mundo aside... Everything's been fine" She replied Orihime's question.
"Invasion? What happened?" She looked towards Ichigo.
He was about to explain but Urahara stopped him.
"I think it's best if we all discuss this upstairs with some tea" Urahara invited.
"Hey! First get me out of here!" Grimmjow demanded.
"Um... Sorry, maybe later. Just relax and you'll fall asleep in no time, really"
"God-damn Shi-ni-ga-mi!!!" He yelled.
"Isn't that?!" Rukia recognized him, and it wasn't a good memory.
"Yeah, that's Grimmjow" Ichigo confirmed.
"I think I'll take Urahara-san's offer" Uryuu replied after getting a headache with the whole situation.
Once everyone was at the table, Pesche and Dondochakka helped to serve the tea.
"Uryuu, it's been so long... How is everything going?" Pesche asked him.
"Well enough. It seems you guys have been having it rough, though"
"Yeah, but these last two days have been really nice here in the world of the living"
"Where is the other Shinigami... The one with the red hair, what was he called? Ranji... Runji..." Dondochakka asked.
"Renji!" Rukia corrected.
"Renji, that was it..." The hard-face Arrancar replied.
"He couldn't come today. After all the night's ruckus he must've been really tired" Rukia explained.
"That's too bad..." Pesche added.
"So, what happened to Hueco Mundo?" Rukia asked very curious, since she wanted to know the root of the most recent problem in Soul Society.
"It got invaded by the Oni" replied Urahara.
"Oni... You mean the wardens of Jigoku? Why would they want to conquer anything?" She didn't seem to make sense of it.
"I've been thinking about that for a while, but I don't seem to have enough intel to come up with that answer yet" The shop owner admitted.
"And I assume that because of that invasion, every Hollow with a bit of intelligence escaped to the Human World" Uryuu deduced.
"It makes sense. Despite the efforts of Soul Society, only Adjuchas type of Hollows were captured or killed during the mission" Rukia informed.
"Were they fighting back?" Ichigo asked.
"Not really. Everyone that encountered an Arrancar was hit by a weak attack or wasn't dealt at all. The ones who did attack used hit and run tactics, so I don't think we could say it was really a battle" She admitted.
"At the very least, we didn't want to hurt anyone. That's why when we escaped, we immediately followed Ichigo's Reiatsu" Explained Nel.
"And thank God you did. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have my powers right now..." He gave a grateful look at Nelliel, who smiled back at him.
"Exactly. How did you even get your powers back?" Rukia asked.
"Hey, Urahara... Can we tell them?" He asked for confirmation.
"Hum... As long as everything stays between us, yes"
"He made a Hogyoku" Ichigo revealed.
"No way...!" Almost everyone muttered.
"It wasn't the same kind that Aizen had though. I designed a type of Hogyoku that impulsed the user's Reiatsu and had only one use. After Kurosaki-kun regained his powers, it was destroyed and left no trace whatsoever" The shop owner clarified.
"To restore my Reiatsu fully, it needed both Shinigami and Hollow Reiatsu. The problem was, getting the Hollow kind in this world would be very difficult normally. However, after the three came here, Urahara explained the idea and Nel offered herself to charge the Hollow Reiatsu needed. I can't thank her enough for that"
"It's nothing, Ichigo. It's the least I could do after all you did for me..." She blushed a little as she hugged him, since she was by his side.
Everyone thought it was a cute scene, except for Orihime, who felt her heart slowly getting crushed. After all the time she spent with Ichigo, after everything she tried during the past weeks, another girl came and magically restored his powers.
"I'm useless..." She thought. "There is just no competition. I'm not nearly as strong or beautiful as she is. And even worse, while I couldn't do anything to help Kurosaki-kun... She turned out to be the key to his happiness. I... I guess he doesn't need me in his life anymore..." Tears started falling through her cheeks.
"Inoue? Is something the matter?" Ichigo noticed she was crying.
"Nothing. I'm just happy for you, that's all. I think... I think I'm going home now" She said as she got up.
Urahara deduced her reaction and decided not to salt the wound by asking her to heal Nelliel. "Maybe some other time..." He muttered to himself.
"Then I'll take you home" Ichigo offered.
"No, it's not necessary. You guys have a lot to talk about due to this new problem. I can go on my own. It's alright" She made a fake smile.
"Are you sure, Inoue-sama? We heard about you from Nel-sama and would be happy to help" Pesche offered.
"It's fine, really" She lied.
"Okay... But be careful on the way" Ichigo complied worried.
"Yes, don't worry. I was happy to see you again, Nel-san" She kept lying.
"Me too" The Arrancar replied.
"Maybe we three could go hang out one of these days" Rukia said.
"It could be possible. I just have to finish making a Gigai for Nel-chan" Urahara added.
"I bet you're gonna make me pay for all the things you've done for her" Ichigo pointed out.
"Of course, I wouldn't make a lady work..." A certain dark skinned Shinigami appeared on his mind as he said that.
Everyone laughed. Everyone but Orihime.
"Goodbye, everyone!" She waved her hand and exited the room as quickly as possible.
The rest of the people noticed something was wrong with her, but only Rukia and Urahara understood completely.
"That was strange. Something appeared to bother her..." Ichigo said.
"Whatever it was, she didn't seem to want to talk about it" Uryuu added.
"Anyways, we should start planning our strategy against the Oni. The good thing about them is that since they are a very ancient race, we know practically everything worth mentioning" Urahara explained.
"Shouldn't Grimmjow hear this as well?" Nelliel remembered.
"Oh, I had forgotten about him! I just wanted to tease him a little for defying me, but I think he learned his lesson" Kisuke remembered.
"No need for that. I broke free on my own... Though it was a real hassle!" The Arrancar said angrily as he joined them in the room, now in his normal form.
"Is Harribel-san still sleeping?" Urahara asked him.
"Like an angel, now tell us about the Oni" He replied quickly.
"Angel? Grimmjow, don't tell me..." Ichigo started bothering him.
"It's a common expression, don't think too much about it, FUCK!" He said with animosity although his face was slightly red.
"Um... Let's see... What would the most important about the Oni be...?" Urahara muttered to himself.
Everyone looked at him disappointed as he wasn't able to properly carry the topic.
"Oh, right! Their structure. The Oni have a King, three Princes and eight Dukes. Their king, known by the name Yama, is known for using Light and Dark nature attacks. The other three Princes, are represented by an infernal beast. Behemoth (Fire and Earth), Leviathan (Water) and Zis (Wind). There's not much information about the eight Dukes, but I can tell you that the most dangerous uses a blade that goes by the name Abaddon"
"They use swords as well?" Chad asked.
"Good question. While they use swords, these are not Zanpakutous and I have no idea about their powers. I can imagine that either the swords or the Oni achieve their true forms by using some kind of technique, but that is all theory"
"What will our first move be?" Grimmjow asked.
"As long as they don't attack Soul Society or the Human World during these days, which is a possible scenario in this point, reconquering Hueco Mundo. After that, it would possibly be entering Jigoku to face the princes and the King himself. This last part would be if they continue to threaten our existence, of course"
"How much time do we have to train?" Ichigo asked.
"If we are lucky... Half a day"
"WHAT?!" Everyone snapped.
"I know it doesn't sound as much, but it should be more than enough with the training we have prepared for you"
"We?" Uryuu repeated.
"Hi, did any of you miss me?" Asked a woman.
"I should've assumed that it was gonna be you, Yoruichi" Ichigo said with a grin.
"Who else would it have been, Ichigo? You know this lazy ass, he won't move an inch to train you" She said referring to Urahara.
"That hurt. But continuing, everyone's gonna train with Yoruichi, except that it won't be in the training ground"
"Where are we going, then?" Uryuu asked.
Ichigo seemed to know where Urahara meant, but waited for him to say so.
"The Dangai. The place where Kurosaki-kun trained for the last time before defeating Aizen"
"I thought so" Agreed Ichigo.
"What kind of place is it?" Nelliel asked.
"It is not very pretty, but it's very practical. An hour here means 2,000 hours at the Dangai" Urahara explained.
"Which means that if we train there, 12 hours will be a little less than three years" Uryuu clarified.
"And since the Koutotsu was destroyed, there is no danger by training there" The shop owner reminded.
"Very well then. It's 9:34 AM. I'm guessing at 10 AM we enter the Dangai, don't we?" Ichigo assumed.
"Correct. I hope your mind is ready for two and a half years of training, all in the span of a normal day" Yoruichi said with a proud smirk.
"We're always ready" Replied another male voice that joined the conversation.
"Renji! You came!" Rukia exclaimed with surprise.
"Not in a million years would I miss the chance to get stronger in such a way... Also, I had a hunch that this bastard had gotten his Reiatsu back"
"Who are you calling a bastard you damn pineapple head?!" Ichigo replied.
"Ho... Cocky after we regained our powers, aren't we?"
The two were throwing lightning bolts at each other with their looks.
"You can end this conversation at the Dangai if you don't mind!" Rukia punished them with a punch on the head.
"Thank you Rukia. Also, since I'm a lazy ass but I want you to learn some new tricks... I asked help from some friends" Urahara said as more people entered the shop.
Everyone was really curious as to who would train with them now.
"...But why did it have to be us?! We don't owe shit to that bastard!" The loud complaints of a girl were heard.
"We are doing this for Yoruichi-san now, so calm down Hiyori" A man reprimended her.
Ichigo had an invaluable glare directed at the voices that Nelliel noticed.
"You know them, Ichigo?" She asked.
"Yeah. They are good guys, but they are a special kind of weirdos as well" He replied.
"Who are you calling a weirdo?!" Hiyori jumped right at Ichigo, and was about to throw punches while he was on the floor.
Love grabbed her from her red jacket and lifted her from the ground before she could do any damage.
"Long time no see. We already know the plan, so the question is: are you ready?" He said the last part in american English and pointed his finger in a cool way, trying to imitate a movie.
"Hey Ichigo, it's gonna be a long while training there, but don't worry cause I've got you covered" Lisa whispered loudly to him as she suspiciously opened a backpack full of Ero magazines.
The sight made Ichigo cringe as well as blush.
"Why did you have to bring that?!"
"What is that, Ichigo?" Nelliel asked innocently, but he decided to ignore her question.
"I think I get what you were saying earlier, Ichigo" Uryuu agreed.
Chad, Rukia and Renji nodded in approval.
"For those of you who don't know who they are, they call themselves the Vizards" Urahara clarified. "They are previous Shinigami who were hollowfied by Aizen, but gained great power as a result. They were all Lieutenants or Captains back in Soul Society, so needless to say, they are the most indicated people if you want to train and learn a thing or two in the process"
"He's not lying about that" Ichigo agreed.
"Who cares if they are a tad weird or crazy? The only thing I care about is if they are strong!" Grimmjow said.
"Oh... This Arrancar is quite the talker! You'll see how strong I am after I break the shit out of you!" Hiyori challenged.
"I'm an Espada, so you can come and try, kid!"
Her body stopped all movement and seemed to produce steam.
"Kid...? Kid? KID?!" She exclaimed louder and louder. "I AM A GROWN WOMAN YOU IDIOTIC HOLLOW. WHAT? WANNA SEE MY ASS? OR DO YOU WANNA GROPE MY TITS TO BELIEVE ME? I'LL FUCKING DESTROY YOU!!!"
Hachigen created a sound-proof barrier around Hiyori.
"Sorry for that. How much time do we have left?" He asked Urahara.
"About twenty minutes" He replied.
"Everything we'll need there is ready. Food, bed, you name it" Yoruichi told them.
"What about porn?" Lisa asked.
"Some things are better left unsaid!" Ichigo replied.
"The other reason I chose them is because Ichigo's gonna need some training with his Hollow powers after he regained his Reiatsu and they are the experts in the field" Kisuke added. "Any objections?"
Everyone shook their head.
"Perfect. Let's get the last details done, then"
During the remaining minutes, everyone finished their tea and prepared everything they needed to leave.
"It's gonna be some harsh two years... Are you sure you wanna...?" Ichigo asked Nelliel but she put her finger in his mouth.
"I want to be stronger, Ichigo. To protect you and everyone else. Two years are gonna pass in a flash if I'm with you" She replied with the smile that always made him blush.
"And we're aiming for the same, Nel-sama!" Pesche said.
"We swore to protect Nel-sama, as her Fracciones and more importantly, as her family" Dondochakka added.
"You're so sweet!" She told her brothers. "I'm sure you will get stronger if you have such determination"
"Yeah. I've never seen you guys fight seriously so I'm looking forward to see what you can do" Ichigo told them.
"We won't dissapoint you!" Pesche declared.
Grimmjow came back from the training ground carrying a sleeping Harribel.
"Ready!" The Espada said.
"Very well! Everything's ready now, so, um... I've never been good with speeches, but I wish you all good luck!" Urahara concluded.
"That fool. After all these years he's still unable to say something more elaborate..." Hiyori muttered to herself.
"Listen! Almost three years of training await us. Either you die weak or live strong enough to fight the Oni. They are real monsters in terms of power, possibly more dangerous than anything we've encountered this far, so once we exit the Dangai, I want to see warriors determined to obtain victory!" Yoruichi improvised a speech on Urahara's behalf.
"Yes!" Everyone agreed.
As soon as the sound of their voices disappeared, Urahara opened the Senkaimon towards the Dangai.
"Remember to use the Kaikyou Kotei as soon as possible to stop the Kouryuu" Urahara reminded Yoruichi.
"Yeah. Let's go!" She commanded and everyone entered the Senkaimon.
"I'll get stronger. As strong as possible to protect everyone" Ichigo swore to himself as he entered.
~~~~X~~~~
Orihime was slowly walking towards her house. It was a beautiful day, but instead of cheering her up, she felt that it was somehow mocking her sadness.
"It's raining inside my head... It's always been" She muttered.
"It's raining inside my heart... It's always been" Now tears formed in her eyes.
"It's raining inside my soul, it's not your fault, it's not your fault" She repeated inside her mind with Ichigo's image as she started crying desperately.
"It's raining inside us all" A voice she thought she'd never hear again calmly said in reply.
"Huh?" She washed away the tears to confirm her thoughts.
"Why are you crying? Woman?"
"It can't be...!" She exclaimed as her prediction turned out correct.
~~~~X~~~~
Woah! Now this was quick wasn't it? I bet you didn't think I would release a chapter so soon, haha. But well, I got sick, so I had a lot of time in my hands.
Many more people have started following the story, so I'm really happy. I think that I should write at least a chapter for one of my other stories before working on Chapter 4 though. But don't worry, if this keeps getting the support it has up to now, I will keep doing my best to bring the next chapters ASAP!
Reviews:
naruto: great chapter keep it up.
Reply: Thanks for the support!
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark:
C1: Wow! This is off to a great start! I like it so far! I'm enjoying this a lot. I was wondering though...will you need any Demon OCs for this story? If so, I'd be happy to create one or two for you to use. Please think about it and PM me back!
C2: Great work! I loved this! OMG! They were SO close to kissing! But NO! The others just HAD to ruin it! Lol.
But I digress. I really laughed hard when Urahara called Grimmjow a Tsundere. Lol.
But I digress. I don't think Nel would judge Ichigo for literally becoming a Vasto Lorde. So why did he lie? And will the real truth come to light?
Reply:
C1: Happy to hear that you liked the first chapter. It also makes me glad that you'd like to create OCs to support the story. Unfortunately, I have everything kind of planned already, so every important character for the plot is already designed. If I ever want a Demon OC I'll hit you up, but don't count on it.
C2: I love building tension so get used to it, haha. Answering about Ichigo's reaction, it was just because he didn't feel comfortable remembering that moment and even less sharing it, nothing more. Will Nel know the truth? All I'm gonna say is that her nightmare was something more than just a dream.
Anyway, I'm off to the next chapter!
See you soon, Evhron.