Chapter 14: Aftermath

It took quite some time, but after some prying away, Ichigo was finally able to breathe again. Everyone was beyond excited to see him back to his old self, especially his actual family. Yuzu and Karin were all over their brother, making sure that he wasn't going anywhere this time. Kaien and Kuukaku were equally relieved to see their nephew was still with them even after he had apparently died. Yoruichi was also very relieved to see that Ichigo was alright now. She couldn't bear to lose him like that.

"So Ichigo, how exactly did you come back from the dead anyway?" Apache asked with curiosity in her voice.

"Forget that." Mila Rose interrupted. "Just how exactly did you get that kind of power?"

"I'm more interested in just how strong you actually are." Grimmjow started with a grin.

"I couldn't even feel your spirit energy when you were in that form." Uryu started before being interrupted by Kuukaku.

"I honestly don't give a damn how you did it. I just know that you're back and that's all that matters to me."

"Well," Kisuke cut in. "I kinda am interested in knowing just how exactly you came back Ichigo."

After a sigh and shaking his head at the incoming questions from everyone, he just held up his hand to them. "Stop." They did and watched as he started to chuckle under his breath.

"What's so funny?" Yoruichi asked with a grin.

"Nothing. It's just man you guys are very loud right now." Ichigo joked at them.

The group shared a laugh at what Ichigo had just said. Before Ichigo could say anything else though, the voice of the head captain stopped him.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." He started, getting everyone's attention. The rest of the captains and lieutenants were either standing behind him or examining Aizen's body.

"Hey old man." Ichigo started with a smile. "What's up?"

"This is an urgent matter Ichigo Kurosaki." The head captain started with a serious tone. "From what we can tell from your current battle, you have not only taken Sosuke Aizen's powers, but also the Hogyoku, his zanpakuto, and even his army. Central 46 will want to have a word with you after we clean all of this up."

That was bad news for Ichigo. He didn't look as worried as Yoruichi, Kisuke, Kuukaku and Kaien, but he did have an annoyed look on his face.

"Whose the central 46?" Karin asked her brother.

"A bunch of old guys who sit around in a big circle passing false judgement on others for who they are or how powerful they are." Ichigo said while never taking his eyes off the head captain.

"After we are finished here, we will escort you to them so they can pass judgement on you, Ichigo Kurosaki." The head captain finished.

"Pass judgement!?" Karin yelled out. "Our big brother just saved us all from that crazy powerful guy!"

"And he nearly died because of it while all of you just stood by and watched!" Yuzu also yelled out.

"You you little ones do not know the severity of this situation." The head captain bellowed to the two arrancar.

"Severity of this situation?" Grimmjow started. "Ichigo just kicked that guys ass and beat him. There is no situation anymore unless you're talking about all of us arrancar that helped all of your sorry asses out."

Grimmjow's harsh words struck a nerve. A few of the captains that were here during the fighting wanted to step in and shut Grimmjow's mouth. Grimmjow and several of the others were getting themselves ready to fight but knew that they were heavily outnumbered. Not only were there the soul reapers here, but it was all of the captains minus Kurotsuchi, all of the lieutenants, the Vizards and the finally the head captain himself. From the somewhat tired look on Ichigo's face, he wouldn't be much help in his current condition. Suddenly though, the remaining arrancar and improved arrancar from Las Noches sonidoed next to Ichigo's group, evening the odds.

"You want him, you go through all of us." Nyx said as she eyed the head captain.

There was an intense hostile tension for both groups. The captains were prepared for another apparent war to wage while Ichigo's group was ready to defend him no matter what. Both the head captain and Ichigo noticed the growing tension and realized that this was not gonna end well unless something was done fast.

With a deep breath, Ichigo spoke up. "It's okay guys. I'll go with them." That caught everyone off guard, but had the dead captain sigh in relief.

"But why?" Karin started in an almost pleading manner. "Didn't you just say that those old guys pass false judgement on people who are just themselves? Why go to them willingly?"

"Even I have to admit Ichigo, that's probably not the smartest thing to do right now." Kisuke spoke up.

Ichigo shrugged it off and looked around to everyone's concerned faces. He smiled at them. "Last thing I really want is for another war to start just because of me. I'll go talk to those old morons," He looked straight to the captains, "and I WILL be coming back here." He had a very intense emphasis on the 'will' part. Ichigo turned back to everyone standing around him. "And besides, it's not like any of them can really stop me even if they wanted to."

The joke brought out a few laughs from the group.

"There is a few matters that will be discussed later, Ichigo Kurosaki." The head captain bellowed out. "But for now, we will be taking both the Hogyoku and Aizen's zanpakuto for analysis on how they now have physical forms now."

The statement made the two in question cringe. They didn't want to leave Ichigo nor did they want to be examined for the actions they were forced to do by Aizen. They stood next to Ichigo and looked up to him with pleading eyes.

"You two don't have to beg me." Ichigo started as he grinned at the two, causing them to calm down again. He looked back to the head captain and smiled at him. "They stay here." Those three words caused the soul reapers to both cringe and sigh in frustration at Ichigo's retort.

"You don't understand just what that Hogyoku has done in the past Ichigo." Shinji started in an angered tone, remembering how it changed him and his group into Vizards a century ago. "We need to know just all that thing can do before something worse happens."

"Nope." Ichigo said while shaking his head. "These two, my sisters, these new arrancar that I'll get to know soon enough, and whoever else I'm forgetting stays here." Shinji and the other captains were about to retort, but felt a very powerful energy sweep the area around them. They all felt the intensity of it and knew that it was Ichigo making a statement. "Like I said, they ALL stay here."

The pressure was enough to make the captains sweat drop. The head captain sighed in defeat like before. "Fine, but if the central 46 orders that those two be taken in and the arrancars destruction-"

"If that happens," Ichigo interrupted. "Then I feel real sorry for all of you guys."

The head captain huffed and nodded to the orange haired savior. With that, he along with the rest of the captains left to regroup. The lieutenants did the same thing, but a few went over to Ichigo's group. Rukia, Renji, Ikkaku and Rangiku went over to them.

"You weren't really serious about fighting against the entire soul society, were you?" Rukia asked Ichigo with concern in her voice.

Ichigo smiled at her. "It's not like I haven't done that before. And I was just a kid then."

"Good point." Renji started while scratching his head, remembering what Ichigo did to him when he was just a kid.

An Hour Later

It was finally time to go. The preparations were finally complete and it was time for Ichigo to head to the soul society with the rest of the captains. Everyone in his group watched in either anger or subtle sadness at the fact that this might start another potential war.

When he was finally through the Dangai, Ichigo looked around and saw that not much changed in the soul society since he was last here. His sightseeing was cut short when the captains all escorted him to the central 46 building. Before he the door opened, the head captain ordered Ichigo to relinquish his zanpakuto.

"Seriously?" Ichigo asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He looked around and saw a mixture of reactions. The usual looks of disgust from both Soi-Fon and Komamura never ceased to put a smile on his face. With a shrug, Ichigo decided to roll with it and gave the head captain Hofuku Tsuki. Unbeknownst to them though, they forgot that he also had his Quincy and hollow powers, so it's not like he was completely defenseless. Ichigo walked inside and the doors closed behind him, leaving all the captains outside in anticipation.

Ichigo stood in front of the central 46 in the usual spotlight that shined down in the center. He crossed his arms and looked around to them all. Despite them having those barriers to conceal their faces, Ichigo could still tell that they were all very nervous around the boy. Ichigo smirked at them and decided to speak first.

"You're welcome by the way." He said.

"For what?" One of them started. "For your blatant disregard for the balance of the world?

"Or instead of executing the criminal in question, you chose to spare him." Another spoke up.

"Or for harboring hollows in the world of the living?" There goes another.

"And let us not forget your invasion on the soul society four years ago." Need I go on. "And now, after all of that, you have decided on your own authority to harbor both the Hogyoku and Aizen's zanpakuto. Give us all one good reason not to throw you in the Muken along with Aizen."

Ichigo huffed at the men that made up the back bone of the Seireitei's laws. He smirked and shook his head. "If you old bastards really wanted me imprisoned, then you should've done that when I was a kid. The Muken won't be able to hold me now." There were gasps both inside the room and from the captains outside that heard what Ichigo had said. Ichigo sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Look, right now every single person in the Seireitei are on edge about this whole meeting between me and you losers here. So how about this." Ichigo held up a finger. "One: Aizen goes to the Maggots Nest, not the Muken."

This time, the gasps were a lot louder than before. Some of the central 46 stood up, shouting at Ichigo, but those stopped when Ichigo let out an uncharacteristic shout.

"SHUT UP!" That caught everyone off guard. The captains stepped in to watch Ichigo hold up a second finger. "Two: everyone that stands with me stays with me and is no longer an enemy of the soul society anymore." The crowd cringed at what his possible next request would be. Ichigo held up a third finger. "And finally: I'll be taking control of Las Noches from now on."

Everyone had their jaws dropped at the final request. There was an uncomfortable silence as Ichigo put his arm down and crossed them. He looked around and smiled to everyone's shocked expressions. He looked back to the captains and chuckled under his breath at their faces as well. He regained himself and looked back to the central 46.

"Well, that's pretty much all I gotta say. Since none of you really want a war with me, one that all of you will lose by the way, all of that will happen." He turned and walked to the head captain. "Those two are mine last time I checked." He took his zanpakuto from him, smiled to and bowed to all of the captains, then used his hybrid speed to leave the building and everyone there to process what just happened.

Ichigo made his way back to the Senkaimon and was about to go through it. Before he did, he heard a familiar voice getting his attention.

"Ichigo, wait a second." He turned to see Rukia jogging up to him.

"Hey Rukia. What's up?" Ichigo said nonchalantly.

"I take it that sense you're leaving on your own that you smoothed things over with the central 46?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

"Yep." Ichigo smiled to her. "And all I had to do was tell them that unless they did three things for me, that I wouldn't be an enemy of the soul society."

Rukia jaw dropped at that. She couldn't believe what she had just heard come out of Ichigo's mouth. "What were the three things?" She hesitantly asked.

"That Aizen goes to the Maggots Nest instead of the Muken. That everyone that's with me not only stay with me but are also no longer enemies of the soul society. And that I get control over Las Noches instead of the soul society." Ichigo said with his smile never leaving him.

"You get what!?" Rukia yelled at him. "You know that Las Noches is in the land of the hollows. Why would you want control over that?"

"Cause Kisuke's shop won't be able to house everyone, and besides, it's not like I don't have a way to get there as it is already." Ichigo said to her, his smile never leaving.

Rukia couldn't believe how calm and collective he was at the situation. He basically just threatened the central 46 with an unwinnable war with him unless they gave him these three things. She continued to wonder about that was cut off when Ichigo patted her on the head a few times.

"Don't know what's got you so worried Rukia." He started when she looked up at him. "Don't worry about me, okay. Me and my friends will be just fine." He turned and walked to the Senkaimon.

"Ichigo." Rukia said and caught his attention. "I don't know how you did it, or what exactly is it that you did, but." She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you for bringing Kaien back. I never got to thank you for that."

Ichigo smiled to her and gave her a thumbs up. "No problem. After all, I wasn't gonna leave my uncle like that."

Rukia jaw dropped at that. Ichigo laughed at her expression and went through the Senkaimon. He walked in the Dangai and thought about the moment he died again. The thought had been in his mind for a while now and showed no sign of ever leaving him. The sole reason he never would forget was because he was able to see his parents one last time before they fused their reiatsu into him. He smiled at the memory and would have one crazy story to tell everyone when he got back. Ichigo saw the end of the tunnel and smiled at the light shining through it. He ran to it and right when he was there, he leapt out to it. He landed on top of the bridge in Karakura Town next to the river. When he was standing on top of it and the Senkaimon closed, he stretched out and breathed in the air. After doing that, Ichigo used his hybrid speed and went straight home to the shop.

That's Another Chapter Down. Short But To The Point. I'm Gonna Be On A Little Hiatus With This Story Until Next Week. Not That I'm Having Writers Block Or Don't Feel Like Posting Or My Internet Being Down(Which It's Not), Me And Some Friends Are Goin To An Anime Convention This Weekend, So Yeah.

I'll Be Posting A New Chapter For Ichigo Vs Soul Society Most Likely Early Friday.

The Next Chapter Is The Official Last Chapter To This Story BTW.

:(

After The Next Chapter And The Official End, I'm Gonna Put Some One-Shots In This Story Explaining Some Loose Ends I Forgot To Mention. Like Fights, Romances That Happened Off Screen, Some Training Moments With Various Characters, Backstories, Etc. Ya'll Get The Point. It'll Probably Be Quite A Bit And They'll All Be Short.

If You Enjoyed This Story, Favorite And Follow To See The Official Last Chapter. Review For Your Thoughts On This Story And Anything Else You Want To Say About It. You Guys Are Awesome, And As Always,

*WAIT*

For Some Reason I've Been Thinking About Doing Different Endings For This Story. I Don't Know Why. I'll Explain In The Next Chapter.

*CONTINUE*

Stay Sexy Out There, PEACE!