A/N: Just some people to thank for reviews: Rukia's Reflection, dragonlord1337, Shiso no Kitsune, bleach-otaku, Assault Godzilla, curio cherry, Dark Inu Fan, Seirin-taichou, Bleached-Whale, BlachGryphon101. And thank you to everyone who added this or its author to their lists.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Bleach characters, manga, anime, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Tite Kubo et al.
Every Teen's Worst Nightmare
Time to Meet the Family, Part Five
It was a disaster, Tatsuki thought, remembering when she'd watched her younger cousin gaze adoringly at Chad as the other teen did his homework. Since meeting her partner, Kimiko had done nothing but follow them around. She had offered to "baby sit" the doll, hanging on to every word that the larger adolescent said. Fortunately that wasn't a lot because the pre-teen had a question for everything. The martial artist was surprised Chad had even had the opportunity to leave the house to meet up with his band without a little follower.
Her other cousin Shiro hadn't been any better, pestering her to allow him to examine the doll. Knowing full well that "examining" meant "take apart," Tatsuki had denied him access to the electronic child under any circumstances. She had, at one point, even shoved his face into the nearest wall when he'd gone against her demands. His parents had complained about that briefly until Hana had cried and kept crying until they'd left. If there was one advantage to having a whiny sixth month old baby (real or not), it was that it drove off all but the most hardy of relatives.
Currently slumped in her desk chair, the newest member of the "Substitute Group" tugged on her short locks while trying to study for the history test Kuchiki-taicho was going to give them the next day. Chad had taken refuge in her room for the moment, his head buried in a book written in Spanish, trying to get away from Kimiko.
"Chad," she began and watched as the two plus meter teen nearly jumped out of his skin. "Whoa there, it's just me. I was hoping you could quiz me." Tatsuki would have laughed if it hadn't been for the panic evident in her friend's eyes. "I'm sorry about my cousin. She's a bit of a pest but she's not really a bad kid."
"Aa," he agreed hesitantly. He wasn't used to people asking him multiple questions all at once. The only time he'd spent any time with younger kids was that time he'd saved Karin from the Hollow when he'd gotten his powers almost a year ago and Shibata, the boy whose spirit had possessed a cockatiel.
"What do you say? Care to test me on the Meiji Era?"
"Sure," Chad said, once more settling down.
For the next several minutes they swapped questions and answers, Tatsuki for the first time believing that she'd get a good grade on her test. Maybe she'd have to ask him to study with her more often.
Afterwards, they dared to rejoin the rest of her family, carrying the baby for extra insurance. Her mother looked up with a smile, delight in her eyes. "There you are, dears. I have a favor to ask you. Do you mind going to the store with your cousins, Tatsuki-chan? I have a list of things that I need and they want to go get some souvenirs. It wouldn't be for very long."
"Ah, I guess." Even as she agreed, Tatsuki knew it was a bad idea. The sense of dread resettled on her shoulders and she heaved a sigh. "Let's go."
The four, plus baby, trooped out the door, one high school student leading while the other brought up the rear. Kimiko chattered, her brother answered only when applied to, and the two teens prayed for silence. They were almost to their destination when a heavy wave of reiatsu washed over them. Stopping in their tracks, Tatsuki barely registered her cousins bumping into her back.
"Hey, what did you stop for?" Shiro asked, gazing at his cousin's frightened expression. "Tatsuki?"
"Ah…"
"Stand back with the others, Tatsuki," Chad ordered, calling on his powers just as the older two watched the sky crack.
"Yes, of course. Shiro, Kimiko, let's get out of Chad's way."
The younger girl watched as her crush clenched his fist and stared hard at the sky. "I don't see what the big problem is," she complained although she didn't resist her relative's tight grip.
"Just as well," Tatsuki returned as a Gillian started to step out of Heuco Mundo. Ichigo had explained (with the help of Rukia's horrible drawings) the kinds of Hollows there were just in case but until now she'd never seen the large foot soldiers.
A giant white foot stomped down, shaking the ground in a quake that almost threw them off of their feet. The pavement caved under the pressure and power lines broke with the plodding progress of the unintelligent being. The martial artist knew that at her current level of power she stood no chance against the Hollow and almost sighed in relief when she felt Ishida and Orihime headed their way. Her best friend could help protect her cousins while the boys dealt with the enemy.
Gillian rarely came to the World of the Living and its presence made Tatsuki wonder why or what had led it here. Before she could voice her concern, Orihime joined them, the girl's chest heaving in exertion. "Tatsuki-chan, are you all right?"
"Yes, you?"
"Oh, sure. We left Kei with Ishida-sensei and came as soon as we could." They watched as arrows and other spiritual energy disposed of the gargantuan, each breathing a sigh of relief when the sky closed. The Shun Shun Rikka were flying around their heads, ready to put up a shield to protect them from attacks or stray debris.
"Glad that's over," Tatsuki commented just as a tall green haired woman came sailing through the air towards them. "Who's she?" the dark haired girl demanded.
"Huh?" Orihime questioned until she recognized their visitor. Chad and Ishida stood silently gazing her in disbelief. "Oh, that's Nel-san! Nel-san, over here!" she waved, getting the Arrancar's attention.
"Orihime-chan! It's been a long time!" The woman's voice was soft and babyish, putting the boys in mind of some sort of seductress. They'd been told of Nel's true form but had never actually seen it. She'd been a child the last time they'd seen her.
Orihime hugged the other female willingly, glad that she got to see her friend again. "How have you been?"
"Good. Did a Gillian come through here?" Nel asked, looking at the destruction around her.
"Yes, Neliel-san but we took care of it." Ishida pushed up his glasses, coughing uncomfortably.
"Thank goodness. I was chasing it and it got away from me. You know I promised Ichigo I'd do my best to keep the larger Hollows out of this world."
"That's okay." Chad shook off his power, unconcerned about her lack of efficiency. She apparently still had trouble maintaining her true size.
"Speaking of Ichigo, where is he? I'd like to say hello while I'm here," Nel continued.
"He and Kuchiki-san went to the Soul Society this weekend but they should be back any time now." The friends watched as she pouted briefly before shrugging her shoulders.
"Oh, well." Nel brushed her curls out of the way, returning her sword to its sheath. "Say, who are those people?" she asked, pointing to Tatsuki and her cousins.
"I'm sorry, that was rude of me. Nel-san, this is my best friend, Tatsuki Arisawa and her cousins. Tatsuki-chan, this is Nel-san from Heuco Mundo. She save Kurosaki-kun and I when we were attacked. Yamamoto-dono put her in charge of keeping all the powerful Hollows out of this world but she hasn't regained all her strength yet and still turns into a child on occasion and…" Everyone let Orihime rattle on while Tatsuki shook hands with Nel and conversed quietly.
"Wait a minute!" Kimiko interrupted the mini reunion, Shiro nodding in agreement. "What just happened and who are you talking to? I don't see anyone."
"Huh? You don't?" his cousin asked in confusion.
"Nel-san's an Arrancar, a spirit. Not everyone can see her without a gigai," Ishida answered patiently.
"Gigai, gigai…" Nel whispered in contemplation. "Oh! You mean this," she said, pulling something out of her cleavage and blowing it up. Ishida and Chad blushed at the action and looked away in embarrassment. When they finally turned back, she was in the fake body and smiling at the children.
"Where did she come from?" Shiro shrieked, pointing at the woman with strange green hair. "She has the largest pair of-" He was cut off by Tatsuki, the older girl not wanting to hear the rest of his sentence.
Sighing, she rubbed her aching temples and looked at her partner. "Perhaps it's time to use that device you got from Urahara," she suggested tiredly to her project partner. The siblings had been surprisingly tame with questions but if they didn't act fast, she knew that would change.
"Aa," he whispered while the two siblings threw questions best left unanswered at Nel. He started to dig around in his pocket for the memory modifier when two familiar reiatsu's appeared.
"Ichigo!" Nel squealed, turning swiftly and running over to her favorite Shinigami. Swallowing him in a hug, she ignored his sputtering and pleas for air. Rukia stood next to him with their electronic baby, a slight smirk on her face and a snicker in her voice.
"Hello, Neliel-san," she greeted. "Perhaps you should let him go. I think Ichigo's turning purple."
When he was finally released, Ichigo gasped for breath, making a mental note not to get hugged by Nel any time in the near future. "Hello, Neliel-san," he said, using the more formal version of her name for the adult-bodied Arrancar. "What brings you here?"
"A Gillian. I let it get away and it came here. By the time I caught up to it, Ishida-kun and Sado-kun had already taken care of it." She gave them a blinding smile and the Shinigami daiko chuckled at their blushes.
"Thanks anyway," he said and sighed. "At least I had an excuse to come back early. One more meal with Rukia's clan elders and I would have gone crazy."
"Meal?" Nel asked.
"Yeah, I had to meet her relatives this weekend."
"Oh," the Arrancar said, finally noticing the doll. "Because of the baby?"
"Yeah…hey, how'd you know?"
"Word gets around," she said nonchalantly. "Can I be its mommy?" The well endowed woman batted her lashes, hoping to make him agree.
"Hey!" Rukia protested, tightening her hold on the doll possessively. "Raiden's mine."
"You can be its other mommy," Nel said with a shrug.
"Neliel-san, the baby isn't real," Ichigo tried to explain patiently. "It's not a living creature."
"That's okay, neither am I!" the Arrancar giggled.
Groaning with his other friends, Ichigo just held out his hand for the memory modifier which Chad forked over willingly. Having noticed the large crowd that had gathered due to Nel's boisterous demeanor, he knew there was only one way to get out of the situation with any sanity left.
Ichigo and Rukia remained long after the others went home, their school project for once blessedly silent. "Do we really have to put Neliel-san down as a member of the family?" Rukia asked.
"Sorry, but I don't see any way around it, midget. You heard her, she'll come back and bug the hell out of us if we don't. Whether in her child form or her adult one, Nel Tu is a formidable opponent. And considering the fact that she has a portable gigai, I can only assume she's plugged into Urahara's information network. One hint from that pervert and she'd be here in a flash."
"I was afraid of that. Just do me one favor," the petite Shinigami began as they made their way home.
"What's that?" he asked, taking the doll from her arms.
"When Nii-sama asks who she is after he looks at our homework, pretend ignorance." She really didn't want to be around when her brother figured out the truth.
"Way ahead of you."
A/N: The Meiji Era was from September 1868 through July 1912.