Chapter 5: But There's Still Tomorrow

"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Zanpakutō"
"Hollows/Vizard"

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Despite the Hollow swarm he'd faced only a couple days ago, Nemu insisted Ichigo keep to their normal training schedule. Indeed, perhaps it was because of that horde that she insisted. So here they were, walking to the old Sukari building once again, each carrying their own luggage. Ichigo wasn't sure what kind of training he'd be facing today, but he recognized Nemu's bag as the one she carried their practice swords in, so there would definitely be Zanjutsu involved. Ichigo himself merely carried things for Alfred while the Gikon was using his body. Though the spirit was remarkably snarky, he was still helpful and rarely asked for much. As far as Ichigo was concerned, he could at least give Alfred something to do while he waited. As the pair arrived, Ichigo noticed the empty parking lot had changed significantly since their last session. Dotted around the area was everything from oil drums to cinder blocks to logs. He even spotted a pool table among it all.

Ichigo looked questioningly at Nemu, wondering why their training space was so cluttered with junk. The buxom woman simply gestured for him to get into his Shinigami form. After taking his Soul Candy, Ichigo passed a foldable chair to Alfred along with a bookmarked paperback and thermos of tea. The Gikon nodded his thanks before setting himself up well out of the way. Once Ichigo was ready, Nemu spoke up, "Today we'll be working on both your Zanjutsu and footwork. We'll spar while standing on the various objects I've placed around the area. Anyone who touches the ground automatically loses. However, since your power as a Shinigami currently outstrips what I'm capable of matching, you'll be wearing these." The Shinigami tossed a pair of objects at Ichigo, which he reflexively caught. At a glance, they appeared to be ordinary sweatbands. "Think of them as weights for your soul. They've been calibrated to leave you physically on par with myself."

'And here I almost thought her gym shorts were incase another Kidō exploded.' Slipping them on, Ichigo immediately felt as though his body was far heavier than normal. Curious, he couldn't help but ask, "So, could I use these to grow stronger? Just wear them all the time and take them off when needed?"

Nemu shook her head in response, "They're not intended for long term usage. Furthermore, they're not weighing down your power in any way so much as they're limiting your ability to access it. Perhaps rather than weights, it would be best to think of them as a spigot on a water tank. They merely to control how much flows at a time." The pair took up their practice swords and each leapt to their own starting point. Ichigo stood atop a fallen log while Nemu balanced perfectly upon a paint can. From her cleavage, Nemu withdrew a ten-yen coin, "When this hits the ground, we will begin. After each match, we will resume as soon as both of us are off the ground again." She casually flipped it into the air but Ichigo knew better than to watch it. Instead, he kept his eyes on his opponent and listened for the coin to land. After a few seconds, the coin hit the ground with a soft jingle.

Knowing he was on one of the few objects large and heavy enough to plant his feet, Ichigo held his ground rather than move after Nemu. Unfortunately for him, she shot off in a different direction. The Violette showed impressive footwork as she easily moved from one "post" to another in a random pattern. Ichigo realized his mistake as she launched herself at him from the side, forcing him to turn to block. The log beneath them rolled from the force if the impact, causing both to jump to a new position. Alighting atop an oil drum, Ichigo immediately leapt towards his sparring partner just as she landed on a cinderblock. Without pause, the Shinigami woman kicked off the cinderblock just right so that it'd be launched at him as she moved to a new post. While he managed to deflect the building block, the teen realized he now had nowhere to land. With a slight growl of annoyance, the strawberry landed on the ground. Even as he climbed onto another object, Ichigo understood what Nemu was trying to teach him. He needed to work on both his footwork and his battlefield awareness.

"Again," Nemu flatly stated even as she jumped directly at her student. This time, Ichigo tried to deflect her strike rather than outright block. However, Nemu grabbed his arm with her own and used it as a pivot, flipping herself in the air to launch a kick towards his face. With a hasty dodge, the teen managed to throw her away from him though his precarious balance forced him to move once more. Landing on an old mattress, Ichigo instinctively dodged his teacher's flying kick. He took a hand off of his sword and grabbed her ankle, using it to throw her towards open ground. With nothing to land on, the strawberry was sure he had just evened up the score. Instead, Nemu lanced out her offhand and landed, perfectly balanced, on a single finger. Looking closer, Ichigo realized she was balancing herself on the ten-yen coin she had flipped earlier.

"That's just bullshit," Ichigo deadpanned. Still, knowing he had to capitalize on her relatively defenseless position, Ichigo hurled himself towards the woman. But Nemu managed to push herself away in time and landed on yet another "post", this time the pool table. With room for both of them on her new perch, they quickly locked blades. When Nemu tried to kick Ichigo, he blocked with his thigh then smashed his forehead into her nose. Dazed and unbalanced, the Violette had no defense when Ichigo punched her in the solar plexus and knocked her off the pool table and to the ground.

For a moment, Ichigo was worried he might've gone a bit too far. But his teacher merely offered a nod and a slight smile even as she took a new perch. "You're learning quickly. Good. Again."

On and on they sparred. "Again." Each utilizing any dirty trick they could think of to win. "Again." In a way, it reminded Ichigo of the gangs he'd used to fight. "Again." The fights where all that mattered was putting your opponent on the ground. "Again." That his opponent was a woman didn't matter. "Again." That she was his friend didn't matter. "Again." All that existed in that moment, was the fight. "Again!"

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Nearly two hours, the pair were taking a break. Despite his inhuman stamina in his Shinigami form, Ichigo was still remarkably sore all over. Nemu had it worse. While her Gigai wasn't human and didn't have the same limitations, she had still been fighting at her false body's limit for an extended period. Uncapping her water bottle, the Violette greedily gulped down its contents. Alfred tossed her another and she drank half before dumping the rest over her head. As Ichigo watched the water run down Nemu's body, he desperately wished life came with a slow-motion function. A desire that only grew stronger as she performed cool down stretches.

Already knowing from experience that such stretches were pointless for him, Ichigo instead asked, "So are you finally going to tell me about that giant Hollow from the other day?" He had attempted to ask her before, but his teacher insisted she'd "tell him later". The Substitute Shinigami wasn't used to her being so cagey. Usually Nemu came right out and told him whatever he asked about. At worst, she'd say it was irrelevant, but he had a feeling that a skyscraper-sized Hollow was pretty fucking relevant.

"Shortly," Nemu panted, still breathing hard. "Once the others – hah – arrive. There's little point in – huff – repeating myself." Before Ichigo could ask what she meant by "others", he felt several spiritual signatures enter his passive range. "How fortunate. There they are now." Turning his head in the same direction Nemu was looking, Ichigo spotted several of his classmates approaching from the far end of the lot. Orihime and Tatsuki were in front, walking so close together they were nearly touching. Sado, strong and silent as usual, followed behind them. And taking up the rear was Uryū, who looked like a man walking to his execution, apprehensive but determined to keep his head high. Given Ichigo's persisting fury at his actions, the Quincy wasn't entirely wrong. Ichigo looked in askance at Nemu, who simply gestured for him to wait.

Once all four teens stood before them, it was Tatsuki who broke the ice, "So sensei, you finally going to tell us what was up with all the monsters? And why Ichigo's been running around like a wannabe samurai for a while now?" Those two questions made things click into place for Ichigo. Clearly, his closest friends had enough Reiryoku to see spirits now; something he'd suspected for a while. It certainly explained all those instances where he thought they saw him while he was a Shinigami.

Nemu nodded and answered, "Of course; that is why I called you here today. To begin with, those monsters are called Hollows. They're spirits who lingered too long in the Living World and lost themselves to despair. They consume the souls of others in an attempt to ease their hunger to fill the void inside of them. The swarm two days ago was caused by somebody deciding to utilize a sort of Hollow bait to summon them to Karakura." Ichigo had to give her credit. Despite Nemu knowing full well it was Uryū who did it, she didn't even glance at him. Instead, she continued her lecture like they were in class. An image slightly hampered by her sports bra and gym shorts, to say nothing of the water and sweat still clinging to her skin. "I am a Shinigami; one whose duty is to purify Hollows and send souls to the afterlife. Due to an incident that left me injured, Ichigo has been taking up my duties until I can perform them once more."

Here, Orihime cut in, "And that Kaiju Hollow? It was like a Godzilla monster. All zap and fwoosh! Then Ichigo was all rargh and heeya! And he cut it right in two, like Kamen Rider! Ooh! Do you get a motorcycle, Kurosaki-kun? Does it have a sheathe for your sword?" As she rambled, the excitable girl gestured wildly, particularly while making sound effects.

Despite teaching the girl for two months, Nemu had little exposure to her… quirks. As such, she was left blinking at Orihime's tangent. After a few seconds, the Shinigami regained her bearings enough to answer, "No, he does not have a motorcycle. That giant Hollow was known as a Menos Grande, specifically a Gillian. It is formed when hundreds of Hollows consume each other until only one remains. While their power is considerable, their intellect is negligible. It's only when they evolve further that they regain their mental faculties."

"What?! Hollows grow even stronger than that?!" This time it was Uryū who spoke. His face conveyed his disbelief and fear at the idea of a Hollow even stronger than the Gillian from the other day.

"Yes; the further evolutions are known as Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde. The latter is theorized to be strong enough to kill Gillians with just their Reiatsu. However, both are extremely rare and never venture into the Living World. There's simply not enough Reiryoku for them to bother. Even Gillians rarely enter the Living World." Despite the knowledge that they wouldn't have to worry about even stronger Hollows, Nemu's words did little to comfort the teenagers present. It was like being told that the sharks you feared were mere snacks for monsters lurking deeper in the ocean. Even if you never entered the water again, you'd always know there was something beyond your nightmares waiting beneath the waves. The Violette teacher snapped them out of their thoughts with a clap of her hands. "Now, this information is important to you because all of you have spiritual powers of your own. Hollows likely will be attracted to your Reiryoku and so you must be alert. The more you use your powers; the more Hollows will be attracted by them. Therefore, it is best that none of you utilize your new abilities except in life and death situations."

Though Sado nodded in easy agreement, Uryū was outraged by the mere suggestion. "How dare you?! First you Shinigami try to genocide my people and now you try to dictate when I can and cannot use my powers?! I won't stand for it! I have my pride as a Quincy, and I will not be ordered around by a Shinigami!"

"Shut the fuck up, Ishida." Ichigo coldly interrupted, "Your Quincy bullshit is what caused the trouble two days ago. Your fucking pride caused you to unleash a horde of Hollows on our town rather than listen to reason. Far as I'm concerned? Your "pride" can go die in a ditch. So get your head out of your ass and listen up!"

"Wait a minute! You're the reason Hime and I almost became the stars in a tentacle themed snuff porno?!" Tatsuki quickly grabbed Uryū by his throat and dragged him down to her level. "You son of a bitch! I oughta smash your fucking teeth in!" Before she could make good on her threat, Orihime hugged the enraged martial artist from behind. When Tatsuki turned to her in confusion, the orangette merely shook her head solemnly at her. Still furious, but not wanting to upset her best friend, Tatsuki pushed the bespectacled teen with a scoff, making him stumble and fall on his ass, "Tch. You got lucky this time. Pull something like that again and they'll be fishing you out of Karasu."

Pulling her friend aside and leading her away, Orihime called back, "We'll remember your advice, Ghost-sensei!" As the pair left, Ichigo couldn't help but ponder the girl's empathy. She was definitely something of an airhead, but she understood other's emotions better than most. Though Orihime's ability to reign in Tatsuki was helped by how hard it was to disappoint the girl; it felt like kicking a puppy.

While Ichigo was musing, Sado quietly said his goodbyes before leaving as well. However, as Uryū got up and went to leave too, Ichigo stopped him. "Wait a minute, Ishida. Tatsuki wasn't wrong and I believe I made you a promise before everything went sideways." As Uryū stiffened in realization, Nemu made her excuses and left the area with Alfred. 'Ichigo-kun might require an alibi if he fulfills that promise he told me about.'

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It was almost a week later that Uryū returned to school. Most of the class was shocked to see the teen in a wheelchair with casts on both legs. Ichigo on the other hand, already knew it would happen. Just like he knew that Uryū's story about a car accident was bullshit. 'He's lucky we owe his father so much. Otherwise, I'd have broken his damn spine rather than his legs.' Ichigo had promised his cousin that he'd pay for every person hurt because of his actions. In the end, thirty-seven people had been seriously injured during the Hollow invasion. Thankfully, there were no fatalities thanks the efforts of multiple parties. Had anyone died… well Ichigo knew how brutal he could be. Still, he didn't want to think about what he'd have done to Uryū. Technically, nobody but Ichigo and Uryū had proof of what he'd done but he could tell his friends knew. While Orihime seemed saddened by his actions, Sado had accepted it when Ichigo said it'd been necessary and Tatsuki had silently clapped him on the shoulder.

As Ichigo walked back from lunch, he turned a corner and bumped into Nemu. As always, she showed none of their usual closeness while acting as a teacher. Instead, she merely scolded him like he was just another student, "Do watch where you're walking, Kurosaki-kun." Before he could even reply, she'd already walked off, leaving the teenager scratching his head in annoyance. As Ichigo lowered his hand, he felt something in his shirt pocket that hadn't been there before. Reaching in, he pulled out a piece of paper. Scrawled on it was a short message: "Meet me in the shopping district after school. Plan to be out past dinner." 'Why not just tell me? It's not like our relationship, such as it is, is actually a secret. Hell, I'm pretty sure half the class is spiritually aware at this point.' In the end, Ichigo decided to just shrug it off as one Nemu's eccentricities.

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Hours later found Ichigo wandering the shopping district, trying to find his roommate/trainer/undefined. For once he wasn't dressed for school or training, instead wearing dark pants and a purple shirt with the words "Nice Vibe" printed on the front and a pair of wristbands on his right wrist. 'Meet her in the shopping district she says. Would it have killed her to narrow it down a bit more than that?' Already he'd been searching for twenty minutes and had seen neither hide nor hair of the woman. It was times like this he regretted not having her phone number. Just as he decided to check the nearest ice cream parlor again, the strawberry heard Nemu's voice call him, "Ichigo-kun!" Turning in the direction of her voice, Ichigo finally spotted the young woman. To his surprise, she actually appeared dolled up. The Violette was clad in a blue qipao decorated with pale yellow butterflies. Once more her hair was tied up in an ornate bun and held in place by ornamental pins. Just above her ear was a hair corsage designed to look like a red rose. Finally, a touch of eyeshadow brought out Nemu's emerald eyes.

Ichigo couldn't help but stare at the Shinigami. He'd learned early and often that she was a very sexy woman and had always known she was attractive. But this was the first time he saw her as truly breathtaking (being choked during training didn't count). Suddenly, Ichigo couldn't help but feel underdressed. Regardless, he walked over and said, "Nemu, I was looking all over for you. You look amazing." In response, Nemu's face lit up with one of her small smiles. They never failed to make Ichigo feel special, knowing she never smiled for anyone else. Without needing to say more, the pair went on their way, Nemu leading.

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After having dinner at a local ramen shop, the pair walked through the Karakura Community Park. As the sun set, Nemu broke the comfortable silence, "I don't believe I've said this before Ichigo-kun, but you really have impressed me. Your growth has been beyond phenomenal. In mere months, you've advanced from roughly a Tenth Seat in power to thirteen percent stronger than I was with my seal on. I don't think I've ever heard of any trainee advancing the way you have. Not even the prodigies such as Captain Hitsugaya." Nemu paused for a moment and gave a small smile before continuing, her voice more wistful now, "Moreso, you've shown me so much in my time here. Affection, friendship, ice cream. I confess, I will miss this when I leave."

"Thanks, but what do you mean by seal? And more importantly, why are you talking like you'll be leaving so soon? I know you expected to have recovered by now, but I thought you were still having trouble regaining your powers?" Ichigo wasn't sure if he was more confused or concerned by Nemu's words. Though far from the most emotive person, she still had multiple tells in her body language that he'd picked up over the last couple months. And right now, Nemu's body said she was anxious as he'd ever seen her.

Her smile turning towards affectionate exasperation, Nemu answered his initial question first, "I mentioned when we met that I was Lieutenant of Twelfth Division. With one exception, lieutenants and captains are stronger than the rest of their division combined. As such, when we venture into the Living World, a seal is placed that restricts eighty percent of our power so as to avoid undue interference with mortals." The Violette's smile fell and she answered Ichigo's second question with one of her own, "Do you remember the night we met?" Ichigo's expression all but shouted how impossible that would be to forget. "I didn't tell you at the time, but empowering a human… making them a Substitute Shinigami… is highly illegal. The only other time a Substitute was created, he eventually betrayed Soul Society and killed several Shinigami to steal their power."

"Okay, I can understand why you did it even if it was illegal, but why did the other Substitute betray Soul Society?" Ichigo questioned. Sure, the whole illegality thing was troublesome, but what's done is done. He could deal with the consequences when they came.

"He learned Soul Society was monitoring him to determine if he was a threat," Was Nemu's rather deadpan response. Having expected a more… reasonable motivation, Ichigo barely kept from facepalming. 'Of course they were monitoring him! He's a fricking unknown who was suddenly given superpowers! They'd have to be morons to not keep an eye on him!' Correctly reading Ichigo's expression, Nemu continued, "I see you understand. Obviously, he didn't. Regardless, Soul Society is certainly aware of my actions by now. Your deeds have largely gone unnoticed, but a Menos Grande is impossible for Twelfth Division's sensors to miss. Soon enough, Shinigami will be dispatched to detain me and take me back to Soul Society for my trial."

At this, Ichigo sputtered. "But you saved my family! And if you hadn't, everyone in Karakura would've died with no Shinigami patrolling, right? You said so yourself! Surely they'll let you off for that!" He couldn't comprehend the idea of someone being punished for what Nemu did. More than that, he refused to let anyone punish her for it. It didn't matter who he had to fight.

Nemu shrugged in response, "Possibly. Extenuating circumstances such as ours might reduce my sentence, but it's difficult to say. As you are only the second Substitute Shinigami, there's no precedent for what could be considered 'justified'." Here, Nemu paused. After a moment where she seemed to be weighing her options, she continued, "But there's something else I wanted to tell you while I had the opportunity."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, the Violette grabbed Ichigo by the back of his head and pulled him into a kiss. Ichigo's eyes widened in shock before they closed, and the teen embraced their liplock, pulling her closer to him. Though both were clumsy with inexperience, their passion more than made up for their lack of technique. While one of her hands remained fisted in his hair, the other took the time to explore Ichigo's body in earnest. Similarly, the teen's hands moved from where he'd awkwardly held them at his sides. After a few seconds of running along the Shinigami's body, his hands eventually found their home underneath her dress, squeezing her juicy rear. Despite himself, Ichigo couldn't help but jump slightly when Nemu's hand grabbed one of his ass cheeks in return. Finally, after what might have been centuries or mere minutes, the two broke apart. Both of them were out of breath and redder than either had ever seen. With the most dazzling smile she'd ever shown, Nemu declared, "Thank you, Ichigo-kun. For everything."

A quiet cough off to the side caused the pair to leap apart. Standing several meters away were a man and woman in Shinigami robes. The woman was roughly Nemu's age and slender with dark hair she kept pinned up and a pair of glasses perched on her nose. The man appeared middle-aged, his long brown hair in a ponytail and a scruffy beard on his face. Atop his head was a straw hat and over his robes, he wore both a white haori and a pink flower-print kimono. With an apologetic smile on his face, the man spoke, "Sorry to break up such a touching moment. Really, I am. But I'm afraid we're here to arrest you, Lieutenant Kurotsuchi. If you wouldn't mind coming quietly, we can be on our way."

Moving to stand in front of Nemu, Ichigo quickly took a Gikon out of his pocket and swallowed it. As Ichigo emerged in his Shinigami form, Alfred brushed off his borrowed body. "Oh? Need me to do your homework again while you have fun cavorting across the cit….y," The fake soul trailed off as he spotted the pair of Shinigami standing opposite Ichigo, "Never mind, I can see you're busy. I'll just leave you to it then."

Ichigo glared at the pair of Shinigami and snarled, "I know who you are, and I don't give a damn. I'm not letting you take Nemu. If you want her, you'll have to go through me." No matter how reluctant he'd originally been to be a Shinigami, the strawberry still owed her a debt he doubted he could repay. Drawing his sword, Ichigo prepared to fight off both of the Shinigami at once if need be.

The older of the two waved off his junior's attempts to get involved. "No need, Nanao-chan. I can handle this. Trust me lad, you don't want to do this. But if you're going to insist, my name is Kyōraku Shunsui, Captain of Eighth Division." Despite his apparent willingness to fight, Shunsui didn't draw his Zanpakutō or even move from his relaxed stance.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, Substitute Shinigami," Came Ichigo's terse reply. Further words were unnecessary as Ichigo charged his opponent. Bringing his sword up, Ichigo attempted to thrust it straight into Shunsui's chest. Instead, to his shock, the captain casually caught the tip between two fingers, stopping him instantly. No matter how he tugged, Ichigo couldn't so much as budge his Zanpakutō. 'No way. With just his fingers? How can someone so strong exist?' When Shunsui let go, Ichigo quickly jumped back and prepared to attack from another angle. Charging Reiryoku to his feet, Ichigo utilized a bastardized Shunpo to appear at his enemy's side, slashing at his leg. As Ichigo's attack neared, the captain kicked casually, knocking his Zanpakutō away like a stray ball. Again, and again, Ichigo attacked from every direction. Again, and again, he was blocked and deflected. Yet never once did Shunsui draw either of his Zanpakutō. Worse, the man seemed more amused than anything.

Realizing raw power wasn't going to work here, Ichigo decided to get a little unorthodox. Hoping his plan worked, Ichigo channeled his Reiryoku and declared, "Bakudō #21, Sekienton!" While the Bakudō still didn't create the smokescreen it was meant to, the large explosion of red liquid nonetheless served to blind Shunsui momentarily. Not yet finished, Ichigo prepared his next move, "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō!" Six rods of light slammed into the Shinigami Captain, holding him in place. Still, Ichigo refused to take chances. "Bakudō #62, Hyapporankan! Bakudō #63, Sajō Sabaku!" A hundred metal poles pinned Shunsui to the ground as a golden chain wrapped around his torso, trapping his arms. With all three of his strongest Bakudō keeping the captain from moving, Ichigo swiftly attacked once more. Appearing behind the man, the substitute charged as much power as he could into his Zanpakutō and swung at the back of Shunsui's neck. The blade struck true… and stopped cold on his skin.

"My my. Casting such high level Kidō after only a couple months? You really are something, Kurosaki-kun," Shunsui said cheerfully. "In fact, you might well be stronger than my Third Seat. Unfortunately," The man shifted slightly and all three Bakudō holding him in place shattered instantly, "I'm afraid it's not enough."

"Ichigo-kun, stop! You don't have a prayer against a captain!" Nemu called out, her tone demanding compliance. While she knew Captain Kyōraku was an easygoing man, she also knew the difference in power between them was such he could easily kill Ichigo on accident. Ichigo immediately froze on reflex from Nemu's tone. It was the very one he'd heard too many times during training when Nemu caught him about to do something especially foolish.

A friendly smile still on his face, Shunsui added his two cents, "She's not wrong, son. And to be honest, you're making her situation worse. Our task is to retrieve Kurotsuchi Nemu and remove her powers from whomever she gave them to. If she genuinely had reasonable justification for her crimes, her sentencing will be far more lenient. But you attacking us just makes things look bad." Less cheerful and more sympathetic, the man added, "So please, just let us do our jobs. I don't particularly like it either, but this will be easier on everyone if I can simply remove your powers and take Kurotsuchi-chan back to stand trial. Who knows, maybe you'll see her again, as a proper Shinigami in Soul Society, if not in your mortal life."

In the background, Nanao huffed in disbelief. 'That delinquent as a Shinigami? Maybe the 11th Division would have him, but not a proper division.'

At first, Ichigo didn't respond. Finally, after several seconds of silence, he sheathed his Zanpakutō. Just barely restraining a growl, Ichigo spoke, "Fine. What do you have to do?"

Shunsui finally unsheathed his Zanpakutō, smile back in place. "I have to impale you through your Binding Chain and Soul Sleep, both of which are right in the center of your ribcage." At Ichigo's alarmed look, the older man was quick to assure him, "No need to worry. I may not be as focused on precision as Kuchiki-san, but I've been a Captain since before the Roman Empire. You'll barely feel a thing." Even as the man finished speaking, Ichigo felt a sudden ache in his chest. Looking down, he saw blood seeping out of him as his Shinigami robes faded to a plain white yukata. 'Fuck. What is with Shinigami and impaling?' Not the most profound thought, but he'd just been stabbed twice.

As Ichigo started to fall, he was caught by two pairs of arms. On his left side was Nemu and on his right was Shunsui. The pair of them carried him over to the closest bench. Shunsui apologized as they set Ichigo down, "Sorry about that. But trust me, it's not as bad as it probably looks. Just gotta get you back in your body and you'll be all patched up in a couple days. Now where did- ah! There you are Gikon-san!" From the bushes lining the walkway came Alfred in Ichigo's body. "If you'd be so kind, Kurosaki-kun here needs his body back. Then the rest of us will be on our way."

Ichigo was returned to his body as Nanao opened a Senkaimon. Though his physical body was uninjured, the teen felt heavy and his eyelids were like boulders. As he fought unconsciousness, Ichigo once more felt Nemu's lips press against his own. After a few seconds, she released him and spoke directly in his ear, "…" Ichigo's eyes widened briefly at his companion's message, but the darkness would not be denied any longer. The last thing he saw before sleep claimed him was Nemu walking into a circle of light.

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AN: And so concludes the Substitute Shinigami arc. Next up will be the prelude to Soul Society arc. As for why this chapter was so late, blame a combination of writer's block (This entire chapter was a two sentence bullet point in my plans) and real life repeatedly fucking me over. Such as my muffler falling off my car. In other news, sometime this week I will be posting a tie-in for this story which will contain various bits of information about the universe that probably aren't important enough to be included in the main story. First three sections/chapters will be information on Soul Society, Quincy, and Hollows/Hueco Mundo. Later ones might contain more specific information such as backstories on characters.

As this is the end of the arc, I'll be posting the source for every chapter title (most of you probably realized they're song lyrics.)

Chapter 1: Land of Confusion by Genesis
Chapter 2: Hex Girl by Hex Girls
Chapter 3: Lean on Me by Bill Withers
Chapter 4: Pumping Iron Power by Grailknights
Chapter 5: Last Train Home by Lostprophets

Huge shoutout to Kairomaru and Primordial Vortex for beta-reading. Go read their stuff, they're both far better than I am.

Finally, "Next time on Vow Of The King! Ichigo is given a crash course in surfing while Orihime admires some black pussy!"