Chapter 41: Let's Make This Last Forever
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Zanpakutō"
"Hollows/Vizard"
"[Reading/listening to a message/letter]"
"{Speaking a different language}"
AN: So, you know how I was gonna be writing Serpent Empress? Turns out that Fishman Island arc is totally borked in my story AND is a painful combination of very important and completely uninteresting in canon. So here we are again, it's always such a pleasure. Remember when you tried to kill me twice?
-[-
It was a very average day in Hueco Mundo for the surviving Arrancar. That is to say, it was still perpetual night, Apacci and Mila Rose were arguing about something inane only to gang up on Abirama when he tried to get involved, Lilynette was laughing at the trio, and Nel was… sneaking up on Lilynette? Starrk raised an eyebrow as he watched the small child tiptoe in an exaggerated manner, her tongue poking out in concentration. She reached Starrk's other half right as the taller, not that was saying much, of the two verdette's hunched over in laughter. "Kan-cho!" Nel shouted and shot her clasped hands forward.
The first two fingers on each hand drove right into Lilynette's covered butthole, eliciting a scream of surprise and alarm. "WAAAAAHHH!" Lilynette screamed as she leapt forward on pure reflex. She landed face first on the sand as Apacci, Mila Rose, Abirama, and especially Nel all laughed uproariously at her reaction. Lilynette's face was steaming red as she lifted herself back up. "Why you little brat!" An instant later, she was back on her feet and chasing after the still laughing Nel.
It was the exact kind of perfectly normal chaos that Starrk could sleep through forever. The other survivors of their conflict with the Shinigami: Halibel, Dordoni, Sung-sun, and Roka were all around somewhere but the former Primera wasn't paying too much mind to them. He could sense them nearby and that was enough to know he wasn't alone again. Instead, he reclined on his sand dune and dozed. 'If there's one thing I miss about Los Noches, it's the pillows,' He thought idly. The outer walls of the city-sized palace still stood for the most part, but little else did. Everything even remotely close to the center had been wiped out by Starrk's battle against first Kurosaki then the Hollow within Kurosaki (something Starrk still didn't quite understand). Some of the buildings further out hadn't been reduced to sand, but most of them were too badly damaged to inhabit. Those who cared salvaged what they could find. Mostly, they grabbed beds as sleeping on sand or stone again became remarkably unappealing after enjoying silk for the first time they could remember. If Starrk was truly motivated, he could have simply taken a nap on his own pilfered bed rather than lamenting the loss of his pillow pile, but he refused to admit that he found lying on the dunes nostalgic.
Though the nostalgia was somewhat tempered by the racket, especially as Nel ran past again, still being chased energetically. "You can't catch Nel!" The small child cheerfully called over her shoulder as she leapt right over Starrk's lounging body without breaking stride.
Lilynette was far less joyous, her visible eye glaring. "I'll teach you to stick your fingers in peoples' butts, you damn munchkin!" The other half of the Primera shouted. Unlike Nel, she simply stomped right on Starrk's stomach as she gave chase. Though her attack did no damage, especially given his hierro, the surprise strike still drove the air from his lungs and forced him to sit up. This resulted in Lilynette losing her footing and falling down once again, much to the amusement of her audience.
And that was when a pair of powerful Reiatsu signatures appeared in the distance.
-[-
Sung-sun was fighting for her life. Blast after blast stuck the sand around her as she slithered as fast as she could on her serpentine lower half. Sonido was less than useless. Her opponent could easily track it and was considerably faster than her. At least this way, her movements were less predictable. Just as her enemy launched another attack, Sung-sun fired a Bala towards the sand below her. A large cloud of sand was kicked up by the explosion, which bought her precious seconds to wriggle quickly beneath the dunes. She didn't exactly advertise it, her entire body was as flexible as a serpent, not just her lower body. Using said flexibility in this way wasn't exactly comfortable and she knew she'd be brushing sand out of her hair for hours afterwards, but for the moment Sung-sun was focused on survival.
After she decided she had gotten far enough from her previous location, Sung-sun utilized her special technique: Muda. The outer layer of her skin immediately sloughed off her body and formed a dome over her. In moments the true power of the technique took effect and hid her from both sight and Reiatsu sensing. Not terribly useful offensively, given she couldn't move the dome once it was in place, but perfect for hiding from a vastly superior opponent. 'At least now, I'll have time to catch my breath and come up with-'
The young woman's thoughts were cut off as a colossal pressure forced itself down on her underground shelter, crushing it and terminating her Muda technique. Sung-sun quickly burrowed away from the collapsing dome without any thought towards where she was going besides "Away". Several seconds later, she burst forth from the sand and found herself face to sword with her attacker. The hollow sword glowed with yellow energy until Sung-sun lowered her head. "I yield," She murmured reluctantly.
Halibel sheathed her Zanpakutō and offered her fraccion a hand. She effortlessly lifted the smaller woman as Sung-sun resealed her resurreccion. "You're improving, Sung-sun," Halibel's compliment was more factual than comforting. "If only your sisters put in half as much effort."
"I know that. But it's not enough," She insisted. "We survived on luck and our enemy's goodwill, not our skill or ability." Sung-sun lowered her gaze to stare at her hand, hidden in her sleeves as always, as she clenched it into a fist. "We can't rely on that for the next war."
A hand on her shoulder had her looking up at the closest thing she had to a mother. "There needn't be a next war," Halibel countered. Sung-sun didn't scoff; she respected the woman too much for that. But they both knew: There would always be a next war. "But if there is," The blonde continued, "I see two paths forward for you and your sisters."
"Two?" Sung-sun tilted her head slightly in confusion. To her knowledge, there was only one: Growing strong enough to evolve. Becoming a Vasto Lorde was the whole reason for this training. She didn't particularly wish to spend however many years devouring other Hollows to evolve, particularly after hearing how Grimmjow and his underlings had apparently eaten thousands without evolving. But theoretically, she could evolve simply by pushing herself to grow stronger and stronger until it happened.
Her leader nodded. "Yes, two. One of which I only learned of during the war. Ulquiorra utilized some new transformation I had never seen before. It was far beyond a mere form change like some Arrancar possess. If anything, should our resurreccion be comparable to a Shinigami using Shikai, this transformation was akin to Bankai. It might well have made him the strongest of the Espada."
Now that sounded like a serious power boost. Though, if only Ulquiorra was capable of using it, that did present a problem. "How do we unlock this transformation? Assuming it wasn't something completely unique to Ulquiorra."
Any answer was cut off by the pair suddenly sensing a pair of Reiatsu signatures, one of which positively dwarfed Halibel's. Though she wouldn't admit it at the time, the former Tercera was grateful for the distraction. She didn't have an answer for her subordinate.
-[-
All of the Arrancar were tense and ready for conflict as the beings they sensed approached alarmingly fast. None of them even took a moment to notice Halibel and Sung-sun returning. All of them… except for one. Little Nel raised her nose in the air and took a deep sniff. After a second, she sniffed a few more times, as though doublechecking. Then Nel's eyes widened and her mouth split her face in a wide-open smile as she crowed, "I smell Itsygo!" Before anyone registered her words, she took off with her rudimentary Sonido as fast as her little legs would carry her. "ITSYGO!"
A pair of Shinigami appeared in front of them, the taller of whom scooped up Nel in his arms. "Hey Nel, did you miss me?" Ichigo smiled at the young child and returned her enthusiastic hug.
"Did Nel miss Itsygo? What kinda question is that?!" Nel demanded incredulously. "Of course Nel missed Itsygo!" Apparently unwilling to merely be held in Ichigo's arms, she promptly started scurrying up his Shihakushō like a squirrel. Once she reached his shoulders, Nel started fiddling with Eien-ō only to gasp at his haori. "Itsygo! They gave you the wrong coat! Thith one is FIVE! Not twelve!"
"That's because I'm Captain of the 5th Division now, Nel," Ichigo explained patiently. After all, it was far easier for him and Nemu to transfer to a different division and let Urahara take control of the 12th once more than to swap entire division specialties and transfer countless Shinigami between the two divisions. Though he wasn't going to explain that to the small child on his shoulders.
"You've been gone a while, Kurosaki. We expected you weeks ago when your friends left," Starrk noted. It had been a shock for all of them to hear that Aizen, the man who was stronger than any of the Espada, had been slain. That it was Ichigo who did it was actually less surprising. The former Primera knew that the boy had gone from occasionally having trouble with ordinary Hollows to fighting Captains in less than half a year. There was no reason to think his growth would slow down.
That was when Ichigo's companion spoke up, someone the Arrancar present all recognized, even if they hadn't met her before. "Captain Kurosaki was unavoidably preoccupied, I'm afraid," Unohana explained, "As he was the one to broker the initial ceasefire, Head Captain Yamamoto felt it best he be present to finalize the end of the Winter War."
"Not to sound rude," Dordoni interrupted, "But as strong as you are, Niño, you don't exactly feel like someone who could have defeated Aizen. He surpassed all of us with ease while you seem to be marginally stronger than Señor Starrk."
His answer was a crushing weight forcing all of the present Arrancar to the ground. Starrk and Halibel were both driven to their knees while Dordoni and the various Fraccion were both forced flat against the sand, unable to move even slightly under the overwhelming pressure. Notably, Nel and Unohana were completely unaffected, even with the former still perched atop Ichigo's shoulder. The immense Reiatsu disappeared after a few seconds. "I'm not some child who needs to flaunt my strength everywhere I go," Ichigo explained before turning to the other Arrancar, "Sorry about that. It's still tricky for me to target a specific person."
Though the two Espada waved off his apology, Apacci spoke up, "Goddamn, Carrot-top! Is that the power you used to kill Aizen? Felt like my chest was going to cave in!"
"What chest, you washboard?" Mila Rose chimed in.
That set off the two into yet another argument. Ichigo watched for a moment before dismissing it. For her part, Unohana immediately ignored the bickering duo, finding it nearly identical to Ukitake's two 3rd Seats. "Regardless," The elder captain stated, "We are here to discuss terms."
Halibel chimed in, her voice sharp, "Is this when we bow down to Soul Society? Or is it to Kurosaki personally?" Between Baraggan and Aizen, the Vasto Lorde found she'd had her fill of kings. Hueco Mundo didn't need another egomaniac ruling it or any ruler for that matter, even if Kurosaki hadn't given her that impression from what little she knew of the young man.
Though she didn't scoff like her companion, Unohana nevertheless gave the impression she deeply wanted to but was too professional for it. "Not at all. It is the Gotei 13's wish that you merely acknowledge your loss and swear not to seek retribution for any comrades lost in the conflict."
"Besides, I've no interest in ruling a whole dimension. Just don't make trouble in Karakura and I'll be happy." Ichigo was only partly paying attention to the meeting himself. The majority of his attention was instead on keeping Nel from grabbing his Zanpakutō. "I swear, Nel, if you cut yourself on my sword-!"
"Nel can heal, Itsygo! Watch!" Nel attempted to put her words into action by biting down on Ichigo's reaching fingers. But her point was undermined by the sheer difference in their power, leaving her unable to break skin or even cause mild discomfort beyond the feeling of having his fingers in someone's mouth. This resulted in Ichigo trying to pry her off, while Nel hung from his fingers like a particularly determined fish on a hook.
Sung-sun sighed as she watched. "This is the man who killed Aizen-sama. It's like watching Apacci and Mila Rose."
"WHAT'D YOU SAY?!" Two voices shouted as her sisters dogpiled her. A second later, Abirama leapt in and immediately found himself jumped by the other three. Lilynette clutched her stomach in laughter at the two groups.
Starrk very deliberately took a deep breath as he pinched his nose. After a three count, he turned to the other responsible adults present and asked, "You were saying, Unohana-san?"
-[-
At the same time, the Kurosaki home in the living world was playing host to a pair of special guests. Former nobility, in fact. "I don't know how my cousin managed to have a pair of daughters as great as you two," Kūkaku happily doted on Yuzu and Karin, pulling both into a hug with her one arm and crushing them against her chest. Karin squirmed in irritation while Yuzu easily returned the hug. After checking that her cousin was in earshot, Kūkaku stage whispered, "How drunk was your mother that she willingly married Isshin?"
Karin didn't stop squirming as she replied, "Not a day goes by I don't ask myself that same question." In the background, Isshin slumped dramatically while Ganju patted him on the shoulder in commiseration. At his sister's insistence, Ganju was dressed much more formally than usual, wearing the same clothes he had when meeting Ichigo and his friends officially. Kūkaku had also dressed up, putting on a kimono robe over a much more conservative dress than her usual casual wear.
"Lemme get a good look at you two," Kūkaku stepped back to take in her two. Two young faces smiled up at her. Or rather, one smiled and the other just glared petulantly over the crushing hug. "Yeah, you two must have gotten your looks from your mother rather than Goat-chin over there." That comment brought a smile to Karin's face and another melodramatic groan from Isshin. "Don't whine! That beard is the saddest thing I've seen all day and I had to watch Ganju cry for twenty minutes when he couldn't bring his boar with us!"
"Sis! You can't tell them that! You'll ruin my image!" Her younger brother loudly whined.
"What image?" Kūkaku snarked. "You're like a broken TV; no sound and no picture." This set off the two girls, laughing as Ginju joined Isshin on his knees, a cloud of depression hanging all over them.
Yuzu spoke up then, her hospitable nature shining through. "Please sit while I pour some tea, Shiba-san."
The young girl bustled into the kitchen to a call of "Oi, none of that -san stuff! We're family! Call me, Big Sis while we swap embarrassing stories about your father and brother!"
-[-
Hours later…
Everyone was talking and laughing when Ichigo finally returned home. Walking through the front door, he called, "I'm home." To his bemusement, Ganju was clearly in the middle of narrating some story or other to his younger sisters. The man was wildly gesticulating as he spoke, though for the life of him, Ichigo had no idea what he was talking about exactly. From the gestures… something about punching a bear samurai? Or possibly drunkenly setting off fireworks.
"You left yourself open!" Came his father's shout as the man attempted to drop kick him. Rather than deal with it, Ichigo merely stepped to the side and let Isshin fly through the open door before closing it behind him.
Kūkaku looked up from the story at the noise. "Bout time you got home, brat! I was starting to think you got lost!" That of course brought the story to a halt as Ichigo's sisters ran over to him. "Man, you guys are close. Ganju, how come you never greet me like this?!"
Under his breath, Ganju muttered, "Maybe because you're a raging bitch."
A weak Shō smacked him in the forehead, causing him to squawk in surprise and pain. "Anyway, Ichigo," Kūkaku acted as though nothing happened, "I hear you're a real Captain now. You figure out what you're going to have your Division focus on yet or are they just gonna be generic do-all types?"
Ichigo decided to follow his cousin's lead and just ignore her exchange with her brother. "I hadn't decided yet. Actually, I was hoping to ask some advice from you. Nemu didn't have an opinion and everyone else basically told me to decide for myself."
"Understandable. If you don't f- mess up, you'll be in that position for a couple centuries. Better pick something you actually care about," Kūkaku nodded, catching herself at the last second from swearing in front of the girls. "C'mon, give me what ideas you have and I can tell you if they're stupid." One arm around Ichigo's shoulder, Kūkaku led him away, calling over her shoulder, "Sorry girls. I'll tell you more stories later! Remind me to tell you of the time I framed him for putting hair dye in his lieutenant's shampoo!"
-[-
A few days later…
As Ichigo entered the SRDI, he couldn't help but admit to himself that he didn't particularly miss the place. The researchers were fine, mostly (that one scientist with green skin and a hand-cranked eye still weirded him out), but a laboratory wasn't the place for him. If anything, it felt more like he was keeping the seat warm. Still, he was here for a reason. Ichigo grabbed the first Shinigami to wander by, a purple haired woman he thought was named To-something. "Hey, where's Hat-n-clogs?"
Torue started slightly at being addressed suddenly while deep in thought, only to recognize her previous captain. "Oh, Captain Kurosaki! Did you mean Captain Urahara? He's in laboratory 15, two lefts down the hall then on the right," She quickly gave directions, having just enough experience with her former captain to understand who he likely meant.
Ichigo found the right door and opened it, only to find a staircase descending into darkness. "Of course," He muttered. The teen could faintly hear voices echoing up the stairs but the distance implied had him debating the wisdom of attempting to use Shunpo on a staircase. With no better options, he started walking. And walking. And walking. After nearly five minutes of descending, Ichigo paused. Looking down, he couldn't see anything indicating he was any closer to the bottom. Looking back up, he couldn't even see the doorway he'd come through. "Oi! Hat-n-clogs! You better have an elevator installed by the time I get down there!"
A few seconds later, space warped in a way that had Ichigo's eyes crossing. Once it cleared, Ichigo found himself one step away from the end of a six-step staircase. In front of him, Kisuke, now in a Shinigami uniform but still wearing his geta, stood inside a laboratory larger than the Kurosaki home. Within the laboratory stood a bunch of test tubes, unidentifiable machines, and every other stereotypical "Mad Scientist" device. "Sorry about that, Kurosaki-kun," Kisuke offered, waving a fan in front of his face, "Little security device when I'm in the middle of a delicate experiment and can't be interrupted. But now that I've got you here!" The scientist held a plate of what appeared to be mochi in front of Ichigo, "Do try one. I'm sure I've gotten it right this time!"
Ichigo eyed the plate warily, "Am I going to turn into a dog or get mind controlled if I eat one?"
"Of course not! That was the third batch. This is the eighth!"
Despite not being terribly reassured, Ichigo nonetheless reached for one of the snacks. If anything went wrong, either Urahara or Nemu would fix it. And if not, Nemu would kill Hat-n-clogs for him. He took a bite and let out a pleased grunt of appreciation. "Strawberry? Good flavor," Ichigo complimented before popping the rest in his mouth. "So what are they?"
To his surprise, Urahara frowned. "Strawberry? It was supposed to be red bean paste. …Oh well! They're a replacement for Mayuri's nutrient bars. Enough nutrients for an entire day, stimulates alertness, and comes in six different flavors!" As he spoke, the blonde's voice took on a salesman quality.
Ichigo's response was a shrug, "Anything's better than Mayuri's. That thing tasted like a McDonald's kitchen floor. More importantly, I was hoping you could make something for me."
Before he could continue, Kisuke pulled something out of his coat and tossed it to him. "Already done, Kurosaki-kun!" Ichigo fumbled a few times before holding up the object in question. It looked like a sky-blue glass bangle. "That device will alter a Quincy's projectiles to function similar to a Zanpakutō, meaning they will purify souls rather than destroy them. Thankfully, your friends provided an abundance of data on Quincy Reiryoku, allowing me to quantify the differences from Shinigami Reiryoku."
"Really? That's awesome; I'll be sure to give one to Candice and Bambi. But… it's not what I'm here for."
"It isn't?" The scientist seemed nonplussed to hear that. "But why else would you come to me? Did you need a charged Reishi cannon? Because that's the only other thing I've developed recently."
Ichigo stared. "I'm not going to ask what that is. But no. I was hoping you'd be able to create some way to track where and when new souls arrive within the Rukongai. I figured out what I want my Division to specialize in and it'd be much easier with your help."
For his part, Kisuke tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, I can see where you're going with this. You plan on helping reunite souls in the Rukongai so families can be together. That shouldn't be too difficult to whip up." He tilted his head, shading his eyes beneath his hat as he warned, "You do realize that souls lose memories of their lives over time, right? A child who dies decades after their parents will find said parents have forgotten them."
"I understand that," Ichigo insisted resolutely, "But it's better than the current system. I personally know a little boy who wanted nothing more than to be reunited with his murdered mother for years, only to arrive in Junrinan and be unable to find her. Besides, who's to say that souls don't lose their memories because they're completely cut off from their old lives?"
After listening to Ichigo's explanation, Kisuke nodded in acknowledgement. "I hadn't considered that idea myself," He admitted. "Well, it's certainly worth making the attempt. It shouldn't take me more than a day or so to make something. So… give me a week. I assume you're going to want enough to cover all 320 districts after all. Though I do have to mention, some of the districts are particularly rough, even for Shinigami. How will your Division handle it if the residents attack them?"
"Don't worry about that. I've got a plan to make everyone strong enough to handle themselves." Had any of Ichigo's new subordinates been present, they might have worried. Had they known him as well as his friends, they'd have panicked instead.
-[-
The next day, Ichigo and Nemu stood before the entirety of the 5th Division. They had all gathered in the 5th Division's main courtyard, which was the only place that the entire division could fit within their grounds, minus the main meeting hall, but Ichigo had his reasons for not wanting this meeting indoors. "Is this everyone?" Ichigo asked his lover. It certainly looked like everyone was present, but it was hard to tell if a crowd of over two thousand people had the exact number he was looking for.
Nemu, her uniform now properly modified to accommodate her extra limbs, merely glanced at the assembled Shinigami and nodded before returning to the clipboard she was holding in one hand and making notes on with two more. "Yes. With the arrival of Konno-san, every Shinigami in the division is currently present."
"This plan should work, right?" Nemu paused mid-note to look at him in askance. "I mean, it operates on the same principles Urahara showed me, just less… intense."
"Intensity is relative, Ichigo-sama," The violette pointed out.
Ichigo sighed but conceded the point, "I know that. I'm not going to chase anyone around like a maniac like I was." When she raised no further objections, Ichigo asked, "Do you wanna stick around for this?"
"I'm afraid I have an urgent appointment to keep, Ichigo-sama," Nemu demurred.
That earned a blink before Ichigo shrugged in acceptance. While he was used to the older woman being basically glued to him, he was nonetheless happy that she seemed more willing to do her own thing. One of the few bits of actually useful advice from his father had been about how couples needed their own interests and time apart to maintain a healthy relationship. If Ichigo was honest, he could see that Nemu devoting herself entirely to him probably wasn't completely healthy. Should something kill him, he'd want her to have enough bonds with others that she wouldn't do anything… regrettable. Out loud, he said, "Sure, no problem. I'll see you later… dear."
Nemu began to walk away for a second before her mind caught up to what she had just heard. She paused mid-step and brought her clipboard up to hide her face as her pale cheeks suddenly burned scarlet. Nemu's face grew increasingly red before she suddenly used Shunpo to vanish entirely.
Her flustered response drew a short laugh from Ichigo before he turned to address his division. "Alright everyone, I've already done my introduction speech so you all know who I am," Ichigo began his presentation with a loud, strong voice. "I've decided on a new specialization for the division recently. Our job will be to keep track of the new arrivals within the Rukongai so we can reunite families and loved ones with each other after they die. It's my understanding that souls are assigned to a district at random, meaning most will never see anyone they know ever again before their memories fade. That means that when we tell souls that their loved ones are waiting for them on the other side before a Konsō, we're lying to their faces!" Ichigo's voice rose as he spoke until he was nearly shouting. "I've been told that such is merely the way of things, but I disagree! Soul Society can do better! Soul Society can be better!" Taking a deep breath, Ichigo gauged the reaction of the assembled Shinigami. Unsurprisingly, the call to improve resonated with many of them. The call to duty, even more. More calmly, he continued, "As such, squads will be stationed throughout the Rukongai to facilitate these new duties. However, I'm aware that the more lawless districts feature not only increased violence, but citizens that can, in extreme cases, subdue and kill Shinigami themselves. As such, before we start shepherding the Rukongai, it is my intention to make all of you stronger. Strong enough that you'll laugh in the face of a Menos Grande!"
That had everyone riled up. For the rank and file, a Menos Grande, even a mere Gillian, was the stuff of nightmares. If they didn't have a high-ranking officer with them, they'd be doomed. While Lieutenants and those near their level could treat them like practice dummies, for most, they were unstoppable juggernauts. Though some were skeptical of the idea they could really become so strong: the unmotivated, the slackers, or simply those who couldn't fathom becoming as strong as their Captain said he could make them. "So how are we supposed to get that strong quickly, Captain Kurosaki?" A random Shinigami asked. Honestly, the man looked so generic that Ichigo could probably spend all day speaking to him, then swear an hour later that he'd never met the guy.
"I'm glad you asked!" Ichigo said with perhaps too much cheer, "One of the most important lessons I've learned is that a soul grows the fastest when placed in mortal danger. Which is why we're doing this outside, where I'm less likely to break anything on accident." Before anyone could process that statement, their captain crushed them all to the ground with his Reiatsu.
-[-
Reaching Yokohama from Karakura was fairly easy even for ordinary humans. For a Quincy who could move at speeds surpassing a bullet train, the only concern was getting lost. That, and finding her date, as Candice was quickly realizing. While selecting a venue for their date, Candice had asked her human friends/acquaintances for help and learned of the incredible Christmas light displays in Yokohama along with a German Christmas Market of all things. Getting Nemu to accept had been as easy as asking, so now Candice just had to find her in the crowds.
Thankfully, while the temperature was about what Candice was used to this time of year, it was noticeably drier and less windy. A simple sky-blue windbreaker over her white poet shirt was enough to keep the chill off. Combined with her black pants, the Irishwoman couldn't help but briefly note she was basically a tricorn and eyepatch away from being a pirate. "C'mon, purple hair, purple hair… how hard can it be to spot a woman with purple hair?" Candice muttered to herself. Frustratingly, while she was fairly tall compared to the average Japanese man, she wasn't so tall that she could easily see over everyone. "Wait, I'm a damn idiot. Spirit ribbons, duh!" A moment's concentration manifested scores of spirit ribbons from everyone in the area. Almost every single one was white but two red ones stood out. The young woman grabbed one, only to immediately frown. "Nope. Definitely not Nemu; must be the weakling patrolling this city." The other ribbon made her face light up when she grabbed it. "There you are!"
A single usage of Hirenkyaku brought her straight to her target. "Nemu, you made it!" Candice hugged the shorter woman tightly and reveled in getting hugged back. A small part of her brain noted it had become odd at some point to see Nemu with only a single pair of arms, but she dismissed it. After a few seconds, Candice let her go and took a step back to take a good look at her date. The other woman wore a black sweater dress ending just above her knees with a neckline just low enough to peek out from under the lengthy red scarf wrapped around her neck. Her hair was also out of its customary braid, instead hanging free all the way to the back of her knees. "Wow, I've never seen your hair like this," Candice ran her fingers through Nemu's hair, marveling at its softness, "How do you get it so silky?"
The violette leaned into her touch, enjoying the sensation. "My hair is naturally this way I'm afraid. Though if you're interested, I might be able to create a product that would achieve a similar result."
Candice only considered the idea briefly before she shook her head. "Nah, you don't gotta put yourself out for me. Besides, I'm not sure I could rock your look half as well as you do." With that, she took Nemu's hand in her and told her, "C'mon, let's go take in the sights!"
For the next couple hours, the pair wandered around the various stalls and checked out their wares. From cute hand-carved trinkets to anime figurines to food both domestic and foreign, it seemed like almost everything was on sale. Though they largely browsed, the duo did pick up a few things here and there.
"Here you go, Nemu!" Candice announced as she pushed a small box into her date's hands.
Nemu looked at her then down at the box before carefully opening it. Within was something red and… fuzzy. "This is…" She trailed off, uncertain what she was looking at.
The Irishwoman rolled her eyes in fond exasperation. She pulled the object out of the box and unfolded it, revealing, "Earmuffs. They match your scarf, see?" Nemu took the gifted earmuffs from her and put them on, offering one of her small smiles. "They're perfect! Do you like them?"
"I do, thank you." From within one of her pockets, Nemu pulled out a tiny box of her own. "I got you something as well."
Candice quickly opened the box and gasped at what she found inside. "They're perfect." Within was a tiny pair of golden earrings shaped like lightning bolts. "Oooh, where can we get my ears pierced? These are the best thing ever!"
A quick return to the stall Nemu visited saw Candice's new jewelry installed and a quick discreet usage of Kaidō saw her ears fully healed. "Oh wow, that's so much easier than doing it the normal way," Candice gushed as she admired her earrings in a small mirror. Impulsively, she leaned forward and gave Nemu a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hey, it's getting time for the lighting ceremonies. We better go check those out; I hear they're amazing!"
And indeed they were. Whether it was the six-meter-tall Christmas tree lit up in every color of the rainbow or an entire street of trees glowing a soft blue or sculptures made of lights, everything was absolutely gorgeous. But then Nemu got an idea as the last ceremony ended. "Maybe we should look at the lights from higher up?" Candice looked at her in confusion for a moment before she got the other woman's meaning. Both quickly rose into the air with their own speed techniques and found themselves standing above even the tallest skyscraper in the city.
A sudden surprise gust of wind made Candice draw in on herself briefly. But then her eyes caught the most magnificent sight of the evening. Nemu's hair had kicked up and was waving in the wind right as the fireworks show began, perfectly silhouetting her against the fireworks behind her. The violette reached up to tuck an errant strand behind her ear, completing the look that was something out of a movie. 'Oh that's just not fair!' Candice mentally wailed, 'How am I supposed to see that and not kiss her senseless?!'
The answer was, she wasn't. "Nemu?" As soon as her date looked at her, Candice took the plunge and claimed her lips. To her delight, Nemu returned the kiss without hesitation. The pair lost all track of time, simply floating in the air, kissing among the fireworks.
-[-
AN: So here we are, starting the new arc, which is more slice-of-life of sorts. No big overarching villain until next arc. No race to save lives. Instead, focusing on relationships and romances. Because, unlike shonen, I don't wanna have the relationships relegated to "And 10 years after the series ended, these people paired up and had a child. What? They were never even in the same country during the series? Well shut up and enjoy the pairing!" Anywho, this will also be the arc teaching me whether Ichigo's polycule will be trimmed, shuffled, or kept the same. The planned girls are still Nemu, Candice, Isane, Unohana, Yoruichi, Halibel, and Nel. BUT, any combination of the last three could end up removed or possibly replaced with Lisa, who had better banter with Ichigo than expected. I'm not sure. I just know that an 8 member polycule/harem was really damn ambitious for my first story, especially when I look at fics I love and see how wonderfully the characters interact. I also might've accidentally daughter-zoned Nel.
By the way, should anyone care to bring up Klub Outside, I'd like to point out that everything from it is either completely idiotic or completely obvious. "Shutara became a Royal Guard because she invented the Shihakushō." Really? The woman who's all about tailoring invented a uniform? I never would have guessed. "Nanao walks with a cane due to her injuries from fighting Lille Barro." So Unohana was the only healer that Soul Society had I guess. She healed Hiyori being bisected but the rest of her division can't heal a cut on Nanao's leg. Mayuri outright resurrected captains, but Nanao is a lieutenant so she's lucky she avoided just having rebar shoved in her body like Kira.
No preview this time because, much like a bear playing piano, I only sorta know what I'm doing.
