Yuzu and Karin had watched the entire thing unfold, deep down in their shared quincy blood they felt and knew the Aushwalen but didn't know its name. Ganju and Kukaku were still staring out the window at what had happened. All four of them with their jaws on the floor, watching as the sun and moon part from each other and soul society is returned to normal… minus an entire mountain range to the south west. Ganju shoots a look to his sister before down at the twins when another flash of light appears in front of them. This time it's a reddish white color immediately causing the four to duck below the window to hide away from whatever just appeared. "Karin. Yuzu? You two ok?" The voice of Ichigo calls out from outside, hearing this the twins squirm free of Kukaku's grip and immediately book it outside.
"Ichigo!"
"Ichinii!" Karin and Yuzu shout as they run up to him but he holds up a hand and stops them.
"Woah, don't get too close. I can't touch you like this, my spirit energy would evaporate you." He says causing both girls to arch an eyebrow at this statement having felt nothing from their older brother. "It's over. I just wanted to make sure you two were alright before I have to go to the human world to help heal Dad and the rest of the captains."
"W-we're ok Ichinii. J-just scared is all." Yuzu stutters, studying her brother. "What's that?"
Having reverted back from his ascended state, Ichigo's robes have returned mostly to normal, except for the gi he normally wears beneath his Shihakusho. The white robes beneath his shihakusho were gone, exposing his chest and abdomen between the overlapping sides of his black robes. In the center of his chest over the bottom of his sternum is the glowing crystalline sphere that is the hogyoku. At his waist are two katanas, one with a red handle and two tassels coming off the pommel of the blade and the other with green wrapping around its handle. Both blades are now of equal length and when Ganju sees this he realizes what had happened. "Your sword. It's sealed?"
"I had to this time." Ichigo responds as he looks past the twins to look at his uncle. "If not, Zangetsu would be the size of that mountain." Ichigo responds, resting a hand on his blade for a moment. "I'm sorry you had to see that, I had to steal Aizen's power in order to defeat him."
"Ichinii. You've gotten taller… and you hair is longer." Yuzu says looking at his hair that is down to his shoulders now, this statement causes him to smile softly at his sisters.
"Yeah. Sorry it took so long. I was training." He answers, "Remember that doorway we walked through with Kisuke? That place has different rules for time than out here. I trained for almost two days of our time but ten years of time there."
"So… you have his power now added to yours?" Karin asks, looking at the Hogyoku in the center of his chest. "That explains why we can't sense you."
"Aizen couldn't either." Ichigo responds, shocking the four people in front of him. "He was only able to sense as much as an ant would have."
"What are you gonna do now?" Kukaku asks as she rests a hand on Yuzu's back.
"Going to check on the others back in the human world… to make sure Rukia is alright." He says as he lifts a hand and brushes aside his longer hair. "Make sure the baby is alright too." This statement causes their eyes to widen in surprise.
"I always knew you had it in you. You're just like Kaien." Kukaku grins before motioning to the girls. "Yuzu, Karin and I are gonna go get things ready for the after battle feast. Maybe even teach them some methods in firework making while we're at it. You go do whatever you need to do, Hero." Kukaku dismisses before turning to head back into the Shiba estate.
"Rukia really is gonna have a baby?" Karin asks and Ichigo nods at her. "She's gonna have your ridiculous hair."
"Probably, but my hair isn't that weird of a color."
"Ichigo. Dad has black hair, mom had blonde hair. We have no idea how you could be related to either of them. Hell, Ganju, Aunt Kukaku and Uncle Kaien all have black hair. Are you sure you're not related to Rangiku?" Karin asks jokingly, causing Ichigo to deadpan at her.
"Uh-huh…" Ichigo responds, knowing full well that she's only messing with him. "I'll see you all this evening. I'll be back soon." He says before turning and disappearing into a flash of light.
"Woah." Both twins say watching him teleport away, they give each other a look before following Ganju inside the small home.
In the human world, Yamamoto sits on a partially destroyed building looking over the Kido corps and the 4th division healers as they go through addressing the wounds of the survivors. Luckily the high ranking shinigami had all survived the conflict and both former captain's Gin and Tousen have been captured. To his left, a bright light appears and Ichigo walks through it looking down at the head captain from behind him. "I felt you use it." Yamamoto says as Ichigo walks up behind him. "I take it that Aizen is dead?" He asks, turning to look at his apprentice who nods at the question. Yamamoto sees that Ichigo is now carrying Aizen's former blade. "Tell me something, Kurosaki Ichigo. Has Soul Society really fallen so far?" He asks as Ichigo takes a seat beside the ancient captain. "The last war we fought was a thousand years ago, against your ancestor and now an aspect of your power… but I can't help but feel that this entire war was my fault."
"Honestly. We could be doing a better job for the souls in soul society. Technology is hundreds of years behind the modern world and humans often look to the afterlife and believe it is going to be a paradise. Soul Society is far from it." Ichigo responds, "This war wasn't your fault, it was Aizen's. He learned something he shouldnt have and fooled himself into believing that he could become the replacement."
"Perhaps you're right, question is. What are you going to do now? I felt you use that technique even here in the human world. Are you going to follow in his footsteps now that you've fused with the Hogyoku and taken away his power?" Yamamoto asks.
"No." Ichigo responds, "I have everything I could have ever wanted, and only one thing is missing from my life… I only wish my mother was here to see the man I've become."
"You possess the Hogyoku, you can make that a reality." Yamamoto responds. "Despite you being my greater now in terms of power, will you still serve under me?"
"You taught me that power doesn't mean everything, and that experience outranks everything." Ichigo responds as he lifts a hand to the air causing white and red reiatsu to begin listing from his fingers. "I still have a lot to learn."
"You are a good man Kurosaki Ichigo." Yamamoto says as he watches the Hogyoku on Ichigo's chest glow slightly as he releases some of its power. The gentle red tinged white light emanating from his fingers expands outwards and floats down like snow. Beneath them, everyone injured in the battle begins healing in seconds. Soul reapers close to death's door are restored to full health, the slain returned from the other side and their spirit energy restored.
"Gin gave Rukia this note when in Las Noches." Ichigo says as he passes a piece of paper to Yamamoto. "It won't excuse him for his betrayal and joining Aizen, but it might lighten his sentence. As for Tousen, he was under Aizen's control from the beginning." Ichigo says as he rests a hand on the handle of Kyoka Suigetsu.
"When central 46 is reestablished we can worry about all that." Yamamoto responds as he reads the note. "Unohana told me what you two went through in the Dangai. I think after today… I need a vacation."
"You and me both." Ichigo says, causing the old captain to chuckle to himself hearing this.
"I haven't had a day off in four hundred years." Ichigo turns and gives him a questioning look. "I think I'm gonna take some time off. Maybe go to an island for a few months."
"I hope you'll still be here when Rukia and I get married."
"Hmph. Who do you think is going to officiate it?" He asks before standing up and stretching. "While you're healing people, I need a new arm." He says turning to face Ichigo. "There's also something I want you to do should I ever be killed by someone."
"What would that be?" Ichigo asks, as he stands and extends a hand to where his mentor's left arm should be. The hogyoku's power causes his arm to begin to regenerate rapidly.
"Take my power." Yamamoto responds, "Since we've discovered that my ancient enemy had never been defeated and now slumbers gathering his strength we must be prepared for his return. No doubt he will try to accomplish what Aizen couldn't, but he doesn't want to replace the soul king. He wants to destroy him, Yhwach is the son of the soul king and in destroying him he would be able to usurp the realms. He aside from you is the only person capable of killing me, and if it ever comes to that I want you to take my blade and strike him down."
"If you say so." Ichigo responds watching the soul reapers stand and look up to him and Yamamoto standing on the top of the Karakura hospital. "Kukaku has a celebration planned."
"She always does." Yamamoto says as he flexes his fingers testing his regenerated arm. "Attention! Members of the 13 court guard squads! Aizen has been defeated!" His voice booms through the destroyed city causing hundreds of soul reapers to lift their fists into the air and cheer. "We have a lot of work to do. Kido squads search for anyone trapped beneath the destroyed buildings, afterwards we need to return Karakura town to its place back in the human world."
"Good speech." Ichigo says as he focuses on the surroundings for a moment. He turns around and looks at the wider destruction sensing where a few of the trapped soul reapers are buried. With a wave of his hand over the entire fake city, dozens and dozens of soul reapers are teleported to where the medical teams are. Healed, resurrected and back to full strength. "Can I take Rukia home? All you have left to do is clean up our mess."
"I don't see why not," Yamamoto says as he pats Ichigo on the shoulder. "We'll discuss what needs to be done after your wedding. Consider this your vacation, I expect to see you in a month from now. Lieutenant. You did your job and you did it well."
"I'm going to need a reiatsu seal. I'm afraid if I even get close to my sisters they'll cease to exist." Ichigo says as he begins walking past Yamamoto.
"Anything else?"
"No." Ichigo responds before vanishing, leaving the old man with a smile on his face.
When the battle had begun, Ichigo had teleported Rukia from soul society back to the human world before returning to face Aizen. She alone can sense his power and for some reason she feels that Aizen's spirit energy now resides within Ichigo as well now that he's back in the world of the living. During the fight, she had assisted Captain Unohana with healing her brother and some of the other captains. The strange thing is, Unohana was naked for some reason and had a wide deep gash across her chest that she claimed is from Ichigo. "I can feel the Hogyoku nearby." She hears the voice of Hoakita again after days of not hearing her hollow half she was beginning to miss the other side of her. "Do you think Ichigo could have failed?" She wonders as she turns to look where Ichigo's power is. "No… something has changed drastically. There is a new sword spirit in his inner world." This just confuses her, and as she tries to ask who or what it is she gets her answer. Ichigo appears a few paces away and it's abundantly clear what has happened. In the center of his chest sits the Hogyoku and at his hip the blade of the traitor captain.
"Ichigo!" She shouts, running over to him and almost tackling him to the ground in a tight hug. "You did it! How did you beat Aizen?!" She asks as she pushes away from the hug before kissing him, not even giving him the chance to respond. Ichigo wraps his arms around the small of her back deepening their embrace amongst the rubble before parting from the kiss.
"I stole his power. It was the only way to defeat him." He responds as she pushes back against him sitting up surprised at what he just said. "It's a long story. I spent 10 years in the Dangai training."
"And you learned of some power that let you steal Aizen's?" she asks, her hand gravitating to the hogyoku in his chest. "This means you're immortal now doesn't it?"
"Probably," Ichigo answers. "I've figured out how to heal people and bring back the soul reapers that died in the battle, but I can feel that the hogyoku is happy that I've fused with it. Same with Kyoka Suigetsu."
"Did… Did Aizen tell you that…"
"Unohana did," Ichigo says before noticing that the forth squad captain is still naked. "Did she just not bother with getting clothes back?"
"Wait. So what she said actually happened?! You fought her?!" Rukia questions before her eyes narrow. "Is that the only thing you did?"
"Kurosaki Rukia. I assure you that what I told you of our battle is true. When I lost, I allowed him to commence his own training and I left for the world of the living. Nothing more." Retsu says, and Rukia, despite her great power, feels scared of the other woman's presence.
"Let's go home. My sisters are going to be super excited to see you." Ichigo says as he gets up and picks Rukia up off the ground with a nod to Byakuya and Renji he turns and disappears in a flash of white light.