Chapter 14: Return (End)
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Ichigo and friends arrived at the human world like they had at Soul Society. Ichigo, who knew they would fall the moment they got out of Dangai, caught Chad and Orihime before they could fall. Orihime immediately wrapped her arms around his neck meanwhile Chad settled with being held by the scruff of his neck.
"Well, it has been quite a journey, hasn't it?" Ichigo commented as they landed.
"Indeed," Chad grunted in response.
"I had fun!" Orihime exclaimed cheerfully as usual. "Too bad that Ishida-kun returned early. We could have gone home together!"
At the mention of Uryū, Ichigo wondered if he injured himself when he got out of Dangai. Uryū had lost his Quincy power, after all. 'Well, I could visit him later. I also want to experiment—help him regain his Quincy power.' Putting the matter into the back of his head, he bade his friends farewell when they expressed their desire to go home. He watched until their back disappeared before walking to Urahara Shop with Yoruichi.
Without anything to catch up to, they walked slowly. They didn't exchange a single word and Ichigo didn't mind that. Apart from matters related to Shinigami, they didn't have anything to talk about, after all. It reminded him that they were not close enough to talk about mundane things. He concluded it would be better to know each other better.
"Wanna hang out sometimes? You know, to improve our relationship," Ichigo offered sincerely.
"What…?" Yoruichi turned her head to Ichigo and looked at him in bewilderment. "W- Why do we need that?" she asked as a streak of crimson crossed her face.
"Well, I am quite ashamed to call you a friend but know almost nothing about you. I don't want to be that person who calls everyone a friend without even properly knowing them," Ichigo explained before quirking an eyebrow. "Perhaps you don't want to be my friend?"
"Geez…didn't know you were such a sappy guy."
"I hate shallow, superficial relationships. I tend to forget the people who have that kind of relationship with me, but I don't want to forget you."
Ichigo was thinking about how much of a great help Yoruichi would be in future fights. Of course, Yoruichi didn't know what he was thinking. Misunderstanding him, a stupid grin appeared on her face. It had been centuries since someone had shown an interest in pursuing a relationship with her. The feeling tickled her the way it had the first time.
Receiving no response, Ichigo enjoyed the silence. Unaware of Yoruichi's unintended comprehension of his words, he thought she was thinking if she was ready to consider him a friend. He was also a very careful person in choosing friends, so he could understand her. Time passed and they eventually arrived at Urahara Shop.
"Ah, it's the carrot top!" Jinta exclaimed upon seeing Ichigo.
"Ichigo-san. Welcome back," Ururu greeted timidly.
"Hello, Ururu," Ichigo greeted, ignoring the red-haired boy.
"Oy, don't ignore me!"
Walking past Jinta, Ichigo entered the shop with Yoruichi in tow. Upon entering, Ichigo received a double-take from Tsukabishi Tessai who was manning the counter. He nodded his head at the big man, prompting him to return the nod. Walking deeper into the building, they found Kisuke watching TV in the living room. His irritating laugh resounded throughout the room as he watched stumbling cats on the TV.
Ichigo knew that Kisuke knew they were in the room and that he was trying to irritate them. Therefore, as Kisuke brought a piece of tangerine to his mouth, Ichigo flared his Reiatsu and concentrated it on him. Startled by the sudden Reiatsu attack, Kisuke choked on the tangerine. He grabbed on his neck and thrashed on the floor.
Of course, Ichigo knew it was another act.
"Do you think stomping on his nuts will stop his choking?"
The sincerity behind those words was enough to save Kisuke from dying from choking.
"Yah… I suddenly could swallow that tangerine! Ahahaha-haha."
Shooting an unimpressed look at Kisuke, Ichigo demanded, "My body."
"Follow me," Kisuke said seriously, losing his air of idiocy.
Opening the door on the left, Kisuke showed Ichigo his body. It was safely tucked under the blanket on a futon. It resembled Ichigo in his soul form. Despite the resemblance, it didn't guarantee that Ichigo would not feel pain the moment he entered his body. After all, his soul had grown significantly in a short time.
'Damn, I am handsome,' Ichigo commented at his appearance. Remembering Kon, he asked with a frown, "You made sure that Kon didn't cause any trouble while using body, didn't you? I am thankful for his effort to prevent my body from suffering from muscle atrophy, but I think it would be useless if I had become a registered sex offender."
"Don't worry, Ichigo-kun. I asked the help of my other mod soul to train your body," Kisuke assured.
Nodding in relief, Ichigo knelt beside his body. Before Kisuke told him to be careful, he touched his body, causing him to enter it. Ichigo's physical body sat up with a start, alarming the Ex-Captains in the room. His eyes opened a second later. His gaze was unfocused for a few seconds before going still. Ichigo remained still for a few seconds before blowing his bangs.
"I need a new pair of pants. This one is tight," he stated, causing Yoruichi to chortle.
"It seems you can inhabit your body without any problem," Kisuke remarked in relief.
"Thankfully."
Standing up, Ichigo noted how tight his outfit felt. He knew he had gotten a few centimeters taller but only then realized he had also gotten bigger. He rolled his shoulders and jumped in his place to get used to the weight of his physical body. When he got used to it, he turned to Kisuke and handed him the Substitute Shinigami Badge Jūshirō had given him.
"Trick them. I hate bugs," he said nonchalantly as if talking about the weather. Kisuke stared at him in wonder but accepted the badge without question. "Also, can I ask for the mod soul that took care of my body? I am sure he will do a better job in replacing me when I am out of my body compared to Kon."
"Wait here for a moment, Ichigo-kun." Leaving the room, Kisuke returned with a green marble in his hand. "This is Nova. Please, take care of him."
He thanked Kisuke for the mod soul and for taking care of his body. Bidding his farewell to Kisuke and Yoruichi, he headed to his home.
That day, the Kurosaki household received a new son.
…
Oblivious to the conflict that had happened in Soul Society and might affect the fate of the world, Karakura town remained peaceful. The people commuted to work, school, and college, barely paying attention to their surroundings. Surely, ignorance is bliss. They wouldn't have been so carefree if they knew the cooking predicament that would soon hit them.
At Karakura High School, Orihime greeted her friends and was soon swarmed by them. The alibi she had used to cover for her over a week-long absence was a Youth Volunteering Program she had joined with Ichigo, Chad, and Uryū. Her friends were quite curious about it. She answered their questions to the best she could, but none of them treated it seriously. Her ridiculous recount was much expected and they had questioned her to enjoy it.
"Orihime-chan!" Honshō Chizuru exclaimed before fondling Orihime's breast from the back. "I miss you!"
"Chizuru-chan!"
"Oy, what are you doing, pervert!?"
While Orihime greeted Chizuru back, Arisawa Tatsuki pulled Chizuru away from Orihime, saving her friend from further harassment. Tatsuki sometimes wished Chizuru were a boy so she could beat her into oblivion. Orihime might never say it, but Tatsuki knew she found Chizuru's habit rather uncomfortable. Who in their right mind fondles someone's breast out of the blue, anyway?
"Anyway, where are the other three? Haven't they finished their program?" Natsui Mahana asked Orihime, ignoring the bickering Tatsuki and Chizuru.
"They have finished their program. They will come soon, I think." Right after saying this, Chad entered the class with Uryū. "Ah, there they are. Chad-kun, Ishida-kun! Good morning," she greeted cheerfully.
"Good morning, Inoue-san."
"Morning, Inoue-san."
The two returned the greeting, prompting her to ask, "Did you see Kurosaki-kun?"
"Well," Uryū fixed his glasses, "Ichigo may not attend school today. It is Ichigo we are talking about, after all."
Before Orihime could ask what was with Ichigo, the classroom quietened down. Turning around, she found Ichigo passing through the entrance. She noted that his bangs were wildly swept to the back, giving his newfound calm look a slight wildness to it. The classroom was silent until Ichigo spoke.
"What is it about me, Uryū?"
"You are notorious for skipping class, Ichigo," Uryū answered sternly.
"I had my reasons," Ichigo returned as he went to his seat.
When Ichigo sat down, Asano Keigo decided to express the question that plagued everyone's mind. "What the hell happened to you, Ichigo!?"
Ichigo merely tilted his head and said, "Puberty."
No one believed it was that simple, but they didn't pursue it. People are more apathetic than we like to believe. The students accepted what happened to Ichigo and moved on. Of course, They still couldn't hold their curiosity. They would have swarmed Ichigo and got to know him better if it was not for the bell.
Ochi Misato entered and greeted the class. The moment her eyes landed on Ichigo; she blinked before praising him for his new looks. A smile crept up Ichigo's face. As he expected, she knew him well. He was so busy respecting the teacher who saw past his rough appearance that he missed the blush that appeared on her face upon seeing his smile.
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Honorary Mention:
Venerable Immortal Adan Smith
Venerable Immortal Daoist Mufasa
Venerable Immortal Haider Alkefaji
Venerable Immortal B0mbaCl0ckBob
Venerable Immortal Jack Wright
Venerable Immortal SilverWolf
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone