Ichigo returned to his house at dinner time. He had talked with Kisuke and Yoruichi, sharing what had happened and any information regarding the Arrancar. Tatsuki was immediately taken home by Chad when she woke up with her memory altered. Orihime woke up a bit later. She was still quite traumatized by what had happened but already regained quite a lot of her cheerfulness.
"The anime made light of the situation," Ichigo muttered under his breath as he stood before his house's door. "But it is as expected. What kind of teenagers laugh at such a traumatizing event? War veterans return with part of them left on the battlefield. We are facing a more fearsome battle—it's quite ridiculous to expect none of us will get traumatized."
Phasing through his door, he went to the dining room and found Retsu at the dining table. Nova, in his body, was sitting right beside her, slightly squirming uncomfortably. Retsu smiled, eliciting a defeated smile from him. Ichigo felt quite helpless that Retsu was back, but Retsu thought he was annoyed by the development.
Nova pretended to cough, allowing Ichigo to enter his body. He caught the Gikongan and quickly put it in his pocket. Karin looked at him accusingly. A wry smile immediately crept up his face as he remembered that Karin could see his spiritual form.
"You look tired, Ichigo-kun," Retsu commented.
"Well, our next project is going to drain us," Ichigo answered with a dry chuckle. "But let's not talk about work at the dining table."
"Correct!" Yuzu exclaimed. "Eat first; work later!"
They ate their food and finished the dinner soon. Yuzu and Karin volunteered to wash the dishes as if knowing that Ichigo needed private time to talk with Retsu. The two relocated to the living room, leaving the twins to their devices. They sat on the couch and turned the TV on to prevent the twins from listening to their conversation.
"When did you arrive?" Ichigo began as Retsu leaned on him.
"Over an hour before dinner," Retsu answered softly, enjoying the warmth of his body.
"So, you cooked the dinner."
"Yes. You know your sister's cooking well."
"I can taste you in your cooking," Ichigo chuckled before realizing what he said. "I should have worded it better."
"It's fine," Retsu reassured with a hint of pink in her cheeks.
"What is the update?"
The heartfelt atmosphere between them disappeared as soon as the question was thrown. Retsu was still leaning on Ichigo, but she wore a serious look as she explained what happened in the Captain meeting and the decision they came to. A few Shinigami, including her, were assigned to help him to counter the Arrancar and they would come the next day.
He knew everyone assigned to assist him: Hitsugaya Tōshirō, Matsumoto Rangiku, Madarame Ikkaku, Ayasegawa Yumichika, Abarai Renji, and Kuchiki Rukia. Given their decision, Soul Society seemed to have no initiative to go to Hueco Mundo and solve the matter. However, it was understandable since coming to an enemy territory you knew nothing about was not wise.
"Are they planning to turn Karakura into a battlefield?" Ichigo asked noncommittally.
Retsu stiffened slightly. "We are preparing Karakura for the next attack. We have no intention to turn it into a battlefield, but we need time to figure out a way to solve the situation." Sensing Ichigo another word coming from Ichigo, Retsu quickly added, "No matter how corrupted some of us are, we still abide by our sacred task: to protect humans from supernatural dangers."
Silence engulfed the two. Retsu separated herself from Ichigo when Karin and Yuzu joined them. She didn't feel uncomfortable showing their closeness before his sisters, however, she could tell that Ichigo was busy thinking to himself. She didn't think it was wise to invade his personal space when she had just talked about something specific with him.
'I… have become accustomed to Retsu's presence. Have I finally fallen for the charm of the angelic devil? Preposterous! But then again, why am I so against dating her? Ah, right. She's a walking red flag. Then again, she has been anything but hostile with me. '
It was a good thing for Ichigo that Retsu couldn't read his mind. She wouldn't have held herself back anymore if she could. Ichigo might have folded in a week if she knew what she was doing to him worked. What a lucky man he was. The misunderstanding that his behavior created had always brought him fortune so far.
When the time for a good rest came, Ichigo turned the TV off and ushered Karin to her room to sleep. Yuzu had already fallen asleep on his lap, so he carried her to her room. He went to his room when his sisters had properly settled in their rooms. Retsu was already on the bed waiting for him, but she was wearing proper pajamas this time.
Ichigo quirked his eyebrow in wonder but didn't say anything. He wasn't that excited to have a closely naked Retsu sleeping beside him. Well, he was, but having a properly clothed Retsu was better for his mind. He worried that he might do something that would traumatize both him and Retsu someday.
As he lay down and closed his eyes, Retsu came close to him. "Are you going to train?"
"You can tell?" he remarked, intrigued.
"It is faint, but I can tell from the shift in your Reiatsu."
"Interesting," he hummed. "Then, it is as you guessed."
"Sleep."
"I am going to, Retsu."
"You never let your soul rest. How long have you not slept?"
"I technically—"
"How long have you spent your nights training in your Inner World?" Retsu cut sternly.
"Two weeks," he answered softly.
Retsu pulled him close, burying his face in her chest. It was comfortable, but Ichigo worried that she might be trying to kill him by asphyxiation, as unlikely as it was. His mind was telling him to separate himself but his body enjoyed the warmth. Against his better (in his opinion) judgment, his arms wrapped around her waist.
Ichigo sighed softly, letting his breath tickle Retsu's plump breast. A chill ran down Retsu's spine, causing warm blood to rise to her cheeks. Her hold around Ichigo tightened as she wanted to feel the sensation more. Not knowing what she was thinking, Ichigo thought that she wanted to say that she was there for him.
'How sweet of you, Retsu. But then again, she might be trying to asphyxiate me.'
'I hope Ichigo-kun won't think I am weird. But it won't matter as long as I conquer him, will it? Fu-Fu-Fu.'
Busied by their thoughts, they eventually fell asleep.
…
Ichigo found himself in a familiar place. He knew he wasn't awake, but much to his disappointment, he was not in his Inner World.
"I fell asleep, huh?" he wondered aloud, casually dismissing the high-pitched voice that came out of his mouth. Looking around the bland but warm room he found himself in, he concluded, "So… I am thirteen again. Truly, what a sick mind I have."
A dry chuckle escaped his mouth at the same time the door opened.
"Are you ready to come down? Mom is going to drag you down herself if you dally any longer."
Turning his face to the door, he found a girl looking at him with a disapproving look. Her hair was as dark as the night, falling freely like a waterfall down to her waist. Her skin was fair and rosy. Her face was a perfect mix of Slav and Oriental—breathtakingly beautiful, in short. Her figure was something that Ichigo didn't dare to comment on.
He didn't want to tarnish her image.
"Shut up, bitch. I am coming down."
And yet, his mouth easily desecrated her.
"You seriously don't have any respect toward your sister, do you?"
"Buzz off."
He hated the old and immature him, a lot. If a multiverse existed, he would visit his family and remove the little menace from the world. As his body followed his sister on autopilot, he looked at the teenager in reminiscence. He, so very dearly, wanted to hug her, but he couldn't. It was, after all, a memory. He could only follow the script.
Once he was downstairs, his family greeted him. His mother, who was the more oriental and older version of her sister, greeted him with a smile. His father, as reclusive as he was, smirked at him. He wanted to cry, but the fragile body he possessed only grumbled in annoyance. It was heart-wrenching to see everything unfold.
His heart clenched when he shrugged his mother's hand off as she ushered him into the car. He screamed when his mouth refused to respond to his father's attempt at conversation. He apologized when he cussed his sister for lecturing. Alas, the little bugger didn't mimic his action. Maybe, he would have if he knew what would happen next.
The weather was windy and snow had begun to fall. An accursed tree fell to the road, causing the car to swerve to the right. Everything would have been fine if not for the goddamn black ice. The car fell off the cliff. He couldn't see much as everything turned black, but when he regained consciousness, he found his bloody sister shielding him.
Panick overrode his mind, but his body was quick to move. His sister still had a pulse, so he ignored his parents who were no longer recognizable. He tried his best to climb up the cliff, screaming for help and keeping his sister's heart beating with chest compression once in a while.
He was eventually found by someone, but relief never came. Bad news came one after the other. His parent's bodies couldn't be retrieved as they were buried under the rocks and his sister might never wake up because of a heavy brain trauma. That day, he learned to love his family.
Alas, it was too late.
===
Honorary Mention:
Venerable Immortal Adan Smith
Venerable Immortal Andne
Venerable Immortal B0mbaCl0ckBob
Venerable Immortal Colorblind
Venerable Immortal Haider Alkefaji
Venerable Immortal Jack Wright
Venerable Immortal Rollo
Venerable Immortal Star Dragon Bahamut
Venerable Immortal TOKA?
Venerable Immortal Wilfrid Calixte Killian