(Ryoto's pov)

After my fantastic reunion with Yoruichi, it was time to face Ichigo. 

I walked up to the boy and looked at him. I was taller than him, so he needed to look slightly up. I looked completely serious, and I was missing my glasses at the moment. I'm still deciding if I should keep or ditch them when I'm done with Aizen. I'm leaning toward losing them since it keeps getting annoying to clean them.

"Sorry about stabbing you..."

It's pretty awkward saying something like that, and the mood would become awkward as well if not for a stupidly overacted reaction.

"Huh!?"

"Well... you know... It was needed for you to lose your Shinigami powers so you could train under Kisuke and get stronger. It was needed, but I still feel bad for that." I elaborated as I scratched the back of my head. "It was the only way I could guarantee your life without sending Rin or one of my one children."

"Make sense. You aren't someone who would do something like that without a reason." Yoruichi nodded sagely.

"It doesn't mean that I enjoyed it, though! It didn't help that it felt like I was bullying a kid, which I kind of did."

"Oy!"

"What? Are you telling me that I didn't mop the floor with you?"

It looked like I pushed the wrong buttons because Ichigo looked ready to throw hands, and I'm planning on using this energy to good use.

"Yoruichi, since we are here of all places, why won't we use it as it was intended." I smiled sweetly, but only Yoruichi understood that my smile was anything but sweet and kind.

Knowing what I planned on doing, she grinned and joined the group, but as she walked, she swayed her hips seductively and winked at me. God, I missed that tease.

"Now, kid, since you want to teach me a lesson, I'll give you a chance. Let's go over there, and we'll spar if you really want." I pointed to an empty space without many boulders.

"I'll make you regret underestimating me. I got much stronger since we last fought." Ichigo confidently announced. 

"That's cute. You think that barely 2 weeks of training will overcome over 200 years of it. How about I make it fair, then? I won't use my Zanpakuto." I was condescending on purpose. That's just how I do things. The first lesson I try to hammer to my subordinates is to never let your emotions out of your control, and it looks like Ichigo hasn't learned this lesson just yet.

The question is, should I spank him? I couldn't bring myself to spank my own children, but he is not mine, so it's fine, right?

"I'm going to enjoy punching your face!" Ichigo said through his gritted teeth.

---

For the next 2 hours, I was manhandling Ichigo using my bare hands. To be honest, he wasn't all that bad. He would be able to defeat some of the younger Captains if they didn't use their Bankai, but I'm not going to tell him that. He needed some humbling, and I volunteered.

I was also barely attacking back, which made Ichigo even more fuming.

"Don't move, God damn it!!!"

"Wow, why didn't I think about it? By not moving, I'll certainly see myself winning." The sarcasm was practically oozing from me, but I decided to play along in the end. "But since I'm so nice, I'll accept your ill advice."

And so I stopped in place, not moving l, looking completely relaxed. Ichigo, on the other hand, rushed and swung his sword at me.

It looked like a powerful swing, but all his momentum stopped when his Zanpakuto met with my pinky finger covered in hierro.

No matter how old I am, I still love doing stuff like that.

The shock was evident on everyone's but Yoruichi and Kaien's faces.

"Play time's over." 

With a quick movement, I delivered a powerful kick to the boy's stomach and sent him flying backward, but before he landed on his back, I used Shunpo to get in the way of his trajectory and slammed him into the ground.

"Listen, kid, I can respect your bravery, stupidy or whatever you want to call it. Not everyone has the courage to invade a literally different world to save someone you consider a friend, but you gotta be realistic, too. As you are now, you'll die a meaningless death."

"So you expect me to sit around and do nothing!?" He spat out, at which I shook my head in slight disappointment.

"No, but you should use your head more. If your plan only included getting here, beating up everyone, and running away with Rukia, then you are an idiot."

"Ha!" I could hear Kaien in the background.

"For now, I expect you to train some more, and if you behave, I'll give you a lollipop. Besides, looking at you using Zangetsu makes me want to kill myself. That's why, from now on, you are going to work on that with the help of some people."

While Ichigo wasn't happy about his position, he couldn't ignore some truth in my words since I demonstrated my point very thoroughly, but he caught on to something I said.

"Wait, how do you know about Zangetsu?"

I smirked as I walked away. "If you go through the whole training, I may share how I know it. Just maybe."

I bet Yoruichi has some questions, and Kisuke already has some theories that are 100% wrong because if he is right, then I'm scared of how he came to that conclusion.

---

I was spending some alone time with Yoruichi, who was back in her cat form. We let the kids rest and think about what I said.

"Soooo... are we going to talk about how Ichigo has Zangetsu? I knew it looked familiar, identical even, but there was always an option of it just looking the same. It wouldn't be the first time two Zanpakuto looked almost the same, but since you called it Zangetsu..."

She didn't need to finish that sentence for me to know what she meant.

Now, how should I go about it?

"You know how I'm full of secrets, and so is Rin to a smaller degree. The reason why I have Zangetsu is the same reason I have two Zanpakuto that break all the rules about the world. Not to mention my eyes and how I got Hollow powers without Hogyoku. I'll explain everything with Rin to all of you soon, really soon. I promise, so be patient with me for a bit longer."

The whole time, I was petting Yoruichi.

"I was expecting it- Oh, right there~ So don't beat yourself down. At least you are willing to share that much- Behind the ear, behind the ear~ That's much better than what was years ago. You didn't share your worries at all, and while you opened up the bare minimum, deeper parts were closed in a vault."

It would be a touching conversation if not for mid-sentence delights as a response to my hand.

I smiled at that, and my hand didn't stop moving, trying to please my lover.

Now, I'd better call the family for our reunion, but I should tell Soi Fon in person. She is the one who would freak out the most, so I need to be subtle. Maybe I should do the same with Yukima. I know she is a strong girl, but better safe than sorry. I still remember her fear of me disappearing, so I don't know how she'll react to Yoruichi's return. You know what, I'll just tell everyone in person. That way, it's fair. I don't want to play favorites.

I hope it goes well.

(Akio's pov)

Sometimes... most of the time, I feel really stupid. I may be the most intelligent in the family when it comes to science, but I also feel like I made the most mistakes. Dad disagrees, telling me that I would need to do much more if I wanted to beat his record as he said it.

Other times, like now, I feel like a genius. I finally found a way to the 'Shadow dimension' that I discovered some time ago. It wasn't easy, but I managed to do it. Now, the only thing left is to investigate it from the inside. I want to be absolutely beyond any doubt that there won't be any way out from there.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to do it alone. I would need a helper that I would trust with my life and that would create an exit from my lab.

While I trust Yukima, I would rather avoid talking to her. She is still, rightfully, angry at me, and she shows it. She wouldn't kill me though. She knows that would make Dad sad, so as long as I'm not doing anything to harm the family, then she is letting me be. 

Masaru is a good option. He mostly forgave me, which made me feel even worse for not trusting him more. He can feel that I've changed. He doesn't know why, but he is glad that everything is mostly sorted out. At this point, I'm not sure if he believes in his ability that much or trusts Dad to agree.

Rangiku is... Rangiku. She can be dependable if needed, but most of the time, I wouldn't trust her with anything delicate.

The last of my siblings, Gin. I don't know what to think about Gin. I love him like a brother, of course, but he gives me creeps at times. I just don't know what he is thinking, and his poker face is with no equal.

I could ask Rin-kaasan, Mom, or Dad, but they already have too much on their shoulders from what I've seen, and if everything goes right, the Shadow dimension is without escape, and my plan succeeds, then I'll ease their hardships, especially Dad's.

---

Why is my life like that?

All of my siblings were currently standing in my private lab as I was covering my face with my hand with an exasperated sigh.

I only came to Masaru, but Yukima came on us at some point and overhead a part of our conversation that made her interested in my plan, and because she wanted to help Dad similarly to me, she created a group consisting of all our siblings... except me...

Yeah, I deserved that, and I get why she did that. I would probably do the same, but that still leaves me in this situation.

Knowing her, she won't leave me alone until I explain what I planned in further detail, which is a combination of her wanting to help Dad and her not trusting me.

*Sigh*

So be it. Maybe more people knowing about my project will help me in the future. Everything is already in the end game, so going clean won't sabotage it in any way. Besides, I believe they are smarter than me and won't do anything as stupid as I did.

So, I explained everything I planned, leaving out Aizen's name. I did it not to protect him but to protect Yukima most of all. He was interested in her because of her Hollow powers, and knowing her, if she hears who is behind everything, she may go after him immediately if she believes me at all.

I got some helpers, but before we could do anything, we got a message from Dad to get back home for an important announcement. 

That's strange. Dad wouldn't call everyone unless it was very critical. I hope it's nothing too serious. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst as I learned.

---

END

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