Notes: There were many possible routes Bleach could have gone with Ichigo powerless, and this, I feel, would have been the most amusing one, if only because Nel is, in my biased opinion, one of the funniest characters in the series.

2nd Note, as of Manga Chapter 485: Well, that's just PERFECT. Now no one will EVER believe I came up with this idea first. Same thing happened with Kisame in Naruto, I swear.

Summary: Nel comes to Karakura Town to reunite with Ichigo, and stays to protect him. Her presence, however, makes possible the one hidden wish that even Orihime's powers couldn't realize.


Remnant

A Bleach Fanfic by

Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)


Chapter 1: Arrival

As she did nearly every morning, Tsumugiya Ururu began her duties an hour early.

Things had been fairly quiet at the Urahara Shop lately. With the threat of Aizen and his Arrancar ended, this was no real surprise, but even Hollows seemed a rarity recently. This was fine with Ururu, as it meant more time she could spend actually working in the shop. Though there was rarely a shortage of Shinigami in Karakura Town, with the town's main protector forced into early retirement, Ururu had been helping to keep the area free of Hollows, far more than she ever had before. Her boss assured her that it wasn't necessary, but Ururu couldn't bring herself to stop. Kurosaki Ichigo had come to the shop one day before school and personally asked her to help out when she could. It was not so much the way he'd asked, but the mere fact that he'd even bothered. People tended to overlook Ururu quite a bit, so when someone went to the trouble of singling her out (nerve-wracking as that tended to be for her), she greatly appreciated it.

Anyway, Ichigo's sister Yuzu regularly brought by fresh-baked cookies, and even if Ururu hadn't liked Yuzu (which she did), she would kill a person with a thumbtack in front of their own grandmother for just one of those cookies.

Unfortunately, Ururu's fellow shop worker Jinta didn't share her work ethic, and refused to get up any earlier than he absolutely had to, which meant that she usually started sweeping the front yard alone in the morning. This did not bother her, as it gave her time to think.

As it turned out, this also gave her perfect positioning for the Garganta that opened up right behind her one morning. Having seen them plenty of times before, Ururu spun around and raised her broom in what she hoped was a threatening way, mentally preparing herself for a fight.

The Arrancar that appeared first was easily the scariest thing Ururu had ever seen, living or dead, and she hurtled forward at once, whacking it repeatedly with her broom and completely ignoring its groans of protest and pain.

"There is no need for that," said a calm, mature voice somewhere above Ururu's head. "Despite all appearances to the contrary, my Fracción are perfectly capable of cleaning themselves."

Ururu froze and slowly raised her head. There was a tall woman with long, green hair staring at her. Except that she was less a woman and more an Arrancar, insisted a tiny voice in Ururu's head. Only she didn't seem at all like an enemy, so Ururu responded accordingly, as she'd been trained. "W-Welcome to Urahara Shop, my name is Ururu, how may I assist you?"

The woman continued to stare at her. "I am looking for Kurosaki Ichigo. I have business with him."

"Also Ishida Uryū! I definitely have some business with him!" added the third newcomer, and upon noticing his bug-like face, Ururu's hands twitched on her broom.

"He's also with me," the woman added, apparently used to her Fracción drawing such a reaction from people.

"I think they're probably on their way to school by now," Ururu said. "But my boss knows where they live, so maybe he can help you. I could make some tea while you wait." In truth, Ururu was merely trying to stall: she knew nothing about these Arrancar, save that two of them were hideous, but the woman, at least, might still be a potential customer.

The woman smiled. "That sounds lovely. Oh, and I must seem so rude to you. I haven't introduced myself yet. You may call me Nel."

Ururu was about to assure her that it was fine, but at that moment, the shop's front door flew open.

"Ururu!" Jinta bellowed as he stuck his head out. "Where'd you-?" He trailed off upon spotted her and their guests. Then his eyes widened, and he charged forward, baring his teeth in a grimace. "You three! Get away from Ururu!"

"No, Jinta-kun!" Ururu cried, frantically waving her arms. "They're customers! Customers!"

Jinta stopped short, having heard the magic word. "Really? You sure?" He eyed Nel suspiciously.

"Yes! Please, go inside and get the boss, they need to talk to him."

"But aren't they-?"

"Yes," Ururu admitted, "but they have manners."

Jinta gaped at her in shock. As a rule, most Hollows didn't have manners. The few that did were generally being sarcastic, which didn't really count. "Well, that's fine, but they better have some money on them! No way I'm letting Arrancar into the shop unless they're buying!"

"That will not be necessary," Nel replied. "It took a few moments, but I can now sense Ichigo's Reiryoku. We're sorry to have troubled you." She turned to her companions. "Pesche, Dondochakka, I'm going ahead. You may wait here and join me later, if you wish."

Pesche shook his head and bowed deeply. "Of course we will accompany you anywhere, Nel-sama, through the deepest darkness and until the ends of time."

Nel smiled warmly. "You two... you truly are my brothers. Thank you. Shall we go, then?"

Before Ururu could protest, the three Arrancar vanished from the yard.

Jinta frowned. "This isn't good. If those guys are going after Ichigo, he's going to need some serious help!"

"They won't hurt him," Ururu replied with certainty. "They're not enemies."

"Well, you were wrong about them being customers, so maybe I'll tell the boss, anyway," Jinta decided, turning to go back inside.

Not surprisingly, their boss was already standing in the doorway, staring off into the direction the three Arrancar had likely gone in. "No need to be alarmed, you two. Those Arrancar won't do anything to Kurosaki-san." He paused and grinned. "Well, nothing that he doesn't deserve."


Alone on the roof of his school, Kurosaki Ichigo stared at the specially made lunch in his lap as if it were a bomb. It wasn't, of course, having been made by one of his closest friends especially for him. Said friend, however, had some very unique tastes that most people simply could not fathom or stomach. All that aside, the real reason Ichigo wasn't eating the lunch was because he had no idea what it was supposed to represent.

Things had been predictably odd since he and his friends had returned from Hueco Mundo. While the experience had brought them closer together, at least initially, it had also driven a very large wedge between them. The adventure had cost Ichigo his Shinigami powers, and as much as he hated to admit it, that had been a large portion of his friendship with the others. Now that he was unable to fight Hollows or defend the town against any other form of supernatural evil, being around his friends only served as a constant reminder of what he had lost and would never get back.

The worst part by far was that Ichigo had begun distancing himself from his friends, both out of convenience and necessity. It was less painful not to see them and be reminded of his lost powers, but it was equally important that he not become a sitting duck for any Hollows targeting his friends. Every Kurosaki had unusually high Reiryoku, and while Ichigo's was supposed to be almost completely gone, he wasn't about to tempt fate. Most of his friends understood this, and while they weren't happy about it, they at least tried to act as if nothing were wrong.

Naturally, Inoue Orihime was the only one unable to be even halfway convincing. She was a lousy actress, and beyond that, probably the friend who cared the most for Ichigo as a person. It wasn't entirely her fault, however: they had all risked their lives to bring her home safely, so of course she was eternally grateful to them. Theirs was the type of friendship where no one actually required her thanks for their part in her rescue, but it simply wasn't in her nature to receive a favor and not show appreciation. The only thing she could think of was to make lunches for everyone, though due to her unusual taste in food, this was both a kindness and a curse. Ichigo didn't have the heart to refuse a gift she'd worked so hard on, but then neither did any of his other friends. He had tried giving the lunches to stray dogs and cats, but lately they had all wised up and ran the moment they saw him coming. Ichigo was seriously considering forcing the food on a Hollow, but wasn't sure if a concoction so inhumane would either destroy the Hollow outright or simply make it stronger.

Without warning, Ichigo suddenly sensed a presence behind him. With his Reiryoku reduced near the zero point, it was extremely difficult to do even that, so there was no telling how long he'd had a visitor. Ichigo spun around, fully expecting a Hollow, and he was right, though not in the way he'd expected. "Nel?" he asked, staring at her in shock. "You're here? But how?"

Frowning, Nel raised her hand and slapped him across the face, hard enough to send him flying off of the roof. If Ichigo had still had his Shinigami powers, he strongly suspected that such a blow would have knocked his spirit form completely out of his body. Unfortunately, he didn't have them, and Nel didn't know that, judging by the look of surprise on her face as Ichigo failed to stop himself in mid-air and plummeted toward the ground. Fortunately, Nel was still an Espada-level Arrancar, and she was waiting on the ground to catch Ichigo neatly in her arms.

"You've lost your powers, Ichigo," Nel stated, still looking perplexed. "So that's why it took me so long to sense your Reiryoku. What happened to you?"

"I think a better question is what was that slap for?" Ichigo demanded, rubbing his aching cheek.

Frowning, Nel immediately dropped him roughly on the ground. "If you really don't know, maybe I should slap you again."

Ichigo scowled at her as he stood up. "Nel, what are you talking about? The last time I saw you, Kenpachi had just defeated Nnorita. He saved all of our lives! Why would you be mad about that?"

Nel glared at him. "And what happened after that, Ichigo?"

"You were there! That Espada grabbed Inoue, and I went after her-"

"And where was I, Ichigo?" Nel interrupted angrily.

Ichigo blinked. "Um... I guess you were... right were I... left you?"

"Exactly," Nel snapped. "You. Left. Me."

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Take you with me while I fought someone who pretty much killed me the last time we fought? It was way too dangerous, Nel! Believe it or not, I actually died a second time fighting Ulquiorra!"

"And it never occurred to you," Nel replied, "that the best way to defeat one Espada might be to have another on your side?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Nel, you couldn't even beat Nnorita before your power ran out. There was no way you could have helped with Ulquiorra."

"Really? You're so sure of that? And you defeated him entirely by yourself?"

"...Inoue and and Ishida may have helped," Ichigo admitted softly.

"Oh? And they're both stronger than me?"

"...I guess not."

"So will you admit that it might have been a good idea to take me with you? Especially considering that the only time I managed to access my true form, was at a time when you were in mortal danger?"

"It was a crisis!" Ichigo cried. "There was a lot going on! I didn't have time to think about everything! I just wanted you to be safe!"

"No," Nel disagreed. "You left me because you thought I wouldn't be able to help you. If you had done it to protect me, I wouldn't be angry. But who was there to protect you from being killed, Ichigo? No one. You died, anyway. And now we'll never know if I could have saved you or bought you some time, because you left me. In fact, I'm starting to suspect that you losing your powers is somehow due to another choice where you again refused to depend on the help of your friends."

Ichigo frowned at her, obviously not wanting to admit that she was right. "Fine, Nel. If you wanted an apology, all you had to do was say so."

"But I don't want an apology," she answered. "It wouldn't change what you did or how I feel about it, so there wouldn't be any point. What I want is for you to promise that you'll never do anything like that again. If there's even the smallest chance that I can help you in the future, I reserve the right to try, no matter how weak you may think I am. You wouldn't have abandoned any of your other friends, and I want the same courtesy extended to me next time. Is that so much to ask?"

"Of course not," Ichigo quickly agreed, glad that he didn't have to apologize. "But you live in Hueco Mundo, Nel. How would I even call you if I did need your help?"

Nel grinned at him. "I taught myself how to use Garganta just so I could see you whenever I want, Ichigo. But now that I know you're powerless, as your friend, I wouldn't feel right leaving you defenseless here. What would you do if a dangerous Hollow showed up?"

"Run, I guess," Ichigo said uncomfortably, starting to sense where this was going.

"That simply wouldn't do. In your state, you couldn't run anywhere near fast enough to escape a hungry Hollow. It seems I have no choice, Ichigo. We'll have to stay here and protect you."

"What? No!" Ichigo protested. Then he realized she'd said "we'll" and not "I'll", and soon noticed Pesche and Dondochakka leering at him from behind a nearby bush. "OH HELL NO!"

Nel giggled and gave him a bone-crushing hug. "Don't worry, Ichigo! You don't have to concern yourself about abandoning me again, because I'll never let you go!"

"No, dammit, that's not what I meant!" Ichigo shouted, trying in vain to fight her off. "Nel, you can't just-!"

BOOMF!

Ichigo gaped as he suddenly got a face full of pink smoke, accompanied by a huge drop in Nel's Reiryoku that even he could sense in his diminished state. He was not at all surprised to soon find himself holding Nel's child form, who immediately looked around, quite confused, until she noticed him. "ITSYGO!" she shrieked happily, launching herself at his face and planting a very wet kiss on his lips. "Nel missed you SOOO much!"

Ichigo was a little too traumatized to do more than wipe kiddie drool from his mouth. But he soon became aware of the fact that Nel had buried her face in his chest and was sobbing loudly (not to mention doing an excellent job of soaking his shirt). "Nel...? What's wrong?"

"Don't ever leave Nel again, Itsygo!" she wailed. "Nel was so scared you would die, and then Nel would never see you again!"

Ichigo sighed and hugged her tightly, patting her head. "Don't cry, Nel. I'm sorry I worried you, and I won't leave you. We'll always be friends."

Nel sniffled loudly and grinned. "Good! Cuz if you tried to leave, Nel would hunt you down and castrate you!"

Ichigo immediately put her down, dragged Pesche and Dondochakka out from behind the bush, and gave each one a stiff punch to the head. "What the hell did I say about teaching her that crap?"

"You know, you're not really in any position to be mad at us about what we taught her," Pesche pointed out. "Aren't you the one teaching her to lash out blindly with anger at her own beloved brothers?"

"You're not MY damn brothers!" Ichigo snapped, punching him again. "Wait, you're not even hers! We covered all of this last time!"

Pesche cleared his throat. "The fact remains that wherever she goes, we go. After all, it's not as if you have the power to boss us around anymore."

Ichigo blinked slowly, realizing that Pesche was right. His punch hadn't even left a mark on the Arrancar's mask. "Fine," he growled, tucking Nel under one arm. "But there's no way you're staying in my house. I'd never be able to explain either of you two to my family."

"That is no problem at all. We will arrange lodging at Urahara Shop. We leave you in Nel-chan's hands, Ichigo."

"Don't you mean you leave her in my hands?"

"Of course not. What could you possibly manage to do in this useless state? She'll be the one looking after you." Pesche vanished with Dondochakka before Ichigo could protest (or hit them again).


Ichigo knew better than to try returning to class with Nel: while only his friends and those few people who were spiritually aware would be able to see or detect her, he wanted to avoid all the questions her presence would invite, at least for the time being. He decided to leave school immediately, heading for a nearby park where Karin sometimes played soccer with her friends. Ichigo let Nel play there until he was sure it was late enough for his sisters and father to be at home.

Still, Ichigo was a little worried as they neared his house. At the very least, he knew his father and Karin would be able to see Nel, and Yuzu might get a blurry image at best. Obviously, he would need to offer some explanation as to who Nel was and why she would be staying with them. But after denying to Karin that he was a Shinigami, Ichigo didn't want to backtrack and admit he'd been lying, nor that he'd needed Nel to save his life (and would especially need her now that his powers were gone). If that was the only way they would accept her, however, he was prepared to tell them the whole truth. At least, he hoped he was.

The moment they entered the house, Yuzu ran up with her usual warm smile to greet him. She stopped short when she noticed Nel clinging to his hand anxiously. "Onii-chan, you should have called and told me you were bringing someone!" she scolded lightly. "You know I have to set an extra place for dinner!"

"Uh, sorry about that, Yuzu," Ichigo murmured, a little startled that she could see Nel so easily.

Yuzu sighed and shook her head. "Well, welcome home, anyway," she said, giving him a quick hug. Then she knelt down and smiled at Nel. "Hi, I'm Yuzu, Ichigo's sister. What's your name?"

Nel blinked and took a deep breath, obviously preparing to say her full name (which could be a mouthful even for her), so Ichigo cut her off for simplicity's sake. "This is my friend, Nel."

"Welcome to our home, Nel-chan!" Yuzu said excitedly, giving her a big hug.

Nel was a little startled, but hesitantly returned the hug after a few seconds. "Th-Thank you..."

"Come in, come in!" Yuzu seized both of their arms and practically dragged them into the kitchen. Karin was already seated at the table and flipping through a magazine, while their father was peeking into a pot on the stove, clearly trying to sneak a taste before dinner.

Yuzu ran over and smacked her father's hand with a wooden spoon that she'd seemed to produce from thin air. "Stop that, otou-san! We have a guest!"

Karin looked up at that, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she stared directly at Nel, who flinched and hid behind Ichigo's leg. "She doesn't look much like one of your usual friends, Ichi-nii."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked with a frown.

"Exactly what it sounded like," Karin replied sharply. "Especially if even Yuzu can see her."

"Your sister is exactly right, Ichigo," his father proclaimed, walking over to them and peering closely at Nel. "Yes, she's definitely not like any other guest you've brought home."

Ichigo tried to find a way to silently signal his father to back off, but of course all signs were ignored.

"She's much cuter than any friend you've ever had!" his father shouted, grabbing Nel and giving her a huge hug. "Even cuter than Rukia-chan and Orihime-chan combined!"

Ichigo could only stare helplessly as Nel continued to suffer through his father's bear hug. He was still staring when Karin poked him hard in the arm.

"She's a Hollow, isn't she?" Karin demanded.

Everyone in the room froze.

"Of course she isn't, Karin-chan!" Yuzu cried, looking very upset. "How could you say something so cruel to our guest?"

Karin ignored her twin sister, staring straight at Ichigo. "You can make up whatever story you want for them, but unless you tell me why I should trust a Hollow after what they did to us, I'm not staying in this house with her another minute!"

Ichigo knew for a fact that his sisters still didn't know their mother had been killed by a Hollow. Unfortunately, they'd been attacked by plenty of Hollows since then, which gave them more than enough reason to believe all Hollows were monsters. He could understand why Karin was so upset, but he'd made a promise to Nel, and he'd already broken it once.

"Okay, fine. Nel is a Hollow," Ichigo admitted, "but she isn't bad like the others you've seen. She and her brothers helped me out a lot, and she even saved my life. That's why we're friends."

Yuzu looked surprised, but more relieved than anything else. Apparently she had noticed that Nel wasn't human, and just hadn't wanted to seem rude by asking about it.

"...I believe you," Karin said after a moment. "I know you wouldn't lie about something like that." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "But it's not enough for me. Can you give me any other reason why I should trust her?"

Ichigo bit his lip, wondering what he should do. The only other option he could think of was to tell the whole truth: that he'd lost his powers and needed Nel to protect him.

Amazingly, his father came to the rescue. "Ichigo!" he shouted, visibly angry. "I think it's time you stopped acting like a child. If you're a man, face your sisters proudly and tell them the whole truth!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in alarm. "But-!"

"You've slacked off in your training, haven't you! Grown so weak that you must depend on this exceptionally powerful Hollow for your protection! It's shameful, but necessary, so there's no need to hide it any longer! Your sisters will forgive this offense if you only admit to it!"

Karin stared at him shock, and, far worse in Ichigo's eyes, concern. "Is that true, Ichi-nii? She's protecting you from other Hollows?"

"No, it's not," Ichigo said. "She's protecting all of us from other Hollows, not just me. Right, Nel?"

Nel nodded eagerly. "Itsygo is Nel's bestest friend. Itsygo protected Nel, so Nel wants to protect Itsygo and his family no matter what!"

"If you want, I can call Inoue," Ichigo offered. "She knows Nel and would vouch for her."

Karin was silent for a long moment. "I'll call her," she decided. "Yuzu, set three extra places for dinner."

"More guests? But I'm not sure if I made enough curry!" Yuzu wailed, wringing her hands anxiously.

"That's no problem." Karin aimed a glare at her father. "You. Go get more food."

Ichigo watched his father flee the house, his exit soon accompanied by the loud screech of tires. "Are you really okay with this, Karin?" he asked.

"If she's keeping us safe, then I have no issue with her staying here. But I'm checking her references first."

Ten minutes later, Ichigo found out what Karin meant, when he opened his front door to find two of his friends there. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Karin-chan called and invited us over for dinner," Orihime explained.

"Actually, she threatened me," Sado added, "but I decided that she meant to invite me."

"She said that Nel-chan was here?" Orihime chimed in eagerly, peering over Ichigo's shoulder.

"Yeah, um... Nel's going to be staying with us for a while," Ichigo replied, inviting them in. "To protect us. Since I can't anymore."

"Good," Sado replied, surprising Ichigo. "Then I don't have to ask you to let me move in."


Dinner went surprisingly well. Once Karin saw how comfortable Orihime and Sado were around Nel, she had no further concerns, and even offered to share Yuzu's bed so Nel could have hers. Predictably, she was a little shocked when Nel insisted on sleeping with Ichigo (who had expected as much, and was just glad that Nel wouldn't take up much room).

Ichigo was a little surprised at how easily his friends had accepted the idea of Nel living with him, though. He'd thought Sado would at least be offended over Nel replacing him as Ichigo's backup, but Sado hadn't said a word against it. Orihime had been all for the idea as well, and had even tried to heal Nel's head injury, hoping it would finally stabilize her Reiryoku. She only managed to close up the crack in Nel's Hollow skull, and Nel claimed she felt better, but Ichigo suspected she was just trying to make Orihime feel better.

The moment the company was gone, however, Yuzu laid down the law. "Nel-chan, you're not taking a single step into anyone's bedroom until you've had a bath! I didn't say anything before because you're so cute and it would have been rude, but you're absolutely filthy! You've got a whole layer of grime and sand on you! Next time you play in a sandbox, you really should wash up right after!"

Nel only made things worse by turning to Ichigo and asking, "Itsygo, what's a bath?"

"If you have to ask, you need one," Ichigo said firmly. "Just go with Yuzu, she'll show you. It's like playing in sand, only with water and soap."

"Oh, okay." Nel blinked. "Wait, what's soap?"


Ten minutes later, in the bathroom...

Karin gave a final tug and scowled. "Alright, I'm convinced: the skull doesn't come off. Just shampoo what you can reach, Yuzu."

"I was so sure it was a hat," Yuzu murmured, shaking her head. "Nel-chan, how do you normally wash your hair?"

Nel gaped at her. "You can wash that, too?"

Yuzu and Karin traded concerned looks.


Nel showed up dressed for bed in some of Yuzu's old pajamas, her skin still pink from the thorough scrubbing Yuzu had given her. Ichigo had to admit he felt a lot better about Nel sleeping in his bed now that she was clean.

Instead of going straight to bed, however, Nel surprised him yet again. "I hafta keep in shape if I'm gonna protect you, Itsygo!" she said while jogging in circles around his bedroom.

Ichigo was genuinely touched by her devotion, and wondered how he could have ever doubted her. "Nel, sorry for not saying it earlier, but I'm really glad you're here, and thanks for looking out for me."

Nel beamed at him. "We're friends, Itsygo, so you don't hafta say it, silly! Nel already knows!"

Suddenly, there was a light tap at Ichigo's window, and he jumped up quickly to let in the black cat that had been staring at him. "Yoruichi-san! You haven't been stuck out there this whole time, have you?"

The cat rolled its eyes as it leaped lightly onto his bed. "Don't be silly, Ichigo. I would have come with your friends if that were the case. I just got here, and I'm only staying long enough to give you this." She tossed a cellphone at him. "Careful with it, Kisuke will charge you an arm and a leg if you break it. It's really so Nel can stay in touch with her brothers, but I figure you won't lose it."

Nel stared at the cat in awe. "Wow..."

"You don't have talking cats in Hueco Mundo?" Ichigo asked.

"Sure, but Nel's never seen one that could hold things without hands!"

Ichigo blinked. "Hey, wait. How DID you carry and throw a cellphone without any hands?"

Yoruichi smirked. "You're a hundred years too early to be asking me questions like that, Ichigo," she replied before jumping back out of the window.

Ichigo frowned and closed the window. "Did you see her tail move, Nel?"

Nel shook her head. "Nope."

"Damn. Well, ready to go to bed?"

"Not just yet!" Nel immediately dropped to the floor, quickly doing several sets of what had to be the cutest sit-ups Ichigo had ever seen, before announcing that she was done. Afterward, they went to bed, though it was some time before Ichigo fell asleep. Even with the comforting weight of Nel's small body resting on his chest, he wondered if things would really be okay. Trouble had a way of seeking him out, and even if Nel was fine with putting herself in harm's way to protect him, Ichigo had never been the type to allow that for very long.


Several hours later, Ichigo woke up and realized that living with Nel would indeed cause some problems. The most obvious of which was currently wrapped around him, with one long, shapely leg draped over his waist, and a generous bust that was nearly suffocating him. Ichigo did his best to pry Nel's hands away from the back of his head, with little success. Strong as he was for a human, Nel was far stronger in her adult form, even in her sleep. It took several minutes for Ichigo to secure himself some breathing room, only to have it immediately taken away when Nel stirred, grabbed his head, and stuffed it back into her bosom. Ichigo was vaguely certain he heard her murmur something, but had no time to wonder what it was as there was a knock at his bedroom door.

Ichigo froze in horror, realizing exactly who it was and what she would soon see.

"Onii-chan, it's time to get up!" Yuzu sang as she opened the door and poked her head in.

Ichigo could see nothing but the now tightly stretched material of Nel's borrowed pajamas, but he was pretty certain how Yuzu would react to the sight, and was soon proven right.

"Otou-san!" Yuzu cried as she ran from the room. "Onii-chan has a girl in his bed!"

This, amazingly enough, was what finally woke Nel up. She released Ichigo at once and sat up, looking around anxiously, as if she expected to see someone else in the room. She then looked down at Ichigo, who still looked particularly crushed and air-deprived. "Ichigo, did you not sleep well?"

Ichigo wanted to glare at her, but instead settled for asking, "You changed in your sleep. Does that happen often?"

"No, it never has." Her face lit up. "I must remember to thank Inoue-san for healing me!" She leaped out of the bed and ran from the room.

Ichigo thought about trying to stop her, as she was still wearing pajamas, but was still suffering the effects of Nel's embrace. At any rate, he soon forgot about that once his father burst into the room, took one look at Ichigo, and announced to the entire house his pride at Ichigo finding himself a genuine dominatrix.

Nel returned to Ichigo's bedroom only a few minutes later, dragging with her a clearly startled Orihime, who was still in her own pajamas. "Look, Inoue-san!" Nel said excitedly, pointing at Ichigo. "Doesn't he look nice and safe now that I'm protecting him?"

Orihime looked at Ichigo, summoned her Shun Shun Rikka to heal him without being asked, and pasted a bright smile on her face. "Yes, Nel-san, Kurosaki-kun looks very safe. He's so lucky to have you staying with him."

Nel beamed at her.

Ichigo sort of twitched, and wondered how bad a friend he would be considered if he were to anonymously tip off the Gotei 13 that there was an Espada-class Arrancar in Karakura Town...


Continued in Chapter 2: Secret

To make up for Ichigo forbidding Nel from going to school with him, Orihime shares a certain secret with her.


Endnotes:

Before anyone asks why Ichigo can see Nel when his powers are gone, consider this. Ichigo was once so powerful that he caused his friends (and probably his family, to some degree) to manifest or increase their own spiritual awareness. And that was at the start of the series, before he entered the Soul Society. Now, even that amount of power should have been nowhere near Espada levels at any point, considering how much effort Ichigo had to put into defeating even a former Espada like Dordoni. So when I suggest that Nel, as a former Espada, is powerful enough to "force" Ichigo to recognize her presence even in his weakened state (especially in that state, in fact), trust me, it's entirely within the realm of possibility. Anyway, I doubt anyone could actually ignore her, once they've met her properly.

To make a long story short, I suspect this storyline will have next to nothing to do with the current manga storyline, other than Nel's return itself. Well, maybe one or two things, but nothing done on purpose.