55 Embracing a New Normal

"This is a lot easier than the last time we passed through..." remarked Ichigo, walking near the front of the group as they returned to the human world via Senkaimon.

"What happened the last time?" asked Rukia, walking alongside Ohta in a brand new Shihakusho, Zanpakuto at her hip. She had yet to be reinstated as a member of the Gotei 13, but Yamamoto had permitted her provisional return to the human world on the condition she served as an intermediary and actively reported on the situation in Karakura.

"This gigantic, super fast train thingy tried to run us over...!" exclaimed Orihime, raising her hands for dramatic effect. She was walking on the opposite side of Ohta but kept a 'respectable distance' to avoid causing any misunderstandings.

Furrowing his brows, Ichigo retorted, "You say that like you had to run. Ohta carried you and Yoruichi while the rest of us had to run as our lives depended on it..."

"Ehehehehe~"

While Orihime laughed awkwardly, Uryu asked, "Speaking of Yoruichi, did she say why she wasn't returning with us?"

"She has some shit to take care of back home," answered Ohta. "Now that her exile has been rescinded and the reasons for it nullified, she's dealing with the old farts trying to prevent her from reclaiming her status as Head of the Shihouin Clan."

"Man, I still can't believe she was a woman all this time," remarked Ichigo, shifting his gaze to Ohta as he asked, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Does it matter?" questioned Ohta, adopting a teasing smile as he added, "Even if she were a man, you wouldn't have a chance with her."

"As if I would even consider it...!" exclaimed Ichigo, appearing annoyed at the insinuation he might be into dudes. Instead, he made it very clear why he would never pursue Yoruichi, adding, "That woman is infuriating..." in a huffy tone, his left brow twitching.

"She definitely can be..." admitted Ohta. However, as Yoruichi hadn't tried to antagonize him the past week and had already prepared his new pad in the human world, seemingly overnight, his impression of the dark-skinned 'Demigoddess' was currently rather favorable. It appeared she 'could' get serious when her access to his dick hung in the balance...

Stepping through the blindingly white gate at the end of the Senkaimon, Ohta and the rest found themselves in a temple courtyard adorned with a shrine most of them recognized.

"Hey, this is close to my place..." remarked Ichigo, a visibly relieved smile adorning his face at the realization he was finally home. Nearly getting cut in half and having a crazy scientist try to paralyze and experiment on him had left more than a superficial impression on his psyche. He now had an almost overwhelming desire to get stronger, but a part of him also wished things would simply return to normal...

"You're here," came the voice of Kisuke, drawing the group's attention to a giant folding fan flying toward them.

Touching down next to the group, Kisuke added, "I'm here to give anyone who needs it a ride home. But, before that..."

Shifting his gaze to Rukia, Kisuke abruptly prostrated himself, appearing and sounding sincere as he nearly pressed his forehead to the ground and solemnly stated, "I'm sorry for putting you all through this. You especially, Ms. Kuchiki..."

Having already been apprised of the situation by Yoruichi and later Ohta, a slight frown marred Rukia's face. However, instead of blaming Kisuke for ruining her life and nearly getting him killed, she surprised him by stating, "I should hate you, but had you not done what you did, I wouldn't be half as happy as I am right now..."

Looking up at Ohta, prompting him to stare down at her, a devoted smile blossomed across Rukia's face as she softly appended, "Just this once, I'll forgive you..."

Though Rukia's words were a response to Kisuke, her actions made it clear she was also forgiving Ohta. To say she felt conflicted when she first learned the truth was an understatement. However, Ohta risking his life to try and rescue her, combined with the time they spent together over the past week, had thoroughly erased any apprehensions she might have had about continuing their relationship...

Raising his head, donning his hat, and regaining his characteristically creepy smile, Kisuke jokingly inquired, "So, when's the wedding? Since I technically set you up, does that mean I get to be the best man?"

"Not even if you begged..." retorted Ohta, frowning deeply, as, unlike Rukia, he wasn't even close to forgiving the man. Kisuke might be on the side of 'good,' but he definitely wasn't a good person. Neither was Ohta, but the latter didn't believe he was anywhere near as bad as the creepy candy store uncle...

"That's a shame," hummed Kisuke, passing his shadowed gaze over the rest of the group as he asked, "Any takers for my previous offer? I won't charge you a fare, promise."

As he lived quite a ways away, and it was currently around midnight, meaning no trains were running, Chad replied, "I could use a lift..." in his usual, stoic tone.

"Anyone else?" asked Kisuke, adding, "It's not every day you get the chance to ride atop a magical folding fan, you know?"

With no one else accepting his offer, Kisuke eventually departed with Chad in tow. In his wake, Uryu offered a curt, "I'll see you at school..." before walking off alone. His home was on the opposite side of town, but he had much to consider and happened to enjoy long, lonely walks on moonlit evenings.

Not bothering to dignify Uryu's words with a response, Ichigo waited for the bespectacled Quincy to depart before turning to Orihime, asking, "Do you need me to walk you home, Orihime...?" with his customary, perpetual frown.

Shaking her head, Orihime adopted a smile that seemed to illuminate her surroundings as she replied, "Nope! Ohta-kun has already agreed to walk me home~!" even though he hadn't.

"Right..." muttered Ichigo, directing his resting bitch face to Ohta like he had something important he wanted to say. Instead, after a tense pause, he shook his head, turning around as he said, "Be safe. And try not to get into trouble..."

"And there he goes..." remarked Ohta, albeit after Ichigo was out of casual hearing range. Then, turning his gaze to Orihime, he raised his brows and asked, "So, I'm walking you home, am I...?"

Answering in Orihime's stead, Rukia asserted, "Of course you are. It's the dead of night, and Orihime is our friend. Walking her home is the least we can do."

Before Ohta could point out he was 'mostly' joking, Orihime raised her hand with a nervous and slightly awkward smile as she said, "Actually...I was hoping to stay with the two of you for the rest of the Summer Break. It gets lonely in my apartment..."

Blinking in surprise, Rukia exhaled a faint "Oh..." before looking up at Ohta like a child about to ask their parent if they could adopt a stray. Her eyes even seemed to get larger, causing him to feel exasperated, compelling him to sigh and reply, "Yeah, yeah...she can come and stay with us..." in a flat monotone...

Catching Ohta a little off guard, though he should have anticipated it, Orihime abruptly pounced on him, pressing her breasts against him and embracing him tightly as she exclaimed, "Thank you, Ohta-kun! I promise I'll do all the chores like cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, and, and–"

"Calm your tits," said Ohta, giving Orihime a firm smack on the bottom as he added, "You just risked your life to help rescue my woman, saving mine in the process. You don't need to go out of your way to ingratiate yourself with me. Just do as you please and enjoy the rest of your vacation..."

"Can I really...?" asked Orhime, eyes glistening as her hold on Ohta's body became noticeably tighter.

"Just remember our arrangement..." replied Ohta. His reminder deterred Orihime from petitioning for a kiss, but she didn't release her hold on him. Instead, her eyes appeared even larger than Rukia's as she asked, "Can you pet my head...?" in a hopeful tone.

Though he exhaled an exasperated sigh, Ohta didn't hesitate to reach up and caress the top of Orhime's head, earning a customary "Ehehehehe~" from the buxom beauty as she narrowed her eyes like a kitten or puppy...

...

..

.

Instead of returning to his apartment, Ohta guided Orihime and Rukia to the address Yoruichi had given him, a faux-traditional, six-story complex called the Inuneko Hotel and Spa. The building's exterior looked modern, but its 'theme' was traditional, making it seem like an ancient building that had been renovated over time. The building looked narrow from the front, only around 15m across, but its length was nearly four times that at 55m.

Staring at the expensive-looking hotel, Rukia and Orihime were outwardly as shocked as Ohta felt inside. He had mentioned operating a parlor-style lounge, bar, or cafe as a front for his future organization, should he decide to establish one. 'Gifting' him a luxury hotel was such a blatant attempt to flaunt her tremendous wealth and capabilities that he was tempted to turn around and leave. On the other hand, he now had a hotel to do with as he pleased...

Entering the building's surprisingly spacious lobby, passing through a diffusion field that kept out wayward spirits and prevented ordinary people from noticing its existence, Ohta mirrored Orihime's and Rukia's actions of looking around as he jokingly remarked, "It's a bit bigger than our last place..."

Unable to convey her emotions with words, Rukia offered an affirming "Nn..." as she wondered whether or not the Kuchiki Family could prepare something similar in such a short period. They were the wealthiest of the current Four Great Noble Clans, but, despite being a member of the Main Family for the past forty years, Rukia had no idea what the ancient family was truly capable of...

"Wait, you mean this 'whole' place belongs to you!?" exclaimed Orihime. She was awed just thinking Ohta had a room in the grand and luxurious-looking building. Hearing that it 'belonged' to him, though he had never claimed it did, Orihime felt like she was going to plop onto her ass out of shock.

"That remains to be seen..." replied Ohta, spreading his senses through the area and detecting multiple presences within. There were none in the lobby, but he sensed multiple 'people' moving about, some hidden while others seemed to be moving about in a routine, patrolling manner.

Raising his gaze to the ceiling, Ohta pulled the two girls back as a figure descended from a sliding panel in the roof, landing in front of them as a slender woman with long purple hair and an outfit not all the dissimilar to Soifon's when she removed her Haori.

Kneeling in front of Ohta's group with her head bowed low, the purple-haired girl said, "Apologies for my late arrival, Ohta-dono, Kuchiki-sama. I am Kuneida Ayame of the Onmitsukido, 5th Seat of Squad 2. I am one of twelve that Lady Yoruichi and Captain Soifon have appointed to guard this place and see to any needs you may have..."

Getting straight to the heart of the matter, Ohta asked, "Are each of you women?" The thought of having a bunch of trained assassins keeping an eye on his dwelling wasn't exactly pleasant, but he would definitely need maintenance staff and security for such a large place. In that respect, he would much rather have a bunch of girls slinking about than centuries-old men living in his walls, floor, and ceiling...

Keeping her head low, Ayame affirmed, "Ohta-dono has intuited correctly. Each of our members is female. Shall I have the others assemble and pay their respects...?"

"We'll put it off until the morning," replied Ohta. "For now, bring me this place's floor plan and explain its facilities. And when I say floor plan, I mean the one that includes secret passageways and tunnels. I want to know this place's entire layout."

Apparently having anticipated Ohta's request, Ayame removed a large scroll from the carrier strapped to her lower back, presenting it with both hands as she said, "This is the floor plan in question. As for the facilities, the basement chamber has an artificial hot spring, a training field, and a target range for training Kido. The first floor has a gym typical of the ones found in the human world, a pool, two saunas, a steam room, and a guest lounge for meetings. There are sixteen guest residences from floors two through five, a reception room, and a master penthouse on the top floor..."

Though he was secretly a little taken aback by Ayame's terse explanation, Ohta's expression remained unchanged as he replied, "Understood. Then the three of us will retire to the penthouse for the evening. Lead the way and then return to your duties."

"It would be my honor, Ohta-dono," replied Ayame, rising to her feet and pivoting professionally to lead the way. Ohta caught sight of her piercing blue eyes for a brief moment when she rose, but he wouldn't have cared even if they were empty voids. As the slender Shinigami led the way, his priority was looking around and chatting with Rukia and Orihime, focusing on the former but invariably drawn into the latter's pace as she oohed and awed at every little thing...

...

..

.

(A/N: I'd let Yoruichi be my sugar mommy any day...)