Chapter 225 - Finally…

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[Adam C. POV.]

The cold sensation of reiatsu enveloped me as I made my way back from Hueco Mundo through Urahara's Artificial Garganta, after a long night with Selene.

Emerging from the Garganta, I found myself back in the heart of the Soul Society, and Urahara was there, leaning against a nearby wall, looking as nonchalant as ever. His ever-present fan was missing, replaced by a small knowing smirk on his lips.

He's not gonna let me live this one down.

"You took your time," he remarked, raising an eyebrow in amusement, that smirk never leaving his face. "One can only wonder why."

I coughed awkwardly, trying to brush off his insinuation. "Drop it."

Urahara chuckled, "Of course, of course. Well, I'm ready whenever you are." There was a teasing glint in his eyes, making it clear he knew, much to my dismay.

I sighed, "Give me a minute."

Before leaving, I had one more thing to do. 

Without waiting for his response, I used Shunpo, dashing through the Seireitei. My destination: Mayuri Kurotsuchi's lab. There were a few things I wanted to discuss before departing from this world.

Reaching Mayuri's lab, I didn't even knock. Instead just burst through the doors, startling the 12th Division members working within. Their shocked expressions were soon replaced by recognition and a hint of fear. 

I didn't blame them. 

In the center of the main hall stood Mayuri, his face adorned with that usual unsettling makeup, his eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You could knock," he remarked dryly. "Then again, I don't know what I expect from the likes of you."

"Not in the mood," I shot back. "I'll go straight to the point, I want the piece of my soul you have. Now."

Mayuri raised an eyebrow, his face twisting into a smirk. "And why should I just hand it over?"

I felt the anger bubbling up inside me, my fingers flexing instinctively. "Because I'm asking nicely, Mayuri," I replied, trying to keep the edge out of my voice. "Then again, if you want to die in the void, I'm more than happy to oblige."

For a few moments, we locked eyes.

Then he chuckled, his laughter echoing eerily in the vast room. "You threaten me in my own lab? Bold. Though I must admit, the offer of examining the void you wield is tempting."

"That's not an offer," I snapped. "It's a promise. You give back what you took, or I'll make sure you become nothingness."

Mayuri studied me for a long moment, the weight of his gaze making me even more uncomfortable. Then, slowly, he approached a console to his right and started fiddling with it. A drawer slid open, and he carefully took out a small crystal vial. Inside it shimmered a tiny wisp of blue energy - a piece of my soul.

Without a word, he handed it to me.

I snatched it from his grasp, feeling the cool crystal against my skin. The connection was instant, a rush of memories and emotions flooding back. It felt like a missing piece of a puzzle finally clicking into place.

Sadly, most of said piece was nothing but pain, the pain of Mayuri's experiments.

Without another word, I turned and left the lab, making my way back to Urahara. It was time to go home.

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There had been a reason why I hadn't recovered the piece of my soul earlier, well, a few, one, because it wouldn't have amounted to nothing.

The piece Selene had stolen had already recovered, souls do that, they recover as long as most of the soul is intact.

Two, the echoes of Mayuri's experiments.

I had no idea how much reabsorbing the piece would affect me, and seeing my mission was to kill Aizen, I didn't want the possibility of dealing with trauma. 

Fortunately, most of the memories the piece had brought with it, were nothing but weak echoes, that would in time fade into nothingness.

Now that… that was out of the way, the only thing left to do was to return back home to my world.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I quickly made my way through the Seireitei, reaching the same courtyard where I had left Urahara. 

Finding the man leaning on his cane, waiting patiently. 

"Got everything sorted?" he asked, casting a sideways glance at me.

I nodded. "Let's go."

As I took a step forward, a familiar voice called out, "Hold on a minute!"

I turned to see Yoruichi, sprinting towards us with a backpack slung over her shoulder. Her cat-like eyes gleamed with excitement. 

"Yoruichi?" I raised an eyebrow, surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

She skidded to a stop beside us, shooting me a playful grin. "You didn't think you could have all the fun in another world without me, did you?"

Urahara chuckled, "You just want bragging rights."

She winked, adjusting her backpack. "You know me too well."

I looked between the two, trying to mask my amusement. "Are you sure you want to come?"

Yoruichi nodded, her expression turning serious. "Heck yeah! It's been ages since I had a proper adventure. I'm not letting this chance pass me by."

Urahara chuckled, "Well, more the merrier, I suppose. Ready to go?"

That's for me to decide, but I suppose that if I'm letting him come, Yoruichi can come as well, she's way more tolerable than him.

I glanced at Yoruichi, a smile forming on my face. "Yeah, let's do this."

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Back at Karakura Town, we made our way to Urahara's shop.

"Ah, home sweet home," Urahara mused, stretching his arms wide as he inhaled the familiar air of his place.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes. "Hurry up."

He simply chuckled in response, guiding us through the main floor of his shop. "Come, the portal is ready."

As we descended the staircase leading to Urahara's underground basement, the walls echoed with the hum of machinery and soft glows of various monitors. The entire place was filled with a myriad of devices, their purpose a mystery to everyone, save for their creator.

In the center of the room stood a machine unlike any other. It had a massive cylindrical structure, lined with intricate patterns and glyphs. Large tubes branched out from its base, connecting to various terminals scattered across the room.

"This," Urahara announced with a flourish, "Is the device that'll get you to Earthland."

I raised an eyebrow, examining the machine. It looked quite complicated to operate.

Urahara grinned, tapping the side of the machine proudly. "I know, I know, I'm amazing."

"So, now what?" I asked, turning my gaze to him.

"Now we travel with style," Urahara replied, an excited smile on his face.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded. "Let's do this."

Yoruichi and I positioned ourselves in front of the portal machine, as Urahara started the initialization sequence. As the machine powered up, a whirlwind of energy began to swirl, forming a vortex that beckoned us.

With one last look at the world, I'd been thrown at without a warning, I stepped forward, ready to go back home, with a few new friends.