You clear your throat and settle beside a frowning Ichigo, who’s been bugging you all day for the “how I met Mom” story. You roll your eyes, but secretly you love this. Because honestly? It’s a wild ride.

“Alright, listen up,” you start, “this is the story of how your mother absolutely ruined my perfectly planned Shinigami life.”

Back then, you were the definition of ‘cool Shinigami captain’ — strong, sharp, powerful, and, well… let’s be honest, pretty handsome. You had the haori, the respect, the swagger. You thought you were set for life, marching through Soul Society like you owned the place.

Then came the mission. Earth. A hollow named White was causing trouble — nothing too serious for you, of course. You thought it’d be a quick zap and back to tea and strategy meetings.

You found him, fought him, and crushed him like a bug. Easy. Too easy.

And that’s when you saw her. Masaki Kurosaki.

Not gonna lie, you literally fell for her. Like, literally. Your foot caught a rock, you tripped, and face-planted right in front of her. Smooth, right?

She helped you up, barely suppressing a smirk. “You okay there, Captain?” she teased.

“Yeah… just testing gravity,” you muttered, cheeks burning.

That was the moment the universe hit the reset button on your life. Suddenly, the mission didn’t matter. The Hollow didn’t matter. Your captaincy? Forget it.

You dropped your zanpakutō, your duties, everything to be with her. Some said you were crazy. You preferred ‘in love and spectacularly clumsy.’

Fast forward five years, and you’re married to this amazing woman who somehow tolerates your terrible cooking and endless dad jokes.

“Remember when you burnt the kitchen down trying to make breakfast?” Masaki laughs one evening, nudging you playfully.

“Hey, that was a learning experience!” you reply, grinning.

By year seven, your son Ichigo was born—constant frown, red hair, and attitude that could match anyone in Soul Society.

“You’re gonna have to keep up, Dad,” Ichigo says one day, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

“Oh, I plan to,” you wink. “Just wait till you see my Bankai.”

And then, three years later, the twins arrived—Yuzu and Karin—two little hurricanes with identical grins and twice the trouble.

Masaki watches them with that soft smile that makes your heart skip. “Our little army,” she says.

Your days became chaos—diapers, school runs, and late-night monster battles disguised as bedtime stories. But somehow, through the madness, you found a rhythm. A family.

One time, you caught Masaki trying to sneak out for a quiet night. “Where do you think you’re going?” you asked.

“Shh,” she whispered, “I need a break from you.”

You raised an eyebrow. “That’s love, isn’t it?”

She laughed, shaking her head. “Maybe.”

You sit back, looking at Ichigo now, eyes shining with curiosity. “So yeah, that’s how I met your mother. I fell flat on my face, gave up everything, and somehow ended up the luckiest guy in the world.”

He grin. “Sounds like a good trade.”

You laugh. “Definitely. And if you ever feel like giving up on something, just remember—sometimes, falling is just the start of something incredible.”

You pull them close and ruffle his hair. “Now, go get ready for tomorrow. You’ve got some big shoes to fill.”

Because family? That’s everything.

And Masaki? Well, she’s still the reason you can’t walk in a straight line without tripping over your own heart.