Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

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Rukia Kurosaki felt a nurse dab her face with a cloth. It was Yuzu. Her sister was wrapping Rukia's child in a blanket, while Rukia's husband stood by her side, rubbing his red, sore hand.

"It's a boy." Karin said, smiling. She handed the child to its mother, and Rukia looked down at him. He had unusually green eyes that were quite unlike any child's eyes she had seen before. They weren't looking around at everything, or just staring at her aimlessly. They were focused. And it unnerved her a bit to think that, but dismissed the thought. This was a new born she was thinking about!

Ichigo sighed gently, and put a hand on her shoulder-the one that wasn't nearly broken. He smiled at her.

"I'd say we did a pretty good job. Though I have no idea where he got those eyes from. It defiantly wasn't from my side of the family." he said

"Yes, well-wait, we? Ichigo, are you already forgetting that I was the one who just gave child birth?" she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Wha-What? No, of course not! Besides, how could I forget with this hand of mine?" he muttered the last part, but Rukia could still here him. She shook her head gently, and then looked back at their child, whose eyes were now on Ichigo.

"I think he likes you." she said, and then "So, Ichigo…um…I haven't exactly thought of a name yet for our child. I thought it would be something we could both agree on…"

"…" Ichigo was completely silent. He was focused on the infant in his wife's arms.

"Rukia…look at his eyes…their…different." he said slowly, like someone waking from a dream.

"What? Oh, you noticed that too? I…it's probably just the lighting in here or something." she said dismissively

"No…look. It's like he already knows something…" Ichigo said

"Ichigo…he's just a newborn. There's no way that-"

"Well hello there!" someone chirped joyously. The couple snapped their heads up and saw a green clad man, wearing a familiar hat, and clogs without socks even though it was in the middle of the winter. He had a cane and a fan, which seemed even odder, though the couple knew better.

"Urahara." Rukia growled, narrowing her eyes, "Why are you here?"

"Oh, just came to see if the news was true or not. Congratulations on your child, though I have no idea where he got those eyes from. Maybe from Rukia?" the blond man said, grinning and waving his fan, even though it was freezing outside. A black cat had followed him into the room.

It jumped up on the bed, and sat by Rukia's legs. The cat looked at the child, who was looking straight back at the cat.

"I know those eyes…I've seen them once or twice before. Those eyes…are ones I'd never forget." the cat muttered in a deep male's voice. A talking cat may have shocked most people, but the couple were used to it.

"What do you mean, Yoruichi?" Ichigo asked, but he had a feeling that he knew what she was about to say.

"He reminds me of Ulquiorra Schiffer." she said plainly. Just like that with no hesitation.

"What? You mean the arrancar? But he died a long time ago, and since he was a hollow, he would've ended up in Soul Society. Right?" she asked, starting to panic. There was no way her child could be the reincarnation of the cruel Espada who had tortured her friends and helped Aizen in his devious schemes.

"Well, remember Rukia. Not all hollows go to Soul Society. It's a rarely occurs, but sometimes a hollow will be reborn as a human with no memory of its doing when it was a hollow. Oh, don't worry. A zanpakuto still cleanses the sins of a hollow, though it seemed not to have any real affect on the arrancar…"

"What are you saying Urahara?!" Rukia asked, on the verge of tears. She wasn't the emotional type, but she had just gone through childbirth, and now this man who she considered to have nearly ruined her life, was telling her that her newborn son was the reincarnation of a monster.

"Well, I'm saying that later on in life he might remember being a hollow, though it's highly unlikely. And if you were wondering, then yes, he is…well…you know." Urahara said, shifting his hat slightly.

"…" Rukia was silent as she looked down at her son. She thought of all the horrible things the Cuarta Espada had done to Ichigo and their friends. He had nearly killed Ichigo several times, emotionally tortured her best friend, and as a hollow, killed many shinigami. He had been ruthless, and had no heart. He had been a monster completely devoid of any emotion. Though Ichigo on the other hand thought of this differently.

Ulquiorra and him had never been friends. They had been far from it, yet there was still some sort of connection between him and the fourth Espada. Maybe because he had nearly killed Ichigo several times, but always spared him up until their final battle when he finally unsheathed his zanpakuto, showing Ichigo that he was serious. Or perhaps it was because he had been the one to reawaken Ichigo from his hollow-like state, when his hollow had not only stabbed Uryu, but could've killed everyone fighting below them as well. Including Rukia. Ichigo always hated to think what would've happened if Ulquiorra had not stopped him there. Ichigo always felt a strange frustration when he thought of the sad looking arrancar. He felt as if he owed Ulquiorra a debt, a sort of favor, not only for stopping him, but in a sense, for helping him get stronger. At night when he thought about it, he started to realize more and more that all along Ulquiorra never meant him any true harm. That the reason he kept sparing him, was so the Espada could see Ichigo at the peak of his power, to draw out his full capabilities.

'I guess he thought I actually had a chance of winning.' Ichigo thought bitterly. Though he had never really won. It was his inner hollow that dealt the devastating blows to the Espada, not he. And Ulquiorra had died from his wounds, turning to ash and dissolving in the desert wind.

Ichigo always thought it was cruel, the way that Ulquiorra died. He knew that Ulquiorra was just a hollow, one that had nearly killed him and then turned on his friends when he thought Ichigo was dead, but still. There was still that connection, forged from all the near death experiences and the contact he had with Orihime, and the way things ended. Though they never did.

"...Hmph... Even in the end... You never do what I want..."

Why had he wanted Ichigo to just finish him off like that? It didn't make sense to Ichigo, but as time went on after their final battle, he could piece more and more together of what had happened until he could finally figure out what had happened.

The war had been called off by Aizen, and all the Espada had been revived since their corpses were still intact. All accept one. Number four. Ever since the war had been called off, life had gone back to being semi-normal. There were still three captains missing, though Ichigo had taken the spot as fifth captain, with Rukia as his lieutenant. Uryu and Orihime got married, and Uryu had become a head doctor, and now ran his father's hospital, while Orihime had become a school teacher.

The Espada had been revived by Orihime…who had been forced to do so by Aizen, and then they were allowed to leave Hueco Mundo. And ever since, they hadn't heard a single thing from the arrancar. Hollows still came into the human world, but not as frequently. It was as if the Winter War had never happened.

Ichigo looked down at the child in Rukia's arms. Could it really be Ulquiorra reborn?

He looked into the child's eyes. They were exactly like Ulquiorra's. Exactly.

"Ichigo…" Rukia said as she gently touched his arm

"I don't care who he was before, because he's our son now, and that's all that matters." Ichigo said firmly, placing his other hand on her other shoulder, and squeezing it gently. Ichigo found it oddly ironic that the only person he ever fought but never truly defeated had been reborn as his son.

"Yes…your right." Rukia said, and brushed her hand lightly against her son's face. He was sleeping. She guessed it didn't matter what he did before, because this was a fresh start for all of them. The Cuarto Espada had another chance at life, and this was it.

"…So then, it's decided! Young Ulquiorra will-" Urahara started, but Ichigo held up his hands.

"Now wait a second. Who said we were going to name our son Ulquiorra?" Ichigo asked angrily. Even if their son was Ulquiorra reincarnated, it didn't mean he had to have the same name.

"Well, I just thought it'd be nice since you two obliviously haven't thought of a name yet. And Ulquiorra is a nice name." Yoruichi yawned.

"Well, we were but-" Rukia started to say, but Urahara cut her off

"Ulquiorra it is then!" he grinned, snapping the fan shut. Rukia took a deep breath. She was in no condition to get up and beat the crap out of the annoying shop keeper. At least not yet.

Ichigo and Rukia looked down at their new son, hoping that this could be the beginning of a fresh start for all of them.

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