Title: The Mating Game

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Bleach! If I did, I wouldn't be here writing this!

Warning: I'm working hard to keep everyone in character, but I'm not sure I'm succeeding, language, and adult situations

11/5/14: I recently reread the story and realized that I had left a few mistakes in, so I am editing it now. I'm just fixing mistakes, no actual plot changes! ^^

Chapter 1

Two years ago the Winter War ended and Ichigo Kurosaki saved everyone at the expense of his highly developed powers. He was set adrift for over a year, unable to see the hollows, let alone fight them. Life at that time was quiet, too quiet and he felt disconnected from everyone. He missed his shinigami friends and he missed the thrill of battle, but most of all he missed being needed. Then about a month ago all that changed and he reacquired his powers and gained quite a few more when the Seireitei re-infused him. That was how he thought of it. They did to him what Rukia had done at the beginning, giving him a portion of their powers and abilities. Only this time it wasn't just the energy of one shinigami, but the energy of practically every seated officer of the Gotei 13. He still wasn't sure how powerful he might have become since his re-infusion so when he got a text from Urahara to come over he'd jumped at the chance to train again.

As the orange haired teen arrived at Urahara's Shoten he heard what sounded like an argument and paused as he heard his name.

"Look, Kisuke, he needs to be told!" Shinji shouted in frustration.

"I'm not denying that, I just think it's too soon," Urahara answered in a placating voice. "Ichigo is nowhere near ready for all of this."

"Ready for what?" asked the eighteen year old as he entered. "I got a message asking me to meet you guys here; I thought it was for training. Was I wrong?"

"Yes…and no," was Hat and Clogs only answer as he glanced at the other blonde.

Shinji sighed, "He asked you here to train and I'm here to talk to you about some other stuff you'll have to deal with in the next few years."

"Then tell him when it's time!" Kisuke was showing his frustration now.

"If I wait til then, it'll be too late! You don't know anything so just shut up!"

"Well I would if you'd explain it better!"

Ichigo decided it was time to stop the nonsense and got both men's attention, "Let's calm down, guys." He sat down and gestured for them to as well, "I'm here, so let's talk."

Both of the other men glanced at the boy and then glared at each other as they reluctantly sat down at the table while Tessai served them tea and bowed out of the room to give the three some privacy. Neither one wanted to begin this little talk but Hirako knew it was necessary for the orange head's sake, so he took a deep breath and began.

"Ichigo, has anyone ever explained Visored maturation to you?" At the younger man's blank look he continued dryly, "I'll take that as a no. You know that we are very similar to Arrancar, the opposite end of the same spectrum?"

Ichigo nodded and the blonde continued, "Both groups go through what can be loosely described as a mating cycle three to four times a year. Once a Visored reaches maturity this cycle is triggered. Our group was all well into adulthood by the time we were turned into Visoreds so our first cycle wasn't that big of a deal. However you weren't an adult when you became one and you'll enter this cycle soon. It can be very disorienting and uncomfortable."

The younger man's eyes widened as he listened, "How soon!? Is this why I've never been much interested in sex?" he asked curiously. "I thought it was just because I was so busy with the shinigami business."

Shinji sighed and answered the questions in the order asked, "I'd say sometime within the next three years. You were unable to cleanse hollows for almost two years, and you weren't busy then. Did you date? Get laid? Anything?"

Ichigo blushed as he shook his head, "I never even thought about it to be honest." He frowned, "When will I enter this 'cycle' and what happens then?" he leaned forward his arms resting on his knees, focused on what Shinji was saying. He had to admit, to himself at least, that he was curious.

"First, you need some background information. Visoreds and Arrancar are very similar; we discovered from observing them that their reproductive cycles and ours are practically identical. Both groups have what are known as Alphas and Betas and both go through heats.

"Alpha/Beta doesn't necessarily mean what you might think," he continued. "Yes, the Alphas impregnate the Betas and Betas of course have the children…or cubs if you're an Arrancar. The Alphas also protect the Betas while they are pregnant since it's difficult for them to protect themselves. Because of this the Alphas need to be strong but this doesn't necessarily mean they're dominant and the Betas are submissive. I have yet to see a submissive Beta; it just doesn't happen," Shinji shook his head and smiled slightly thinking about his mate. "You with me so far?"

At Ichigo's slow nod he continued, "Now Betas are interesting. They are the stronger of the two; sometimes a lot stronger! They seek a mate who can not only protect them but who can also deal with them and help keep them on an even keel; their equal, if you will. They are the power behind the couple, they initiate the mating ritual, and if they aren't interested the mating can't be forced by an Alpha."

Ichigo had been following along pretty well and he asked, "What if the Beta wants to mate and the Alpha doesn't? It still can't be forced can it?"

"When Betas go into heat they produce a pheromone that triggers a physical response in their intended mate. If the Alpha isn't interested then it won't cause them to go into what I affectionately like to call 'rut.' All of this happens on an instinctual level, it isn't a conscious decision on either's part. The Beta entices the chosen Alpha who either accepts or declines. If they accept, the fun stuff commences and then the mating ritual takes place," he flashed his trademark smile. "At the end of the period both come back to their senses and realize what's happened. That's usually when their brains catch up to their bodies. Of course by then it's too late and the couple is mated for life."

The orange head held up a hand, "Ok…wait a minute. What if I don't want to be mated to anyone? Or what if there isn't anyone who wants to mate with me?"

"Like I said, it can't be forced on unwilling partners. If a compatible mate isn't found, at the end of the period you go back to normal and wait for the next cycle. It's not very comfortable but it won't kill ya. However if both parties are compatible they will proceed, whether they intellectually want to or not. As I said, it's instinctive."

"So until the next cycle…no sex!?" the kid really didn't like that idea! He decided to ignore the last comment for now. "And how long is this period you're talking about?"

Shinji rolled his eyes, "What I said was no heat; meaning no getting pregnant. Betas can only get pregnant during heat. After your first heat, having (or not having) sex is totally up to you. As far as the length of the mating period…it varies. For Hiyori and me it lasts about a week. Rose and Love go on longer, about two weeks. I've no idea about Kensei and Mashiro; they've never said and I've never noticed."

Ichigo felt slightly dizzy from all the information. "So once I've entered heat I have to wait for a Beta to find me?" his scowl deepened.

The two older men glanced at each other apprehensively. This is where the explanations got tricky.

"Not exactly Kurosaki-kun," the shopkeeper finally joined the conversation.

"What do you mean?" the teen asked.

"He means that you've been showing all of the signs," Shinji looked everywhere but at Ichigo as he cleared his throat, "of being a Beta rather than an Alpha."

When Ichigo got home, he dodged his father almost instinctively since his mind wasn't really focused on anything other than what he'd been told earlier. "Dad! Can't you for once give it a rest!?"

"Ichi-nii, are you ok? Daddy cut it out, dinner is almost ready!" Yuzu walked out of the kitchen just in time to see the altercation. Karin stood slightly behind her sister and glared at the two idiots.

"Nope, sure can't!" Isshin began talking over his daughter, and then he noticed his son's distraction and his attitude changed. "What is it Ichigo?"

For once the teen decided to let him be a father, "Can we talk, Dad?"

Isshin wanted to go into his usual rant about Ichigo finally becoming a man and getting a girl but one look at the boy and he decided now wasn't the time so he gestured for the teen to follow him into the clinic's office for some privacy. As they sat down he began, "What is it, Son?"

Ichigo looked down at his hands for a long time before he squared his shoulders, looked his father in the eye, and began, "You know I'm a Visored, right?" At Isshin's nod he continued, "Well, I don't know how much you know about them, but it seems I might be a Beta and at some point soon, I'll be going into heat and looking for a mate."

Isshin's eyes widened, he knew about the Alpha/Beta thing but he'd always assumed Ichigo was an Alpha and he said as much.

Ichigo nodded, "Yeah, I guess everyone thought that until recently. It seems I've been doing some very Beta-ish things since I got my powers back. I've been hanging out with the strongest people I can find and every time I spar, my reiatsu is flaring against my opponents. I can't even feel my reiatsu most of the time and yet I'm supposedly flaring it!" he got up to pace. "Shinji told me that my need to protect those I consider family is also tied in to being a Beta…but that isn't necessarily an exclusive thing. That's why no one figured it out until now."

"Well, Son, that's not so bad, is it?" he was cut off.

"Dad! You don't get it! If what they say is true…it means I'm gonna pick a man, not a woman. Everyone I've wanted to hang out with…everyone I've been sparring against is male; the strongest men I can find: Kenpachi, Byakuya, and Renji mostly," he rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. "I can't even think about being like that with Kenpachi!" he yelled with a look of horror. "The other two wouldn't be so bad, but I haven't even considered being with a man before; and I certainly never thought of being on the receiving end! I've always assumed I was straight. This isn't what I wanted or expected, Dad; what do I do?" he met his father's gaze with troubled and stormy eyes as he waited for his parent's response.

"As a male Beta, umm can you…?" his father really didn't know how to ask but he was dying of curiosity to find out if he could still be a grandfather.

Ichigo nodded that he understood, "Yeah, that's something else I'm not sure I can handle. I could get pregnant; how big of a mind-fuck is that!? I can't do this…I can't!" he was beginning to reach his limit when Isshin grabbed him in a bear hug.

"It's gonna be alright, Ichigo," he began softly so as not to spook the younger man. "This isn't the end of the world. You won't pick someone you can't live with, or someone who can't love you back; that I know. So what if it's a guy?" he shrugged. "You'll be able to love each other or it won't happen, that's all. Every one of the Visoreds I know of who are mated made the right choices and are happy together, it'll be the same for you."

Ichigo returned the hug for once as he calmed down and thought back to his conversation earlier.

"You've been showing all the signs," Shinji looked everywhere but at Ichigo as he cleared his throat, "of being a Beta rather than an Alpha."

"Huh!? What do you mean?" Ichigo looked at the older men in shock. "How can that be? A guy can't get pregnant."

"That's right, neither a human (nor a shinigami) male can get pregnant," Kisuke picked up the explanation. "However I think it's safe to say that you aren't exactly a normal human and haven't been in a long time. That's not so bad. In my opinion, normal can be vastly overrated!" he grinned as he waved his fan to hide his smile.

"Human or not," Shinji took over as he glared at Hat and Clogs, "Betas can get pregnant whether they're men or women and Alphas can impregnate whether they're women or men; for both Visoreds and Arrancars that's normal. During heat their bodies adjust to take care of business."

"So if I found a female Alpha who was strong enough, we could mate and she could get me pregnant? That is so wrong!" Ichigo looked like he was in shock.

"In theory, yes;" Shinji continued, "however, I don't think that's going to be the case."

"Why not?" Ichigo thought it was a valid question.

"It has to do with the signs I mentioned. On your last few trips to the Soul Society I watched you spar with some of the other shinigami. They were all some of the strongest fighters we have and with every one of them, when you fought you'd flare your reiatsu at them and they'd answer it by flaring it back at you." Both of the older men sat back as if that explained everything but it was obvious Ichigo wasn't getting it. "That's the standard way for Betas to test possible mates. When a Beta finds someone they're attracted to who they think may be strong enough, they'll challenge the Alpha to a fight and during the fight they'll flare their reiatsu at them to see what kind of response they get. If the Alpha flares back the Beta can see if he or she is strong enough and possibly the right one for them."

"But I sparred against Kenpachi, Byakuya, and Renji the last time. And the time before that it was Ikkaku, Shuhei and Renji," Ichigo still was trying hard not to get the implications.

"That's right, Ichigo. That's why I don't think you're going to end up with a woman. You only seem interested in challenging men," Shinji finished and sat back to watch the boy's reaction. It took a minute but the shock and horror finally showed up; however the two men weren't quite prepared for what he said.

"Oh hell no! Not Kenpachi…no way! Have you seen him? He'd split me in half and there's no way he'd ever be able to be gentle! I wouldn't be able to walk for a month, if then. Byakuya is ok but he's so emotionally cut off, I'd probably either die of boredom or kill him out of frustration. The others would be alright, I guess…" he trailed off in confusion.

"So you have thought about the possibilities?" Urahara asked quirking an eyebrow.

Ichigo's skin took on a pinkish hue, "I sorta wondered 'what if' once or twice but who wouldn't?" he mumbled. "Kenpachi and the others are people I like and respect…a lot. They're powerful and power is attractive. It's only natural to wonder…isn't it?" he asked a bit desperately.

The other two men quickly glanced at each other and then focused back on the boy in front of them. "It's quite natural, Ichigo," Shinji quickly reassured the younger man. "You also don't have to worry about whether or not the Alpha you choose will 'fit' or not. When Betas enter heat, their bodies change to accommodate their mate; female Beta's don't change much, but males do. Their muscles relax dramatically and a natural lubricant is produced to allow ease of entry. It's tons easier for two men to have sex during heat than out of it. Of course that's kinda the point."

"To allow for r-re-reproduction?" the orange head nearly choked on that one, blushing all the while. "Have any of the Visoreds gotten pregnant before?"

Shinji shook his head negatively, "We were on the run for over a hundred years. It seems our instincts are severely tied into our body's functions. We can't conceive if the environment isn't safe. It's only been recently that it's been safe enough for our bodies to allow for it. "

"So if it isn't safe, you can't get pregnant?"

"It's either that or we're all sterile," Shinji grunted. "We haven't figured out which yet."

A/N: Well there you have it! The first chapter of my very first posted Bleach fanfic. I know there have been quite a few mating stories put out there so the idea isn't new; however I'm hoping that my take on the idea is different enough to make the story interesting.

I don't usually ask for reviews, but I'd love the feedback if anyone out there wants to give it to me. They give me pointers on how to improve and encouragement and are very appreciated!