Cherry Blossom and the Strawberry Part 2: Last to Bloom

By Spunky0ne

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(Happy Birthday to Byakuya! In his honor, I'm bringing this story back. I took it down to rewrite some parts and I'm liking it even more now. I will have more chapters along really soon. Thanks to everyone who PMed to ask for the updated version of this.)

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(Happily married now, Byakuya and Ichigo have everything they could have wanted. But as their children come into their powers, Takiyo fails to progress like his siblings. Ichigo worries as their son falls behind, but he and Byakuya steadfastly refuse to give up on him. And when danger strikes, Takiyo finds himself perhaps the only one who can make a difference. But can he connect with his powers and open the pathway? Only his heart can tell…yaoi, mpreg…Byakuya/Ichigo, Kurushimi/Tetsuya, Haschwalth/Uryu. Enjoy the new story! Love to all, Spunky)

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Chapter 1: New Blossoms

Ichigo felt his husband's warm hand slide down over his slim, naked belly, the slender, graceful fingers making little circles on soft, white flesh as his lips placed tender kisses along the side of Ichigo's exposed throat.

"Mmmm," he mumbled sleepily, "feels good. But I know something that would feel even better."

Byakuya's lips smiled where they were still kissing him, and his hand slid down lower to engage his ginger-haired mate's prominent erection.

"Oh…" Ichigo sighed, moving his hips slowly in reaction, "it feels really good, Byakuya."

He moaned more heatedly as pearly, white teeth teased his neck and the hand caressing him tightened. Ichigo rolled onto his back, spreading his thighs invitingly. Grey eyes glinting hungrily, Byakuya moved with him, taking the upper position and commencing a more enthusiastic invasion of Ichigo's grinning mouth. His hips pressed forward, providing delicious friction as the two men rubbed against each other. Ichigo's fingers played lazily in the silken lengths of Byakuya's black hair, then ran down his bare back, scraping lightly with his nails and enticing his lovely mate into a more vigorous thrusting. The heavy contact left both men panting heatedly as Byakuya wet his fingers in Ichigo's biting mouth, then began a slow, teasing preparation. Ichigo's hips rose off the bed and his fingers clenched at the sides of Byakuya's opened yukata as he closed his eyes tightly and moaned desirously.

"Bya…!"

Byakuya answered with a barrage of harder kisses, while the tips of his marauding fingers found that place inside Ichigo that, when stimulated, made the younger man's mind go hazy and more insistent moans issue from between his parted lips.

"Oh…oh! Oh god, please…!"

Ichigo's sweating body quivered and he writhed helplessly as Byakuya entered him with teasing slowness. A sweet shiver went through him as Byakuya's lips touched his earlobe and his husband's deep voice seemed to caress his heart.

"I love you, Ichigo. This is how much I love you!"

Ichigo loosed a mingled gasp and groan of surrender as their bodies were finally joined. He couldn't think of anything but how good it felt to be one with that single person in all his life who had shattered all of his barriers and won his heart completely. He thrust wildly against Byakuya, holding on tightly and panting out his affections in clipped, broken utterings. Byakuya turned suddenly, rising up, off of him and flipping him nimbly onto his belly. Ichigo barely held back a scream of pleasure as their bodies were roughly joined again, finishing in a fierce volley of heavy thrusts that sent both men into the blinding shudders of a tumultuous release. They collapsed onto the bed, with Byakuya spread out over Ichigo's strong back and making soft, almost feverish sounds of deep contentment. They remained still, letting their bodies calm gradually. After a time, Byakuya crawled off of his husband's back, making Ichigo groan in reaction as their bodies separated again. He turned readily into Byakuya's arms, engaging his husband's smiling mouth in a softer exchange of kisses.

"I love you too," Ichigo whispered between kisses, "I love you so much, Byakuya."

Byakuya nuzzled his cheek affectionately. The two relaxed against the pillows, breathing more slowly and enjoying each other's warmth.

"Byakuya," Ichigo said after a while, "I was thinking about something."

"Hmm?" Byakuya mumbled sleepily, "What were you thinking?"

Ichigo smiled.

"I was thinking that it's been a pretty long time since we talked about, you know…having another kid?"

His smile faded slightly at the hesitation and look of uncertainty that rose in Byakuya's expression.

"What? You don't want to have anymore? I mean, five kids is a lot, yeah. But they're older now and I just…would really like to make another baby with you."

Byakuya touched his face affectionately.

"And I would have as many children as you want," he answered finally, "But Ichigo, Akina's birth was more difficult than we expected. You know that the elders, right or wrong, are attributing that to be the reason that my greater powers have not returned."

"Because we couldn't tell them about what you and Kisuke did to save my life before," Ichigo said, his head bowing slightly.

Byakuya slipped a hand under his chin, raising Ichigo's eyes to meet his.

"But, I will gladly defy them for you," he resolved.

Ichigo smiled and kissed him tenderly.

"I know you would," he chuckled, "But I don't want you to. It's safe for me to have more kids. You know that Kisuke examined me a hundred times after I had the quadruplets, and he said that I can have more, and I won't have the difficulty I did before."

"Yes," Byakuya said tentatively, "but it would also leave our family with one parent having no powers and the other having power disruptions."

"Come on, Byakuya," Ichigo complained, "Millions of people all over the three worlds have families where no one has any powers. It doesn't matter!"

"The rest of the world doesn't have the responsibility for leading two of the five great noble clans," Byakuya argued, "Ichigo, we have talked about this. If my powers had come back…"

"Don't talk like that. They will!" Ichigo insisted, "And it'll be all right if we have another baby. Please, Byakuya. Please trust me?"

Byakuya's troubled grey eyes looked into his, and Ichigo could feel the struggle going on beneath his husband's calm surface. He squeezed Ichigo's hands gently as he considered, and Ichigo smiled hopefully in reply. After several tense minutes, Byakuya loosed a long sigh and kissed Ichigo on the cheek.

"I am sorry, anata," he said softly, "I wanted to have more children also, but I have allowed my fears to stop me from saying so. I just…fear losing you."

"Because you lost someone before," Ichigo acknowledged, hugging Byakuya tightly, "Because you almost lost me. We won't lose each other, Byakuya. I promise you we'll be okay."

Byakuya closed his eyes and nodded.

"As you wish, then."

He curved his hand around Ichigo's where it grasped the small protection charm the younger man wore. Byakuya's heart clenched painfully in his chest, but he managed to keep his lips smiling as Ichigo's hand tightened and the little charm broke.

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"Last one to the meadow is a rotten egg!" twelve-year-old Masaki shouted, brushing long strands of wild ginger hair out of her eyes, then engaging her flash step and making her siblings look up in the direction she had gone.

Kisho's brown eyes flashed in challenge.

"No way you're getting there before me!"

He scowled and flash stepped away at once, with eleven-year-old sister, Akina on his heels. Ichigo appeared out of the master bedroom and launched himself after his three enthusiastic offspring. Byakuya exited the master bedroom, smiling slightly as he sensed the race that was taking place. The smile faded as he spotted their twelve-year-old son, Takiyo, sitting under a tree, near the koi pond, sharing a book with his twin sister, Suki, and patently ignoring the morning call to training. Byakuya approached the two and paused in front of them as Takiyo looked up at him, frowning.

"Aw, Dad, do we have to go?" he complained, "Suki and I are in the middle of something! And we're not messing around. This is family history we're reading. Isn't that important too?"

"It is," Byakuya assured his son, "however, it is also important to remember that schedules and routines provide structure for our lives. One must have appropriate balance, Takiyo."

"Well, can we at least not train with them?" Suki asked, glancing at Takiyo, "They're always mean to us, because I'm a healer and Takiyo doesn't have his powers yet."

"Shut up, Suki," Takiyo said irascibly, the ginger ends of his black hair glowing softly as his emotions rose, "You don't have to protect me. I don't care about having stupid powers or not! Not everyone can be like Papa Ichigo and save the world. Some of us are just…normal. Why should we have to pretend to be something we're not?"

Byakuya arched a fine eyebrow and Takiyo flinched in reaction.

"You say that you were perusing our family history?" Byakuya asked, tilting his head slightly, "I am curious. What part of our family history leads you to believe that you should not give your best to growing strong?"

"Dad!" Takiyo exclaimed, coming to his feet and dropping the book he had been reading, "It's not that I don't want to do my best or even that I don't want to have powers. It's just that I'm already twelve and I don't have any powers of any kind! Just my stupid flash step!"

"Ichigo had only his ability to see ghosts until he was fifteen," Byakuya countered.

"But he wasn't raised a shinigami," Takiyo objected, "Even though you don't have powers now, you got them when you were only six or seven! Grandpa Soujun, didn't have great powers, and he was still chosen to lead the family. You lead our family without any powers. Why waste my time trying to have powers when it's pretty obvious I'm just not going to have them?"

Takiyo felt an inward, warning jolt at the stern look that came into his father's eyes. Suki bit her lip and tried to shrink back behind the tree.

"Takiyo," Byakuya said sternly, "you have no idea what you are capable of. None of us do. It may be that you will not have powers, but it is equally possible that you will acquire them, just later than your siblings. Ichigo and I have explained to you what happened to you before you were born."

"Yeah," Takiyo said, deflating, "The quincy king inhabited my body and I was damaged. I know. That's what I'm trying to say. I just don't think it's fair I get treated like everyone else here, when I'm not like them!"

"Listen to me," Byakuya said, taking Takiyo's hand in his, "You have every bit as much potential as any of your siblings. You are different, yes, and you were damaged. But you are a son of the Shiba and Kuchiki families, and that means that you will devote yourself faithfully to becoming strong in whatever ways are given to you. You must never try less hard because you doubt yourself."

Takiyo swallowed hard and studied Byakuya's lovely, proud face questioningly.

"Don't you ever worry that you won't get your powers back, Dad?" he asked softly.

"I do," Byakuya confessed, "But I will not be ruled by my fears. I will have them, but I will also overcome them. That is the only way to know what my true capability is going to be."

Takiyo bit his lip and forced back the tears that had begun to invade the corners of his grey and gold eyes.

"I won't let my fears get in the way either," he promised, "Sorry, Dad. I just get mad when it's so easy for them, but I can't keep up."

"I understand," Byakuya assured him, "and if you and Suki will come with me, I will train with you."

Takiyo and his sister exchanged surprised glances and broke into pleased smiles.

"Really?" Takiyo said eagerly, "Thanks, Dad!"

"Come," Byakuya said, nodding, "Let us go and give your siblings something to aspire to."

He disappeared in a blazing flash step with his son and daughter at his side.

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Masaki and Kisho reached the top of the cliff over the meadow together, and they skidded to a stop as they realized that there were already several people training in the open meadow. Akina laughed as she caught up with them.

"Looks like we're the rotten eggs this time!"

In the meadow below them, a tall, caramel skinned man stood, facing a younger, fair skinned man with wavy black hair and bright sapphire eyes.

"It's Cousins Kuri and Tetsuya!" Masaki said excitedly, "And look, the others are here too!"

They flash stepped down to the lake at the edge of the meadow, joining a man and woman who watched over several toddlers, who splashed happily in the shallow water, while their fathers and siblings trained in the long, waving grasses.

"Good morning, Cousin Aderia, Cousin Ogano," Kisho greeted the two adults politely.

He paused as Ichigo flash stepped down to join them.

"Hey Aderia, Ogano," Ichigo said, smiling at the sight of the babies playing in the water, "You brought the whole bunch today, huh?"

"They love the water," Aderia answered, smiling, "Kuri and Tetsuya promised all of them could go swimming after training, so they were up early and couldn't wait to get here."

"Man, Tetsuya's been busy," Ichigo laughed, shaking his head, "Ten kids in twelve years. How do they even keep track of all of the names? I think I'd forget a few."

He turned his head to watch as Kuri loosed his shikai chains that tried to wrap around Tetsuya's ankles, but were swiftly frozen and slowed by the blue-eyed man's release of frost that covered them and held them back.

"Tetsuya's looking strong. He really bounces back quickly after having their kids," Ichigo commented.

Aderia rolled her eyes affectionately.

"I am surprised he has time to train at all with how my brother keeps impregnating him."

"Well," Ichigo joked, "your elders wanted heirs, right? They've got a few to choose from now, don't they?"

"And…more on the way," Aderia sighed, "Poor angelito…"

"Tetsuya's pregnant again?" Ichigo asked, his smile widening.

"With twins," Ogano chuckled, "We just found out this morning and Tetsuya wanted to get in some training before he was too far along."

"It's a good thing we have so many cousins to help with all of the feeding and changing," Aderia mused, "Those two…"

"They're really in love," Ichigo said, his voice softening, "It's so funny to think back to how Tetsuya almost killed Kuri when they met."

"We don't worry about that," Aderia laughed, "Most people when they meet my brother, want to kill him."

"Well," Ichigo said, glancing at his three waiting progeny, "why don't we go and give it a try? Come on, kids, let's get in there and give them a run for their money!"

He led the three children into the field, flash stepping towards Tetsuya and Kuri, and coming down in between them. He caught the encroaching chains of Kuri's shikai and used a burst of his reiatsu to hold off Tetsuya's marauding ice.

"You two having a spat?" he joked, "Can I cut in?"

"Are you sure you want to get in between us, Ichibun?" Kuri asked, smirking as he and Tetsuya attacked together.

Ichigo dodged Kuri's chains, but flinched as Tetsuya's ice blades pummeled his radiating reiatsu.

"Whoa! Nice!" he complimented the blue-eyed man, shattering the attack and going on the offensive.

Masaki, Kisho and Akina squared off against one cousin their age and two who were slightly younger. Soon all of the ones training were engrossed in their task, so much so that they didn't see as Byakuya entered the meadow with Takiyo and Suki, taking up a position in the shade of several oak trees and drawing Senbonzakura.

Byakuya dropped into a ready stance, his reiatsu glowing around him, as his two children did the same.

"Do not forget what we spoke about last time," Byakuya advised the two, "Timing and control are very important in swordsmanship and hakudo. I want you to focus on those things today."

"Right!" Takiyo and Suki shouted together.

The two took turns slashing at Byakuya as their father met their blades solidly and sought to find holes in their defenses. Time and again, the boy and girl attacked with their swords, engaging Byakuya in a whirl of moves that soon caught the eyes of the others training in the meadow. Ichigo and the other children broke away from their cousins and moved closer to watch as Byakuya's graceful movements swiftly had Suki on the defensive and Takiyo working hard to keep up.

"Beautiful," Ichigo whispered, admiring Byakuya's perfect footwork and precise movements.

Takiyo felt the eyes watching and forced down the sick feeling it always gave him. Instead, he focused on his father's body, watching the placement of Byakuya's feet and the slight lean of his body to anticipate him. He attacked and managed to catch the edge of his father's sleeve, prompting sounds of surprise from his watching siblings.

"It looks like he is becoming quite a swordsman, Ichibun," Kuri said appreciatively.

"His hakudo is very good also," Tetsuya added.

"He kicks like one of Kuri-kuri's mules," Kisho complained.

Suki smiled and stepped back, allowing Takiyo to engage Byakuya alone. The two moved at flash step speed, cutting and blocking, parrying, kicking and striking in something as much like dancing as fighting.

"Amazing," Ichigo whispered.

I was afraid that it would be really hard for Takiyo, growing up without powers like he has. But Byakuya always finds ways to support him.

He felt a guilty twinge inside.

I'm not as good at doing that. I guess I worry too much about how he'll be treated. Byakuya helps him earn their respect for the things he can do. That's what's really important, right?

I just wonder…is he going to be okay? He went through so much before he was even born. He's a strong kid. Byakuya and I just have to make sure his heart is strong enough to handle whatever happens.

Takiyo, you'll be okay.

I know you will.

I promise.

He let his worries fade as Byakuya blocked Takiyo's blade a final time, then nodded to his son to end their duel. Takiyo bowed politely.

"Arigato, Byakuya-sama," he said gratefully.

"You fought well," Byakuya said approvingly, his lips smiling as Takiyo's siblings moved forward and surrounded him, chattering happily and dragging him along as they headed to the lake to cool off.

"Thank you," Ichigo said quietly, taking Byakuya's hand, "I know he's struggling. I don't always know how to help him. I'm glad you do."

Byakuya shook his head gently.

"I am only guessing as well. But he really does have admirable potential, Ichigo. We will do our best to help him reach his limits…whatever they are."