Chapter 1: Strawberry

The black and purple, glistening butterfly came to rest on Hitsugaya's shoulder.

Sharon had told him she thought them beautiful. He thought, as messengers, they did the job. The message this one brought made him alert. Instantly.

"Video boy, I'm here kicking your butt and saving Kurosaki's, but I'd rather be somewhere else just now.

"My daughter is born."

Unohana wiped Sharon's forehead. It had been a particularly difficult delivery, and she was finally quiet.

Matsumoto held a tiny baby girl whose eyes were squinched shut, with a fine dusting of pale silver hair with just the slightest gleam of red when it caught the light.

"They named her Hana."

Unohana looked up.

Matsumoto continued quietly. "They named her something they could agree on. She wanted a name in English. He wanted a name in Japanese. She had originally wanted a daughter to finally name Anna Rose. He said Hana meant 'flower'. So they came to a compromise."

She groaned as a pungent smell arose from the small bundle. "And I'm not sure I'm going to forgive either of them for declaring the 'you choose, you lose' rule. Just because I want to cuddle Hana doesn't mean I should have to change her diaper. Didn't Sharon say newborns could go through 12 to 15 diapers a day?"

Unohana chuckled quietly. Matsumoto had no clue. Then again, who knew what could result from Hitsugaya fathering a child?

It was only because of the rather compelling argument that Soul Society didn't - and wouldn't - have access to disposable diapers that Sharon had been convinced to use the soft cloth diapers Ukitake-taichou had insisted on donating for the baby's benefit. They had even been assigned a rotation of students from the Academy to help wash and dry them. Once a day, the one who failed the most astoundingly in either combat, kido, or grades, or sometimes the one who the teachers decided needed that little extra discipline, would be sent to collect the dirty pile and carefully wash each one and hang it to dry.

Of course, in exchange, the students would get a chance to hold little Hana. So it wasn't entirely punishment. Unless she decided to fill another diaper at that moment, anyway.

Ginjo Kugo sneered at Kurosaki Ichigo. "Why do you think that you were given your badge in the first place?"

"... What do you mean?" Kurosaki was intent on every word. Ishida glanced in surprise.

"Listen well, Kurosaki. 'If a substitute shinigami is classified as a "benefit" to Soul Society, they will award you with a badge.' When they gave you your license... they probably said something like this.

"That's a lie.

"More accurately... it doesn't matter whether you're a benefit or not to them. A benefit, or a danger... they award you a badge either way. The badge's formal name is the 'substitute shinigami combat approval license'. It's a license approving you to fight in the real world."

"I know," Kurosaki responded quietly.

"But have you ever experienced its authority at all?"

"You're saying that the badge has some other purpose?"

"That's right. The badge's true purpose is to observe and restrict you. The badge lets Soul Society know where you are at all times - and additionally, whenever you have the badge with you... your reiatsu was suppressed. Didn't you think it was strange? Your reiatsu is so powerful as a shinigami that it rampages whenever you're angry. But it didn't do anything while you were in human form. And when you used your badge to activate your fullbring... your reiatsu came rushing out of the badge itself? Or when training for your fullbring... you heard your friends' voices through your badge? The badge is at once a surveillance device for Soul Society... and a device to absorb, analyze, and control your reiatsu. You were given your badge solely to control you. That's the truth. And... don't tell me that you've never had this suspicion. You merely repressed it. Subconsciously or not. Those that you thought, baring your soul... would never betray you. You only wanted to believe.

"Didn't you? Ichigo.

"Let me tell you the identity of the man behind this scheme.

"Captain of the Thirteenth Division - Ukitake Juushiro."

Ginjo's voice rose to fever pitch. "We were both conned! By the most peaceful man of the Gotei 13 himself! Ichigo! He wanted to observe us, to control us, and use us as Soul Society's pawns! And above all, to execute us should we rebel!"

"Kurosaki!" Ishida yelled.

"This truth is known by everybody in Soul Society except you! They're leaving you to die!"

"Don't listen to him, Kurosaki!"

"SHUT UP!" Kurosaki screamed.

"Bankai!"