Countdown: 13

Wow, only a day and I've already gotten 7 requests ;p I didn't think I was that popular. I forgot a rule, however ^^; As always no mpreg unless I can explain it! If you want mpreg in your request, you'd better be able to make me believe the reason. Anyway, I would've normally written the requests in the order they were sent, but some wanted chapters and others wanted a one-shot. I think I'll do the one-shots first, those should be easier for me. So far the line-up for those is: Briar Black Death Rose, Darkdolly, Randomonia21, Narutonarutolove, Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo, Anna Mae 2243, and Ichigi111kurosaki. All of which are GrimmIchi except one, which is Grimm/Ichi/Shiro. And two are vampire fics, I think.

Vae: A special thanks to Lovemeleaveme! I had completely forgotten I finished writing 'Hacking My Heart'! I'll post it right after 'Bleach Bait'. =)

Shiro: *stares at Vae like she has two heads* Ya fergot? What the fuck? What excuse could a possibly have fer that?

Vae: Shut up, I can't help it! I've been working hard to finish them all! 0/0

Shiro: Oh, I know why ya didn' 'member... I wasn' in it. ;p

Grimm: Oh yeah, Shiro, that's totally the reason. Who the fuck wants to read a GrimmIchi fic that doesn't have you in it? *rolls eyes*

Shiro: I know, right? I'm the only good character in 'em! XD

Grimm: *opens mouth to argue*

Ichi: *puts hand over Grimm's mouth* Just give it to him. His ego will deflect any blow you give it.


Chapter 2

Ichigo sits at the tower window as Kisuke watches him quietly. The reunion was tearful and filled with bear hugs… and the standard embarrassing questions from Kisuke. The man can never help himself. Ichigo is more down now; confused and uncertain of everything that's happened.

"Come on, Berry Pie, it's not that bad. You're home now; you're with your father…"

Ichigo holds up a hand to silence him, scowling in embarrassment that never seems to ebb at the lifelong nickname. Yorouchi started calling him that when he was four. He saw her making strawberry pie and asked to help, but his efforts were less than helpful and he ended up wearing the damn thing. It was funny when he was four, he thought it was the smartest thing when he commented 'look, momma, I'm a berry pie, too'… at nineteen, it's just a reminder on how stupid he was at four.

"You will always be my father, dad," Ichigo sighs. "I don't want to be what they say I have to; I want to go back to being normal and unimportant."

"I'm sorry, Berry Pie," Kisuke sighs. "I know this is hard for you, but without the Hogyoku key, we aren't going anywhere."

"… You mean this?"

Ichigo pulls the talisman from beneath his shirt, watching as his father's eyes light up excitedly. He doesn't know why this stupid little trinket is so important. Kisuke goes to reach for it, yet pulls away after a moment of hesitation. The blonde realizes the chain is now around Ichigo's neck.

"Okay, Berry Pie," he breathes out quietly. "I need you to take the chain and pull it over your head, okay?"

Ichigo shrugs and lifts the chain, gasping when it grows warm in his hands. It glows brightly, shrinking down to the point it rests comfortably around his neck as a choker. Kisuke utters a sound pulled between a groan and a whine.

"What the hell? Where's the clasp on this damn thing?"

"Stop, Ichigo, you can't take it off… it's chosen you."

"What? What do you mean?"

"We've been looking for the rightful owner of that little trinket for a long time, but no one has ever been good enough for it to choose. It's an object of great magical power and it's chosen you as its owner… it will never let anyone take it off your neck, not even you."

Ichigo whines at that, burying his face in his hands. After a moment he peeks out and toward the mirror on the wall. The choker is feminine, nothing but feminine, and it destroys his male pride all the more. He doesn't care if it is a powerful weapon of magic, it's bad enough he's being called 'princess' and has to doll himself up for royal matters.

"Get it off… now."

"I can't, Ichigo. It's chosen you; no one else can touch it."

"When is mom getting back?" he sighs in relent. "I want to see her again, I've missed her. What kind of mission is she on, anyway?"

"I don't know, Berry Pie. She just told me to behave and try not to blow anything up… I've failed at both!" the blonde grins cheerfully.

The orange head laughs brightly, trying hard not to roll his eyes at his father. The man hasn't changed in nineteen years and Ichigo couldn't be happier about it. His parents were always a constant in his life, never changing and always providing a predictable atmosphere for him.

"There's supposed to be a banquet tonight," Ichigo murmurs. "Shiro said so, to celebrate my return or something like that. I don't want to celebrate anything without mom… and I definitely don't want to celebrate shit where I have to dress like a doll."

"I know it isn't something you're used to, Berry Pie, but your mom even went as far as conditioning you for that. All those Halloween outfits? Dressing you like a girl as an infant? Playing dress up with the neighborhood girls?"

"Whoa wait… those baby pictures were mine!" Ichigo shrieks. "I thought they were hers or your sisters or something!"

"Nope, that darling little chipmunk cheeked baby was you!"

"I'm beginning to wonder why I loved you guys so much."

There's a knock on the door, the same man that brought Ichigo to the tower stepping through the portal. He flips his hair, demanding attention from others. He doesn't speak, waiting to be noticed and obviously enjoying it.

"Yumichika? What's the matter?"

"Athena has requested an audience with the king and Prince Shiro," the raven comments. "While they're gone, the princess is in charge of the kingdom… only by presence, obviously. He's not allowed to make decisions."

"… That makes absolutely no sense."

"Kisuke will be in charge of decision making, the submissive rulers have no rights when it comes to that. You're simply here for appearances."

Fury is evident within the teen's eyes, his face reddening just a bit with his anger, and Kisuke is quick to pat him on the shoulder. It's an action he's learned over the years of rearing the other, something that manages to at least keep Ichigo from lashing out.

"We should head downstairs, they'll want to say good bye to you before they leave."

Without another word, the trio begins the long trek downstairs to the foyer. Isshin and Shiro are waiting by the doors, the prince lighting up at the sight of his younger twin. Ichigo allows the overeager embrace given by Shiro, the smaller male awkwardly patting his look-a-like's back.

"I apologize for this, my youngest son," Isshin sighs. "The banquet will have to wait until we return. Should anything happen in our absence, you're to be led away from the village to a safe place. If you're captured it isn't likely we'll have to worry about the kingdom being taken over… just you being killed. I'd rather you didn't get killed so soon after your return, so… please just do what the guards tell you."

"I can help…"

"No!" Shiro snaps. "Women don' fight here, they don' know how! If ya fight, yer attacker will assume yer dominant an' kill ya!"

Ichigo rolls his eyes, no longer arguing and definitely not saying anything that may lead to them thinking he'll do as told. Kisuke sets a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, giving Isshin a reassuring smile. He'll take care of the young princess, just as he had all those years before.

"I leave him in your capable hands," Isshin smiles. "Please take care of him."

"Why wouldn't he?" Ichigo comments in confusion. "He's my dad, after all."

"… This will take some getting used to," the raven haired man sighs.

The two head out, mounting their horses and looking back only once as Ichigo waves them off. Kisuke drapes an arm around his child's shoulders, guiding him back inside once his lifelong friend is out of sight. Ichigo is taken back to his room, set on his bed, and Kisuke rummages through his closet.

"What do you think about this one?" the blonde asks as he pulls out a glittery lavender dress.

"I don't think it's your color," Ichigo smirks.

Kisuke never felt comfortable in the typical jeans and dress shirts before disappearing, so Ichigo's always seen him in long coats and funny hats. Even now, the man has on a green and white stripped bucket hat with a long green house coat. His flip-flops are now sandals, his outfit baggy cloth pants and an equally baggy shirt. All in all… he hasn't changed much from what Ichigo remembers.

"I meant for you. You have to dress the part of a princess now, Ichigo. It can't be helped."

Ichigo groans in irritation, falling backward on his bed in frustration. Kisuke sighs, a reminder of the joy he found while raising Ichigo. Yorouchi couldn't have a child, that's one reason she was chosen to be an assassin when she was younger. No chance of distractions. In the assassin clan she was born to, women that can't have children are taken at a young age to be trained… and she was the best. Still is on many levels.

"I wish Yorouchi were here, she could always guilt you into dressing up rather easily."

"… Who was my birth mother?" Ichigo questions. "I mean, I don't really care… I'm just curious. Everyone seems to hold her in such regard, like she's some sort of… I don't know… goddess or something."

"She is. She can't be around you and your brother, your father had to raise Shiro and I you."

Ichigo sighs in irritation, sitting back up to glare at his 'father'. Kisuke continues to shift the clothes in the closet absentmindedly. When the orange head realizes the other is waiting for a response to continue, he gives Kisuke what he's looking for.

"But why?"

"Those are the rules. Your mother was named Masaki, but that was only her human name. She was actually the goddess, Aphrodite."

"… You're shitting me."

"Nope! As a goddess, she can only stay with a human until she gives birth to their child. She's not allowed to raise it herself, as they're only half-god… those are the rules. This place is built on those rules. Should a god or goddess take to raising their own children directly, they tend to favor them more and wars break out between the many children they birth."

Ichigo just nods, completely stunned. The words of the king spin in the back of his mind… he looks like his mother. He looks like the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite. No wonder he's gotten nowhere when attempting to assert his masculine side! He doesn't have one!

"Here you go! Closest thing you get to something you like," Kisuke grins.

He tosses Ichigo a frilly white blouse and a pair of riding slacks, the tall boots in his hands have small heels on them and there's a lacy hat in the other. The look on his child's face is perfect, a mixture of fury and understanding. Without even waiting for the blonde to leave, Ichigo strips down and changes into the feminine garb. All the while, he makes certain his colorful vocabulary is put to good use.

The day is quiet, yet holds an air of caution to it. Growing up with Yorouchi, who took advantage of her past to train Ichigo discreetly in the assassin's ways, he's learned what this feeling is. It's the calm before a storm. Bored within the confines of the palace, Ichigo managed to drag Kisuke out for a walk.

"Why didn't you get them to build chicken coops and stuff?" Ichigo wonders.

"… I honestly hadn't thought about it. It would help with predators," Kisuke muses. "I'll start tomorrow!"

"What's wrong with today?"

"I'm enjoying a wonderful day off with my only child!"

Ichigo rolls his eyes at the other, a small smile touching his lips. As a baby, Ichigo was totted about to dig sites. He was home schooled by Yorouchi, just as her clan schooled her before, and Kisuke was always very busy. The blonde, however, always made it a point to take one day off a week and devote it to spending time with his child. This is much like those days when he toddled between dig areas and twine.

"Princess Ichigo, you shouldn't be out here without a guard," Renji calls from behind them.

They turn to see the redhead hurrying toward them, out of breath and slightly disheveled. It seems he threw on his armor in a hurry before running after them. The armor itself is light and made of leather, a chain link shirt beneath the top, and his sword hanging off one hip.

"I really don't need a guard," Ichigo frowns. "And stop calling me 'princess'!"

"… Okay, my lady."

Ichigo growls in frustration, turning his back on the redhead before he hits him. Kisuke waves Renji back, making certain he's far enough away that Ichigo won't be able to attack without Kisuke holding him back. As they roam through the kingdom Ichigo refuses to call his home, the orange haired male finds a sense of comfort with his father beside him. It's like walking through all those dig sites, but the buildings aren't ruins.

"This place is… quiet," Ichigo sighs after a bit. "I guess it's not that bad. It sort of reminds me of when I was younger."

"Yes, I tried very hard to raise you around quiet areas and old cities," the blonde informs. "It was very difficult, but being an archeologist helped a lot."

"It was nice," Ichigo sighs in remembrance. "All those old places and the quiet… I really liked it then."

"You'll love this place, Ichigo," Kisuke assure fondly. "Yorouchi and I tried to keep your surroundings as close to this as possible, so you should fall into it easily."

The orange head nods, though he has his doubts. The two stroll through the town, soaking in the silence and watching children run about laughing. The air is filled with the smell of baked goods and smoke from the blacksmith's, though the baked goods overpower the smell of smoke. There are buildings along the main dirt road, their wares sitting in windows and on stands outside to draw in customers.

"Let's get something to snack on," Ichigo smiles. "Do you have any money?"

"Of course!"

Kisuke and Ichigo head to the bakery, the orange headed male licking his lips at all the sweets in the window. Renji attempts to stop the other, uncertain of the princess eating common foods, however the blonde stops him. He never refused Ichigo anything if he really wanted it… he grew to adopt Yorouchi's temper. The youngest of the trio picks out a fruit pie and Kisuke pays for it, the baker's jaw hanging on an open hinge at the fact the princess just bought something from his shop. The rest of the day is spent visiting the other shops.


There we have it! I hope it's still going well =) Don't worry, things pick up a bit in the next update... I think. I really have a horrible memory ^^; Anyway, 'Born to the Shadows' is giong well, in case you were wondering. I'm on chapter 7 now and moving along steadily! I think you'll enjoy it =) 'Asylum of the Damned' hasn't been finished in outline, but the prologue is nearly done! Of course, that doesn't mean you get to read it yet ^^; Kisuke is in the prologue, however he goes by another name then. You'll understand when I post it, I promise. I'll try to explain it in the author's note. That's about it for now!

Shiro: Least I'm in 'Born ta the Shadows' more than here. *sulks*

Ichi: Shiro, you can't be the star of every fic.

Shiro: Why not? I'm better than the rest a ya!

Grimm: Shiro, they're called GrimmIchi fics for a reason.

Shiro: Ta warn the reader a future boredom. =p

Ichi & Grimm: *shake heads*