Where are the others?" asked Ichigo as he helped Hoshiko take off her coat, snow boots and mittens.
"They set up a '"suprise" welcome back for good' party for you in the dining room," said Chad as the other boy handed the child her sword and stuffed white tiger.
Ichigo sighed and said, "Come on Hoshiko, we have to face the music sooner or later," before he took the girl's free left hand.
"But I don't hear anything," said Hoshiko, causing Ichigo to chuckle.
When he opened the door to the dining room and turned on the light, Orihime, Rukia, Renji, his father and sisters jumped up from their hiding spots crying 'Surprise!' while Uryu blew into an uncurling noise maker with a look that clearly said that he had been forced to do it. Once again Hoshiko took refuge behind Ichigo and once again she had been spotted, this time by Isshin.
"Who or what is that hiding behind your leg, son?" he asked.
Ichigo sighed as he tried the turning trick again but this time Hoshiko stayed put. So he tried to pick her up but she ran and hid behind Chad instead. The girls(Except Karin and Orihime) giggled and cooed at how cute Hoshiko was acting. But this apparently just frightend Hoshiko further because she let out a whimper.
Ichigo went over to his frightened daughter, knelt down and said, "What's the matter?"
"Those girls want...want to eat me," said Hoshiko softy so only Chad and Ichigo (and Orihime who had walked over when she recognized the girl) could hear, "Back in the Hollow realm when I was smaller some female hollows said I was so cute then they tried to eat me."
"Don't worry, no one here is going to eat you," said Orihime also kneeling down.
Hoshiko face brightened when she heard the filmar voice.
"Orihime-san?" she said.
"Yes, I'm here too," replied the busty girl as she stroked Hoshiko's hair.
"I'm glad you're ok!" said Hoshiko hugging Orihime.
"And I'm happy that you'resafe Hoshiko-chan," said the other female returning the hug.
"Could someone please explain what is going on?" asked Rukia.
"This is Hoshiko, Aizen made her to be a weapon and later on a bargaining chip. She's the child of Ichigo and someone else...Some one who went to rescue you; Rukia and myself, that means some one in this room," said Orihime implying that it was neither herself or the rabbit obsessed shinigami.
By now she had finished hugging Hoshiko who started to cling to Ichigo again.
"Daddy, do you know who my mommy is?" she asked innocently.
Chad blinked and said, "If what Orihime said was right, Hoshiko's other parent would also be male, so why would she call him 'Mommy?"
"Because Aizen used blood to make her. He took some of Ichigo's blood to create the sperm while blood from her other parent was used to make the egg that said sperm fertilized," explained Orihime.
"By the way, I remember that when I found her she was wearing a shihakusho with a strange design in light blue thread it kinda looked like a Qu..." he trailed off looking from Hoshiko to the supposed last Quincy.
"What's wrong, Daddy?" the little girl asked.
Ichigo knelt down and said, "Hoshiko, do you know what you are...as in anything other then a soul reaper?"
Hoshiko expression changed to one that seemed filmuar to most of the group before she said, "I remember now, I'm half Quincy!"
Uryu, who had been taking a sip of soda, spat it over poor Chad in shock and Ichigo looked ready to faint. Isshin was trying not to cheer so he grinned like ther was no tomorrow. Rukia and Renji were trying to figure out who to feel sorry for, Orihime was smiling, Yuzu and Karin looked puzzled. And Chad was too busy cleaning off the soda.
Just then Ryuken(Uryu's dad) entered with Urahara, carrying a bag of goodies.
"Sorry we're late," he said before raising an eyebrow, "Ok...what did we miss?"
"Hi Urahara-san!" Hoshiko cried waving happily at the shopkeeper.
"Well hello there, Hoshiko-chan, don't you look cute," he cooed at the child.
Ryuken had noticed Isshin's huge grin and said,"What, may I ask has you so happy?"
"We need need to get some cigars," said Isshin, "Apparently we're now grandfathers."
Ryuken then started to scold Isshin about how Uryu and Ichigo were boys and the fact that neither of them had a girlfriend.
By now Hoshiko had gotten over her shyness, walked over to the elder Quincy and Shimigami and said, "Hi, I'm Hoshiko Kurasaki and I'm six!"
Isshin, picked up his granddaughter and said, "Hey there kiddo, I'm Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo's father and there for your grandfather."
Hoshiko's eyes lit up as she hugged him crying, "Grandpa!"
"Ok..." said Ryuken, "Why is your supposed grandchild six when your son is eighteen and what does she have to do with Uryu?"
"He's my Mommy!" said Hoshiko pointing at the younger of the two pure Quincys.
"I am not!" yelled Uryu.
Everyone in the room who could turned to stare at him.
"I don't care if she is of my blood, she's no child of mine," he snapped before going up to his room and slamming the door.
The child's eyes filled with tears as she asked, "He hates me...doesn't he?"
Isshin held the child close, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. While Ryuken went to his son's room.
"Uryu," he said opening the door.
"What?" snapped the younger of the two.
"Don't you think you were a little harsh back there?"
"No. I refuse to have parenthood thrust upon me this way...especially if that child refers to me as its mother."
"Hoshiko is a little girl, Uryu, and you made her cry. I thought your mother, grandfather and I raised you better."
"You barely had anything to do with my upbringing and don't you dare talk to me about my mother or grandfather!"
Ryuken shook his head as he left and said, "You know...your mother and grandfather would weep if they could see what you had just done to that poor child. She didn't ask to be born...or created if you want to look at it that way..."
When he returned to the party he found that Hoshiko had cried herself to sleep and was curled up in Ichigo's arms, clutching her sword and stuffed tiger as if they were lifelines. Though she was asleep the older man could still see the tracks of the girl's tears on her soft cheeks and still more running from her closed eyes.
'Hoshiko,' he thought, 'Your grandmothers would think you were the sweetest little thing if they could see you. I wish you could meet them, they would shower you in such love. Love that you greatly deserve.'
Ichigo said that Hoshiko would sleep with him that night and took the child to bed. The next morning Hoshiko came down for breakfast in cute lavander Pjs that were decorated with white stars, Lunar the tiger in her arms.
"Morning Hoshiko-chan!" said Orihime as she placed a phone book on a chair for the child to sit on.
"Good morning, Orihime-san, Chad-san, Nova, Ririn, Cloud, Kon," she said when she saw that the large Hispanic man and the four mod souls were also at the table.
Chad and Nova nodded their greetings while the other mod souls waved as from his place at the stove where he was making pancakes, Uryu glared at her.
"Good morning...Ishiada-san," she squeaked, still frightened of the man who's DNA made up half of her genetic code.
The Quincy placed a couple of pancakes on her plate as Orihime poured her some milk.
"Thank you," she said still rather timid due to the Quincy's hateful glare.
"Where's Ichigo?" asked Ririn.
"Daddy's in the shower singing some song I don't know, about some sort of reindeer with a red nose last time I checked...which was right before I came down stairs. I also saw a lot of lights and strange trees that were covered in decorations yesterday...what's going on?" asked the child after she took a bite of pancake, "By the way, this is yummy!"
"I forgot, you've never celebrated Christmas before, have you, Hoshiko-chan?" said Orihime.
"What's Chirstmas?" replied the child, tilting her head to one side cutely.
"It's a holiday where you spend time with family and friends and you give them gifts...And if you've been good all year Santa Claus will bring you even more presents," Ichigo explained as he came down fully dressed.
"Wow...but how am I supposed to get presents for you guys...I'm flat broke," asked the little girl.
After a few minutes of brain storming Orihime said, "How about Rukia, Karin, Yuzu and I take her shopping today so she can see what she likes and do a little Christmas shopping of her own, but we'll pay for it."
"Ok...Uh...I'm done, what do I do now?" said Hoshiko as she pushed back from the table.
"You can take you dishes to the sink then watch some cartoons on the TV, I'll go turn it on," said Orihime as she handed the child her plate, cutlery and glass then left for the living room.
The girls left for their shopping trip a few hours later, little Hoshiko jabbering non-stop about the different cartoons she had watched and items that were advertised that had caught her eye.
Unknown to the others, Uryu was watching as the girls left, his eyes never leaving Hoshiko.
'Maybe...' he thought, 'I was too harsh on her.'
TBC