To say Ichigo's friends were upset would be an understatement.
After the Exequias death, they had been able to use their portal generators and meet up again in Soul Society. Ishida had filled in the rest of Ichigo's friends as Renji made his report to his superiors in Soul Society. They were just as unhappy as Ichigo's friends, and for very similar reasons.
"Guess we got to go rescue the kid, huh?" Kenpachi said, then grinned. "I heard that Espada gave him a hard time. It'll be a good fight!" He laughed before cracking his neck.
"Indeed. We cannot let the Espada kidnap Kurosaki Ichigo." Byakuya said and Renji scratched his head. He didn't like to contradict his taichou, but…
"Um… to be fair, it looked more like Ichigo was kidnapping the Espada." He said cautiously. He didn't like to admit that but fair was fair and Grimmjow had been just as surprised as them, from what he'd seen before they'd vanished. "I'm not sure what was going on." Grimmjow hadn't managed to tell them much before Ichigo had grabbed him.
"His hollow must have gained control." Hitsugaya said and everyone nodded. That was a logical conclusion. "It would want to remain in Hueco Mundo." Also a logical conclusion. "What should we do?"
"We cannot allow the hero of Soul Society to remain in Hueco Mundo. We must return him to his family." Yamamoto said, which received several nods. It would be a terrible thing to do, leaving Ichigo stranded in Hueco Mundo and at the mercy of his hollow. "Hm… but this will require strength to deal with the Espada and Kurosaki at the same time. Shunsui, Zaraki, Byakuya. The three of you will return to Hueco Mundo and find the substitute shinigami. Mayuri, you will also accompany them. Do you have any way to detect his reiatsu and subdue him?"
"Ah!" Mayuri brightened at that thought as Shunsui sighed. He wasn't looking forward to so much hard work, far from his saki and favorite places to nap. "Yes, I'm sure I can come up with something… May I have a week or two before we depart?" Yamamoto frowned and Mayuri grinned. "I doubt the Espada is going to hurt Kurosaki in the meantime. From the description it might be the other way around! And I need some special equipment."
"That is reasonable." Yamamoto allowed. He couldn't deny that Kurotsuchi might need to make something specialized to sniff out Ichigo's reiatsu. "A week then."
"Possible two… Nemu, come!" Mayuri set out purposefully, his fukutaichou behind him. He had a lot of work to do and little time to do it, but he enjoyed the challenge.
That was the kind of thing he lived for.
Grimmjow grinned as he pinned his mate to the ground before exploring his throat. The nails on his back, digging and leaving very faint scratches just urged him onward.
Rocca was proving to be a very helpful addition to the pack. His main use was keeping Nel occupied when they wanted to get intimate. He had endless patience with the eternal toddler, playing tag and keeping her busy for as long as they liked.
"Nnn, Grimm." Ichigo breathed and Grimmjow looked up, meeting honey gold eyes. The sclera were turning black, just a bit, like an oil slick slowly spreading across the white surface. The burning heat in those hollow eyes made him forget all about Nel and Rocca. His heaven was right here. Kissing Ichigo deeply he engaged the teen in a passionate tongue duel, feeling a deep satisfaction when Ichigo submitted to his attentions. "Feels… so good…" Ichigo moaned as they parted, his head falling back to expose his throat. Grimmjow took advantage of that, exploring the warm skin and leaving behind his mating marks.
"You're amazing." He whispered in the shinigami's ear and felt him shudder. "I love fucking you, feeling your tight heat around me." He made his voice as sensual as possible, watching Ichigo's widen at the dirty talk. "The look on your face when we fuck… you're gorgeous, Ichigo." He rolled the teen's name, and grinned as he felt Ichigo shudder in his arms.
"Enough talking, more fucking." Ichigo said, his voice distorted as his hollow instincts rose to the surface. Grimmjow was more than willing to oblige, working on his mate's clothing and shoving the offending articles away. A quick loosening of his hakama and he was ready for business.
They were face to face, and that was how Grimmjow liked it. They'd tried other positions, of course. But they kept coming back to this. He wanted to look into Ichigo's eyes, see the passion in those honey gold orbs. It was just so damned beautiful.
Slowly sheathing himself inside that tight heat, Grimmjow grinned as Ichigo made a dark, primitive sound. Toned, muscled legs locked tight around his waist as the fingers scratching his back wordlessly urged him onward. Grimmjow took his cue and began to move, taking the shinigami at a slow but powerful pace. It felt so wonderful when he did this, so hot and perfect. He wouldn't waste it by going too quickly, not tonight. He was in the mood for a long, slow fuck.
"Best mate I've ever had." Grimmjow murmured in his mate's ear before nipping at velvety skin. Ichigo gasped before giving him a wicked grin and ducking his head. Grimmjow couldn't evade him as a questing tongue explored his scar, making him groan in pleasure and need. "Fuck!"
"Yes." Ichigo said, his voice even more echoing than before. But it was still Ichigo and that was all that mattered. "Fuck me harder Grimm. Give me everything you've got." He begged but the arrancar just laughed.
"Not tonight. Tonight we're taking this… slow…" He managed to say before lowering his head to explore Ichigo's chest. He licked away a bit of salty sweat, keeping his thrusts slow and rubbing himself teasingly against the teen's prostate. Ichigo moaned at the stimulation, clearly in need of more. Grimmjow grinned and set about giving him more, holding himself up with one arm as he reached down with his other hand, gripping Kurosaki's heavy length and jerking him off. The teen arched into that touch, his body trembling and jerking with the force of his thrusts. Grimmjow caught his bottom lip in his teeth, biting down in an effort to keep himself grounded. But it just felt so good.
"Grimm… your cock feels so good inside me… so fucking big…" Ichigo moaned and Grimmjow's eyes went wide. He'd never heard the shinigami talk like that before and it made him want to cum right then. Then he caught the glint of devilry in those black and gold eyes and growled. Ichigo's hollow was teasing him!
"Jerk… oh fuck." Grimmjow groaned as muscles tightened around him, a hot mouth finding that sensitive spot right beneath his ear. "Ichi – stop…!" He didn't want to cum first. He wanted to make Ichigo explode, wanted to see the teen writhing underneath him. There was a dark chuckle in his ear but the pressure on his cock eased.
"Fuck me harder. Stop playing." Ichigo demanded and this time, Grimmjow responded. He plunged in harder and faster, feeling the sharp rocks crunch and for a brief moment he worried about Ichigo's back. But then he lost interest in that as Ichigo's walls trembled around him, the abused passage tightening as his moment of pleasure got closer. Grimmjow gasped, feeling a trickle of sweat sliding down his forehead. He had to hold out. Just a little longer…
He got his wish as a final, powerful thrust took Ichigo over the edge. The way his eyes went wide, the beautiful, almost surprised look when he came was simply gorgeous. It was that expression that made Grimmjow cum and he threw back his head with a howl, the sound of a hollow's pleasure filling the empty desert. Then, to his surprise, Ichigo howled too. The sound harmonized with his voice and anyone in hearing range would have no doubt there was a mated pair close by.
"Shit." Grimmjow whispered as he came down from his high. Ichigo was limp under him, gasping and spent. "That was amazing, soul reaper." He kissed his mate as he slid out, gently stroking overheated skin. Ichigo gave him a small smile and Grimmjow yawned before moving down to lick away the cum. He took his duties seriously, when it came to grooming his mate.
They were just started to doze off when there was a loud squeal. Ichigo grunted as a flying Nel landed on his belly, giggling at how damp he was. There was a deep laugh and Grimmjow looked up to see Rocca watching them. He took a moment to just study the other hollow.
Aside from his carapace, Rocca was a fairly typical vasto lorde. Instead of a full mask of bone he had a half-mask, covering his lower face. His upper face was exposed except for a band around his forehead, but Grimmjow knew that was relatively normal. Hallibel had been like that before Aizen had broken her mask. The rest of him was covered in bone and he had a mop of shaggy, sandy blonde hair. His eyes were a vibrant hazel, mostly brown but shaded with threads of green and blue. He was tall and thin, with only the armoring on his back to give him an illusion of size.
"I have shoes!" Nel shouted and Grimmjow blinked, looking back at her. Sure enough, she was wearing… what? "Unca Rocca made me shoes!" She lifted one little foot and Ichigo laughed, cuddling her.
"That's great Nel!" He said encouragingly and Grimmjow looked at the shoes, surprised. They were carved pieces of rock, with holes for bits of fabric. The fabric was wound through her toes and around her ankles, holding them in place fairly well. From the look of it, it had been torn from Rocca's body covering. He wore a loincloth, although it had to be very long to get across his armored back.
"I thought it might help her run longer." Rocca said and Grimmjow nodded. That was good thinking and some good workmanship on the shoes, too. Something other than stone might be preferable but the only other medium he could think of offhand was bones, and they were rather short of those. He wasn't going to go looking for any, either.
As he'd suspected, the vasto lorde were forming packs. Not large ones, but definitely packs. So far they'd encountered a pack of three and a larger pack of five. They had all stayed carefully away from each other. They'd also encountered another singleton like Rocca, but she'd spotted them and fled before they could even get near. Life had to be a bit tough for the loners, which explained why Rocca had latched onto them so quickly. Approaching a pack was the dangerous part and they'd done that for him.
Grimmjow watched and thought as Rocca lay down on his stomach and let Nel groom him. She went at his back with a rock and a lot of giggles, trying to knock off the dirt. Rocca didn't want to be dirty – his more human side was immaculate – but he simply couldn't reach his back. Unless he was flexible enough to be in the circus, it was physically impossible. Smiling to himself, Grimmjow joined Nel, helping her clean off the grime. Although…
"Are you sure you want us to remove this? It makes a great camouflage." He asked, keeping his voice down. Ichigo was going back to sleep. Rocca snorted.
"Sure do. I hate it, makes me feel nasty. Back in the mountains I would rub against the cliffs but here I have to flop on the ground. It doesn't work very well." He said and Grimmjow nodded, continuing with the grooming. This was the sort of thing that really made a pack. He'd done it with Ichigo hundreds of times, cleaning away blood and cum. He wasn't going to lick this mess, though. No, this was a job for a rock. "I've had cubs you know." Rocca said, apropos of nothing. Grimmjow quirked an eyebrow at him before chuckling softly. The vasto lorde was not particularly subtle. "Identical twins, every time."
"What? Oh bullshit!" He stopped his brushing to scowl at the vasto lorde. Identical twins were very rare for hollows. But the vasto lorde just chucked.
"You think that's bullshit? What about identical quads? That's what I had as an adjuchas." Rocca informed him and Grimmjow blinked. Identical quadruplets? He'd never heard of such a thing. "It's an armadillo thing. I have one egg and it splits to make more. The dragon said insects are like that sometimes too."
"Who's the dragon?" Nel asked and Rocca shrugged, his armored carapace moving with the movement.
"He's just the dragon. I never had the balls to ask for his name and he never gave it." He said and Grimmjow listened carefully. He was pretty interested in this. "He's the one who told me about the shinigami overthrowing Barragan, but I knew him before that. He's a great old one, powerful and wise. He's not like the others, either. The others? They'll rip your head off as soon as look at you. It's still a bit dangerous – he'll eat you if he's hungry – but if you're willing to take the risk, you can ask the dragon for advice." Rocca said. "I did once."
"You're here, so I'm guessing he didn't eat you. What did you ask him for advice about?" Grimmjow asked. This was all a little surreal. Some old hollow giving other hollows advice? Rocca sighed, managing to look a little ashamed.
"…Mating." He admitted and Grimmjow snorted a laugh.
"You're such a kid, Rocca." He teased although he was serious. He'd noticed that the other vasto lorde seemed a bit immature. A lot of the time you didn't notice, but then he would say or do something that made it clear he was different.
"I know." Rocca really didn't sound happy and Grimmjow frowned. It seemed like that had struck a nerve. "Eh… so anyway, I do have twins every time." He went back to his original train of thought and Grimmjow honestly wished he wouldn't. He knew exactly where this was going and he really didn't want to go there. "Er, just for information."
"I got the message." Grimmjow said dryly and saw the vasto lorde actually blush. It was a bit hard with the bone in the way but enough of his face was revealed to make it clear. "But I like my balls where they are, and you should think about the position of yours too. Got it?" He had no doubt at all that Ichigo would do something spectacular if he dared stray. Rocca looked abashed.
"I didn't – I mean, I never suggested – " He mumbled and Grimmjow took pity on him. He actually had a good idea that the vasto lorde was more suggesting they okay a liaison with Ichigo first. That could actually work in some packs, particularly when the primary mate had their mask broken but still wanted the experience of raising cubs. He didn't think that would fly with a shinigami though.
"I know. But I don't think Nel's getting any siblings soon." He said and that was a huge mistake. The whole conversation had been going over Nel's head and she'd been quietly buffing the armadillo. But now she suddenly got the message, or part of it at least.
"You're gonna be making new cubs?" Nel asked innocently and Grimmjow choked as Rocca got a 'deer in the headlights' look. "With Itsygo? But… Itsygo is a shinigami…?" Nel paused in confusion before sucking on her thumb thoughtfully. "You're gonna make cubs with Rocca? That would make Itsy-papi mad!" Nel's eyes filled with tears. "ITSYGO!" Grimmjow swore and tried to grab her but she could be a little bullet when she wanted to. Nel landed on Ichigo's chest, wakening him out of a sound sleep with a small yelp. That yelp quickly turned into a gagging sound as she fixed herself to his neck. "GWIMM-PAPI'S BEIN' BAD! MAKE HIM STOP ITSY-PAPI!"
"Holy shit! I am not you brat! It was an adult discussion!" He snarled, grabbing her and trying to pry her away. Ichigo was turning blue again. "LET GO!" He roared and Nel finally let go, sobbing like a little waterfall. Grimmjow noticed from the corner of his eye that Rocca had curled up into a ball, his armor covering him completely. Apparently it was extremely strong and highly defensive. Grimmjow wouldn't bet on it holding up against a getsuga tenshou, though.
"Gwimm-papi's gonna make cubs with Unca Rocca!" Nel sobbed and Ichigo stared at her wide eyed. Grimmjow snarled in absolute frustration.
"You have it backwards, brat! We said you're NOT getting siblings! NOT! As in none, zero, zip, cero! You got it?!" He said but Nel just kept crying. Ichigo went from shocked to confused, with just a bit of hurt.
"Can someone explain to me what's going on? …And Rocca, you can come out. I'm not going to kill you." Ichigo had spotted the curled up vasto lorde. Grimmjow snorted a bit at that. It sounded pretty funny, a shinigami assuring a super powerful hollow that he wasn't about to die.
"It's just a hollow thing." Grimmjow said but he knew that wouldn't be enough. Ichigo was giving him a 'you better explain' look. "See… normally only the alpha pair in a pack can breed. But if there's an accident and one half of the alpha pair gets their mask broken, they can sometimes have a substitute." He said and Ichigo frowned, confused. "A broken mask means sterility." He qualified. Maybe Ichigo didn't know about that. "If the pack is pretty firm, one of the lesser members could carry the cubs instead and the alpha pair will raise them. Anyway, Rocca sort of suggested it in a roundabout way. I said no, Nel misheard and here we are." Nel's crying was tapering down to sniffling. Unfortunately, Ichigo had a look in his eyes that Grimmjow had never seen before. It looked like pain?
"I'm sorry Grimm. I wish I could have cubs with you." He said quietly but Grimmjow just shook his head.
"I knew you couldn't when I mated you and I've never been that much into cubs anyway, after my first litter got eaten." That had been a scarring experience. Ichigo winced a little at the thought. "So don't worry about it. We have all the time in the world anyway." He said easily although he wondered a little about that. Ichigo had a human body back in the Living world. What would happen to him when it died? Would he hollowify? If he did, that might be good. His hollow seemed to approve of them mating and then Ichigo could have all the cubs he desired. "If we did something like this it'd be more for you than me." Ichigo was studying him and Grimmjow met his eyes squarely, trying to convey his sincerity. The shinigami finally relaxed and gave him a warm hug.
"Thanks Grimm. I love you." He said with a smile and Grimmjow laughed, hugging him back.
"I love you too." He said and wondered when it had happened. When had this feeling bloomed? But it had, it most definitely had. "C'mon, lets get some sleep. Can you stand watch?" He asked Rocca who nodded.
"Sure." That was the usual way things worked with a pack. One member stayed awake as the others slept deeply, then they traded places. When everyone was rested they moved on. Ichigo needed more sleep than the hollows, so usually Grimmjow and Rocca kept the watch. Nel snuggled between them as Grimmjow curled up with Ichigo. Rocca sat down nearby, picking up a few pebbles and flicking them. Grimmjow fell asleep to the tiny bounce of pebbles and the soft, rhythmic sound of his mate's breathing.
If there were any dreams he didn't remember them.
"Rocca, would you quit sniffing my beta?" Grimmjow said, bored, as he shook the stone dice in his hands. They'd finally found a small stone outcropping and decided to use it as a makeshift den. It was an absolutely awful den, really, but at least the barren wastes weren't cold. To pass the time, Rocca had fashioned some dice and taught them a few simple games. The armadillo looked puzzled as Ichigo blushed.
"He smells different." The vasto lorde said and Grimmjow just shook his head before rolling the dice. They came up snake eyes and he groaned. That was the worst possible roll. "Hah! You lose." Ichigo took his roll and grimaced as Rocca swept up his 'earnings'. They were just pretty rocks, though. Nel had been given a challenge to find a bunch of small, pretty rocks for them and she'd had a wonderful time doing it. She was asleep now, nearby. "Seriously though, he smells different." Rocca said, returning to his original train of thought. When his mind got set on something it was very hard to derail. "If I didn't know better I'd think he was pregnant."
"Rocca, stop it!" Ichigo sounded annoyed and embarrassed, but Grimmjow froze for a moment as something occurred to him. Ichigo wasn't really a shinigami, he was a vizard. And he'd been feeding on a lot of hollows. Was it possible…? Moving quickly he gripped Ichigo's collar and sniffed his neck, ignoring his squirm and protest. He'd smelled his mate's scent all the time, of course, but he'd never really paused to analyze it before.
Now he did and he was shocked by the richness of it. It had been a good scent before, of course, but now it was amazing. Grimmjow closed his eyes and savored it, savored the rich musk and the sweet, underlying scent that screamed baby coming to his senses. And that sweetness carried a hint of his own musk, advertising the parentage.
"He's right. You're carrying a litter." He told the shinigami who looked at him with wide, shocked eyes.
"But… but I'm a shinigami. You said shinigami can't? And I'm male. I know that doesn't matter for hollows but…" Ichigo was clearly trying to get his mind around this. But then his expression changed and he looked at Grimmjow searchingly. "You're sure? You're really sure?" He asked and Grimmjow nodded.
"Definitely. Your scent screams it, although it'll be a while before it shows in your reiatsu." It was still early days yet. Grimmjow was going to say something but then Ichigo smiled widely and almost tackled him. "Mph!" Warm lips crashed down on his and Grimmjow completely lost his train of thought. Hands were working on his obi, yanking away the fabric –
"I'll go keep Nel company." Rocca said before beating a hasty retreat. Grimmjow didn't spare a single thought for him. He was overwhelmed by what his mate was doing. Ichigo was incredibly happy and seemed bent on celebration. Grimmjow grinned, letting his mate take the lead this time.
Ichigo was having their cubs. It was the least he could do.
