SUMMARY: Ichigo and Rukia are married and having their first child. What happens when they ask Byakuya Kuchiki to become a godparent?
A/N: I want to thank all my readers and reviewers! I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but this seems to be my hardest and longest chapter yet. Please send a review if you like or hate my story. I want to know what you think! Do not forget that Ichigo does not know about the twins yet. He thinks he is only having one child. In addition, I tried to use the Kidou spells correctly; if I did not please let me know so I can correct them. I will fix all errors later.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bleach. If I did, I would pay my bills on time.
"TRAINING"
Once the bunker closed over them, Byakuya and Ichigo looked upwards to see the stunning cloudless sky. Captain Yamamoto reminded them to use the sky in order to differentiate between day and night. Byakuya turned to look at Ichigo – once he thought of as a ryoka boy, but sees him as a man, now. Ichigo, who managed to capture the heart of his sister, and is now his brother-n-law. More astonishingly, is the fact that Ichigo taught him a thing or two about "family before duty." Now he can repay the favor.
"Before we start, Ichigo, do you know the meaning of Kidou, or Demon Arts, as most people refer them?" Byakuya asked.
"No, I don't, and I've only seen a few people use them."
"The Demon Arts are spells used by the Soul Society for binding, blasting, and healing. Although we allow lower level Shinigami to gain knowledge of these spells, we prohibit the use of them until they have reached upper level status. There are two types of Kidou: Bakudou are "binding spells" and Hadou are the "blasting spells". Only the Fourth Division Shinigami use the healing spells. If you want to learn those spells, then you must request permission from Captain Retsu Unohana," Byakuya explained.
"I think I'm going to have a hard time learning the first two," Ichigo replied.
"The spells are easy to learn, but hard to execute. We will use most of the six months on training and executing Kidou spells."
Ichigo sighed aloud, not responding to his brother-n-law. He understood the difficulty surrounding Kidou, but he believed he could master these spells well before the six months were up.
"I want to talk about your Hollow for a minute, Ichigo," Byakuya announced, interrupting Ichigo's thoughts.
"What about him?" Ichigo asked.
"Has anyone seen him or am I the first?" Byakuya asked.
"You, Urahara Kisuke, and Yoruichi Shihouin saw my mask. Rukia knows about him, but she has not seen the mask. He appeared in front of you because he felt I was dying, and he wanted to take over," Ichigo explained.
"In essence, your Hollow protected you from dying?"
"Yeah, but it's not as simple as that. He wants to be in control. I constantly monitor his movements for fear that he may take over my soul one day. He doesn't like the way I battle, so if I get hurt, that's his opportunity to take over."
"I think we should take time to strengthen your resolve against him. We will start your Kidou training first," replied Byakuya.
Not giving Ichigo any previous notice, Byakuya called out his first incantation. "Bakudou Number 1, 'Sai'"! Effortlessly Byakuya restrained Ichigo, bounding his hands around his back.
Ichigo rolling his eyes, murmured under his breath, "Isn't this vaguely familiar."
"Did you say something Ichigo?" Byakuya asked.
"Not really, I just remember my wife placing this same spell on me when we first met. I think I fell in love with her from that moment on."
Smirking, Byakuya released him. "This is the very first Kidou spell that the Soul Society Academy teaches its students. The name of this incantation is "Sai", which means obstruction. As you noticed, it restrains your enemies' hands around their back. Rukia is great at Kidou spells. I am not surprised she used this on you. Okay, now you try."
Ichigo did as instructed and managed to bind one of Byakuya's hands.
"What the heck!" He asked in frustration. "I said the exact incantation you did."
"Concentrate your spiritual pressure on the task at hand, Ichigo. That is your biggest weakness. You need to manipulate your energy to conduct the spell. Now try again."
Ichigo rolled his shoulders and popped his neck. Raising his hands and focusing his attention, he recited the spell. Byakuya hit the ground hard with his arms bound tightly behind his back.
"Very…good…" Byakuya huffed, bringing himself back to his feet. "You have to control your spiritual pressure more effectively if you want to become captain, Ichigo."
"Alright, Byakuya," Ichigo replied dejectedly.
"Ichigo you will call me Sensei for now on. This is your chance to learn respect while we train," Byakuya replied.
Frowning slightly, Ichigo answered, "Yes, Sensei."
"Now let's continue training for a few hours."
Ichigo and Byakuya worked on this one incantation for several hours before Byakuya halted the training for the day. They decided to take a dip in the healing pool, and get some rest for the night. While soothing their tired bodies, Ichigo decided to talk to Byakuya about becoming a godparent. Rukia will kill me when she finds out I talked to him without her, but I have to test his willingness to be apart of my family.
"Sensei, I wanted to talk to you about a personal matter," Ichigo began.
"What is it, Ichigo?" Byakuya asked, turning towards him.
"Do you know the meaning of godparents?"
"No, what does it mean?"
"Well, when a couple has a baby, they choose either close friends or family members to become godparents of the child. The godparents provide a safe haven for the child on the happenstance that the parents die."
"How does this concern me?" Byakuya asked.
"Rukia and I decided to ask you to become godparent to our child."
Byakuya stared at Ichigo for a moment with a shocked expression. Saying nothing, he arose from the pool and went to his clothing bag. As he dressed, he frowned slightly. He cannot believe that Ichigo would want him close to his family. Meanwhile, Ichigo said nothing else as he stared at Byakuya. I knew he would not agree to this idea. He does not want to associate with my child or me at all.
"Are you sure Rukia agreed to this, Ichigo?" Byakuya asked, startling Ichigo.
"Sure. As I said, we discussed it. Since you're the only relative she has, then it is logical for you to become the godparent," Ichigo replied.
"I accept your request to become godparent of your child, Ichigo. I promise not to use all the nobility rules in order to raise him or her."
Ichigo nodded his head, and rose out of the pool. Donning his clothes, he perused this new side of his brother-n-law. He realized that many people do not get to see this softer side of Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. Most Shinigami saw him as an uptight captain, who constantly demonstrated the powers of the nobility. Rukia was right – Byakuya Kuchiki is the better person to raise our child, Ichigo finally acknowledged to himself.
"Ichigo, let's get some sleep. We have a great deal of ground to cover tomorrow. These six months will proceed quickly and I want you fully trained before you confront Captain-Commander Yamamoto."
"I wonder if I have to battle another captain. If so, I hope it is not Zaraki. That guy tries to kill me every time."
"I do not know, but we will test your Hollow form so that he knows not to use so much force if you do battle." The two went to their separate tents to get what little sleep they could.
The next morning Ichigo awoke before Byakuya Kuchiki. He got little sleep because his mind wandered all night. The only thing he thought about was being next to Rukia – having her lie in his arms as he rubbed her pregnant stomach, seeing her smiling face earlier in the morning. He never thought that the separation would be this hard. Even though he is a teenager, he stepped up like a man to protect his wife, protect his family. He planned to watch his child grow into a smart, strong, independent person. As the sun rose into the sky, Ichigo sat quietly as Byakuya, no his "Sensei", awakened to the new day. While Byakuya dressed, Ichigo already completed his stretching exercises and prepared breakfast for the two of them.
"Good morning, Ichigo," Byakuya greeted.
"Good morning, Sensei," Ichigo responded, bowing low to the ground.
"Ichigo, I know you hate having to call me Sensei, but I'm preparing you for your captainship. Of course, you will have your own subordinates who will bow to you and respect you. It is a necessity for you to do the same when confronted by Captain-Commander Yamamoto and the nobles of Soul Society."
"I understand, Sensei. It is not that I do not have respect for all of you, but I am used to calling people by their first names, especially if I battled them, or they healed me after a battle. It's something I have to conquer," Ichigo explained.
"Now that we cleared the issue, I want to explain the plan for the next six months. For one month, I will teach and train you in the Bakudou form of the Demon Arts. Then, you have a month to strengthen your technique on the binding spells. If you succeed, then we will move on to the Hadou form. I will not teach you all of the blasting and binding spells at one time. As you grow into your captainship, other Kidou forms will become available to you. Afterwards, I want to concentrate two months on working with your resolve to control your Hollow a little better. Then, we will train on fighting techniques," Byakuya announced.
Ichigo nodded his head in agreement, and replied with a "Yes, Sensei." Following Byakuya to the designated training area, Byakuya began teaching Ichigo the other forms of Kidou. The next incantation Byakuya taught Ichigo was Bakudou Number 61, or Rikujoukourou, which means "Six staves of binding light".
A/N: Byakuya used this same method while battling Renji.
After two months of learning Bakudou spells, Ichigo mastered two spells, Bakudou Number 1 and Bakudou Number 61. He is frustrated that he cannot learn the other incantations.
"Damn it, why can't I get this right! I battled and defeated captains, but I can't master these simple spells!" Ichigo yelled out in frustration.
"Ichigo, you need to slow down and breathe evenly," Byakuya replied calmly. "These spells take some Shinigami years to learn. Not all captains and lieutenants mastered Kidou. You need to quit thinking negatively about this."
Breathing slowly and evenly, Ichigo finally processed his Sensei's latest comment.
"What do you mean not all captains and lieutenants have not mastered Kidou?"
Knowing that Ichigo was going to explode any second now, Byakuya kept his cool and replied, "Most of the captains do not know all the forms of Kidou. For example, Captain Zaraki relies on straight brute strength because his reiatsu is exponential. He doesn't need to learn Kidou unless he wants to."
"Why am I learning spells if I don't have to?" Ichigo squeaked out in a strained voice.
"I felt that you should know the Demon Arts because you can't rely on brute strength all the time. I know you have Zangetsu and your hollow protecting you, but on the happenstance that you don't have your sword, then you need another escape route for fighting," Byakuya responded.
Little did Byakuya and Ichigo know that this argument awakened Ichigo's hollow, Shadow. He made plans to shake up both of their worlds if he gets the opportunity to execute them. Sitting inside of Ichigo's inner world, Shadow and Zangetsu have an interesting conversation.
'Ichigo sounds a little ticked off, Old Man.'
'Yes, it appears that he is not mastering the Demon Arts,' Zangetsu replied.
'He doesn't know that I've learned and practiced Kidou alongside him. Of course, I'm better at it,' Shadow smirked.
'What are you planning?' Zangetsu questioned.
'Well, I thought I'd demonstrate my skills to Ichigo and this Byakuya dude. There's no way I would call him "Sensei"; Ichigo is such a punk," Shadow answered.
'Hmm, well, don't hurt anybody.'
'I'll try not to, but I can't promise anything. Besides, I'm just having a little fun,' the hollow replied. Turning around to concentrate on Ichigo's spiritual pressure, he called out, 'ICHIGO!'
Ichigo stumbled with his incantations when he heard his hollow call out to him. He didn't know whether to answer him in front of Byakuya or do so in private.
'ICHIGO!' Shadow yelled again, more forcefully this time.
"Sensei, may I take a break in order to regain my concentration to master the spells?"
"Take five minutes, Ichigo," Byakuya responded.
"Yes, Sensei," Ichigo replied, bowing properly to him. Walking to a secluded spot, Ichigo withdrew into his other world. Facing Shadow and Zangetsu, Ichigo rudely announced, "What's the urgency, Old Man?"
'I called you to discuss your lack of mastering Kidou, Ichigo,' Zangetsu replied.
"I'm doing the best that I can. It is not as if I have years to learn this crap. Give me a break already," Ichigo huffed.
'I hate to break it to you, King, but I have mastered the same spells that you are having difficulty in,' Shadow snidely remarked.
Ichigo turned around with a shocked expression, replying, "No way; That's impossible."
Noticing Zangetsu's silence, Ichigo formed a horrible expression on his face as he stared open-mouthed at his hollow.
'No it's possible, King. Shall I demonstrate?'
"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked suddenly afraid of Shadow.
'I thought a little demonstration with your Sensei should convince you that I'm just as capable of learning the Demon Arts as you, King,' his hollow snidely replied. 'How about you take a seat in here, and I go do my thing?'
"Don't you dare…?" Ichigo began.
'Bakudou Number 1 "Sai!" Ichigo's hollow announced. Suddenly Ichigo's spiritual hands bound tightly behind his back. He fell to the ground.
"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked.
Laughing, Shadow replied, 'I told ya, King, that I'm taking control for a while. I want to show you how good I am. Good-bye for now, King.'
"Wait, don't hurt Byakuya. Rukia would never forgive me if something happened to her brother. I promised not to hurt him," Ichigo wailed.
'You promised, but I didn't, King. I'll make a promise not to cut him up too bad,' Ichigo's hollow replied, laughing again.
'Ichigo, I will make sure harm doesn't come to your brother-n-law,' Zangetsu finally responded.
"How could you let him do this to me, Old Man? This is going to be a disaster!" Ichigo yelled.
'Ichigo, you need to pay attention to what he does, and then maybe you will learn how to master the Demon Arts. For now, you must be patient,' Zangetsu answered.
"Whatever," Ichigo huffed, as he sat up. He was stuck inside his other world until his hollow decided to let him out.
"Ichigo your five minutes is up. We need to get back to training," Byakuya announced, tapping his pupil on the shoulder.
"Yo!" a voice ranged out.
Byakuya turned around and scowled at the boy. "What did you just say to me? You need to show me respect Ichigo!"
"I ain't got to do nothing', Byakuya Kuchiki. Why don't you show me respect for a change."
"Excuse me?" Byakuya replied, stalking towards Ichigo. Each word Byakuya spoke, he accentuated with a hard step. "I… need… to… show… you… What?"
"You heard me Byakuya….R…E…S…P…E…C…T! Oh, and I ain't Ichigo if you haven't already guessed."
"Really? Then, who are you?" Byakuya looked closely into Ichigo's eyes, and then he noticed the change in color of his pupils. Backing up a couple of steps, Byakuya noticed then that this is Ichigo's body, but his soul is not inside.
"You are his Hollow, I presume?" Byakuya asked.
"Give the man a prize! My name is Shadow," Ichigo's hollow responded, finally showing his mask.
"What do you want?"
"I wanted to demonstrate my superiority at mastering Kidou. Will you play with me?" Shadow whispered the words in a child-like voice.
"Very well, let's begin," Byakuya, replied.
"Oh ruler, mask of flesh and blood, all creations of the universe, fluttering of the wings, ye who bears the name of man! Scorching heat and disorder evolve the transposition of the southern sea barrier, Hadou Number 31, Shakkahou!" Ichigo's hollow called. A large red flame flashed out towards Byakuya, and he had seconds to react before the incantation hit him.
Sliding on his feet, Byakuya huffed, "I have not taught Ichigo Hadou spells yet! How do you know them?"
"I told ya; I'm so much better at Kidou than Ichigo," the hollow replied. Continuing with the fight, "Hadou Number 4 Byakurai!" Ichigo's hollow sent white lightning to Byakuya, who could not escape this hit. The lightning singed the ends of his captain's haori.
Back inside Ichigo's inner world, Ichigo became enraged at his hollow.
"Damn it, Old Man, I told him not to hurt Byakuya!"
"Ichigo, he only singed the edges of his robe. You need to calm down," Zangetsu replied.
"No, I need to get out of here before it's too late," Ichigo replied struggling to get loose from his confinement.
Meanwhile, Shadow had Byakuya Kuchiki on the run. Apparently, he learned all the spells of Bakudou and Hadou. Byakuya sensed that the hollow wanted to do much harm to his body. Suddenly, Ichigo stopped, and started struggling to himself. Ichigo managed to free his inner spirit.
"STOP!" Ichigo commanded his hollow.
"No, I will not let you control me. I want to fight him. You stopped me before; I refuse to allow you to stop me again!" Ichigo's hollow wailed.
"Go away!" Ichigo commanded again, as he brought his hollow into the inner world.
Ichigo brought his spirit back into his body, and slowly removed the mask from his face.
"Sorry about that, Byakuya, umm, I mean, Sensei. He trapped me inside with Kidou," Ichigo explained.
Byakuya looked stupefied as he watched Ichigo take control of his body again.
"Will this happen again, Ichigo?" Byakuya asked.
"I don't know, Sensei. As I explained earlier, he has an ulterior motive; he will trap me inside my inner world every chance he gets."
"Well, then, I better prepare myself for the next time he shows up," Byakuya announced. "That's enough of training for today."
Ichigo watched as Byakuya walked away from him. He has never seen the Sixth Division Captain, his brother-n-law, this shaken before. He dreaded seeing Rukia again, and explaining the situation to her. She is going to be highly upset because I broke my promise to her. Sighing, Ichigo headed towards the healing pool to soak and then to his tent for some rest. He willed his mind to take a break, too.