Let me first apologize for just disappearing...Writer's block has hit me like a bullet train and I've only really started writing again (not even that much honestly). But, yeah, back and with a new chapter of this. I have a few on the back burner for when I stop writing again, like I inevitably will, but I will be working on this more when I can! So, you know, onto your regularly scheduled Author's Note:
Introduction of Grimmjow! Granted it's him as a baby and all that good chizz but yeah~ :D
Also for the issue of age! Skipping ahead about 550 years…. I want Ichigo to be a teenager in Spirit age so put him at like 900 or somewhere around there~ 900 spirit years=18 human years~ 3
Calloused feet beat relentlessly against the rough dirt of the forest as the woman darted between branches and over roots. The sinister hiss of the dark creatures only a few teasing inches from her back, the mad cackle of the shadow man echoing around the trees and striking fear into her very core. Another spasm of pain tore through her abdomen as she collapsed against a tree, the bark scratching red trails into her arms and hands as she pushed away and back onto her earlier path.
Her steps faltered as the pain in her gut became unbearable, tears leaking from vibrant, blue eyes as she fell to her knees with a cry of pain. She felt loose sticks and rocks embed into her palms and knees but ignored it as she turned wary eyes to the forest around her.
Even in the throes of labor, she was still the strongest woman in the village. Her eyes cutting sharp tracks into the surrounding trees regardless of the tears that blurred her vision. A slight shifting to her right had the woman rolling away from the snapping jaws of a dark creature, its teeth gouging holes into the earth and snapping a root to its very core. Her eyes were wide as the jaws morphed into a twisted grin and slithered towards her in winding patterns.
Suddenly a ground shaking roar rocked the earth, the woman grunting as it caused another spasm of pain to wrack her already battered body. The dark creature's hiss became vindictive as it dove for the woman recklessly, jaws snapping at empty air as an invisible force blocked its path.
The woman's eyes widened further as she felt the wind move to protect her, blue eyes glowing in awe as the creature writhed and leapt at the invisible shield. Another roar caused the wind's force to die down only slightly, the woman jumping as she felt something brush against her back. She whipped around to see the sleek purple fur of the forest protector, Pantera. She stalked with all the grace of a god, feline features regal even for her own kind.
Pantera continued to growl lowly towards the gathered mass of shadow creatures, golden eyes practically cutting a path through their sinewy bodies. It was only when the large feline jumped at the creatures, claws out and gleaming in the heavenly lights from above, that they retreated back into the trees, Pantera's roar following them.
The large feline growled something at the weakened shield of wind, turning to the prone woman and stalking towards her slowly. The woman's awe lasted a moment longer before another shock of pain ran through her body. She cried as she curled further into herself, arms loose around her bulging abdomen in worry.
"Are you alright?" The woman was unprepared for the decidedly human voice, looking up into the face of a dark skinned woman with glowing golden eyes- she had heard stories of spirits being able to gain human forms but had never known it to be true. She felt her breath leave her as the woman reached out to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.
"My-my baby." Pantera's eyes darted to her stomach and back to her face in a split second, pupils seeming to dilate as the air started to tingle with the spirit's power. "I-I need….please."
The soon-to-be mother was in tears again, gripping one of the spirit's hands tightly to hopefully portray her fear of the situation. The dark skinned woman nodded resolutely before closing her eyes, a slight tremor running through the earth as her skinned seemed to glow. It took only a moment for her eyes to snap open again, a smile on her lips as she wrapped her arms around the distressed human and raced into the trees.
The woman felt the air part as they moved through the forest, her arms wrapped protectively around her abdomen as she clenched her eyes against the onslaught of pressure from moving so quickly. They stopped suddenly, the woman's stomach churning uncomfortably as she was placed on shaky legs.
"Who is this?" Looking towards the new voice, the woman found a tall man with shaggy blond hair watching them with open curiosity. She barely had time to question his strange clothes before another contraction wracked her body. The woman cried out as her legs gave out, clenching her teeth and trying to ride out the waves of pain as gentle hands rubbed at her back. "Move her inside. Take her by the fire."
The woman gasped as she suddenly felt the soft caress of fur instead of the cool touch of grass, blue eyes widening as they took in the roaring fire to her left and the expanse of room to her right. The dark skinned spirit was blocking the fire from her eyes, purple hair curtaining her face as she looked down over the soon-to-be mother and her swollen stomach.
Another contraction caused the woman to cry out, her eyes squeezing shut as she tightened her grip in the bear-skin rug. The panicked stomping of two sets of feet stopped at her side, the woman just able to open her eyes and see the blond from before with an orange haired teenager at his side. She didn't give the extra person another thought as another contraction tore through her body, her back arching as she tried to ride out the new wave of pain.
"What's wrong with her?"
"No time for that now. Yoruichi, heat some water on the fire. Ichigo get that extra blanket from the hall closet." The woman was thankful for being in the attendance of a healer, relinquishing control over her body to the skillful man as he gave her some pain relieving concoction that tasted vaguely of strawberries. "Your name, Miss? I find talking helps people get through tough situations."
The woman found herself smiling at the simple gesture, nodding as she ran a hand lovingly over her extended stomach, "Akira."
Akira jolted as her head was lifted and placed in someone's lap, glancing up to see the orange haired teen from before with a calming smile on his lips. She found herself relaxing at the boy's gentle aura, barely noticing as Pantera returned to the blond's side with a bowl of warm water.
"This will cause a bit of discomfort." Akira barely registered the words before she felt the pressure, her face contorting in pain as she felt her baby being eased out of her. Her breaths came in quick pants, hands unconsciously clenching in the fabric of the orange haired teen's pants.
A piercing cry broke through her pained haze, blue eyes squinting open to look at the squirming bundle held in the arms of the dark skinned spirit. Akira smiled at the tuft of blue hair on the baby's head, reaching weakly for him with her right hand.
"M-my….my baby." Pantera smiled at her before scooting close enough for her to cradle the babe in the crook of her right arm. She couldn't stop herself from cooing at the scrunched up face of her child, rubbing her nose against her baby's own with a breathless laugh. "My little boy. My little Grimmjow."
"...What just happened?" Akira looked up into the confused expression of the teen, her own brow furrowing at his blank look.
"You must not be used to this. Most fighters are not." Akira, feeling a bit of her energy return, raised her left hand to run lovingly down Grimmjow's pouting cheek. "The birth of a child is a trying task. Thank Gaia, I'm still alive."
Akira found one of the teen's hands and gripped it gently, smiling at his befuddlement in amusement, "Would you like to hold him?"
"I don't think that's a good idea. We have yet to show Ichigo-kun the proper way to care for one smaller than himself." Akira sent the blond a questioning look before shrugging.
"It's good for all young men to understand the basis of caring for babes. This is a good learning experience." Fighting to sit up fully, Akira grunted as pain from her recent birth made itself known. She slumped back to the floor with a sigh, eyes connecting with Pantera's pleadingly. The woman shuffled closer before taking the child and easing him into Ichigo's arms.
"Support his head and neck, just cup it like that and, good!" The boy looked shocked at the whole situation, his body tense as Grimmjow squirmed restlessly in his hold. Pantera looked amused with the whole situation, her eyes glowing as she watched the teen with wary eyes.
"No need to be so tense. He can feel your nervousness, just relax and he will too." Akira placed a gentle hand on the teen's own, his breath leaving his lungs in a whoosh as he visibly slumped. The new mother smiled as her baby stopped squirming for the moment. "There you go."
"If you don't mind my asking, Akira-san?" The woman hummed in question, turning to the blond healer with a small smile, "Why were you in the forest so late? And in your condition, no less."
Akira's smile disappeared as her eyes gained a haunted look, "The dark creatures invaded the village with the shadow man. I was with the head healer when they attacked our tent and I was forced to run. They followed me even as I left the village, but I have nothing they would want." Akira's face scrunched up in anger and confusion, thoughts racing as she tried to find a reason for the strange occurrence with the dangerous creatures and their master.
"Aizen." Akira looked towards Pantera in question, the purple haired spirit only growling lowly as she began to converse under her breath with the blond healer.
"You were being chased by a bad man that's been causing a lot of problems for us." Akira looked up into Ichigo's relaxed features, almost surprised to see the boy's eyes glued to her child in reverence. "Why is he so small?"
Akira chuckled at Ichigo's question, waving off the teen's irritated expression with a hand, "He's only a baby. You started off that small when you were born."
"Born? Yoruichi said I came from the stars."
Akira suddenly noticed the lull in conversation from the healer and spirit, looking towards the two to see both blushing as they shared a secretive look. The blond sighed in resignation after Pantera- Yoruichi?- punched him in the bicep.
"Ichigo….when two spirits love each other very much-"
"Oh my Gaia, you never gave him the sex talk…." The two adults sputtered as Akira burst into raucous laughter, the woman wincing every few seconds as she pushed her battered body more than she should. It was only when Grimmjow made his presence known, his short nap ending upon the loud laughter and his own hunger, that everyone was distracted from the previous conversation.
That didn't stop Ichigo from making a mental note to get the rest of the story later.
Akira yawned as her head lifted from her chest, the woman becoming conscious of the squirming bundle resting in her arms. Humming in confusion, Akira looked down at the frowning baby in her lap.
She had a moment of shocked confusion before the previous night's events caught up with her, eyes suddenly roving the surrounding forest in question. The last thing she remembered was talking to the orange haired teen before falling asleep by a roaring fire, Grimmjow tucked safely into her side. She remembered nothing about the forest.
"Akira! There you are! The Elder was so worried when you didn't return last night." Akira looked up into the eyes of another woman from the village, shock radiating through her form as she was pulled into a suffocating hug.
"W-what?" Akira knew last night couldn't have been her imagination, she would've died along with Grimmjow had Pantera not taken her to the blond healer. It was only the sight of the blanket wrapped around her healthy child and the bandages tied around her hands and feet that solidified her belief of the previous night's events.
"We've been looking for you all morning and when you didn't show up, everyone assumed the worst." The woman helped Akira to her feet, gently leading her in the direction of the village while also cooing over the fussing baby in her arms, "Oh, Gaia! Is that him? He's beautiful!"
Akira hummed distractedly, wondering just why she had woken up away from Pantera's residence, granted, close to her village. She smiled as she thought of the strange group living in the strange house in the woods, wondering if she would ever get the chance to thank the spirit and her family for their service that night.
Her attention was quickly diverted as she stepped into the village, suddenly being swarmed by the villagers with excited and shocked questions and cries.
"So babies come from stomachs?" Yoruichi groaned as she pressed her head against the kitchen table. She and Kisuke had hoped to avoid the decidedly complex conversation of spiritual birth for the next thousand years or so, but the sudden appearance of the pregnant human ended that idea.
"For humans, at least. They actually grow in the womb, but stomach is an easier way of thinking of it." Kisuke fanned himself gently as he sipped his tea, humming to himself as he tried to think of how to start his next statement. "For spirits….it's quite complicated."
"Two spirits are needed, usually of the same form though there have been cases where different nature spirits have come together to make offspring that are a combination of the two. Complex creatures, indeed!" Kisuke squeaked as Yoruichi knocked her fist into the back of his head, rubbing at the spot with his free hand before returning to the topic at hand. "And most spirits, like your parents, are of the same form and make a child of the same variety, though usually stronger in nature because of the combination of alike elements."
Ichigo nodded slowly, pushing his plate aside as he gave his full attention to his blond guardian, "The creation of new spirits is a rather confusing science as it takes both parents combining aspects of their elements into a 'ball', I should say, and the stars breathing life into them. Speaking of stars, their form of conception is much more….interesting, at best."
"How so?" Ichigo propped his head in his upturned palm as he thought on this new information, trying to imagine himself coming from a ball of condensed light. The idea was made even more complicated when he imagined Shuuhei as a chaotic ball of wind.
"Stars come from deep within the sky, and don't require the combination of two spirits. They don't require any spirits at all, actually." Kisuke set his fan on the table before interlocking his fingers under his nose, "There are a multitude of stars in the sky, all of which, when combined in certain patterns, create spirits of their own. Take Gemini, for example, the twins are the embodiment of their stars in a physical form, though their place is in the sky."
"But where do the stars actually come from?" Ichigo's brows were furrowed as he tried to imagine the multitude of stars in the sky required to make a single spirit, or two in regards to the Gemini.
Kisuke hummed in approval as he loosened one hand from before his face, raising his pointer finger and swirling it in a circle before him, "The stars themselves come from many places above us that are unchartable, to put it simply. Some show up at random without any rhyme or reason and the next thing you know we have a new constellation being inducted into the sky and a new spirit in the village."
"Sounds….complicated."
"Exactly!"
Ichigo shook his head at his guardian's exuberance before pushing away from the table, "That's enough info for one night. See you guys in the morning."
"Night, Ichi-berry!"
"Night, Prince-kun~"
Ichigo laughed as he waved to his guardians and headed to his room. He shut the door before leaning against it with a sigh, sparing a glance at the glowing lights outside his window tiredly.
"This has been the weirdest day ever."
Have no idea where else to go with this so I'm just gonna end it here~ 3 I think it's straight~ . relatively~~
