Unohana caught Ichigo neatly, as if she'd almost been expecting him to faint. She carefully tugged Ichigo up onto one of the couches and calmly shoo'd Byakuya out. She'd already convinced Ulquiorra and Grimmjow not to tell Ichigo or any of his prior partners (meaning Uryu and Renji too) about the multiples modification that Zephly had made. First of all it was impossible to tell whether Ichigo was pregnant for another week to ten days. Second she didn't want to start a fight until there was something concrete.
Unohana whispered to Byakuya. "Personally I'm concerned about the health of the children Renji and Ichigo sired. We've never seen an arrancar/shinigami hybrid before. But I'm begging you Byakuya, let this playout the way it will. I don't think Ichigo is going to be leaving you any time soon for Grimmjow. And Grimmjow is more interested in Ulquiorra, he told me so on the way here." Grimmjow curled up on a big arm chair in a catlike ball. "He just wanted Ichigo and Renji to know what had occurred and he wanted their children to be safe. He wanted to give them the option of knowing them if that is what they wanted. He's not interested in..."
"Thats enough. I'm not happy about it but I'm not going to oppose it. Ichigo is MINE. But the way I was raised we support ALL our children, even the illegitimate ones. If Ichigo wants to be a part of their lives, in addition to those he might bear himself, then its more credit to his character in my book." Byakuya snapped. "Please let me know when he wakes up."
Unohana nodded. She'd made him angry. By even suggesting that he wouldn't support whatever decision Ichigo made.
Byakuya waited outside.
Ichigo groaned, slowly coming to about twenty minutes later. The sitting room was crowded with rows of couches and armchairs, and Grimmjow was sprawled on one of them, curled up with Ulquiorra. Komamura was sprawled on the floor in front of a fireplace, in a posture that reminded Ichigo very strongly of a dog.
In an instant Byakuya was at his side, scooping Ichigo into his arms and kissing him passionately. Ichigo gasped, returning the kiss. Byakuya let out a low, gruff growl. Ichigo tugged him down onto the couch and curled up next to him. Ichigo snuggled his face into Byakuya's chest. "I didn't scare you fainting did I?"
"no." Byakuya smiled a small, tender smile. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"me too. But i'm worried about Grimmjow."
"Unohana is too. Appearantly there's never been a shinigami arrancar hybrid before. She's not sure what will happen. She's pretty sure that Grimmjow is healthy, he's going to need to change into his released form at some point before he goes into labor but thats pretty easy to have done."
"have done?"
"Soifon took his zanpakuto."
"oh." Ichigo snuggled into his lover's chest and when he looked up, he was crying. "Byakuya, are you angry at me that I got him... Pregnant?"
"You weren't entirely to blame, Renji joined you too." Byakuya pointed out.
"Yeah, but you were the one acting possessive, and that was just with Renji and Uryu, Grimmjow is an arrancar, and an Espada, and he and I fight like cats and dogs. He's left me mangled more than once."
"Are you willing to forgive him?"
"uh... I dunno. I'm still upset about what happened, but now that I know what happened to him I'm not as angry with him as I was."
"I will leave the decision up to you, but trying to be in the lives of your children, all your children, even without custody, would be considered the responsible thing to do in a noble clan. If it helps, I don't hold it against you if you're trying to do the right thing."
"Thanks, that means a lot." Ichigo said with a faint smile. "I've got a headache."
Byakuya kissed Ichigo gently. "Probably another sign of your possible... condition. Though Unohana's told me over and over again not to say anything until she can medically confirm it."
Ichigo groaned, returning the kiss and nervously snuggling deeper into Byakuya's arms. "Yeah, one day at a time right?"
"That is the idea."
Ichigo looked over, and spotted Komamura lounging by the fireplace. "There isn't even a fire in that thing." Komamura's ears twitched. "Is he really asleep?"
"I was." Komamura grumbled gruffly. "The couch nearly broke when I lay down on it."
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Byakuya, wasn't your grandfather coming tonight?"
"Yes, we have about an hour. We'd better go. Do you feel up for travel?"
"yes. But I want to talk to Grimmjow first." He got up and walked over to Grimmjow. "Grimmjow, wake up... please?"
Grimmjow's ear kinda twitched. He opened one eye. "Berry? You're awake!"
"Hey, Byakuya's grandfather is going to give my dad a visit and I have to be there when he does. But I'll be back to check on you after school tomorrow okay? I do want to be there. I do want to help you with the kid." He gave Grimmjow's hand a squeeze.
"Unohana said she's not sure what will happen teh the kid." Grimmjow said quietly. "Arrancar are possessive lovers, and even more possessive parents. Ah don't expect yah to do anything more than be there to let the kid know where he comes from. I'll do all the rest."
Ichigo nodded. "Fair enough. I'll come by after school to check on you." He stood up, and left.
Karin was automatically drawn to the old man who looked lost about twenty minutes walk from her house. He had a narrow face, a calm, quiet, but severe expression. He wore shinigami robes, so she knew he was a soul reaper of some kind, but what rank she couldn't tell. His eyes reminded her of Byakuya, somewhat, but perhaps a shade paler.
She sighed, well, he probably knew she was there, but he likely assumed she wouldn't see him. So she calmly walked up to him and said. "What can I do for you shinigami?"
Ginrei jumped about a mile. "you can see me?"
"My older brother is a shinigami, so yeah, I see you guys around a lot."
"Well, I'm actually lost, I'm supposed to pick up a gigai at the Kurosaki clinic. I'm to visit the man who runs it. He's an old friend you see."
"Old friend huh." Karin realized he was looking for her father. "Thats odd, most of the shinigami who head there are looking for my brother." She gave Ginrei an extremely suspicious look. And the oldest Kuchiki blinked in surprise. This girl was obviously very young, couldn't have been younger than twelve, but she seemed to Ginrei to be twelve going on two hundred. Every so often when dealing with children you had one like her. The superstition was that such human children were the reincarnations of fallen shinigami. Perhaps it was her shinigami breeding.
"Well I will need to speak to him, but I need to speak to..."
WOOOOOOSH Thud. All of a sudden Ginrei found himself tackled by a blonde haired, bereted blur, a spikey black haired blur and a second blonde haired blur. "GINREIIIIIIIIIIII!" Shinji, Rose and Love pulled on the elderly Kuchiki's arms. "Come have a drink with us! We haven't seen you in foreeeveerrrrr." They squealed.
Ginrei ended up blinking in surprise. "Shinji.... is that... oh my... well I have business at the Kurosaki residence I must..."
"Business? We haven't seen you since the end of the Spanish Lady and all you can talk about is business? Damnit man, you aren't even a captain anymore you need to have some fun before you die!" Love teased. "There's this absolutely awesome bar."
"For which I will need the gigai I will pick up there." Ginrei had always had his hands full with these three. The four of them would go drinking together. Shinji was the only one of his generation of captains that Ginrei would allow to show physical affection, and had been tripping over himself to try and have some of that affection returned. He supposed if his body were younger he'd be more interested. Shinji tended to cling and whine in a tone much more immature than he actually was. "Come on Ginrei-dono." Shinji begged. "Come have a good time for old time's sake." (1)
"I have business at the Kurosaki residence." Ginrei insisted.
"Funny thing, so do we, I promised Ichigo a training session months ago."
Karin watched the four men. "So you three are soul reapers too?"
"Soul reapers? Don't be stupid. We're vaizards." Shinji growled. "We were exiled from the soul society a long time ago and then I never saw my adorable little Ginrei again. Who's going to plait embarassing things into his hair while he's asleep? Or pull practical jokes on him at random moments? Or cling to him embarassingly." Shinji decided to play around with the girl. "Who are you anyway?"
"Karin Kurosaki, Ichigo's little sister." Karin bristled, tossing her soccer ball in one hand. "And you better tell me what you were gonna train Ichigo in or else."
"or else what? You'll throw spitballs in my hair?" Shinji teased, pinching Karin's cheek.
In an instant a glowing blue soccer ball hit Shinji in the face, knocking him over and whizzing out over the trees. The ball hit an oak tree not far from them and bounced back towards Karin.
Ginrei blinked in surprise.
"Did that girl just... use a Hado?" Love blinked in surprise. "rose am I seeing things?"
"I saw what you saw, that thing looked just like a hado 33, all you gotta do is take away the soccer ball and launch it from the hands."
"Ow..." Shinji groaned. "That almost hurt as much as Hiyori's sandal." He picked himself up from the dust.
"I must say girl, how old are you?"
"I turn twelve in two weeks." Karin growled. "My twin can't see spirits but I sure can. Ichigo never tells me anything about what he does. But you three had better sing like a jail bird or else." She bounced the ball on her knees. "I'll leave the old man out of this because he's old."
Karin was suddenly on her stomach on the ground, hands bound behind her back and her butt in the air in the classic Bakudo 1, sai, restraint. Ginrei dusted his hands off. "Don't think for a moment that just because I'm old I can't put you over my knee Kurosaki Karin. I came to be introduced to your brother and to discuss his dowry as my grandson's intended. I may have retired from the captaincy but I am /not/ weak."
"INTENDED?" Shinji gawked. "you're fucking kidding me. Oh thats just lovely."
Karin growled, wriggling in the bakudo 1. She closed her eyes, remembering the rush of air as Toushiro had stopped the hollow's blow. Charged with spirit energy. Ginrei was stunned, but not surprised. He'd expected that bakudo to last at least thirty seconds more before she wormed her way out. The blast of spiritual energy Karin let off was a surprise though. An instant later, the soccer ball impacted on the back of his head. "If you aren't so weak, then give me some answers Old Man."
Ginrei's face barely twitched, "Thats up to your father and your brother."
Karin growled. And in an instant she had leapt towards him in a powerful kick. "I want answers NOW! I've been stuck worrying about Ichi-nii enough. He won't ever tell me anything. And sometimes, I can see it in his eyes, he suffers for what he does. Whatever it is he won't tell me, he won't let me take some of that burden off his shoulders."
"You think you can do what your brother does?" Ginrei caught Karin's kick on the back of his wrist, a crafty smile on his face that confused Karin. "I'll tell you what. Let me show you something I showed my grandson a long time ago." Karin suddenly had a hand on her forehead, charged with a gentle, tingling energy. "If you can launch a hado using that ball as a focal point, and escape from my bakudo, then there's a good chance this will work."
His hand on her face caused Karin to black out, the buzzing energy causing her forehead to tingle. The tingle went down into her spine.
Instantly Karin was in a long corridor of doors. Doors, doors, and doors. "woah..." Karin cried.
She heard Ginrei's voice in her mind. "Find the right door. You'll find your power at the end. But be warned you might not like what's in some of them."
Karin ran down the corridor, searching and searching. Until she tripped. Karin blinked, wrapped around her waist was a red ribbon. "Huh?" the ribbon lead back the way she came into a door. "THIS ONE!" Karin opened the door and groaned. It was another corridor of doors, the ribbon lead around a corner. "oh wonderful, you psyched me out!" Karin ran down the next corridor, slamming the door shut behind her. "huh, they changed colors!" Karin realized that the doors in the previous corridor were red. These were orange. "Okee dokee, time to keep running."
the ribbon lead into another door. When Karin opened it there were yellow doors stretching away. "Wait a minute, red, orange, yellow... its a rainbow! If this pattern keeps up, then the way out should be in a corridor with purple doors."
"Very good, you can notice patterns. But I am surprised the ribbon appeared so soon." Ginrei's voice called to Karin. "Why don't you try opening the wrong door."
"What will happen?"
"Do it and see."
Karin turned, then opened one of the yellow doors. Looking inside it she blinked in surprise. The memory flashed back to her with the force of a tidal wave, the day after her mother died. Ichigo was crying his eyes out, walking back and forth in circles around the spot she died, calling piteously for mom. Karin watched him, completely numb. "WE HAVE TO KEEP GOING! Ichi-nii! Its not your fault! You didn't do anything!" Ichigo didn't hear her. "YOU IDIOT!" Karin tried to punch Ichigo, was about to remind him that their mother's death wasn't his fault. That he was the older brother and he was supposed to be strong for them, not be weeping by the river like a ninny. The truth was, Karin wanted so badly to cry right then, and she couldn't.
Karin went through her brother. In an instant she was back in the corridor, the yellow door swinging shut.
"Shinigami are not just facilitators of the cycle of life and death, we are also guardians of, and creatures of memory. Yet our memories often fade away as we grow older. What you are looking at is the part of your subconscious mind that stores all these memories, all these thoughts, this is where they go. It is the place beneath your inner world. You can use this corridor to go back to those memories and those thoughts and hear them. Even a hundred years later you can view snippets of your life."
"So every one of these doors is a memory."
"Exactly, but the one you want, at the very end, that is the true prize. Go, see if you can recognize it."
Karin ran following the ribbon. Another door swung open. Green, green doors now. "What do the colors on the doors mean anyway?" She called out.
"There are energy centers in the human form known as chakras, the door colors represent the chakra you're moving through. When you reach the third eye chakra, you are in the last corridor, and you should find a golden door at the other end with an image on it. The image depends on what is a significant symbol to /you/."
"So I don't even know what's behind it?"
"No, you do not. Unless you get there yourself."
Karin was running down the corridor, following the red ribbon. Then she turned through another door, a corridor with blue doors. This corridor was strange, it was filled with music. Every sort of music that Karin liked but playing all at once so that it jingled and jangled into a chaotic mix of melody and rhythmn. "Hmmmm, so much noise, you must have many crowded thoughts." Ginrei commented as he observed Karin's activities.
Karin opened one of the doors, but came out a second later with her hair standing on end and her ears ringing. "What gives?"
"You're in the throat chakra, its the chakra that has to do with speaking and sound. If that corridor is noisy it means that your thoughts are cluttered. You'll have to practice meditation to clear the noise away."
Karin grumbled. "Whaddyou think I am a monk?"
"All shinigami must learn to meditate. It is the best way to unlock their powers."
"I'm not a shinigami."
"You could be."
"???????????" Karin demanded.
"Ichigo inherited his shinigami powers from his father, as have you."
"wait a min... minute... what are you saying?" Karin demanded.
"Thats what I was coming to talk to him about, we are old colleagues he and I. Don't look like that." Ginrei growled. "He was too chicken to say anything to either you or Ichigo, and until recently did not want his children involved with the shinigami. That is why he didn't say anything. He left the soul society in disgrace, and if I'd found out he was doing it he'd likely be in jail and you never having been born. But time heals wounds. I'm no longer a captain, and no longer have to turn him in if I see him. Ichigo fell in love with my grand son, and to make my Byakuya happy I am coming to extend an olive branch to him.
"Your powers, and his have been sealed from birth, but Rukia accidentally unlocked Ichigo's powers by illegally transferring her powers to him. What she didn't realize was that this way, the way I am showing you, will unlock your own powers, without any having to be transferred to you. If you could inadvertantly summon a kidou with that soccer ball, you have a lot of potential my girl. You could walk your own path as a shinigami, not have to wait at home for your brother to open up to you. Ichigo has gone through a rough time lately, and I doubt he'll open up to you for quite awhile. He carries a very heavy burden. This way, you get the answers you seek, and get to be in touch with a heritage you likely never would have known otherwise. And unlike how Ichigo got his powers this method is perfectly legal."
"B... but..."
"If you don't want to, you can turn around and go back the way you came."
"Never. I never back down from a challenge. But Ichinii, what happened to him?"
"A very twisted and evil person created a virus that affects the reproductive organs, it gave him the reproductive system of a woman in addition to his natural male body. But the details he will likely give you when you return home. I will have a word with him and Byakuya about you both getting instruction in Kidou."
Karin turned, and charged down the noisy corridor. The instant she opened the door to the dimly lit violet corridor, she had to struggle even to see. The light was dim, but very luminous. And the air was buzzing with some kind of energy that tingled her body. "It tingles."
"The third eye is the seat of all psychic abilities. Tell me child, have you been able to sense hollows appearing?"
"Yes, I have. It used to be that every time a hollow came nearby I'd get this horrible headache. You're saying this third eye was to blame?"
"Yes, its a sign that your father wasn't able to seal your powers completely. But it is quite common for weaker fighters to be subdued by the spiritual pressure of a stronger fighter, without the other even having to lift a finger. I'm not surprised that you would have been sick every time a hollow came around that was too strong for you to handle. But I think every time you fight one, you get a little bit more stamina and are able to fight more."
Karin began to run down the corridor. Eager to get away from the pressure and tingling atmosphere of the corridor. Not to mention the light in there was dim, almost like moonlight.
At the end was a golden door, on it was a pawprint. "its a pawprint on the door." Karin frowned. "Is that all?"
"If thats all thats on it, then yes. Go ahead, open."
Karin gawked, she was by the ocean, standing in a ruined athletic amphetheater with one side open to the sea. There were soccer goals at either end, but with sand instead of grass. The waves lapped over the shore. "WOAH!" Karin exclaimed.
"This is your inner world. Every shinigami has one. Its a place you can go to talk to your zanpakuto. Its your refuge, your last defense. You can let other people's zanpakuto in. You can even let other people in if your zanpakuto allows it. But be careful about who, or how often. Do you see anyone?"
"Anyone?"
"Your spirit should appear in a few moments. If it doesn't, don't worry, it doesn't always."
"Speak for yourself old timer, but out." A voice echoed everywhere at once.
Then an enormous white wolf, with three tails, huge snowy feathered wings and flames covering his paws dropped from above. "Well well well." He landed next to Karin. "Look who finally decided to show up."
"Wh... who are you?"
"I can't tell you that now can I? It would spoil the fun!" The wolf lands next to Karin. "But I've been with you, all of your life. You just don't remember it. Will you play with me?"
"Uh, sure."
As Karin watched, a soccer ball dropped in out of nowhere, and the wolf happily dribbled it on his head.
"As much as I hate to interrupt, we must get Karin home." Ginrei reminded him.
"Oh fine, i'll come looking for you later Karin!"
In an instant, Karin was jerked out of the trance that accompanied her inner world. She looked up at Ginrei, blinking in surprise. "That was all real?"
"yes, now lets get you home."
Karin nodded, she looked over at Shinji and his friends. Shinji sighed. "Rose, Love, go on home. We'll meet at Nephlim's later for drinks." (2)
"Kay. See you!" The other two vaizard left.
Ichigo returned home to find that Ginrei was running late, Karin wasn't there either. So he and Byakuya headed upstairs. "Mmmm, wanna have some fun while we wait?" He asked, grinning impishly.
Byakuya chuckled, pulling Ichigo into a deep, demanding kiss. Ichigo responded ardently, wrapping his arms around Byakuya's neck. Byakuya reached into his pocket for a glove just like Rukia's. He pulled it on and easily ejected from his gigai. Ichigo carefully guided the faux body to the ground, then moved to Byakuya in his true body, slipping out of his pants and underwear and leaving the t-shirt. Byakuya hung his haori over the edge of the bed, then removed his hakama, obi and fundoshi. He scooped Ichigo into his arms, laying him back on the bed.
Ichigo spread his arms and legs out, and Byakuya started at Ichigo's neck and began to kiss and lick his way down. Ichigo groaned, his body responding immediately and powerfully. Everywhere Byakuya touched him burned, and as Byakuya took his dick in his mouth and swallowed it, Ichigo screamed in pleasure.
Byakuya swirled his tongue around the head, hollowing his cheeks, drawing out moans and screams and all sorts of sounds Ichigo didn't look capable of making. He began to bob up and down, sliding Ichigo's dick in and out of his mouth. As he did so he slipped three fingers into Ichigo's mouth. Ichigo sucked on them, slickening the digits while Byakuya worked his erection with his mouth.
Then Ichigo felt his balls clench, his hands worked into Byakuya's hair and he screamed in pleasure as he came. Byakuya growled low in his throat, swallowing every drop before he pulled away, pressing his slickened digits into Ichigo's entrance. Ichigo groaned, utterly relaxed from his koi's oral pleasuring. Byakuya carefully worked his entry, mindful of the fact that his koi might be pregnant. They'd see, in a week or so.
Ichigo grinned stupidly as Byakuya positioned himself outside his koibito's entrance. Byakuya leaned down to kiss him, sliding in deftly. Ichigo groaned, letting his body adjust to his lover's length. Byakuya waited until Ichigo was ready, then began to thrust. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. Ichigo wrapped his arms around Byakuya's neck, rolling his hips with his koi's movements.
Byakuya shifted his angle and began to pound Ichigo's prostate. Ichigo called out Byakuya's name with each impact. Ichigo felt himself nearing his peak and started to writhe. Byakuya took Ichigo's erection in his hands and started to pump it in time with his thrusts. Ichigo screamed, coming hard into his lover's hand. A few moments later Byakuya groaned spilling into Ichigo's body.
Ichigo flopped back on the bed spread eagle and Byakuya pulled out. The two of them flopped on the bed, and it was only then that they heard someone singing. No, two voices.
In a crooked little town, they were lost and never found
Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, fallen leaves... on the ground
I hitched a ride, until the coast
To leave behind, all of my ghosts
Searching for something, I couldn't find at home
Ichigo groaned, sat up and ran to the window. What he saw made him sputter.
Karin was riding piggy back on Shinji's shoulders. The two of them were singing a duet. Walking alongside them was an old man, with a scarf that looked kind of like Byakuya's and a long face. Almost as if in perfect concert, Shinji sang the verses and Karin the refrain, weaving their voices in a way Ichigo had never heard his sister do.
Can't get no job, can you spare a dime?
Just one more hit, and I'll be fine
I swear to God, this'll be my one last time!
In a crooked little town, they were lost and never found
Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, fallen leaves... on the ground
Run away before you drown, or the streets will beat you down
Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, fallen leaves... on the ground
Then Zangetsu sputtered. Hello! He replied. No I'm fine, there's no rain today, its quite sunny. Its been that way since Ichigo and Byakuya got together.
Who are you talking to Zangetsu?
Ichigo, your sister, unfocus your eyes.
Huh?
do it!
When it gets dark, in Pigeon Park
Voice in my head, will soon be fed
By the vultures, that circle round the dead!
In a crooked little town, they were lost and never found
Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, fallen leaves... on the ground
Run away before you drown, or the streets will beat you down
Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, fallen leaves... on the ground
Ichigo unfocused his eyes, and thats when he saw it spiraling behind his sister, a bright red spirit ribbon. He blinked, "N... no... NO WAY!"
"Hmmm?" Byakuya asked.
"LOOK! Karin's spirit ribbon!"
Byakuya caught the end of it, blinking in surprise. "Well... um..." He hesitated, then said. "I think it was Ginrei. He knows a way to stimulate a person's latent shinigami abilities, without transferring your power the way Rukia did. If your sister showed some kind of spiritual talent, odds are he decided to stimulate it. The way Ojiisama thinks, every shinigami who is born to shinigami parents has a right to their powers and their heritage if they can learn to use them safely."
I never once thought, I'd ever be caught!
Staring at sidewalks, hiding my track marks!
I left my best friends, or did they just leave me?
In a crooked little town, they were lost and never found
Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, fallen leaves... on the ground
In a crooked little town, they were lost and never found
Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, fallen leaves... on the ground
Run away before you drown, or the streets will beat you down
Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, fallen leaves... on the ground
Run away before you drown!
Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, fallen leaves... on the ground
Run away before you drown!
Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, fallen leaves... on the ground
"I don't know if I should scream or faint." Ichigo growled. Byakuya was getting dressed, and Ichigo paused by the sill a moment later.
"Look again Ichigo, she's smiling." Byakuya chuckled. "Get dressed. Shall we go downstairs and meet the family?" Ichigo scrambled to get his clothes back on.
Byakuya held out a hand for Ichigo to take. And Ichigo, limping slightly from their exertions, took it. They descended the stairs holding hands, and a warm feeling in the pit of Ichigo's stomach. If Karin became a shinigami, he'd have an easier job protecting his family, because one less person would need protecting.
1. While I believe that old men can have a sex life, and that Ginrei would likely have one, I'm not going to burn your eyes out pairing Ginrei with Shinji unless reader reviews REALLY REALLY want it.
2. Nephlim's fall was borrowed from Bleach mush the beginning and is a major Vaizard hang out.
