Welcome, back to another chapter, I hope you all read and enjoy!

Also Thank you Windblade67 for your review! Welcome back, I went back to my latest chapter to add this review! Yes the Silver Prince sent out the message, you seem to be reading my mind with that connection between the abilities he copied. It is Delilah's stress, but why would she panic in such a way if there was not something seriously wrong. Aizen did concentrate a lot on her controlling her emotions and power... Yes Rangiku's protective(also I have seen other fanfics where soul reapers try to keep their kids protected from the academy as they know what dangers lie in store with such a career!). I have two pairings in mind for Delilah's kids, though that may be enough in this particular timeline. I apologise if the slight repletion is getting boring but I have been trying to give an overview of the sorts of things that have been going on the soul society whilst Delilah has been away. Next week's chapter will be the last chapter of the overview. Whoops I did not realise I had added the Frozen reference, the songs must be struck in my head too. Until next time :)

"All you pathetic losers, listen up. This is not the squad of the pussies, this was the squad of fighters. There is a nasty rumour spreading around that we sleep a lot. Well if you fight a good battle, you are allowed a good rest. If you don't fight a good battle, well there are plenty of others who can steal your glory. If you are truly cut out to be a member of this squad you won't want that. You would stick up a fight and win against anyone who dared to steal your thunder. You would show the world that your opponent was the pussy for daring to come up against you."

Yes, yes Ikkaku was channelling his captain head on now. But what else could he do? It was not as if Kenpachi was around to strike fear into these newbie's hearts himself. No, he was away at a captain's meeting. Most of those he just missed. He preferred to sleep through such things. This time though he went. Like the captains of the eighth and the thirteenth, his captain knew not to rile up the head captain too much. Now he was a foe that was difficult to beat.

"So do you have the guts to prove yourselves. Do you have the guts to go up against me, the great Ikkaku!"

Not a sound came from either one of the newbies as they stood in the fight hall. Yes, the same fight hall that Kenpachi Zaraki had brought crumbling down many, many times. Their squad had one of the highest building maintenance budget. Only the twelfth division could compare with the explosions they got up to. As for the newbies, well they seemed terrified of Ikkaku's madman ways. He hoped that they would not be too scared to fight!

"Heads up!"

The newbies, thirty or so in number stood to attention. It was a good thing too as from one moment to the next he reached to the sticks beside him and throw them. The newbies rushed forward from the instant he did that. They were eager, he would give them that. So eager that they were tripping and stumbling over each other to get their own training stick. Clumsy, uncoordinated but eager. Bah Delilah had been unsure of herself too at the start, but then she had turned around and pummelled him. That was something Ikkaku would never forget.

"Already on the count of three, one...two...three!"

It was at that moment that Ikkaku gripped the stick he still had with his two hands as he charged right at them. The newbies looked downright startled when he did such a thing. They had either actually thought that they could sleep around. Or they had thought that he would not be as head-on as Kenpachi Zaraki. And when Ikkaku did clash sticks with the first newbie, their resistance against him was feeble. He was the first newbie to fall to the floor from their collision. The next newbie that came up against him put up a bit more of a fight. They even had their own spar going on for a while. The newbie might have lasted longer if other newbies had not pushed him out of the way. Yes, they were all getting very competitive now. Ikkaku was starting to think that he had riled them up enough for the fight. But that was all that he had managed to do. They still tried to come at him one by one, pushing others out of the way. And this was why after an hour, Ikkaku had them belly down on the wooden floor.

"Bah, how weak and pathetic you all are. You are lucky that the captain is not here to see this. He would have ripped the building down and made you go grovelling to the head captain."

Ah yes, that was the other thing, when Kenpachi Zaraki messed up, he would not begging to Yamamoto himself. No, that lovely duty lay in the hands of who had fought and lost against him. That was Kenpachi's way of killing two birds with one stone. Showing them how weak they were but also hiding his own inability to beat in a spar against the head captain.

Or could it be that brute strength is not enough?

This was not something that he would dare to admit out loud. He represented squad eleven, he had to show that brute strength was the be all end all. That was why he still hide his bankai, so he could stay by his captain. That was why he would not admit that someone as strategy oriented like Sōsuke Aizen was not a foe he could beat. That was most likely why Delilah was a special type of Kenpachi.

"Wait a moment..."

Yes, Ikkaku's instincts were right, as that was when he heard it. That was when he heard her shrill cries, cries that he knew very well. The newbies did not take all that notice of the noise. They were still rolling around on the floor from the beating that he had given them. They would most likely remain like that for a while, so it would not matter if Ikkaku took a moment to step out. And that was exactly what he did, as he headed straight to none other than the nursery in the lieutenant's quarters.

In his mind, he was already flipping around solutions in his mind. Should he get some milk, a clean nappy or a warm blanket? But from the moment that entered the small pink themed room, he saw that Yachiru was already them. And as she turned around to face him, he saw that she was cradling none other than their baby girl:

"You sure a big eater Sherry, just like your big brute of a daddy."

Ikkaku blushed from the comment even though he knew that it was not quite true. Little Sherry could have inherited her mother's sugar addiction given how sweet breast milk was.

...

"You're so pretty, yes you are, yes you are..."

A loud series of chuckles bounced all over the walls of the nursery. A nursery coloured pink with a matching crib against one side of the wall and the diaper station on the other. Between them stood the dark pink couch, the perfect resting place and opposite was the wardrobe. Yes, everything was a pink for the certain some with that shrill laugh. It was a young laugh, very young that it could not be a certain daddy in the room. No the one that was making all the ruckus was a very lively baby girl kicking her legs around on the diaper station. Yes her daddy was the one who was teasing her so. But then Ikkaku would not pass up the opportunity to make his little girl laugh. It was the same thing that he did with Yachiru whenever they could get some alone time from Kenpachi.

"Hmm, who needs good looks if they have your sense of humour."

Ikkaku could only smile at Yachiru's comments. He would not deny or accept her opinions. It was his sense of humour that had gotten him his girlfriend and daughter in the first place. He was not a woman's man like a certain Kyōraku captain. He was not extremely smart like a certain fox. The same fox who had now scored himself a princess. Now Ikkaku was a brute with a sensitive side. And whilst Kenpachi might have beat him to a pulp in the past for defiling Yachiru as he put it. Kenpachi was no longer on the hunt to separate them after Sherry was born.

"So how were the newbies then?"

Ikkaku smiled but it was more like a grimace. He was still very diligent with the diaper changing process. He was not one of those men who would skirt even the more yucky duties of a parent. Many women squealed at his hands-on parenting. Yachiru rewarded him by defending him in front of Kenpachi. Ikkaku respected his captain but he also loved Yachiru a great deal. And if there was anything that Ikkaku could see was that Kenpachi needed a woman of his own. If that happened then he would most likely not be so possessive when it came to Yachiru.

"Weaklings the lot of them...even our baby girl would have been able to wipe the floor with them!"

Now it was Yachiru's turn to burst into a fit of giggles. Yes, this was a joke between them. Sometimes Yachiru wanted to do the training sessions, Ikkaku kicked up a fuss. Yachiru was still recovering. Sherry was not even a year old and yes that was in human years terms.

"Hey...umm...so...so have you heard from Captain Kishimioro as of late?"

Yes, Ikkaku had changed the subject. It was not because he was trying to avoid how much a flop the training session had been. No, it was because he had wanted to ask this question and he never seemed to find the right moment. So now he was forcing the matter. He looked to his side, to Yachiru. His lovely girlfriend who was now only a bit shorter than him. Her pink hair now billowed well past her shoulders, and her chest... Hmm yes, they were a sight to behold. Ones that many males stared at when Kenpachi was not looking. Yachiru acted innocent when she received all that attention. Now though, now she looked confused.

"Captain Kishimioro, oh you mean Delilah...and now that you ask no one has heard from her. She might be busy with her own family. Though that might be because the royal realm moves at a much slower time speed to ours."

By that point, Ikkaku had secured the nappy. Sherry, with her milky skin and dark pink eyes, had descended into soft giggles by this point. Yes for someone so small, she had worn herself with all that commotion. She still slept a lot, her spiritual pressure was still absent or developing. Ikkaku was not quite sure. Captain Unohana said that most children born in the soul society were late bloomers. Only those with their own reiatsu from the womb would have it upon birth. Delilah had most likely been one of these children. Her father, the biological one, well he was one who had overflowing reserves.

"The royal realm moves at a much slower speed than ours. How is that even possible?"

Ikkaku then heard Yachiru giving her loudest snort. She might have been trying to act all lady like and give a gentle sniff. But Yachiru was not that sort of woman. She was a fighter, she was the lieutenant of the Kenpachi division after all. And it seemed that such a position also came with a lot of benefits.

"You don't notice it all that much with the dangai precipie world linking the soul society with the living world. It harmonises the different time spans. But from what I have managed to read up on, getting to the royal realm does not work like that. It is not so surprising that the royal guard has markings. Some sort of direct links seems needed. Anyway, why you suddenly so interested in Delilah? She was MY bestie and not yours."

Ikkaku did not want to correct his girlfriend. Most people who had had interactions with the soul princess knew that the closest to her was Gin. Those two had gone all the way over the cliff together, that was how he saw marriage. It was the same cliff that he now wanted to cross with Yachiru.

"I was kind of...kind of..."

Ikkaku was stammering, but finding the words to express himself did not come easy. Or it could be that he was nervous about Yachiru's reaction. What better way to defend himself then cradling little Sherry to his chest?

"You eat something funny today Baldy?!"

Ikkaku's lips twitched at Yachiru's outburst. She was making it difficult to keep his cool. But he needed to, he needed to get this off, of his chest:

"I was hoping that you could get in contact with her so that she could marry us together."

...

Then came the silence, that unbearable silence. It made Ikkaku shiver, it made him shake. It made his bad boy confidence go spiralling down the hill. Yes, he was the warrior, the bloodthirsty one. He was not supposed to have wishy-washy feelings of love. Especially not with the adopted daughter of the ultimate bloodthirsty captain. Or it could be that it was Yachiru did not want him to go that far. If that was the case, Ikkaku wondered how he could make things less awkward. So he almost felt as if his girlfriend's reaction was not as bad as he thought it would be.

"Mar...marriage...ha...ha...ha...are you being serious? Ken...Kenny would never agree to it. You...you know that!"

Yachiru looked very defensive at that moment. She may have even lashed out at him. Goodness knows how many times Ikkaku had had to endure her beatings before he could start wooing her. Yachiru was still very much a daddy's girl. So Ikkaku still thought that it was a miracle that he had managed to get her to act more like a woman than a child. That was most likely the reason why Kenpachi now saw him more as an enemy than as an ally.

"I was hoping that Delilah could speak some sense to him...unless...unless you don't wanna tie the knot."

Ikkaku's face portrayed despondency as Yachiru's eyes went wide. Ikkaku may have even started laughing at the situation but he did not want to offend her. Yachiru was often so dense when it came to the ways of romance. True that worked in Ikkaku's favour a lot of the time. It meant that Yachiru was quite low maintenance. It meant that she did not expect so much of her to say like someone such as Rangiku.

"Are...are...are you sure? I mean...I mean...I am not the best sort of wife..."

Yachiru had had Ikkaku hanging on the edge waiting for an answer. It did not come, but then, that did not seem to be a possibility. Yachiru was not that much of a public speaker. She would let others do that for her. Then again, Kenpachi had poor social skills too. It would not have surprised Ikkaku that that was why Kenpachi struggled when it came to dealing with women. But that was not important now, not when Yachiru was now crouching over and moaning. And that was when he felt that spiritual pressure which either came before or after the shaking.

"Yachiru...!"

With one arm Ikkaku held Sherry close to him, with the other he reached out to stop Yachiru from collapsing. His girlfriend was strong. She did not topple over like the newbies. She was the lieutenant. So for her to act so weak, he knew that something had to be wrong. At first, he worried that he might offend Yachiru by asking. She hated showing weakness. But with the pain etched into her facial features. He decided to swallow his fear and ask:

"What...what's wrong?"

"It feels like something is pressing against me. Such great power...even...even Kenny would struggle..."

Ikkaku did not quite know what Yachiru was talking about until Sherry started to whine. She even let off a fade red glow which Ikkaku realised was providing a counter shield to the external reiatsu. Or could it be that babies were the only ones protected from this shaking? Yachiru would have fallen right to the floor from it. Sherry seemed to be up and full of energy, excitement blaring in her eyes. It was the same sort of look that Ikkaku would see in Kenpachi's eyes as he readied himself for war. And then it struck him.

"Alright breathe, Yachiru...I had going to let you go down to the floor slowly."

Yachiru did not complain. She seemed a lot more comfortable sitting on the floor than standing. But from Yachiru's furrowed features, Ikkaku saw that she was having second thoughts.

"I can't...I can't sit around here. I have to take charge. I'm the lieutenant. I can't sit around at a time like this!"

Yachiru then tried to stand up again, but she could not fight against that pressure. Seeing her struggles made Ikkaku know what he had to do. He had to be the one to step up to the plate.

"Yachiru, here, take Sherry. I will take over for now."

Yachiru looked up with a scowl on her face, shouting:

"ARE YOU SAYING THAT I AM WEAK!"

Ikkaku cringed a little when he heard that tone. It was not anger, it was defensive.

"No, you are not weak. But if I let you go out in this chaos, the captain would definitely flay me alive. I would protect you and Sherry with my life!"

Yachiru's next round of rants came to an abrupt standstill, as her eyes went wide. She then lifted her arms waiting for their daughter. Ikkaku obliged her by passing Sherry over. Sherry was now very active as she almost jumped from his arms to Yachiru's. And once father and daughter were no longer in physical contact, Ikkaku almost felt it. He also felt that shaking, the one that wanted to topple him right of his feet.

"Ikkaku...are you alright?"

After the promise he made, he did not want to give Yachiru any more reason to worry. So he put on his bravest face before saying:

"I'm...I'm fine really...you...you say with Sherry and I will check on the rest of the squad."

Yachiru looked up at him. Yes, she could see the struggle within his eyes, but she did not drill on the matter. So Ikkaku took one last look at his lover and child, wondering if he would make it back to them. Yet just before he was no longer in reaching distance, he felt a hand grip on the bottom of his uniform trousers. He looked down to see Yachiru looking up at him in what he could only describe as fear:

"What's wrong?"

Yachiru gulped:

"If...if we make it through this...then I promise that I will say yes."

Until next Friday.