Shiro woke up with a start, he sat up and looked around his bedroom. He heard one of the triplets crying and he got up. Ichigo stirred next to him and looked over to him.
"Everything okay?" Shiro nodded numbly and walked out to cater to their child without a word. That struck Ichigo as odd and got up to join him. Shiro was holding one of their sons, Ren quieting and looking with curiosity at Shiro. The man walked past Ichigo and went to warm a bottle.
"Shiro, you're obviously not alright. What's up?"
"Where's Kaito?"
"I think in Hueco Mundo to check on things. Why?" Shiro swore as he grabbed the bottle and checked it, finding it too hot he set it down to cool. Glowing gold eyes looked at an utterly confused Ichigo.
"I..I gotta bad feelin'."
"Did you have a bad dream?"
"Yeah..Aizen was in it." Ichigo froze.
"..Aizen?" Shiro nodded. Shiro had dealt with his challenger a month ago, the triplets now three months old. He was still healing and a tad sore, he hadn't been able to regenerate back to how his body was before until he got rid of the womb from his body and his birth canal was just finally sealing up. The fact he was able to handle his challenger not at his best was enough to quell any suspicions that he wasn't strong.
"Shiro..there's no way he could get out."
"Can..Can ya jus' go check on him?" Ichigo was quiet, watching Shiro check the formula again and feeding their son when it was deemed the right temperature. Shiro had always be an attentive parent but after having the triplets he had been on high alert. Ichigo sighed softly at his husbands pleading look.
"Alright alright. Are you gonna be alright?" Shiro nodded.
"I'm fine, I'll be awake probably until ya tell me he's okay." Ichigo hmm'd and got out of his body, placing it on the couch. He walked over and held the bottle for their son and smiled at the sleepy eyes as Shiro tapped the air to allow Ichigo to get to Hueco Mundo. Shiro then put his hand over Ichigo's on the bottle to allow him to slip away with ease. He stole a kiss from Ichigo as he went to make his way through the rift.
"You be careful too."
"Shiro, I'll be fine." Shiro frowned as he disappeared and left the man alone with four of their children.
Ichigo made his way to his sons room, knocking softly. He heard someone groan then tell him to come in. He froze when he only saw Sora.
"Ichigo?" Ichigo frowned deeply.
"Where's Kaito?" Sora seemed confused and looked next to him.
"He's not back yet?" Sora muttered. Ichigo felt a zing of fear go through him.
"Where did he go?" Ichigo asked.
"He went to do a patrol of Hueco Mundo since things have been so tense with Fumio escaping." Ichigo swore and turned to walk out. "Hold on." Sora scrambled to grab his zanpakuto and join Ichigo.
"Sor-"
"This isn't a debate, we're mates. I'm helping you find him." Ichigo looked down to the shorter male then sighed.
"Alright." He didn't feel like fighting Sora, and he really couldn't anymore. He was an adult now. So off they went, as quietly as they could. They stuck together, both trying to find the man.
Sora stopped suddenly and jogged over to a spot of sand that wasn't perfectly smooth. There had been a struggle here.
"He was here." Ichigo walked closer and he felt Fumio had been there.
"And so was Fumio." Sora walked a little then stopped.
"It ends here.." Sora trailed off. "How the hell did he overwhelm Kai?"
Ichigo shook his head, Sora saw the fear written on the man's face. He looked tired, he looked defeated. He finally looked his age.
"I don't know..they had to have ambushed him.." Sora looked out at the desert, feeling empty.
Where was he?
Kaito woke up chained in a cage. His head was killing him. He looked around to see other hollows in cages and even a couple of shinigami. He had heard about Hollow and Shinigami going missing..he didn't think he'd be one of them. He noticed he felt his reiatsu being pulled from him, he winced and looked to his wrists and ankles.
He remembered something being shoved into his neck then a burning heat coursing through him..then nothing. Shiro had asked for them to try and stay out of Hueco Mundo due to the disappearances of hollows but they still had to come and check on things. Especially since the triplets were really attached to Shiro, which was natural according to Nel. He had been the same with Ichigo, who had agreed with Nel's statement.
He heard a chuckle and bristled.
"You're finally awake!" He turned to see the man they knew as Fumio. He sneered at the man and struggled some more. He heard tsking and then his chin was grabbed roughly by the man. His eyes were wide and crazed.
"So I thought I would just go about my business and try not to get caught..but then an idea hit me! How do I get back at the most powerful people in the three worlds?" Kaito winced as he gripped his chin harder and he heard his laughter. "Snatch one of their kids..and look at you! Just out in the open! I bet you thought you were so high and mighty because of your linage?" Family leaned forward and sneered. "I'm gonna show you that even the strongest can be made into someone's bitch."
Shiro was livid to say the least. He stormed into Hueco Mundo, some of the fraccion fainting under the pressure. He sent out large groups to try and find Kaito. Masaki and Isshin had gotten the okay to start their own investigation. Ryuu had rushed to Hueco Mundo upon hearing the news.
Sora wasn't fairing well, he was like Ulquiorra had been under Aizen's rule, cold and didn't really speak unless he needed too. Evony had gone with him on one of the search groups and Sora had collapsed from exhaustion, Ryuu right behind him in the exhaustion front.
Masaki was beside herself.
"Axel, He's my little brother I-I..He can't die." Masaki whispered. Surai had been quiet, which was very unlike her hollow self.
"I know Mas, but you cant wear yourself out. Go to sleep and we'll start again in the morning." Axel replied, rubbing her arms. "We can't help him if we wear ourselves out." Masaki nodded slowly. He looked over to her parents and they both looked exhausted.
Shiro had to be getting back to Las Noches soon, the babies under the care of Evony and Ryuu who were back taking their break and eating. Szayel put a finger to his lips, they stood outside the gates of Hueco Mundo as he thought.
"What're your thoughts, Ava?" He turned to his daughter who sighed and bit her lip.
"They wouldn't set up shop in Hueco Mundo again I wouldn't think." Shiro looked over at her, she dug her tooth in harder at the glowing gold stare. Ichigo put a hand on his husbands shoulder and closed his eyes, frowning.
"Are you saying that Soul Society could be an issue? They could be there?" Ava was quiet. Axel's eyes widened.
"You think he's in the World of the Living?"
"Possibly." She responded. "And the World of the Living is big too, and Fumio more than likely has some of Mayuri's old suppressors to make reiatsu and spiritual pressure blocking devices.." she was quiet again for a moment then she groaned. "I can't think straight, not with Hisana in Soul Society with just Kaien and Kohana."
The court guard squads were in a meeting with the lieutenants and captains, Masaki being excused by Isshin and Shunsei. Szayel stared at Ava then nodded.
"We could all use rest." He said, looking back at the Cero. Shiro was quiet for a moment.
"Fine. We'll start early tomorrow."
Months past, Kaito laid with almost dead like eyes. He had one of those repressors on his wrist as he again was laying still on the filthy floor. Mayuri had at least been sterile with his labs, this was a dungeon. He felt abandoned. It didn't help he hadn't felt Ryuu use his Bankai. That would give him a boost, they were linked in that way. Ryuu's Bankai was dangerous, it made the young man more hollow and brought out the instinct driven hollow that was set aside in Kaito.
He needed that right now. He needed to escape before something happened. He looked up when he saw the bars to his cell move. It was Fumio. He himself had gone mad, and he walked over to the slim skinny figure.
He forced Kaito to stand up and cuffed him. Kaito growled at him, the other man sneering.
"Just like an animal." He hissed. They moved out of his cage and into the testing room. He looked to two of his assistants.
"Do we have everything?"
"A-actually no..There's no way to be certai-"
"What?!" Fumio boomed.
"We don't think IVF would work and we don't have the means to make sure it works." One man gestured to the sorry excuse for a lab. Fumio frowned.
"Chain him to the table." Kaito would fight, but he was hungry. He hadn't eaten in a few weeks, he was only given what he needed to live. "Face down." was the order.
Something felt wrong, he tried to struggle a bit but his head was slammed into the hard table. There was panic.
"Sir I don't think he could even handle-"
"You feel pity for it?! It's nothing but a creature that looks human." Kaito felt fear in his veins.
"W-What are you doing?"
"Seeing how this process works."
Ryuu sat with his head on the table as he listen to the others talk. He was dozing off, when he heard someone call him.
"You okay?" He looked up to see his older sister.
"No." Ryuu had felt drained and he sometimes thought he felt Kaito but of course he wasn't around. Masaki nodded.
" I don't even know why I asked that cause I knew the answer.." Ryuu didn't respond. Ichigo was watching from where he was with Tetsu, one of triplets. Shiro hadn't talked to anyone nor himself and Ryuu was starting to do the same, Evony was getting quiet annoyed too. Shiro had been in large amounts of pain, his body starting the final healing process which made Ichigo nervous that he was MIA when it came to talking.
Ichigo still wondered about Shiro's dream about Aizen on the night Kaito disappeared, would Aizen become an omen for them? He sighed and looked down at his son. The triplets were all identical, white hair and gold eyes. They're sclera weren't Shiro's black but they definitely were their Papa's babies. Gold eyes looked into brown before it was broken for the baby to look to his older brother. Ryuu had stood and had his eyes closed.
"Ryuu?"
"I got this feeling of fear.." Ryuu said.
"Why?"
"I think it's Kai.." Ryuu whispered, turning to Sora who looked deeply troubled. Ichigo sat up.
"What is it?" Sora shook his head.
"I'm not sure." The two people with the strongest connection to his son weren't fairing well and that only made him think that Kaito wasn't doing well.
Masaki was currently throwing up, she groaned and rested her head on her arm atop of the toilet seat. She sighed. She felt butterflies, knowing what this meant. She had taken one pregnancy test and had gotten one set of results. Uryu had told her that it could be harder for her to get pregnant, with her hollow and Axel's Quincy lineage.
She sighed and stood. She was excited, but this wasn't the time. She had to find her little brother. Surai was going to be weakened by this and so she's would have to be careful. When she walked out of the bathroom she discovered that Axel and Jocelyn were in their home. Axel frowned at his wife. Jocelyn's eyes widened.
"Was it positive!?" She blurted out before covering her mouth. Axel looked to his long time friend to Masaki. She sighed and nodded.
"I'm pregnant." Axel froze before going to her and placing his hand on her stomach.
"..Really?" Masaki's eyes were teary eyed.
"I want this baby but I wanna find my brother.." She leaned into Axel's chest before starting to cry. Jocelyn's face went from joy to sadness.
"And we will and you will be just as much as a help." Masaki's just cried as Axel wrapped his arms around his wife.
Shiro leaned back from his desk, leaning his head on his desk and shaking with pain. His body was almost done expelling the aftermath but the end was the worse part for him. He breathed deeply and exhaled with a groan. He held his stomach and groaned again. Ichigo came in at that time and stopped.
"Whats wrong?" Ichigo said panicked. Shiro held his hand up before the pain faded and he was able to sit back up slowly.
"postpartum shit." Ichigo nodded.
'Are you gonna be okay?" Shiro simply nodded.
"More worried about other shit right now." Ichigo nodded, Shiro watched his husband and how exhausted and sad he was.
"..Was it my fault? Was it my fault that he's gone?" Ichigo whispered.
"What the fuck would make ya think tha'?"
"Cause if I had maybe gotten here faster.."
"Ichigo, this ain't your fault..I think it's cause it was Aizen tha' I saw. I don' know but I think cause he's what we dread to see again, so you were looking for Aizen." Ichigo nodded after a moment. He walked over to the other and hugged him. Shiro relaxed after a moment then pulled him close. "We're gonna find 'em.."
"I'm so worried." Shiro was quiet before he pulled away and sat for a moment.
"Have ya checked the world o' the livin'?"
"Multiple times."
"For spiritual pressure and reiatsu?" Ichigo was quiet.
"Are you saying we look for them on foot?" Shiro nodded.
"They figured out how to hide themselves too." Ichigo was quiet before he rubbed his face in frustration.
"That's going to take awhile." Shiro nodded in agreement.
"I know, Ichi. Well jus' have to have everyone help-." Shiro was cut off by another pain. "Ahh.." Shiro groaned. Ichigo sighed.
"You need rest."
"I'm fine." Shiro snapped. Ichigo quirked a brow before Shiro sighed. "Lets jus'..go to bed."
The next morning they woke up to new arrivals to Las Noches. Ichigo got up to go check on the triplets and Shiro went to see their eldest. Masaki, Axel and Ryuu were back from the World of the Living. They met up and Shiro instantly knew something was up. His gut told him something was up.
"Dad said you had a solution?" Masaki asked.
"Maybe." Shiro said. "Ya doin' okay, Mas?" Masaki was quiet, gold looking into gold.
"..I'm okay." She said quietly, Surai reprimanding her mentally. Shiro just raised a brow. His eyes narrowed for a moment, he knew there was something but then a pain gripped him and his hands turned into fists.
"Are you okay, Pops?" Ryuu asked.
"I'm fine." He sighed, after it passed, which he straightened himself upon realizing he had hunched over a little. "I told ya this would happen. Didja get anythin?"
"No." Ryuu said, somberly. Shiro heard Ichigo behind him and Shiro turned. Ichigo offered him and weak smile, Yuki on his hip.
"Are they doin' okay?" Ichigo nodded. Ichigo groaned as he set Yuki down.
"You're almost too big to do that anymore, Yue." The little girl poured.
"You can carry Papa!" the little girl turned to Shiro and said the same thing. "You can carry Daddy!" Shiro chuckled.
"True." She wasn't wrong, both men had carried each other when pregnant and when they weren't. Shiro chuckled again before he sobered as they felt someone enter from Soul Society. Ichigo and Masaki frowned.
"That's Grandpa." Masaki said. Isshin flash stepped in, panting.
"Grandpa!" Yuki yelled. Isshin try to smile but couldn't.
"Aizen is missing." Shiro and Ichigo eyes stared widely at him. The kids had only heard of Aizen, they knew it was bad but the absolute horror on Ichigo's face only told part of it. He moved forward to his Dad and took him by the shoulders.
"Aizen is out?"
"We think it was Fumio." Ichigo turned back to Shiro with wide eyes.
"...Daddy..?" Yuki asked meekly.
"Your Dream." Shiro looked like a statue.
"...I know." He managed. He turned quickly and picked up their daughter and made haste to the Espada's hall. Yuki looked scared by it all and Masaki felt ill.
"What's going on?" Axel the only one able to find his voice. Axel knew next to nothing at Aizen.
Shiro went to the first door that was being used in the hall, it belonging to Szayel and Nnoitra.
"Go get the others. Aizen has gone missing." Szayel's eyes widened and Nnoitra sneered. Shiro made way back to the hall they met in, sat Yuki down and told the others to stay put.
"Shiro-"
"I'm getting the triplets." He left to do just that.
More months passed, and Kaito was starting to feel abandoned. He knew they were looking for him.. but he was unfortunately with child at the moment. He was under observation at all times, and was being shot with different drugs to keep him from dying and to speed up his pregnancy. They didn't have the equipment to just suspend him, so they tried the next best thing. It had worked.
He was in his six month in merely three. He didn't know to do with himself. He wanted to protect his baby, but he didn't know. Aizen had made an appearance about a month before they found out he was pregnant. Aizen had merely smiled as if he knew exactly who he was.
It had unnerved him. He suddenly was being treated slightly better when Aizen had made an appearance. He didn't know why, and he didn't want to know. There were parts of this experience he couldn't remember, when he blacked out. He wasn't sure when his baby had been conceived but he would be damned if they tried to take him from him. He didn't know the gender, he wasn't told but he had a feeling.
He was trying so hard to stay strong, but he wasn't in a place with a reiatsu surplus he could use for himself. With Aizen here now he wasn't sure if he could get out of here even with his release form, or if Ryuu used his Bankai. He didn't stand a chance against them all in his condition and without his best abilities. He just sighed and rubbed his belly. He just hopped they would both live, that he would see his family, friends and his Sora again.
His eyes widened when the door to his room opened to see a very disturbed looking Fumio.
"Get up. It's time for your meal." Kaito fought the urge to scoff, and stood. He was shoved out by Fumio, hissing at the thought of falling on his one piece of solace in this god forsaken place. His came face to face with Aizen, who smiled coolly at him.
"Kaito, is it?" Kaito just started at him. "I wanted to ask some questions about your Sibilngs." Kaito was quiet until Aizen sighed. "I'm well aware you don't trust anyone but I know what your father is and I'm trying to prevent that from happening again."
"If you're implying he's a monster, then you have another thing coming." Kaito hissed. Fumio snapped his eyes to him.
"Hold your tongue!" Aizen raises a hand.
"Hollow kind are easily upset, no need to add to his agitation." Aizen looked back to Kaito who looked really upset. Aizen just smiled at him. "Kaito Shirosaki, you're sibilings could be detrimental to the efforts made to my plan, that I still wish to play out to this day. I need new soldiers as the ones I had were evidently useless."
Aizen leaned in with the same smile in place.
"Would you like to help me with those soldiers?"
AN: Hi! It's been awhile! I know! Just a PSA if you're reading and find slashes around words it's because it's meant to be italics. I couldn't catch them and my eyes are starting to hurt (and wrists but that's due to carpal tunnel or tendonitis..haven't been able to go to the doctor for it to find out what it is.) However, I wanted to post this! So here ya go!
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Later Days and Nights, Hollows!
