Ties That Bind Chapter 20, a naruto fanfic

A/N: So, I have a few things to say in this note.

1. Next chapter will end Part 1 and be followed by a break. I need to hold off writing for this fic while I research for it, and work on a few oneshots and my original. I figure a year is good...just kidding. Idk how long...maybe ten days to a few weeks.

2. Kids are stupid. They do shit they think is right, even when we (as adults) know its not.

3. How do ppl track readers on this site to see who goes to their stories more than once?

4. please let me know if you've found my work in other sites or passed off as someone else's. Was reading about how that happens A LOT.

5. Yall might want to refresh your memories by reading ch 3 of New Bonds for the end of this chap.

That's it. Let me take a moment to say how much I love and appreciate you guys as my readers. I love your reviews, love that you keep reading and hope I can continue to deliver work you guys enjoy.

Peace! Hugs! Other sentimental crap!

Beta: Blood Zephyr

Chapter 20

Things were very interesting in this world.

Well no, maybe not, since from what he could see of village life it was enough to bore him to tears, but for damn sure Naruto and Sasuke's family was very interesting. A few days ago, the patriarch of the Uchiha family, and someone he'd been personally dying to meet, came back to the village, livid with fury over having missed some enemy. "The treacherous whoreson escaped with clones and some reverse summoning jutsu. Damn him!" the man, Itachi, had sworn. "I will have his eyes. I swear it." And then he'd gone and begun a conversation with the daughters who were about to be married.

He'd spared a moment to appreciate the man's reiatsu, but knew better than to go back on his word and ask for a fight. Still, a guy could dream, right?

About those daughters. The day before Itachi came back, his lieutenant had come back from one of his training sessions with the black-haired daughter. Akiko? That was her name. Madarame came into the house in a sullen mood. He'd slumped down against the wall, grumpily examining his sword.

"You look like you finally lost against that girl," he'd said to the bald man.

Madarame snorted. "Taicho, I would never lose to the likes of her. Not a fight, anyway." His fifth seat had sighed dramatically then, making him tighten his lips in disgust. "But I've lost my heart. If only she wasn't-"

The door to the guest room had crashed open then to reveal none other than Akiko herself. She looked pissed. It made him grin. Pissed off people did some amusing shit. Sure enough, she leveled a finger at his lieutenant and said in furious tones, "No one walks out on me. I say when I've had enough." And then she'd reached out and snatched Madarame out of the room, out of the house. He could guess why his bald subordinate had had a stupid grin on his face ever since.

Probably the same reason Hitsugaya seemed like whatever stick that had been permanently up his ass had finally been yanked out. The diminutive captain went around with a faraway expression on his face until a certain green-eyed girl got off work. Then he would perk up and wait for her to come to the house. He invariably left with her and Kenpachi would hear him creep back into the house late at night.

And while he was on the subject of 'late at night'… The same night Madarame had been snatched, his hosts' son had materialized in the living room with that Wyatt kid, looking guilty as fuck. Naruto and Sasuke had eyed the two boys, the blush on their cheeks, the filth on their clothes, and exchanged a knowing glance. The next morning, he'd been in the kitchen while both men gave a lecture to the boys, who were sitting side by side on matching bar stools. Neither kid looked comfortable. In fact, they both looked like they wished a Hollow would appear and whisk them away.

"Sex," Naruto began, "is a natural thing between two people. It expresses your love for each other and-"

He'd listened while eating his breakfast. Raiden stared at the far wall, his face red, his mouth pursed to a tight little circle, nostrils flared. Wyatt's face shone with sweat, his hands gripping the material of his pants. His head was lowered, hiding his deep blush.

Sasuke had picked up where Naruto left off with a more technical discussion. "The blood then enters the penis, causing it to swell in preparation for copulation. At this point you might notice fluid leaking out of your-"

Raiden had made a strangled sound at that point. Wyatt had uttered a tiny, mortified scream and stammered something about missing a lesson with Lee-sensei. He orbed away. Naruto said that was strange, since Lee had given them the day off… then he turned his attention to his son. Raiden had groaned audibly in dread. He received the rest of the lecture by himself.

He'd gotten up and gone in search of his vice-captain, grinning openly as he passed the beset Raiden.

Try as he might, he could not get her to tell him what had scared her so badly. He'd had to threaten her with demotion before she opened up. And what she'd told him had been so intriguing…

"I've never seen anybody as powerful as she is, Ken-chan." Yachiru spoke in a whisper, watching the doorway as if afraid this mouse of a girl, Aimi, would enter and catch her words. "She's dangerous. To you. To all of us, but especially you."

By now he was completely captivated. That powerful?? "And why is that," he'd asked.

"She has a crush on you. She asked me all sorts of questions about you, your life, what you like and don't like. What makes you happy. She actually said she'd go against her fathers to fight you if it would make you happy. She said she was going to look for a sword."

He'd been shocked as well as… well… no, he'd just been shocked, mainly. Crush? He'd had to turn his head aside and snort. Girls didn't develop silly crushes about him. In the first place there were no girls in Soul Society. He sampled the women as he chose, but generally, he was seen as a brute. A few braver women approached him sometimes. They learned that he could be a considerate lover, if the mood was upon him. Most of the time it wasn't. He sought sex when the fights were lacking; he tended to be rough and he usually needed a long time to finish. A very long time. Few women could withstand him.

His interest caught, he'd begun watching her. And when he had, he found that she watched him, in turn, a great deal. She was very quiet, but clearly self-possessed, not afraid as he'd thought. And she was only quiet around him, his lieutenants and Hitsugaya. Around her family she was a laughing, shrieking chatterbox. He'd gone to the training grounds, hidden himself, and watched one of the sessions that seemed to kill Wyatt daily, but which she came home from as if she'd only been at the store picking up eggs.

Whoever this Lee-sensei was, he was a methodical, but stern taskmaster. He didn't hurt the children, but if you weren't born and bred to the lifestyle, you really didn't have a hope in hell of making it through a day with him. Wyatt repeatedly failed at one task or another, but he hadn't gone there to see him. He watched the only girl on the team with unsmiling concentration.

Heavy though she was, she was fast. And when Lee-sensei did individual matches, she was the only one who could endure his blows, dodge the kicks and win round after round of exuberant praise. He noticed that Lee did things with her that he didn't do with the boys. The boys were able to perform Kido (what they called Ninjutsu here). Even Wyatt did his version of it. But Aimi didn't. Still, she was able to counter them somehow, with her reiatsu.

He stood in the trees and let himself feel her reiatsu, really studying it professionally. She did not release anywhere near all of it, but what he could feel made his skin crawl pleasantly. It was like hovering on the brink of an orgasm, feeling her reiatsu. He wanted to see all of it, to know exactly what she was capable of.

To that end, he waited. He forced himself to wait a day. He continued to watch her around the house in such a manner that didn't raise suspicions from her parents (and how two men had managed to have children was not something he cared to think about). She was just as quiet and shy as usual. He actually liked that; what he knew of children seemed to encompass a lot of noise and annoying jabber. When a day had passed, he approached her at night, when everyone was sleeping.

Yumichika had never come home after one of his walks. He learned his fifth seat was shacking up with one of the Uchiha brood. Madarame was being pursued by that wild girl he'd kissed, (Kenpachi had overheard this), and Hitsugaya was mysteriously absent. There was no one from his group, besides Yachiru, to see him rise from his pallet and ghost out of the guest room. Yachiru was sleeping soundly.

***

He knocked on her door softly, having made it his business to find out which room was hers beforehand. He didn't often come upstairs. He paused, while waiting for her to respond, to listen to sounds coming from opposite sides of the hall. From his left came the grunts, growls and wet sounds of his hosts' intense lovemaking. From his right and up another flight of stairs came the distant sound of Raiden and Wyatt giggling. These giggles were frequently interrupted by sighs and kissing sounds.

The knob on the door twisted slowly and one dark blue eye, lidded with sleep, peered up at him through the crack. He waited, but she did not ask what he wanted or invite him in. "Can I enter?" he finally said. He didn't think anybody would hear him, occupied as they all were, but still, he'd pitched his voice low.

She pulled the door wider, rubbing one eye with her fist. He entered, the bells in his hair jingling faintly. Once over the threshold, she closed the door softly. She stood against it and he stood across from her. He'd taken in his surroundings quickly – bed with the covers kicked aside, some books on a shelf, a desk, a hand-woven carpet depicting the Uzumaki whirlpool and the Uchiha fan – but now he just stared at her. He'd never really been up close to the girl.

He liked her looks. He would never say so, but Yachiru's pink femininity was sickening to look at. This girl's black hair and dark eyes went with the dark nature he suspected she harbored. Anyone with that much power had to have deep shadows in them. The hair was a thick mess sprouting from her head to fall to her elbows. It lay across one half of her face, leaving one eye to regard him unblinkingly.

"I want you to show me your power, the way you did for my vice-captain," he said at length.

She only nodded and came towards him. She had on a long night shirt that came to her knees. More of the whirlpool design on the front. She took his hand from where it lay by his side. Having heard Yachiru's account, he knew what to expect. Still, it was a strange sensation, to feel the atmosphere fold and ripple around him.

They were at the lip of a huge crater, somewhere in mountainous territory. The crater was so large that he couldn't see the other side of it. "What's this?" he asked. There was an unimpeded view of the night sky.

"This is where I showed your vice-captain my chakra. There used to be a mountain range here." Her voice was nice and low.

"What happened to it?"

"My chakra happened to it. I let it out all the way… well, I tried to. I had to stop after a few seconds, because of this, so I couldn't really let it all out. I just wanted you to understand why we have to Boom."

"Huh?"

She spoke patiently. "If I let all my chakra out, like you want, it will destroy stuff. I have to be somewhere where I can be sure I won't hurt people."

"Like where?"

"Another world. An empty one."

He'd been silent for a few moments, looking at the way moonlight gilded the inside of the crater. After awhile, he nodded. She took his hand again, and he briefly caught a flash of light surrounding them.

They came out in some barren, blasted place, but that was all he got to see before he stepped away from her. He closed his eyes, mastering his roiling stomach with a considerable effort of his will. Some of his evening meal made it up the back of his throat. He swallowed it down with a minor cough. Under control once more, he opened his eyes and turned.

Two moons hung in the sky, full and impossibly close. That was disorienting to look at. The landscape itself seemed to be nothing but rocks. Valleys and mountains of it, all one shade or another of peach.

She was staring at him. "This planet hasn't had life for a long time. I can sense it. It's a little smaller than my world… it has the same atmosphere, obviously, since we can breathe. Zaraki-sempai, you might need to release your own chakra if mine gets out of hand. To protect yourself. I'll try not to let my chakra burn you, but I've never done what I'm about to do."

He felt excitement rising in him, more than he'd felt in years. He lifted his eye patch, noticing how she didn't flinch at the towering inferno of his reiatsu exploding into the atmosphere. He let out every drop, unleashing himself the way he very rarely got a chance to. Such liberation… fuck, it was almost erotic. "Now you, girl."

And so she had. He realized two things before his mind shut down. One, his reiatsu was nowhere near the level of hers and, consequently, would do nothing of note if hers got out of hand. Two, she did protect him from her reiatsu or he would have went the way of the mountain range on her world. That was all he registered. The rest of the time his mouth was open in worshipful awe.

Time passed where they bonded through the unleashing of their power. He sensed her joy in the act, in the destruction, and his joy mirrored hers, matched it. It was a dark joy.

The land they were standing on vanished on contact with her reiatsu. She kept them hovering in the air with some mental ability she had. He could feel where it pressed firmly against his body, like invisible bands. Every other thing that had mass was similarly obliterated. Her hair flew around her head in a tangled black cloud, her eyes were yellow. He'd watched in naked wonder as whatever world they were on was eaten in an ever-widening circle. They were inside some bubble of light she created as space itself became visible, then surrounded them. Her reiatsu bled away in the void of black, and all that was left was them, floating, in her bubble of light.

Of the planet, there was perhaps a third of it left. Knocked off its orbit by the force of her power, it sailed lazily away from them, a misshapen hunk of rock, no more.

Whatever air she'd retained in the bubble was growing thin as he panted. They hung in space, stars around them, the two moons right there… she grabbed his hand weakly and the bubble flashed.

They were back on her world. This time at the bottom of the crater. The sides loomed around them, creating the illusion that they were in the nest of some huge beast.

She was slumped against him, nearly unconscious. He supported her, sat down cross-legged, and let her head rest on his knee.

He set his sword by his side and lost himself in thought.

What would it be like to fight her? Happy and quiet creature that she was, he knew, without being told, that she was made to fight. There was something implacable about her, something… kindred. There was violence in her, he suspected. Great, unplumbed wells of it. If he could tap into that violence, have it fueled with her frighteningly strong reiatsu… he would have the fight of his life on his hands.

He coveted her.

Or what she could give him. Endless fun and excitement, endless battles.

But he would be going back to his world soon… or at some point in the future. He doubted the girl's fathers would allow her to visit. And he was not about to let her slip from his grasp. That he was going to have her and keep her was without doubt… he just didn't know how to go about that yet.

She had a crush on him. That's what his vice-captain said. This was significant information, but he could not immediately see how it was significant. It teased at the corners of his mind, just out of reach.

He hated thinking deeply. She stirred on his knee and he nudged her roughly. "Oi. Wake up, I want to talk to you."

She sat up groggily. Releasing her reiatsu like that had probably exhausted her. She sat on her heels in front of him her hands in her lap, looking at him calmly. Had he not heard her speak, he would have thought her a mute. No child he'd ever seen was capable of such immobility, such control of their flapping tongues. Whatever.

"Talk to me," he said gruffly. "Of yourself. What do you think about when you're alone?" He needed a complete picture of her.

"You."

He grunted. "Before I came here, what did you think about?"

A thoughtful silence. "My brother. His problems, Akatsuki com-"

He waved a hand dismissively. "No, I'm not interested in that shit. Nothing about your family or people you know. The real you. Deep inside. What are your desires?"

"I don't understand."

He could see that she didn't. "Secrets. Do you have any? Tell me something about you that no one knows."

Her eyes wandered away from his face, looking aside as she thought. He noticed a small smile form on her lips and he'd thought, Ah, there. Whatever she's about to tell me, it'll be something delicious. He couldn't explain it, but there was something sinister in that smile and he approved wholeheartedly.

"I like violence," she said slowly, almost shyly. "I like when I'm in a fight and I-" she looked at him quickly, not sure if she should continue.

"You can tell me. Your secrets are safe with me," he urged. He was nearly panting to hear the rest. "More importantly, you should learn to accept yourself."

She nodded and relaxed her shoulders. "Well, I was going to say that I like it when I get to hurt people. Not nice people, but bad people. People who hurt others. I like… their blood. Their screams."

He studied her. "Your parents don't seem like the type to let you get into many fights. And that wild brother of yours seems protective of you."

"Well… no, Daddy and Papa wouldn't let me get into too many fights. But they don't know about them. Sometimes, at night, I fold to other places where there are bad people and…" She shrugged, leaving the rest unsaid.

He understood. "I bet every once in awhile, something inside you needs it, neh? You need those fights, don't you girl."

Aimi smiled in relief at being understood. "Yes. I do. But my Daddy would be horrified and my Papa would probably just be mad. Kyuubi understands, but he doesn't like me much."

"Kyuubi?"

"The demon in my daddy. When I was small, inside my daddy still, I thought Kyuubi was my parent. He was right there, inside with me, and his thoughts and memories were so much fun. His… The things he did. He loves destruction and violence. When I was in his thoughts, it was like I was right there with him, doing those things. I felt how much he liked doing those things, and I liked it too. He's strong, like me. But Kyuubi hates me, I think because I'm part Uchiha. I did some things to him before I was born, playing with my Sharingan. After, when I was born, I couldn't really talk to him anymore… but I know he would understand why I do what I do."

And so did Kenpachi. She was more the demon's child, and the child of the side of Sasuke that was a monster, than she was Naruto and Sasuke's daughter. She was violence and destruction herself, wrapped up in a happy little girl. He wondered if anyone in her family really understood her. Probably not. She was well-loved, well-cared for… but her silent nature likely stemmed from feeling somewhat apart from them. Though, now that he considered it, Sasuke was kind of on the moody side sometimes.

What interested him the most was how like himself she was. She took pleasure in fighting, something very few people outside of Madarame and Yachiru truly understood about him. If she were a little older-

He gasped as the significance of her feelings hit him at last. Now he knew how he could keep her. He thought it over, watching how she stared at him. If he understood everything correctly, and she really was more demon than human, her 'crush' on him might actually be her recognition of a mate. He freely admitted that, short of one of these demon Akatsuki coming along, he was likely the strongest male she would ever meet. He took a moment to quiet his excitement and feel her out with his own sharp senses. Yes, it was there. An attraction to her that had nothing to do with love or sex, but was a recognition of power. She probably wasn't far off from flowering to full maturity. This crush could arguably be the onset of puberty. Whether or not he was meant to be with her, he didn't know or care. He wanted her.

But first…

"You're very young and I'm very old. You are too young for me to have you yet, but when you're older you will be mine. Yachiru has already told me of your feelings for me, so I don't expect any resistance from you. Now. Take us back."

She stared at him. "Yours?"

"Yes. Mine. My woman."

He expected her to display some form of happiness, the way women did when men made such pronouncements.

Her eyes turned first red, then yellow. A low rumbling emitted from her, shaking the ground where he sat. What the fuck-?

"You don't own me." Her voice held a power it hadn't had before.

He wondered briefly how she was able to affect sound waves like that, that her growl could shake the earth, but he forgot it to address her statement. "I don't own you yet, but once you have a few years on you, I'll be claiming you properly, in every way you can think of. It's a done deal. I'll speak to your parents about it, if you doubt me. No one is going to stop me from having you."

"I might stop you. My brother will definitely stop you if I tell him to. Did you forget he or I can kill you easily?"

No he hadn't. He grabbed her by a fistful of her night shirt and hauled her face to his. He suddenly realized that he'd gone all this time without his patch covering his eye. She wasn't bothered at all by his reiatsu. "I'll take that chance," he said with a grin. "Kill me, though, and you'll never know what it's like to be a woman in my arms. I said you're mine and that's that. I'll wait for you to ripen." He shoved her away from him.

She caught herself and stood up, pouting. After a moment, she grabbed his hand and they were in the living room of her house. She left him to go silently up the stairs to her room. He stood there in the empty room, thinking over all he'd experienced that night. He'd chuckled to himself and headed off to sleep.

Itachi, for once, was not approaching Gaara for sex. The Kazekage asked if he was all right. After receiving a slanted glance in answer, Gaara left him to his thoughts.

He'd been an idiot, Itachi chided himself. Chasing Kabuto as if his life depended on it, and for what? The man had gotten away in the end. Catching him would be simple, he realized. All he needed to do was have Raiden or Aimi pull the bastard from wherever he was hiding and that would be that. Such wonderful children Sasuke had bred for the clan.

That decided, Itachi put Kabuto completely out of his mind. There were more interesting things to think about.

He'd returned to the village to find Sasuke housing some fascinating people. Apparently, when he and Naruto had gone in search of Raiden and Aimi after he'd… kicked them out (Itachi shifted uncomfortably), they'd met these people on their world. Itachi quite loved them on sight, a rare reaction for him, and one he did not display openly at all.

They were all, save one, strong and healthy men. And they were interested in his girls.

Well some of them were. The one called Hitsugaya had Asami smiling and joyful with his quiet and serious ways. He didn't know what the white-haired youth did, other than listen to Asami talk, but whatever it was, Itachi approved. And it was clear the interest was returned. He did not misjudge the long stares those turquoise eyes gave Asami. Itachi had discreetly asked Hitsugaya how old he was. He'd been given an answer that widened the Uchiha's eyes.

And Madarame Ikkaku! A blessing. A true blessing. Itachi pursed his lips in pleasure just thinking about him. The man was a wild animal of aggression. That was wonderful. He was interested in one of his girls. That, too, was wonderful. The man had taken his bisexual daughter and firmly turned her sights towards him. That was so far beyond wonderful that Itachi didn't have the words to express just what it was. The gleam of possession in Ikkaku-san's eyes, the way he was currently playing hard to get with his daughter… it was enough to make Itachi want to kiss the man's feet. The man had tamed Akiko to his hand quite nicely. He expected to be approached for her hand in marriage soon. Itachi would of course agree, after proper negotiations.

Shouta. The boy was probably too young to beget children yet… no, wait. His voice had changed recently, so maybe not. But that pink-haired girl was too young to conceive, surely. That relationship would have to wait. Itachi conveniently chose not to think of how Shouta repeatedly ran away from Yachiru.

Itachi briefly considered Kenta's liaison with that feather-eyed freak. He moved on.

Kenpachi. It was too bad Sumiko and Hiroko were taken. An excellent son-in-law he would have made.

He got up from the chair he'd been sitting in and went in search of his children. He wanted to see how the wedding plans were coming. Both ceremonies were only a few days away.

Akiko made her report to the captain before stalking off towards home. She lived in a perpetual rage these days. She grouched and snapped at everyone. Akane and Asami's happiness only made it worse, making her long to slit their throats.

It was all that bald bastard's fault, she thought angrily. Curse the day she'd ever laid eyes on him!

She'd gone right after him that time he'd left her in the forest, only to find him sitting on his ass at uncle Sasuke's house. She'd hauled him out of there, down a few lanes in the compound and stopped at a modest one-story house, currently unoccupied. Ikkaku had wrenched his arm away, looking at her warily.

"You," she'd said. "You know nothing about me to say I have too much baggage. Who do you think you are, kissing me and leaving like that?"

He'd frowned at her. "I'm confused. Are you mad because I left or because you want more kissing?"

"Both!"

That had shocked him. He hadn't expected her to be so upfront about her feelings. "I see. And what do you expect me to do about it?"

Was he dense? Here she was saying she wanted more kissing. Why wasn't he pouncing on the opportunity? All men wanted to have someone willing to submit to their attentions. She made a rude sound. "I expect you to… you know, continue."

He'd had to bite his tongue to keep from grinning. One kiss and she'd fallen. He took a moment to stare off at the twilit sky, letting her stew.

It could be that she was just enjoying the novelty of having a man kiss her. When he wasn't fighting her, he'd made inquiries around, trying to find out about her. He'd discovered that if she was associated with the opposite sex, it was usually some younger male. He didn't want her interest in him, if there was any, to stem from whatever issues she had regarding her sister's rape. He wanted her to really want him, for himself.

He turned back to her. She'd crept closer to him, her face flushed and gorgeous. "I don't think I will. I wouldn't want to add to your fear of men." He said this in a solicitous manner that he could tell infuriated her to no end.

"It won't."

"Well, how can you be sure?"

"Because… you kissing me would help me get over the fear," she said awkwardly. "Now kiss me!"

He affected a hurt expression. "So you would use my feelings for you against me?"

She stamped her foot, screaming between her clenched teeth. Now that he thought about it, that flush might not be from anger. Had he gotten her too hot and bothered and now she wanted relief? The thought seemed to be an accurate one, when he dropped his eyes to the thin top she wore. She'd taken off her vest at some point before reaching him. Her nipples were hard little points. And she was shaking.

Well. That was different. Still, he would not let this slip of a girl manipulate him into servicing her. He waited for an answer.

Akiko watched in disbelief as he was content to stand there staring at her. She should be fighting off his dick by now. "What kind of man are you," she screeched. Her voice was shrill in the still compound.

He didn't answer her. She stalked away from him, punching the side of the little house, which happened to be her own. After a while she turned back to him. "What do you want from me? You called me beautiful. Why did you kiss me if you don't want to do it again?"

The lost and confused tone of her honestly bewildered questions tugged at his heart. Gloriously violent girl that she was, she had much to learn. "Maybe I want to know you."

"Wha-" she cut her impatient whine off, arranging her features to a more mature expression. "You asked me to go out with you. Fine. I accept."

He'd smiled. "Good. We can go now if you like."

She'd agreed.

That had been days ago. Not once, during all that time, had he kissed her again. They went out every night after she got off work. She talked about every topic under the sun and he listened, enthralled by what she considered boring crap. Then he would talk, describing Soul Society, his life, past battles. She had to admit, his world sounded fascinating. And the battles he'd survived were highly interesting. She asked questions and he answered. He asked and she answered. Sometimes he touched her hair, which made her shiver. Once she'd touched his arm.

And afterwards, she'd go home, lock herself in the bathroom, and masturbate savagely until she came. She would envision his body, remember his kiss, how it had felt to be held off the ground by him…

She couldn't understand it. He wasn't even handsome, though he wasn't ugly either. His voice was cocky, his smile too smug most of the time. But his strength excited her terribly, and she longed to have that bald head rubbing all over her.

***

They'd stopped their sparring matches, so she didn't have that to look forward to as she stomped her way into the house. She was about to head upstairs and shower when a presence that shouldn't be there caught her attention. She stopped, listening to the silent house.

It was dark. She knew Akane was probably 'working late' with Ibiki, and Asami was off with Hitsugaya. She should have the place to herself.

She prowled noiselessly through the downstairs rooms. Her kunai slipped into her hand just as quietly.

He was sitting at the kitchen table, in the dark, eating from a tub of ice-cream he'd likely found in the freezer. He sucked a mouthful from his spoon as he looked up at her silent entry. "Asami let me in before she left. Hope you don't mind?"

She sheathed her kunai, reaching to flip on the lights. "What are you doing here?"

"Leave the lights off," Ikkaku said. "Why I'm here? Got tired of playing games. You really are too desirable to keep away from, you know."

And before she could ask what that meant, he was gone from the chair, crowding her against the fridge as he kissed her roughly. She whimpered in need as the arousal that constantly simmered below the surface these days flashed up to swallow her whole. His mouth was cold at first, tasting of butterscotch ice-cream. She dropped her mask that she'd been holding and threw her arms around his neck, using his bald head to give herself leverage as she pulled herself up against him. His six feet dwarfed her but she managed to climb him so that he got a hand under her and then she was safely anchored against the fridge by his weight.

More. She needed more of his delicious tongue, dear God, she couldn't get enough of him! She made growling sounds as she let him dictate the kiss; how hard, how slow, how long… she gloried in it, in the way he did what he wanted with her. And yet he liked it when she got wild, she could tell. She rubbed her palms over and over his sexy dome, making him shudder uncontrollably. He hoisted her higher, his tongue down her throat, eating her face viciously. And still she wanted more.

Her breasts ached where they were flattened against his chest, and her pussy burned and wept where his hard stomach pressed into it. She ground herself against him, pulling at his shoulders, his head, his face… she punched him on his back, needing more from him and not getting it.

Ikkaku quite understood. He just hadn't thought she would welcome the full brunt of his desire.

Keeping her in place with his hips, he leaned back and ripped her vest and shirt off. Her small breasts jounced from this treatment. He lifted her by her armpits and latched on to one dark peak, suckling strongly.

She screamed, digging her nails into his scalp as her body quaked in his grasp. He walked with her to the kitchen table and dropped her onto it, tipping the thing dangerously for a moment with her weight. The table slammed back onto all four legs and Ikkaku released her breast long enough to snatch her pants off of her, taking her shoes with it. She was naked, reaching for him, not giving him a chance to look his fill. "Please," she begged. "Oh, please!"

He sucked two fingers briefly, before shoving them deep inside her, catching her hiss of pain with his mouth. She was unbelievable tight. Not a virgin, but close enough that it made no difference. He supported her with an arm behind her back as he frigged her fast and hard. Her inner muscles sucked hotly on his fingers, making little wet sounds.

Akiko turned from his kiss to bite his shoulder, trying to keep another scream in, trying to keep from losing her mind. Whether by accident or by virtue of whatever experience he had, his fingers curved upward, hitting her sweet spot dead on. Pleasure built in her in a crescendo of painful intensity, her muscles locking and tightening in preparation. Ikkaku was about to find out very shortly-

"What the hell-?" he grunted in surprise.

That she was a squirter.

Scalding liquid shot out of her pussy in a high-powered stream, drenching his arm to the elbow and splattering the floor in a flood. He pulled his hand out of her, looking at her face. "Don't stop," she gasped. The aftershocks were wracking her body so that the words came out jagged and disjointed.

Ikkaku had heard of this happening to some women but had never been fortunate enough to bed one who was capable of it. He quickly shed his clothing, sucking her juice from his fingers, before plunging them into her dripping cavern again. He started off slow, making sure to note the exact location this time, drawing out the buildup until she cursed him furiously, her eyes red and dangerous. He stopped teasing her, moving his hand the way she wanted.

It came quicker this time. He was ready. He bent and let her gush hotly all over his head, grinning and moving his head in a circle to get all of it. "Haha, yeah!" he growled. "Come all over me, baby. Soak me with it!"

The aftershocks lasted longer this time, making her sob brokenly as she writhed on the table. Her fluids dripped onto the floor and off of Ikkaku. He watched her a moment, enjoying her pleasure as if it were his own. Then he bent again and rubbed his bald head strongly on her twitching nether lips, feeling them spread open on him.

"Ahhhh! Oh, yes!" she cried.

He rubbed and massaged her labia, loving the feel of her wet heat, the bud of her clitoris on his head. He pressed with just the right amount of pressure and soon she was coming again, though she didn't squirt this time. The way those hairless pink lips fluttered on his scalp had him rearing up and quickly positioning himself at her core.

Akiko supported herself weakly on her hands. She was trembling, her body still jerking from her latest orgasm. She saw him grab his member and she let out a gasp. "No." It was thick and, to her eyes, long. His cock was slightly curved upward. She tried to close her legs but he blocked her with his body. "No," she said again. "No!"

Ikkaku let go of his organ long enough to gather her close. He made shushing noises against her sweaty hair, her naked body absolutely heavenly against his. "Okay. I'll wait a bit, but honestly woman, you're not a virgin."

"But that thing is huge!" she whispered against his shoulder. "It will hurt."

"And then it will feel good. I promise. Please, Akiko…" He kissed her, silencing her protests. She moaned, kissing him back hungrily, tasting her juices on his mouth. His fingers twisted her nipples sharply, making her scream in lust, the sensation shooting down to her clit.

Ikkaku kissed his way down her body until his head was between her thighs again. He covered her small wet pussy with his mouth, sucking insistently, making her arch her back and cover her own mouth with a hand. She shouted something unintelligible behind that hand, her thighs jittering on the table as he pushed his tongue as deep inside her as it would go. He slid it back and forth a few times before fastening his mouth onto her clit and sucking as he slid two fingers inside her again. This time she came almost immediately, making his ears ring with her shriek. He opened his mouth wide, catching the sweet liquid until his cheeks bulged with it. He straightened up and spat it all over her quivering body, making sure he got her face and hair.

Akiko gasped at the spray, but then he was kissing her again. She felt him nudging at her entrance with his cock and tried to protest again. God, but just him touching her there with it had her afraid.

"You're killing me, Akiko," He hissed against her mouth. "I want you, I love you-"

She squeezed him hard around his chest, burying her face in his neck. He stroked her back, her come squelching between their bodies. He murmured another plea and she broke. It wasn't like she didn't want him, too. "Okay," she whispered.

He reared back and positioned himself, holding his rock hard cock steady as he wrapped an arm behind her, pulling her to the edge of the table. He held her hips steady, pressing through her slick walls with difficulty.

"Uhh… Ikkaku…" She tensed her muscles, bracing as if for a blow.

Ikkaku grit his teeth, using every ounce of control he possessed not to ram into her sweltering passage. He eased forward, stopping after every inch to give her time to adjust. He stared at where her tight pink hole, previously almost invisible, was now stretched wide around his girth. Her nails dug into his arms, her entire face clenched tight in pain. "I'm sorry," he gasped. "I'm so sorry."

He jerked her hips forward, sinking himself to the hilt in her hot little sheath. She opened her mouth to let out another scream, but he silenced her with another kiss, holding still and giving her time. Giving them both time. Her tight vise had him close to coming. He breathed his way back to a semblance of control as she sniffed against his chest.

"Ouch," she said forlornly. "Your dick is way too big and hard. Please hurry up and finish so you can take it out." She hiccupped again, trembling in his arms.

Ikkaku nodded, regretful that she wouldn't enjoy it, but he couldn't stop now. He lifted her in his palms, distributing her weight in his hands as he moved her slowly up and down his straining length. His head fell back as she immediately came again, gushing around him and putting hard pressure on his cock. She cried out weakly, clawing at his shoulders, but at least it eased his passage within her, slicking her writhing inner walls so that his veiny erection was able to move smoothly.

The way she constantly came and squeezed his cock with her strong inner muscles drove him wild. He spread his legs, increasing the pace and force of his up and down motion of her hips. The faster he moved, the higher her screams became and she climaxed again and again, her come spraying out of her to cascade down his legs and splash up his chest with each downward slam. They were soaked, both of them, and soon she was telling him not to stop, not to ever stop. She was crazed, biting him, licking his face, sucking his neck and rubbing his head.

Her hands on his head did it for him. He doubted if she knew just how sensitive it was or what a turn on it was when she rubbed it. He gave one more downward slam of her hips, causing her to shriek her loudest yet as he emptied repeatedly into her convulsing body. He yelled himself, arched as his balls seemed to take forever to pump out his seed.

After, when he carried her upstairs to the huge bed she shared with her sisters, he wondered how long they would have together before the enemies showed up. He tucked her in, brushed her hair from her sleeping face and paused as he looked down at her. He'd never had a woman so wild or so loud. He wondered if she could ever love him. He hoped so, because he was head over heels in love with her.

"Oh beautiful, Wyatt-san! Your stride is beautiful! Keep going! You have found your motivation at last!"

Lee praised Wyatt to the skies as he ran the ten miles without stopping. Indeed, Wyatt had found his motivation and it was summed up in one word: Raiden.

Since that day in the forbidden forest, they'd kissed a lot. Whenever they were alone and could manage it, in fact. Wyatt found himself imbued with new strength and energy these days, feeling as if he could lift mountains and run forever. It showed in his training with Lee-sensei. While nowhere near the level of his team mates, he at least didn't shame the Halliwell name the way he had been doing. He could do the ten miles, though it was still extremely painful. He could perform the katas, if not spar with anyone. And today his kunai had sailed almost all the way to the tree twenty feet away from him, instead of falling after five feet the way it usually did.

He got through his days by thinking of when he and Raiden could be alone. When Lee-sensei dismissed them today, he didn't wait for Aimi. He orbed directly to Raiden's room, where the other boy was waiting.

***

Raiden dropped the manga he was reading and sat up on his bed. Wyatt fell on top of him, kissing every part of his face that he could find. Raiden welcomed him, wrapping his arms around the sweaty boy and rolling so Wyatt was pinned beneath him on the bed. Raiden picked his head up to look down at him. "Missed you, Angel."

"I missed you too." Wyatt scrunched his nose at the use of his new nickname.

That was it for awhile, as Raiden initiated the kiss this time. They'd gotten better at it; Raiden tilted his head expertly, his mouth fitting neatly against Wyatt's open one as they suckled lingeringly on each other's tongues. They held each other tightly and the now-familiar feel of tingling heat had them sweating.

Raiden had never felt anything like it. His prick, still immature, was nevertheless able to achieve a state of almost complete readiness. His balls ached furiously whenever the thing rubbed on Wyatt's slightly more mature erection. He ached everywhere, actually, his body needing and straining towards something, though it was as yet unable to accomplish it.

Wyatt frequently cried quietly during these kisses, the feelings he had for Raiden too large and painful not to. Raiden would kiss the tears away, kiss Wyatt harder and hold him as if he never meant to let go. This time, he stopped kissing Wyatt to look down into his swimming eyes. "What is it?"

At first Wyatt, didn't answer. He just shook his head, taking one hand from where Raiden grasped it to wipe his face. He pushed and Raiden sat up, frowning as he became alarmed. If Wyatt said he was leaving…

"I can't…" Wyatt swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut. "I can't do this."

"Do what?" Raiden felt as if something were inside him, trying to kill him.

"Raiden… your Dad came to me yesterday and said I need to think about leaving soon."

"What?! That motherf-"

"He said he knows you won't do it unless the suggestion comes from me… but I can't. I can't, Raiden, I can't be away from you." Wyatt covered his face after this admission. He hadn't meant to say it so plainly.

Raiden felt the thing inside him loosen in relief. He scooted over to Wyatt and enveloped him in the tightest hug Wyatt's body could stand. He pressed his cheek to Wyatt's, feeling his arms hug him in turn. "I'm not taking you back. I'm glad you brought this up because… I, uh… I've been meaning to ask if you could live here, Wyatt. Forever. I know life is hard here and there aren't any cars or-"

Wyatt leaned back. "You mean it? I can stay?"

"I mean it," Raiden's eyes held Wyatt's. "I want you to stay."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

Wyatt dropped his head. Grimaced as if in pain… because he was in pain. "I love you, Raiden. I mean… I really love you."

Raiden's eyes went wide. But now that it was out in the open… "I love you too, Wyatt. I always have."

"It hurts. A lot." Wyatt grabbed at his chest.

"I know."

"Sometimes I don't think I can take it."

"Me either."

"Don't send me away. Not ever."

"I won't."

"Swear?"

"I swear."

"Promise it."

"I promise. I'll never send you away."

"I mean, I might want to visit my family, but you have to come with me and bring me right back when I'm done."

"Okay."

"Raiden…"

"What?"

"… Nothing."

"No, say it."

"No… it's just… I want… you."

"You have me. I'm here."

"No, I mean…"

"What?"

"You know… what your parents were… saying?"

Raiden's breath stopped for a few seconds. "S-sex?" he whispered.

"Yeah… no. I don't know. I just feel like I want more of you when we're kissing. And right now…"

Raiden trembled in Wyatt's grasp as the older boy guided his hand down to his crotch. Raiden left his hand on his friend's erection, suddenly scared shitless. Things were skating too fast out into unknown territory; this was more than kissing. This was something with the words 'Forbidden' and 'Adult' and 'Dangerous' stamped all over it in huge letters.

"Wyatt… I'm… not ready for sex," he squeaked. His tremors increased. "I still think it's kind of gross."

Wyatt snorted a laugh that sounded half like a sob. "So do I… I'm not ready either. I meant… you know. Touching. Here." He gave Raiden's hand a squeeze where it sat on his hardness.

"Oh."

"I do it in the bathroom sometimes. And think about… about you."

"Oh?"

"Sometimes I have dreams about you. You're touching me in the dreams."

"Oh… I see."

"It feels good, Raiden."

"The way you ran after I kissed you the first time, I never would have thought you did those things." And he could not believe his timid friend was being aggressive in this matter. Was this really Wyatt?

"Well, it was after the first kiss that I started. Before, I just used to do it to thoughts of girls."

"Oh." Raiden was forcibly reminded of the fact that Wyatt was a year older, going on fourteen soon. He might be weaker physically, and nothing like the boys in his acquaintance, but his body was more mature. And he was starting to make demands… Raiden needed to step up his game here.

"Okay… we can touch if you want."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"We don't have to if you don't want to."

Raiden gratefully pulled his hand back. "Okay."

"Kiss me some more. And say you love me again."

Raiden did these things. He liked doing them, finding that Wyatt was an incredibly tactile person when he wasn't trying to ignore his feelings. He'd always been touchy, but now that he and Raiden were sharing what they really felt, it was magnified exponentially.

He crept into Raiden's bed at night, or let Raiden climb into his. They would hug and kiss and rub each other's limbs gently. Sometimes they lay together, cheek to cheek, listening to Raiden's parents bring the house down with their lovemaking. The sounds sent shivers of excitement through both boys and many were the times that they kissed to this violent accompaniment.

After awhile Wyatt pulled back, breathing hard. He rested his head on Raiden's shoulder. "What will your parents do when they find out you won't send me back?"

"Kick my ass bloody. Scream till I'm deaf. Then they'll probably get Aimi to do it."

"What will you do?"

"I'm on it. She thinks I don't know she's into that Kenpachi dude. Or the fact that she Booms like every other night. I don't know why she thinks I can't sense when she uses her chakra."

"So…?"

"Blackmail, plain and simple. As bad as Pop and Dad will light into me for bucking them like I'm about to, it will be nothing when or if I tell them what she's been doing."

"Won't she be angry at you for blackmailing her?"

"Probably."

"Raiden… you'll be going against your whole family for me. I don't want them to hurt you."

"You're forgetting that I can heal. Don't worry. It'll be rough, but I'll tough it out. But, uh… if my Pop puts me in a Genjutsu, or Aimi does, orb me away quickly. Then summon Hiroshi or Asuma. Or Shouta, to break me out, okay?"

Wyatt had been introduced to these boys some days ago. "Okay."

They stopped talking, just sitting in each other's arms. It was the safest, most wonderful place to be, in both boys' estimation.

Aimi let herself into her room and found him sitting on her bed. He wasn't doing anything but polishing his sword with one of her bandanas. She wondered how he dared come into her room with her parents in the house… it wasn't even nighttime.

That night she'd spent with him, showing him her chakra… it had scared her. Badly. He scared her, and she found the feeling irresistibly interesting. She'd never, to her knowledge, felt fear before. Not like this. The time Raiden had gone berserk in his dream and killed their parents, she'd been afraid. Sort of. But not like this. She had quaked inwardly at the things Kenpachi said, feeling threatened even though, as she'd said, she could kill him easily. She wouldn't and they both knew it.

She'd lain awake until morning that night, wondering why he had 'claimed' her and what it meant to be a woman in his arms. She felt sure it meant something besides hugging. She didn't know. All she knew was that she wanted to be around his power, wanted to be his and now he wanted her. She'd thought her heart would shred to pieces with the intensity of her feelings…

His statement that she belonged to him had rankled. Afterwards (days later, actually, when she had herself under firm control again) she was able to think properly. She would go with him, but he wouldn't own her. No one, ever, anywhere, would own her. The idea of it was just… abhorrent. Oh, but she wanted him so much! She wondered what they would do together that he said he had to wait till she was older. She hoped it included fighting. That was really all she could think about when she thought about wanting him. Being with him so she could feel his power.

She didn't like him coming into her room unannounced. "You don't belong in here," she said now.

"Let's get something straight between us," Kenpachi said with a grin. "For all intents and purposes, you belong to me. I-"

Aimi hit him with a hard Genjutsu. What surprised her was how he used his chakra to resist it.

Kenpachi grunted, his head snapping back. She was in his mind, that much he could tell, and she was attempting to wrest control from him… He called up his reiatsu in defense, outraged that she would think to violate his being this way.

Aimi staggered back, shocked to speechlessness at how he'd broken her Genjutsu with the sheer force of his chakra. He stood up angrily, sheathing his blade with a sharp snap. He came to her, where she cowered against her door. She thought he was going to slap her. She shoved him telepathically as hard as she could, sending him crashing through the far wall of her bedroom, to land in the backyard. Almost instantly, she wrenched open her door and ran.

Hiroko sat in her living room, alone and lonely. This was the last day of the vacation Konohamaru had arranged for them. He hadn't come back since the day he'd slammed out of her – their – house. She hadn't seen him around the village, either, but then, she hadn't ventured far beyond her house.

Her father had come back and looked at her with disgust. She'd managed to wait until she got home, before dissolving into tears. Akane had told her brothers the full story and some of them, like Kaito, Kenji, Juro and Yukio, were outraged that she could betray her village the way she did. Hiroto said nothing, standing by her, but she could tell she'd really disappointed him.

Kenta was caught up with Yumichika, who was now staying with him, so he didn't really have much to say about his sister's situation. Kenji had been forced to move in with Hiroto, who protested vehemently. He wanted to know why Kenji couldn't live in his own perfectly available house. Kenji had made some noise about never having lived alone.

Shouta only shrugged, keeping an eye out for the human shadow he'd developed. Hiroko overheard him telling Su that he had nightmares about Yachiru.

***

A ripple in the air had her glancing up. Aimi appeared, looking frightened. She wrung her hands in agitation, looking at Hiroko.

"Aimi?" She set her mug of tea aside, unfolding her legs to come over to her young cousin. "What's wrong? Is everything all right?" She rested a hand on Aimi's shoulder.

"No," Aimi shook her head frantically. "I think I'm in trouble."

"How so?"

Aimi told of Kenpachi, making Hiroko's heart melt with how sweet this first romance was. She listened to the way they'd gone out one night, of how Aimi had told him a secret and showed him her power. When Aimi got to the part about what Kenpachi had said, Hiroko stopped her.

"He said that to you?" Hiroko asked sharply. "Just like that? About being a woman in his arms?"

Aimi nodded emphatically. "But I don't care about that. I don't know what it means, but I don't care. Just now he was in my room and I put a Genjutsu on him, a strong one… Hiroko, he broke out of it easily! Nobody ever breaks out of my Genjutsus, not even you. What does it mean?"

Hiroko thought that was the least of the girl's worries. She looked at Aimi's wide eyes as she thought. "From what I understand of these visitors," she said slowly, "they are hundreds, or in Kenpachi's case, perhaps thousands of years old. That is a long time to learn how to use one's chakra effectively. And his is exceptionally strong, Aimi. I doubt anyone could put a Genjutsu on him unless it was a collective effort. Not even you." Aimi dropped her head and Hiroko reached a hand to lift her chin, forcing eye-contact. "I'm the last person to give you advice on boys or men, but I don't think you should hang around this guy, Aimi. What he said to you was inappropriate and him being in your room does not sound right. The way he says you belong to him-"

"But I love him! I do belong to him!"

Hiroko frowned. "Honey, you're too young to know what love is. Love is a bitter, painful thing that endures, even when you hate the person. Even when they hurt you, you love them. You know nothing of that," she said to Aimi's thoughtful face. But she did. And she realized that she was tired of being married and alone. She stood, pulling Aimi up by her hand. "I'll walk you home. I want you to seriously reconsider spending time around this Kenpachi, Aimi. Has he touched you?"

"Of course. I told you we-"

"Has he touched you inappropriately?"

"Like how?"

"On your privates. Or kissed you. Has he?"

Aimi yanked her hand from Hiroko's. "Of course not! Who would do such a thing? Only big people like my daddies do that. I would never let anybody touch me like that. That's sex!"

"Not quite, but I'm glad you have that attitude. If he tries to touch you, Aimi-"

"Ugh! I would never ever-"

"All right," Hiroko cooed, trying to soothe the outraged girl. Aimi's eyes were turning yellow, and there was a bit of white near the crown of her head. "All right, I understand. Just… keep what I said in mind."

***

Aimi walked beside her in wounded silence, as she led the way back to her uncle's house. Sasuke himself opened the door. He ruffled Aimi's hair as she passed him. Hiroko glanced around and found no one immediately nearby. She tugged her uncle out onto the porch, shutting the door softly. "What's up?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm worried about Aimi."

Sasuke's open expression lowered into a frown. "What do you mean?"

"I think she has some kind of crush or obsession with Kenpachi. And I think he has an interest in her as well. I think… you need to keep an eye on them, Uncle Sasuke. And please don't tell Aimi I said anything. If I wasn't worried about what Kenpachi might do, or lead her to do, I wouldn't have said anything."

Sasuke stared at her, arms folded. "I see. Hiroko, if you're telling me he's touched my girl-"

"No. Not yet, I don't think. Aimi says he hasn't and that she would never allow it in any case… but some things were said…"

Sasuke's jaw flexed where he grit his teeth. He nodded. "Thanks for telling me. I'll take care of it." He turned and went into the house, shutting the door with more force than necessary.

Hiroko chewed her lip for a moment. Then, making a decision, she went in search of her husband.

Sasuke snagged Naruto from where he was wolfing down a bowl of take-out ramen. "Dammit, can't you see I'm eating?!" Noodles swung from Naruto's mouth as he tried to curse Sasuke out.

"I need to talk to you," Sasuke said curtly.

They talked. They were tense. They hovered on the brink of total, full-blown transformations… but they didn't know for sure what was going on between their guest and their daughter. They decided to wait and observe.

***

Sasuke cloaked them in Genjutsu, performing the tricky addition of masking their chakra-not an easy thing to do when you needed the chakra to maintain the Genjutsu-that night as they waited down the hall from Aimi's room.

They waited for hours. Night aged towards the smallest hours of the morning. They heard Raiden and Wyatt whispering upstairs, making suspiciously wet sounds, giggling…

Naruto had to bite his tongue to keep from roaring when Kenpachi appeared like a silent specter at the head the stairs. He could feel the strain in Sasuke as he masked every particle of chakra while making the hall seem deserted. Naruto, too, was masking his chakra fiercely. He longed to release it and rip this asshole's liver out, but he kept himself in control. Kyuubi was alert and silent within him. Hate Aimi he did, but it was his second kitling still, and the demon's thirst for blood was sharp in Naruto's mind. If Kenpachi was doing what Hiroko had hinted at…

But why else would he be up here?

Kenpachi approached the door he sought. He paused, glancing toward the end of the hall. For a moment, just a moment, there had been a ripple. Just the barest ripple of a hair-thin thread of reiatsu. He stared, senses primed to catch someone, but there was nothing and no one. He sniffed, using more earthly senses, but there was no scent. His skin tingled as if he was being watched. Instinct told him danger was nearby, but he could not detect a threat with any sense he possessed.

Doesn't mean there isn't one. That was basic philosophy. What one knows and perceives are often two very different things. He knew the world was spinning with him on it… didn't mean he saw or felt it. He unsheathed his sword. If danger was near, he would be by his woman's side when it fell. He scanned the hall once more. Then he entered Aimi's room without knocking.

Or he tried to. The door was locked. Sneering at this flimsy attempt to keep him out, Kenpachi twisted the knob sharply, breaking it easily. He entered quietly, but quickly, sword held ready.

***

Aimi turned over at hearing her lock snapped. She sat up as Kenpachi entered, her mouth making a little O of surprise at seeing the unsheathed blade. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Sasuke and Naruto, still masked, but now nearly insensate with rage, crept up the hall. They were in time to hear this question. They listened, hearing the following:

***

"Remember when you told my vice-captain you would go against your fathers to make me happy?"

"Y-yes."

"Well that time has come."

"But… I'm not equipped."

"I have all the equipment you need, right here." There was a rustle of clothing. Sasuke tensed, but Naruto put a hand on his shoulder, wanting absolute confirmation before they ripped Kenpachi's throat out.

"Well… it's not very long," Aimi could be heard saying. "Are you sure I can use that? I've never done anything with one before."

"It's more than long enough," Kenpachi said. "Yachiru has no complaints. I will teach you how to get the most from it. Here, touch it. Accustom yourself to the feel."

More rustling. Sasuke was vibrating. Naruto, too, had heard just about enough. Unless Aimi refused…

"It's heavier than it looks." Aimi's voice held surprise. "It's smooth. Perfect for my hands. I can't wait to play with it."

"It's not a toy. It's for giving pleasure. The kind of pleasure you and I talked about."

"I want you to show me."

"Yes. I know you like pain. We can't do this here, though. The noise would wake everyone. You won't master it right away. Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes."

"Good. No woman of mine will be ignorant."

***

Sasuke unmasked his chakra the same time Naruto did. A blast of wind from the blond vaporized the door-

The room was empty. There was a large ragged hole in the far wall. They stared at it, stared around. "Damn," Sasuke swore. "They folded."

Naruto clutched his hair with a hand, breathing deeply through his nose. His eyes closed as his control slipped a notch. "That animal is going to fuck our baby girl. Sasuke. Sasuke, stop me before I go Nine-Tails. Kyuubi is eating my control."

Sasuke spared him a glance, but turned to pelt up to the third floor. He heard Naruto right behind him.

Raiden and Wyatt squealed in fright as the door to their room was kicked off its hinges. Wyatt actually disappeared in a shower of orb lights for a few seconds. Sasuke ignored this. He took one lunging stride and hauled his half-naked son from his blankets. "Pop, what-"

Sasuke dropped him on the floor. "Your sister has folded. She's in danger. Take us to where she is right now. Be quick, Raiden."

His pop's voice was deadly calm. Raiden looked aside to see his dad panting in the doorway, one Kyuubi tail whipping the hall, claws digging into the door jamb. Wyatt saw this too and screamed shrilly, landing next to Raiden and clutching his bare arm.

Raiden didn't waste time. He sent his mind out, bypassing all the chakras he interpreted as 'dull'. Aimi's was always a bright starburst, easily located. He caught something, a mental flash, and hurriedly gathered Wyatt and his fathers. He folded as fast as he could.

***

They came out inside a huge crater, on the farthest side of the world. The land wasn't even civilized. He opened his seventh sense wide, perfectly still. Sensing… seeking…

Sasuke glanced around. There wasn't a soul outside of themselves.

Naruto waited impatiently, knowing Raiden wouldn't fail, but anxious to sink his teeth into Kenpachi. Even now, as they stood here, he could be spreading Aimi's sturdy legs, covering her body with his much larger one. It was sick enough that he fucked his own child-like vice-captain, but Naruto would see Kenpachi dead before he let that happen to Aimi. What he couldn't understand was why his quiet, sensible little girl seemed willing to submit to the dead man's advances.

Wyatt was just as without clothes as Raiden. He shivered in the cool night air as he watched Raiden tip his head back, eyes half closing as he searched god knew how many galaxies for Aimi; if she'd been anywhere on this planet, they would be with her by now. Moonlight frosted Raiden's body, throwing the muscles into sharp relief. His boxers fluttered slightly in the breeze.

***

Raiden's vision did not register his surroundings. With his seventh sense, worlds flashed before his eyes, shining constructs of colors he didn't even have names for. He cast his mind far and wide, attuned to the signature brilliance of his sister, a being very much like himself, but with key differences.

There.

Without stopping to gather his parents or Wyatt, he Boomed.

He appeared on some distant world and squinted his eyes against the hurricane of chakras being unleashed, one yellow, the other a familiar lavender. He heard his sister shrieking somewhere in the gale and strode forward purposefully. His wings sprouted from his back, held tight against his body as the chakras passed over him. His long, gray hair blew wildly around his head, briefly hiding his red eyes. He had a Death Sphere in each hand.

***

Aimi shrieked again, bringing Yachiru's blade up to block the downward stroke Kenpachi delivered. She positioned and braced her body as instructed, moving into the forms with difficulty, unaccustomed as she was to gliding this way. She attacked when he retreated, as he'd shown her to do. She put all the force of her body into the blows, sweating and panting, but so happy it was devastating. Using her chakra like this, calling upon the savagery of her inner nature to-

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

Kenpachi turned, seeing the brother. Why the baka had to interrupt them now, just as his woman was coming into her own, he didn't know, but he would make sure the kid understood it couldn't happen again.

"Oi. Brat. Run along back home and leave me and-"

Raiden ignored him. He stormed toward where Aimi was leaning on her sword, panting harshly. "Pop and Dad are worried sick! They think something happened to you! I swear they are ready to… kill… okay, what are you doing? Is that a sword?"

"Uh huh. Kenpachi let me borrow it from Yachiru. He's teaching me how to fight with it, it is so cool!"

"Sweet, can I try??"

"Okay!"

Raiden took the sword as Kenpachi watched in disbelief. He swung it as Aimi instructed, aping her stance. He swung and laughed with Aimi until Kyuubi growled in his head, loud enough make his ears bleed.

-Kitling! Have you located your den mate yet?! The host grieves at the delay and your Uchiha sire seeks blood. Has she been mounted?-

-Mounted? Whatever that means. She's fine. I'm coming back now.-

Raiden sighed happily, soon forgetting the exchange as he looked at the weapon appreciatively. "Kenpachi Taicho, where can I get a sword?"

Kenpachi strode over and took his vice-captain's weapon. "You would have to come to Soul Society and become a Shinigami to be eligible for a Zanpaktou. What do you want, boy?"

"Huh? Oh… oh, shit. Aimi, we gotta get back, Dad and Pop are mad as fuck."

Aimi seemed unperturbed. She took Raiden's hand and Kenpachi's and let her brother guide the Boom.

Sasuke whirled at hearing them come back. There they stood, all three of them, looking as if nothing had happened. Naruto descended like an avalanche, but he was right behind him.

Raiden just barely registered his dads coming at him and Aimi. Kenpachi didn't bother to ask what the problem was, but unsheathed his sword. Aimi looked on innocently. Right before he pounced, his dad let loose two tails, claws outstretched as he leaped, eyes red, fangs bared. He dimly registered his pop swooping in behind his dad, sword outstretched.

"Wyatt!" Raiden shrieked instinctively.

Wyatt orbed and threw his shield up in the nick of time, screaming at the impact Mr. Naruto and Sasuke made. Mr. Naruto bounded off as Mr. Sasuke wheeled and hovered. He leveled his sword at the blue sphere surrounding them, shooting a thick bar of lightning at it. "Raiden!" Wyatt hissed frantically. "Why are they trying to kill us?!"

Raiden didn't know. "Don't put that shield down, Wyatt." He raised his voice. "Dad, Pop! Stop it, she's fine!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, coming to land as close to his kids as Wyatt's shield would allow. "What were they doing when you found them?"

"Playing," Raiden said carefully. He had one eye on his dad, who was stalking off in the distance, pacing up and down, hopefully trying to bring himself under control. Not even during that horrible training had his dad gone Kyuubi. If he had to fight his dad like that, he would Boom.

"Aimi," Sasuke rasped between his fangs. "Has this man touched you? Don't lie to me."

Aimi huffed angrily. "Why does everybody keep saying that? No! Nobody touched me, okay??"

"I heard what he said in your room, Aimi. Playing could be another word he came up with to describe it. If you're lying to me-"

"I'm not!" Aimi turned to her brother. "Raiden, you saw us, tell him he was training me!"

That didn't sound much different to Sasuke's mind. He called up his chakra, intent on getting through that surprisingly tough shield. Naruto came charging back.

Raiden looked between the stubbornly silent Kenpachi, his angry sister and his even angrier parents. He began to have an inkling of what was going on. And he spotted a possible way for everything to work out for him and Wyatt. "Actually," he said now. "They were pretty sweaty… Aimi was screaming…" he couldn't say anymore. The idea of his sister and this hulk of a guy doing… stuff… Raiden turned his head aside, covering his mouth with a hand in disgust.

Aimi's growl hurt the ears, making the ground tremble. Kenpachi wondered what the boy was up to, lying like that, but didn't particularly care. He would wait until everything came to light, and if it didn't, he would hold his peace. No one was going to prevent him doing what he wanted to do, and that was for damn sure. Let them work out their little misunderstandings. If they thought he swung that way, fine. He felt Aimi was sufficiently attached to him to obey him if he commanded her to leave with him. He didn't care what they thought, since it wasn't true. If they wouldn't do him the courtesy of asking him to his face, then they could bloody well suffer with the notion that he would stoop to such an act. But by all the souls, let one of them come at him and he would end them, fathers of his woman or not. There would be no mercy this night.

"You LIAR!" Aimi bawled. "How dare you, you know Kenpachi was showing me how to use Yachiru's sword! I HATE YOU!" And she folded herself out of the sphere.

Raiden sensed her at home. He folded them all there behind her and was in time to hear Aimi throwing something in her room.

Wyatt glanced at Kenpachi, silently asking if he should put his shield up. Raiden shook his head. He waited to see what his parents would do.

"Go to your room, Wyatt," Sasuke said. He didn't take his eyes off Kenpachi.

Raiden went, pulling Wyatt behind him. He passed his dad on his way up the stairs and marveled at the difference in how his parents manifested their rage. His pop was all cold fury. His dad was molten heat. He jogged up the stairs, into his room and sat on his bed. Wyatt came and sat next to him, their predominately nude bodies shivering in anticipation of violence.

***

"It's like this," Sasuke said when he'd ascertained that Naruto was in control. "My daughter doesn't lie. And I can't imagine you being stupid enough to do something like this under our roof and not run away afterwards. Raiden has been known to lie." He stepped closer to the man who towered over him, alert to any sudden movements from him. "I'm just going to ask this once: Have you engaged in inappropriate behavior with my daughter? I'll know if you're lying."

Kenpachi kept his eyes on the red ones in front of him. "No. I haven't."

Sasuke nodded. "You're going to tell me what you meant by calling Aimi your woman."

"She is," Kenpachi shrugged. "She'll be my mate when she matures."

That shocked Sasuke and Naruto enough to have them gaping.

***

Raiden, when he didn't hear sounds of slaughter from downstairs, folded himself and Wyatt to Aimi's room. He noted the blasted door and the hole in the wall absently. His sister was on her bed, hugging her pillow tightly.

"Get out," she sobbed with dry eyes. "I hate you, get out! I'll never forgive you!" She couldn't get over how he'd betrayed her. How could he? No one was closer to her in the world.

"Aimi, I had to do it," Raiden said quickly. "Just let me explain."

"I'll never forgive you," she repeated.

Raiden's lips thinned. "Look. I know you have a thing for Kenpachi. I know you Boom almost every night. And unless you promise me something, I will tell Dad and Pop and then you'll really be in trouble."

She didn't stop glaring, but he could tell she was listening. Raiden went on.

"Wyatt needs to stay here, Aimi. With me. When I refuse to send him back, Pop and Dad will come and make you do it. If you refuse, then I'll do whatever you want, I swear to god. I'll even go and tell them I lied. But if not…"

Aimi sat up slowly. "A-anything?"

"Anything."

"When I get older, I'm leaving with Kenpachi. You stop Daddy and Papa from preventing me and I'll help you keep Wyatt here. And you tell them you lied."

"Deal."

"Swear."

"Double swear." Raiden held out his hand and Aimi got up to shake it. Raiden pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry, sis. But I can't lose him, not with all this shit coming. Not ever."

Aimi nodded against his shoulder. Of course she forgave him, now that he'd explained himself.

A cacophony of outraged bellows erupted from downstairs.

***

"WHAT?" Naruto screamed. "Your mate? Are you insane???"

"That's never going to happen," Sasuke yelled. "Never, while I have breath."

"Suit yourselves," Kenpachi said calmly. "But if you try to stop either of us, things will get nasty." Here he grinned, letting both parents know that he had no problem with that scenario.

"How dare you come into our house and prey on our family," Naruto seethed. "You ungrateful, home wrecking son of a bitch!"

"Get out of my house," Sasuke raged. "Get out before I kill your ass, you sick motherfucker."

By now dawn was arriving. Aimi heard her father yelling for Kenpachi to get out and rushed downstairs. She lent her howls to the din, nearly deafening everyone as she insisted that if Kenpachi got kicked out, she would go with him. Sasuke whirled on her, shouting her down, his eyes as red as hers. Raiden was downstairs too, not wanting to miss the action. Wyatt trembled at his back, ready to orb them away or throw up his shield at the first sight of bloodshed.

Somehow it came out that Raiden had lied and that made everything worse. Wyatt started crying, Naruto shouted for him to shut up and, come to think of it, to pack his shit. He'd kept him and Sasuke from killing Kenpachi and he'd overstayed his welcome. Wyatt clung to Raiden's arm, daring to say he was staying. Raiden, though perfectly aware that there was enough shit hitting the fan to have them smelling it for weeks, added more to the mix. "I'm not taking him back, Dad. He stays."

"That right?" Naruto hissed. He thought if he didn't kill someone or something soon, he'd just have a stroke. "I can fix that. Aimi, send the fucking kid back."

"No, Daddy. I'm with Raiden."

Silence for five numb seconds.

Naruto punched his son hard and backhanded Aimi, both kids flying from the blows. They would defy him, would they? As an afterthought, he went after Wyatt as well, who wasn't able to orb or shield himself fast enough, yelling over Raiden's treatment as he was. Naruto had the presence of mind to remember a punch would likely kill the boy and slapped him instead, hard enough to send him flying after Raiden. Sasuke snorted in approval.

Aimi changed. Hair white, skin dark, she changed and let her chakra out, absolutely livid. She lunged at her dad, but Naruto channeled a small tornado at her, knocking her into the wall.

Raiden saw his sister had thrown caution to the winds and he hit his dad in the back with a stronger tornado. Naruto crashed into the kitchen, knocking over the fridge with a clamor that shook the house. Sasuke, incensed that his kids were displaying such mutinous behavior, threw a Genjutsu at his son. Wyatt saw and tried to orb Raiden out of the way in time, but his orb only went as far as the ceiling. They crashed back to the floor in a heap, Wyatt still dizzy and half conscious from that slap. Kenpachi watched it all with a grin of enjoyment on his face.

Itachi stepped out of his house that morning, breathing deeply of the fresh morning air. The weddings were tomorrow. All was in readiness. He was on his way to the shrine to make sure preparations were complete.

A shout and the sound of a katon came from Sasuke's house down the block. Itachi frowned in that direction, and caught a flash of lightning. He took a step towards the noise. He heard Aimi shriek loud enough to startle birds from nearby trees while a chair crashed through a window. He was walking toward the house now, a bad feeling in his gut.

"Dad! Dad!"

Itachi turned around. Shouta was just coming into the compound at a dead run. The pink-haired girl was at his heels, laughing and keeping up a steady stream of chatter. Itachi hesitated, but another crash from his brother's house had him turning and running in that direction instead.

***

It was a scene from a mad house. Itachi paused on the threshold, Shouta crashing into his back to look over his shoulder. Yachiru gasped and clapped when she saw the destruction.

Sasuke had Aimi by the hair. He slapped her forcefully again and again. Kenpachi, content to keep out of it up to that point, stepped forward and sent Sasuke flying with a powerful punch laden with his reiatsu.

Itachi nearly killed the man as he sent an earth jutsu at him that had Kenpachi sprawling under a wall of dirt. Yachiru screamed, releasing her chakra, and launched herself at Itachi. Shouta stepped forward and punched her in the stomach, which made her turn to him instead.

Kenpachi's reiatsu exploded, obliterating the wall of dirt.

From elsewhere in the compound, Madarame looked up, Yumichika turned his head and Hitsugaya stopped a hairsbreadth from kissing Asami. "Tch!" all three hissed. They grabbed Zanpaktuos and rushed to Kenpachi and Yachiru's aid.

Kenpachi had his sword, Sasuke had his, his wings held tight against his body as they faced off. Raiden sent a Rasengan at his dad, who blocked with one of his own, and Aimi had Yachiru immobilized in a Genjutsu, while Itachi went to aid his brother.

No one knew what they were fighting for anymore, or who they were fighting, nor did they care. Ikkaku, Yumichika and Hitsugaya skidded to a halt in the utterly wrecked house. Their eyes went wide as Kenpachi drew back his arm to take off both Uchiha brothers' heads with one blow.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat!" Ikkaku barked.

"Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!" Yumichika and Hitsugaya intoned together.

Six beams of light pinned Naruto and Sasuke each, as Hitsugaya and Yumichika's Kido spells hit them. Kenpachi grumbled menacingly at the red light holding him immobile. Madarame had put quite a bit of power behind his casting.

Yumichika held the tip of his sword to Itachi's neck, halting further movement. "If you please," Yumichika said seriously. "Nobody moves until we find out what's going on."

Hitsugaya had an eye on Shouta and Madarame held Yachiru back by an arm, grunting at the effort of holding on to her and his weapon. The vice-captain was very strong.

***

Raiden and Aimi picked themselves up as Wyatt scuttled over to them. They stood looking around in awe, aware that the whole be-shitted mess was their fault. Now that their bloodlust had cooled somewhat, Raiden and Aimi fairly quaked at how they'd attacked their own parents. They drew even closer together, especially when Sasuke and Naruto's eyes swung to them from where they hung in their odd prisons.

"You two," Naruto gasped, "are in a world of trouble. Baldy, let me out of this thing."

Madarame overlooked the insult long enough to scan the people present to try and figure out who seemed the calmest. He settled on Itachi, but he was so coming back to address that 'baldy' term. "You. What happened here?"

Itachi blinked and his eyes were black again. He stepped away from Yumichika's blade, crunching over glass, wood and plaster. "I don't know. I came in and found your captain about to decapitate my brother."

"He hit what was mine," Kenpachi offered.

"She's not yours, asshole!" Naruto hollered.

"Yes, I am!" Aimi shrieked. Everyone winced at the volume.

Sasuke swung to her. "No you're not, but I'll let you know just where you belong as soon as I'm free. The nerve of you to-"

A sharp crack had everyone turning their heads. Yachiru had sidled up to Shouta, anger forgotten, as she pinched his ass. Shouta had rounded on her and slapped her.

Kenpachi calmly removed his eye patch. Itachi, seeing this and feeling the amount of chakra the man released, hurriedly spoke to Shouta. "Go. Get out of here."

"But Dad, I was coming here to ask you to make her leave me alone!" Shouta complained. "She follows me everywhere, grabbing at me."

"Shouta, not now," Itachi said as he eyed the way Kenpachi flexed, slowly pushing back his confining prison of light. "Leave. Quickly."

"Where?" Shouta said in exasperation.

"Anywhere. The family burial grounds. They need to be cleaned anyway," Itachi said. He adjusted his stance to block Kenpachi, noting that Yumichika and Ikkaku took up positions to do the same. The burial grounds were far enough away so as to provide the boy with some measure of protection should this man get out of hand. As an afterthought he addressed his niece and nephew. "Raiden, Aimi, go with him. You too, Wyatt. You all seem to be making things worse with your presence. When everyone has calmed down, this mess will be straightened out." Itachi made a clone and sent him for Gaara as the four kids scampered out of the ruined house.

No one saw Yachiru slip out after them.

Raiden looked down at himself halfway out of the compound and realized he was still in his underwear. He stopped, Pulled clothes from his room for himself and Wyatt, and awkwardly donned them while he resumed walking. They stayed abreast of each other. No one spoke for awhile.

The sun was just up, casting everything in a dazzling golden light. It didn't seem like things could be so bad with such a beautiful day awakening around them, but they were. Raiden's stomach hurt at the thought of just how much trouble he was in. What had possessed him? His heart stuttered painfully at thinking what his dad would do. Oh god, oh god. He grabbed Wyatt's hand.

Aimi was having similar thoughts. She rubbed her face where her papa had slapped her. He was never angry with her. Oh… he would never forgive her. She had attacked him and everything was so messed up. She groped for Raiden's hand and found it, taking comfort (small, piddling comfort) in the knowledge that her brother had truly backed her up.

Wyatt had never been so terrified. He'd never been struck like that, and even now his ear rang so that he couldn't hear on that side. Yet even so, even with his bowels quivering for release at how mad everyone had been and the sheer power that had been flung around, he didn't want to go back. He just wished he knew how they were all going to live under the same roof after this.

Shouta spoke suddenly making the other three jump. "You guys, what the hell?! What happened back there?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Aimi sulked.

"Me either," Raiden said.

"Their parents got mad and then Raiden and Aimi attacked them. I tried to help and nearly got killed."

"No shit!" Shouta exclaimed, impressed. "The day I attack my dad is the day I've obviously decided to commit suicide. Seriously, why'd you guys do it?"

Eventually the tale was pulled out of them, everyone giving their version of events. Shouta listened intently, whistling at hearing of some of the more spectacular moves. "Man. You guys are toast. I think I'll dig y'all graves while I'm at the burial grounds. Shit, wouldn't want to be in your shoes."

"Gee, thanks, Shouta," Raiden said dryly. "You're such a comfort in these kinds of situations, I just don't know how we get on without you."

Shouta snickered. "Glad to help."

Raiden stopped walking. "You go on ahead, I want to say something to Aimi and Wyatt."

Shouta waved and jogged on to the burial grounds. Raiden turned to his sister and his friend. He spent a few seconds thinking, before he looked up at them. "Listen," he began. He hesitated. "Shouta's not far wrong. We have really fucked up. We're dead, even when or if they calm down. It would take a miracle to make them forget what we did. But… I'm not sending you back, Wyatt. And I'm not going back on my word, Aimi."

"Me either," Aimi said resolutely.

"I'll do whatever I can to help," Wyatt said gratefully.

United, they took a second to try and breathe through the monstrous butterflies in their stomachs. After awhile, they continued on to the burial grounds.

Shouta ambled along between the graves, stopping at his granny Mikoto's. He remembered her. She'd been so nice and motherly. Sometimes she'd reprimanded his father, much to the boy's nostalgic delight. He sighed. He never really thought about her, but here, in front of her resting place, he felt sad. He missed her. He touched the stone of her marker and tried to recall if she'd been cremated or not.

A strange sound had him turning around. He saw ten people, wearing plain clothes and looking thoroughly bewildered, straightening up from the ground. He was sure they hadn't been there a second ago. He stared at them in puzzlement.

"Who the living Jesus are you people," Shouta said curiously. Then he saw Zetsu. Remarkably, thoughts of Akatsuki did not occur to him just then. Instead, a memory of this thing trying to take a baby, Raiden, from him and his siblings surfaced in his mind. "Hey… I know you!"