Enjoy!


Chapter 29

Ichigo's third trimester finally rolled around and he was desk-bound as soon as he reached that marker of his pregnancy. He felt as if he constantly had to go to the bathroom to pee and had joked to Renji that he should just move in there to be nearer to the toilet!

He was looking forward to the birth of his babies, as much to get his body back to normal as to finally meet them. As his size increased, his coordination had decreased and it was frustrating. Even if he felt that he could continue with all of his duties, he knew that he would be more of a hindrance then a help now.

Along with his coordination, his sleep had decreased too and he was incredibly tired all of the time. He kept having the weirdest dreams! Not nightmares...just weird. For instance, last night he'd woken laughing his ass off due to a dream where Renji had been dressed in a skimpy school girl outfit, knee socks and all! It had given him a good laugh, more so when he'd explained it to the red head; Renji's face had been priceless! But it was still interrupting his sleep. Added to his sleeplessness, he couldn't get comfortable, tossing all night. He couldn't roll over onto his stomach anymore and the only position that was remotely easy for him these days was on his back, his head and shoulders propped up with pillows. He felt like a beached whale!

He sighed as he rubbed his lower back before going back to the piles of paperwork that were a daily occurrence. Byakuya cast an irritated look his way but kept his mouth shut. He knew better than to say anything to his fukutaicho.

Ichigo was currently sulking, feeling sorry for himself. As he got closer to term, Renji had developed a fear of having sex with him. He wasn't turned off by his mate's widening girth, in fact he seemed to have developed a permanent hard on because of it, but he didn't want to hurt either Ichigo or the babies. And there was nothing Ichigo had been able to do to change his mind! He'd certainly tried, but Renji was adamant and Ichigo was having a serious case of sexual withdrawal.

He sighed again; he was determined that tonight he would break the ice one way or another. If they kept up like this for the rest of the pregnancy, he was afraid of snapping and putting his mate into the Fourth with serious injuries. It didn't help that the other day he'd gone into their inner world and caught the two halves of his zanpakuto going at it like rabbits! It seemed that his pregnancy was affecting them as much as it was him. That had been...scarring.

Anyway, tonight he had a plan. He'd arranged for Yuki to have a weekend sleepover with Byakuya's boys and Masaki was going to the World of the Living to visit both her family and Ryuken's for a few days. Her cousin hadn't been able to come to either the wedding or the shower and she desperately wanted to see him again. She and Orihime had also struck up an instant friendship as well and they wanted to spend some 'girl time' together.

His plan was simple, tonight he was going to seduce his mate and if that didn't work, he'd bind him with Kido and have his way with him. He shook his head, Renji could be so stubborn! It was at times like this that he easily forgot that he could be just as bad. He knew that sex wouldn't hurt either him or the babies, he'd checked with Unohana-taicho just to be sure. So tonight he was going to get his fill of his mate. That decided he hurried to finish his work early so he could beat Renji home and set things up for later.


Ichigo was happy to get home three hours ahead of his spouse. Byakuya had finally gotten fed up with his heavy sighs and sent him home to 'sort things out with the fool.' He had been quick to agree and left before his taicho could change his mind.

He quickly set dinner going and decked the living area with flowers and candles, set the table with their best dishes, and changed the bedding. He was going all out, he'd researched the best positions for pregnant couples and found that two of them were favorites of theirs anyway and the other two were modifications of other positions they enjoyed so he knew they'd both get a lot out of the night. He just had to find a way to break down Renji's resistance. He thought the romantic atmosphere might just do that. His mate was such a sucker for romance!


Renji entered their home warily that evening, looking around almost fearfully. He knew that it would just be the two of them and ordinarily, he'd embrace some quality time with Ichigo, but now...he was worried. He understood that the younger man needed the physical contact, but he was terrified that he'd get carried away and hurt his mate or the babies. It didn't matter that Ichigo said it was alright and that Unohana-taicho had backed him up; Renji couldn't get past his fear. He was as sexually frustrated as the younger man and just wanted the babies born so they could go back to a more normal way of doing things!

As he entered the house, he quietly groaned. Ichigo had once again pulled out all the stops and totally decked out the place. He could already feel his resolve beginning to waver as he looked at the romantic setting. On the table, Ichigo had arranged a bouquet of red, yellow, and white tsubaki with a few saboten and pink rose blossoms interspersed within it. The whole room screamed sex! 'Shit!' he thought. He knew the meanings of those flowers and he was in trouble if Ichigo was trying this hard.

Then another hit to his resolve entered the room in the form of his mate. Ichigo was dressed in one of the new yukatas that he'd bought as he'd become larger. It was a warm golden brown that matched his eyes and set off his hair and skin-tone perfectly; made from a soft, comfortable fabric that fell about his form in a tantalizing way. Renji gulped as Ichigo smiled at him and led him over to the candlelit table.

"Dinner's almost ready," Ichigo said with a knowing smirk as he went into the kitchen to begin plating their dinner, grabbing a bottle of sake for Renji as he went.

"You're trying to kill me, aren't ya?" Renji called through the doorway. Ichigo laughed as he came back out with the sake and salads.

"No, I thought we could use a quiet night in is all," he replied, knowing all too well how this was affecting his mate.

"Yeah, that's why you're tryin' to get me drunk," he answered wryly. "Look Ichigo, I know..." he began but was interrupted.

"Eat now, talk later," Ichigo insisted with a grin as he dug into his salad. Dinner consisted of the tossed salad, crusty bread, smoked oyster bruschetta, and lasagna, a favorite of the red head's. Ichigo had molten chocolate cake set aside for dessert, but was hoping that Renji would agree to another kind of sweet indulgence after dinner.

They ate in companionable silence, only breaking it to talk about how their day went. Ichigo kept the atmosphere light because he didn't want to scare off his mate. Renji felt himself relaxing and finally, toward the end, dropped his guard. That was when the younger man decided to pounce.

As they finished the decadent dessert, he slowly got up and came over to Renji's side of the table, pushing the older man back in his chair so that he could sit down in his lap. Ichigo latched onto the red head's neck, licking and suckling the mating mark he found there. Renji groaned as he pulled Ichigo's head up to kiss him, deeply; sighing into his lips as if he'd been dying without them. When they slowly separated, Renji felt himself stirring and groaned, "Alright already! Ya win, Ichi, but we gotta be careful and I'm not certain that I can be."

Ichigo grinned down into the mahogany eyes he loved so much and said, "I trust you, but I can always bind you with Kido, if you think that'll help?" At Renji's surprised look, he laughed. "Let me control things for now, it'll be better that way," he husked into a now flaming ear as he stood up and held his hand out to his mate.

Renji smirked at him as he got up and took Ichigo's hand, "I think I can work with that."

They slowly made their way to the bedroom, kissing all the while. Ichigo backed right up against the bed and quickly turned them so that it was Renji who hit the mattress first, Ichigo slowly following him down. Renji's arms wrapped loosely around his mate's waist while he gasped for air.

Ichigo smirked when he pulled away and stood back up in order to bend over his lover to untie his obi and begin removing his clothes. He straightened up again as he began to disrobe, showing his changed body off to the older man who could only stare at him in wonder. Renji slowly sat up in order to gently stroke Ichigo's belly with a reverence neither had thought him capable of.

"Renji!" Ichigo moaned in a heavily lust-laden voice as he moved to straddle his lover and bent down to share another kiss.

"Gods, you're so beautiful, Ichigo," Renji groaned when his mate moved from his mouth to his neck and licked over his mating mark once more. It set off a fire that steadily grew as Ichigo's hand moved down to palm his mate's already aching erection.

Ichigo straightened back up and grabbed the lube he'd stashed earlier in order to coat Renji's extremely interested member. He carefully, but not awkwardly, moved to take Renji inside of himself, the older man tensing as he felt his length engulfed in a wonderfully tight heat.

"Shit!" Renji gasped as Ichigo settled in his lap, gazing at the younger man with every ounce of love he possessed showing in his expression.

"Shh, relax baka and let me take care of this," Ichigo said as he began to rise off of his lover only to drop over him again. His pace slowly increased, along with their moans, as they both began to ascend toward their climaxes. Before long, Ichigo was carefully bouncing onto Renji's turgid shaft and gasping out his pleasure at the sensation.

The red head had no idea how much Ichigo craved being filled by him, even more so now, and Ichigo wasn't certain he wanted to let him in on that little secret. He didn't think he could handle the enlarged ego that would come from such an admission!

When Ichigo felt Renji's hand grasp his own member, he froze and keened out a wail as he came between them; tightening around Renji's length and driving him over the edge too. By the time their breathing settled, Renji had carefully pulled out and had Ichigo snuggled into his side.

"Is that what you wanted?" he asked with a grin.

Ichigo nodded as he scooted closer to his lover, "Gods yes, me and the babies." He looked up at his mate with a slight blush dusting his cheeks. "We need you so much, don't ever forget that." He then smirked as he mischievously added, "How long before you're ready for round two?"


After the children had been settled for the night at the manor, Byakuya and Kenpachi wound up back in their bedroom. It had only been 'their' room for a little while; once they'd begun to combine their inner worlds the older man had permanently moved in and they were both satisfied with the arrangement.

"Do ya think you might be able to take the afternoon off tomorrow, Kuchiki?" Zaraki asked his lover as they got ready for bed.

Byakuya turned to look at him questioningly. "I might, but I do not want to leave the burden on Kurosaki for too long. He should not over-exert himself this close to term. Why?"

The brunette shrugged, "I want ta take you someplace that's special to me and Yachiru. It's in the Rukongai and will take time to get there and back. I thought we'd bring lunch with us and make an afternoon of it, is all. Have ya gone into our inner world recently?"

The raven nodded, "Yes I have. It has become very...interesting."

"Yeah, I like it," Kenpachi said with satisfaction. "Our zanpakuto can interact now and I believe it's about done. I thought we might try to finish the process tomorrow." Byakuya frowned.

"Might that not be dangerous? Finishing it away from the Seireitei? From what I understand both Ichigo and Renji needed medical attention after they finished." Kenpachi tilted his head consideringly.

"I don't think it'll be as bad for us," he finally answered. "Neither of us has a hollow to deal with or draw upon, so I don't think we'll need that kind of help. And I'd like to seal the deal there, it's a special place to me."

Byakuya shook his head as he smirked at his lover. "For a man who is not known for his finer feelings, you can be surprisingly romantic at times."

The older man growled as he pulled his lover to him, "Just don't tell anyone."

"Hai, hai," Byakuya chuckled as they met in a fierce kiss.


The next day found the two men heading out of the Seireitei at a leisurely pace. Byakuya had gotten the all clear from his fukutaicho, who had assured him that he wouldn't do anything to hurt the babies before they got back. It wasn't the best promise, but Byakuya trusted Ichigo to behave himself.

It was a beautiful day and they reached their destination sooner then either had thought possible without using flash step, or Zaraki's own natural speed. As they cleared a small hill, Byakuya saw why the place was special to his lover. It was as if their inner world had been recreated in the Soul Society. The grove contained all manner of trees and there was a rushing stream running along one side, the thick grass interspersed with clumps of wildflowers. It was lovely, both wild and peaceful.

"Yachiru and I found this place a few years ago on one of our rambles," Kenpachi said as he glanced at his mesmerized lover. "It kinda seemed fitting for us to...you know."

"I see," Byakuya nodded as he walked over to the stream. He turned to the older man with a genuine smile that took the older man's breath away. "It is perfect."

They quickly set up the picnic on a thick blanket that Kenpachi had brought, hungrier then they had imagined possible. After they finished eating, the two men made themselves comfortable and retreated to their inner world. It had changed again, Byakuya noticed as he looked around.

There was only one grove of trees now; oak, elm, fir, and sakura intermixed together. The grass was a soft, sleek carpet under his feet and the stream had become a bit livelier than his, but calmer than Zaraki's had been. He moved over to look in the water and saw schools of different kinds of fish, not just the koi his had contained or the more predatory fish his lover's had. He knew from previous visits, that their world now had both day and night periods, which he thought was an improvement. Perpetual sunshine could get old after a while. He looked up and could just make out some of the planets zooming around overhead.

It looked like mid-afternoon at the moment and Byakuya smiled as he heard Zaraki enter behind him. When he turned, he noticed that he could see his lover clearly, with no distortions. Once they approached each other, it became obvious that there was still a little work left to do before their worlds completely merged. It seemed like an invisible wall still stood between them.

"Now what?" Kenpachi asked with a sigh as he hit his hand against the barrier impatiently.

Byakuya placed his hand against the partition and replied, "Ichigo said that at this point he and Renji used their reiatsu to shatter the barrier...and then all hell broke loose." The older man grinned wolfishly.

"Sounds like fun," he practically purred. "Ya ready to do this?" he then asked seriously.

Byakuya nodded decisively, "Yes...are you?" Kenpachi nodded and at the same time, their energy began to climb; the two men matching each other easily. The wind began to pick up and clouds started rolling in as if a storm was about to break. The invisible wall began to vibrate between them. Their power kept building until they looked like they were in the middle of a hurricane, their hair and clothes blowing wildly about them.

On the other side of the glade and hidden from their wielders, Nozarashi and Senbonzakura watched as their world became a raging storm. Senbonzakura had anchored himself behind a massive oak and held Nozarashi firmly against his chest to keep her from blowing away. She was more than fine with the situation, hoping that once their masters broke through, the two of them would physically unite as well. Her counterpart was a complete gentleman, but cuddling could get a bit boring after a while and she, personally, wanted more. She had come to deeply care for the warrior behind her and desperately wanted them to join...to finally become one.

Unknown to her, Senbonzakura felt the same way, but was at a loss. He'd never had an opportunity to make love before and was worried that he'd be a disappointment. He never considered that Nozarashi was in the same boat as he was and had no clue how to proceed. He had a feeling that after the final step was taken, he'd figure it all out one way or another.

As the wind storm hit its apex, Byakuya felt it crack. "I think we are almost through!" he shouted to his lover who nodded and upped his reiatsu once more, Byakuya mirroring his actions. They both heard the partition shatter as they felt it give way, showering them in a sparkling shower of power. At that point hell did break loose, the two men coming together just as they'd done in Hueco Mundo ten years earlier.

With a popping sound, they left their inner world in order to finish the process in the Soul Society. When their bodies crashed together, their reiatsu spiked, swirling and combining around them. As they joined over and over again, their energy began to merge, to mix together until it was a light golden color...until their reiatsu was as tightly connected as their hearts and souls were. Neither man noticed the change, but when they finally fell asleep much later that night, their mixed energy settled back into them once more, no longer separate but forever merged into one.


A/N: The Hanakotoba flower meanings are as follows...

Red tsubaki - In love

Yellow tsubaki - Longing

White tsubaki - Waiting

Saboten - Lust/sex

Pink rose - Trust

So, what do you think's going to happen once Bya and Ken wake up? ^^