A/N-I had a request to do this, and so here it is! It's an elaboration of the Z+SNS chapters. It's dedicated to the person that requested it! Please Enjoy!
Down The Road
"I would have never imagined, when I met you for the first time in my bedroom, that you'd one day be my wife, or that we'd be there to watch, when our oldest daughter gains her zanpakutou." Ichigo says in wonder, and Rukia grins.
He's always said things like this to her, he always seems surprised at how they've been blessed with so much happiness.
Rukia knows better than anybody, that it's easy to accept that your life will always be unhappy, but she realized a long time ago, that her life would end up being a mixture of great happiness, and sadness.
Having to kill Kaien-dono had been very sad, and had caused her years of self-loathing, and inability to truly feel happy, or even genuinely smile. At that time in her life, she had felt an incredible emptiness within herself, feeling like she had lost all of those that she could truly depend on.
Then she found Ichigo. He flip flopped her life all around and brought her a great deal of happiness and joy. More than she could have ever dreamed for.
Now, their daughter, Kimiko, is about to unlock her zanpakutou, as they watch on, holding onto each other's hands.
"I still can't believe you went along with ni-sama, and his demand that in order for us to be married, we had to be here." Rukia says, as she looks around Soul Society.
"Why can't you believe that? I would have done anything, to be with you." Ichigo reminds her, and Rukia smiles.
"I know, but I just figured you'd rather fight his condition, rather than go along with it, without an argument." Rukia says, and Ichigo smiles at her.
"I realized that all I really wanted, was to be a Shinigami, and be with you. It was best to come here, rather than to fight to stay in the living world. No human job could satisfy me." Ichigo says, and Rukia glances up at him.
"And being Ukitake's lieutenant satisfies you?" Rukia asks, and Ichigo nods his head.
"For now, and for a long time, it will be enough. I know everyone expected me to be captain, but I like being in the same division as you. I like not having to deal with the full responsibilities of being a captain, even though I'm aware that I do far more than most lieutenants do around here." Ichigo responds, and Rukia smiles.
"That you do." Rukia agrees. Ichigo looks back at their tiny daughter.
"She is fifteen years old, even though she only appears to be about three. Isn't this early, for her to be gaining her zanpakutou?" Ichigo asks his wife, even as he remembers Yachiru was quite young looking, to be a lieutenant.
"She is young, but she's ready." Rukia says, and they watch intently. Both of them, widen their eyes, as their zanpakutous materialize, without being asked to.
"She's finally ready to awaken." Sode No Shirayuki says, as she holds Zangetsu's hand.
This has freaked both Rukia and Ichigo out, for years. Their zanpakutous are the first in Soul Society, to actively pursue their love for one another, out in the open. They realized it their wedding night, when they tossed their zanpakutous down, and were interrupted from their play, since their zanpakutous came out kissing and hugging one another.
Ichigo and Rukia had listened, wide eyed, as their zanpakutous admitted their love for one another, and proceeded to make out in front of the newly married couple. Ichigo and Rukia had still made love, but it had been a bit strange, because their zanpakutous, did the same…and they were all in the same room together.
Rukia and Ichigo had spent the next day, researching if that had happened in any past case, recorded in Soul Society, and had quickly learned that this was a first.
"Why are you so interested in this?" Ichigo asks suspiciously, but Zangetsu practically ignores him.
"I'd like to know the answer to that too." Rukia says to Sode No Shirayuki.
Rukia isn't ignored, like Ichigo was. Sode No Shirayuki smiles fondly, at Rukia.
"What parent wouldn't want to be present, at the birth, or in our case, awakening, of their child?" Sode No Shirayuki asks, and this causes the married couple's eyes to widen.
"What?!" Ichigo asks, and Rukia nods her head, as she stares at them.
Their attention is no longer on their orange haired, blue eyed, petite daughter. They can't tear their eyes away from the materialized Zangetsu and Sode No Shirayuki, cuddling.
"She's here!" Zangetsu booms, causing Ichigo and Rukia to look back at their daughter, who has a zanpakutou, in her hands.
"It's a full time released zanpakutou!" Rukia says in amazement, as her daughter's thick zanpakutou looks similar in shape to her father's, but is completely white, like her mother's.
"She's strong, like you!" Sode No Shirayuki says to Zangetsu excitedly.
"But she's beautiful, like you." Zangetsu says, and they hurry over to Kimiko and her zanpakutou.
"Her name…is Tsuyatsuya Hisakata Yuki" Kimiko says very softly, as she stares at her zanpakutou, which is an obvious mixture of the types of zanpakutous that her parents have.
Both Sode No Shirayuki and Zangetsu smile at the appearance of Kimiko's zanpakutou, while Ichigo and Rukia are still gaping.
"Lets go to her inner world, to see what she looks like in spirit form!" Sode No Shirayuki says, causing more confusion between Ichigo and Rukia.
"Hey! You can go to my daughter's inner world?" Ichigo demands, and their zanpakutous ignore them…instead they disappear.
Ichigo closes his eyes, but Zangetsu is not in his inner world. He opens his eyes and looks worriedly at Rukia.
"Ichigo…I don't understand why our zanpakutous have this ability." Rukia whispers, but Ukitake come up behind them to scare the shit out of them, since he was watching the whole thing.
"This is the first time in history that this has happened, because there was never a substitute Shinigami that was able to stay alive long enough to produce children with the Shinigami that gave them their powers. One of the reasons transference of powers to a human is illegal, is because it creates an unbreakable connection, between the Shinigami, and human. The connection has been passed down to your daughter, allowing for new and unique occurrences to happen." Ukitake explains.
"But…our zanpakutous, aren't with us right now!" Ichigo exclaims, and he wonders how useful he'd be with the blade right now, since Zangetsu is chilling out in Kimiko's inner world.
"I'm not worried, they'd come back immediately if there were a danger." Ukitake says confidently.
"It's still weird…" Rukia mutters, and Ukitake smiles at her.
"It's so rare for two people to be so in love, that it cuts all the way to the very deepest part of their soul. What you two have is special, wondrous, and so rare, that it's never been known to happen before. It's a beautiful thing to see, really." Ukitake says, causing Ichigo and Rukia to smile lovingly at one another.
They know their love runs deep, but it touches them deeply that everyone else knows it, too.
In Kimiko's Inner World…
"I'm so happy that you've awakened!" Sode No Shirayuki says to their daughter, who has long black hair, and piercing blue eyes.
She looks up at them.
"So it's you that I felt, since the moment I awakened. I felt like I was being called to." She says to them, and her parents smile at her.
"We are your mother and father. We will always protect you, and Kimiko. We will also help you to become much stronger." Zangetsu says, and their daughter smiles at them.
"I guess we'll be working together, a lot then." Their daughter says, with a welcoming smile.
Sode No Shirayuki steps forward to hug her daughter, and Zangetsu moves to hug them both, after that.
"You can always count on us." Sode No Shirayuki whispers, and Zangetsu nods.
"Always." Zangetsu repeats firmly.
Tsuyatsuya Hisakata Yuki, realizes that the love of her family, is as important to Kimiko, as it seems to be to herself, and all she can do, is smile gratefully, since with their help, she and Kimiko can become very strong.
"Thank you." She whispers to them, as they all hug each other tightly.
Nobody can deny the bond that our family shares, it runs deep, in all of us.
A/N- Kimiko means- Empress child
Tsuyatsuya Hisakata Yuki means- Bright Moon Snow
