Chapter 16
Without having time to think Ichigo ran up the stairs and into his bed room, he skidded over to his desk and pulled open a small draw to find a small green pill. Shit he had completely forgotten about the mod soul and was dreading having his ears chewed off. With a wince brought the pill up to his lips and swallowed. In seconds his soul was forced from body and he stumbled backwards. His controlled body blinked at him before Kon lifted his arms and flexed his fingers, his own brown eyes looked at him glaring. "ICHIGO YOU BASTARD! How long have I been in that draw?! How could you forget about me?! What the hell has been going on?!"
Ichigo sighed pushed his body away since during his rant Kon had got right in his face. "Calm down Kon, I'm sorry I left you in the draw but I couldn't deal with you and all the other stuff that's been going on. Long story short I'm going to Hueco Mundo with Grimmjow, Renji, Byakuya, Shiro, Chad and Uryuu. We're going to rescue Orihime and I need you to take care of my body while I'm gone. I swear if you do anything to ruin my reputation any more than you already have I will stick you in a toy fish and watch you swim round a bowl for all eternity"
Kon blinked and tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the teen. "Who the hell is Grimmjow and Shiro? And why is Renji going but not Rukia? I don't understand anything!"
The teen sighed, grabbed his bag and walked out of his room knowing the annoying little shit would follow him. He heard Kon's foot steps as he descended the stairs and headed into the living room where Grimmjow and Renji were waiting. After Kisuke's call he had told the Betas that the Garganta was ready, both of them were nervous about the up coming trip but had just nodded at him and prepared to leave for the store. The teen had finally remembered that he needed Kon to take over his body once they had left and retrieved the little annoyance. He entered the room with his bag of thing slung over his shoulder and spoke to the waiting males. "Come on let's go"
The Alpha lead the way out of the clinic and made sure to lock up as they left. The walk to Urahara's shop was silent and full of nervous energy, Ichigo ended up taking ahold of his mates hand to reassure him. As they approached the front of the store the teen realized that Uryuu and Chad were stood by the door waiting for them, he gave them both a nod and entered through the sliding doors. The group made their way through the shop to the open hatch and down to the underground training area.
Ichigo spotted Urahara stood by the large rock formations that stood and the pillars that held the Garganta open and turned to his pack. "You guys wait here, I just need to talk to Kisuke" As he stepped forward towards the shop keeper a hand suddenly grasped his wrist. Turning his head he noticed Grimm had taken ahold of his sleeve and was looking at him pleadingly. The teen smiled at his mate and nodded for him to follow.
"Hey Kisuke, thanks for doing this. We're all ready to go but we need to wait for Byakuya to arrive" The Alpha spoke as he got closer to the blond who was grinning with a knowing look.
"Captain Kuchiki arrived no so long ago, he's upstairs getting a few things from Tessai. He will be down shortly. Before you go I have a few extra things for you to take with you" Kisuke stepped to the side and revealed three brown duffle bags. He reached into the first one and pulled out a strange looking tent. "This is a reiatsu cloaking shelter. It should allow you to camp safely without being sensed by other hollows or arrancar, I have only been able to put four together so unfortunately some of you will have to share" The shop keeper ran through more of his gadgets, food packs and other things that would help them survive in the deserts of Hueco Mundo.
By the time the blond finished Ichigo's mind was puzzled and he was wondering how all that stuff fitted inside those bags. Just as he was about to ask another question he felt Byakuya's reiatsu as the noble descended into the large space. The teen turned around to greet him, his brown eyes went wide as he spotted the short figure standing by the Captain's side. Rukia was here?! He felt his mate shift so that he was stood behind him and a wave of nervous energy slipped through the bond. The Alpha turned to Grimm and smiled. "Don't worry Grimm, I'm sure Byakuya has told her about everything. She won't do anything"
Grimmjow bit back a snarl and nodded his head. In all honesty he wasn't concerned about the woman hurting him or the cubs, he was more worried about her relationship with his Alpha. He remembered from his first visit to the Living World that Ichigo and the midget were extremely close, he had even wondered if they had been mated. The teen hadn't mentioned her at all since he had been here but that didn't mean that they weren't involved with each other.
Byakuya walked gracefully towards the group and noticed that Renji was stood with the two humans that would be joining them on this rescue mission. He gave his sister the signal to remain where she stood and tightly gripped Zabimaru in his left hand. Slowly he approached his nervous looking lieutenant. Once he was a few feet away from the red head he gave a small smile and held out the Zanpakuto. "Here Renji, I found her hidden in your quarters. I can tell from her energy she has missed you"
Looking up to his Captain gratefully Renji grinned widely, all of his previous anxiety forgotten. "Thank you Captain. I have missed her too" He took ahold of Zabimaru and the moment the blade was in his hand he felt a rush of warmth come from her. He felt their connection click back into place and heard her voice enter his mind. 'Renji you dumbass why did you leave me? I've been worried sick about you' The tone of her voice was filled with worry and anger. He couldn't help but chuckle at her. 'Sorry Zabi, I had some issues to deal with and I didn't know I would be gone for so long' He replayed the last several days for her to see and by the time he was done he could feel that she was almost dizzy. 'Ok I'm sorry for snapping at you, but I swear if you leave me like that again I'm going to go Bankai on your ass and spank you till you don't know how to walk' Before he had chance to respond Byakuya spoke to him.
"I'm sorry interrupt your reunion with Zabimaru but I need to speak with Ichigo" The noble turned and Renji finally noticed his oldest friend stood behind him. His lieutenants face lit up and he practically ran towards the shorter female who was looking at her friend with a look of joy. Byakuya smiled as Rukia embraced his lieutenant before he turned his attention to Kurosaki and his mate. He strode the short distance to them and was surprised when the teen smiled at him and held out his hand.
The captain firmly gripped the Alphas hand and spoke. "I have been able to keep the Gotei off our backs for at least the next 24 hours but I am sure they will find out where we a going soon enough. I have also brought the items Urahara requested".
Ichigo bowed his head and released the Captains hand. "Thank you Byakuya, your help is greatly appreciated. I have to ask though how did Rukia end up tagging along?"
Byakuya let out a light chuckle and turned to look at his adoptive sister who was still chatting with Renji. "I had just returned from a meeting with the Head Captain when Rukia caught up to me. She was very upset about Renji's disappearance and started shouting at me that I could not allow him to be arrested and court marshalled. She followed me back to the manor and refused to leave until I promised to find him. I didn't have much choice other than to tell her the truth and by that point she told me she was coming with me whether I wanted her to or not"
A deep laugh left the teens lips as he heard the story. Knowing Rukia as well as he did he could mentally picture her nagging the usually stoic captain until he finally caved and told her the truth. He finally caught his breath and looked up at Byakuya who was also smiling. As he was about to speak he felt a sudden rush of anxiety flood through the bond and turned to look at his mate. Grimmjow was still stood behind him and his gaze was fixed to the floor, his hands were clenched into fists over his slightly extended middle.
Ichigo scrunched his brow in confusion and looked back at Byakuya for a moment. "Can you make sure everyone is ready to leave please Byakuya. I just need a quick talk with Grimm" The noble nodded and turned to return to the group. Rukia was about to run over to him but was stopped by her brother. The teen faced his mate once again, the feline took a small step backwards and refused to look him in the eye. "Grimmjow, look at me. What's wrong? I can feel that your anxious about something"
The blunette cursed the fact Ichigo could read his emotions, he really didn't want his Alpha to know that he was nervous about the woman. A part of him feared that the teen was in some form of relationship with the midget. If they were they why had Ichigo mated with him? Surely he was over reacting to nothing. But what if he was wrong? What if Ichigo would leave him if this woman told him too? The thought alone had Grimmjow shaking slightly, a sudden firm grip on his shoulders pulled him from his thoughts and he finally looked up to his mate. Ichigo was staring at him intently with concern written all over his face. "I'm fine, Alp…erm Ichigo"
The teen scowled at Grimmjow's answer, he had almost called him Alpha. Why? Something was definitely wrong with that. Ichigo released the felines shoulders and he carefully pulled him into an embrace. "Grimm I know your lying. You never call me Alpha and I would never expect you too. Please babe talk to me, I hate seeing you like this"
Swallowing the lump in his throat Grimmjow leaned into his mates chest and quietly asked a question. "W-what's your relationship with that woman?"
Ichigo scrunched his brow in confusion. "Rukia? She's just my friend, Why?"
Letting out a sigh of relief Grimm felt himself go lax in the teens hold. His cheeks began to heat as embarrassment filled him. Of course he was over reacting to nothing. He wanted to lie and say he was just curious but he knew the Alpha would instantly pick up on it and would continue to interrogate him. The feline sighed and came clean. "I…I was worried that she was your lover?"
The orange-haired teen let out a deep breath and tightened his hold on the pregnant Beta before placing a kiss on his temple. "Oh Grimm, I don't have a lover, You're the only one I'm with and want to be with. We're having three perfect cubs and I can't believe how happy I am that you're the one carrying them. Come on its nearly time to go through the Garganta."
Grimmjow smiled and nodded his head. Hearing the teens words as well as feeling their bond filled him with warmth. Before he was released from Ichigo's embrace, the teen claimed his lips in a gentle kiss and took him by the hand, fingers entwined, then lead him to the group. Once they closed in on the rescue party the feline noticed that the woman, Rukia, was staring at them quite obviously wanting to come over. Ichigo gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and turned to the midget.
"Hey Rukia, it's good to see you" Ichigo gave a small smile to his shorter friend and received a large smile from the dark haired woman. She ran up to him and looked like she was about to punch him like she usually did when he got himself into a mad situation like he was in now. Thankfully she stopped a few feet away and looked him over before focusing her gaze at Grimmjow. Rukia's brow scrunched as she analyzed the feline.
"Is it true Ichigo? Is he pregnant with your child?" Rukia's voice was even and questioning.
The teen sighed when he felt Grimm move behind him again, Rukia really wasn't helping ease his mates nerves. "Yes it's true. It's a long story but we don't have time to discuss it now. I'm happy you're here Rukia but if you're coming with us you need to accept that Grimmjow is my Beta now"
Rukia tilted her head at the word Beta then smiled again. "I'm not upset about it Ichigo, I just wanted to ask if I can be their aunty as well. Renji has already said I can be an aunty to his and Byakuya's baby"
The Substitute Soul Reaper chuckled and was about to respond when a deep laugh came from behind him. He looked over his shoulder his smile widened when he saw that Grimmjow was almost doubled over with laughter. Ichigo turned his gaze back to Rukia who was looking at the feline like he had gone insane. After a few minutes the blunette finally calmed enough to breath and looked up at them with a glistening in his blue eyes and a bright smile on his face.
"I'm sure the cubs would like you to be their Aunty. The more people that are looking out for them the better" Grimmjow had been completely shocked by the woman's words and couldn't stop the out burst of laughter at her strange request. All his previous anxiety left instantly and he made his mind up that he liked this midget.
Rukia beamed at being told she would have more nieces or nephews but when it finally sunk in what Grimmjow had said her eyes widened. "Wait you mean your having more than one?"
It was Ichigo's turn to laugh. "Yep we're having triplets, their gonna be a real handful when they get bigger so we would really appreciate you being their Aunt"
The dark haired woman cheered and launched herself at both of the taller males, pulling them into a tight hug. She felt Grimm tense a little at first but he soon relaxed and placed an arm around her waist. In all honesty she had been angry when Byakuya revealed that Ichigo had impregnated an Arrancar, the one that had punched a hole in her stomach. But when she heard that Aizen was the one behind the whole thing she had calmed, now that she saw them together she could instantly tell that they were going to be good for each other.
A sudden loud whistle caught everyone's attention, they all looked up to the open Garganta and noticed that Kisuke was stood on the large rock formation to the right of the portal. He was waving and once he was sure he had everyone's focus he called out. "Right guys it's time to go, Once you pass through there is no solid ground only a blackness of raging reishi, Byakuya and Uryuu have agree to form the reishi bridges for you all to cross. I don't know where about in Hueco Mundo you will arrive so hopefully Grimmjow will be able to tell your location and lead you all too Las Noches. I wish you all luck"
Looks of apprehension were shared before Ichigo was the first to step forward followed by Byakuya and Uryuu, they nodded to each other and all took the leap up to the Garganta, shortly followed by the rest of the group. Byakuya, being a master of controlling his reiatsu, was easily able to create a stable footing for everyone. Uryuu created a second bridge and the whole rescue party headed through the darkness. They all ran along the white bridges in silence, mostly taking in the strange atmosphere that surrounded them.
Grimmjow wasn't sure how long he had been running for, his usual trips through a Garganta never felt this long. He was beginning to feel fatigue catching up with him, his muscles were aching and he was soon gasping for breath. The feline knew he couldn't stop, he couldn't hold the group back, he had to keep going. As the blunette continued to run he was suddenly over come by a wave of dizziness and stumbled almost falling off the edge of the reishi bridge. He closed his eyes tight and waited to fall into the void but a pair of strong hands grabbed his arm and pulled him backwards, the feline felt his back meet a solid wall of muscle and he looked back over his shoulder to see the tall dark teen, Chad if he remembered rightly. "Erm thanks"
The tall male looked him over and made sure he was stable on his feet before he shouted. "Ichigo, I think we need to slow down"
The Alpha was running just behind Byakuya who was setting a firm ground when he heard his usually quite friend shout him. He turned to see that Chad and Grimmjow had stopped moving and the tanned teen was holding his mates arm. Worrying that something was wrong, the teen ran back until he reached his Beta who he could now see that he was standing on shaky legs. "Grimm are you ok?"
The feline met his mates concerned gaze and shook his head. "Sorry, I'm just getting tired. The cubs are taking more of my energy than I thought" Grimmjow hated admitting his weakness but he knew he couldn't hide this, not if he wanted to keep his cubs safe.
Ichigo took a moment to think before an idea popped into his head. He pulled Zangetsu from his back and handed it to Chad before turning so that his back was facing his mate and looked over his shoulder. "Come on, I'll carry you" He saw Grimm blush lightly but he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the teens shoulders, with a little jump muscular thighs gripped the Alphas hips and Ichigo hooked his arms under the blunettes knees. Once he was sure that Grimmjow was comfortable on his back he turned back to Chad. "Thanks for that Chad, can you carry Zangetsu for me" His friend nodded and placed the large blade on his own back.
They quickly caught up to the group who had stopped just a little further head and carried on through the void. Grimmjow rested his head on his mates shoulder and felt himself starting to drift to sleep. He was almost completely gone when he felt the familiar rush of thick air filled with reishi. He lifted his gaze and saw the bright light of the Garganta opening into his home realm. He tightened his grip on his mates shoulders and prepared for them to break through.
With loud crash the end of the portal cracked open and all seven of the rescue group broke through the barrier and landed on soft white sand. They had finally made it to Hueco Mundo.