This is the end... that phrase's been echoing inside my head all day, and while I also keep remembering Adele and wondering when it all became a James Bond song... anyway, my mind likes to digress.
I have very few reviews/comments last chapter, and that saddens me, I understand that a good number of people probably didn't like that last battle much, I was even expecting it, but still. Like I tried to explain someone, it wasn't easy. I re-read the fights with Aizen and came with the realization that it'd be very hard to write that battle, for a variety of reasons. Also, once I began considering what Aizen would have done all those years... without a Hogyouku to fuse with, his greatest chance to increasing his power would have been becoming a hybrid himself. After seeing Ichigo he'd believe he could do it, not understand how pivotal Ichigo's human nature was in some things. So yeah, as was Rukia's case, he had the power to survive the split, only he had no tether, nothing to keep the two parts together (as was Ichigo's body at the time, and the bond between the two in Rukia's case), hence two Aizens. The rest follows logic, at least for me. Hollow-Aizen is, as should be expected, a hollow, so he'd want to devour souls, and without the original Aizen's mind (remember hollows are all about instinct), he wouldn't be as much of a threat in the end.
So, that's that on that front. Now, a brief shout-out to Stormshadow13, who expressed interest in the other idea I had for the final battle... Before I decided on the two Aizens, the idea was there only being one, and him becoming a 'True hybrid' would be the equivalent of his trascendental self from canon. Ichigo wouldn't want to merge with Shiro (the way he'd have achieved transcendent state here, no Final Getsuga or losing powers!), feeling like he'd be killing his brother (as Shiro would cease to exist). There'd have been a very intense argument. Now, for those wondering why I didn't do this. It's just not logical, because Ichigo's always been about doing anything and everything to protect those he loves, Shiro too, they wouldn't stop at this point, not even if that means one, or even both of them ceasing to exist.
In any case, that was supposed to be the prelude for the actual idea I had. When I was choosing the battlefield, I actually hesitated before going ahead and having it on Soukyoku Hill. Why? Because if you'll all remember, the hill isn't actually empty in this verse! The Soukyoku's still there! It was never used, Rukia's pseudo-execution never got that far, so it's still there. In the end I decided to ignore that detail, not like they couldn't fight around in, or even on the other side of the hill (it's big enough). But actually, the Soukyoku was the point of it all. Before heading there Yamamoto would have warned Ichigo that if he didn't defeat Aizen immediately, Yamamoto would activate the Soukyoku (the old man didn't want to risk Aizen using his zanpakutou to turn Ichigo against them... which is something else I eventually dealt with when I had Kyoka Suigetsu ejected from him). The point of it all is that it'd have happened. Either Yamamoto would run out of patience, or Ichigo himself would have ordered it. The Soukyoku would have appeared, the whole hill lit on fire. Insanity all around. And when the fire cleared, Ichigo and Rukia would be there, he all in black, she all in white, glowing golden... In this version this would have been the big reveal of them as the Spirit King and Queen, rather than any analysis. The Soukyoku didn't destroy them because it's the weapon of the King...
In the end that wasn't the final battle for a variety of reasons. Mainly what I already said about how Ichigo wouldn't have hesitated. And I didn't want to say that him going Transcendent wouldn't have been enough (even though they did suggest that in canon when, despite everything else, Ichigo still couldn't defeat Aizen). The only reason I even got to shaping the scene to that degree was because I had in mind a fic I started over a decade ago (never wrote more than a couple of chapters) where Ichigo failed to stop the Soukyoku for good and Ukitake arrived late. Ichigo would have refused to leave Rukia, realizing in that very moment he loved her, and the Soukyoku would take them both. Only, it was supposed to be an instrument of justice not necessarily of execution. And thus Ichigo and Rukia would have ended in the Royal Dimension, the Soukyoku having either recognized them, or chosen them, as the next King and Queen (never got to plan that far).
And, like I was saying before. This is the end... have a bit more to say in the End Notes (promise it'll be less than here!), so I give you: The Finale!
Chapter 50. Shiawaseni (Happily Ever After)
On Labor Thanksgiving Day the Ishidas found their penthouse apartment invaded by all their nakama. Masaki, Kanae and Yuzu took over the kitchen from the early morning, and while some of the men did try to help, the most they were allowed to do was to go to the store and get whatever they might be missing (which wasn't a lot, they had prepared well for that day). Almost everyone else though was focused entirely on the newest member of their rather eclectic family: the little baby boy with dark-blue hair and blue-gray eyes: Ishida Ryuusei, barely a week old and already the child had every single adult wrapped around his little finger…
It was the first chance most of them had had of visiting the World of the Living since Aizen's defeat and Rukia and Ichigo's impromptu coronation. But there just was so much to do in Soul Society… and while they might have never planned on ruling, they weren't the kind to ignore the people that needed them.
Yamamoto had waited until the rebuilding of the 1st Division was finished before announcing his retirement. By that point he'd also talked things out with the Nakama, so immediately following his announcement, the newly married Hitsugaya Toushirou and Karin followed with their own about the new 1st Division serving also as the new Konoe Shidan. The two of them would serve as its co-captains, with Ishida Uryuu holding the title of lieutenant, even though he was still staying in the Human World. The big surprise was when the name of their second lieutenant (because if they had two captains it was only right for there to be two lieutenants as well) was announced: Kuchiki Serenity…
"I'm not entirely sure this is a good idea." Seren admitted as she waited on a corner for the assembly to begin, she was playing with one edge of her scarf, like she tended to do when she was nervous. "I mean, I'm not a shinigami, and I have no interest in being one."
"Neither is Uryuu, and he's still alive too, and won't be coming to stay here until his human life is truly over, but that doesn't change the fact that's he's one of us." Karin did her best to put her at ease. "As are both you and Keeva. Hell! If we thought she'd accept, we'd offer Yailen-nee-san a place in the division as well!"
"Deirfiúr was never one for fights." Seren shook her head calmly. "Beyond her status as a Réalta, or her power as the Oracle, she just isn't a fighter."
"No, but you are." Karin pointed out.
It wasn't a question. Even if she might call herself a Peacekeeper, Seren was a warrior and she knew it. It showed. In the way she wouldn't back down, ever. It was why, when the Kuchiki were attacked, her first reaction rather than being to run, hide, or demand someone get help, it was to go out and fight herself. It was just who she was.
"I am." Seren nodded, taking a deep breath and nodding, mostly to herself. "I'll do it."
There had also been an announcement regarding the Sky Palace. While the place might have been the residence of all previous Spirit Kings, Ichigo and Rukia didn't like the idea of there being any kind of distance between them and the people they were meant to protect (they would always focus on that, rather than on ruling, it was just who they were). The Sky Palace would instead be sealed, considered essentially a grave for the last King, while Ichigo and Rukia would continue to reside in the Nagaken Estate.
Central 46 still existed, but they had been relegated to an advisory body, rather than a ruling one. They were to bring matters to the King and Queen, but could make no decisions, and give no decrees without the approval of at least one of the royals. They were also looking into getting Rukongai representatives assigned. Soul Society would become a True Heaven if it was the last thing they did…
The Nakama still living followed the news regarding the murder of the Kurosakis, though while it initially did make international news, mostly due to the fact that all members of one family (three blood siblings, two adopted ones and the eldest's wife) had died in a single day. Also, while their father did return from his trip out of town the next day, he didn't stay long in Karakura. According to the rumors he was simply unable to remain in the same city where his whole family had died any longer. Of course that had just been Isshin's excuse to leave his human life once and for all and join his family in Soul Society.
Thankfully the story that it had all been a matter of a mistaken identity, the Yakuza sending a hit on a rival gang, only to target the wrong person (or family) held. Since the hitman had been killed as well there was no one to confirm or deny anything, and eventually people seemed to just lose interest in it altogether. Not like they'd have ever gotten anywhere even if the hitman had talked, anyway. There was no living man called Aizen Sousuke, after all. A moment would come when the Kurosakis and their deaths would be nothing more than a ghost story, the kind everyone talked about but very few believed.
"Such a pretty little boy…" Kanae cooed at the baby when she got the chance to hold her. "So cute… you look exactly like your daddy, yes you do…"
"He does?" Keeva was really interested.
"Oh yes!" Kanae nodded. "Very much like him, except for the eyes, I suspect he gets that gray shade from you."
"He probably does." Keeva nodded. "I have no idea what I looked like as a baby."
"None at all?" Kanae asked compassionately.
"None. I was found in the ruins of a sunken ship, from what I've been told, with nothing but the clothes on me, and my foster families never took any, or at least, not any I got to keep." Keeva shook her head. "Look at me, feeling sorry for myself when we should all be celebrating…"
"We're celebrating." Kanae confirmed. "But there's nothing wrong with remembering the past, both the good and the bad, it's what made us who we are…" She passed the baby to Keeva. "I hope you'll forgive me for this, my dear, but whatever history might have brought you here, to us, to my son, I'm glad it happened, as it was what brought you here to us, to Uryuu, in the end."
"I'm happy too." Keeva agreed (she wished for one wild second that time travel existed, that she could drop in on her ten-year-old self, so young and so scared and so… lonely, and tell her that one day it'd all be worthy, that one day she'd have it all and be perfectly, blissfully happy). "Uryuu is…" She couldn't find the right words, she'd never been the verbose kind, that was more her sister's thing: "Everything."
"Don't worry, I understand perfectly." Her husband was exactly the same for her.
Seren and Byakuya were among the last to arrive that evening, and when they did… Keeva shrieked loudly the moment she laid eyes on her sister. The only reason her husband, and pretty much every Nakama in the room didn't react violently to that shriek, was because they could feel in her reiatsu that she was delighted, rather than frightened. And the reason soon became obvious enough as they saw Seren… a very pregnant Seren.
It was almost like a sign. They'd won the war, peace was theirs, and it was finally time to move on with their lives, to build on their happy endings…
xXx
On January, less than a fortnight before Byakuya's and Seren's birthdays (which were two days apart, on January 31st and February 2nd respectively), Kuchiki Mirei was born. A month later she was presented to the clan as Byakuya's firstborn and, as such, his heiress. Yailen also had a warning to give them:
"She's a Síoraí." She informed the two new parents straight out.
"What?!" Seren was beyond shocked by that revelation. "How's that even possible?!"
"The battle on Soukyoku Hill." Yailen explained. "Even if you'd barely conceived by that point, even if she was little more than a bunch of cells at the time, she was already in you. You used a lot of power that day, and she soaked it up. She was born with all the powers of a Síoraí. You need not worry, they won't all appear at the same time, they'll develop, the same as she will, but you'll need to train her when the time is right." Her expression softened in understanding. "She's not in the same danger as you were, much as you are in no danger of your powers destroying you anymore. Long have I believed that we Réalta were always meant to be spiritual warriors, rather than human ones, our powers are so much easier to bear in this plane than in the human one… Then again, it is perhaps dying, letting go, which allows us to wield our powers to their fullest. We probably will never know for sure." She exhaled and shook her head. "What's important is that you've no need to worry. Your daughter is a healthy girl and will remain thus. I've a feeling that she might just be even more powerful than you one day, beag ceann…"
Seren blinked as she contemplated that, it both thrilled and terrified her in turns.
"She has the strength of both of you." Yailen added for good measure. "Both réalta and shinigami… if that is what you wish, of course."
"What she wishes." Byakuya corrected. "Whatever she does with her life, it'll be her choice. Always. No one else's."
"Her life, her choices." Seren agreed wholeheartedly.
"Of course." Yailen agreed with a smile.
By the look in her eyes, Seren had no doubt her sister had seen something, but she wouldn't ask. Sometimes it was better to just wait for the future to come and surprise them…
Mirei wasn't their only child either. A couple of decades later, in a pregnancy that ended being more complicated and delicate than the first, but thanks to all the healers in the Gotei they managed to get through just fine, Seren gave Byakuya two more children, girls as well: Kaiko and Shirako. The first pair of twins the Kuchiki Clan had ever seen, and while they weren't born Síoraí like their elder sister, they were still incredibly gifted.
Tatsuki became pregnant when she was in her early thirties. The very day she found out she made her bags, sold the dojo to her most promising student, put her affairs in order and went to Kisuke. He made all the arrangements and she was a permanent resident of Soul Society by the evening. As far as everyone in Karakura was concerned, Tatsuki's husband had been transferred overseas, it was sudden but too good an opportunity to miss. It was a believable story, everyone who knew Tatsuki knew her to be married, they'd all seen Renji coming and going, the official story was that he was in the military and had to travel a lot. Following that same idea it wasn't hard to believe that he'd be posted in another country and his wife would choose to follow.
Chad himself died of a heart-attack. He was relatively young, in his early forties, but he didn't regret it. He'd had a good life, and had an even better one waiting for him on the other side of the gate… he and Isane were married before the end of the year. They didn't yet know if their power might be enough for them to have children, but there was yet time to find out.
Chizuru was in a serious, committed relationship, they were even planning on adopting one day; Mizuiro wasn't but he liked being single and dating all sorts of women, not all of them Japanese either; even Keigo managed to find a woman who liked him, quirks and all and they eventually got married and had children.
Karin and Toushirou were happily married, though they had no intention of having children just yet, they were in no hurry, and leading the 1st Division, with all the projects they had both in the Seireitei and in Rukongai, to make things better, to turn Soul Society into a real heaven… it kept them busy enough.
Yuzu was married too. Her death in the human world seemed to have given Hanatarou the kick in the ass he needed to get serious about Yuzu. Ichigo in particular was glad about that, as he hated seeing Yuzu so affected because the man she loved apparently didn't love her enough to commit to her. As it turned out, he'd wanted to commit but was too afraid of doing things wrong, it was just the kind of man Hanatarou was, always hesitating and overthinking things, but Yuzu loved him anyway (and it wasn't like his quirks were the worst really, when one considered that Orihime was married to a hell-damned former Espada, that Ichigo and Rukia had begun their own relationship with an arranged marriage, and the list went on and on).
Keeva for her part gave birth four times in the course of a decade, all boys. She and Uryuu loved every single one of them with their whole hearts. It was curious how the two who once believed they would never have family, came to have such a big one (as a couple of daughters-in-law, one son-in-law and over half a dozen grandchildren eventually came into the picture). Years passed, the children grew, and one by one their heritage showed true; every time Uryuu would look at his wife, only for her to shake her head, keeping the little medallion that had been given to her during her first pregnancy in a little velvet bag deep in her jewelry box. She loved her boys, but they were Quincy, not Réalta, it just didn't feel right to give any of them the talisman. Uryuu would never question her on it, he just nodded and gave them Quincy crosses instead, as he taught them how to carry on the family duty.
Unlike the Quincies of the past, their boys never learned how to destroy souls. They knew it had been possible in the past, but as part of their treaty with Soul Society it wasn't done anymore. Ryuuken and Uryuu were the only ones left who even knew how to create exterminating arrows, and it was a knowledge they intended to let die with them. Truly believing that the future generations would be much the better for it.
Keeva was 46 years old, with her oldest son being twenty years old and her youngest thirteen, when what she'd initially believed to be menopause turned out to be a pregnancy instead. She gave birth to her fifth and youngest child, their only girl: Ishida Hikari. And on her fifth birthday, when the little girl first began gathering reishi, using it to create pictures in the air around her, Keeva smiled as she pulled the medallion out of its bag and offered it to the little girl.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked her sister quietly when their whole group gathered for Christmas that year.
They all had pretty busy lives, so much they could only really all get together once a year, it was usually for Christmas, and always at the Ishida's, as theirs was the only place where they all fit (with a kitchen big enough for all who liked to cook to do so at the same time).
"Why didn't I tell you what?" Seren wasn't sure what was going on exactly.
"That it'd take me this long to have a girl I could give that necklace to." Keeva explained.
"I didn't know." Seren answered with a shrug.
"But that… I don't understand." Keeva admitted after a moment. "I mean, you knew about her, it's why you gave me the necklace!"
"That's true, but you see, precognition isn't as simple as some might believe." Seren explained. "Take this for example, years ago, I asked Deirfiúr about what she might have seen of my future. She told me she'd seen me in a beautiful garden, accompanied by a man, whom she described in very vague terms. That man turned out to be Byakuya."
"Oh…" Keeva still didn't understand what was the point, Yailen had known about Seren and Byakuya long before they ever met, so what?
"She saw us, back before she left Pasadena to come to Japan, before you and I ever met, before I even knew we would end up traveling to Japan one day." Seren did her best to explain. "Then all that happened, and more… I died." She waited for Keeva to understand that part. "I died, and she didn't understand where her visions had gone wrong. Except they didn't, she just didn't have all the context. That scene: the garden, us? It happened a few weeks after I became a guest in the Kuchiki Mansion, after my death."
"Oh…" Keeva began to understand.
"Deirfiúr didn't know, when she had that vision, that I'd die first, didn't know that that place was in the Soul Society, that Byakuya was a spirit." Seren drove the point home. "How could she have known any of that? When you were pregnant that first time, I saw you, with Hikari in your arms, I saw you so happy for that baby girl, and I saw that she'd one day be the very best of both our races. So I talked to Ryuuken and we had that necklace made for her. I couldn't have known that she wouldn't be your first child, or how long it'd take you to actually have her. But I knew she'd exist, one day, either in this world, or in the Soul Society, you'd one day hold her in your arms… I knew it, I had hope."
Keeva smiled brightly. Hope indeed.
xXx
Uryuu was the last of the Nakama to pass away. He did so in his sleep, at 77. Fifty years since the battle of Soukyoku Hill, since Aizen's final defeat. He wasn't surprised at all to find someone waiting on the winged-backed chair by his bedside. Then again, his children and grandchildren had been taking turns doing exactly that since his condition got so delicate he had trouble even getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom. What did surprise him, if only a bit, was who exactly was sitting on that chair, it wasn't one of his sons, daughters-in-law, son-in-law, or grandchildren, not even his daughter or one of her spouses.
"Don't you have a world to rule or something?" The words were out of his mouth before he could even think about them.
"Idiot." Ichigo snorted, not bothering to straighten up from his posture, laid back and with his right ankle over his left knee. "You sure took your sweet little time Uryuu… Keeva is about ready to force open a Senkaimon and come hunt you down."
"She's not." Uryuu sniffed primly as he very slowly sat up. "She knows perfectly well why I'm still here. I'm watching over our children."
It felt odd, sitting up and feeling how his spirit separated from his body. Almost as if he were stepping out of some very stuffy, heavy winter gear. He felt lighter and yet at the same time not quite right. Made him wonder how Ichigo and the others handled doing it so often when they were young. Didn't it feel strange to them?
"Somewhat." Ichigo shrugged. "Less so for the twins and I, since we're shinketsu. I'm half convinced that I was actually born more spirit than human. I always felt more comfortable in my spiritual body than my human one."
Uryuu blinked, he hadn't realized he'd said any of that out-loud.
"The reason you don't feel quite right is because you're still, essentially, tied to this world." Ichigo went on. "Look down at yourself."
Uryuu did as bid, noticing the short, broken chain on his chest. It reminded him of the relatively frequent, dull chest pains he's been feeling lately.
"Tell me, because I just need to know, did you use your powers to keep living this long?" Ichigo asked, finally putting his right foot down and inclining his body forward in interest.
"I'll never tell." Uryuu stated disdainfully, turning his nose up.
Ichigo snorted but didn't insist.
Truth was Uryuu did use his power, or as much as he still had, to hold onto life as long as he could. It wasn't that he was afraid of dying, nothing could be farther from the truth. He just… worried, about his family, his children, especially his daughter.
"I don't know what worries you so much, last I heard even Hikari's married now, isn't she?" Ichigo asked, head cocked to a side in contemplation.
"Yes, they had a pagan wedding last month." Uryuu nodded as he pulled at the cuffs of his long-sleeved pajamas, feeling self-conscious for some reason. "Not exactly traditional, but it's not like they're traditional at all."
"Forgive me for asking Uryuu, but what is it that bothers you so much?" Ichigo asked. "It cannot be that Hikari has a wife, Kenji has a husband; and it cannot be that she has a husband, for obvious reasons so…"
"Really?" Uryuu snapped. "You cannot understand why I might find it a bit odd that she has a husband and a wife?!"
"Yeah." Ichigo simply shrugged.
"Really?" Uryuu pressed. "Can you imagine being with anyone other than Rukia? Or…"
"Not at all." Ichigo cut him off, not offended at all. "But even if it's not something I'm interested in, I won't judge those who are. You should know, Juushirou, Shunsui and Nanao are similarly involved in a three-way relationship. Shunsui and Nanao finally convinced Juushirou to marry them both about a decade ago, though they've been together since before we ever broke into Soul Society to save Rukia."
Uryuu just blinked, trying and failing to comprehend how that worked, at all.
"It's not something you need to understand yourself." Ichigo insisted. "As long as it works for them, and you accept them. That's all that matters."
"Of course I accept them!" Uryuu snapped. "I might not understand it, but Hikari's still my daughter, and if she loves Oukami and Sayuri, then I accept that. I just worry, how the world might treat them, not everyone is as open-minded as we are…"
"Maybe not, but she's tough, they all are, and she's not alone. The brat has her spouses, four very over-protective older brothers, and everyone else in our insane family. Even if we cannot visit as often as we used to when she was a baby, she's not alone, she never will be."
"I know."
"So, are you ready?"
"I am."
He was ready. Truth was, he'd been ready for a while. When his wife had died, fifteen years prior, her body finally giving up on her (various doctors had given all kinds of diagnosis, from muscular dystrophy, to Guillán-Barren Syndrome, even ALS; of course, those doctors couldn't know that Keeva was a spiritual warrior whose power was turning against her, damaging her body and causing all her symptoms), Uryuu knew he couldn't give up. Hikari had barely been fourteen at the time, losing her mother was hard enough, she couldn't lose him as well. So Uryuu endured, he gave his beloved wife his love and promised to stay behind and watch over their children until they were ready to be on their own. They'd probably been ready for a while, but in the end it was Uryuu who hadn't been ready for the longest time.
The new generation had never traveled between worlds. It was a decision that the Nakama had made, consciously, after Ryuusei's first birthday. As familiar as the Nakama themselves might have become with the other worlds, they were human, and should have human lives.
Ryuusei, Kenji, Yuuma, Souji and Hikari were all waiting for him in the living room.
"Tou-chan!" Hikari was the first to jump off the couch and rush to hug him tight.
Uryuu embraced back just as tightly. His daughter, his princess, his little star, his light… as much as his sons all took after him, Hikari took after her mother, her curly red hair barely a shade or so darker, her eyes of a gray so light they looked almost silver under a certain light; and around her neck the medallion that reflected her dual lineage.
"You'll tell kaa-chan we love her?" Hikari asked in a very low voice.
"Of course I will, Kari-chan." Uryuu assured her. "Tough I'm sure she already knows, and she loves you very much as well, all of you."
The rest took their turns to say their goodbyes as well, with Ryuusei being the last one. His Ryuusei, his dear boy, the eldest of his sons…
"You know we'll miss you." The 50 year old man (husband, father of 3 and soon to be grandpa) said. "But we know you've missed kaa-san a lot for the past fifteen years, and it's time the two of you are reunited. This isn't a goodbye, just a see you later. We'll see each other again."
"Yes, we will." Uryuu agreed, then turned sterner as he added. "But not for a good few years yet. Not until you've lived your lives to the fullest."
"Yes tou-san." Ryuusei smiled at him.
"Time to go." Ichigo announced from a corner.
There were kisses and hugs, and soon Uryuu was standing beside Ichigo, ready to go.
"Hey Ichi-jii-san!" Hikari called to him unexpectedly.
Ichigo looked over his shoulder, a brow arched questioningly, he didn't even comment on how the girl was calling him 'old' despite the fact that he looked younger than any of them!
"What is it?" He finally asked, even as the Senkaimon was already opening in front of him.
"Tell the little angel that her devil's coming!" Hikari announced brightly.
"What?!" Ichigo snapped.
Uryuu roared in laughter even as he kicked his oldest friend through the Senkaimon. Waving one last goodbye at his children before sending his reiatsu into the small tattoo on the back of his neck, his whole body glowed blue for a moment before turning into reishi and following Ichigo. He reformed once in Soul Society, finding Ichigo in front of him glaring daggers at him.
"What the fuck was that Uryuu?!" Ichigo demanded.
"I was expediting our return." Uryuu answered promptly. "Otherwise you'd have gotten into an argument with Kari-chan, and knowing both of you, it'd have gone on for hours…" He rolled his eyes. "I don't even understand why what she said bothers you so much…"
"You do know she was talking about Mitsukai, right?" Ichigo hissed. "My Mitsukai?! She's only a little girl for crying out-loud!"
"She's the exact same age as Kari!" Uryuu snapped.
Ichigo opened his mouth to say something else, then closed it with a snap.
"You… you don't know?" He asked, his tone going from angry to curious.
"Know what?" Uryuu inquired.
"Aging doesn't work the same way here in Soul Society, as it does in the Human World." Ichigo explained. "The first few years yeah, but afterwards, aging slows drastically. Why do you think that I look like I'm still in my twenties? Did you never wonder how come Rukia could be over a century and a half, yet look like a teenager when we were back in Karakura? I know you noticed that none of us were aging right those nine years between the Winter War and Aizen's return."
"I… never thought about it that way." Uryuu admitted. "So what you're saying is that while Hikari and Mitsukai might be the same age, Mitsukai is still a child?"
"Very much so, and she looks it, if we were in the human world she wouldn't be able to pass as anything other than a preteen at most." Ichigo nodded. "But that's okay, it's not like we're in any hurry for her to grow up. It's bad enough that she'll be starting at the Academy next week." He ran a hand through his orange hair. "It's so hard letting go of her even that much, and she's just one child. How did you do it five times man?"
"It's the duty of every parent." Uryuu answered with a small smile. "We do our best to raise our children, we love them and then we let them go."
"Uryuu!" The voice cut through the two men's broody thoughts.
Uryuu spun around, just in time to catch his wife as she jumped straight into his arms. He was actually surprised when he managed to stay standing. A surprise that only grew as his mind began catching up on a few details. Like his hands, alabaster white, unblemished and unwrinkled… they hadn't looked like that in decades! And then, as his wife pulled back for a moment before claiming his mouth in a kiss, he'd a fraction of a second to look into her face, her young face! She looked much the same as she had when they first got married! All wrinkles and other age marks completely gone, and more than that, she looked and felt strong, her body no longer frail and failing… And they were both dressed in the kind of clothes they'd favored at those ages.
"I'm home…" Was the first thing he whispered, lips brushing her ear and her hair once they broke for air and he pulled her body tight to his once again. "You're my home. I love you."
"I love you too." She replied wholeheartedly.
Eventually they managed to pull back and he got the change to greet the rest of his friends. He could see Rukia standing next to Ichigo, a little girl who didn't look any older than twelve or thirteen in between them. She had Ichigo's golden-tanned skin, eyes a lighter shade of brown than his, her long slightly spiky hair a shade or two lighter than Rukia's ebony, with Rukia's petite built. She truly looked like a little angel.
Nagaken Mitsukai was Ichigo and Rukia's only child (thus far); little angel, many called her, either that or princess, due to being the firstborn of the Spirit King and Queen; though, with the way succession worked in Heaven's Throne, she wasn't a candidate for it. She was still in line to become the next head of the Nagaken Clan, though.
Yuzu had taken over from Karin as Lady Regent of the Nagaken Clan, since her twin had become the Lady Hitsugaya upon her marriage to Toushirou, and her older siblings were busy already dealing with their Royal Duties. Homura and Shizuku had been offered the position of heir and both declined it; while they were happy to be part of the Clan, and more importantly, part of the family, they had no interest in heading it. Hanatarou for his part didn't mind dropping his last name and taking hers, or the fact that she was the one in charge. He was just happy enough that Yuzu'd loved him enough to take him back, to say yes when he finally got the courage to propose (he'd no idea but Yuzu had actually been making plans to propose herself, if he hadn't). They were expecting their first child, Yuzu practically glowing as she stood there, happily pregnant.
Byakuya and Seren were standing with their three daughters, while about a decade after the birth of the twins they'd tried for another child, it just hadn't worked. Eventually it was Unohana who explained to them that while they both had a lot of reiatsu, her spiritual body had taken a lot of damage from the twins' pregnancy, it wasn't the kind of thing anyone, even Orihime, could just heal. They were alright with that, in the end, they were happy with their three daughters (and the Kuchiki would have to deal, having a woman as their next Clan Head… it wasn't like Byakuya would have ever passed Mirei over, even if they'd had a son at some point).
Gin and Rangiku were there too, with their adopted daughter: Himawari, the blonde, blue eyed girl who looked like she might be in her early teens, she was a very happy child. The three of them had been taken in by the Hitsugaya Clan, though only Himawari used the name, as the others were used to their own surnames (and it was easier sometimes). They'd always known Rangiku wouldn't be able to get pregnant again, giving birth to Toushirou had almost been too much already. It hadn't mattered though, they were happy with the family they had. And then they met Himawari, a little girl, no more than an infant, abandoned in one of the higher districts. Oscar admitted to not knowing how to care for her, he was used to older children, not babies, and while Kanae could have probably taken her in… the moment Rangiku first saw her she knew she wanted her… Toushirou too cherished her, while he only rarely referred to Gin as tou-san, they'd gotten closer, and Himawari had given them all the chance to work on being a real family; and Karin, who would allow for nothing less, as she cared dearly for all of them… Gin truly did not know what he'd have done without a friend like Karin in his life…
Karin and Toushirou themselves were next, they had no children, and no plans for any just yet, while they both would like to have children one day, they considered themselves quite young still, and their responsibilities as leaders of the 1st Division/Konoe Shidan, and as such of the Gotei 13 as a whole weren't inconsiderable. That was okay though, they were in no hurry, there would be time to have a family.
Chad and Isane were married and had been for a while, though they had no children yet. Mostly because they'd both been busy, the latter with her position as 4th Division fukutaichou, things had gotten pretty crazy in her division since Kenpachi had gotten it into his head to try and woo (or his version of wooing at least) Unohana. She held steadfast on refusing him, though lately Isane had begun believing that she might be growing fond of the idiot; either that or she had been interested from the start, and was just waiting to see how far Kenpachi was willing to go to get her to agree to go on a date. At least most of their division hadn't been as bullied as they used to be in the past. Chad for his part worked as a middle-man between Seireitei and the community lead by his Abuelo in Outer-Rukongai. It hadn't been easy, as hard as it was just to try and make things right for the farthest districts in Rukongai, there was also the people, those who'd long since stopped believing in the shinigami, it would take a long time to change their minds. For them to truly believe that things could be better, that they'd be better.
Another that was helping a lot with things in Rukongai was Orihime. She'd always preferred using her powers to heal than to fight, and she could do so much with the limits of her human life no longer upon her. Some also believed that helping others, especially children, helped her deal with the fact that she couldn't get pregnant again. No matter how much she and Ulquiorra tried it just wasn't possible. According to Unohana, either because of his nature as a hollow, or his status as 'essentially damned', or whatever other reason, the two of them just weren't compatible enough. Amaya had been a miracle, all things told. Even Orihime's powers weren't enough to change the situation. So Orihime accepted the hand they'd been dealt, giving all her love to her husband, her only daughter, and helping as many Rukongai-citizens as she could. It wasn't like she was unhappy, not at all, she had Ulquiorra, the person she'd loved for two lifetimes (or three), and a daughter who was a perfect mix of both of them, and she could help so much, more than she ever could back when she was a princess. Never again would she have to watch the world pass her by as she was forced to live inside a golden cage, never again.
Tatsuki and Renji were standing next, with their son Eiyuu, who had his father's built and stature, but with his mother's coloring. They were another pair that had only been able to have one child, and in their case Unohana had outright prohibited Tatsuki from even trying to get pregnant again, stating how dangerous that'd be for her. Since Renji didn't want to lose his beloved and the mother of his son so soon, he agreed wholeheartedly. Tatsuki was just fine with that, unlike many girls she'd known, being a mother had never been exactly a dream of hers. It wasn't that she did not want children, or that she ever not wanted Eiyuu, it just had never been her goal in life. She was quite happy though, having both Renji and Eiyuu, she particularly loved teaching her son how to fight (Renji could teach him how to use a blade, she'd never been interested in those anyway!). They'd also eventually convinced her of giving an advanced martial arts course in the Shin'ou Academy once a week. It was almost like being back in her dojo, except her current students understood better the importance of what they were learning as, for them, it was about more than just knowing something, or winning a competition, it could one day become a matter of life or death.
The next people whom Uryuu noticed were the Visored, standing on one side, all together as they usually were. They had all finally returned to Soul Society a decade or so earlier, joining the 1st Division (aside from the captains and lieutenants there were no actual ranks in that division, no seats, unlike in the others, as Karin and Toushirou had decided early on the last thing they needed was a bunch of maniacs fighting each other every other day trying to prove they deserved a higher rank -Grimmjow certainly would have-, so they were given the same authority and consideration within the division).
The Nakama had realized, about a couple of decades after Ichigo's and the others' deaths, that the amount of reishi in the air in Karakura was decreasing. Leveling out with what was normal in the human world. Also, while a fair number of people around their generation were spiritually aware, no one aside from the Nakama themselves had developed any sort of powers, even Keigo's children (the only one of the others to have kids of his own blood) had no abilities of their own, and they were only vaguely aware of spirits when they were around (just enough to know when it might be a good idea to run). None of them really knew if it was Ichigo being gone, there being a new King and Queen, Aizen's defeat or a mix of two or even all three, in the end it was a good thing. It was a sign that the danger had truly passed.
The Visored had finally agreed to leave when realizing they were the most powerful left in Karakura, and how that might be dangerous (also, they had a better chance of finding fights in the Soul Society). Ever since then the Shouten had become a base for whatever shinigami was currently on patrol, though the assignment had become boring in recent years.
The Fullbringers were in Soul Society as well, though they'd chosen not to join the Gotei 13 and instead were living in the Rukongai, helping around. Kuugo himself had joined them the moment the last of them (Riruka) passed.
When Uryuu's eyes met those of his sister, he smiled at her, a smile Nemu returned immediately. She smiled much more easily nowadays, even tended to laugh at least every other day. Such things, things like joy, happiness, had once seemed so distant, impossible, nothing more like a dream. It was as if Nemu's life had only truly begun with Mayuri's death… looking into the eyes of her brother, feeling her girlfriend's hand in hers, and knowing her parents were in their own home in Rukongai, watching over the bunch of orphan children that came and went… maybe it'd all been worth it in the end. As for Uryuu, he couldn't believe there had been a time when he didn't have a sister (or didn't know he did, at least); Nemu was so important to him, even if they had pretty much lived in different worlds until then, he loved her dearly.
He couldn't see either of his parents but that was okay, he knew that looking after all the children that went looking for help, looking for them, was a full-time job, one they all loved. It was almost like having a dozen little brothers and sisters some times, quite crazy but still good. In any case, he'd no doubt that the moment their little reunion was over his wife would be dragging him there. They had a home in the Nagaken estate, of course, as they were considered part of the Clan, even if he'd never change his last name, everyone in Soul Society knew the Ishidas were the Last Quincy Line… and to think that he'd gone from being the last one, to one of a family… even Keeva herself wasn't the only Réalta anymore, there was Hikari, who, while not a Iarann like her mother, was very much a réalta herself, and Seren's daughters, who each of them were both réalta and shinigami…
"Are you ready?" Ichigo's question pulled him out of his thought.
"Ready?" Uryuu questioned, not quite understanding.
"For forever." His best friend explained with a smile.
Uryuu smiled at that. Forever with his beloved wife, all of the Nakama together. Always. Yes, he was definitely ready for that forever…
And Cut!
This is it, I hope you've all enjoyed this (insane) journey, I certainly enjoyed writing it. When I first began writing this, all those years ago, I never imagined where this might end. Even though futting out the Thousand Year War Arc meant the story becoming considerably shorter, it's still very long. I think it might even be the longest single story I've ever written (not 100% sure... and some series are longer, but still). To be honest, if I hadn't written so much of it all those years ago, I probably wouldn't have done it now. Mostly because I lost a lot of my drive for Bleach with the end of the manga... there's so much of that last arc I've never understood, and the canon ending is something I'd rather not talk about. I have the utmost respect for Orihime, as I hope has been made clear throughout this fic, but I just don't believe she belongs with Ichigo.
Moving on. I had people worried about certain characters, particularly characters I killed, Bluest my fear, you in particular grieved Coyote and Lilynette (there might have been someone else, but for the life of me I cannot remember right now, I'm sorry! I don't know if I made it obvious enough, but in case I didn't: Oukami means wolf, Coyotes and wolves are closely related, and there's at least one species of wolf that's actually the result of a wolf and a coyote mating so... Sayuri means "little lily" and I think that one's obvious enough... as for Hikari, it means "light" same as Aileen, but I'm sure that by this point everyone was expecting that, right?
It was the plan almost from the start, at the very least since I finally decided to kill them. I hope you like what I did with them. Hopefully you'll like what I did with most of them. I know that there are probably things I missed, things one or more of you might have liked to see. But this was what I could think of.
I almost cannot believe it's over! I'm both happy and sad about it. Once again, I hope you've all enjoyed taking this journey with me. And please don't forget leaving me a comment/review, one last time. I know fanfiction's supposed to be free and all, but we writers live for our readers' comments, please!
It's been a pleasure, and hope to see ya around!
P.S. If anyone here would like to, and hasn't read them, you can find my Everlasting Series in my profile. It consists of two fics: "Everlasting Bonds" and "Everlasting Loves".
P.P.S. I also have a short One-Shot called "Choices of Life and Death"!
Enjoy!
