Chapter 11 -
The hallway was bright, blindingly so, as the nurse wheeled her down. It felt surreal, like she was in a dream. "Let's go feed that baby." The nurse said enthusiastically as they rounded the corner towards the NICU nursery. Haruka could tell immediately when they were close. All the lights were dim to not disturb the little ones that were fast asleep.
She only caught a quick glimpse of his back when passing by the window. His icy blue hair and tall intimidating stature was like a beacon for her eyes. Soon, she was being pushed through the doorway. Two of the NICU nurses were fussing over the little bundle in his arms, smiling and cooing at her before they saw Haruka and took a step back. It prompted him to turn.
It almost startled her when he finally faced her. His face had softened so much that she barely recognized him. His eyes were glued to the bundle in his arms, his face tilted so he could keep her in his sights the entire time he transitioned her over to Haruka. The little baby grunted at being disturbed from her cozy spot in her daddy's arms, but quickly adjusted to mom's squishy embrace.
"She's a tough little cookie." One of the NICU nurses commented. "Only needed the lights for a little bit. She's ready for the world."
"She's got her daddy's spirit." Haruka smiled as she rocked the little one. She yawned big while grabbing one of Haruka's fingers.
"We just have to make rounds really quick, Akiyama-san, but then we'll be back to help with her feeding, ok?" The NICU nurse asked. Haruka nodded before bringing her attention back to the sleepy child.
Grimmjow crouched next to Haruka. His hand dwarfed the baby's head as he gently caressed her cheek. "So? How does it feel?" She asked as she watched his movements. His eyes never left their newborn, set in a determined, protective gaze that was also softer than she'd ever seen him.
"Like nothing I've ever done in my life really mattered until this." He said quietly.
"It all mattered, Grimmjow. How else would you have gotten here?" She asked with a small smile. It was the first time his gaze left the small child since she had come into the room. He looked at her, almost longingly, before moving up to press his lips against hers. She slid her free hand against his cheek, caressing him softly as they broke apart. In unison, they both looked down at the squirmy child that clearly wanted all the attention on her.
"So, did you think of a name?" Haruka asked.
"Yea." He said as he grabbed the baby's tiny hand. "Miku."
Four Weeks Later
"You're driving?" She asked skeptically.
"Yes, I'm driving." He replied as he snapped the car seat into place gently.
"You know I was cleared last week, right?" Haruka asked as she got into the passenger seat. Grimmjow bit his tongue before moving into the driver's seat.
"Just 'cuz I don't like to drive doesn't mean I don't know how to." He stated simply while starting the car.
"Right." A loud cry echoed from the back seat as Grimmjow put the car into drive. "Miku…" Haruka cooed as she reached her arm back and tried to soothe the little one.
"What's the matter?" Grimmjow's eyes darted into the mirror that was useless seeing as the child seat had to be rear facing.
"Just look at the road. It's fine, she just dropped her pacifier." Haruka reached back, attempting to grab it.
"I'm pulling over." He grumbled.
"It's fine, just keep driving." She snapped as Miku's cries only increased.
"Get the damn pacifier." He shouted.
"I am, asshole!" She shouted back before finally finding the pacifier stuck under the child's leg. She pulled it free, wiped it clean and then popped it back into the screaming child's mouth who subsequently quieted.
Haruka moved back around and plopped into her seat before sighing. She glanced over at her now silent partner who glanced at her back.
He snickered first, turning his head in an attempt to hide it. She saw it and laughed. "This is going to be one hell of a ride." She said.
"You fuckin' said it, Kitten."
Eventually the family car was pulling into the driveway of the cozy little farmhouse on the outskirts of town. Although, this time, the road had several cars parked in front of their house. "They're all here already?" Haruka mentioned.
"Doesn't surprise me. Kurosaki's woman probably dragged him out the door at the break of dawn." Grimmjow snorted as he got out of the car and went to grab the baby seat in the back.
"I told her not to rush over. She just had Kazui-kun last week. She has her hands full." Haruka said with a bit of concern.
"If it's anything like Kurosaki…" He began.
"Stop it! And don't call Kazui-kun an it. He is precious." She scolded back.
"Yea yea." He waved her off as they approached the door together. "I don't care how cute the kid is, he ain't getting cozy with our daughter."
"Will you knock it off? They are babies!"
"Never too soon to keep an eye on the future." He said as he grabbed the door.
"That's way too responsible for Grimmjow, Sexta Espada, to say. I'm going to need you to stop now." Haruka smirked while Grimmjow rolled his eyes. Then he pushed through the front door.
"They're here!" Inoue cheered as Grimmjow moved in first, keeping the car seat tightly against his chest to avoid the prying eyes of visitors.
"Alright, alright, back off!" He snapped. "Let us get into the damn house at least."
"Oh, he's falling into the role already." Ichigo snickered.
"He fell into the role the second he laid eyes on her." Haruka corrected. Grimmjow ignored them as he made his way to the living room where the crowd followed.
"My, my, what excitement!" Urahara exclaimed as he was pushed out of his seat in the living room by the ladies eager to get a glance at the new baby.
"Oh my, she's adorable! Let me hold her! Kurosaki-kun, take care of Kazui-kun." Inoue passed her little baby off to her husband. Grimmjow carefully undid the straps of the car seat and eased the little baby out into his arms. He held her for a moment, staring at her bright beautiful eyes before passing her to Inoue, who scooped her up like a professional and began the span of cooing and baby talk that she became proficient at since becoming a mom herself.
Grimmjow took a few uneasy steps back, allowing for others to greet his new baby. He saw Haruka squeeze her way next to Inoue so that she was within an inch of Miku. He breathed just a little easier. "It's crazy, huh? To have so much of your headspace reserved for protecting such a helpless little thing." Ichigo's voice didn't annoy him as much as it used to.
"Speak for yourself, Kurosaki. It's not like she's the first one I've ever had to watch out for." He refuted, but it only made Ichigo's grin widen.
"Yea, but Haruka could take care of herself for the most part. Miku is helpless without you."
It wasn't as if he didn't think of that himself but hearing it from someone else just validated his thoughts even further. After watching the spectacle for nearly a half hour, Grimmjow finally lost his patience. "Oi, Ruka! You going to feed the kid or were you planning on letting her starve?" He barked out over the small crowd of guests. Haruka instantly glared in his direction while Ichigo facepalmed.
"Here you go, Haruka-chan." Inoue gently passed little Miku back to Haruka. "She needs some bonding time with Mommy."
"Thanks everyone. We'll be back shortly." She said as she took her leave to her bedroom with Grimmjow on her tail. The moment the door shut behind him, he unraveled.
"We need to make them leave." He said. At that same moment, Crey and Mimi came leaping out of the crib to charge Haruka and Grimmjow who subsequently blocked them with their feet. The two mod souls deflated and sat patiently while trying to get a good look at Miku.
"What? No. Why?" Haruka bumbled out while she sat on the rocking chair to feed her little one. Crey and Mimi both followed.
"You're tired, Miku is tired, and we've been waiting for four damn weeks to finally be home as a family and our home is flooded with strangers." He argued.
"They aren't strangers. They are our friends."
"They ain't my friends." He announced.
"Regardless of what you think, Urahara-san, Kurosaki-kun, Sado-kun, Orihime-chan, Yoruichi-san are all your friends and I'm not even including the ones from the racetrack. And yes, a lot of those people are my coworkers from the hospital, but they all took time out to welcome us home as a family and I don't think we should just shoo them away."
"I do."
"Don't stress me out, Grimmjow." Haruka warned as Miku squirmed uncomfortably.
"Fine. I won't. I'll just take care of it myself." He shrugged as he went for the door. Haruka didn't bother trying to stop him. She simply sighed while pulling her little baby closer. She closed her eyes and rocked gently in the chair while singing a little lullaby.
Grimmjow, on the other hand, made his way downstairs, but was startled to see most of the crowd had left. "They all left?"
"Oh yes." Urahara replied casually. "They just wanted to see the baby and congratulate you. They didn't want to burden anyone. I, on the other hand, was promised dinner so…"
"There is no fucking way I'm cooking you a meal." Grimmjow said unabashedly. "And I'm not letting my wife do it for you either."
"I'm already on it, Grimmjow-san!" Inoue shouted from the kitchen. Grimmjow visibly flinched.
"It's gotten better." Ichigo mouthed to him in a whisper.
"Well if it's just you four, I guess it's fine." Grimmjow relented.
"Thanks for your hospitality, Grimmjow-san." Yoruichi commented.
"Yea, sure."
"Oh, everyone left? I didn't get to say goodbye." Haruka said as she entered the room with Miku asleep in her arms.
"They didn't want to overcrowd you, Haruka. It's your first day home as a family, after all. I'm sure you'll get plenty more visitors." Ichigo mentioned as he rocked a fussy Kazui in his arms.
"It was really nice of you all to welcome Miku home. It's been a long wait." She said as she took a seat on the couch next to Ichigo. Grimmjow followed, taking a seat next to her.
"How could we not?" Urahara asked. "Especially after what had happened."
The mood sobered. It was silent for several long moments until Haruka finally spoke up. "Have you heard anything?"
"I managed to convince the so-taicho the importance of this matter and he has agreed to let us put a team together in Soul Society to seek out the S4G." Urahara explained. "Yoruichi-sama is leading it."
"We've started combing through their villages, but they are all abandoned. We have not found any evidence of where they went yet, but we will not give up, Akiyama-san. He will pay for what he tried to do to your child." Yoruichi commented.
Haruka nodded while hugging Miku a little tighter. "Thank you." She felt as Grimmjow brushed his fingers through her hair, attempting to distract her from the countless number of paths exploding before her. It was impossible to narrow them down, so she didn't. She could not worry about the what ifs, even if they were laying right in front of her in her mind. Instead, she looked up at a pair of icy-blue eyes that were looking back at her. She smiled before snuggling closer to him, his arm gently draping around her. She knew that the only thing worth doing was enjoying each moment she had with her little family…
It was late when their close friends finally left for home. "I'm going to put Miku in bed." Haruka said after she was done feeding the newborn. She stood up from the couch but was immediately intercepted by her spouse.
"I got it." He said as he went to take the baby.
Haruka's brow furrowed in confusion. "Are you sure?"
"Yea, I got it." He reaffirmed stubbornly. "Go get some tea or something."
She smiled small while handing over Miku. The sleepy baby grunted quietly before dozing back to sleep in her father's arms. He carried her up the stairs as Haruka went to put the kettle on the flame.
His eyes always kept her in his field of view; watching her chest rise and fall with her slumbering breaths, listening to the quick rhythm of her tiny heart, and feeling her tiny reishi wrap itself around him. It threw him off balance. It threw his entire way of thinking off balance. Hell, Haruka had already redefined his thinking in a lot of ways, but this… this was his whole world now. Everything before felt so insignificant in comparison.
Too quickly, he was standing in front of the crib. "Alright, Sunshine, bedtime." He said quietly as he gently placed her in her crib. Immediately she began grunting and shifting until she realized she was no longer snug in someone's arms and began crying. "Hey, hey, you can't just sleep in Mommy's arms your whole life." He said while attempting to soothe her with gentle pats and rubs. She only cried harder. "For f-... what's that song Ruka sings?"
He began humming the lullaby he had heard Haruka sing multiple times now and Miku instantly stopped crying and looked at him. "You know this song, right?" He asked with a smirk while allowing her to grasp his finger and shove it in her mouth. "Hushabye, hushabye. My good baby, sleep. Where did my girl's baby-sitter go? Beyond that mountain, back to her home." Miku yawned and let go of his finger. "As a souvenir from her home, what did you get? A toy drum, and a shō flute." He continued humming the lullaby until her eyes finally closed and she was fast asleep.
Standing just outside the door, Haruka watched. She had never heard him sing before, even just a lullaby and it filled her heart with so much emotion. She was amazed at the transformation that tiny little human caused in man who was once the embodiment of terror. "Never thought I'd see the day a former Espada sang a lullaby to a human baby." She whispered smugly as he exited their bedroom and shut the door.
"What, you jealous I've never sang to you?" He teased as he followed her down the stairs.
She chuckled. "Maybe."
He took a seat at the kitchen table while she grabbed the kettle and two teacups. She placed the cups down, one in front of him and another where she would sit, before filling them up with the steaming water. He let the steam fill his nostrils, breathing it into his tired lungs before sighing.
"I can't even explain to you how fucking weird this all feels." He said suddenly as Haruka sat across from him. She offered him a warm, knowing smile before sipping her tea.
"It's a huge change in our lives. We've gone through so many over the years. I still can't wrap my head around how or why, but I've accepted none of that really matters now." She responded.
His gaze fell on her, his eyes soft and his expression warm. He looked so much older, so much calmer than he had just a few weeks ago. She was so happy for him.
"I know how." He mentioned simply. She responded with a questioning look and he answered. "It was you. It was all you."
She let out a disbelieving laugh. "Me? Pray tell, why only me?" She teased him with her eyes, her expression light.
"If it wasn't for you, none of this would have happened for me." He said, his tone a low hum in the silent kitchen air.
"Not necessarily." Haruka said modestly. She opened her mouth to continue, but he cut her off.
"I should have known it from the moment I pinned you up against the wall to try and scare you. You looked back at me with those eyes…" He trailed off as her expression changed. It wasn't like him to ramble, to get lost in his thoughts out loud like this. She knew he really appreciated the turn his life had taken and he was giving all the credit to her. She didn't feel deserving of it, felt that what she did for him couldn't compare to all he did for her. But here it was.
"I guess we really need to thank Urahara-san." Her serious expression lit up with mischief once again as she attempted to lighten the mood once more.
She had expected an eye roll at the least, maybe a curse or two in Urahara's name, but there was nothing. No change in his expression, not snide remarks. "I love you, Ruka." He said finally. It was so sincere, so filled to the brim with emotion despite it not showing on his face, that it took her breath away.
She stood up and moved around the table, one hand resting on his shoulder while the other cupping the back of his head. She leaned in, her lips pressing against his with a desperate eagerness, the emotion so strong it made her body quiver. When she finally broke away, she was breathless. "I love you, too, Grimmjow."
Epilogue:
Eight Years Later
The sun peeked above the mountain horizon and cast a few delicate rays onto the cozy slumbering farmhouse, drying the morning spring dew. Slowly, they filtered in between the cracks of the window curtains and landed on Haruka's sleepy face. The warmth and brightness caused her to stir. She groaned and sighed while turning over. She was immediately greeted with a pair of strong arms pulling her against a warm chest.
"This is the last one, I swear it." She muffled from his chest as his hand ran along her swollen abdomen.
He chuckled. "You're the one with the 'see into the future' magic trick."
"You know that's not how it works." She refuted.
He shifted his head to her neck, pressing eager lips there. His hands ran along bare skin, sliding along her arms and eventually settling on her swollen breasts. He massaged them with gentle force, eliciting sleepy moans from her soft lips. He stifled them with his own, sliding his eager tongue against hers. Haruka's nails dug into his arms, clinging to him briefly before he gently turned her over, her back now against his chest. His arms clung to her tightly as his hard erection pressed at her entrance...
The shrieking screams that echoed in from down the hall was enough to halt them both. Haruka sighed as she weaseled out of his embrace and threw some clothes on. Grimmjow simply sat on the bed clearly frustrated with just a sheet draped over his lap. Before leaving the room, Haruka rushed over and pressed a quick kiss against his lips. "I promise, tonight after they go to bed, we'll get some 'us' time."
"Uh huh." He replied, unconvinced.
"I promise!" She giggled while exiting the bedroom and moving towards the sounds of crying.
She opened the door to the bedroom of her two youngest. "What is going on in here?" She asked.
"She hit me!" The four-year-old with bright blue hair mixed with strands of light purple cried out.
"I didn't!" Her twin with lavender locks mixed with icy blue argued.
"Ayame, Kiku – it's first thing in the morning…" Haruka began.
"It doesn't matter what time it is, okaa-san, they always fight." Haruka's sleepy-eyed son mentioned from beside her.
"Good morning, Hajime-kun." Haruka said as she ruffled his violet hair with her hand. "Is your sister awake?"
"I think she's painting again." The six-year-old shrugged.
"My, my, so many early birds." Haruka sighed. "Well, go wash up and I'll get something on for breakfast."
"Kiku-chan, stop it!" Ayame shouted as she was tackled by her sister. Tears started to form in the girl's iridescent eyes.
"Enough, you two!" Haruka scolded. Then two strong hands gripped her shoulders gently.
"Oi, Cuckoo, get dressed and we'll take a walk to the training grounds, burn off some of that energy." The sound of their father's voice had both girls perking up.
"Otou-san!" They cheered as they both sprinted for the dresser.
"Can I come too, otou-san?" Ayame pleaded.
"Yea, yea. You can come too, Songbird." He smirked while heading to the door on the opposite side of the room and banging on it harshly. "Hajime! Let's go."
"You're going after breakfast, right?" Haruka asked with a sternness in her voice.
"I'll grab 'em something on the way."
"Grimmjow…"
"I'm givin' you a break, Kitten." He grinned before pressing his lips against hers.
"Eww!" The twins shrieked out from the doorway.
"Alright, alright. They're all yours." Haruka smiled as she waddled her way downstairs.
Grimmjow waved for the twins to finish getting dressed while he burst into the opposite room. "Hajime! Move your ass."
Hajime glared at his father. "I'm getting dressed."
Grimmjow frowned. "Don't give me that look." He warned. "Your mother always gives me that look." The second part he said under his breath, though his observant son picked up on it.
"I want to stay with Mom." His son replied weakly, though defiant enough.
"That's too bad, 'cuz you're coming with me and your sisters." Grimmjow replied. "Now get dressed."
Hajime's dejected look was enough to tug at his heart strings. He found his kids were successful at manipulating him only about twenty-five percent of the time, but it was often Hajime who managed to stir up the deepest feelings. He wanted his son to be strong and willful, but he also didn't want him to be sad.
"Hey, if you don't give me a hard time, then I promise on the way back we can make a pit stop at the sweets shop." Grimmjow said quietly. His son's face immediately lit up and he raced to get dressed. "Just don't tell your mother."
While his son got himself dressed, Grimmjow made his way downstairs. He peeked into the kitchen to find his wife rambling under her breath while rearranging several chairs and various objects. He had gotten used to it at this point. After four kids and a fifth one on the way, he knew her mind was just a never-ending movie of their kids getting into accidents via the random furniture in the house. She was still trying to work on that; still trying to ignore the paths of the Seer.
"You've seen Miku?" He asked, startling her out of her images.
"Oh, yea, she's on the porch, painting." Haruka said before going back to her strange ritual. He turned and headed for the back porch. His eyes moved to the window first. There, he could see long sky-blue hair standing in front of an easel. Even on the step stool, she still had to reach up high with her brush to paint the very top of the canvas.
He pushed open the screen door, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and stood next to her. She never lost focus, her eyes remaining on her canvas and only leaving it to peek out behind it to view her inspiration every now and again.
"Good morning, otou-san." Her voice was quiet and calming.
"Paintin' the sunrise?" He asked as he looked at her work.
"Mmhmm." She said quietly.
"Hard to do when it rises so quickly. The colors change fast." He said as he took a seat in the chair behind her, his gaze studying the current coloring of the sky with what she had already painted.
"Mother said it doesn't have to match perfectly. It just has to feel right to me." She replied and he smiled.
"Your mother's got some good advice."
"Mmhmm."
Silence fell between them. Grimmjow listened to the peaceful noises that filled the void; the sounds of birds chirping; the gentle brushing noise that her strokes caused; and then the raucous screeching and laughing of two little girls inside the house. It reminded him why he came out there in the first place.
"I'm taking your sisters and brother to the training grounds to blow off some steam. You want to come?" He asked, causing her to pause.
"No, thank you." She said politely.
"You sure, Sunshine? We're stopping at the sweet shop on the way home." He attempted.
"I don't think Mama should be home by herself this far along. Remember what happened with the twins?"
Grimmjow snickered. "Yea, Hajime wouldn't go into the living room for weeks." After a chuckle, he stood up and gently patted his daughter's head. "Take care of Mama for me." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Love you, Sunshine."
Miku turned and smiled at him. "Love you too, otou-san."
Grimmjow made his way back into the kitchen where his wife was at least now focusing on cooking breakfast while two rambunctious toddlers circled her. "Alright, let's go." He announced to the youngsters. The girls cheered while Hajime reluctantly got up from the kitchen table and followed them to the front door. "Miku wants to stay home with you." He said as he came around the corner and enclosed her against the counter.
"She gets involved in her work…" Haruka mentioned while turning her back to him. His chest pressed against her back as his lips found her neck. His hands slid around her abdomen, gently tightening his hold on her. Haruka sighed while running her fingers through his hair. "You better get going before they leave without you." She said warmly.
"Mmhmm." He mumbled between kisses.
"I'll be here when you get back." She smiled while gently wiggling out of his grasp. She could see the mild disappointment in his eyes as he began making his way towards the front door. "And Grimmjow? Not too many sweets."
He raised his hand in the air as a simple acknowledgement while Haruka crossed her arms, a smirk of satisfaction forming on her lips. Then she moved to the porch. "How's it coming?" She asked her daughter.
Miku didn't look away as she continued painting her picture. "Almost done." She said as her brush ran a streak of yellow across the horizon.
"Is that tomorrow's sunrise?" She asked intuitively.
"I think so. Or maybe it's the day after that." Miku's brow scrunched as she focused on the image in her head. With one final stroke, she wiped the excess paint onto a towel and then rinsed it clean.
"Well, whichever day it is, it's sure to be a beautiful sunrise." Haruka said.
"It's the day Jiro-kun will be born." A gentle gust of wind blew through the yard, dancing through the girl's blue locks of hair.
"You are so certain of his name." Haruka hid her concerns under a warm smile as she gently stroked her daughter's head.
"Well you are letting Father pick the name, aren't you?" Miku's innocent face tilted up to look at her mother. "He'll pick that one."
"And how are you so sure it's going to be a boy?" Haruka continued to prod. A Seer's abilities only extended to facts they could see and paths would then extend from there. If she did not know that her baby was a boy, then the paths would present in pairs, one for a boy and one for a girl. But Miku was so certain. If Grimmjow knew the true extent of his daughter's abilities… Haruka shut those thoughts off as quickly as she could. She did not want to see those paths just yet.
"It's a boy." Miku said again. "I just know."
Haruka's smile fell slightly as she stood up. "Well then, why don't you come in and have some breakfast with me?"
"Mama?"
"What is it?"
"You and Father… you're going to keep Jiro-kun safe, right?" Her voice wavered, which was unusual for her as she rarely showed much emotion at all.
Haruka swallowed hard, her mind immediately attempting to go through the future paths, but when there were just so many options… How was her daughter able to see so much more clearly? "Of course, Miku-chan." Haruka said as she hugged her daughter. "Your father and I would never let anything happen to any of you."
Miku smiled then, her mother's words putting her at ease. "Good."
"Cuckoo, knock it off." Grimmjow said absentmindedly as his daughter once again tackled her brother for the third time. She was an absolute wild child.
"Can't you just behave for one walk? We're almost there." Hajime whined as he dodged his little sister.
Kiku growled before changing targets and then sprinting towards her other half. She was caught midway by two impossibly strong arms. She struggled and fought, but Grimmjow's grip was just too much for the four-year-old.
"You're going to tire yourself out before we even get there, Cuckoo." He teased.
"Let me go, otou-san!" Kiku shrieked.
"Nah, I think I'll just tickle you instead." He replied before his fingers found her sides and dug in. She shrieked out in laughter, her wriggling increasing tenfold. Finally, she found a gap in his hold and slipped away while gasping for breath.
"Again, otou-san! Again!" She said, her voice raspy from all the laughing.
"My, my, what a group you have with you today, Grimmjow-san." A familiar voice called out as they approached the training grounds.
"What's he doing here?" Grimmjow grumbled.
"Uncle Clogs!" Kiku shouted, causing Grimmjow to grin and Kisuke to frown.
"Oh, Kiku-chan, you are too much like your father." He said as she ran up and gave him a hug. "Well I guess not that much like your father."
"Yo, Urahara-san." Hajime greeted.
"Hi, Urahara-san." Ayame mimicked her brother's posture and politeness.
"Hi, hi." He responded to the children. "Where is Miku-chan?"
"Home with Ruka." Grimmjow answered as the kids ran down the steps.
"Oh, that's a shame. Kurosaki-san is here with Kazui-kun. They would have had fun together." Urahara mentioned slyly.
"Aren't you a little too old to be playing a matchmaker?" Grimmjow prodded.
"Too old!? Never!" Urahara responded while attempting to look insulted.
"They're too young. Knock off your shit." Grimmjow warned and Urahara grinned.
"I didn't think there was anything wrong with a nice little play date at the park." Urahara replied mischievously.
Grimmjow ignored him while moving down into the training grounds. Well, they were once training grounds. Urahara had taken liberties to turn it into a kid's park complete with swings, monkey bars, and several tree houses among other things.
"Hoy, Grimmjow!" Ichigo called out. Grimmjow slowly made his way to the orange-haired man who was watching his Shinigami son practice.
"Yo." He greeted.
"How's Haruka feeling?" Ichigo asked. The two men stood just outside the playground watching the kids rambunctiously climb and jump.
"Eh, ya know, pregnant." He answered and Ichigo snorted out a chuckle.
"Gotta say, Grimmjow, never would have pictured you with five kids."
There was a pause. Ichigo waited for an insulting remark back, but instead Grimmjow simply sighed contently. "Yea, me either. But ain't that the best kind of life; the one you never imagined for yourself?"
Ichigo glanced over at him with a surprised expression. It was like the man he fought all those years ago was long gone now. "Only when it's a good life." Ichigo teased.
"You knew what I meant, asshole." Grimmjow replied.
Ichigo's face sobered. "Yea."
"So why didn't you have more kids?" Grimmjow asked as he watched Kiku jump over Hajime. "Or is that too personal?"
"Inoue didn't want anymore. Kazui was enough for her." He answered, though there was a hint of sadness in his voice.
"She remembered what it was like watching you. Now she's gotta do it again with her kid." Grimmjow said simply. "Guess I can't blame her for that."
"Really? I would have thought you'd be all for an army of Shinigami children." Ichigo sneered.
"Nah, I fucking hate Shinigami." Grimmjow joked and at least got a smirk out of the man standing beside him. "I get it, Kurosaki. The last thing I ever want is for my kids to have to go through the shit I did. Why fight, when you can live a happy peaceful existence and let all the other prideful morons do the fighting for you? All you gotta do is make sure your kids are strong enough to protect themselves and the ones they love. Everything else don't matter."
"Kazui isn't like that. He's got too much of his mother's heart." Ichigo said.
"Yea well when he's got a father like you to live up to, what do you expect? Of course the kid is going to want to be the savior of the world." Grimmjow replied arrogantly.
"He doesn't have to live up to me. I did it because there was no other choice. I was the only option and I wasn't going to watch my family and friends die." Ichigo's annoyance at the conversation finally broke through, his voice reflecting his agitation.
"It ain't me you gotta tell that to, Kurosaki."
Silence followed and the sounds of screeching children filled the void. Off to the side, Kazui was practicing with a wooden sword and had managed to convince Hajime to join. It was clear the younger boy was at a disadvantage, and while he could hold his own, Kazui was winning their skirmish. Grimmjow watched carefully as Hajime's frustration and anger slowly increased.
"I'm glad this place is getting good use." Urahara joined the two men who were spectating.
"Thanks again for fixing it up, Urahara-san. Kazui loves coming here." Ichigo replied.
"Yea, I guess it's alright." Grimmjow stubbornly agreed.
"Oh anything for my favorite little people." Urahara said. "Grimmjow-san, there is something I'd like to discuss with you."
"I'm listening."
"We received a letter addressed to Akiyama-san." Urahara kept his voice low. "It's from Kenji."
Grimmjow's eyes fell into a dangerous glare.
"I want her to know that we did read it and we attempted to trace where it came from, but we didn't come up with anything. Here." Urahara pulled out the neatly folded paper and handed it to him.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear this fucking thing up right here." He snarled.
"Because it's for Haruka. She should make that decision." Ichigo intervened.
"I'll let you decide when you want to give it to her, Grimmjow-san. I don't want to do anything that will upset her this far along. That's why I leave it up to you." Urahara clarified.
Grimmjow stuffed the paper in his pocket roughly and attempted to forget it was there. But it sat there, burning away and irritating him beyond belief. "You haven't found anything in the last eight years. Why now?"
"I don't know. Perhaps it's because the repairs on the Seireitei are completed. Honestly if they were looking to attack, I'm not sure why they didn't eight years ago when we were at our weakest. It's all very peculiar."
"Or he's trying to lure her out. Maybe he feels confident he can take her now." Grimmjow mused angrily.
"Otou-san is mad!" Ayame announced as she pointed to Grimmjow. He sighed. While he loved all of his daughters, each one had a particular annoying ability that constantly caught him off guard.
"No, I'm not." He replied while trying to keep a cool head.
"I'll make him happy!" Kiku yelled as she started charging. The agile little girl managed to jump up and dig her little fingers into sides. Of course she was met with two iron strong arms keeping her at bay, but she was just squirmy enough to reach him.
Grimmjow attempted to maneuver around her, but she was just incessant. "Cuckoo, stop it." Ichigo and Urahara watched from the corner of their eyes while stifling smirks and chuckles. Kiku had them all distracted enough that not one of them noticed the letter fall out of Grimmjow's pocket.
"What's this?" Hajime had approached, curious at what had triggered his father's foul mood and also sick of being beaten down by Kazui.
"Hajime, give that to me!" Grimmjow commanded as he continued to fend off his daughter who giggled like mad.
"This is for Mother?"
"Didn't your mother teach you not to snoop into other people's business?" Urahara asked as he plucked the parchment from the boy's hand quick enough that he only had time to absorb a few words.
Hajime glared at Urahara before stuffing his hand into his pockets shamefully.
Ichigo finally intervened in assisting Grimmjow with Kiku, tugging the little girl free of him and pinning her in his strong embrace. She struggled for a while before finally exhausting herself. Grimmjow took the letter back from Urahara and then gathered himself. "Alright, time to go."
"Awe.." Ayame and Kiku said in unison. His son had gone completely quiet, his face looking dejected.
Grimmjow passed by him, gently nudging him in his arm. "Come on, Hajime, let's go get some sweets." He attempted but didn't get much enthusiasm out of the boy. The girls, however, flew into shrieks of excitement.
"Yay, sweets!" They cheered as they raced after their father. Hajime sluggishly followed.
"See you guys later!" Ichigo called out and Urahara waved.
"See ya." Grimmjow replied gruffly as the twins shouted their goodbyes. Hajime remained quiet.
Eventually they arrived at the corner sweet shop a few blocks into town. Grimmjow could barely contain the two young girls as they attempted to scoop up whatever sweets were in reaching distance. "You pick one of your favorites." He ordered sternly and both deflated.
"How about four?" Kiku attempted to barter.
"I said one." Grimmjow stated again.
"Three?" She tried.
"One."
When Kiku realized her father wouldn't break, she began her usual tricks. Her eyes welded with unshed tears while her bottom lip quivered. "Please, Otou-san? Just two of my favorite sweets? Please?" She said as innocently as she could convey.
Grimmjow's stern fatherly posture cracked ever so slightly, but it was enough that Kiku had known she won. He grimaced as he gave in, "two, and that is it or we ain't comin' back here again."
"Yay!" Kiku shouted, pulling the eyes of everyone in the shop. "Thank you so much, Otou-san!" She scurried over to the display of various sweets and began attempting to pick out her favorites. Ayame followed her.
Grimmjow sighed while moving next to his sullied-faced son. "Go pick something out, Hajime." He said.
"Otou-san… Who is Kenji?" Hajime asked quietly.
Grimmjow felt bile rise from the pit of his stomach. He tried like hell to keep his kids safe from his and Haruka's dark pasts but hadn't exactly thought about how to talk about it with them if it ever came up. Hajime was still young, only six-years-old, but he was as observant as a hawk and trying to hide anything from the boy was nearly impossible.
"An old friend of your mother's. They had a falling out and we haven't seen him in a long time." He answered as honestly as he could without giving too much away.
"Why did he make you so angry?"
Grimmjow felt the ire rising within him from just thinking about the son of a bitch. But his son needed to know. They all needed to know in case one day Kenji did show up again. They needed to know how dangerous he was to them. "Because he hurt your mother deeply and I'll never forgive him for it. You don't gotta worry about him, Hajime, because I'll never let him around you, your sisters, or your mother ever again."
Hajime looked up at his father's face. He was staring at the glass enclosure filled with sweets, but Hajime could tell he was really seeing something else. His eyes looked far away, like he was watching a bad memory over and over again. It was the way his mother looked when she got stuck in one of her 'dreams.' Father had said she could see the future in a way. Maybe his dad was seeing it too.
"Pick something out, Hajime. And do me a favor and pick something out for your mother and older sister, too. It will put a smile on their faces." He ordered and Hajime obeyed. He felt a little better that his father had told him the truth or at least as much of the truth as he could allow. He noticed it often in the way his father was always observant, always looking for something bad to happen, always looking for someone to approach. There was a cloud over their family, though he didn't quite understand what. To him, it meant he would have to get stronger, so he could help his father protect their family and so he didn't have to be worried so much about all of them.
Maybe he should train with Kazui more often.
After purchasing their sweets, the group began their journey back home. By the time they reached their farmhouse, it was nearly lunch time.
"Oi, we're home!" Grimmjow announced as he opened the front door.
"Welcome home!" Haruka responded from the kitchen.
"Mama!" The twins cheered as they ran for their mother.
"Hi! Did you have fun?" She asked, her tone cheery.
"Yes, we got sweets!" Kiku announced as she held up her bag.
Haruka chuckled. "I see that."
Grimmjow and Hajime joined shortly after. "Need a hand?" Grimmjow asked his wife who was preparing lunch with Miku.
"Thank you, but I think we've got it. Miku has been a great help today." She praised and the young girl's face lit up.
"Yea? Good to hear, Sunshine." Grimmjow replied as he ruffled Miku's hair, much to her displeasure. She hated things out of place.
"Hajime, what's wrong?" His mother asked suddenly. "You look a little down."
Hajime looked a little startled that she had noticed his foul mood. He was trying to stay strong, but it bothered him that his father hadn't given her the letter yet.
"He's just a little down in the dumps because Kazui beat him in a sword fight." Grimmjow intervened while wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulders.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You just have to practice a bit more with your father in the yard, that's all." Haruka said sympathetically.
"Kazui was there?" Miku perked up suddenly, her voice sounding disappointed.
"Ya, why does that change things for you?" Grimmjow smirked wickedly. As much as he hated the idea of his young daughter eventually finding an attraction to the Kurosaki boy, he couldn't pass up an opportunity to tease her.
She blushed wildly, "no."
Haruka smirked, but also felt relief underneath. Perhaps Miku's foreseeing abilities were limited.
"Alright, time for lunch everyone!" Haruka announced as she began placing food on the table. The family eagerly ate their lunch together, laughing and enjoying the company of one another. After lunch, the oldest children helped clean up while the younger two found a cozy spot on the couch in the living room. Kiku had exhausted all her energy from her exciting morning and was soon lost to a nice afternoon nap. Ayame soon followed, snuggled up close to her twin.
"Miku-chan, do you want to go on a bike ride with me?" Hajime asked.
"That's a great idea." Haruka said warmly. "Just take Crey and Mimi with you."
It had always been the rule that the children could not travel alone ever and while Hajime hadn't really questioned it, the older he got, the more he wondered about certain things. He wondered most about their mysterious live stuffed animals that they weren't allowed to talk about but accepted his mother's word regardless.
"Sure. I'll go get them." Miku replied. She ran upstairs to gather her gear and the two mod souls before joining her brother at the door.
"Please be careful and watch out for one another." Their mother said firmly.
"Yes, Okaa-san." The two replied in unison. "See you in a bit."
Haruka watched her two children run to the shed to grab their bikes and then take off down the road towards the old oak tree a few kilometers away. It always worried her when they left, but as Grimmjow told her time and time again, they had to develop their own strength, their own independence. They would be ok.
She moved back inside after they were out of sight. She stopped in the living room first, finding a blanket to rest over her two youngest that were snuggled up together on the couch, fast asleep. Then she went looking for that beacon of blue energy and finding it on the back porch. She sat beside him and smiled before noticing the folded paper in his lap.
"What's that?" She asked.
He glanced at her before looking down at the paper. "It's a letter." He said before pausing, watching the curiosity form on her features. "From Kenji."
Her shocked expression told him everything he needed to know. Like him, a letter from Kenji was the very last thing either one of them was expecting after eight years of blissful peace. Deep down she had hoped the S4G left and went somewhere far away, out of reach of any of them without any intention of coming back. Because of this, she had effectively blocked them from her mind. And she had blocked their paths. This now opened up a world of different options and it made her head spin with how quickly they developed.
"Have you read it?" She looked at him, almost desperately.
He shook his head. "No. Clogs did, though. He told me to pass it along to you when I felt you were ok to handle it."
This riled Haruka up, causing a grimace to form. She always appreciated everything Urahara had done for her and her family, but this constant supervision from the shadows he was prone to doing constantly annoyed her. "I can handle things just fine." She reiterated and Grimmjow had to stifle his smirk. Even after all these years she still got offended when others tried to protect her.
"That's why I'm giving it to you." He said as he handed it over. It remained there for a moment, hanging in the air, threatening to blow away in the warm breeze if she didn't grab it soon. She almost didn't want to, even as curious as she was to what it contained. She wanted to stay in this blissful place. She wanted this peace to last forever. But deep down she knew that the S4G were still out there and they would always be a threat.
She gently pulled the parchment from his hand and opened it up. Grimmjow's gaze shifted to his daughter's painting, the perfect mix of colors revealing a glorious sunrise just beyond the mountain range. Then he listened as Haruka's voice filled their silent void:
"Dear Haruka-chan,
How are you? I feel like it's been many lifetimes since I last saw you, but I suppose that is a symptom of my condition. I know what you must be thinking after everything that has happened. I know you will probably never forgive me, but I want you to know that I have forgiven you. If things were different… well they aren't now, are they? I just hope more than anything that we can have peace between us so that one day we can meet again. One day we can enjoy each other's lives even if it's just as friends. I will always love you, Haruka-chan. I will always care about you. If you ever wish to see me again the way I wish to see you, then please, come dream with me.
With love,
Hamasaki Kenji
Grimmjow could feel the pain, the hurt in her tone as she read the letter aloud. "Kenji did not write this." She said venomously. "And if he did, then he truly is no longer the man I once knew."
"He's joined a cult, Kitten. One with a very persuasive leader." Grimmjow said gently and he watched as her face fell.
"I'm done mourning him." She said firmly as she tore up the letter. "He's made his choice and that choice involved hurting my child. He is truly dead to me."
Grimmjow nodded, satisfied with her response, but one more question sat heavy on his shoulders. "What did it mean when he said, 'come dream with him'?"
Haruka sighed. "I'm not entirely sure, but the S4G used to meditate a lot. It was how we would come to terms with our subtraction and to find our gain. Sometimes they would meditate together and they would call it 'dreaming'. They believe that only in working with one another could they achieve their full potential." She explained. "I was very young when I dreamed with Arata. He helped me see."
"That why you think Kenji didn't write this?" He asked.
"Yea. Unless Kenji has been dreaming with them, but it doesn't make any sense that he would. He doesn't have a subtraction. You can't dream without a subtraction." Haruka insisted, her voice straining with concern.
"I'll think you'll find that most souls have a subtraction, just some more subtle than others, Kitten. Even me. Maybe Arata finally figured that out." Grimmjow said intuitively and Haruka's pain-stricken gaze moved to him, looking at him for comfort and support. "It will be ok, Ruka."
She nodded weakly. "I'm afraid for them, Grimmjow."
"I know, but it sounds like they are far out of reach. Where did you dream with them?"
"We had temples in the forests outside of the Seireitei where it was quiet, where no one would disturb us." She answered.
"Places far from here." He reiterated, attempting to put her at ease.
"Yes, very far from here. Though I doubt that's where they are now. It was one of the first places I told Yorouchi-san to search. She didn't find anything. Not even a speck of reishi."
"They can't get us here." He said, almost attempting to convince himself more than her.
"I hope you're right."
"Hajime-kun, wait up!" Miku shouted as she fell behind. She could hear Hajime cackling as he sped up. Miku wasn't nearly as athletic as her siblings. She preferred quieter activities of the mind to the physical ones of the body. "Mama said we have to stick together!" She yelled again.
"Alright, alright, you big baby." Hajime teased as he slowed. They were approaching the great tree now. Their father had named it the Old Growth or Oldie for short. It was a very old large oak tree set in the middle of a grassy field. It had become their sanctuary spot in many ways when home life was too noisy or overwhelming.
Hajime pulled his bike over and leaned it against the rough bark of the tree while watching his sister pant and struggle to make it the rest of the way. "That's not nice, Hajime-kun." Miku said on gasping breaths.
"Yea! You need to be nicer to your sister!" The little stuffed dog that was stuffed in her pack barked at him.
"Alright, you're right, Mimi. Sorry, Miku-chan." Hajime apologized, and Mimi barked out triumphantly before finding a cozy spot near the base of the tree to curl up next to. Crey hopped out of his carrier's bag as well and curled up next to her.
"It's ok." Miku replied as she leaned her bike near his. The two kids sat in the soft ground under the lengthy branches of the tree, picking wild dandelions and buttercups for their mother.
"So, when is it going to happen?" Hajime asked outright.
"Tomorrow morning." Miku replied confidently.
Hajime smirked. "Does mother know?"
"I gave her hints, but not too many. I don't want to worry her." They quietly picked the flowers as birds chirped overhead and insects buzzed through the field. "Hey, Hajime-kun?"
"Yea?"
"Can you teach me to fight with a sword?"
The question caused him to look up, confusion marring his inquisitive brow. "Why?"
"I-I just want to know how to fight if I ever had to." She answered with unease.
Hajime saw right through his sister's attempt at hiding her true motives. "What did you see, nee-san?"
Miku shifted uncomfortably. She and her brother were close. She confided in him whenever she had what she called "bad feelings." The more she confided in him, the more comfortable she felt to where she was telling him intimate details of the visions she saw. She told him things she would never tell her parents, couldn't tell them because the visions so often changed and telling them could make it change for the worst.
"Something is going to happen to our little brother." She said finally.
Hajime's face lost any semblance of peace as he dropped his little bouquet of flowers to the dirt. "What do you mean?"
"I've seen someone come and take him away, someone evil. I see mama and papa trying to fight back, trying to save him but…" Miku could no longer hold back the torrent of tears forming in her eyes. They streamed down her inflamed cheeks, making little trails into the dirt.
Hajime hugged her. "It's ok, nee-san. If they can't save him, then we will. I'll teach you what I know and then we can get stronger by fighting Kazui…"
"And then maybe it will change. Maybe the vision will change." Miku said with a tinge of hope in her voice.
"We won't let anything happen to our family." Hajime said firmly.
"We can help!" The two mod souls had perked up from their dirt nap upon hearing the conversation. Hajime snickered at them, "what do you two know about fighting?"
"Quite a bit young master-sama." Crey responded. "We've fought with your parents many times."
"And watched them train… a lot." Mimi added.
"You can't tell them anything!" Hajime demanded suddenly.
Both Mimi and Crey looked at each other slyly. "We know someone else who could assist confidentially."
Hajime looked at them with confusion. "Who?"
Miku perked up suddenly, the thought coming to her either through a vision or just by pure intuitive nature, "Uncle Urahara-san."
End.
/*First, I want to apologize profusely for not having this finished sooner. I've always struggled writing endings, but this by far has been the roughest writers block I've had in a long long time. I do still have one more story I want to write, but it's just an idea in a word document at this point so it will be a bit before I post a new one. This final chapter was a bit short and I still feel it's not quite right, but I don't think it will ever feel that way so in effort not to delay this any further, here it is! I did enjoy writing the epilogue though and wanted to include it here to make up for the months of hiatus; hopefully you all enjoyed reading it. I apologize for any typos as well. I wrote and rewrote this so it might have a few here or there despite my proof-reading several times. I will continue to try and get some one shots out (I know it's been awhile. I have multiple unfinished ones, including the one everyone has been waiting for, I'm sorry!) For now I hope this will satiate you and hope everyone is doing well! Stay safe! */