Disclaimers, etc.: see chapter one
Opening Theme: Next Stage by AAA
Ending Theme: TBA

Chapter four written 11/06/2022

Bleach: Cross
Fifth Division in the Red II:
Princess Division
by Eugena

Rated M

Chapter Four: Technically Related

天国的白雪公主

SOUL SOCIETY - ELEVENTH DIVISION

Yachiru frowned as she looked down at her necklace. It was the Jewel of Winter, the same necklace Kenny gave mom their first Valentine's Day together. Well, their first one in Soul Society. Yachiru had hoped that mom and Kenny would be getting married. After all, mom was mom, and Kenny was dad. Yes, the crown prince was also her dad, but she loved Kenny more. And now, the crown prince was long gone. Just like a fairy tale prince, he gave his life to save his princess. And his princess, Yachiru's mom, still didn't get her happy ending.

Was there still a chance?

"Hey, Yachiru." Ikakku sat down beside her, having watched her staring at her necklace for a bit. "You know," he said, "it's okay to talk about how much you miss your mom. Just around here, okay? You know lots of others gotta believe -."

"That she's mom," Yachiru said, referring to Yukihime.

"She's your mom, too, you know."

Yachiru shook her head. "I don't know if she'll ever love us. Daichi, Raiko, and me. Even Kosetsu or Nemu. The only ones she thought of as her children as Matsuri and Fujimaru, and they're - they're -." She sniffled.

"It's hard for her too," he said. "She just woke up here and the only two people she thought were her children aren't here anymore."

"But she knew about me," Yachiru insisted. "She knew about Kosetsu. She knew about lots of my other brothers and sisters. I have so many. How could she forget? Maybe she wouldn't know Daichi and Raiko. They're the youngest. And mom just took Nemu in. But she'd know everyone else."

"They're not the same person."

"No, they aren't! Because mom would've never put up with that Seigen Suzunami! She's just - she's just -. There's no way she's anything like mom!"

"But she didn't have you around, or Kenny, Yumi, me, practically no one," he reasoned. "Maybe they would have been more alike if your mom didn't have either."

"My mom was left alone with that Kail for a long time. And she's not like her!"

"Think of it this way, you got two moms now. And if anything ever happens to one of them, you still have the other one. You'll have two moms who love you."

"She doesn't love me."

"Yachiru, can you be brave for your mom?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yukihime was hurt very badly. By many bad people. And she was married to the worst of them all. You don't like what zero division and the king do to your mom, do you? So, you wouldn't like them doing that to Yukihime either. Just think of those other bad people just the same. But Seigen was the worst of all.

"Kenny was going to marry your mom. Would he have ever treated your mom like Seigen did Yukihime?"

Yachiru shook her head.

"Then let's hope Kenny and everyone else can show that princess how someone really should be treated when they are loved. If someone hurt your mom, you'd want to punish them, right? Well, someone did hurt your mom. Lots of someones. And they should pay. Too bad we won't get a chance to watch Seigen suffer, right?"

"Kenny would make him pay," Yachiru said.

"Sure, he would. And he'd do it because it wasn't right. Then he'd make him suffer a long time because Kenny loves your mom. I don't know if Kenny loves her, too, but I'm sure he's angry it happened to her. They're not the same person, but Yukihime is part of your mom. So, Seigen and the others hurt that part of your mom.

"Maybe it's not that Yukihime doesn't love you or your brothers and sisters. Maybe it is that she doesn't know what it means to be loved. If she knew, I'm sure you wouldn't have to ask if she loved you anymore. Don't you think you should give her a chance?"

天国的白雪公主

SOUL SOCIETY - FOURTH DIVISION

Retsu pushed Kisuke down the hall.

"Now wait a minute!" he objected. "You're leaving Mayuri Kurotsuchi in there alone with my daughter. And you've all but told him to get her pregnant!"

"If I recall, Urahara," she said, "you're the one to bring that up!"

"Because she's -," he looked around to see other division members listening in. "Because my other daughter's had several children already, so maybe Kurotsuchi hopes fertility runs in the family!"

"Finally got smart then," she sighed. Sure, some of her members knew about Shirahime's current identity and Yukihime, but not everyone. "Not so smart about the children, though."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She leaned closer to him. "You said they were all here."

"They are."

"All of them. Do you know how many children Shirahime has?"

"Three. I mean then count Kosetsu and Nemu."

"No, you idiot. Not counting Kosetsu and Nemu, she has twenty-six children. Daichi is her twelfth son, and Raiko is her fourteenth daughter. You just told her that her other dead or otherwise 'missing' twenty-three children are here! What do you think is going to happen when she doesn't see them?"

"You're not serious?"

"For a supposed genius, you are an idiot. Shirayukihime Shinnouhi has lived for thousands upon thousands of years. Twenty-six children with the crown prince are not many."

"But she's only -."

"Not even thirty? Sorry, even if we were counting the one formerly known as Samantha Hawthorne, she'd be counting all of her children. Yachiru was their first child. And do you really think Samantha Hawthorne gave birth to Daichi and Raiko? You and I both know who their father is, and I know - and I thought you would have, too - which one of her incarnations is their first mother."

"You can't mean -."

"How stupid are you going to be today, Urahara? Well, at least Kurotsuchi isn't. Who knows, he might be good for her."

"Him?"

"Yes, him."

"But he's crazy."

"Yeah, but he's also crazy about her. If there was another doctor here, I think we could have a debate over who was more obsessed over her, Mayuri Kurotsuchi or Toshiro Hitsugaya."

"Hitsugaya?"

"Yes, but at least you won't have to worry about Hitsugaya getting her pregnant. But you'll be calling Kurotsuchi your son-in-law in no time."

"Please tell me you're joking."

"Nope. I mean you had hope before when Shinnouhi was going to be in that contest, but now that it's the other princess -."

"Wait!" he exclaimed. "That's it! We'll just tell everyone -."

"The truth? Absolutely not. It's only safe for most to believe Yukihime is Shirahime."

"But then, Mayuri and -? Aha, suddenly he wants Benihime and not Shirahime."

"So? I'll just explain it as he's secretly obsessed with you, always wanted to bed you, so has fantasies of vicariously living through impregnating your daughters!"

"Who'd believe that?"

"Sou Taicho, for one. He thinks Mayuri dreams of the two of you getting married."

"You can't be serious."

"So serious."

"Still, I'll find a way to get Benihime in this contest, and I don't care if I have to make sure she ends up getting a shotgun wedding. There's no way I'm having Mayuri as my son-in-law!"

"Technically, he already is since Nemu is his daughter."

"Can we forget about that technicality?"

谢谢你们的阅读。