Chapter 6: The Beginning Again

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Kisuke whispered, rubbing Ichigo's slim bare belly and unable to keep from smiling at the swell of busy reiatsu beneath his fingertips, "And once you decide something's going to happen a certain way, it usually does."

"Are you angry?" Ichigo asked solemnly, running his fingers through the still sweat dampened strands of the shopkeeper's mussed hair, "I probably shouldn't have sprung it on you like that, but I was scared that you'd keep trying to talk me out of it. I don't think it's a bad thing to want to make something good, even if there are still bad things to deal with. After my mom died, my dad told me that was the way they lived and he didn't regret it. He and my mom made the best of a bad situation and the result of them doing that was our family. I think our family is a really good thing. And I think the family that you and I are making is a good thing too."

"Yeah," Kisuke agreed, kissing the younger man warmly on the mouth, "it's a good thing. It's pretty damned selfish of me, but I can't have a single regret about it."

"Huh, the way we live, who has time for regrets?" Ichigo chuckled, nuzzling under the shopkeeper's chin and nipping at his soft throat.

"You've got a point there," Kisuke admitted, turning and rolling Ichigo onto his back.

He teased the Shiba heir's feisty lips, tasting and exploring his mouth slowly, then nuzzling his cheek and attacking the blushing flesh of his earlobe and throat. Ichigo's hands slid down the length of the elder man's back, his fingers curving around Kisuke's soft bottom and clenching slightly, encouraging his hips to move as they continued to exchange progressively more heated kisses. For a time, Kisuke forget the weakness in his body, the soft burning beneath his skin that seemed to count down the moments they had together, before their fears came to fruition. He focused solely on the affectionate brown eyes of his lover, meandering slowly down the length of his torso, then pausing to kiss and nuzzle the barely visible bump that was forming on his belly.

"It's weird how it's changing already," the Shiba heir noted, touching the area with his fingers as Kisuke continued his ministrations, laying tender kisses that followed the pathway of fine hairs down to his aroused nether region.

Ichigo smiled at the wickedly beautiful sensations the other man was causing and spread his legs wider, arching his back and moaning hungrily.

"Oh...oh man, that feels amazing!" he panted, pulling on the shopkeeper's yukata to bring him back to his lover's almost viciously biting mouth for a hard barrage of kisses.

The two struggled for a moment, then with a laugh, the elder man yielded, rolling onto his back and watching with narrowed, almost feverish eyes as Ichigo's mouth attacked his needy privates. Ichigo continued the heady stimulation until his lover was nearly breathless, then mounted him and rode more gently, looking down into Kisuke's grey eyes as their movements carried them over into a powerful, mutual climax. Ichigo remained, sitting astride Kisuke's resting body and keeping their eyes locked as they shared the deep pleasance of afterglow.

There didn't seem to be anymore words to say, so the two went quiet and Ichigo laid down along his new husband's side, lacing their fingers together and listening to the rain that was still falling steadily outside the caves. They drifted off to sleep, the pit-pat of raindrops and the whisper of wind lulling them into a dreamless slumber.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, how many children did I have again?" Tetsuya asked facetiously, holding the eldest in his arms and gazing down into the infant's bright, cinnamon-colored eyes, while Byakuya, Renji and Kuchiki Torio each held and fed one hungry daughter, "Can I really have had four?"

"Well, maybe it only counts as three," Renji chuckled, "seeing as three and four came out together and hate being separated!"

"They do have a very strong bond between them," Byakuya noted, tickling one of the two youngest daughters under the chin and smiling down at her affectionately.

"What I want to know is how we're going to name them all," mused Renji, "Got any ideas?"

"I think our son is following in the questionable footsteps of his fathers, being overly spirited and opinionated," Byakuya commented as the lad in Tetsuya's arms gave a loud squawk and grabbed excitedly at the bottle the blue-eyed noble was holding, "Kisho, perhaps?"

"That sounds appropriate," snickered Renji, "coming from us."

"I must agree," Tetsuya said, giving his feisty progeny a look of calm amusement.

"Kisho it is," Byakuya announced, glancing at their son proudly.

"What about this one?" Renji inquired, gazing down at the oldest female, whose fingers reached up to entangle themselves in the long strands of her father's red hair.

"She looks out for her sisters," Koji remembered, "She has to be picked up before them, because she won't tolerate them being taken from the room, where she can't see them."

"Minè?" Tetsuya suggested, "It means 'resolute protector.' I think it fits her."

"I agree," Byakuya said approvingly.

"Whew! Two down, two to go," Renji observed, "Now, what about those two?"

"Maybe, as they are so close, they ought to have names that work together like they do," Tetsuya suggested.

"Hmmm," Byakuya mused, considering.

Renji furrowed his brow, thinking hard and Tetsuya sighed, looking down at Kisho and pondering. Several minutes went by before Koji made a sound of discovery, bringing them out of their thoughts.

"Mitsu," he offered, indicating the girl in Torio's arms, "and Mirai. When you put the two names together, it means light the future."

Slow smiles spread over the other men's features and they nodded in agreement.

"Works for me," Renji announced, grinning.

"I like that also," Tetsuya agreed readily.

"Then, I think we have our children's names," Byakuya concluded, placing Mirai in Koji's arms, "I will make this known to the council of elders and we will make plans for their official naming ceremony."

"Don't they usually have a banquet and a ball in honor of that?" Renji inquired, looking around at the drab interior of the cave, "It'll be fun trying to pull that off in here."

"Oh, I imagine that the manor will be in a fit enough state and restocked by the time we make the official announcement. Although supplies are hard to come by, it shouldn't be long before we acquire what we need. And once we do and we are able to return to our homes, we will need something uplifting to bring back feelings of normality."

"Then, a banquet and ball will be just the thing," Renji affirmed.

"Yes."

"It's not so bad being here for now, though," said Tetsuya, rocking their son slowly and holding him against a warm shoulder, "Some supplies have come through, and we at least have enough medicine, blankets and food."

"And the company's great," Renji added, exchanging a warm kiss with Byakuya before the clan leader left the room.

"Renji, would you mind returning Kisho to the nursery?" Tetsuya asked, looking up at the redhead, "I need to continue Urahara-san's infusions."

"Already?" Renji mused with a look of concern as he gathered the tot into his free arm, "You haven't had much time to recover."

"I'm really fine," Tetsuya insisted, paling slightly as he stood, "And Urahara-san needs the infusions more than I need the rest. I promise I will rest after."

"I'll be here to make sure of that," Renji chuckled, "I might sneak in some cuddling while I'm at it, now that your body temperature is back to normal and you're not freezing the bedding."

"I don't think I'll get any sleep if you do that," Tetsuya replied, smirking.

The two men stiffened as the sound of the encampment's alarms began to wail. Renji offered Tetsuya a quick parting kiss and handed off the two babies to a pair of attendants who had just arrived to retrieve them. Tetsuya's heart throbbed painfully as he passed through the central cave, his eyes watching sadly as the able-bodied clan members gathered and left to address the incoming threat. He forced his feet into motion again and made himself smile as he reached Kisuke's room and found him curled up comfortably and sleeping alongside his new husband.

"How is he?" Tetsuya asked softly, taking a seat next to the bed.

"He's pretty good, I think," Ichigo answered, running his fingers through his hair and scratching the back of his neck briefly, "The wedding really lifted his spirits, and I've never seen him happier than when I told him about the baby."

Ichigo glanced at the doorway as two more fighters ran by.

"What's going on?" he asked, an edge of worry in his voice.

"From what I heard, a group of quincies was sensed outside the barrier, and it seems they have discovered us. The barrier was tested in several places, then two of them began attacking it. But don't worry. There are plenty of fighters taking care of things."

"I can tell you're worried, Tetsuya," Ichigo chided him gently, "Don't try to bullshit me. What do you really think is going on?"

"The part about the group of quincies is true, but I am concerned with how they spread out. It almost seems like they are trying to..."

He paused, adrenaline firing through his body as a feminine scream sounded and an explosion ripped through the central cave.

"No!" the blue-eyed noble gasped, staring at the doorway, "They were causing a distraction to get someone inside!"

He started to come to his feet, then hesitated, looking back at Kisuke with a torn expression. A jolt went through the two young men as Kisuke's voice sounded.

"Go on, Tetsuya. Get out there and help them."

"But if I'm injured or...!" the young man began to object.

"If you don't go, a lot of defenseless people are going to die. Don't worry about me. Just go."

"I should go too," Ichigo said, starting to rise as Tetsuya flash stepped away.

He froze as Kisuke's hand wrapped around his arm, stopping him.

"Don't."

"But you just said..."

"Tetsuya has his full powers and is not carrying a child."

"But we need him to help you," Ichigo argued, "And besides, I'm not that far along. I can fight!"

"But you going out there should be a last resort. Stay here. Let Tetsuya defend them. He is a taicho level shinigami. He'll be all right."

Ichigo shivered as more explosions sounded outside the cave and the sounds of clashing swords and rounds of kido echoed inside.

"I hope they're okay," Ichigo said, watching the doorway closely.

"You're not used to letting other people do the fighting. I know," Kisuke said, touching his face gently and squeezing his hand, "But you are going to have to get used to it. You may come to regret having been in such a hurry to do this."

"No way," Ichigo said softly, snuggling closer to the shopkeeper and holding him tightly as the sounds of battle continued, "There's nothing wrong with trying to make something good happen while bad stuff is going on around us. I think we need the good things, so we don't start thinking the world's all bad."

Kisuke smiled.

"No world that has you in it can be all that bad," he replied, kissing the younger man amorously.

"Stop flirting with me. There's a battle going on out there!" Ichigo chided him.

The two men stiffened as running feet sounded in the corridor, outside their room and Tetsuya's voice sounded.

"Go! Take cover in the room over there. I will not let him through!"

Three young children scampered into the room, the elder boy holding the hands of two younger girls. They skidded to a stop, their widened, terrified eyes finding those of the men in the room.

"It's gonna be okay," Ichigo said, forcing his voice to remain calm, despite the sounds of clashing metal and small eruptions of Tetsuya's kido releases outside the doorway, "Come on over and get down behind the bed. We'll protect you."

"Ichigo," Kisuke said softly, "Get to the doorway. Get Tetsuya to use a waterform to position you behind the quincy. Wait until he attacks, then..."

"Got it!" Ichigo said, heading for the door.

"Don't...let him see you!"

"I won't!"

Ichigo crept to the door and crouched, peeking out and locating Tetsuya, where he stood a few feet away.

"You can't protect them from me," a male voice intoned, "Your skills are good, shinigami, but you shouldn't have let me trap you here in the corridor. Those waterforms are a unique and dangerous power, but I've destroyed the ones you set and you have no space to move around to set more. You are going to die!"

Tetsuya's sharp eye caught sight of Ichigo and he gave the Shiba heir a barely perceptible nod. He fired a volley of small kido blasts at the quincy and reached out to touch Ichigo, sending his power into the shinigami substitute and causing his body to become almost transparent.

Tetsuya told me before that the waterforms he uses are hard to see, but can be spotted in bright light.

He smiled approvingly, noting that the small kido blasts Tetsuya had fired, had not only covered his use of a waterform, but had strategically destroyed the kido lamps along the corridor.

I just have to slip past him and get behind him without him seeing me.

Tetsuya flash stepped forward, engaging the quincy, who laughed at him mockingly.

"You can't cut through my blut, fool! You were better off trying to keep your distance. You can't save those children anyway. I'll just kill all of you."

"I won't let you through!" Tetsuya cried, forcing the quincy back against the wall and giving Ichigo scant seconds to scuttle by before the enemy shifted and threw Tetsuya into the other wall of the corridor. He made a sound of surprise as Tetsuya's body impacted with the hard rock and burst into a heavy splash of water. The noble appeared, closer to the door he protected.

"That was a good move, but it is useless," the quincy asserted, "You were foolish in touching me, because you have allowed me to activate my ability."

"Your...?" Tetsuya breathed, stiffening as he realized that the muscles in the arm the quincy had touched refused to move and his nerveless fingers let go of his sword, allowing it to fall to the floor.

"Anything I touch becomes immobile," the quincy informed him, "You can, of course, use your other hand to pick up your sword, but you will only find that I have touched your sword and caused it to seal itself. You cannot use it anymore in this battle."

Tetsuya stared in dismay as the quincy moved forward, then glanced in the direction of the room where Kisuke and the children remained.

"You can't give ground, because you will bring me closer to that room, and you can't fight me without your abilities. Don't worry, I will make your death a quick one."

Tetsuya held the quincy's eyes in silence, watching as he came closer, then retrieving his blade with the hand that still functioned.

"It isn't going to help you," the quincy teased him, "but it is the only move you have. You are a brave man. But your bravery will not save you, nor the ones in that room."

The quincy raised his sword and closed in on the half-noble, then he surged forward, wrapping his hand around Tetsuya's blade and stabbing at him with his own weapon. A moment later, a sword exploded through the quincy's back and poked out through his chest. He shrieked in pain and fury, turning and throwing the Shiba heir back against the rock wall, where Ichigo struck hard and crashed to the floor.

"You will pay for that!" the quincy hissed, blood leaking from between his lips.

A moment later, he went still, staring at where Tetsuya's slender fingers had curled around the tip of the blade that impaled his foe.

"Touketsu Shima," Tetsuya panted softly, ice forming around his hand, then running along zangetsu's length and swelling inside the dying quincy's body, "It is not a sword release, but an innate ability that freezes an impaled enemy from the inside out. Consider it an act of mercy, as it will lessen your pain as you pass from life."

"B-bastard!" the quincy gasped, falling slowly to his knees, then collapsing onto the floor of the corridor.

"Kudakero," Tetsuya said in a shaky voice, watching as the quincy's frozen body shattered and slowly dissipated.

Tetsuya stood for a moment, swallowing hard and working to slow the hard throbs of his heart, then he turned his eyes to where a recovering Ichigo was staggering to his feet. The Shiba heir retrieved his sword from the ground where the quincy's fallen body had lain, then moved quickly to Tetsuya's side.

"Are you all right?"

"I am fine. Thank you, Ichigo."

"Forget about it."

Tetsuya gave him a guilty look.

"I shouldn't have let you be put in harm's way. If anything had happened to you or..."

"Well, it didn't," Ichigo said firmly, "We're all okay. Let's just get back to Kisuke and give him that infusion."

They entered the bedroom, where the children had climbed onto the bed and were crying and shaking Kisuke's unresponsive body.

"Wake up, mister, please! Wake up!" the boy sobbed, "He won't wake up!"

Tetsuya flash stepped to Kisuke's side and examined him quickly, then began the infusion of staying reiatsu. His heart in his throat, Ichigo coaxed the children off of the bed and led them to another chamber, where a few women and more children were hiding. He left the tots in the women's care and returned to Kisuke's chamber, where Tetsuya remained leaned over the shopkeeper and infusing him.

"What's happening, Tetsuya?" he asked in a guarded tone.

"It wasn't good for his treatment to be delayed, even a little. I have been fastidious about making the infusions on time, but the battle cost him minutes he could not afford to lose."

"Is he going to wake up soon?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

"I think so...as soon as his body feels the effect of the infusion. But we cannot be late in his treatments anymore. It weakens him dangerously."

"Then, we won't let it happen again," Ichigo swore, slipping a hand into his husband's and kissing him on the cheek.

Kisuke stirred and groaned, then his eyelids fluttered and his eyes opened and looked up at the two younger men's worried faces.

"I'm okay," he assured them, "I'll be all right. I knew I would probably pass out and I tried to reassure the kids, but..."

"I took care of them," Ichigo assured him.

"And now we'll take care of you," Tetsuya added warmly.

Kisuke watched quietly as Tetsuya finished the healing infusion, then left the room. He relaxed easily into Ichigo's arms as the Shiba heir joined him in the bed.

"You sure you're going to be okay?" Ichigo asked in a still worried tone.

"I'm not sure of anything," Kisuke confessed, "and I have to admit, it was scary starting to pass out and not knowing if I'd wake up."

"Kisuke..."

"It's okay. Any creature that knows it's dying is going to get scared sometimes. I'm no different."

"I'm scared too," Ichigo confessed, holding the other man more tightly, "but I know Hachi is trying his best to find an answer. And by tomorrow, you should be well enough to help him out. We're going to find an answer, okay?"

Kisuke bit back his considerable doubts and forced a nod of agreement.

"Okay," he said softly.

I just hope I last long enough to see our baby.

Just give me that and I won't ask for anymore.

It'll be my last wish...