A.N.: This is a request by Draxon.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Chapter Seventeen

The next day…
Ichigo's Room

Cuddling in bed with the love of his life, Ichigo slept soundly as the sun rose. Beside him slept Halibel, her head on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. The room was quiet and tranquil as they slept on. A tranquility that was shattered like a mirror when the door opened up.

"GOOD MORNING, ICHIGOOOOOO!" Isshin Kurosaki shouted as he leapt into the room, jumping into the air with a karate kick aimed squarely at Ichigo. "SURPRISE DADDY KI-" Isshin stopped when he saw the blonde naked woman in his son's bed…right before Halibel, acting on pure instinct as she was suddenly awakened by the shout, swung her arm back and punched Isshin, knocking him back. "Ow…" Isshin groaned, sliding down the wall in pain.

The two sat up, covering themselves with the blanket. "Sorry," Halibel said to Ichigo. "I kinda reacted on instinct."

"It's fine. He'll live," Ichigo said.

Getting up while nursing his aching side, Isshin stared at the two in confusion. He quickly put two and two together when he saw their clothes on the floor and smelled the odor of sweat and sex in the room, coupled by the two hiding themselves under the sheets. "Um…Ichigo?" Isshin asked. "Who's this woman?" Behind him emerged Yuzu and Karin, who heard the ruckus from downstairs. Both of them blushed when they saw Ichigo in bed with a woman.

Ichigo blushed. He didn't quite plan on letting his family know about Halibel this way. "Hang on, guys. Let me get dressed. I've got a lot to tell you…"

Half an hour later…

The Kurosaki father and twins all stared at the couple with wide, shocked eyes at the news. They had no idea that not only was Ichigo seeing someone, but he'd gotten her pregnant!

Ichigo explained the situation as best he could, no easy task considering he had to craft a story while omitting the Soul Reaper parts. He told his family that he'd met Halibel over the summer and that they'd grown close. While Ichigo was on his "journey" (his excuse for training with Urahara), the two had taken their relationship to the next level and as a result, Halibel came to Karakura Town to tell him she was pregnant with his child.

Yuzu and Karin stared in awe of the exotically beautiful Halibel, who couldn't help but blush from the attention. The idea that Ichigo had gotten a woman pregnant was baffling to Karin while Yuzu was absolutely ecstatic, the prospect of being an aunt exciting her.

"So that's about the size of it," Ichigo explained. "I offered Halibel to stay here with me now that she's pregnant."

Isshin, sitting in a chair with his arms crossed, nodded at his son. He was at least glad that Ichigo knew how to take responsibility. Part of him was horrified at the idea of his son becoming a father at the age of just fifteen but more importantly…

"OH MASAKI!" Isshin cried as he ran over and hugged the photo of Ichigo's mother. "WE'RE FINALLY GOING TO HAVE A GRANDCHILD! I'M SO HAPPY!"

Halibel looked at the three siblings. "Is he always like that?"

"Yep…" the three groaned, wishing that Isshin didn't embarrass them like that.

Despite all that, Halibel couldn't help but chuckle. She thought she might like it here…

Later…

Ichigo lay on his bed, his face buried in a pillow. Halibel was busy getting to know his family downstairs, leaving him alone to deal with his inner demon.

Despite the comfort that Halibel's presence gave him, Ichigo could feel that dark voice louder than ever. He shivered as he heard it again, a dark call for Ichigo to hand himself over to his darkest instincts. Now more than ever it terrified him. He remembered what he became in the middle of his fight with Byakuya. If he succumbed when he was around his sisters…

A hand touched his shoulder, making him gasp and turn his head quickly. He was relieved to see Halibel sitting on the bed beside him. "Having trouble?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Just restless," Ichigo lied as he sat up. "I hope my dad and sisters didn't bug you too much."

Halibel smiled. "Your sisters are adorable. I can see why you treasure them so much. Your father on the other hand…" Halibel chose her words carefully. "He's going to take some getting used to." She narrowed her eyes at her friend and scowled. "Ichigo, I taught you much but I never taught you to lie. What's wrong?"

Knowing he'd been caught, Ichigo sighed and laid back. "It's…him."

"Him?"

Ichigo pointed to his heart. "My…my Inner Hollow." He confessed to the growing darkness within him and how it scared him. "I don't know what to do…" he admitted. "I'm afraid of what happens if he takes over and I can't stop him."

"That won't happen," Halibel said, putting a hand on his shoulder to show him her support. "You're strong, Ichigo. And you're stronger than your Inner Hollow. If it is anything like your zanpakuto, Zangetsu, then it means that it can be tamed."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Aizen spoke of another group of Soul Reapers once who had been Hollowfied like you. He called them the Vizards. If they could use their Hollow powers as a weapon then so can you." She reached down and took hold of his hand. "I might be pregnant but I'm still your teacher. I can teach you to control your Inner Hollow."

"You can?" Ichigo gasped, feeling relieved. "But…won't it be dangerous for you?"

"I'm aware of the risks," Halibel said with determined eyes. "And I'm fully prepared for them." Kisuke warned her of the dangers of fighting while pregnant but she couldn't leave Ichigo to be swallowed by his inner demon. "I will help you. I promise."

The two shared a deep kiss on the bed. Ichigo felt the weight on his shoulders fade from his lover's support. He was thankful he had somebody to trust in his hour of need. But as he pulled away from Halibel's soft lips, Ichigo knew that there was one other matter to address. "Before that though…there's something we need to do," he said, once again becoming fearful.

"What is it?"

"Kisuke and Yoruichi aren't the only ones I have to tell. I can't keep my friends in the dark any longer…" He reached for his phone and started to call his friends…

Later that day…
Karakura Park

"So why's Ichigo called us here?" Chad asked as he, Orihime and Uryu sat at a picnic table in the shade.

"I don't know," Uryu said, pushing his glasses up. "But whatever it is, it must be important." Uryu didn't know why he was here, having lost his spirit energy from his battle with Mayuri Kurotsuchi. But the urgency in Ichigo's voice over the phone told him that this was serious and that Ichigo had something to tell him with or without his powers.

Orihime scratched her head. "Maybe he's getting a tattoo?" she suggested, much to Chad and Uryu's disbelief.

Chad was the first to see Ichigo. Orihime and Uryu saw his eyes widen in surprise and turned to see Ichigo walking towards them, a tall woman walking next to him. Uryu raised his eyebrows when he saw that they were holding hands. "Ichigo, who is this?" he asked as they reached the table.

The two sat down and Ichigo sighed, not knowing how his friends will react. "This is my friend, Halibel."

Orihime stared with the same awe as Ichigo's sisters, stunned by the woman's beauty. Chad looked at Ichigo confused while Uryu looked at Ichigo with accusing eyes, a lot of pieces falling into place in his head. "Ichigo, who is she?" he asked again.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo began to talk…

For what felt like forever, Ichigo told his friends everything, not leaving out a detail. He told them about the night he met Halibel, how he agreed to let her train him, his revenge against Grand Fisher and the night Ichigo got Halibel pregnant. The three listened, stunned at every word that came out of Ichigo's mouth, glancing over at an observing Halibel, who looked at each other three with interest.

Finally, Ichigo finished his tale. He had to admit to himself that a part of himself was relieved to finally stop lying to his friends about everything. "So that's where we're at," he said, stopping to take a moment to breathe.

All three Humans stared at Halibel, each conveying a different emotion. Chad didn't really know how to feel about the woman, the Espada a mystery despite all of what Ichigo to say. However, he did trust Ichigo and he had faith in his friend's judgement.

Orihime looked at Halibel with a mix of jealousy and happiness. She was a little saddened to know that she wasn't the person Ichigo cared most but she knew how much Ichigo was risking telling them this and knew that this couldn't be easy on him. It didn't matter if Halibel was the person Ichigo cared for, Orihime would still support her friend.

Uryu, on the other hand, was more apprehensive than his two friends. He listened very carefully and thought about the big picture. He knew that Ichigo had trust in her but Uryu, as a Quincy, did not trust the Hollow. He knew he was powerless but he was still worried for his friend, fearful that Ichigo had made a terrible mistake and that he was only walking into a trap set by Aizen.

Halibel put a hand over Ichigo's. "Ichigo, may I speak to your friends. I can see in their eyes that they're still mistrustful of me."

Nodding, Ichigo got up from the table and walked away a short distance, looking up at the sky while Halibel spoke privately to the trio. Ichigo put a hand over his heart, feeling the call of his Inner Hollow from deep within. Ichigo knew that he had to find a way to tame his inner demon before he could deal with the more pressing issue at hand.

His thoughts turned to the upcoming battle with Aizen. He wondered what Aizen had planned for Halibel now that she'd fled Hueco Mundo. Would he try to capture her? Did he know she was with child?

So many questions plagued Ichigo's mind, making him worry even more. His shoulders slumped as he knew that there was no easy answers and he would have to wait for fate to show its hand. But knowing he'd have to wait didn't make the worry go away, merely strengthening it and making the Inner Hollow's call that much louder…

Once again today, Ichigo was snapped out of his doldrums when a hand touched his shoulder. "Ichigo, are you sure about this?" Uryu said, Chad beside him. Ichigo turned and saw that Halibel was still talking to Orihime.

"What do you mean? She's not here to hurt me, Uryu. She's had plenty of chances," Ichigo said.

The Quincy shook his head. He knew that Ichigo had his heart in the right place. But heart and reality were two separate things. "If she's here on Aizen's orders-"

"Uryu!"

"IF!" Uryu insisted. "If this is all a part of Aizen's plans, then you could be putting yourself in danger. I know it's a big if but the truth is we don't know what Aizen is planning. And you'd better believe that even if she is telling the truth, he won't stay idle about one of his top warriors running off."

Ichigo sighed. "I know. Kisuke's warned me a hundred times. And if the captains knew…"

Uryu pushed up his glasses. "Are you sure it's a good idea to have her live with you? You've already seen that the Soul Society isn't one to question appearances. If they find out you knocked up a Hollow…"

The Substitute crossed his arms. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." The look in his eyes showed Uryu how much he trusted Halibel. "I know you're worried but I trust her."

Giving a sigh of his own, Uryu conceded the argument. He knew that when Ichigo had his mind made up, there was no stopping him. And besides, there wasn't anything he could do at this point without his powers to help him. "Alright then."

Halibel and Orihime walked up to the boys. "You finished?" Halibel asked.

"Yeah. So what did you two talk about?" Ichigo asked.

Orihime gave her friend a surprisingly happy look, the previous face of disappointment gone. "Oh, you know! Girl talk…"

"We should get going, Ichigo," Halibel said. "We've much to do."

Ichigo nodded. "I know." He turned to his friends and gave them a heartfelt smile. "Thank you, you guys. For understanding."

"We're your friends, Ichigo," Chad said with a supporting smile. "We've got your back."

The group went their separate ways. As they walked back to Ichigo's house, Ichigo turned his lover. "So what did you talk about with Orihime?" he asked out of curiosity.

Halibel shrugged. "Oh, we just talked. I'll give your friend credit, she's kind to a fault." She didn't tell him that she apologized to Orihime for stealing Ichigo, having sensed the pain and disappointment and envy in her eyes while Ichigo was explaining their affair. Orihime, to her credit, swallowed her disappointment and told Halibel that she knew Ichigo was one of the kindest people she knew and that she would help support Halibel, asking if they could be friends.

Noticing the distressed look on Ichigo's face, Halibel frowned. "Your Inner Hollow?" she asked.

Ichigo nodded.

Reaching down, Halibel grabbed his hand and gave him a comforting squeeze. "I'm here." Her tone became more serious, becoming a teacher once more. "Be strong. It may be a monster but you can be stronger. If your heart is filling with doubt, then fill it with conviction instead. You will beat it. I know it."

Halibel's words reached Ichigo and his resolve strengthened. Soon the dark voice quieted down and he nodded. "Thanks, Halibel."

"Remember, I'm still your teacher," she reminded. "By the way, where should I do while you're at school?" she asked. "I'm a bit…too old to go to school with you."

Ichigo was partially disappointed, that dirty part of him wanting to see Halibel in a school uniform. But he discussed it with Kisuke, who shot down the idea and said that Halibel looked too old to play the part of schoolgirl, much to everyone's disappointment. "I guess you'll have to stay around the house with Dad."

Halibel deadpanned. "Greaaaaat." She imagined being stuck in the house with the happy-go-lucky father.

"I'm so thrilled…"

To be continued