Hey Interwebbers!

Sorry for the long wait for the next instalment. I have been very busy with school and whatnot, so I haven't had time to do much in the way of writing, but I did finally get around to finalizing this chapter. _ took a while. I tend to re-write things a couple times when things dont flow the way I want the first time, and this was one of those. I also had some problems uploading it, so if you find random letters it's because I had to upload it as a .txt doc and it took out all my formatting and put g's and f's and h's everywhere. #_ Not happy about that one.

A warning about this one for you all, not that you really need it, as it is rated M and this is far from it IMO, but there is violence and breif language in this chapter, but then there usually is when Ikkaku is concerned. Also, a warning, though it isn't in this chapter, starting the next one this story will be changing to include MPreg. I know, I know, Mpreg is stupid, and I don't normally like it either, but for this one, I think It will work.

TL;DR: Sorry for the wait, watch out for random letters, fighting and swearing, also story is Mpreg as of the next chapter.

The first few days that had passed since Hanataro's return had been fairly quiet, but today was far from it. When it rained it poured, Isane thought as she hurried from one room to the next, making sure the patients were all being taken care of. There was nothing communally wrong with anyone, but the rooms of the clinic were overflowing with a variety of small things that seemed unrelated, but had all come on the same day.

Hanataro was out running errands, but had been in the clinic that morning, and Isane had noticed, happily, he was looking much better with each passing day. She still wasn't sure what had happened to him while he was gone, but she had her suspicions. The day after he had gotten back she had paid him a visit in the morning, to have breakfast and check up on him. He had insisted, of course, that he was fine, but he had been rubbing his shoulder a lot, and that worried her. She knew he had an old injury on that shoulder where he'd been bitten by a hollow years ago, before joining the gotei 13. He had gotten away, but it had left a scar, and though he had been checked by Unohana herself and deemed fine, whenever he was injured or bothered by something, it seemed to cause him pain.

Isane would have bet her left foot that those meat-heads in the eleventh had done something to him while he was there and Hana was just too meek to say anything. Or, she thought, thinking back to when Madarame had brought him back, maybe he was being threatened to keep him quiet. What had that jar-head told Hanataro before he left? 'Think about what I said,' wasn't that it? It made sense that Ikkaku would threaten him; the boy was not exactly the strongest character around and would certainly fold in the fighter's wake.

Still, the seventh seat was her friend and though that meant she would look out for him, it also meant she had to trust that he would tell her if he was in trouble. He kept insisting he was fine and that nothing had happened, so until she had proof otherwise, she would have no choice but to believe him. Until then, though, she would keep a very close eye on any eleventh division brute she saw; especially Ikkaku Madarame.

"Lieutenant," she heard the girl who was supposed to be minding the front desk, breaking her from her thoughts, and turned to face her. "This came for you." The hell butterfly fluttered over and landed on Isane's finger as she thanked the small girl who hurried back to her post.

"Lieutenant Kotetsu," Captain Unohana's voice rang out from the butterfly, sinking Isane's spirits even more. "A group of Menos Grande has been spotted on the edge of the rukongai. The eleventh division has been dispatched. Expect casualties soon. I have gone with the 14th advanced relief team to do primary triage. Please remain at base and await wounded." With that the butterfly left, and Isane took a breath. They would need to clear up some space for the injured who'd be coming in. She took a look around and shook her head at the full halls and busy healers. Yep, she thought, when it rained, it poured.

Ikkaku stood in the field on the outskirts of the rukongai watching carefully over the lower officers as the division fought the Menos Grande that had gotten through a hole in the border. Zaraki was slicing them up with fervor, but the rest of the division had so far gone unhealed since the harsh 'training' the week prior and were already half gone when the call came in. As such, though they fought hard with the new training taking hold, they seemed to be falling hard too, and Ikkaku was becoming increasingly frustrated that he had to keep an eye on them. He would much rather join the fray.

The fourth squad had set up relief efforts and was hauling away the lower ranking officers on stretchers by the dozen it seemed, and though he was annoyed that they were there, he admitted they were needed. Plus, he thought, it was good to see that Hanataro was back to normal. He watched the seventh seat rush from man to injured man, making sure they all got what they needed, and wondered how someone so timid could be here in the midst of Menos Grande and be so calm. The small man may be afraid of his own shadow some days, but when it came right down to it, he was pretty brave and that was something Ikkaku admired. It was easier for Ikkaku to stand there on the battle field without so much as a blink of an eye; he was a well-trained fighter who could protect himself. The same couldn't be said about little Hanataro, but here he was all the same.

Another cero shot by and he shouted at an unlisted man who wasn't paying enough attention and had almost got hit. The man jumped up and hurried back into position, holding the front line as another group advanced on the Menos before them. The tactics were working. Even if the men were already beat up some, the seated officers could all handle Menos Grande with little trouble, and the hollows' numbers were already being steadily reduced.

Just when they were making some progress, though, a devilish cry came crashing out from behind the Menos, leaving several lower ranked men frozen in place. A blur of grey, razor sharp claws raked out and swept away several fighters at once, leaving the plane clear save the stain of red that ran through the grass. A white mask with great dripping fangs covered most of the hollows face, save one ocean blue eye. The hollow cried out again with a ferocious roar and sprang forward, clearing the fighters with a single bound. It landed surprisingly gently, and propped its self up, readying a cero, and as it did, Ikkaku's body moved on its own, flash stepping to the one in the beast's aim; the one who hadn't noticed the hollow because he was too wrapped up in trying to heal the injured eleventh squad. The one who Ikkaku would never again let come to harm.

Ikkaku's flash step was fast, and as he grabbed Hanataro and pulled him away, the hollow yowled in dismay, giving up the charging cero and leaping after the two escaping shinigami. As he followed them, Ikkaku going deeper into the forest and away from other dangers, the hollow spoke, yelling his intent.

"Give him to ME! I have CLAIMED HIM! He is MINE!" Ikkaku dropped the smaller man and turned to face the beast, whose uncovered blue eye began to glow as a deep demonic cry resounded in the wood. Ikkaku realized only just in time that the cry was not coming from the beast, but from the healer behind him, and turned to see a possessed Hanataro lunging at him, brilliant blue eyes glowing ferociously, in sync with the hollow.

"The fuck?" He dodged the man easily and swung the hilt of his sword against his head to incapacitate him. The sword knocked the small man out, but Ikkaku could only hope he hadn't hit him too hard, not having the time to check before returning his attention to the hollow. He didn't know how this monster had gotten control over Hana, but he would be damned if he was going to let him keep it.

The hollow slashed at Ikkaku with its silver claws, failing to make purchase, but coming dangerously close, as the fighter doubled back and tore at the thing with all his strength. The result was less then optimal, but left Ikkaku a moment while the hollow recovered to release his shikai.

"Grow, Hozukimaru!" The scabbard joined the sword of the man's weapon and his naginata formed in his hands.

Recovered from the blow, the hollow struck out once again at the man, who neatly dodged the attack and raked his blade down the hollow's side. As blood spilled out over the forest floor, though, the hollow started to laugh. It was an evil, menacing laugh that made Ikkaku's blood boil at the sound.

"What the hell's so funny, huh?" Ikkaku yelled at the monster, but then he saw it. The attack he had dodged had landed on Hanataro. He lay collapsed in a heap at the hollow fs feet. A flurry of emotions raged through Ikkaku. He had done everything he could to protect the healer from his own men, just to have him taken by this hollow? Just to have him pulled away all the same? To lose him now, like this, before he had even had a chance to tell him... What? How he felt? And how did he feel? At first he had thought the affection he had felt was just his protective instinct kicking in; that because he had saved the healer, he was eager not to let harm come to him. Now, he wasn't so sure. As the days had passed, the feelings had not faded, and now as he saw the crumpled form of the man's slight frame, a heat surged in his veins. No matter what caused them, he needed more time to figure out these feelings. He couldn't do that if Hanataro was dead. This was NOT going to be the way it ended, he decided. This couldn't be it.

A primal yell escaped the man, and he fought the laughing hollow with all the power of a broken heart, slashing and stabbing at the thing. His usual tactics of savoring the fight were abandoned. His signature grin and insanely ecstatic expression were forfeit. All that he could do, he did. When the thing reached for him with its sharpened claws, he pushed back with all his strength, when it lashed out with a sticky tongue, he spun and twisted free, and when the fangs got deathly close, he dodged with his flash-step and came right back in.

"He CALLS me! I NEED him!" the hollow screamed at Ikkaku as the two collided in the brush. The voice was crazed, wild, and delusional, but Ikkaku had never known many hollows that were sane. He kicked away another strike of the thing's tongue as it tried to get passed him to the healer's broken body.

"You don't understand. You cannot keep me from HIM! HE IS MINE!" It lunged out, claws extended as ikkaku braced against them with his naginata's staff.

"The Hell he is!" the man yelled back. "And the hell I'm lettin' you NEAR him!"

There was nothing fun about this fight and the constant urge to help Hanataro filled his very essence. He swept in close, and finding an opening, dug the bladed tip of his weapon far into the monster. When it went down, he slashed again and again until there was nothing left but a shuddering heap, bleeding on the ground. Breathing hard he went to Hanataro, kneeling by the small man, not knowing what to expect but fearing the worst.

"Hana..?"

His voice was soft, even scared perhaps as he searched with his senses. Down and down he explored, pleading silently, and then somewhere deep inside, he felt the slight but steady pulse of faint reiatsu within the small body. His hopes lifted and he immediately started working, using the balm he kept in the hilt of his katana, combined with some basic healing kido he had only used once since he had left the rukongai, the night the boy had been raped. As he watched, the small form in his arms gained some strength and stirred gently.

"Oh thank Kami," He sighed deeply, relieved that the healer would be alright, then froze again as blue eyes opened to meet his own. They were glowing.

He turned quickly, just in time to see the brilliant flash of a cero heading straight for him. Ikkaku knew a flash step could save him, but Hanataro would be left in the path, and he had almost lost him once. So instead the fighter did something he never expected he would ever do. Blocking the beam from the injured man opposite him, he closed his eyes and waited to be hit by the full force of the hollow's cero, and as it burned his flesh and threw him down, he didn't regret the decision. If it came right down to it, he couldn't live with himself knowing he had sacrificed Hanataro to do it, even if he was possessed by this thing. With that thought, his mind was peaceful, and accepting of his fate, even if that meant this was the end.

As he lay smouldering on the grass, he felt the slight frame of the other man stir beside him once more. His eyes opened painfully to look one final time at the healer he had done his best to protect. Every inch of skin was gone from Ikkaku's chest and he was in agony, but he didn't care. As he watched the boy rise to his feet, he smiled. Hanataro would be ok. He gazed upon the healer's soft black hair, his creamy white skin, and wondered how he could have mistaken his feelings before this. How could he not have realized that simply being around the man made him want to be better? It made him want to be more. It gave him strength in a way that no amount of fighting or training ever could. Watching the man now, he realized all he wanted was to hold him one more time. To feel that slender body curled nicely in his arms, to run a hand through that silky hair and breathe in the clean crisp scent the other always seemed to have.

The thoughts and longings that ran through the once proud fighter's mind were abandoned, though, as the last thing Ikkaku Madarame saw just before the world turned white and faded out entirely were two brilliant glowing blue eyes shining down at him, as Hanataro stood above him, and ran him through.

Oooooh! Suspense killing you yet? I will try to get the next one out soon, but be warned it won't be until at LEAST Tuesday. Stay tuned!

~Andromeda