"OH MY GOD!"

"It's okay Rukia. Just take deep breaths…"

"TELL YOUR HOLLOW THAT IF HE EVER GETS CONTROL OF YOUR BODY I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

"Uh, right. If it makes you feel any better he says that Sode is hurting him right now…"

"GOOD!"

Rukia was in the process of giving birth, and it had been going on for a while. They'd been married six months ago in a quiet ceremony in Soul Society, and an equally low key event in the Living World. Rukia had been quite happy with that. She'd confessed to him that she'd always dreaded the usual noble marriage ceremonies. Apparently, they were very involved and Rukia had sometimes had nightmares about being at her own wedding and forgetting the words.

The last six months had been a bit of a roller coaster. Rukia's mood swings had been interesting but Ichigo had been more than capable of handling them. They'd often sparred until she dissolved into a weeping mess, and then he'd gently carried her to bed. With her small frame, she'd become so round that Renji had started referring to her as a beach ball. Rukia had kicked him through a window when she'd overheard.

But now it was time for the birth and their child was taking his or her time coming into the world. Ichigo grinned to himself as he heard his hollow whimpering. Apparently Sode no Shirayuki was also suffering through the birth and his hollow had made the mistake of letting her grab him. Ichigo had been more careful and Rukia currently had a death grip on armrests of her birthing chair. She was giving birth in an almost upright position, to let gravity help bring the child out. So far it didn't seem to be doing much.

"Unohana, please, it hurts!" She whimpered, tears in her eyes as another contraction wracked her tiny body. The healer just smiled at her reassuringly.

"Everything is going well. You're fully dilated. Remember your breathing exercises." She advised and Rukia whimpered before trying to control her breathing.

In total, the birth took almost six hours. At no time was the child in distress and it was a natural birth from start to finish. Rukia was utterly exhausted at the end but still managed a smile as Unohana placed the tiny bundle in her arms.

"You have a boy." She said with a smile and Ichigo gently put an arm around Rukia's shoulders, gazing down at the little one. Violet and black eyes looked up at them shyly.

"He's so beautiful." Rukia whispered as they both examined their offspring. He was white as snow, but that was no surprise. Sode no Shirayuki was nearly as pale as his hollow. His hair was a light lavender, taking after her. Ichigo swallowed as he realized that the baby looked like him. His father had kept his baby pictures and aside from the coloring, the child really did resemble him.

Strangely, the only place Rukia really showed up was the little one's eyes. Sode no Shirayuki's eyes were pale grey, but the boy had violet eyes with black sclera. He sucked on his hand before starting to quietly whimper and Ichigo watched as Rukia offered him a breast. The infant latched on immediately, suckling strongly.

"Kurosaki Akiyo." He murmured, gently touching that violet hair. Rukia smiled warmly at him, her arms full of tiny baby. "Do you mind if I bring out my hollow? He wants to see him." His hollow hadn't said anything but Ichigo could practically feel him dying of impatience. Rukia laughed softly.

"I was about to ask if I could manifest my zanpkuto. Go right ahead." She invited and Ichigo closed his eyes, concentrating. Normally he wouldn't have trusted Shiro this far but he completely understood his desire to see his offspring. Deliberately letting himself take a backseat, he felt the mask form on his face and felt his eyes open without any direction. Sode no Shirayuki was manifested, sweaty, exhausted and wearing only a plain white yukata.

"Oh Rukia, he's beautiful." She sounded on the verge of tears, hovering over her child. Ichigo's hollow held out an arm for her and she settled beside him, cradled in his arms. They both watched their child feed, enchanted. "I wish he could be with us but he's better off here." She murmured and Shiro nodded.

"Yeah. Ichigo's inner world is the pits. Yours is nicer but the poor kid wouldn't have any friends except the rabbits." He agreed and Sode giggled tiredly before snuggling against him more firmly. "When he's done can we hold him?" He asked with a touch of wistfulness and Rukia nodded with a tired smile.

"Of course." It was a while before little Akiyo finished feeding but when he did, his two other parents got to hold him. The little baby sneezed several times in Sode's arms, making the zanpakuto smile with joy. Rukia fell asleep as they were fussing over their offspring and Ichigo smiled to himself before reasserting his control. Sode reluctantly retreated to Rukia's inner world as she was transferred to a proper bed, her little one settled in beside her.

Take good care of him, King, or I'll have to hurt you. His hollow said threateningly. Ichigo just smiled, pressing a gentle kiss onto that tiny head. It was still a bit cone shaped from the birth, but that would change soon.

"Don't worry. You're part of me and he's my son. I'll take care of him." He pledged and really, truly meant it. It hadn't felt real until this moment but now he felt like Akiyo was actually his son. It was a good feeling.

It might have started strangely, but he would do everything he could for his little boy.

Rukia smiled at the giggles and shuffling from her two children. She knelt down, resting her hands on their backs.

"You remember what you need to do?" She asked and they both nodded. Akiyo looked very solemn, taking the responsibility seriously. Little Maki-chan just beamed at her, his rabbit ears bouncing as he nodded. Her smile deepened for a moment as she looked at him.

It had been a shock to both her and Ichigo when she'd become pregnant a second time while she was still nursing Akiyo. She hadn't bothered with birth control, trusting in her breastfeeding and the general lack of fertility of shinigami. Well, it seemed she was one in a thousand when it came to getting pregnant. It often took female shinigami decades of trying, and she'd conceived effortlessly. Rukia strongly suspected there were plenty of ladies in Soul Society who hated her, not that they would admit it.

So little Makio was only a year younger than his older brother. He was Ichigo's little copy, with his bright orange hair and warm brown eyes. He was a smiley little boy, cheerful and sweet. Everyone loved him, especially his older brother.

"Mommy?" Akiyo offered her the carrot in his hand and she took it, a bit puzzled. "Can I have it peeled so I can eat it?" He asked and she laughed before taking Makio's carrot as well.

"Of course!" She quickly peeled the carrots and brought them back. Akiyo chewed on the tip as Makio looked at his brother curiously. Then he emulated him, biting into his carrot. Rukia smiled in pleasure as she watched. Makio idolized his brother and was constantly imitating little Akiyo. Then she heard the sound of a car driving up and knelt behind them again, her hands on their small backs.

"I'm home! …Rukia?" Ichigo sounded confused and a bit concerned as he closed the door. All the lights were out and the house appeared to be empty. Rukia smiled and whispered in her boys ears.

"Now!" They ran out with squeals as she stood, flipping on the light switch. Ichigo's eyes went wide as the two little bunny rabbits waved their carrots at him.

"Daddy!" "Dadu!" Akiyo and Makio were both incredibly excited, jumping and laughing. Ichigo knelt down, hugging them both. Rabbit ears brushed his shoulders and Ichigo smiled in delight.

"Chappy costumes! Rukia, this is great." He said. "But what are we celebrating?" There was no occasion. Well, there was, in a way. Rukia laughed as she filled him in.

"We're celebrating your final exam!" She said and the boys both chimed in with agreement.

"Daddy is going to be with us for a week!" Akiyo said brightly and Makio nodded before eating a bit more carrot.

"Dadu!" He said with his mouth full and Ichigo's brown eyes went dark for a moment. Rukia winced to herself, knowing what he was thinking. Being a medical student was very demanding and he often regretted pursuing his dream at the expense of his young family. She had encouraged him since money wasn't an issue. The Kuchiki clan had purchased this pretty little house in Tokyo, close to the University to minimize Ichigo's travel time. He spent as much time as he could with the children but he had homework and tests.

"Yes, I'm going to be with you for a week." Ichigo said huskily before hugging his boys again. They both snuggled against him, so happy to have their father. "And you can play with Shiro-chan and Sode-chan too." He promised and they both lit up. After a great deal of work, Ichigo had learned how to manifest his hollow like a zanpakuto. That made life easier on all of them because Shiro could interact with Aki-chan without taking over Ichigo's body. To the boys, having so many adults to love them was a great thing.

"Love you daddy." Akiyo said shyly and Makio nodded, rubbing his face against Ichigo's side.

"Dadu." He repeated, his usual way of saying he agreed with Akiyo. Rukia smiled and decided to direct them to the other game she had planned.

"Why don't you help daddy decorate the cupcakes?" She encouraged and they both beamed at the thought. She'd made chocolate cupcakes earlier, with peanut butter buttercream frosting. She'd let both her boys lick the bowl clean but she hadn't let them decorate. She had bought plenty of M&M's and sprinkles for them to play with. Makio yelled happily, jumping up and down as Akiyo nodded with a smile.

"We'll help daddy." He pledged and Ichigo laughed before standing and going to the table. Soon both the boys were standing on step ladders, 'helping' him to decorate the cupcakes. Makio smashed a cupcake instead, beaming and licking off his hand. Ichigo laughed as he corrected his offspring and Rukia smiled to herself as she heard Sode coo at the cuteness. Her zanpakuto didn't ask to be manifested, though.

This night was for Ichigo and the children.

Aki-chan was six and Maki-chan was five when the accident happened.

It was nothing but an accident and really, Akiyo had warned Makio several times to stop following him so closely. But his little brother ignored him, in the way little brothers would. They were both climbing the jungle gym at the schoolyard as Rukia and Ichigo had a small picnic nearby. They weren't concerned about the boys. Kids would be kids and the worst they usually got was a broken bone.

But Makio was following Akiyo too closely and grabbed onto his foot. Sensing something annoying but not really knowing what it was, Akiyo followed his first instinct and kicked out. His heel landed on Makio's face and his little brother lost his grip on the bars. He tumbled down in just the wrong way and hit his head on the edge of one of the bars. Akiyo looked back just to see him land on the gravel, a pool of blood already spreading beneath him.

"MAKIO!" Akiyo screamed, quickly climbing down. Ichigo and Rukia both looked up at the panic in his voice. Then they dropped everything and ran over.

"Akiyo, you've killed him!" Ichigo said without thinking. Those words would haunt him later but for now he was lost in his fear for little Makio. "Rukia, call an ambulance!" He checked the boys' vitals and Makio was breathing, but shallowly. Akiyo watched, his eyes filling with tears.

"Maki-chan…?" He choked out before turning and running away. Ichigo was vaguely aware of him going but he was busy gently applying pressure to Maki's head. Something shifted under his fingers and he cringed before pulling his hand away. This needed an ambulance desperately. And Akiyo was running towards the school, nothing could happen to him there…

King, something's wrong. His hollow said sharply but Ichigo ignored him. Of course there was something wrong, his baby boy might have a skull fracture. King, Akiyo's doing something! Shiro could sense the power building although he wasn't sure what was going on. But he didn't like it. King?

"Shiro, I'm busy." Ichigo muttered, still not paying attention. What could Akiyo be doing that was dangerous? He checked Maki's breathing against just before Shiro shrieked in his ear.

KING! AKIYO'S OPENING A GARGANTA! The naked fear in his hollow's voice made his head whip to the side. Just in time to see a sobbing, utterly distraught little boy darting through a portal of black. NO! He ran towards the portal, struggling with all his might to reach it before it closed. But it was tiny, suited to Akiyo's size and it closed fast.

By the time he reached it, it was gone.

Akiyo sobbed as he ran through the darkness. He didn't know where he was going and he didn't care.

I killed Maki-chan. The thought made him want to die. There had been so much blood. How could he have done that to his sweet little brother? I didn't mean to! But Makio was dead all the same. His father had said so and he was a doctor. Akiyo's sobbing increased until he couldn't see at all but he kept running.

The path of darkness ended in moonlight and cold stone. Akiyo didn't see any of it, just huddling up against a cliff and crying until he began to hiccup. But finally, he could cry no more. His eyes were red and his nose was stuffed up and painful. Sniffling helplessly he finally looked around.

"…Where am I?" The little boy whispered, seeing nothing but cold stone. He was sitting on a trail leading up a mountain. There were mountains all around him, great cliffs of grey stone. Strangely, there was no snow on them. Japan had mountains and he'd seen one once, in his short life. It had been full of snow. Yet, despite the lack of stone the wind was bitingly cold. "…" Akiyo shivered, rubbing his arms. He was dressed for a nice summer day and it was so cold here. Sniffling sadly he clambered to his feet and began to walk.

He had no idea how long he walked. Fortunately his running shoes were good and strong but his feet were still so cold. Everything was cold, his ears were frozen and his fingers hurt. Akiyo put them in his armpits, trying to warm them as he sniffled, rubbing his nose on his shirt. It was constantly dripping now. He was beyond miserable and just wanted to find something warm.

So when he found a cave he wasn't as suspicious as he should have been. Instead, he gladly went inside, not noticing the little bits of broken bones littering the entrance. It was warmer at the entrance but it got even warmer as he went further inside. Sniffling, Akiyo was finally able to relax. This place was comfortable –

"My, my. What have we here?" The voice startled him and Akiyo screamed as clawed hands gripped him, lifting him up until he looked into the face of a monster. It was covered in white bone but strangely, the bone around the left eye was broken. Dark brown eyes stared at him and there was no warmth or pity in their depths, just a cruel pleasure. "A tender little morsel." The monster purred and Akiyo started to shake, his eyes going wide as claws pricked his soft skin. The monster was going to eat him? "But I know how to make you tenderer…"

"No!" Acting mostly on instinct, Akiyo lashed out with his baby power. A tiny cero of purple hit the monster and it dropped him, surprised. Akiyo ran but in his panic, he ran further into the cave. The monster just laughed and Akiyo sobbed as he heard it following him. He probably deserved to get eaten for killing his brother but he desperately wanted to survive.

He was lucky. His eyes fell on a hole in the cave, a very tiny opening that lead to further caves deep in the stone. Acting on instinct again he used his little purple power to widen it, then squeezed inside. There was a roar of anger behind him as the monster suddenly realized his prey had found a way out.

"You little bastard! Get back here!" There was no way Akiyo was going to listen to that and he kept crawling. There was a loud sound of something breaking behind him but he ignored it, struggling through the stone path. It was icky and coated in something black, but he didn't care.

He had to get away.

Akiyo had no idea how long he was wiggling through little tunnels of stone.

He vaguely knew that what he was doing was very dangerous. What would happen if he got stuck? It could easily happen and then he would die down here. But what else could he do? Nothing really. Hopefully one of these little tunnels would open to a larger cave. It was the only hope he had.

A hope that was finally realized. Akiyo sobbed tears of pure happiness as he saw some light ahead. Crawling more quickly he finally squeezed through a second little hole. Gasping, he just lay on the floor of the new cave for a moment. It was warm here too and the floor was nice and smooth.

Gathering himself, Akiyo stumbled to his feet and looked around. His breath caught as he saw he was standing right beside a stone vase. It was filled with shards of crystal and they were reflecting the moonlight from the mouth of the cavern, giving the cave a gentle radiance. It wasn't the only vase, either. Several had been placed strategically to maximize the illumination. Akiyo reached out tentatively to touch a shard and pulled his hand back with a wince as he cut himself. Sucking his finger he glanced around, eyes widening as he saw the walls.

"Oooo." He breathed, impressed. There were carvings on the walls. They were of strange creatures – monsters? – and a man-monster with wings, hunting them. There were other carvings too but Akiyo noticed a curtain nearby. It was hung over the entrance to a smaller cave and he curiously pushed past it to see –

Akiyo stopped dead as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. For a moment he was terrified, because inside the small side cave was more monsters. But his terror turned into fascination as he saw the itty bitty monster in the middle of the pile. He took a step closer, his breath catching as the little baby monster stirred and cheeped.

It's a mommy monster, a daddy monster and a baby monster. He thought, stunned. It was just like that show he'd watched when he was really little. Maki-chan still liked to watch it… Oh Maki-chan… Tears sprang up and he sniffed, rubbing his hand over his nose. There was another cheep and he looked towards the baby monster.

It had spotted him and was wiggling, trying to escape its parents. The mommy monster sighed and shifted, her red, fox-like tail flicking. That small movement was enough to let the baby monster crawl out of the pile and clamber to his or her feet. Akiyo looked at it curiously. It was covered in bone completely, but he could see a little bit of cream skin beneath. The baby monster looked like the mommy monster, mostly, with a similar fox tail and foxy ears. But there were teeny tiny wings on its back and they flapped as the baby monster toddled towards him. Akiyo hesitated but let the little one hug his legs. It was so small, smaller than Maki-chan. How old was it? He gently rested a hand on the bone covered head, then winced as he realized he was putting black on it. He tried to wipe it off but it just smeared.

"Uhh…" Akiyo froze as the mommy monster stirred and patted the ground beside her, clearly looking for her baby. "Koneko, where are you?" She murmured before sitting up. Akiyo tried to dislodge the baby but little claws pricked him. Then bright green eyes fell on him and suddenly went wide as saucers. "VAN!" The mommy monster shrieked and Akiyo flinched as the daddy monster suddenly sat bolt upright. He screamed and the baby monster cheeped in surprise as clawed hands suddenly gasped him, lifting him up. The baby let go and the mommy grabbed it, retreating with her little one in her arms. "What is it?! Is it a monster?" She asked fearfully and Akiyo was almost distracted from his terror by the question. She thought HE might be a monster? But he was covered in black… The daddy monster sniffed him curiously.

"…I'm honestly not sure." He said and Akiyo sniffled before starting to cry again. "Oh… I think it's some kind of youngling." The daddy monster said before tilting his head. "Very strange reiatsu, but definitely part hollow…"

"Is it supposed to look like that? It's all black!" The female asked fearfully and the daddy monster chuckled, gently setting Akiyo on his feet. He tried to run but the clawed hand on his shoulders defeated him.

"No, it seems to be filthy. Cave grub, I think. Our cavern does have a little tunnel that I never blocked off… calm down, little one. I am not going to harm you." The daddy monster said gently and Akiyo wanted to believe him. He was a daddy… maybe that meant the monster wouldn't eat him? But he deserved to be eaten for killing Maki-chan. Akiyo sniffled and hiccupped before speaking.

"Please don't eat me. I'm sorry, I can go…" Although he didn't know where he would go. The outside was so cold and caverns seemed to have monsters. But the big, bone covered head shook in a negative gesture. Akiyo noticed that the monster had black and gold eyes. They were sort of like his own. He also had upswept horns and great bat wings. A long tail lashed behind him and it puzzled Akiyo a bit. The mommy monster was a fox but the daddy monster was… what? He wasn't sure.

"Go? You are much too young to be out of the nest. I don't know how you came to be here but we're not so hungry to need to eat a tiny thing like you. And putting you out would just be cruel. Come, I will groom you." The daddy monster said and Akiyo hesitated but let the monster pick him up and carry him to the nest. There were no blankets, just the three monsters but the bone he touched was warm and alive. "Hmm, clothing, but this is ruined. We'll have to get you more…" The monster stripped away his garments and Akiyo shivered a little, then giggled hesitantly as a rough tongue began removing the black stuff. "Yech. You owe me for this, youngling. What is your name?" He asked.

"Akiyo." He introduced himself shyly. "You can call me Aki-chan." Everyone did. The monster nodded. "Who are you?" Akiyo asked, very curious now. Maybe not all monsters were bad? The daddy monster chuckled.

"I am Vandular, but you can call me Van. This is Rin and our youngling is Koneko." That was Japanese for kitten. Akiyo smiled as he looked at the little monster. She was getting cleaned off too, by her mother and cheeping as the rough tongue scoured her white bones. The mommy monster paused to speak.

"Are we keeping him Van? I'm not sure… he's much older than Koneko." She said dubiously as Van shrugged. "And his reiatsu… is that shinigami? What is he?"

"I'm not certain. But humans and shinigami typically raise more than one child together. I'm sure he won't hurt our youngling." He said and that make Akiyo's lip wobble as he remembered. Maybe they should make him go away. He'd hurt Maki-chan… He began to sob, to the daddy monster's surprise. "Child? What is it?" But Akiyo couldn't answer, just clinging to the monster and pouring out his grief and guilt onto the white bone.

He deserved to be here. He was a monster, too.