"Kurosaki?" I asked. "So that means you married Kurosaki Ichigo?"
Orihime smiled and nodded. "Yup, that's right."
I stared at her agape. I had heard of the accomplishments of the humans during the Arrancar War, but I had never imagined that I would meet any of them. I wanted to ask her if she would introduce me but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
Orihime looked at me with a confused expression. Her face brightened suddenly when she said, "Do you want to see my baby?"
"Um… sure," I replied.
Orihime grinned, clapped her hands giddily and grabbed my hand. "Follow me," she said and dragged me down the street. We rounded a corner and found a baby carriage with three miniature people floating above it.
"Orihime," one squeaked. "Thank goodness you're allright!"
"Oh Lily, I was never in any danger," Orihime hugged the fairy. "Tsubaki was with me, and I had to save the brave soul who risked his life to help me."
A fourth fairy popped up in front of me. He was in a pure black body suit and his mouth and nose was covered with a bandana.
"Look you," he pointed at me, or rather at my nose. "She's finally fighting for herself, don't you start teaching her to be helpless again!"
I held up my hands to him, probably looking rather foolish. A fifth and sixth came to my rescue and pulled him away.
"Tsubaki, calm down. He was only trying to help Orihime!"
"Guys, you can go rest now," Orihime told them. Five of the six smiled at me before they disappeared, Tsubaki continued to glare for a second longer, then he too vanished. The six of them became pieces of Orihime's hairpins.
She walked over to the baby carriage and steered it over to me. Laying inside was a baby, eyes wide taking in all the sites of the world. His eyes locked on me and he grinned.
"This is my baby," Orihime told me lifting the child into her arms. "His name is Sora, named after my brother. Sora-chan, this is the brave shinigami that saved us."
"Shi-ami!" the baby squeaked with a laugh. "Shi-ami! Shi-ami!"
I smiled at the site of the young child bouncing in his mother's arms, grinning madly at the stranger in front of him.
"Do you want to hold him?" Orihime asked me.
"Oh no," I held my hands up and backed away. "I don't think so."
"But he wants to give you a hug," she said, holding Sora out to me, his arms held wide open. "Give him a hug…" She stopped and put Sora back into his carriage. "Um… I actually don't know your name, do I?" She flushed in embarrassment and looked down.
"Ah, my name is Tsumiato Sai. I am part of the 3rd division of the Gotei 13. I am here with my squad to defeat the Hollows that have been attacking recently."
"I'll be Ichigo would love to help you," Orihime said suddenly. "He always was ready to fight back in the day."
She grabbed my hand and pulled me along, pushing her baby's carriage with the other arm, completely oblivious to my protests. I sighed and followed her down the road.
She stopped next to a row of tall bushes and we heard two voices, arguing loudly. One of them sounded like my captains.
"I'm not doing it, Renji!" the strange voice shouted.
"That's Ichigo!" Orihime exclaimed. I felt the same shiver I had earlier when Mitaro had mentioned that name. I noticed Orihime moving forward. I grabbed her shoulder and shook my head. I didn't want to interrupt important business that the captain had with the hero of the war.
"Ichigo, we need you," Abarai-taicho's voice rang clearly through the bushes. "If Aizen is truly back, which the 12th division believes, then we'll need all the strength we can muster to stop him."
"I told the other captains that once the war was over, I was done," Ichigo told him. "We lost too many friends that we can't get back. I just want to settle down with the ones I love now and live a normal life."
"Do you honestly believe that you can just live a normal life? You are the most powerful spiritual force on Earth. Any incursions will be centered on you. You and the ones you love. You must understand that. You know that there has-"
"There hasn't been an attack on me, Renji. I haven't even sensed a Hollow since the war ended. I'm done with you, all of you, until I die and someone has to come get me."
"You idiot!" Abarai-taicho shouted, now getting riled up. "There are hundreds of Hollows invading this city right now. I've got half my division out there stopping them from harming anyone because you don't want anything to do with Shinigamis or being a shinigami."
There was a long pause in their arguing. I chanced a peek through the leaves and saw that they were standing there, glaring at each other. Finally, Abarai-taicho sighed and dropped his head.
"Fine, Ichigo. It's your decision after all. Just know that you can't run away from this, it is who you are. It's in your blood. And know that just because you don't want anything to do with us, that doesn't mean the rest of your family doesn't. Take your beautiful wife for example." Abarai-taicho raised his voice here. "Isn't that right Tsumiato-kun?"
I jumped straight up and moved out from behind the bushes. Orihime followed close behind me, grinning sheepishly.
"Sir, I apologize for eavesdropping!" I saluted him and Ichigo. "I was escorting Kurosaki Orihime back home when we heard you and Kurosaki Ichigo-sama arguing. I felt it was prudent to wait until you were finished."
"Yea, that and you wanted to hear what was going on," Abarai-taicho replied with a smile. I felt my face flush and started to say something, but the captain cut me off. "It's ok Tsumiato. I know what its like to be curious. Now come here and tell me what's going on."
I relayed the information that Sanosuke, Mitaro, and I had come across while battling the Hollows. I told him about how we separated to better cover ground. I even told him how Orihime saved me from being eaten. The captain cracked a smile at that part. I blushed more.
Why do I always seem to make a fool of myself in front of important people, I thought.
Because you are weak, a voice said to me. Your weakness causes you to falter and look foolish. But fear not, you will not be weak much longer.
"Ichigo," Abarai-taicho turned his attention away from me. "It sounds like this is a slightly bigger problem then I had originally assumed. I need to call back for reinforcements then go help the rest of my squad. Tsumiato, it is now your job to guard Ichigo and Orihime from anymore Hollow attacks. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir!" I felt an eagerness to be alone with Ichigo without understanding why.
"Renji, I don't need a kid helping me," Ichigo protested.
"Ichigo, since you gave up being a shinigami Soul Society can't take the risk of you being cut down by a Hollow. If you are not going to fight, then I need to place someone with you to make sure that doesn't happen. From what Tsumiato has told me, Orihime still appears willing to fight, so she can help if she needs to." Renji nodded to me and Orihime and looked at Ichigo one last time and then shunpoed away. Ichigo sighed and slumped against the wall of his house. Orihime walked over to him with Sora and hugged him. I stood there feeling foolish and awkward.
"Um… Kurosaki-sama," I started.
"Relax," he said. "I'm not a Soul Society upper-echelon. You don't need to be so formal here. Just call me Ichigo."
I nodded. "Then Ichigo-san, if you don't mind, could you tell me exactly why you gave up being a shinigami? All the stories say that you were a fantastic fighter and couldn't be stopped."
Ichigo's face darkened. "Tsumiato was it?" I nodded. "Come here. Orihime and I will tell you all about the war."