Chapter 5 - Surprises

"Augh! I swear, yer the most stubborn, hard-headed, full of yerself Beta I have EVER had the displeasure of being around while pregnant!" Shinji ranted at Ichigo, pacing back and forth between the table and the door leading into the kitchen at the Shoten. His hands gestured wildly, his blonde hair flying and his captain's haori flapping out like a cape.

For his part, the youngest Visored simply sipped his cup of ginger-mint tea, lingering at the rim to suck lightly on the floating slice of lemon while watching his pack alpha fret. He'd been back at the Shoten for roughly fifteen minutes, and in that time the still gathered group of Shingami had been given a front row seat to the workings of a Hollow pack.

"Shin-chan—" Kisuke tried to cut in.

"I don't wanna hear it, Kissu! Not only did he take off on his own, HE WALKED BACK ON HIS OWN!" The blonde Visored stopped his pacing to put both hands on his hips and glare at the hybrid. "Couldn't that idiot of a sire of yours have given you a ride?"

"It wasn't that far, Shinji." Ichigo sipped his tea again to hide the uncontrollable tightening of his eyes at the mention of his father. Unfortunately several people around the table noticed it anyway.

Byakuya cleared his throat, setting his own cup of tea down. "Please pardon my intrusion, Hirako-taicho, but perhaps Kurosaki-san had good reason for wanting to make the journey on foot; alone." His tone spoke that he didn't approve of the idea either, but he could identify with the pain in the orangette's eyes. One that most definitely required a certain amount of alone time to truly live with.

Shinji was just about to launch into a new rant, this time something about non-pack members needing to keep their noses out of pack business, but the blast of cold air rushing in from the front door forestalled all further conversation.

"Inoue!" Ichigo frowned, concerned.

The strawberry blonde stumbled forward, carrying a very unconscious Ulquiorra in his Segundo Etapa. "Help! I can't heal him!"

Renji and Rukia flash stepped to take the pale form from their friend. They took him into one of the back rooms, and by the time they returned Orihime was seated with others around the table cuddling her own cup of tea.

"What happened, Inoue-san?" Kisuke asked.

Her face was pale, drawn around the mouth and eyes, and there was salt crusted on her lashes and cheeks. "I-I was sleeping and suddenly I found myself in the middle of a cave. There were stalactites and pools of some sort of green liquid, and his voice! Qui-kun was calling for me. I could hear him and as I walked further into the cave, there he was, lying on the floor, bleeding and in his resurrection. I tried to call my Rikka but he stopped me. He told me to just pick him up and run for the mouth of the cave. So, we did, and as we left the cave I woke up and he was here! In my arms! Still bleeding. I tried to use my Rikka again, but something wasn't right. Every time one of his wounds was healed and they moved to the next one, the first one would reopen and start bleeding again. He woke once, looked at me and I knew we had to make it here. If Sado-kun hadn't been home—" She broke off, tears streaming down her face. "Kurosaki-kun! I don't know how to handle this! It hurts so much! WHY?"

Nobody around the table had ever heard the soft-spoken healer raise her voice, but immediately Ichigo knew what she meant. He scooted over and in a very uncharacteristic move pulled her into a hug. He spoke softly, "I know, Inoue. Just breathe. At least he's here now. If anyone can help him Tessai-san, Hacchi-san, and Urahara-san will figure it out." He was listening to Shiro and his instincts as one Beta to another when he nuzzled her ear, purring softly. "You have more important things to worry about right now." His left hand drifted to the small bump on her midsection that in the chaos none of the others had noticed.

Her shoulders shook and both of her own hands flew to cup over his. "I-I know. H-he's what's gotten me through the l-last six weeks."

Ichigo smiled, "A boy?"

"Yeah." Orihime smiled too, the tears from before seemingly forgotten for the moment.

"Uh…?" Renji almost said something, but Rukia pounced his mouth; Shinji and Kisuke both grabbed his shoulders.

Shinji whispered to the red-head, "Interferin' between Betas is a very stupid idea, Abarai-kun. Let 'em chatter fer a while."

When Renji nodded Rukia let him up. Making sure to keep his voice quiet and leaning closer to Shinji and Kisuke, "So how come Rukia ain't affected like them?" She smacked his arm. "Ow! Damnit! Ya weren't this violent before I married yer brother!" Suddenly he jumped, rattling the table, which caught everyone's attention.

Byakuya simply sipped his tea, the corners of his mouth twitching from Ichigo and Orihime's perspective. Both orange-haired Betas laughed, problems of the three worlds momentarily forgotten. The two exchanged a secretive glance, then met Byakuya's gaze, who looked between the two and merely inclined his head with a blink over his tea. This caused another round of laughter, and Kisuke's eyebrows shot into his bangs. His fan whipped out suddenly to cover the smile he couldn't contain. Shinji caught the motion and snickered, clapping Renji on the shoulder.

"You have a lot to learn, young Alpha." The blonde flashed his signature grin.

At that moment the levity broke because Tessai entered the room. "Cifer-san is awake."

Orihime was off like a rocket, through the door and next to Ulquiorra before anyone could blink. Ichigo followed, and soon Kisuke and Shinji also appeared.

"Hey." The healer smiled down at him, holding his hand in both of hers. He was still in his second resurrection, and his naturally pale skin appeared bruised in multiple places. Tessai had been able to stop the bleeding, though the wounds were still open.

Ichigo sat next to the couple, across from Orihime. Ulquiorra turned his faded emerald gaze to rest on the orangette, he tried to speak, his lips dry and cracked, his tongue heavy, and the words failed to emerge the first several tries. "G-Grimm—Grimmjow…n-needs—" His eyebrows drew together in a deep wince as pain shot through his body. All of those around him unconsciously leaned forward, and he tried again, "Grimmjow needs you, Beta. Th-the Shin-Shinigami—" He winced again, "He stole—stole our z-zan-zanpak-swords." He bit the last word out.

"Is this why you are in your released form, Espada-san?" Kisuke frowned, and the prone Arrancar nodded.

Just being in the room with a true Hollow Alpha had an odd effect on Ichigo. For the first time since leaving his mindscape he was finally relaxed. The tension wasn't completely gone, and he was bursting with questions, but sitting there in the minimal reiatsu Ulquiorra gave off was so similar to Grimmjow's that for the moment it tricked his instincts. In fact he was so affected that before any of them noticed, a rumbling purr filled the room.

The weakened Quatro raised an eyebrow. "It is strange, Kurosaki. You react as though I were Grimmjow." His breath still came in ragged gasps, but being in the presence of his Beta had the same effect on him that it had on her. The wounds were dressed, and that held back the bleeding, aiding to his natural healing abilities. Weakly he took the orangette's hand, drawing his thumb over the other's knuckles. "He misses you as much as you miss him. We—were together for a while, before the Shinigami failed."

The Visored couldn't hold back the tears that splashed onto the black furred hand that clutched his own. He bent his head, letting out the anguish only Ulquiorra and Orihime could understand. It took several minutes of soothing from Shiro for the hybrid to get his emotions back under control, but when he did, he latched on to the one question that had been spinning in his mind since the other pair burst through the door. "Inoue? Why didn't you tell me that you and Ulquiorra-san mated?"

"I didn't think you'd understand, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime had Ulquiorra's hand on her small belly, holding it with both of her own hands, as though she thought it would disappear again.

"Kurosaki." The green-eyed Arrancar drew his mismatched focus, "She was behaving as is appropriate for a Beta in her situation; as you have been. Other than the members of your blood family and those that took care of you immediately following our—separation—how many others know you are with cub?"

Under his scrutiny, Ichigo squirmed. "I didn't think that was normal. I thought it was just because of everything that's happened. Are there other things I should be doing, or am doing?"

Ulquiorra sighed, "Don't worry. I am certain that your instincts are guiding you well. They have not led you astray so far, even when you were fighting them you still listened to them." His voice was stronger, but nothing else was reacting the way it should.

So, Shinji was quite relieved when Hacchi arrived a few moments later. "Come, Ichi, Hime. Let's let Hacchi see if he can help Cifer-san's natural abilities fix whatever it is that has been done to him."

Both Betas looked up from their seats, worry swimming in their matching gazes. Shinji adjusted his reiatsu to mimic the same kind of pattern as Ulquiorra and leaned on both of them. Orihime clutched Ulquiorra's hand tighter, and Ichigo scowled, but after a moment they both stood and left the room to rejoin the group around the table.

Seating had changed slightly, Byakuya having shifted to sit next to Renji rather than across from him, Rukia sat on his other side, and Yoruichi lounged on one of her cushions. No one quite realized how late it had become, the air tense and worried, even as the first rays of sunshine told them that they'd all been up all night. Kisuke and Shinji took the seats between Renji and Yoruichi, and Ichigo and Orihime, surprisingly, clung to each other on another of the flash goddess's pillows.

"Cifer-san is resting. His wounds are quite serious, and something has been done to inhibit his natural regeneration ability. Furthermore, he is trapped in his released form, though his reiatsu, as I'm sure you can tell, is minimal at best." Kisuke filled the Shinigami in on what had transpired in the other room. "By and large though, the most disturbing fact is that there seems to be another traitor among the Gotei 13." This brought a gasp from Rukia, Renji gripped the table so hard his knuckles were white, Yoruichi actually hissed, and Byakuya glared at the implications. "Several times in his recounting of the tale, Cifer-san mentioned a Shinigami, but he has yet to provide any details regarding who the culprit is."

Shinji snorted. "I'll give ya three guesses and I bet ya won't need the first two."

"Unfortunately, I doubt the Central 46 would agree with you, Hirako-san." Byakuya intoned, "No matter what our personal opinions are here."

"Pft! If it really is him, what're we gonna do about it?" That was from Renji, who crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the table. "The last time he supposedly got in trouble all the officials did was give him a written reprimand."

Kisuke waved his fan in front of his face, "Now, now, we don't have any proof. All of this speculation is derived from personal opinions about the man. It doesn't add up to actual evidence of wrong-doing, and until we get some more information from Cifer-san we don't have any to build theories. So, I suggest we follow our dear expectant mothers and catch some shut eye while Cifer-san heals."

The gathered Shinigami turned to look at the two orangettes. They looked much like twins, curled face to face around Orihime's belly, each had an arm flung over the other, their foreheads pressed together and their knees touching. All in all, the two had created a veritable living cage around the precious lives between them.

At the confusion playing across the faces of the gathered Shinigami, Shinji elaborated. "In a Hollow pack, Betas stick together for safety. The most important thing to defend are the offspring. So, often, expecting Betas will physically touch to create a faster response time to danger. It's all about survival."

"Yanno, I've been wondering. Hirako-san, how is it you know so much about Hollow behavior?" Renji asked, for once being as quiet as the others.

Kisuke waved his fan, "I can answer that for you, Abarai-kun. Shin-chan is the Visored Pack Alpha, his inner Hollow is Dominant and so is he, but not only is he an Alpha as far as mating goes, he leads the Visoreds. Inner Hollows are much like Zanpakutou spirits, they know everything instinctively that they would need to know to survive in Hueco Mundo, even if they've never been there."

"Ah. So, all of this stuff that Ichigo's doing is because of the fact that he's a Beta? Does it ever change?" Rukia piped up, watching the faces of her sleeping friends. They looked so peaceful, the worry lines and tension drained from their features.

"I think those are questions best left for another day, Rukia." Byakuya stood from his seat, prompting both of his companions to do the same. "I have a flat not far from here where we can get some rest and not inconvenience Urahara-san." He bowed to the shopkeeper and his partner before turning and making his way quickly out into the gathering morning.

During this part of the conversation Yoruichi had taken to her feline form and curled up above the orange heads of Ichigo and Orihime. She blinked once at the departing Shinigami and completely ignored Shinji when he turned to Kisuke.

"I'll have Mashiro and Lisa come join them. They may not be expecting, but the more Betas in the cuddle the better. It will help them further relax while Hacchi finishes with Ulquiorra-san."

The shopkeeper merely nodded. He knew better than to offer himself, since he had played both Alpha and Beta at different times with different Visoreds since their banishment over a hundred years ago. Those that fell firmly under the classification of Hollow couldn't change what they were; upon coming of age one either became an Alpha or a Beta and stayed that way. However, Kisuke was a Shinigami, and as such was not forced to be one side or the other. It made him unique and though he was part of the pack honorarily, he was painfully aware that he didn't suffer from the same kinds of troubles as the rest of them. This meant that in spite of being accepted, he couldn't really fit into either category, which in turn meant he would be of no help to the two suffering Betas in their midst.

Hours later Ichigo's stomach turned, shocking him into awareness of his surroundings mere moments before spurring him to find some place to lose the contents of his stomach. His fight for freedom woke the other four females surrounding him, but all four merely looked up as he dashed for the bathroom without concern. He came back about fifteen minutes later, rubbing his stomach, looking pale and forced his way back into the middle of the pile.

Lisa growled at him, but he growled right back and flopped down next to Orihime on his back, daring her to make him move. She scowled but simply draped herself between the two orangettes' legs, her head on Mashiro's stomach and her feet tucked between Orihime's thighs. Mashiro snuggled closer to Ichigo, tucking Lisa's head under her boobs, and burying her nose in Ichigo's neck. Orihime mimicked Mashiro on the other side, effectively pinning both Lisa and Ichigo, and Yoruichi waited until the other four settled before taking her feline form and curling up on Lisa's exposed hip. In the end the five were quite warm in spite of not having any blankets.

Within his mindscape, Ichigo purred. Zangetsu and Shiro both looked out in surprise. The rain had stopped. Even though the sky was still cloudy and threatening rain, there were shafts of sunlight peering through, and the deep rumbling purr echoing from Ichigo's contentment made the reiatsu ball that was Little One vibrate in response, happy that her momma was happy. As he drifted off there was a soft blurring along the very edges of the cityscape of sideways skyscrapers.

"Interesting." Zangetsu intoned from the top of his flagpole.

"Seems, Ichi's fully accepted his role as a Beta. He's surrounded himself wi' other Betas. Their mindscapes are bleeding into his." Shiro carried the ball of reiatsu in a sling fashioned from the kosode of his inverted shihakusho. He made his way to the edge of the building, watching as a field of wild flowers grew next to the entrance of a grand cave. Next to this was a structure that appeared to be half climbing apparatus, half library. The four new places ringed his mindscape and the boundary was non-existent as the details came into focus. Shiro shook his head, chuckling lightly. "Aibou's gonna be thrilled."

Suddenly the reiatsu ball spasmed excitedly in the sling. The ashen Alpha stared down at it intrigued. "Think mebbe the cub knows somethin' we don't, Jii-san?"

Zangetsu drifted down from his perch in a lazy flash step. "Perhaps we should inquire of the neighbors? I sense at least three separate Zanpakutou spirits, and two others like yourself, Shirosaki."

Suddenly the six fairies of the Shun Shun Rikka surrounded them. Ayame and Lily flew up to the reiatsu ball heedless of Shiro's warning growl. Baigon, Shuno and Hinagiku lined up in front of Zangetsu, bowing deeply in respect of the more powerful, older spirit. Tsubaki, on the other hand, flew straight into Shiro's face, "Snowflake, what are you doing in Orihime-sama's mindscape!"

"Hey! I'm not in anybody's mindscape but King's! You all're the ones invadin' his mindscape!" He pulls Little One closer to his body. "Git away! Damn fairies!"

"But she's adorable, and we can help her feel better." Ayame flew up to hover between Tsubaki and Shiro. "Her reiatsu is unbalanced, and Shuno and I can balance it for her. Can we please?"

Zangetsu turned to the male half of the Soten Kisshun, "Are you certain you can stabilize the child's energies?"

"Hai, Spirit-sama. We had to do the same thing for our Starlight." The thin male fairy bowed deeply again. "Being without their other parent is very difficult for the small spirits. They must draw from the reiatsu around them, but without the sire they are flooded with too much of their dam's reiatsu."

"I would like to see the other child before allowing you to do anything with ours." The dark sword spirit's expression was hidden by his glasses, but the line of his mouth meant that he was seriously considering the offer. The females brightened considerably and the six of them took off back the way they came, presumably to bring the child to be examined.

"Ya can't be serious, Jii-san! I ain't lettin' any o' them fairies anywhere near the cub! Little One's jus' fine on 'er own." Shiro clutched the bundle to his chest protectively, and hissed as soon as the 'intruders' were gone, "D'ya know what'd happen ta Aibou if somethin' happened ta her?"

His Zanpakutou half turned then, "That is precisely why we should explore the possibility. So far you and I have been enough to keep her stable, but the longer she goes without his reiatsu being the more likely it will begin to affect her physical appearance, and mental stability. And I do not think I should have to explain what would happen to her should her reiatsu change such that the mating bond no longer accepts her as a product of the two."

Shiro growled again, "No, ya don't. But it don't mean I like the idea o' lettin' them damn fairies near her."

"No, and I have no intention of allowing them to interact with her unless I am completely sure that there is no danger." The sword spirit summoned his blade to perch on since he was at the opposite end of the building from his flagpole. "Hush now, they are returning."

Sure enough, the six fairies were flying back carrying a much larger reiatsu ball. Each pair of delicate hands held a portion of something similar to the Santen Kesshun shield, but flexible. In the middle, once the glow of reiatsu had faded somewhat, sat a bubbly infant boy. He had jet black hair and the purest green eyes either of Ichigo's inner selves had ever seen. He blinked a few times then giggled in the fashion of small creatures, his bangs bouncing back to display an aqua eight-pointed star on his forehead.

"Starlight." Zangetsu nodded in understanding, approaching the child. The pale skinned babe had no hole, but the feel of his reiatsu was not entirely Human. Holding a hand over the ebony head the sword spirit closed his eyes, bringing the measures of Hollow versus Human reiatsu to the surface. The area pulsed lightly and earned a second nod from Ichigo's darker third. "The child is stable and well cared for. We can trust them."

Shiro glared in suspicion but said nothing as he sat on the glass of a window, cradling Little One in his lap. The now almost completely red, white and black covered ball seemed to burble and then sputtered as with hiccups. The Hollow's pale hands pulled back the fabric of his kosode to reveal the ball to the fairies and Ayame and Shuno took that as an invitation to come closer. Leaving their position forced the other four fairies to rest Starlight on the glass as well, but the six, including the child and Zangetsu, kept back while the two spread the Soten Kisshun over Little One in Shiro's lap. It didn't take very long but the hiccups stopped and a soft, barely audible purr began to emanate from within the ball.

Suddenly, Ayame frowned and gasped. "The bond isn't finished!"

Seeming to be psychic among themselves, Tsubaki flew at Shiro's nose again with an accusing boot kick to the end of the albino appendage. "You never bonded with the sire's sword spirit! You idiot! Just how do you think your master's going to react when the baby dies? All because you didn't boink the other spirit!"

Lily grabbed Tsubaki from behind, putting her hands over his already covered mouth. "Heh, sorry. He didn't have to be so mean about it. Sometimes Tsubaki doesn't know how to filter what he's going to say."

"He has a point though." Baigon chimed in gruffly, looking troubled. Hinagiku patted the larger fairy's arm sympathetically and Shuno sighed.

"Well, what can I do about it?" Shiro actually looked worried. He drew his hand over Little One, the red and black reiatsu reaching up towards his hand. He leaned forward so he was wrapped around the ball, his ashen bangs hanging into his face, hiding his eyes. His voice was quiet, sounding more Human than he ever had before, "She disappeared before we could get down to it. I mean, the bond was there, yeah, but y'know we didn' y'know cuz Blue and King were still bondin' and we didn' wanna mess that up. But then she was gone, an' I haven' seen 'er since." He looked up at Zangetsu, tears in his inverted eyes, "We gotta find 'er, Zan. We jus' gotta. She's m'Beta."

"I know." The sword spirit stepped closer to the seated white figure and sent soothing reiatsu into the air around them.

Externally, the pile of females, and Ichigo, stirred again, collectively waking up, stretching, yawning, and blinking in the afternoon sunshine. Orihime smiled, one hand on her bump. Yoruichi hopped down from her place on Lisa's hip and stretched out of feline form on her way to the bathroom. Lisa sat up, Mashiro draped over her shoulders, and Ichigo, who was somehow on the bottom, merely squirmed a little, pressing his back deeper into the cushions.

"I don't think I've slept that well in a month!" Orihime chirped.

"It's not surprising. I swear you two are the—" Mashiro suddenly had a hand over her mouth.

Lisa adjusted her glasses with her other hand, "What my packmate means is that as new Betas you two wouldn't have been aware of the comfort that sleeping with others of your kind can bring. Even being surrounded by Beta Shinigami would be a help." Her tone was somewhat condescending, but having experience with Byakuya, Ichigo could tell she was simply trying to explain why both he and Orihime had comparatively more energy than what seemed like forever.

"Well, I may be more rested, but I still feel like crap." Ichigo groaned, rubbing his stomach with one hand and flinging the other arm across his face.

Kisuke's laughter brought everyone's attention to the table not far from where they were all still huddled together. "And that is why when Yoru-chan came to see me we felt it would be a good idea to bring you folks a pot of my ginger tea. Even those of you who are not expecting should be able to enjoy it."

"Ah, arigato gozaimous, Urahara-san!" Orihime practically levitated off of the cushions to grab a cup and a handful of the fruit filled pastries also sitting on the table in front of the shopkeeper.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the idea of getting up and had to blink several times when a cup was shoved under his nose by Lisa. At his dumbfounded expression, she said, "Drink. Once you have, then try to get up. It's better that way."

A few moments later, Shinji entered, "Inoue-san, Cifer-san is awake. He specifically asked for you." She was gone before he even finished speaking, which prompted a small chuckle from the blonde Visored Alpha. "Ah, Betas. Gotta love 'em." He joined Kisuke at the table.

Just as he was about to fill in the group on Ulquiorra's status the door to the shoten opened to allow Renji, Byakuya and Rukia to rejoin them, much to Jinta's irritation as he followed shouting about the store not being open yet and that freeloaders should know better than to come around. Tessai, who had been organizing a shelf unit with new candies simply reached out and snagged the small red-head's collar.

Ignoring the dispute between the two, Byakuya crossed directly to the table where all but the three Betas on the cushion were sitting. "Yamamoto-sotaicho has requested that we return to give a report in person to the Central 46 about the reappearance of Ulquiorra. Is there anything specific about his condition that could help the Second Division in apprehending the culprit responsible for disrupting the balance between the worlds?"

"I was just about to get to that." Shinji smiled, though the corners of his mouth were tense. When the three had taken their places around the table, he continued, "Cifer-san appears ta have been tortured, multiple slow-actin' poisons riddled the wounds across his body, and in spite of his enhanced regeneration most of his bones appear to have been broken at one point or another since his disappearance. We can only assume that this same treatment is bein' used on the other missin' former Espada."

Ichigo gasped, sitting up quickly. "We have to help them!" His voice echoed, his eyes mismatched as both he and Shiro raged at the possibility of their mates suffering the same treatment as Ulquiorra. Lisa and Mashiro grabbed the distraught Beta, both purring in his ears on either side.

Shinji held up a hand. "I know, but that isn't the worst part. If I didn't know that ya would tear the three worlds asunder if'n we don't tell ya everythin' now I'd keep ya from this conversation, Beta." He glared at Ichigo, who bristled. The scowl across his face told the Pack Alpha just what he needed to know. "I know, I know. Ya aren't weak, Ichi, but this is gonna be hard fer ya ta hear. It seems that somehow Cifer-san's Zanpakutou has been forcibly removed from his soul. He can no longer hear or sense Mercilago in any way, and cannot return to his previous Human-like state." Once again Ichigo tensed as the rest of them winced at the implications of that news. Shinji took a deep breath, "Now, we don' know if he'll be able ta reconnect with his sword once his reiatsu stabilizes, but that's gonna take a couple o' weeks. In the meantime, he's told us that he knows for certain that his tormentor was Shinigami, but that the perpetrator was careful to remain hidden." The blonde looked at Byakuya, "Could ya and the Second gather together a collection of pictures of the various lower than fourth seat Shinigami in each of the divisions? Cifer-san believes he'll be able to recognize the attendants that administered the drugs that kept him from regeneratin' effectively if he sees them again. An' we'll need someone from the Fourth to administer reiatsu infusions here. Let Yama-jii know that Kensei, Rose an' I will be stuck here 'til this is sorted out. Now that Ichigo an' Orihime're here they'll need the other Visored Betas ta keep them stable while their Alphas are indisposed." At the end of his speech, Shinji crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the table.

"I will see to it, Hirako-san." Byakuya inclined his head.

"Well this whole situation just sucks." Rukia stood from the table and plopped herself at Ichigo's feet. She'd never been very girly, but the idea that one of her best friends was going through something this big brought out the same sort of draw that the other girls felt; a sort of inter-connectivity that the female of any species understood.

Ichigo, who was looking at his lap, drew his feet up and tucked them under himself, subconsciously trying to make his body as small as possible. "So—" He began quietly, "All we can' do is wait?"

"For now, Berry-chan." Kisuke used his fan to disguise his concern. "But you won't be alone anymore. The girls and I will be here to help. It'll be ok."

"We'll bring him back, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime chimed from the doorway, where she was supporting a very tired looking Ulquiorra.

The Quatro cleared his throat, bringing the orangette's gaze up to him, "Do not worry, Kurosaki. The Sexta is the most tenacious of our kind. He will not surrender. He knows well that you need him, and as a feline he will do everything he can to return to you. Your cub demands it of him."

Ichigo nodded, but drew a little further into himself, damning the instability in his emotions at the moment as he buried his face in his knees. When his shoulders started shaking the Visored girls cuddled closer, but no one said anything, even if Renji squirmed a bit at the knowledge of his sparring partner having this sort of breakdown.

So, after the tea and pastries were finished, the Shinigami left for the Soul Society, Rukia hugging Ichigo fiercely before stepping through the Senkaimon, and in return the other Visoreds arrived from their warehouse to take up residence at the Shoten. Lisa, Hyori, Mashiro and Hacchi moved their things into Ichigo's room, along with several large cushions from what Lisa called the 'Beta Room'. Kensei, Love, Rose and Shinji each took a bedroom around the new 'Beta Room', and before the sun set Chad and Ishida arrived carrying a duffle bag for Orihime and dinner. The Quincy and the Fullbringer wouldn't be staying at the shoten, but Chad assumed that Orihime would since that was where Ulquiorra had to stay to recover.

As everyone settled into their respective rooms for the night Kisuke was curled up in Shinji's arms across the hall from where the Betas were effectively piled into a nest. He looked up at his current mate, a look of contemplation on his face. "Shin-chan, do you ever regret that Visoreds are sterile?"

Shinji scoffed, his eyes closed. "Sometimes, but can ya see a buncha Mashiro's cubs runnin' 'round like their mom?" The pair shuddered. There was silence for a short while as they contemplated more seriously the fact that although the Visored men could breed with Human women the Betas in the pack were barren.

The shopkeeper almost believed his Alpha was asleep when the other blonde spoke again, "Berry-tan never does anything by halves does he?" It was rhetorical but Kisuke shook his head anyway. "We gotta find a way ta get his Alpha soon. Ya felt the cub's reiatsu right?" Shinji opened one eye to meet his lover's through the wavy blonde fringe.

"Hai, though I wouldn't worry too much, young Ichigo is the master of the impossible remember. Who else could not only defeat Aizen but come back from the brink of absolute powerlessness to be as strong as he is now?"

"Heh. That's what makes him such a tasty Beta." The look on the Visored's face was practically predatory.

Kisuke sat up and smirked at him, "My dear Alpha, are you trying to cheat on me?"

They both laughed, and collapsed back onto the bed, as they both knew that even if Shinji wanted to, mating season was officially over and the strawberry had been claimed. If he was lucky, maybe the next time the orangette went into heat Shinji would get a chance, but until then Kisuke would simply have to do. After stating that, the object of his affection rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Good night, Shin-chan."

Down the hall, Orihime was curled around Ulquiorra blissfully ignorant of her Alpha's fitful dreams. At first panic clenched his heart as he could see nothing in the absolute pitch darkness and could feel the cutting metal of cuffs on his arms and legs. However, as the door to the room was flung open and light exploded in the room, he realized he was seeing through someone else's pain-riddled and sandy eyes.

"Are you awake, Hollow?" The grating voice broke through his delirium.

The blue spikes of his bangs hung down into his face over the crown of his mask, his large furred ears drooped, and the light of wildness had left his cerulean eyes. He couldn't even gather the strength to lash his tail. All four paws ached horribly around the wrists and ankles where the metal shackles had rubbed the skin raw. He doubted he'd ever regrow the fur in those bands. Most of his muscle definition was gone and his ribs stuck out under the white fur that had replaced his armor plating.

"What—" He panted. "—do you—want—now?"

"Well, I can't have my greatest success dying on me. You have proven to be quite the useful specimen. I would never have learned as much as I have if it weren't for your help." The light from behind his tormentor glinted off of what had to be metal adornments on his face or possibly his head. The Shinigami stepped to the side and pulled a female form into the light by a leash.

There standing in front of his world weary eyes was the one form he never thought he'd see standing outside of his mind. She was regal, delicate, powerful, covered in fine, silky blue fur with lighter colored jaguar spots, dressed in a simple hakama and bindings around her breasts, but around her neck was a heavy collar that implied all sorts of devious hidden devices.

His tongue felt like sandpaper as he croaked, "P-Pantera?"

Belly Report:
Orihime - 25 weeks
Ichigo - 6 weeks

A/N: If anyone needs a visual reference for how our expecting moms look, this is the website I use when writing my descriptions for both physical appearance and symptoms: : / / www . pregnancycalendar1 . com (obviously remove the spaces. ^_^)