A/N: Hey there, guys! I finally got this updated! WOOT! Turns out our interlude is spinning into more than just a one-shot. LOL Fair warning, this is not going to be your happy, fluffy, Whoville Christmas episode. Remember at the end of Part 1, Ichi and the gang were dealing with some pretty serious issues. So, I'll try to keep things in the Christmas spirit but, c'mon you know you all wanna see the angst. LOL. XD Anyway, enjoy, and I promise it won't be so long between updates again. Ja ne, minna!
Christmas at the Shoten: Chapter 1
December 24th, Karakura town was covered with a light layer of snow so fine that the air glittered with the powder. The rumor was that Toshiro conjured the white Christmas as a present for Karin. The short captain had nothing to say on the matter, but a certain air about him and the dark-haired Kurosaki twin just seemed to prove it. All over town folks were settling in to wait for the yearly visit of 'Santa Claus', decorations were hung, cookies were baked, and family was gathered together to celebrate the holiday. The Urahara Shoten was no different, but for the sheer number of celebrants packed into the normally fairly empty shop.
In the weeks since the escape from Los Noches, the surviving Espada had made themselves as at home as the Visoreds had months before. Starrk and Halibel had commandeered the room previously known as the Pregnant Partner Penalty Box, meaning that Alphas in trouble now had to huddle somewhere in a dark corner of the basement. Nnoitra constantly found himself there when he said the wrong thing to Tesla, who had bonded to the lanky Alpha due to their connection from previous years. That triad, including Nelliel, had stolen the Beta Room, which placed them between Grimmjow and Ulquiorra for mated pairs, and down the hall from Starrk. Across from them, Shinji had been able to defend Kisuke's room as his own, flanked by Kensei on one side and Rose and Love on the other. Eight very powerful Alphas, each with their own precious Beta, in one form or another, and just barely enough room for them to all cohabitate peacefully.
Yoruichi was often heard saying, "I swear, if we get one more pair in this place, I'm leaving for the Soul Society" but she never did leave in spite that she and the rest had to make do with a tent in the basement that, at one time or other, was bombarded with reiatsu from various irritated members of the double-sized pack.
Whether it was because of the increase in pregnant freeloaders, or because Yoruichi refused to have to climb the ladder every time she needed to use the bathroom in her human form, no one was quite sure, but Kisuke, Tessai and Hacchi put their heads together to remodel the underground chamber a bit so that there was a set of stairs similar to the Visored's warehouse. They also divided the large open area to be both training ground on one half and more like a living room on the other, separated by a kido wall that was sound and reiatsu proof. And reflective. The living room side showed a wall with a large fireplace that actually gave off heat and flickering flames when activated with a small switch on the adjacent wall. The other side merely reflected the rocks and sky. Currently the couches were arranged around the low table facing the fireplace, and to the side a large evergreen tree had been set up.
Now, though, the idea of being crowded together just seemed to make everyone feel a little bit better about the season. Or, at least, Ichigo did. He practically danced down the stairs, carrying a tray of cookies fresh from the oven, and humming some carol common for the holiday.
The scene he joined was fairly typical. Ulquiorra, his tail tip twitching in agitation, was entangled in a string of mini-lights designed to be strung around the tree. Orihime looked concerned from her place on the couch, one hand on her belly, the other up to her mouth obviously holding back some tidbit of poorly-worded advice. Also, supervising the task were Szayel and Kisuke, snuggled suspiciously close together on the other couch.
"How's it going, Hime?" The orange haired hybrid asked cheerfully.
His female counterpart smiled back at him somewhat nervously, "Ah, pretty good I think…"
"I'd say it's going wonderfully, Hime-chan!" Kisuke waved his fan in front of his face, "Ulqui-kun hasn't torn any decorations apart, fired a cero at the tree or knocked any holes in the wall like he did last year."
"Yet, Kissu." Szayel snickered, sipping a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows. "The tiny lights are not yet on the tree."
"Woman…" The object of their conversation growled dangerously, holding his hands out for inspection. The string was wrapped around every digit, and pulling his palms apart only resulted in the confounded electronics drawing tighter.
Ichigo set the tray of cookies down on the table next to the normally stoic Quatro. "Cheer up, Ulquiorra, you're doing better than Grimmy. Half of the last batch of cookies wound up on the floor because Tesla and Nel kept insisting on tasting them. These are the few that weren't burnt." He gestured to the tray of what could have been tree-shapes, if one tilted one's head, squinted and had imbibed a good amount of Shunsui's finest sake.
"Aww, you should have let me help." Orihime pouted a little, looking at the cookies.
"NO!" The three males not mated to her shouted simultaneously, which brought her head up with a flush of embarrassment and curious agitation.
Szayel quickly recovered, as being in close proximity to her for a while had initiated the Beta Pile mind-bleed, "What we mean, Hime-chan, is that you're needed here to help Ulquiorra-san."
"Hai, hai." Kisuke flipped his fan again, "Without you, who would keep Ulqui-kun from losing patience with the decorations and my property, ne?"
She beamed brightly, "Right!" And slid off the couch to sit next to her Alpha happily 'helping' with the lights. Behind her, Ichigo gave a relieved smile and rolled his eyes.
About five seconds later, Ulquiorra's eyebrow was twitching and his precious control was threatening to give way. He closed his eyes, retaining his composure by using the mental image of what he'd like to do to the irritating Shinigami's striped hat should he ever free his fingers again. Sensing the impending destruction of the multi-colored string of lights, Ichigo stepped around the table to join the mated pair on the floor.
"Here…" He took hold of one end of the cord and pulled in just the right way. In no time the decoration was piled around the two in an even coil. He fingered the closest vibrant bulb with a wistful look, "Goat Face always gets tangled like that with Yuzu." His eyebrows twitched and the corners of both his eyes and mouth tightened ever so slightly.
"Uh…uh…Ichigo-san! How about we head back into the kitchen and see about getting more of those cookies made, ne?" Once again Szayel to the rescue, as he took hold of the young Beta's arm and pulled him gently back towards his mate. The orangette didn't say anything, merely letting the Octavo lead him around. Upon entering the kitchen on the first level of the shop, he called, "Grimmjow?! Oh, where is that blasted feline?"
Nel and Tesla, covered in icing and green-tinted cookie dough looked up. The female blinked, "I think he said something about giving up on baking, or something."
"Mm, yeah." The blonde Beta sucked on a wooden spoon with wide-eyes, fully expecting to be yelled at for doing it.
Szayel made an exasperated noise and threw his hands up in the air, leaving the kitchen. "Grimmjow! Kami damnit, Sexta!"
Ichigo slumped onto a barstool that was pulled up to the counter island, and dipped his finger into the cookie dough. He rolled the green stuff between his finger and his thumb, contemplating eating it. He sighed, and rested his hand on his belly. "I'm getting fat." He groused, flicking the now offensive sweetened batter from his finger.
"Yer not fat, Kitten." Strong arms wrapped around him, and calloused thumbs drew circles on his exposed belly. This was the feline's favorite position since the Visored had agreed to adopt the Arrancar style of dress because it brought the two into skin-on-skin contact, which always made the cubs feel better. And when the cubs felt good, 'Mommy' felt good.
He leaned back into the sturdy chest of his Alpha and sighed again. "Still…" He was wistful and melancholy. This was the first Christmas he'd spent without his father, and in the predicament he was in, it was all that much harder, regardless of what everyone else was trying to do to help.
Grimmjow nuzzled Ichigo's jawline, peppering the skin with small kisses. "I know, Kitten." He didn't really. Like all of the Espada, Christmas was a new concept to them. The only ones who had any idea about the thing were Nel and Ulquiorra and that was only because both had been there the year before. But, he did understand that whatever the significance of having his Beta's sire there was, the fact that the stubborn ex-Shinigami flat out refused to have anything to do with his strawberry was upsetting, and that, he could at least relate to, even if the motivations weren't something that he could grasp fully. So, he purred deeply, rumbling through his chest and vibrating the smaller male in his arms, sending soothing thoughts through their mate bond by licking the inky Mark on Ichigo's neck.
A few moments and Ichigo had relaxed completely, raging thunderstorms within his mindscape avoided for the moment. Shiro intoned to the blue-haired Alpha, Sheesh. Can't leave him alone fer a second.
"Grimmy…" The hybrid didn't let the Sexta respond to his Inner Hollow. "Can you really tell it's not just fat?" His eyes were dark and troubled when he looked up into his mate's own cyan version.
"O' course! Next ta 'Hime you're radiatin' reiatsu. Ain't nobody here with a litter like ours." The panther purred.
Ignoring the other expecting Betas in the kitchen, Ichigo frowned. "She's still bigger than me." Now, into his second trimester by a week or so, the desire to show how worthy he was as a Beta had hit the orangette full force.
"She's been carryin' longer, Kitten. She'll whelp first is all." The panther nuzzled him again, his tail curling around to add to the embrace he used to wrap the insecure Beta in both reiatsu and scent. "Don't forget though, she's only carryin' one. We've got four in here." He couldn't help the little zing of pride that still shot down his spine at that knowledge, and he drew little circles with his thumbs on the slightly paler skin.
Ichigo made a noncommittal noise, not exactly satisfied with that answer, and making it known mentally. Shiro dashed into Grimmjow's mindscape and shook off like a feral canine, spraying water all over the trees. Ugh! Think o' somethin'! We're drownin' in there!
"Uh…yeah, an' think about it, Kitten, yer a lot bigger than Tesla an' Nel! Ya can't hardly even tell they've got cubs on the way. Compared ta ya, they're like sticks! Honest!" The blunette said the first thing that came to him.
Open mouth, insert foot. Nel glared, and Tesla flushed a deep red, turning away from the mated pair with his shoulders quivering. Internally, Shiro smacked his forehead.
Good goin', Blue, yer a master o' the spoken word! The albino faded back into Ichigo's city, fully expecting World War 3 to break out.
He didn't have to wait long. Nelliel huffed, "Some of us didn't get the advantage of a Beta Pile during the first few weeks." She wrapped her arms around the now whimpering Tesla, intent on drawing him out of the room.
"Grimm!" Ichigo echoed the tone Nel used.
"Aw, Hell…" The Sexta's ears drooped and he tucked his tail in close to his leg. "I didn'…Nelly…Tes…I…fuck…"
"Hmph." All three Betas made the noise, and Ichigo pulled away to wrap Tesla on the other side. He spoke loud enough that he could be heard, but was addressing the blonde, "C'mon, Tessy. Let's go find Nnoi-kun. Alpha's dunno what they're talking about."
"Oh…okay, Ichigo-chan." The smaller male Beta blinked up at the orangette from the safety of the place between his co-Beta and the hybrid. The Beta-Pile-bleed made it easier for them to calm him down but the pour traumatized fraccion really wouldn't be set to rights again until after he'd been brought to his new Alpha and soothed properly.
As the three left the kitchen, Grimmjow drew his hand over his face, letting his claws rake the strands of blue hair that fell onto his brow. "Augh! Fuckin' Betas…always stick t'gether…me and my fuckin' mouth."
"Nnoitra! Grimmy was an idiot! Come get Tessy!" Ichigo called, walking the distraught Beta back through the living room.
Nel trailed behind muttering about stupid Alphas, her hands clenched into fists and a dark scowl on her face. True the two of them weren't hardly any different yet. Just some thickening below the navel, and nausea. She'd picked up a flair for Orihime's cooking, adding red bean paste to absolutely everything, and Tesla cried at the drop of a hat, though part of that was probably still his pain over losing Yylfordt. Nnoitra did what he could, but until the cub shifted its reiatsu, the broken Mating Bond would still futilely call for Szayel's brother, causing Tesla physical and emotional distress. Truthfully, were it not for the bond of Espada to fraccion that Tesla and Nnoitra already shared, it wouldn't have been surprising for the slim blonde Arrancar to have followed his lost mate in death, and only Ichigo's quick thinking had saved the cub. When it was born, it wouldn't be truly Yylfordt's offspring spiritually, but everyone was hoping that something of the bovine Arrancar would stick around through to the birth.
Looking up at the disturbed procession, Kisuke blinked several times. "Yare yare." A delicate hand on his arm made him flick out his fan and shut his mouth. Broadcasting as the Betas were, Szayel and Orihime moved closer to the more dominant spirits in the room. Ulquiorra even forgot for the moment that he had a loop of tinsel around the horn on his mask. At some point, Byakuya had joined them, sitting on the couch where Orihime had been to begin with, and the stoic captain blinked up from the book he was reading, also affected by the turbulent reiatsu in the room.
"Feh! What'd the big blue pussy do this time?" The lanky Quinto ducked out from behind a rock where he'd been 'relaxing', entering the living room from the other half of the basement where he usually spent his time. He'd taken to using four of his hands to feel in front and behind him as Orihime had been unable to heal his vision. Like Halibel, apparently because of the way his Zanpakutou released his eye required that Santa Teresa be within his mindscape to be functional. So, though the orb itself had been healed, it was covered by a thick film of opaque grey that completely obscured his vision. This left the violent Espada even more volatile, and on guard at almost all times. Being insectoid he fully expected to be murdered at any moment, and now that he'd been blinded that made him even more on edge.
Ichigo scoffed and let his reiatsu trail out as a guide for Nnoitra, "I'll take care of him. You focus on Tessy and Nel."
The green-haired female took her co-Beta into her arms and crossed the distance to snuggle into Nnoitra. The blinded Arrancar immediately wrapped all but one arm around the pair, leaving the last hand on the wall so he knew where he was.
The blonde was in tears again, "He…he…he s-said I…I…I'm a sti-i-i-ick!" He wailed.
The Quinto growled and bent over his Betas, murder on his face, "Lemme at 'im. I'll tear 'is fuckin' tail off!"
"Now, Nnoi-kun, let Itsy take care of the idiot." Ever the level-headed Nel nuzzled her Alpha's neck, whickering and snuffling along the sensitive place under his ear. It always brought him back to where they were and what they were currently doing. Like a charm, he turned to bury his nose in her hair, and held the two of them tighter. Nel peered out of the embrace to look at Ichigo and said, with implications heavy in her voice, "Let's get Tessy back to the room so he can calm down a bit?"
Her own insult was nothing compared to taking care of the Beta she saw as her own, and as the three moved off up the stairs to their nest, she guided Nnoitra with one arm and held Tesla's hand with the other behind their Alpha's back. The male Beta of their trio was still sniffling and a loud chittering growl was heard a little while after they'd disappeared through the opening.
"Oh my." Orihime almost whimpered, leaning closer to Ulquiorra, who blinked with faint disapproval in his eyes.
Szayel had scooted over to be practically in Kisuke's lap and shook his head. "Kissu, when is Shin-kun due to be home?"
"Soon, Sza-ya, soon." The shopkeeper wrapped his arm around the pink-haired Beta.
Byakuya adjusted the pair of reading glasses he was wearing and turned back to his book without comment, though he, too, was awaiting the return of the group accompanying Shinji in retrieving something called 'last minute gifts' that he didn't completely understand. But Renji had been excited about it, so he had agreed to wait with the others at the Shoten. Privately, he had to admit this was much more enjoyable than the traditional Kuchiki Family Dinner that was more pomp and circumstance than actual family gathering.
In the kitchen, Grimmjow did NOT cower behind the island, leaning against the counter and praying that when his mate found him again that he'd be in better spirits. As such, he was NOT surprised when, a few minutes later, the back door of the Shoten opened and Shinji, Renji, Rukia, Yoruichi and Soi Fon came through it carrying bags. Therefore, the hiss he gave was entirely because he was irritated at the turn of events regarding his Beta and the other expectants in the Shoten.
Unfortunately for him, Yoruichi read him like a book. "So, what'd ya do this time, Grimmy-kun?" She teased.
He grumbled the whole story, tail lashing and ears against his head in irritation as Shinji outright laughed at his misfortune. At least Renji and Rukia had the decency to pretend not to be entertained. "And, now 'M hopin' he's calmed down some b'fore he comes back. Otherwise I'll hafta sleep in the trainin' ground t'night."
A particularly evil gleam appeared in the feline Shinigami's eye, "I could always ask Soi Fon here to lock up at her division for the night." She purred.
"Yoruichi-sama!" The temperamental Captain of the Second gasped. "That's inappropriate usage of the holding cells!" She'd do it if her Lady asked her to, but she didn't feel comfortable enough to do so without first protesting the clear violation of protocol.
"Bah. Yama-jii won't care. Once he finds out how Grimmy upset Ichi, he'll write the whole thing off as necessary detainment." Yoruichi laughed again, but her mirth was cut short when a growl cut through the air with such malice that the other Alphas in the room shivered involuntarily.
"Ya've gone an' done it now, Kitty." The albino version of Ichigo manifested on the island countertop. He dipped a finger into the bowl of cookie dough that was still sitting there as his more vibrant counterpart appeared through Sonido to crouch between the Shinigami and Grimmjow.
Already on edge from the Tesla thing and smarting from the constant reminders of his family situation, Ichigo had no patience for jokes about taking his Alpha away, even for the night. "Mine!" He growled again, "My Alpha!"
"Heh, I ain't gonna hold 'im back when he decides 'xactly how ta skin ya." Shiro sucked his finger into his mouth with a smirk.
Ichigo took a step forward, teeth bared, running on pure instinct. Shinji and Renji went wide-eyed, making a careful retreat around the island in the hopes that because the angry Beta had his attention on the females that they'd be able to escape should things get even more out of hand. If necessary they could get to Kisuke's lab and tranquilize the orangette. Yoruichi's hands flew up in deference to the hybrid, and Rukia bit her lip. Both girls recognized the need for submission from the worked up Beta. Everything would have worked out fine, but for Soi Fon.
The waspish woman glared right back, determined to defend Lady Yoruichi from what she still saw as a dangerous Ryoka boy from the Living World. Her hand drifted near her Zanpakutou and Ichigo growled again, sharp, brown eyes following her every movement. Yoruichi tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but Soi Fon shrugged her off. The two circled each other slowly, eyes locked, a low growl almost continuous from the half-Hollow.
Over their heads, Yoruichi and Grimmjow met eyes and nodded. At the same time, both felines stepped forward and wrapped their arms around their respective mates, purring. Soi Fon tried to struggle, but Yoruichi whispered, "Soi, stop it." The ebony-haired woman glared over her shoulder, affronted at being stopped but whipped back around when a louder purr joined the other two. Her eyes went wide and her frame relaxed.
Grimmjow had his nose over the Mating Mark, licking it and purring into it. The stimulation caused an instant reaction in Ichigo. The orangette slumped into his Alpha's arms, eyes falling closed and a much stronger purr radiating from his chest. Alpha was here, Alpha would take care of the threat. He was safe and nothing would hurt him or the cubs as long as Alpha was here. The Sexta reinforced that thought by turning them around so that he placed himself between Ichigo and Soi Fon. The fact that he was the whole reason the Beta had felt threatened in the first place didn't even enter into the equation where instinct was concerned. So, he continued to purr and groom his mate, holding the smaller male close in a strong embrace that spoke of endurance and protection.
"But he was…" Soi Fon questioned quietly.
Yoruichi shook her head. "He's not himself right now."
"That's the understatement o' the year, Kitty." Shiro laughed. "Good goin' by the way." He jumped down and strolled over to the three girls with a dangerous smirk. Rukia cringed, Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, and Soi Fon tensed; all three sensing he wasn't quite as calm as he appeared. He came right up to them and leaned into the captain's face. A knife appeared out of nowhere under her chin, "Next time ya threaten Blue, even as a joke, I'll slit yer throat open so fast yer wasp'll think it stung itself. Ne?" He didn't give them a chance to respond, disappearing back into his King's mindscape without even so much as a reiatsu change. The phantom knife fell to the floor with a clatter, and all three women swallowed reflexively.
"Geez, you people are all as bad as Ichi-nii." Karin broke into the tense room from outside, her cheeks flushed from the cold. Unwrapping her scarf, a present from Yuzu the year before, and taking her jacket off, she looked around the room and rolled her eyes.
Ichigo peered out from around Grimmjow to stick his tongue out at his sister, earning himself another eye roll. The Arrancar himself raised an eyebrow, not understanding what she meant, and the Shinigami looked at her as though they'd forgotten she and Toshiro were staying at the Shoten too. The captain of the Tenth entered then and frowned, slightly confused, but he didn't say anything right away.
He crossed the room, ignoring everyone else in it, grabbed a basket out of the pantry, and returned to Karin's side. "I'm going to take this over to Obaa-san, 'Rin. Did you wanna come with me?"
She almost groaned at the idea of going back out into the cold, but the light in the aqua eyes of her boyfriend made her heart melt. If she didn't like cold, she had no business being involved with the strongest ice wielder in the Soul Society, she reasoned and smiled. "Sure, Toshi." She gave him a quick kiss, fighting a flush because of how many people were standing in the kitchen witnessing the exchange, and re-donned her jacket and scarf.
The pair exited the Shoten and the Shinigami took it as a cue to leave the Espada and his mate alone. Grimmjow smiled a bit, and gripped Ichigo tighter. "C'mon, Kitten." He pulled the orangette out of the kitchen and down to their bedroom.
Once everyone left the kitchen, a spikey blonde head appeared to glance around the doorframe. "Alright, it's clear." The owner said, in a husky voice almost too low to be female.
The shuffling gate of the person behind her was slow, and unsteady. Hunched over on himself, like his midsection hurt him, the former Primera was a shadow of his once proud self. He was like an old man, bent and worn, with deep bags under his eyes and faded, grey streaks in his hair. Though the wounds he suffered at the hands of Mayuri were long healed, and he was not missing any limbs or senses, Starrk was half of himself. Lilinette, green-haired pain that she was, had not been found during the subsequent sweep of Los Noches. As such, the Arrancar Alpha was suffering from a crushing depression that kept him from interacting with any of the others unless he absolutely had to. Solitude, and the company of the only other Arrancar who could connect with him, were preferable to being surrounded by the much happier others. If there was one thing he could have from this fictional person the Humans called 'Santa' it would be to find his other half, the little girl who was sister and daughter at the same time.
So, Halibel, having been the Primera's Beta several times even before Aizen, cared for him, made sure he got enough to eat and moved around at least enough to keep his already atrophied muscles from wasting away completely. At the moment, they were in search of food. According to the orange-haired human girl that was Ulquiorra's Beta, this day brought a large feast. So, food should be plentiful enough for the canine to at least eat once. She took his hand in hers, and pulled him across the room with an energy that didn't allow any room for complaint.
Just as they were about to open the refrigerator, Szayel stepped into the kitchen on his way back down to the 'living room'. "Good to see the two of you up and about, Tercera." He smiled gently. "If you're hungry, I believe Kissu and Shin-kun are planning a large dinner together in an hour or so." He brought his hands together nervously, and looked to Starrk with hope in his golden eyes.
For a moment, it looked as though the wolf was going to decline, but something about the way the pink-haired Beta asked reminded him of the way it felt to truly have a Pack to call family. "Alright." He spoke, his voice rusty from disuse.
Szayel grinned. "Great! See you in an hour then." He practically danced off down the stairs.
Halibel turned a questioning look to Starrk and the Alpha shrugged. So, the aquatic Beta nodded silently and the two made their way back to their room to wait for supper.
Across town, the house of Isshin Kurosaki was just as quiet, though for an entirely different reason. The doctor himself sat cradling a book of pictures in the living room of the home with the lights off. He hadn't realized the sun had begun to set and the shadows were getting longer. There was no tree, no tinsel, no tangled multi-colored lights, and though the smell of cookies came from kitchen, the dejected ex-Shinigami had no desire to eat any of them. The book in his lap was opened to a page labeled 'Christmas – Ichigo: age 8; Karin & Yuzu: age 5'. It was the last Christmas the five of them had spent together before King Fisher had murdered Masaki. He drew his hand over a picture of his wife and three children. She was kneeling on the floor, holding Yuzu up to hang an ornament on the tree. Ichigo had stumbled into a box of tinsel and was laughing with a string of the silvery stuff draped through his orange spikes. The object of his laughter, Karin, was on the floor across from him with confetti and the end of a spent cracker in her hands. She looked amazed at the burnt paper, but if he looked close enough he could see the simmer of anger in her eyes.
The corner of his mouth turned up, the very next moment after he'd snapped that photo the little dark-haired girl had tackled her older brother. Both had fallen back into their mother's lap, and she had scooped them all up in a giant hug. He'd been unable to resist joining them, and the tinsel and tree had been forgotten for a while as they all laughed.
This year felt just like the one after that had, with Ichigo and Karin away, refusing to see reason. Precious Yuzu tried so hard to make the holiday happy for them, but nothing seemed to lift the storm in the former captain's heart. If only Karin hadn't met Toshiro. If only Ichigo hadn't gone off to Hueco Mundo. If only Soul Society knew how to keep its nose out of the Living World's business. If only Kisuke hadn't been able to return Ichigo's powers. If only Rukia-chan hadn't given Ichigo those powers in the first place! He scowled, running his hand over the photograph again. If she hadn't been around none of this would have happened and Ichigo would still be here. They would be putting up the tree, and his spitfire children would be trying to beat him up for goofing off instead of working.
His face grew dark, and he clenched the edges of the book so hard his knuckles turned white and the tome shook. He didn't see that though. His vision was deep within his mind, playing over and over the horrible things that had happened since he'd lost the only person who had ever made his world bright. His reiatsu grew and whipped around the room.
Unbeknownst to him, his gentle, blonde-haired daughter stood in the doorway, withstanding the storm. "Oh, Tou-san." She whispered, tears pooling in her luminous eyes. Her hair flew around her face, and she reached out a hand only to pull it back. Things had to be fixed between her father and her siblings. If they weren't she knew even more terrible things would happen.
Ducking back into the kitchen, she returned to packing a basket with cookies. Over top she laid the two blankets she'd knitted for her niece. She put her coat on, wrapped a scarf that matched Karin's, and stepped into her snow boots. With a final look at her father, she sighed and exited the home into the cold gathering darkness.
Belly Report:
Ichigo – 14 weeksOrihime – 33 weeksNel – 9 weeksTesla – 8 weeks