Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't know Bleach.

Weeks Later….

Ichigo slept soundly in Soi-Fon's bed, his lover snuggling into his chest. As the dawn filtered through the windows, his eyes drifted open. Seeing the girl he'd come to love snoozing peacefully in his arms, Ichigo ran a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. Hearing a small creak, he turned and saw the door open.

Standing in the doorway was a small girl, the spitting image of Soi-Fon. "Daddy! Mommy!"

Soi-Fon stirred awake as their daughter hopped onto the bed. "Yoru, what is it? Did you have another bad dream?"

Giggling, the little girl hugged her father's neck. "Nope! Daddy promised to play Flashstep with me today!" Yoru looked up at Ichigo with prideful eyes. "I practiced! Just like I promised, Daddy!"

"You have, eh?" Soi-Fon playfully smirked, patting her daughter's head. "Well then. Are you fast enough to dodge…this?"

"Ahahahahahahahahaha!" Yoru laughed uncontrollably as her parents started to tickle her, lying her down between them as they watched their daughter laugh. "Mommy! Daddy! Ahahahahahahah! That tickles!"

Smiling, Ichigo and Soi-Fon looked at each other then back to their daughter. Ichigo kissed Soi-Fon before picking up Yoru, his cheerful girl hugging his neck as he carried her out, the father and daughter ready for a happy day of play….

Ichigo's eyes snapped open as he sat straight up, panting hard. "Whoa!" He looked around and saw darkness, his mind spinning from the vivid dream before realizing he was in Soi-Fon's bed, having spent a hot and steamy night with his girlfriend, their clothes littering the floor. They'd spent the night doing something that most people would've been shocked to see: talking. A more and more common pastime for the two was sitting under a tree in the Fon Clan's garden, talking to each other well into the night before retreating to Soi-Fon's bed. Sometimes they'd have sex; sometimes they'd just cuddle.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo cooled down, lying back down on the bed. He turned to look at Soi-Fon, seeing her dreaming face. He became concerned as he watched her go from happy to sad and then back to happy. Pulling her close, Ichigo, like in his dream, ran a hand through her black hair and kissed her forehead, wondering what she was dreaming about….

Soi-Fon walked to her captain's quarters, eager to please her goddess. It mattered little what people thought of her when she relinquished her position and gave her captaincy back to its rightful holder. She did it because Yoruichi would always be her shining goddess, the path she would walk would always lead to her. Reaching the door to her chambers, Soi-Fon pushed it open…

And found nothing. Yoruichi was gone.

"No…" Soi-Fon muttered, dropping to her knees. "Not again…" she whispered as the tears ran down her face. "NO!" The wooden floor was cracked as Soi-Fon's fist came down on it. "No! I don't want to be alone again!"

She thought of the past hundred years. For a hundred years she had been alone. She had to face down countless perils and be the leader her men needed without Yoruichi's guiding hand. "I can't do it!" she cried out, wishing that Yoruichi would appear in her chair like a phantom returning from the grave. "Lady Yoruichi! Don't leave me! I don't…I can't be alone again!"

In the midst of her despair came a pair of arms, wrapping around her from behind. Ichigo's warmth filled her and calmed the storm in her heart. "You're not alone, Soi-Fon. I'm here."

Soi-Fon's hand touched his and her tears stopped. "Ichigo…don't leave me. I…" she squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't want to be alone anymore!" She turned around and buried her face in his neck, sobbing as she accepted his embrace. She needed him. He wasn't the same as Yoruichi but she needed him just the same.

Because without him Soi-Fon would be truly alone.

"Mmmmhhh…" Soi-Fon grumbled as she woke up, finding herself lying with Ichigo, her head on his chest. She could feel the sun's warm rays touch heat her arms up as she lay next to her lover. Lifting her head up, Soi-Fon yawned and saw that Ichigo was already awake. "Watching me sleep? That's creepy…" she said, wiping the sleep out of her eyes.

As the two sat up, Ichigo looked away, still not used to Soi-Fon's dry humor. "Sorry. I've been awake the past few minutes. Had a weird dream, that's all."

Popping her bones back into place, Soi-Fon sat back against the pillow. "What about? Was it a bad dream?" she asked, curious. She found talking to Ichigo to be interesting; it helped her open up in a way she never had before. "Or…was it a good dream?"

Chuckling, Ichigo shook his head and sat back with her. "No, just weird. I dreamt that we…had a kid…."

Raising an eyebrow, Soi-Fon looked at Ichigo with an amused face, interested at the notion of her having a child with Ichigo. "And that bothers you? Are you scared of being a father?" She crossed her arms and cocked her head. "Or is it you have a problem with having a child with me?"

Ichigo quickly shook his head, not wanting to piss her off. He'd found that even though she'd become much softer than before, she still had a short fuse and it was easy to earn a punch to the gut. "No, nothing like that. It's just…I never imagined me becoming a father before…it's weird."

Soi-Fon shrugged. "You're seventeen, Ichigo. Young men don't really think of things like settling down and having a family. So it's natural that you feel uneasy." She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. "Which reminds me, the elders have been nudging me to bear a child to be the next heir to the clan. Should we get started on it?" she whispered into his ear, running a hand across his chest sensually.

"Soi-Fon!"

His girlfriend gave a rare chuckle and got off the bed, putting on her Stealth Force Commander outfit. "You can relax, Ichigo. I'm only joking. I'm not ready for children too, so why don't we put a lid on this conversation for now."

"Okay." Ichigo got out of bed and pulled on his Shihakusho and Hakama. "So what were you dreaming about?"

"Stuff…."

Ichigo looked at her annoyed when she walked out of the room, wondering what was going on inside that head of hers. 'Then again, it is kind of a sensitive question, so maybe I shouldn't pry.'

Shrugging, Ichigo picked up Zangetsu and headed out, heading for Squad Six to spar with Renji….

Later….
Squad Six Sparring Grounds

Ichigo and Renji clashed in the middle of the grounds, Captain Kuchiki looking on with several of his men. Ichigo pushed Renji back and braced himself as the redhead swung Zabimaru at him, the blade-whip coming close to taking his arm off before he blocked at the last second. Renji noticed Ichigo's late reaction time and frowned. "What's the matter, Ichigo? You're losing your edge."

"You're imagining things," Ichigo retorted, keeping his stance up.

"Daddy promised to play Flashstep with me today!"

Ichigo, recalling the vivid dream, shook his head and tried not to look distracted.

But Renji merely looked at Ichigo with his head cocked to the side, a look of annoyance on his face. "Is that so? Alright then, let's hope you can keep up with this." He held his sword in front of him and his body pulsed red. "Bankai!" Soon he was surrounded by his bone-snake Bankai. "Hihio Zabimaru! Here I come, Ichigo!"

Renji's Bankai was much faster than Ichigo had remembered. Apparently he'd honed his skills in the time that Ichigo had been powerless to the point where his Bankai was no longer slow and cumbersome. Ichigo cried out as the massive snake-skull slammed into him, forcing him on the defense. Flashstepping away, he stuck his arms out charged up his spirit energy. "Ban-"

"Which reminds me, the elders have been nudging me to bear a child to be the next heir to the clan. Shall we get started on that?"

The distracting thought kept Ichigo delayed longer than normal and before he could release his Bankai Renji slammed his bone snake into him, sending him flying. "GAHHHHH!" His vision blurred as he hit something and only when he found himself staring up at Byakuya did he realize that the man had caught him and kept him from crashing into the wall. "Byakuya?"

"This spar is over." Byakuya helped Ichigo onto his feet and frowned at the boy. "Renji, seal your Bankai. It is obvious that Ichigo has too much on his mind to concentrate on sparring." As Renji's Bankai faded he looked at Ichigo with a face that was half concern and half annoyed. "Ichigo, what is wrong. You are never this careless."

"I'm fine," Ichigo insisted.

Renji and Byakuya watched the boy leave the grounds, dusting himself off as he wrapped Zangetsu back up in its wrappings. Byakuya narrowed his eyes when he saw the look on Ichigo's face; it was one of deep thought and he knew that right now the boy's mind was in farther fields right now. Turning to Renji, Byakuya instructed him to finish the paperwork in the office while he dealt with Ichigo.

Ichigo was taken aback when Byakuya walked up next to him. "What do you want, Byakuya?" Ichigo asked.

"I noticed that when you were about to release your Bankai, you hesitated a split second, which gave Renji an advantage."

"No I didn't!" Ichigo insisted. "Renji's Bankai is just faster than I remember!"

Byakuya stopped walking and glared at Ichigo, who gulped, knowing that the man had X-ray vision when it came to spotting a lie. "Ichigo, I am more than prepared to ask Captain Kurotsuchi for a drug to make you more honest…" he threatened.

Ichigo gulped before deciding to relent. "It's nothing, really, Byakuya. I just had a weird dream and I can't get it out of my head, that's all. Really," he said, not wanting Byakuya to try to give him advice. "I just need to focus on something else."

"That seems unlikely from what I saw." Byakuya crossed his arms and scowled. "The last thing we need is go into a crisis with you distracted." He looked at Ichigo like a father scolding his son.

Sighing and knowing that Byakuya wouldn't let up, Ichigo relented. "I just had a dream about me and Soi-Fon…raising a child together. I told Soi-Fon about and she was okay about it but…I don't know why I'm so concerned by it," he looked away as he spoke, his ears red as he confessed in front of Byakuya, wishing he'd just leave him alone.

"I see. I think I understand," Byakuya said. "What's concerning you isn't the dream itself. Your problem is that you're having concerns regarding your future with Captain Soi-Fon."

Ichigo listened to the man and let his words sink in before admitting to the truth before him. "Yeah, I am…." He opened his mouth to speak but Byakuya silenced him with a hand.

"Ichigo, your position right now is one that nobody has stood in. As Rukia once said, you're a child of two worlds. Having Captain Soi-Fon as your lover," Ichigo blushed from the words, "Has made you much happier, but now you're feeling that your future with her is uncertain. Having her in your life has caused you to worry that being happy in the Soul Society with make you abandon the World of the Living. That is what is really troubling you."

Ichigo stared at the man before looking at the ground, the seeds of uncertainty that had been planted by the dream now taking root. "You're right," he admitted. "I'm not sure how this is ever going to work. I don't want to just leave my friends and family but…I don't want to leave Soi-Fon either." He looked up at Byakuya and his face showed his uncertainty. "What should I do?"

'Asking others for advice. I take it back; he HAS matured over the past seventeen months.' "You should discuss this with Captain Soi-Fon. It's not something that neither I nor anyone else can tell you. When you're with someone, Ichigo, you'll learn that sometimes you have to make hard decisions." Giving the boy a rare pat on the shoulder, Byakuya nodded at him before walking away, leaving Ichigo to ponder….

Meanwhile….

A group of female soul reapers, four in total, were all huddled together out in the open courtyard, gossiping about Ichigo and Soi-Fon, whom everyone was talking about. In each girl's hands was a copy of the SWA magazine with Ichigo and Soi-Fon kissing on the front cover. Despite her attempts to locate and destroy all copies, Soi-Fon was unable to get rid of all of them. "Did you see Captain Soi-Fon and Ichigo over by Squad Two's grounds? They were sitting underneath the tree and holding hands! It was so adorable!"

"I know right? They make such a cute couple! You wouldn't imagine Captain Soi-Fon dating though…."

"Still though, if they get married, does that mean that Ichigo's gonna stop being a Deputy and be an actual Soul Reaper?"

"Maybe. Or is she gonna give up her captaincy and go elope with him in the World of the Living?"

The group of girls where interrupted when a voice cleared her throat nearby. "Don't you girls have duties to fulfill rather than stand around and gossip?"

The girls turned around and saw to their horror Captain Soi-Fon standing behind them, tapping her foot impatiently as she leered at them when she saw the magazines in their hands. One of the girls was on the verge of screaming in terror and quickly sputtered out apologies. "I'll hear none of it!" Soi-Fon barked. "Now quit the chatter and get back to work before I inform your captains!" She held out her hand. "And hand over the magazines, if you please?"

One by one, each girl reluctantly handed over their magazine. Once the group had dispersed, Soi-Fon reached into her pocket and pulled out a match, lighting three of them on fire. However, she sat down one a bench next to the smoldering ashes of them and stared at the picture on the front cover of the last magazine. She thought about what the girls said and sighed in frustration. She knew that things couldn't keep going on like they were. Sooner or later, one of them would have to give in order to keep their relationship going. 'But I can't just ask Ichigo to forfeit everything to stay with me. He has a family. Friends. Even Lady Yoruichi is over in the World of the Living.'

She looked at the image on the magazine hard, seeing herself in Ichigo's arms, her eyes closed as her lips touched Ichigo's. She remembered the kiss quite well. For days after, the feel of his lips remained on Soi-Fon's until she couldn't take the longing anymore and invited him to meet with her elders, where they made their relationship confirmed. Looking up at the sky, she felt lost for the first time in a century. She thought about her dream and how she'd broken down when she saw that Yoruichi was gone again, only for her to regain herself when Ichigo promised to never leave her. "I don't want to leave him…" she muttered. "I don't want to be lonely ever again…."

It occurred to her that she could step down from her positions and live with Ichigo in his world. It'd be unprecedented but her fellow captains would understand; most of them anyway. It was highly doubtful that anyone knew what went on in Mayuri's head. Her family might not approve, since she had no living siblings to take her place, but there were others who could become head of the family. "Lady Yoruichi," she said quietly, as if saying her name would summon her to her aid. "What should I do? I…"her eyes watered as the image of Ichigo popped into her head. "I don't know what to do…."

Deciding that sitting there and crying like a schoolgirl wasn't going to help her out at all, Soi-Fon wiped her eyes and stood up. "I'll talk with him. We need to figure out where we want to go from here…."

Later that evening….
Fon Clan Manor

Ichigo walked through the gates of the manor and looked around, a Hell Butterfly leading him on. He'd received the message that Soi-Fon needed to speak with him right away while talking to Rukia and made it here as fast as he could. Instead of going inside the manor through a window, the Hell Butterfly flittered away, towards the tall tree, its cherry blossoms in full bloom. Ichigo watched it land on the shoulder of Soi-Fon, who was sitting calmly under the tree. Seeing the insect, she turned her head and swallowed the lump in her throat, gesturing to her lover.

"Ichigo. We…we need to talk…."

To be continued….