A/N: This story is really hard to write in long doses. I have the ideas in my head but they just don't flow onto the paper… well I finally got this chapter out. I hope you all like it. And a big thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorited this, it makes my day! ^^

Ichigo's POV:

After my bold declaration, I had to come up with a plan to rescue Grimmjow's children. I figured that we should bring Inoue with us in case they were hurt. Ideally the best option would be to regroup with everyone but I honestly don't think that's a viable option, considering I can feel their reiatsu in all different directions.

Grimmjow and I made our way back to the pillar where we left Inoue. It seems that we moved farther in the course of our fight than I thought, as it took quite a while to even get that massive pillar back into sight.

Inoue was a little more than distressed seeing Grimmjow behind me. I quickly explained the situation and rescue plan, and after unanimously agreeing that Aizen was an unforgivable asshole that needed to have his ass handed to him in the worst of ways, Inoue healed us again and restored our reiatsu.

We decided that stealth would be our best course of action. So we suppressed our reiatsu as best we could and we set off as fast as possible towards the heart of Las Noches where we would find Aizen's lab.

As we got closer I noticed a surprising lack of guards or any other sort of security. We continued through pristine white hallways that seemed to snake on forever, until we came up to a massive set of heavy metal doors that Grimmjow said were the main entrance to the lab.

He was visibly shaking at this point. It was understandable why he was so shaken, this was the place where he was raped, tortured and held captive. I can't even begin to imagine half of what he must be feeling right now as we stand here.

This door separates him and his children. The children fathered by his tormentor were being held in the place that even demons would flee from, and where nightmares were spawned. It's a place where he probably never wanted to set foot in again.

I put my hand on his shoulder, hopefully offering him some sort of comfort. He took a few deep breaths and stepped up to the door, poised to open it.

"Be ready for anything." He said it loud enough for us to hear but it sounded like he was trying to prepare himself for the worst possible outcome. He slowly pushed open the door and the scene that greeted us looked like it belonged in a science fiction movie.

There were rows upon rows of cylindrical tanks filled with clear neon green fluid and each tank held some sort of experiment covered in nothing but countless wires. The tanks seemed to be a life support system and each was connected to a complex computer system.

It looked like Aizen collected his specimens from all three worlds. There were exotic animals, human and shinigami souls as well as hollows of all kinds.

We walked up and down the rows trying to find Grimmjow's kittens. Suddenly at the end of one of the rows, we all froze dead in our tracks. The tank we were facing was different from the others.

It was rectangular in shape and roughly three times bigger than the cylinders. The fluid was an icy blue color but what caught our attention were the three tiny forms floating in the liquid. They all had electric blue hair and were covered from head to toe with wires.

I thought something was odd about what I was seeing. Other than the fact that children were being kept in a lab like rats, said children appeared to be about five or six years old.

According to Grimmjow, he got pregnant after Aizen showed up in Las Noches, that was a little over a year ago. There was just no was his litter could be this old, but here they are in front of me now, solid proof of the impossible.

I looked over to Grimmjow and he seemed to be in shock, he just stood there perfectly still staring at his children. Inoue was just looking at the tank, it seemed like she didn't sense the serious atmosphere that settled over us. She turned to me.

"Kurosaki-kun, what should we do now?" Her question snapped me out of my stupor.

"We need to get them out of that tank and get the fluid out of their lungs." My mind was racing to try and think of the best way to make this as smooth as possible. The last thing we needed was something bad happening when we were on the move.

I know that I am acting different; usually I would take the fastest most direct method possible and deal with the consequences as they came, but after seeing those helpless children I wanted to make sure they were as safe as possible. I have always been protective of children but this was different, it was a strange instinctual feeling, almost like a familial bond. I pushed that thought aside. I could sort that out later, now we needed to rescue the kittens.

Upon closer inspection of the tank I spotted a ladder attached to one side. I climbed up and was relieved to find the top of the tank open; at least we wouldn't have to smash the tank to get them out. It also looked like there was a platform covering the back third of the tank. The platform was about two feet wide and it looked strong enough to hold my weight.

I climbed onto the platform carefully, testing its strength and it looked like it would be strong enough. Letting out a relieved sigh I knelt down and reached into the fluid. It was warm, just a little above body temperature.

My fingers curled around the arm of the first child, and I lifted him to the surface where I carefully scooped him into my arms. He immediately started to cough out the fluid from his lungs and I disconnected the wires from his body.

"You're safe now." I whispered to the little angel sleeping in my arms, and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I carried him in one arm and slowly descended the ladder. Grimmjow was right there behind me, and anxious to see his kitten.

I turned towards him and I saw his eyes lock onto the sleeping form I was carrying. His eyes softened and relief washed over his features as he saw his kitten alive. He gingerly lifted him out of my arms and I heard a low rumble in his chest that distinctly sounded like a purr.

I quickly ascended the ladder again, eager to reunite Grimmjow with all of his kittens. I carefully pulled the second boy out of the fluid, disconnected the wires and with a few gentle pats on the back he coughed out the fluid from his lungs. Grimmjow was waiting at the bottom of the ladder, ready to receive his second son.

Inoue was fussing over the first boy and had her soten kishun above them like a canopy, making sure that he wasn't hurt. When Grimmjow had his second son in his arms he quickly brought him over next to his other son under the gentle glow of Inoue's power.

I climbed up one last time and lifted the last one out of the tank. She was a lot smaller than her brothers and that made her seem even more fragile. After disconnecting the wires and getting her to breath, I carried her over to Grimmjow who was with the rest of his litter.

I lay the girl down next to her brothers under the healing glow.

"How are they doing Inoue?" She looked over to me.

"They are physically fine, all of their vital systems are stable, but…" She trailed off and looked at Grimmjow then back to me. "I don't know when they'll wake up." Her voice was quiet and held a somber note.

The room got quiet; all eyes were focused on the three sleeping children. The silence was heavy as we contemplated the best course of action we could take.

"We should go back to Karakura Town and have Urahara-san take a look at them. That would be our safest option." Inoue quickly agreed with me but Grimmjow seemed hesitant. "At the very least it's a whole lot safer than staying here."

He seemed to understand my underlying message of 'we need to get out of Aizen's lab now,' and he opened a garganta. We each carried a child through the portal as we hurried back to Karakura Town.

Grimmjow's POV:

After Ichigo had planted the idea of rescuing my kittens in my head, it was the only thought that occupied my mind. Everything else seemed to pass in a blur. Meeting up with that woman and the entire trek to the lab only registered as white noise in my brain. It was only when we had the large metal doors to the lab in our sights that I began to feel nervous.

The closer we got the more uneasy I felt, and by the time we were in front of the door I could feel myself shaking. The room beyond these doors is my own personal hell, and yet this is the room where my kittens are.

My instincts were conflicting in my head; on one hand there was my survival instinct screaming at me to get as far away from here as possible. On the other hand was my parenting instinct that told me to charge in and get my kittens back. My body's response to both of these instincts was to flood my system with adrenalin. I could feel my nerves tingle, ready to react to any stimulus.

Suddenly I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. The gentle sensation snapped my mind back to the task at hand and made my body relax a little. I couldn't believe that just a touch from Ichigo had that much of an effect on me.

I took a few deep breaths to calm down further. "Be ready for anything." I said that just as much to myself as the others. With that I pushed open the extremely heavy door and once again saw hell, as I knew it.

The rows upon rows of test subjects being kept in tanks filled with green fluid. I had told Ichigo that I was locked in this lab and tortured among other things, but part of the story I edited out was during my pregnancy; I was imprisoned in one of those tubes for almost the entire time. That fluid paralyses the body but keeps the mind awake and functioning, it's maddening.

As we walked up and down the aisles, more and more painful memories plagued my brain. At the moment it was all I could do just to keep walking, my mind and senses had gone numb as a conditioned response to being in here. I was so out of it I almost ran into Ichigo when he had stopped at the end of one of the rows.

I couldn't believe my eyes; there in the tank in front of us were my kittens. But something was wrong, they looked like they were a few years old when they should still be infants. As hard as it was to believe, there is no mistake that they are mine. After all they have my hair color.

I couldn't take my eyes off of them. I heard the woman ask Ichigo something and I heard him answer, but the words just didn't register in my mind. I saw Ichigo move to the side of the tank and he climbed up a ladder onto the top of the tank. He reached into the fluid and lifted the first boy out and into his arms.

Ichigo cradled the tiny form gently as he carefully pulled off the wires. I heard a soft coughing from the child and I felt a mix of emotions. I was happy and relieved that he was breathing, but concerned about his well being and worry for his future.

Ichigo looked relieved as well. His eyes were soft and caring and the smile that spread across his face could have melted the heart of the devil himself. He started to climb down the ladder and I felt my feet carry me forward to meet him at the bottom.

He turned to me and my eyes were instantly glued to my son, sleeping soundly in his arms. I slowly reached out for him, almost afraid that this is just a dream and I'll wake up at any moment. That fear flew away the instant I touched his soft skin. This was real. My kittens were alive. I carefully lifted him out of Ichigo's arms and I couldn't help the purr that vibrated in my chest.

Ichigo started climbing up the ladder again so I made my way over to the woman. She was excited to see my boy, and she brought out her healing bubble over us. She said it was just to be sure they would be ok to move. A barely audible cough caught my attention and I found myself waiting for him at the bottom of the ladder again.

Ichigo handed him over to me and I quickly brought him back to get checked by the woman. I was so entranced just by looking at my two sons under the gentle healing glow; so much so that I didn't even notice Ichigo until he was right next to me, my little girl nestled securely in his embrace. He put her down next to her brothers under the bubble.

"How are they doing Inoue?" She looked over to him.

"They are physically fine, all of their vital systems are stable but…" She glanced over to me then back to Ichigo. "I don't know when they'll wake up." That last part was said barely louder than a whisper but it rang out loud and clear in the silence. That silence was heavy and all of us had our eyes locked on the three sleeping in front of us.

"We should go back to Karakura Town and have Urahara-san take a look at them. That would be our safest option." It was Ichigo who broke the tense heavy silence, and the woman seemed keen on his suggestion.

I wasn't quite as sure. How do I know if it's safe for my kittens to be there? After all Karakura Town is a hot spot for shinigami and hollows alike.

"At the very least it's a whole lot safer than staying here." His eyes spoke volumes about his concern for everyone's safety and the risk we would be taking by staying here longer than necessary. I could understand his worry so I opened a garganta, each of us carrying one of my kittens through the portal and hopefully towards safety.

As we neared the opening at the end, I could see the cityscape dyed red by the setting sun outside. The closer we got the more anxious I felt. I didn't know if Urahara would actually help or if he would try to eliminate my kittens and me.

Ichigo's POV:

Grimmjow seemed quite tense. I could feel his reiatsu fluctuate, and when I looked over his eyes had hardened and his jaw muscles were clenched. When we got to the exit, Inoue called out her santen keshun and stood on it like an elevator as she lowered it to the ground in front of Urahara's shop. Grimmjow and I floated down next to her.

The instant we all touched down, the front door flew open to reveal a battle-ready Ururu and Ginta followed by Urahara who looked much calmer but his eyes were sharp and focused.

Inoue stepped forward a bit. "We're back! It's nice to see you all again."

Her bubbly greeting seemed to diffuse the tense battle vibe that was hanging in the air. Now that we weren't going to start killing each other at any moment, I decided to speak. "Urahara-san, we need your help."

"Does this have something to do with those children?" His tone was light and chipper as usual but his eyes stayed focused and alert. I just nod my head to answer. "Well then, lets go back inside and have some tea while you tell me the whole long story."

With that he turned and walked back into the store. Ururu followed him in but Ginta just stood by the door glaring at us as we walked in after them.

We were led to one of the back rooms where three futon were set out. Urahara said we should put the children to bed before we talked. So far this was going much better than I had hoped, and I'm glad that Urahara is so open-minded.

Inoue decided to watch over the children while we talked in the adjacent room. We sat down at the low table and sipped at the hot tea that Tessai had brought out for us. I couldn't stand the silence that wasn't getting us anywhere, so I started telling Urahara everything that happened.

When I finished, I could honestly say that Urahara looked genuinely shocked and I almost wished I had a camera with me. "So can you help us Urahara-san?"

He nodded. "I'll do everything that I can. I need to take a blood sample. Oh and don't worry Grimmjow, I only need one vial from each of them."

Grimmjow looked less than thrilled at seeing Urahara draw the blood from his sleeping kittens. Urahara then took the samples and disappeared into another room.

A short time later he reemerged carrying three IV bags. A low threatening growl rumbled in Grimmjow's chest when he saw them.

"Relax, this is just saline. All three of them are dehydrated, this will help." He started hooking up the IVs. "I have my computers analyzing the blood samples so we should have some results in an hour or so." When he had finished hooking up the IVs, he disappeared back into the other room leaving Grimmjow and me to look over the children.

Inoue had dozed off earlier and Tessai had moved her to another room to sleep. We sat in silence as we waited for the tests to be done. All of Grimmjow's attention was focused on his litter. On his face was an unreadable expression; I could only wonder what was going through his mind as he looks at his children.

My mind started to wander and random questions started popping into my head. None of them seemed to stick in my mind long enough to ponder it, with the exception of one. That one little question kept floating back into my thoughts.

I figured that it was something that he was or is thinking about, so I might as well just ask. "Hey Grimmjow?"

"Hmm?" He sounded lost in thought.

"I was wondering, have you thought of their names yet?" He turned towards me, his eyes were filled with a complicated emotion and on his lips was a sad smile.

"No, it was too painful… Aizen took them right after they were born." Moisture started to gather in his eyes. "Today was the first time I got to really see them…" A tear slid down his cheek. "…and hold them in my arms."

I left my spot against the wall and sat right next to Grimmjow. Slowly I wiped the tears from his eyes and pulled him into a protective hug. He leaned into my chest, rested his head on my shoulder and loosely wrapped his arms around my waist.

I slid my hand up to the base of his neck and began applying a light pressure with my thumb and fingertips. I was slowly massaging the knots out of his neck, and as I worked I heard a soft purr. It was so faint I would have missed it if he weren't leaning on my shoulder.

His tense muscles slowly started to relax and his purring gradually stopped as his breathing evened out. It looks like he dozed off, and I thought it best to let him sleep. After the emotional rollercoaster he must have gone through today, he must be exhausted.

I couldn't see the features of his face because his head was still on my shoulder, but I could tell by how relaxed his body is that he must trust me to some extent; otherwise he wouldn't sleep in front of me, especially when he was just reunited with his kittens who slept so peacefully right next to us. The thought that he trusted me made my happy. I wanted to be someone he could rely on.

I wondered for a moment when I started to feel that, especially since we were pretty much fighting a death match earlier today. After thinking over the day's events I came to the conclusion that it didn't matter when my mindset changed, only that it did and now I want to protect him.

I smiled to myself; content just sitting there rubbing Grimmjow's back as he slept on my shoulder, and wait for Urahara to come back with the test results.

A/N: I have a big surprise planned for the next chapter. I just hope I can write it faster this time...