Author's note: This might be the final chapter. I'm not sure if I should continue this fic any farther. If I do, the threat will probably be from Soul Society… let me know what you think! Thanks!
"It's so funny." Ichigo said drowsily, lying in the garden. His baby boy was asleep on his belly and they presented a truly bucolic picture. "I feel as much like a dangerous demon as a pampered lap dog feels like a wolf."
"You look pampered." Byakuya agreed. Ichigo was the picture of good health. He'd put on a tiny layer of fat, enough to soften the sharp edges of his face slightly, although it did nothing to hide his beautiful muscles. "Especially with Sojun sleeping on you." He said the boy's name with a moment of pleasure. Since Ichigo had given him the chance to name the boy, he'd decided to name him after his father. Byakuya only wished his father had lived to see this, although he had no idea what he would have made of his mate.
No one in the clan had any idea what to make of him. They were scheduled to be formally married in Soul Society next week. Byakuya would have preferred a quiet, private ceremony, and Ichigo would have as well, but they had obligations to the clan. And since Ichigo was now officially a member of the Kurosaki clan, this was in some ways a joining between the Kuchiki and Shihoin clan. Of course, the Kurosaki clan had added Ichigo's name to the clan roles when they thought he was dead. Byakuya wondered if they were regretting it.
A smile touched his lips as he thought about the reactions of Soul Society as a whole. As he'd anticipated, a dead hero had been more convenient than the living reality. The demon boy was an honorary shinigami, which meant he couldn't be denied a place in the Divisions, if he cared to claim it. Yamamoto was actually fairly accepting, but Central 46 was not at all happy. It didn't help that technically, most of Ichigo's focus counted as forbidden kido. He could have been sentenced to death just for existing, if they hadn't made a hero of him.
That thought made the smile vanish, and Byakuya reached down to pet his boy's hair. The child's inheritance was another difficult question. The Council was still debating it, as they were afraid the child might take after his demonic heritage. Byakuya wished he thought they were being ridiculous, but he knew better. He could detect the demonic reiatsu as a small smudge in his child's aura. Of course, Ichigo's demonic reiatsu was infinitely stronger, yet he was perfectly shinigami in his mind. So perhaps the elders were being too cautious.
"You're brooding again. You really shouldn't. I'm so happy now, I can't believe it." Ichigo opened his eyes, giving Byakuya a loving look. "I have you and Sojun, lots of food and a bed. I've never had a bed before. What more could I want?"
"You are very easy to please." Byakuya shook his head with a smile. "Are you certain you don't mind being examined by Mayuri?" That was concerning to him. He hadn't wanted to allow the scientist any access to his mate and child, but Yamamoto had overruled him. However, he had been assured there would be nothing at all invasive done. Byakuya planned to check on Ichigo frequently, and he would have one person from his Division there at all times.
"Byakuya, trying to enter a strange demon hive is an arduous process. I even tried it a few times, until I realized I couldn't stomach the sexual requirements. Believe me, I'll be fine." Ichigo glanced down at his child, gently petting Sojun's hair. "Although if he tries to hurt our baby, I'll eat his heart." Ichigo said fiercely and Byakuya smiled, although a bit sadly.
The truth was, he wasn't sure Ichigo would be able to eat Mayuri's heart anymore. The changes the Soul King had made to his body had been necessary for Sojun's birth, but Ichigo was far more fragile than he had before. The bone plates protecting his organs were gone, and his whole body was almost shinigami soft. He still regenerated as quickly as always, but it was much easier for him to take grievous wounds. His power was still equal to that of a Taichou, but Byakuya couldn't help but worry for Ichigo now. He was far more fragile than he had been before.
"There will always be someone from my Division watching over you. Do not be afraid to refuse if something is too difficult." Byakuya told him softly and Ichigo nodded, eyes slipping closed again as he enjoyed the sunshine. Byakuya wished he didn't have to disturb him, but it was nearly time. "Ichigo, we have a Council meeting. You should be there." He gently reminded the hybrid then leaned back as Ichigo scooped up Sojun and sat up, instantly alert and glancing up at the sky.
"It's that late?" Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he judged the position of the sun. "Ah, it is! Can you take Sojun while I go change?" He was wearing a very casual yukata, not really appropriate wear. Byakuya nodded, taking the little boy, who awoke with an unhappy squall.
"We should leave him with the wet nurse, so he won't disrupt the meeting." Byakuya said and Ichigo nodded with a small grimace. The hybrid didn't like letting his child out of his sight, and he also didn't much care for the fact that he needed help feeding Sojun. Although technically, Ichigo could have handled that by feeding the baby his blood and reiatsu. That was, apparently, how young demons often fed when their mother had a large litter and Sojun took to it readily. But they were trying to avoid reminding everyone of Ichigo's and the baby's inhuman natures, so a wet nurse was preferable.
It didn't take Ichigo long to prepare himself. He came out wearing a formal kimono of dark green silk, belted with wide, tawny gold silk. The color of the belt matched his eyes. There was very little that could be done with Ichigo's too short hair, but a jade dragon had been clipped to the back of his head, and he was wearing a matching pendant. Ichigo's attendant, a very pleasant young man named Kino, looked to Byakuya for approval. Byakuya nodded and he bowed before retreating. Byakuya handed off Sojun to Kino's wife, a very sweet young woman named Elsani. She had finished weaning her own child only a month ago, and was serving very well to feed young Sojun. She also adored the little baby, which was just as important as the milk.
Much of the Council meeting was routine business, and Byakuya could sense Ichigo falling asleep with his eyes open. Apparently, that was a common demonic ability and the hybrid had perfected the art a long time ago. Part of Ichigo's mind was still aware of what was happening around him, so it wasn't as restful as true sleep, but it was a good way to pass the time. Byakuya almost wished he could follow the demon boy's example, but squashed the impulse. His grandfather would have been ashamed.
"Now, we must again address the situation of the Kuchiki heir." The head of the Council said with an ill disguised sigh. They had been debating this off and on since Ichigo and Byakuya had returned, child in tow. Getting agreement was proving surprisingly difficult. The Council had been onto him for literally years to marry again and produce an heir, so on one hand they welcomed the child. But they would have vastly preferred a half-peasant child to the offspring of a half-demon. It was all quite confusing.
"Mmm, may I speak please?" Ichigo suddenly said, catching everyone's attention as Byakuya cringed internally. Ichigo really didn't have to ask for permission that way, but his demon lover was trying to be on his very best behavior. It was a little unnatural to see.
"Of course, Kurosaki Ichigo." The head of the Council, Lord Ganroi, said politely. "We are always pleased to hear your words." That was probably even true. Ganroi had spent some time talking to Ichigo and was actually getting rather fond of the hybrid.
"I've been thinking about Sojun. Could we just defer this decision until he comes of age? I think it's quite possible that without any outside reinforcement, his demonic nature will fade over time." Ichigo said and there was a silence as the Council considered it.
"What reason do you have to believe that?" One of the ladies on the Council asked skeptically, and Ichigo shrugged.
"Only personal experience." He replied honestly. "I gained power over time by defeating and devouring powerful demons, and maintained my power with lesser demons. I've noticed my focus becoming weaker since I came here and started eating shinigami food. So it's possible that as long as I don't reinforce that side of his nature, it may begin to vanish." Byakuya frowned. That was the first he'd heard of Ichigo's focus becoming weaker, although it didn't surprise him. He'd noticed that Ichigo had stopped trying to master Oblivion Sphere. "My shinigami side seems to be gaining strength." Byakuya blinked, wondering if that meant that Ichigo's kido was improving. Mayuri would probably be very interested. Glancing around, he could see that many members of the council liked this idea. It would let them defer their judgement for quite a long time.
"If Lord Byakuya dies prematurely, however, it will leave the succession up for debate." Someone observed and Byakuya nodded. That was an obvious complication. "But we could set up an interim guardian for the child. Forgive me, Kurosaki, but it would probably be better if that guardian was not you." Ichigo frowned, clearly unhappy with that idea. Byakuya gently touched his arm. He understood what the council was saying even if Ichigo didn't. They didn't trust the hybrid to teach Sojun what he needed to know of noble ways, and they were quite right in that.
"As long as you understand that I will never be parted from him." Ichigo said with muted rebellion. "And this is all pointless anyway. Byakuya is strong, he is not going to die tomorrow." The hybrid said firmly and Ganroi reacted with a small laugh.
"Perhaps you are right. I think we should evaluate the child at, hmm, ten and eighteen to determine the progress of his demonic reiatsu, then make a final determination. All in favor?" The motion carried almost unanimously and Byakuya was glad to see the debate ended, although he couldn't help but be a bit unhappy by the nature of the ending. He wanted Sojun to enjoy his birthright. It seemed wrong that he might be denied it because Ichigo was different. The Council meeting finally ended and they escaped to their quarters.
"Aw, who's a little bug?" Ichigo said in delight as he walked into their room and Byakuya blinked. He was no expert on babies, but wasn't Sojun a bit young to be crawling? "Yes, yes you are!" Ichigo picked up his newborn and tickled him as Byakuya glanced at Elsani and motioned her aside.
"He seems very young to be crawling." He said quietly and she nodded, relief quickly flashing across her face.
"He's very young, my lord. He's also much larger than he should be. I didn't want to mention it, but I think he is aging quickly." She said, just as softly, and Byakuya glanced at Ichigo and their child. Ichigo was gently encouraging the baby to move around and as he watched, he sensed a gentle transfer of reiatsu between the two of them. It was warm, loving and completely natural but there was a demonic component to it.
"I see." Byakuya watched them for a moment and couldn't help but be afraid for the future. How fast would his child grow up? And what did this mean?
He simply didn't know.
"Hmm, a very large child for his age." Ichigo watched patiently as Kurotsuchi measured and weighed Sojun. The amusing part was that the baby was clearly absolutely enthralled by the scientist. It was probably all the gold around his face, Sojun definitely had a liking for glittery things. "You said he's crawling?"
"Yes. That's normal for a demon child. They stay cute for almost as long as shinigami, but it's better for them if they start to walk very early. It helps in case the mother gets bored." Ichigo replied. Trusting to demonic maternal instincts was chancy at best, so demons became semi-independent quite quickly. "Language skills come slower, being able to move around is critical." If necessary, a mobile baby demon could feed on fungi or the leftovers of other's kills. He or she could also flee if an older demon decided they looked like a snack.
"Fascinating. That's not at all normal for a shinigami of this age, you know." Ichigo blinked at him and shook his head. He hadn't known that. "Yet there's very little demonic reiatsu in him. If you don't mind, I would like you to stay here for an hour or two, just interacting as you usually do. Nemu will be monitoring."
"Well, if you want." Ichigo said, a little mystified by the request. But he didn't understand how science worked at all, really. Demons weren't into that sort of thing. Sojun screwed up his little face and began to cry. "Ah, that's a hungry cry. Would you like to see how demons feed their babies when they have too many?" Ichigo offered. The wet nurse wasn't here, and he'd figured Mayuri would be interested in seeing this anyway. The scientist flicked a hand at him in silent consent, and Ichigo cut his arm with his nails. Blood welled out of the thin gashes and before they could heal, he pressed the wound against Sojun's mouth.
The baby immediately latched on, and Ichigo winced faintly at the pain. But then he smiled, letting his reiatsu flow into the blood and into his waiting child. The baby was a little energy sponge and gladly accepted every bit he could get. Ichigo tried to keep the power pure shinigami, though. He didn't want his child taking in more demonic power than he had to.
"Intriguing! But from my other tests, you should have healed wounds that small immediately. How was he able to keep them open to drink from you?" Mayuri didn't seem at all taken aback by the display, although the guard from Byakuya's Division was looking a little green. Ichigo shrugged.
"I'm not sure, but I think it could be his saliva. Or maybe some kind of natural reaction from my body to the baby drain. You're right, something definitely keeps the wounds open for him." Ichigo agreed. He didn't know exactly what it was, but his body should be healing much too fast for Sojun to suckle. The baby finally let go with a small pop and Ichigo looked at his arm. The wounds finally healed, but it took a little while. "Who's a good baby? Yes, yes you are." Sojun gave him a wet smile and Ichigo smiled back, gently wiping off the baby's cheek.
"So many possibilities… excuse me…" Ichigo just nodded as Mayuri left the room, and stayed playing with Sojun as Nemu monitored. He even got the guard involved, encouraging the baby to crawl to him. Then the guard would turn his son around and they would encourage him to crawl back. Sojun seemed to feel it was a great game. Then Byakuya arrived to take them both to lunch.
"Did everything go well?" Byakuya asked, concerned, as they walked through the Seireitei. Ichigo shrugged, hand on Sojun's back. He had the baby in a sling, lying comfortably against his chest and belly.
"I think so. The tests were all non-invasive and Sojun seemed to really like Mayuri." Ichigo grinned at Byakuya's expression. "I think it was all the gold on him. Sojun likes glittery things. I did show him how I can feed our baby, and he seemed very interested in that."
"Hm. A relatively harmless thing, I suppose." Byakuya still sounded less than thrilled and Ichigo reached over to gently take his hand, giving him a squeeze. He knew Byakuya would be worrying about both him and Sojun until all the tests were over.
"I'm just hoping he can come up with an effective anesthetic for me. I'd like Sojun to have siblings someday." That put a real smile on Byakuya's face and Ichigo smiled back, pleased to have cheered him up. "Where are we going for lunch?" There were plenty of very nice restaurants in the Seireitei, and they were going to try one.
"A new place called Chico's. Apparently, it does tapas. That's a Living World term that means 'little plates'." Byakuya explained. "You order small plates and share them." That intrigued Ichigo immediately.
"So you get to try lots of different things? That sounds good!" He was more than willing to give that a try. "Renji and Rukia are coming too, right?" Ichigo asked and Byakuya nodded. "Great. It will be good to see them." He saw Rukia all the time, of course, but Renji not nearly as much. The redhead rarely came to the Kuchiki manor.
As they walked, Ichigo gazed over the Seireitei curiously. Despite the time he'd spent in the Spirit Realm, then at the Kuchiki manor, this whole world felt new and amazing to him. There was always something he hadn't seen before, some new object to learn the term for. Ichigo smiled to himself at the thought. Who could have imagined there would be so many different kinds of flowers? He wanted know them all.
"Hey, Kurosaki!" The both stopped at that bellow and Ichigo turned, surprised, to see a grinning Zaraki standing there. "I've been looking for you. I want to spar with your demonic ass!" Ichigo laughed, unoffended, although Byakuya's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Well, we can't do it today." He said, amused and pointed to his baby. Sojun was still sleeping soundly, protected from Zaraki's errant reiatsu by the strength of his 'mother'. Zaraki scowled but looked at the baby for a moment before grinning again. "But if you have time tomorrow we could meet somewhere nice and flat, with no buildings to damage." He wasn't about to unload against Zaraki in the middle of the Seireitei. He might not be able to use Oblivion Sphere anymore, but he was still quite dangerous and Zaraki was, if anything, even worse.
"Yeah, yeah, the practice ground for the Division is shielded. Meet me after the freak finishes with you tomorrow, hey? I'll be waiting. Kuchiki can show you the way." Zaraki said as Byakuya nodded, expressionless. "Don't get your shorts in a knot, Byakuya. I won't kill the new mother." Ichigo blushed at that description of himself, looking down at Sojun again. "And he heals so fast, you won't even notice the cuts."
"Ichigo has agreed to spar with you, Zaraki. I will see that he gets there." Byakuya said with frigid courtesy and Ichigo blinked at him. His husband really didn't seem happy about this. Zaraki just shrugged and watched them leave. "Ichigo, you do not have to spar with him if you do not want to." Byakuya said once they were out of earshot and Ichigo shrugged, unconcerned.
"He's right, I'm still healing as fast as ever. Unless he gets me in the heart or spine, or decapitates me, I'll be fine. I'm tough Bya." Byakuya smiled at that pet name for himself and shook his head, but desisted. "I really wish I still had Oblivion Sphere though." The fact that he could no longer summon the power for the difficult focus bothered him. Ichigo wondered if there was, perhaps, a trick to it. Was there some way to use his shinigami half in his focus spells? Or his demonic half in his kido spells? He'd always kept them strictly separate, so he had no real idea. And there were no other hybrids to teach him.
"It's probably just as well that you don't. Too many of your focus are forbidden kido." Byakuya said and Ichigo frowned before nodding. Oblivion Sphere actually wasn't one of those. The Way of Mercy was most problematic, from a shinigami perspective, since many parts of it involved a demon sacrificing a bit of his power to a subordinate. Apparently, self-sacrifice was forbidden kido. The other main category of forbidden kido was spells that manipulated space and time, and Ichigo didn't know anything like that. As far as he knew, demons did not practice any such focus.
"It makes me less threatening, anyway." Ichigo said with a sigh. He wished that wasn't necessary, but he knew it was wise. It did make him wonder a little, though. Would he ever be truly accepted into this place?
He would just have to see.
Ichigo smiled as he looked down at his formal kimono. Instead of the black and red one that he'd first married Byakuya in, his second ceremony would be done wearing a dark green kimono embroidered with sakura blossoms. His hair was beginning to grow out a little, but it was still too short to permit any elaborate arrangements, so he was wearing a jade clip in the shape of a sakura tree.
Sojun would be there, held by Elsani. Ichigo's smile warmed at the thought and he stepped out confidently. He had been practicing the ceremony for days. It was going to be more complicated than what had been done in the Spirit Realm. To Ichigo's surprise, he'd found out that had actually been a very simple and unceremonious marriage, for a noble couple. This would be the full ceremony.
It went on forever. Ichigo was tempted at several points to fall asleep with his eyes open, but Byakuya would notice and be angry. Rightly so, given that this was a sacred ritual. Sojun got fussy and needed to be changed midway through, and Ichigo watched as Elsani took him out. But finally, two little birds were released. That was the final step and Ichigo watched as they fluttered through the air, then arrowed through the skylight together. He smiled to himself, pleased. From what Byakuya had said, that was a good omen.
With everything done, it was finally time for the party. Ichigo was not oblivious to people's feelings about him. When he'd lived in his mother's demon hive, he'd learned how to read emotions in a desperate attempt to avoid the worst of the abuse. Demons were fully capable of being incredibly two-faced, and his mother's kin had loved playing games with him. So he knew many of the nobles attending the wedding and party were dubious about him at best, contemptuous at worst. Ichigo smiled sweetly at them all, enduring it until he could reach his real friends. Although plenty of the nobles did wish them well and mean it. The sweetest was the little old lady who had come to represent the Kurosaki clan. She'd been chosen because she was Isshin's mother, and his grandmother. Ichigo had been a bit shocked at that, but it turned out shinigami could live as long as two thousand years. He'd really had no idea of their lifespans.
"Your father would be so proud of you." She said, her eyes still bright and clear despite her age as she took his hand. Ichigo smiled, a bit sadly. "I wish he could have seen his grandchild. He was such a dear boy." She said sadly before squeezing his hand. "And, thank you for telling us what became of him. I'd always wondered." Ichigo nodded solemnly. In the Kurosaki clan's history, Isshin had simply vanished on a routine mission. They'd never quite known what had become of him.
"He did see Sojun, in a way. We met in the afterlife for a while, and he saw the conception in me." Ichigo said softly and she blinked. "And he told me he was proud of me. I only wish I'd had more time with him." That was his one regret. But Isshin had gone on to his next life, and that brief time in the afterlife they'd shared was all there would ever be. "Will you be staying a while?" Ichigo asked hopefully and his grandmother laughed.
"I will be staying a week, at least. We'll have time to talk. Now, go speak to your friends." She gently shoo'd him away and Ichigo went with a smile to go speak to Shunsui and Jushiro.
Soon, he and Byakuya would be done with the mingling. Then they could eat and have some fun.