Shunsui lay in the grass, trying to enjoy the peaceful day and catch up on some much needed sleep.

It wasn't easy. In all his years in Soul Society, he'd never been placed in such a position. His own servitude was not too bad. His mistress could be difficult, but the day he couldn't get around a woman was the day he would give up his kimono. No, it was his mistress' master who made everything impossible.

Shunsui sighed, opened his eyes to look up at the blue sky, and indulged in a moment of self-pity. His clan was suffering so cruelly under the Espada of Rage. They'd had to foster out all the children to allied houses, to keep them safe from his unpredictable behavior. And as for what was happening to his Nanao-chan…

"Shunsui!" He winced slightly at the shrill, carrying tone his woman was using. Practical when she had no idea where he was, perhaps, but not very pleasant. "Where are you? Come here!" He sighed as he felt the tug through his collar. He was far more powerful than his mistress but with Kami's little toys, that was no help.

"I am coming, Cirucci-chan." He called before pushing himself to his feet and taking a deep drink of saki. Saki was his best friend at the moment. "What can I do for you, my sweet Cirucci-chan?" He said as he turned a corner in the garden, passing a well sculpted hedge. Then he blinked as he saw the person beside her. "Grimmjow-chan! You look adorable." Shunsui said with a smile, knowing that might irritate the Espada of Destruction. But it was nothing but the truth. With his cat ears and lovely, black and white yukata, he was quite fetching.

"Yeah, don't you know it." Grimmjow said with a perverse pride, grinning and showing off his sharp fangs. "Don't call me that after I kit, though, or I'll rip your balls off." Shunsui shuddered theatrically at the thought and took another drink of his saki before offering it to the arrancar. But Grimmjow declined. "The twins don't like that and they're starting to move around. Feels like a bad case of gas when they get upset." He explained and Shunsui nodded sympathetically before putting the saki away. He should probably stay sober for a little while longer.

"Hmph! And I finally know why you wouldn't sleep with me." Cirucci said waspishly, giving the Espada a glare. His grin took on shark like proportions and Shunsui wished he could be somewhere else. This looked like it might turn into a fight and he really didn't want to be called in to help Cirucci. From the feel of Grimmjow's energy, he could swat the Espada like a bug at the moment.

"Where is your escort?" He suddenly asked as that reminded him. He'd heard that Ichigo and Renji were watching over the pregnant Espada, but he seemed to be alone at the moment. That seemed especially foolhardy when Yammy was in attendance. Grimmjow shrugged.

"Ichigo got cornered by some guy named Iba. Something about the Shinigami Men's Association? Anyway, I couldn't stand all the begging and whining so Cirucci said she'd look after me." Grimmjow cleaned out his ear with a clawed finger, then fluffed the fur. "And apparently Yammy's at a party or some shit. Good riddance." Shunsui glanced at Cirucci and was relieved when she nodded. She was essentially Yammy's fraccion these days, whether she liked it or not. She couldn't protect Grimmjow from the other Espada.

"So what do you want?" Cirucci asked impatiently and Shunsui sighed to himself, thinking longingly of his saki. He would really like to be back on the grass…

"I was wondering if you'd do the Shinigami Women's Association a favour if we did you a favour." The Quinta Espada said and Shunsui blinked as he realized the man… woman?... was addressing him. "We're defunded at the moment so we need some models for our hot sexy guy calendar. Our balance of arrancar to shinigami is a bit off, and you look pretty built. You up for it?" He asked and Shunsui didn't have to think twice.

"I regret that I cannot. My affections belong only to my beloved Cirucci-chan." He said, smiling at her sunnily. It wasn't the truth of course. The truth was that he was a taichou and a prominent member of his family, although not the clan head. He had responsibilities and they didn't include posing half-naked or even a quarter naked for the Shinigami Women's Association. But he was a master at buttering up a lady and the small untruth made Cirucci turn a bit pink. Grimmjow laughed.

"Damn! I like you… but you haven't heard what we're offering yet." His grin was absolutely wicked. "How would you like to see Yammy puking his guts up for a solid week?" He asked and Shunsui lifted his eyebrows at the intriguing offer.

"How in hell could you do that?" Cirucci asked as Shunsui mulled it over. He hated Yammy like he'd hated no other being for what he'd done to his clan and Nanao-chan. That made Grimmjow's proposition a very tempting offer, but how could he do that?

"Simple. Nemu's got Szayel under her palm, sort of, and he's got this serum that disrupts reiatsu. It's pretty experimental and it has to be injected so not the greatest, but we've also got Soi-fon. If she can't get that shit into Yammy no one can." Grimmjow sounded confident and Kyoraku thought he had reason to be. Yammy lazed about the majority of the time, it wouldn't be hard to catch him unawares. "Now, there are a few downsides. Szayel we can probably keep out of the loop but Barragan is way too clever for me. He'll get some blackmail material." Kurosaki jogged up then, looking highly irritated, but Shunsui ignored him in favour of the Espada. He was keenly interested now. "However, he's already got enough on me to bury me about five times over so I don't give a shit. I don't know about you guys."

"The bastard already has some dirt on me. It's up to you, Shunsui." Cirucci said and he considered it a moment. Then he pulled the straw hat off his head, holding it in front of his chest.

"I will sacrifice my dignity to this noble cause." He said seriously and the Espada snorted with laughter. Ichigo rubbed his face, looking slightly embarrassed and Shunsui easily drew the conclusion that he'd also been pulled in as a model. "When will we do this?" As far as he could see, Grimmjow didn't have a camera.

"Tomorrow if you're down. I'm using my chit with Tosen to get this girl from the 4th some glasses and she's doing the photography for us. She's really good, her name is Yamada Rinasca." He said and Shunsui noted the name. He'd never heard of her but if she wasn't very powerful, that was to be expected. "What time would be good?" They quickly arranged a meeting during his time off. They'd crushed the last rebellion in the Rukongai so that time off would likely be uninterrupted.

"And when are you going to pay us back?" Cirucci asked before he could. That was nice, he preferred not to since it was a rather ungracious question. Grimmjow shrugged.

"As soon as Soi-fon can get some time off her duties. Nemu's already gotten her the stuff. I'd say about a week, if that. She's pretty fast." He said and Kyoraku nodded. He was sure that Soi-fon would get on it very quickly. She wasn't a close friend of Nanao's but the ladies did tend to stick together.

"We will eagerly await her success." He said with a small bow and Grimmjow grinned again.

"Y'know, I really like you. Too bad I can't steal you off Cirucci." Ichigo bristled at the suggestion and Shunsui happened to spot his eyes going gold for a brief moment. That was interesting. "Well, I'd like to stay for tea and crumpets but we have some errands to run. Later." Shunsui placed his hat back on his head as they watched the two depart. Ichigo was saying something to the Espada and he responded by nuzzling the teen. Ichigo replied with a rather feral love bite and Kyoraku lifted his eyebrows. It seemed some of the Espada were getting along with their charges better than others.

"Hmph. I could have gotten a strap on." Cirucci muttered and Shunsui wished he hadn't heard that. The image his mind conjured was interesting but also a bit appalling. "Shunsui? What's a crumpet?" She asked and he blinked.

"You don't know about crumpets? My dear Cirucci-chan! Come to the garden with me and we can have some." He invited her and she accepted with a fair amount of graciousness. "They go most excellently with tea, but I prefer them with saki."

"You prefer everything with saki these days." Cirucci retorted and Shunsui nodded, a little sadly. He really was drinking too much. He knew it and everyone else knew it, but he needed the comfort the alcohol could provide. "Not that I blame you. Got any extra?"

"Of course." He said, reminded that Cirucci was in much the same boat. She wasn't as abused as Nanao-chan, but she wasn't left alone either. And just like Nanao, she couldn't say no. But at least they could strike back at their tormenter in some small way.

It was something to be cheerful about.

Sooner or later, it was bound to happen.

Secure in his new nest, Grimmjow had almost forgotten how much of a target he was. So he didn't pay much attention to his watchers. Byakuya was attentive to his safety, when he was there, but he had his duties. Renji had duties as well. Tosen had decided to overlook his earlier explosion and had put him back in the Sixth as a seated officer, with the possibility of being promoted to taichou if he could control himself. That left Ichigo to be his bodyguard. He was very watchful, mainly because of his hollow. The hollow understood the danger perfectly well and reminded him whenever he got off course.

Some things, however, were inevitable. Grimmjow felt Ichigo leave, probably to go to the washroom, and thought nothing of it. He and Kameyo were sleeping in the garden, enjoying the breeze and the warm sunshine. The little girl was draped over his midsection and Grimmjow chuckled softly as he felt one of the twins kick. Then the other followed and that made him grunt.

"Ow. Was that my liver?" He murmured drowsily, then winced as it happened again. "Brat! …Uh?" Something alerted him. Maybe it was a snap of a twig, or the sudden hush of the birds. He would never be sure but Grimmjow trusted his instincts. Grabbing Kameyo he leapt away in a burst of sonido.

Just in time. A black clad figure crashed down on the ground where he'd been sleeping, a cero exploding and raising a cloud of dust. He dropped Kameyo and turned to face his opponent, calling for Kurosaki as he did. There was no point in summoning Byakuya and Renji, they were too far away to be of any use. The dust cleared just a touch and Grimmjow dodged, gritting his teeth as a sword opened a nasty cut on his shoulder. His speed and hierro were just too low!

"BAD!" Grimmjow's eyes went wide as Kameyo latched onto the other arrancar's leg, biting down with all her strength. The arrancar yelped, more in surprise than pain, then kicked her away. Grimmjow could hear bones breaking as the little girl hit a tree.

"KAMEYO!" He began charging a cero, his rage giving it strength. The other arrancar met it with his own cero, but he didn't have as long to charge and he was blasted back. Then Grimmjow blinked as he vanished in sonido. He was running away?

"BASTARD!" That warped howl caught his attention and the wind whipped around him as Kurosaki shot past. Grimmjow grinned for a moment. That arrancar would be lucky to make it out alive. Then the grin vanished as he remembered.

"Shit! Shitshitshit…" He went to the limp little body that was his young friend. Her eyes were closed and she was deathly pale. It took only a few careful touches for him to establish that many, many bones were broken. Gently touching her neck he found a pulse, but it was very weak. "Kurosaki!" He called the teen back with his collar. Killing that bastard would be nice, but not at the cost of Kameyo's life, and he could think of only one thing that was likely to save her. Ichigo came back wearing a half-mask and a furious look on his face.

"We almost got him! What… oh." The mask flaked away as the teen saw what he was holding in his arms. Guards were on the scene now and one of them tried to take the girl from him but he snarled her away. "Grimm?"

"We need to get her to Orihime. Come on!" He barked before heading out as fast as he could. Kurosaki kept pace easily and Grimmjow hoped that Ulquiorra wouldn't be there. But it couldn't be helped, the Quatro would just have to deal.

Ulquiorra's nest was actually another noble clan. The Quatro had been set to watch them, which indicated they were reasonably dangerous. Grimmjow knew the name of the clan but it was the last thing he cared about at the moment. His orders to the servants were sharp and they obeyed him hastily, particularly with Ichigo's angered reiatsu filling the air. Orihime looked up in surprise as they burst into her rooms. Vaguely, Grimmjow saw she was staying in a very fancy suite, open and airy. But he couldn't give less of a crap about that at the moment.

"Woman! Heal her!" He barked at her and Orihime's eyes went wide as she saw he was carrying a child. She hurried to obey as he gently set Kameyo on the floor, staining the floor rugs with blood. Grimmjow knelt beside her as Orihime's golden shield surrounded her. The healing was taking a while, which indicated the severity of the damage. Simple wounds went away almost immediately at Orihime's healing touch.

Then a powerful reiatsu flooded the room and Grimmjow looked up sharply. Ulquiorra was standing in the doorway, expressionless as always, but the way he was gazing at Kurosaki seemed to spell doom. So did the way he was taking slow, measured steps into the room. Grimmjow felt his mouth go dry, but there wasn't a lot he could do to stop it if the two of them were going to fight.

He could only watch.

King, give me control right now! The snap of his hollow's voice was seconded by Zangetsu and Ichigo yielded instantly. He could feel the violence singing in the air, the challenge being issued and had no idea how to handle it.

His hollow knew how. Instead of stepping towards Ulquiorra and accepting the challenge, he stepped back, then to the side, placing himself behind Grimmjow. Kneeling down behind his mate, the hollow kept his eyes trained on Ulquiorra before he bit down on the side of the Espada's throat. Grimmjow winced and there was a small trickle of blood, but he made no complaint.

It didn't take long for Ichigo to understand what his hollow was doing. He was laying a claim on Grimmjow and issuing his own challenge to Ulquiorra. This is my mate. Want to make something of it? And hollows were usually monogamous. By claiming the Espada so blatantly in front of Ulquiorra, he was implicitly stating that he had no interest in Orihime. Ulquiorra blinked and all the tension seemed to go out of the room. The Quatro Espada moved behind Orihime, lightly resting his hands on her shoulders as she worked.

"Owww." There was a whimper from Kameyo as the golden shield finally shattered and Grimmjow gathered the little girl to him with a relieved sigh. "My teeth hurt." She said and the Espada laughed, ruffling her hair.

"Your teeth? Damn, kid, you're lucky it's just your teeth! You're making me tear my hair out. I'm going to go bald again and it's all your fault." He gently scolded Kameyo, who just blinked before giving him a cheeky grin. "Wait until I tell your mama about this!" He said and that finally got through. Kameyo's eyes widened and she gave him a look of massive dismay.

"I was just protecting you and the Kuchiki heir! The guards say that's really important!" She protested and Ichigo grinned to himself as he saw Ulquiorra lift his eyebrows. Orihime was looking at him with wide eyes, clearly wondering what was happening here.

"What happened? Explain, Quinta." The Quarto Espada ordered and Grimmjow complied, giving a succinct rundown of the fight. Ichigo felt his hollow's anger rousing again and firmly suppressed him. That wouldn't help right now, with the miscreant long gone. "Where were you when this was happening?" Ulquiorra asked him and Ichigo and his hollow both bristled. Another hollow had no right to question them!

"He was on the can. It was my fault, I should have followed him." Grimmjow sounded irritated and resigned. Ulquiorra blinked slowly at the thought and Ichigo grimaced as his hollow tittered. "Next time I will, I don't want the brat getting killed trying to protect me." He gently hugged Kameyo, who giggled. She was completely recovered and seemed unaware of how close to death she'd come. "We need to get you home." He didn't want to stay at Ulquiorra's place any longer than necessary.

"Kurosaki-kun…?" Ichigo looked up and spotted Ulquiorra's hands tightening, just a bit, on Orihime's shoulders. But he was mindful of her human frame and took care not to hurt her even in his jealousy. "Are you well?" She asked tentatively and Ichigo gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine." He said before glancing at the Quatro. His hollow was hissing that this was dangerous, but he had to know. "Are you okay?" The smile she gave him surprised him. It was genuinely happy in a way he'd rarely seen from her.

"I'm just fine, Kurosaki-kun." She said, lifting a hand to gently grip Ulquiorra's. Grimmjow stood, carrying Kameyo and Ichigo nodded, giving Orihime a final smile before they left. This was all the reassurance he would get about her condition, and for now it was enough.

Rukia was the only one of his friends still unaccounted for. He could only hope that Halibel's fraccion would have something for them soon.

Several days later.

"Amazing." Byakuya murmured as he pressed a hand against Grimmjow's expanding middle. He was getting larger and the children were most certainly moving around. He could feel the babies kicking and Byakuya could too, from the rapt expression on his face. But there was a shadow in his eyes, a blot on his happiness. Grimmjow tilted his head to one side, wondering what was wrong.

"Hey. Something bothering you?" He asked. They were alone for the day. Renji had taken over Byakuya's duties for today and Ichigo had gone to the Living World. Apparently, this was a very important day for him, the day his mother had died. In the past he'd visited her grave with his family. Now he was going by himself, to mourn not only Masaki, but his father and his sisters. Grimmjow wouldn't have had the heart to refuse him and it hadn't been necessary anyway. Byakuya had needed a day off anyway.

"It is nothing." He said quietly but pulled his hand away. Grimmjow gave him an inquiring look and Byakuya took a breath. "…You are aware that my first wife died in childbirth?" He asked and the Espada blinked.

"No. I'm sorry, I had no idea." It was no wonder he was feeling a bit apprehensive, then. And this would be his first. Grimmjow could remember the sweaty palmed reaction his primary personality had had when his wife had gone into labor for the first time. The old man had faced men with spears and swords trying to kill him and had been less nervous than when his woman was giving birth.

"I wonder how you will be able to… I mean…" He gestured towards the Espada and Grimmjow grinned. He knew what the shinigami was getting at.

"Yeah, these are not birthing hips. Don't worry, Szayel checked me out. He says there's no way in hell I'm giving birth vaginally, so I'm up for a c-section first thing." The Octava and Unohana weren't even going to let him try, which Grimmjow was all in favor of. His body was still built like a man, internal organs aside. "And even with my power compromised, I heal fast. I'll be just fine." He said with assurance. There was almost no chance anything could go wrong. Byakuya looked a bit relieved.

"It's true, Hisana was already unwell. You are quite strong." He murmured and Grimmjow nodded. "If my child is a girl, can we name her Hisana?" He asked and the Espada mulled it over. There was a faint stirring of jealousy but he firmly squashed it. Byakuya's ex-wife was dead and the shinigami was sharing him with Ichigo and possibly Renji. Feeling jealous would be as unfair as it was idiotic.

"Hisana." He tested the name out and nodded. "It's a good name, I like it." That brought something else to mind, though, and Grimmjow hesitated. "…I was wondering. After I have this litter, do you want more?" He asked wistfully. He was honestly expecting the taichou to say no. He'd been forced into this, partly by Aizen and partly by his duty to his clan. And Byakuya liked women. Grimmjow might be sort of a woman, but he was certainly lacking in the boobs and hips departments.

"I would." The quick response surprised him and Byakuya saw that, flashing him a quick smile. The noble was opening up to him more and more as his pregnancy progressed. "Being the only child and heir to a powerful clan could be stressful. Having siblings would mitigate that." He explained and Grimmjow nodded. Even for peasants, an only child had a lot of expectations. It would be much worse for nobles. "And I do find you attractive, Grimmjow-kun."

"You're sure?" Grimmjow asked dubiously. "I'm not very feminine." It didn't seem to bother Ichigo at all and it certainly didn't bother his hollow, but Byakuya had been married before. The shinigami shook his head.

"It's better that way. You do not remind me of her in any way." He said peacefully and Grimmjow blinked. He hadn't thought of that, but it did make sense. He'd seen pictures of Hisana and he was absolutely nothing like her. "And do you want to have more children with me? Kurosaki seems very taken with you." That made Grimmjow grin.

"His hollow, you mean!" Although Ichigo was pretty gone on him too by now, looking forward to his first cubs and enjoying the regular sex. Grimmjow was honestly getting fond of him. He couldn't wait until the cubs were out and they could spar properly again. "Yeah, definitely. I like you a lot. You remind me a little of my wife, back when I was human." The thought made him feel a little wistful, but only a little. It had been a long time ago. Byakuya frowned, slightly offended at the comparison. "Not that you look anything like her," Grimmjow said hastily. No man would appreciate that! "You're just peaceful, the same way she was. She made everything calm and serene, wherever she went." Even when the kids were sick or just feeling ratty, she'd managed to calm them down and get them playing nicely. It had been what attracted the old man to her in the first place. Sure, she'd been pretty, but the sweetness and calm had been even more of an attraction. Byakuya's face smoothed out and he nodded.

"I understand. You're quite the opposite, even now." He said and Grimmjow smiled. That was certainly true, calm was not his thing and it never had been. But he thought that duality would be good for the cub. "Would you like to join me tonight?" He offered his hand and Grimmjow accepted it, letting the shinigami pull him to his feet.

"I would love to." He said sincerely before giving Byakuya a kiss. Sex was a little awkward, now that he was heavy with cub, but they had worked it out. The shinigami noble returned the affection, his hand running through long blue hair. They went to the bedroom hand in hand.

It would be a good night.