Shunsui stiffened as he felt pain through his collar.
He wasn't sure if it had been Aizen's intention or not, but he was becoming more and more in tune with Cirucci's feelings. He knew when she was angry, irritated – a common occurrence – or happy. And most of all, he sensed her pain. But there was no tug on the collar, no demand for his presence, so he hesitated. If Cirucci was in pain but not asking for him than it was a sure thing that Yammy was inflicting it. And yet…
Sighing to himself, Kyoraku pushed back his hat and went to find Cirucci. He might be able to talk Yammy down. It worked sometimes, but not very often.
He was angered by the scene he found, but he managed to keep a tight rein on the feeling. Righteous anger would only fuel Yammy's rage. The big idiot was in his resurrection, but fortunately only at the lowest level of power. He was still ruining the tiled floor and his grip on Cirucci's body was compressing the Privaron Espada. Nanao was huddled in a corner, her head in her arms as she sobbed.
"Llargo-sama. Please let go of Cirucci-chan." Shunsui said in his calmest, most soothing tone. Yammy's grip tightened as he growled and Cirucci coughed up a mouthful of blood before baring her teeth in a feral snarl. Even in the midst of pain, knowing she was completely outmatched, she wasn't backing down. Shunsui admired her spirit but not her insanity. "Yammy. Aizen-kami will be displeased if you kill one of the few female arrancar." That was the main trump card he had in situations like this. Powerful male arrancar were quite common, but powerful females were essentially limited to three. Grimmjow, Halibel and Cirucci. Halibel's fraccion were strong and could face Cirucci as a group, but taken individually she would destroy them.
Yammy might be stupid, but he did have a healthy dread of Aizen. He finally growled and threw Cirucci at him. Shunsui had to react quickly to catch her without hurting her further. The wounded arrancar gasped, gripping his arms as Yammy sealed his power. Kyoraku was thankful for that. An out of control Espada in their released form was something to be feared.
"Tell that bitch to keep her nose in her own business." He threatened before storming out. Shunsui gently set Cirucci on the ground and she groaned, a hand pressed against her side. A quick check with his kido confirmed that she had broken ribs and internal injuries. He wasn't a master of healing like Unohana but he did have a few tricks and devoted himself to mending the worst of it. When he was done, Cirucci sat up with a pained grunt.
"What happened?" He asked gazing around the room. It was a disaster. A table had been smashed into pieces, potted plants overturned and a priceless heirloom painting had been ripped from the wall. None of that mattered, though, compared to the sight of his poor Nanao-chan cowering in the corner.
"I told that fuckwit that he needs to stop beating on a pregnant woman." Cirucci rasped out and Shunsui froze for a moment before staring at Nanao. She whimpered softly.
"I don't want it, I don't want it, I don't…" She repeated to herself and Shunsui felt his heart breaking. Taking her into his arms he whispered soothing nothings in her ears and she clung to him, hiding her head against his kimono with a sob. Cirucci sat back against the wall, breathing shallowly.
"Oh, my Nanao-chan." Shunsui whispered, not caring if Cirucci heard. Female jealousy didn't matter now. All that mattered was comforting his fukutaichou and he concentrated on that, patting her hair and wrapping in the comforting feeling of his reiatsu.
"Ah, girl, this isn't that bad." Cirucci said after Nanao had calmed a little, her sobs dying down. The shinigami looked up and shook her head, fresh tears rising in her eyes. "Really it's not. That asshole will have to stop beating on you so much if he wants the child to live. Of course, he's likely to take it out on me but I'll survive." She sounded bitter and angry. "It's hardly the first time." She said and Shunsui was reminded that Privaron Espada were playthings for the Espada, just like the numeros.
"B-But what if the child is like him? What if he or she looks d-down on me because I'm his b-bitch?" Nanao's voice broke into a sob on the last word and Shunsui's arms tightened around her. Yammy used those cruel words to refer to both Nanao and Cirucci-chan. Sanderwicci scowled.
"Then we'll slap the little bastard into the next century." She said firmly and Nanao goggled as Shunsui blinked at her idea of parenting. "Yammy won't give a shit. Him, raising a kid? Don't make me laugh. It's going to be up to us."
"She does have a point, Nanao-chan. And this child will be half of you. I can't believe it will be anything like him." Shunsui said comfortingly and Nanao sniffed, reaching behind her glasses to rub her eyes. Cirucci pushed herself to her feet and walked unsteadily towards a wall. She squatted down and began picking things off the floor before bringing them back.
"Want some candies?" She offered them to Nanao, who took them with a watery laugh. Shunsui smiled at the incongruity. A Privaron Espada was offering his Nanao-chan candied adzuki beans that she'd rescued from the floor. Surely the world had gone mad. Nanao crunched the sweet beans, finding some solace in the little candies as she let her taichou hold her.
It was all insane, but they would just have to make the best of this change.
"Starrk-sama, please get up." Unohana smiled as she heard the pleading and slightly desperate voice. "Starrk-sama?"
"You're being too polite. Oi! Starrk!" There was a loud thump followed by a yelp of pain. "See? That's how you wake him up."
"I… I really cannot do that Lilynette-sama…" Unohana turned a corner and her smile widened as she beheld the scene. Gantenbainne was unofficially Starrk's fraccion these days, because he was living with her clan along with Isane. So it was his duty to rouse Starrk for meetings and other things, a duty he had considerable trouble with. The physical force needed to wake Starrk was a bit much for any Privaron Espada to contemplate using against the Primera. Lilynette had no such problems and Starrk was gagging a bit from where she'd shoved her fingers down his throat.
"Oh, what is it now Lilynette?" Starrk said groggily then winced as she kicked him. Her shoes were thick, heavy and just perfect for well-placed kicks.
"We're going to brunch with Unohana, remember? Come on, move!" Lilynette threatened to kick him again and Starrk finally got moving, stumbling towards the shower. Unohana's smile widened as she watched. Theoretically, they were already late. In actuality she had made the reservation for an hour later than the time she'd given to Starrk and his fraccion. She was getting a good grip on how to handle them, these days.
"Lazy bastard. I was up an hour ago!" Lilynette groused and Unohana was pleased to see the clothes she was wearing. Her uniform had always made the taichou wince, with how much skin it showed. She wouldn't have minded if Lilynette was older, but she appeared to be just a child. That made her clothing even more unfortunate.
Now, though, she was wearing a light green and pink yukata. It had been designed for her, the pink matching her eye and the green matching her hair. When Starrk stumbled out of the shower Unohana had his clothing ready for him. It was a dark brown yukata with a design of wavy white lines and it suited him well. It also made the two arrancar a touch more approachable to the inhabitants of the Seireitei. They would never be entirely at ease with hollows, of course, but normal clothing indicated that the arrancar were off duty.
"Thank you." Starrk said graciously as he wrapped himself in his yukata. Unohana watched him dress, admiring the view. He really was a very handsome man. "I'm sorry, we're late again." He sounded very apologetic and she was tempted to explain her little ruse about the time. But then he might be even harder to wake and that just wouldn't do.
"It's nothing to worry about, the restaurant is flexible." She said instead and they headed off. The place they were having brunch was a tiny, intimate little bistro. They specialized in game meats and they served an absolutely wonderful Sunday brunch. They arrived almost perfectly on time and were immediately ushered to their little table. Some of the conversations stopped as the patrons spotted the two arrancar, and at least one couple quickly left. But everyone else just went back to what they were doing.
"So have you been doing anything interesting at the Fourth?" Lilynette asked as she tore into the complimentary breadbasket. Starrk didn't bother with it and Unohana took a small roll, breaking it in half and buttering it. "Save any lives, deliver any babies?" She sounded hopeful and the taichou smiled. She knew what the girl was referring to.
"It will be a bit longer before Grimmjow has his twins." She said gently and Lilynette sighed. She was very impatient to see the first true hybrids. "And even longer before we see my own." She said demurely, as if she wasn't dropping a bombshell in the middle of the table. Their reactions did not disappoint.
"Really?!" Lilynette gasped, her light pink eye wide. Starrk was stuck with a piece of bread in his mouth, looking like he'd just been turned to stone. "Unohana!" She hugged the taichou impulsively and Unohana laughed, hugging the child. "That's wonderful news!"
"Yes, it is." She said fondly. She was honestly looking forward to her child now. She'd had a lover when she was young, a man she'd been deeply in love with. But he'd died a very long time ago. It was more than time to go on and she found she was ready for this new chapter in her life, forced by Aizen or not.
"Are you having twins like Grimmjow? Do you know if it's boys or girls?" Lilynette demanded eagerly and Unohana shook her head with a smile.
"It's too early to know anything besides the fact that I am pregnant and the reiatsu seems to be healthy." It was still very early. Lilynette looked a little downcast and Unohana decided to reassure her. "But wolves only have a two month gestation, so I should know soon." A bit too soon for her liking. That aspect of the pregnancy still worried her, since she would be the first shinigami to bear a hybrid. But there was nothing to do but trust in Isane and Szayel. She didn't like the arrancar anymore than she'd liked Mayuri, but he was competent in his sphere.
"Oh, well, I can't wait to know! Hey Starrk, say something!" Lilynette demanded but the Primera just stared into space. "Oi, Starrk!" A well placed kick made him yelp and drop his bread. "What, did she break your brain or something?"
"Lilynette." Starrk said reproachfully as he rubbed his leg. His other half just snorted at him. "I just… never thought it would really work. I never thought I would have children." He confessed and Unohana could sense the aching loneliness in his voice. She'd learned enough about their past to know that being alone was the greatest fear for them both. "Thank you." He said humbly. Blue eyes met blue-grey and Unohana reached out to take his head. Starrk smiled, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure the child will be beautiful."
"All babies are beautiful. Oh, food!" Lilynette was neatly distracted by the arrival of brunch. Although nothing could keep her mind away from the child for long and they were soon bombarded with her ideas for baby names. Unohana listened, smiling to herself.
She really was becoming very fond of the two of them.
"Grimmjow?" Tosen looked at Barragan inquiringly. "Are you certain?" He asked, politely skeptical. The old Espada did not take any offense. He knew it sounded outlandish.
"Yes." He rumbled. Tosen had come to him with the idea that a few arrancar could be used to train the young shinigami in how to destroy hollows. He wanted to begin the process of fostering cooperation between the two groups, and the youngsters at the academy might be less resistant than most. There was also the fact that casualties had been rather high of late. A few of the academy instructors had been killed in the first occupation and the replacements were not as good. "He is a good teacher. I have watched him with his fraccion… there is a reason he was so certain they would defeat the shinigami, when he led them to the Living World. He had honed their skills." His confidence had been misplaced, but he hadn't known about the 'seals' the shinigami were wearing. If he had, Grimmjow would have had a more accurate read of their power. Tosen frowned, reminded of how disobedient the Quinta could be. "He says that when he lived he was something called a centurion, whatever that is."
"A centurion?" Tosen didn't know the term either, but he was not highly educated on the history of the Living World. Soul Society was his concern. "Well, perhaps. He is not useful for anything else just now." He didn't like Grimmjow, but having his might completely removed from use was annoying. Tosen was glad that shinigami and arrancar both had terrible fertility rates. The only one using artificial aides was Unohana, who could perform her duties even while pregnant. "As long as he is not damaged." Personally, Tosen would be glad to see the last of Grimmjow, but Kami's orders had been quite specific. And the children were innocents. Barragan waved away the concern.
"Even weakened, those children could not hope to injure him. And even if Kurosaki was not there, no arrancar would be bold enough to kill him in front of the entire academy." He said and Tosen nodded thoughtfully. "For the other class, you might send Gantennbaine. He is not as good a teacher as Grimmjow but very even tempered. Another option would be Tesra. He could use a distraction from his idol's death. I am not sure about his skill as an instructor, however."
"Tesra might be better if he has any teaching ability. Can you have some of your minions look into it?" Tosen asked and Barragan nodded. Delegation was not really his nature, but Tosen had learned, painfully, that it was vital. There was too much to be done and he had some very capable subordinates.
He needed to use them. And if Grimmjow had a use, he should be put to work as well.
"Okay then." Grimmjow looked over his clothing approvingly. Instead of his usual yukata, he was wearing a modified version of his arrancar uniform. The jacket was the same as always but the hakama had been tailored for his pregnancy. He wore no shoes. They wouldn't have fit on his paw-like feet. Running a hand over his belly he smiled as one of the cubs twitched.
They'd gotten an ultrasound and the results had been interesting. He was having a boy and a girl. The girl favored his resurrection, with a kitty tail and legs that seemed to be feline in nature. The boy seemed to be completely humanoid, nothing physically different from any shinigami. It was a bit speculative, but Szayel was of the opinion that the girl belonged to Byakuya and the boy to Ichigo. They would know for certain after the cubs were born.
Pulling his mind away from that pleasant thought, Grimmjow left the Kuchiki manor with confidence in his heart and a spring in his step. Training youngsters was something he'd done a hundred times before as a living man and it would give him something useful to do. Being on the shelf was fun in a way, but it got old quickly.
Ichigo came with him, of course. The academy was probably safe but they weren't taking any chances. It didn't take long before Grimmjow was in front of his training class in an outdoor arena.
He was rather amused. They were a callow lot of youngsters, hardly better than children, and mostly scared to death of him. Practically identical to the kids he'd trained as a living man. When he'd walked out in front of them in his full kit, including his insignia's of rank, they'd been ready to piss themselves too.
"Come to order, recruits!" He barked, not caring if that wasn't exactly the right way to put it. A few of them had been whispering but they stopped, petrified. "I am here to teach you how to fight hollows. I don't care if you're shinigami or arrancar. When I'm done, you'll know how to fight." That was an edit from his Living World days. Then he'd have said catamites or ethiopes, but times changed. "Any questions?" That was another change. With those long ago recruits, he'd just gone straight into the work. But these children might have some questions that deserved answering. There was a bit of shifting and murmuring before one of the bolder ones spoke up.
"Why are you doing this? Why would a hollow teach us to hunt hollows?" The speaker was a girl with black hair, pulled into a braid. Grimmjow laughed.
"You think I would feel kinship with them, those little maggots that haunt the Living World? Fuck them!" His sneer was magnificent. "You want to know my take on things?" He waited to see a few nods and murmurs before continuing. "Becoming a powerful hollow is a series of challenges. For us, YOU are the first challenge!" He started to pace slowly in front of them, his tail twitching. This felt like the harangues he'd given many, many times before. "You are shinigami. It's your job to purify all the souls you can and make sure only the best make it to Hueco Mundo. The sands have no patience for weaklings and neither do I. So I'll teach you and you'll do your job well. Right?!" He barked the word and there was a ragged chorus of yes's. "I can't hear you!"
"Yes Jaegerjaquez-sama!" Came the ragged answer. Some of them used Grimmjow-sama instead, no doubt confused about arrancar naming conventions. It was all the same to him anyway.
"Good. Now I'll start by showing you the powers of a hollow." These were things they had no doubt only read about in books, unless they'd gotten unlucky during the victory. "This is a cero." Grimmjow made a small cero and released it at a training dummy, easily obliterating it. There was a protective shield over the training grounds so he wasn't worried about the energies escaping. "Mind you, that was a shitty cero. About Gillian level, which is the hardest thing you should be taking on anyway." He added. "This is bala." He demonstrated the faster, weaker version of cero. "Sonido." He demonstrated the arrancar version of flashstep and saw them blink at the characteristic bang. "There's also pesquina, but that's supportive." It was nothing the shinigami could see. A girl was waving her hand. "Yes? You have a question?"
"Things like sonido and bala, aren't they only used by arrancar?" She asked and Grimmjow hesitated. That was actually a pretty good question.
"No, not really. Aizen and his buddies just gave them names. But adjuchas and vasto lorde have been using them forever, without even thinking about it." He chuckled softly at the memory. "The first time I met my fraccion, I owned them with my sonido." They hadn't been ready for his speed at all. "Now, let's get down to business."
He started off by testing their skills, taking on three of the best students at once. It was disappointing. They weren't too bad individually, but taken as a unit…
"You're fighting like barbarians." He informed them and two of them looked astonished while the third looked insulted. "As individuals, even in a group." He clarified. Grimmjow enjoyed fighting individually, it was absolutely awesome, but when you actually had buddies with you it was a great way to get killed and fuck up your friends.
"It's the honorable way to fight." The insulted one said stiffly and Grimmjow laughed.
"Honor? Against hollows?" He said mockingly and the boy scowled. "Save that shit for opponents worthy of the honor." That made the resistance lessen and he saw the kid frown as he thought about it. "The hollows in the Living World are just mad, corrupted souls. Your job is to purify them. If you die, you've done a shitty job. Honor has no part in it. Now, let's work on this." He put the kids into groups and began drilling them on the art of working together.
"That was well done." Tosen accosted him after the lesson, to his surprise. Grimmjow flicked his ears as he realized the shinigami must have been watching from the shadows. The blind bastard was good at concealing his reiatsu and Grimmjow had had plenty of immature signatures and a completely out of control Ichigo to mess up his senses. Speaking of which… he could sense Kurosaki's dislike through the collar. It was a feeling he completely agreed with. "I was surprised to see you teaching teamwork so well, given that you never practiced it yourself."
"Hoi!" Grimmjow scowled, although Tosen had a point. "I taught my fraccion to work together, but the bastards just slowed me down. Teamwork only works when everyone is about the same level." He said grumpily and the shinigami nodded.
"True. Well, Grimmjow, I think you will be coming here regularly. Please try to keep your temper under control." Tosen said and Grimmjow managed to keep from snarling at him. He couldn't stop his tail from bristling, though. Tosen pretended not to notice and Grimmjow stuck his tongue out at the departing shinigami's back.
"You really don't like him at all, do you?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow flicked him a glance.
"He's the one who cut off my arm." He said shortly and Ichigo frowned. "For disobeying orders and getting my fraccion killed." He honestly didn't regret that. They'd been a pack of bastards, the kind of men who would have been bandits and pirates, when he was a living man. He did feel a bit of regret at himself. His strategy had sucked balls and his old officers would have whipped him for it.
"Oh. You weren't supposed to attack me?" He asked and Grimmjow nodded.
"Yeah, I was just looking for a good fight." He knew it was a bit more complicated than that, though. The fight had been great, but being disobedient had been its own point, a kind of statement. He'd volunteered for the army, so long ago, and he'd given it everything he had. But Grimmjow hadn't volunteered for being an arrancar, hadn't really agreed to be Aizen's lackey. It had been stupid and self-defeating, but messing with Aizen had been a point of pride. "Bah." That time was over. Aizen was kami now and he had cubs on the way. Disobedience was not an option. "Hey, I'm hungry. Want to go to that café in the Seireitei, the one that serves those little egg cakes?" He said hopefully. The egg cakes were absolutely delicious, filled with various mixtures. The one he was craving was their spicy beef flavor, so hot it could almost make him cry. Ichigo laughed, putting an arm around him for a moment.
"Sure, let's go feed the kids." He said, nuzzling Grimmjow affectionately. The Espada returned the gesture, very pleased. Ichigo knew how hollows showed affection and it just felt right, being touched by his mate like this. He wondered if it would still be like this after he kitted. If not, they would just have to have some more cubs. Grimmjow smiled at the thought as they left for the café.
He certainly wouldn't mind more children in his life.
The birth was a bit anticlimactic.
There was no freaking out, no sweaty palmed moments when he went into labor. Just an appointment with Szayel and Unohana. Since he wasn't giving birth naturally, they saw no reason to wait for his labor and possibly risk complications. So at the right time, Ichigo and Byakuya both brought him to the 4th. Szayel was already there, with all his surgical expertise and equipment. Children weren't really his thing but Grimmjow was sure he'd be more than competent.
Children were most definitely Unohana's thing and the Quinta Espada felt like he was in good hands as he was given an injection for the pain. Ichigo held his right hand, and Byakuya held his left as they cleaned his belly. Grimmjow didn't much need the comfort, but his mates did and he smiled at them before feeling a tug on his navel. Very curious, he lifted his head in an attempt to see what was going on. The thought that he would likely see his insides didn't bother him a bit. He was still an Espada, he'd seen plenty of insides in his day.
"Grimmjow, while your curiosity is commendable, if you don't stop twitching I will have to give you a muscle relaxant." Szayel sounded irritated and Grimmjow winced before setting his head back down.
"Sorry." They were trying to avoid that. The only effective muscle relaxant they had would lay him out for hours, and full sedation would be even worse. He wanted to see his children immediately. Trying to focus on tranquility, he started counting the ceiling tiles. The cubs would be with him soon.
It didn't take very long before there was a loud cry and only Byakuya's hand on his shoulder kept him from bolting upright. Grimmjow whimpered in frustration as the cub was cleaned, weighed and measured. Ichigo left his side to get the cub, bringing the baby to him as they went after the second.
"Aw." Grimmjow just looked at his first born offspring, feeling amazed and deeply touched. Ichigo was beaming, as well he should. There was no doubt about the cub's paternity. "He got your hair." The human-looking boy belonged to Ichigo. He was still wet and cranky from the birth, but gradually calming. Blue eyes met blue eyes and Grimmjow reached up to gently run a finger over a tiny cheek. "Kurosaki Tigre."
"He's perfect." Ichigo whispered before gently pressing a kiss on that little head. Then there was a second, offended squall and Grimmjow watched as Byakuya left his side. There was more fussing over his second offspring, but the girl was at his side quickly enough. Grimmjow smiled as he saw her.
"We definitely don't need any blood tests for these two!" He teased gently. The little girl looked a bit like his released form, with furry, cat like legs that ended in paws. The fur was all black, though, and her eyes were a soft grey rather than the blue Grimmjow usually associated with childbirth. Her stubby little cat tail lashed unhappily before she cried again and Grimmjow held out an arm for her. When she was nestled against his side she calmed, looking at him curiously. "Kuchiki Hisana." He ignored it as Szayel and Unohana took care of putting him back together. His natural healing factors would take care of any lingering pain in a few days but the help was always welcome.
"They are both beautiful." Byakuya said, smiling as he stroked his daughter's hair. Her ears twitched a bit at his touch. They were on the sides of her head, just like a shinigami's but furred and flexible.
Soon the cubs were hungry and they all experienced a moment of apprehension as they realized Grimmjow couldn't feed them. His masculine body was declining to produce any milk. But Unohana had a solution, or thought she did.
"Try this, Grimmjow-kun." She smiled as she handed him a bottle and he gave her an inquiring look. "It's breast milk. We often practice wet nursing here." She explained and he blinked at the concept. Another woman's milk? But it would probably feed the cubs.
That turned out to be not the case. After a few sucks, Tigre rejected the bottle and began crying. Hisana was the same. That made Szayel bring out the formulas, scientific concoctions he'd come up with or stolen from the Living World. They were rejected even more quickly than the breast milk. Hisana wouldn't even try them and Grimmjow was beginning to experience a bit of panic.
"What the hell are we going to do if we can't feed them?!" He demanded, his voice rough with anger and fear as he tried to comfort the crying, hungry babies. Ichigo took Tigre, gently cuddling him as Byakuya stroked Hisana's hair and murmured to her.
"Calm down Grimmjow. We'll figure this out." Szayel said and Grimmjow glowered at him. It wasn't his babies who might starve to death! "Hmm… hollow reproduction…" Szayel thought for a moment as Unohana gently examined the babies with kido. "Oh, of course!" He quickly grabbed the first bottle, the one with warm breast milk. "Grimmjow, infuse the milk with your reiatsu."
"Huh?" Grimmjow hesitated before taking the bottle and obeying. He immediately felt hopeful as he realized what Szayel's idea was. It was true, any hollow cub would take a strong dose of reiatsu when they fed. They needed it in order to grow quickly. He offered Hisana the bottle and she latched on hungrily. The quiet sounds of a baby feeding filled the air and Grimmjow breathed a deep sigh of relief. Tigre was still squalling, though.
"Here, you try it." Szayel gave Ichigo a bottle of the formula. He took it with a rather apprehensive look.
"I really don't think – " Byakuya started but it was too late. Ichigo's attempt at a reiatsu infusion went wildly out of control and the bottle promptly exploded. Ichigo yelped as he was coated in goo and Tigre stopped crying, eyes comically wide. Grimmjow snorted a laugh as Byakuya wiped a bit of infant formula off his forehead, giving Kurosaki a severe look.
"Oh dear." Unohana was clearly holding back a laugh, and she passed another bottle to Grimmjow. "Perhaps you should handle this."
"Ya think?" He said, amused, and quickly infused it with his reiatsu before handing it to Ichigo. With the reiatsu infusion in the formula, Tigre took to it readily. "Will they take anyone's reiatsu?"
After several experiments with the bottles, they determined that the cubs would not take reiatsu from Unohana or Szayel. Hisana would take it from Byakuya or Grimmjow, but Tigre would not take Byakuya's. They couldn't find out if both cubs would take Ichigo's but Grimmjow was sure they wouldn't.
"They'll only take reiatsu from the sire or dam. Huh. Real hollow cubs aren't that picky." Grimmjow mused as he gently burped Hisana, holding the sleepy infant with the ease of long practice. Actual hollow cubs would take any sustenance they could find, not surprising given the chance of being orphaned. Apparently, the shinigami influence made a difference. He saw Byakuya twitch slightly and smiled. "Do you want to hold her?"
"If you don't mind." He said and Grimmjow handed the child over, taking the boy from Kurosaki. Tigre immediately curled up on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Hisana." Grimmjow looked up at that murmur and saw a suspicious bit of wetness in his mate's eyes. Then he felt Ichigo's hand on his shoulder and glanced towards him, smiling as the hybrid kissed him gently on the cheek.
"While this is all very touching, we need to address a few things." Grimmjow grimaced and turned his attention to Szayel. The other Espada was no doubt correct but it was annoying. "You will need to stay here for at least two days to give time for your wounds to heal. You should be up to almost full strength by then as well." Almost because the cubs would continue to drain his strength in the form of infusions. But he could compensate for that with a lot of reishi pills. His hierro and speed would quickly go back to normal levels. "The need for reishi infusions poses a complication. Infusions into objects only last for a few hours at the most. I'll need to see if we can find a way to extend it, but until then you will have to remain on parental leave." He said firmly and Unohana nodded before summoning a hell butterfly. She sent it to Tosen with a succinct rundown of events as Grimmjow nodded, resigned.
"Makes sense." Of course, now that he wasn't helpless Tosen could make use of Ichigo, if he was willing to trust him. The Quinta Espada wasn't sure that would ever happen but it was possible.
"The other thing we need to address is hollow instincts." Szayel said and Grimmjow blinked at him. "He's been nesting, I'm sure you've observed that." Grimmjow grimaced as Ichigo laughed and Byakuya smiled. It was true, his bedroom was becoming a shrine to his fabrics of choice. It was a very plush nest. "He could easily become nest bound. That would be very safe for the children but inconvenient for the rest of us, so I would suggest avoiding it. Drag him out and force him to socialize at least once every two days."
"Oi! Do you think I'm a slave to my instincts?" Grimmjow demanded and Szayel gave him a pitying look. "…Fine, I am. Jerk." He muttered as Ichigo laughed again and even Byakuya chuckled. Unohana smiled before picking up the conversation.
"We'll also need to see them regularly for checkups. Once a week would be good." She arranged it with Byakuya as Grimmjow just relaxed, closing his eyes. He felt a bit tired. He would close his eyes for just a minute, rest them.
Yeah… just a minute…
"That is so beautiful." Ichigo murmured, watching the sleeping Espada with his sleeping children. Smiling, he watched as Tigre sucked on his thumb.
Tigre looked so much like him that it almost hurt. For one powerful, painful moment, he desperately wished his father and sisters could have seen this moment. He could picture it in his mind's eye. Yuzu cooing, Karin trying to look cool and unaffected, his father grinning as he babbled about his grandchild…
Ichigo sniffed and wiped away tears before forcing the vision aside. It couldn't be. They were gone, he had to accept it, but Tigre was here. Warm and alive and helpless as only a baby could be.
We'll protect 'em King. Nothing'll get past us. His hollow sounded fierce and determined and Ichigo smiled, a touch sadly. For once, they were really working together. Could they have defeated Ulquiorra if they'd just worked together? But his birth family hadn't meant much to his hollow. Eh. Hollows leave the nest and they don't look back, King. It's the little ones that matter. Ichigo felt his hand moving without his instructions, but didn't stop his hollow. He gently stroked soft, downy orange hair, watching as the child twitched in his sleep.
"She's beautiful too." Ichigo murmured to his hollow, who grumbled a complaint as he switched his attention to little Hisana. "We're not playing favorites." He said firmly to his hollow. Hisana might not be his, but Byakuya was going to be busy with his work. He and Grimmjow would largely be raising the children and he wasn't going to let his hollow snub the little girl.
Oh, alright. If we were a pack with Grimmjow as the alpha, we'd have to take care of her too. His hollow gave in with ill grace and Ichigo smiled at the sour tone. But the next one's going to be ours, just ours!
"You're obsessed." Ichigo said, amused at his hollow. He'd never have guessed that children would be so important to the white psychopath. "What about Renji?"
He just wants a good screw. He gets the backdoor, it'll be more familiar to him anyway. His hollow said firmly and Ichigo choked.
"You're horrible!" Taking a seat beside the bed, Ichigo settled in to wait. "I can't wait to tell Renji you want to dictate our sexual positions." That would be hilarious. His inner hollow sniffed and Byakuya ignored them, familiar with shinigami arguing with their zanpakuto. His attention was all for Hisana anyway. Ichigo watched them together and made a silent vow.
He would die before he let anything happen to Hisana and Tigre.