Stand in the Rain

Shadow of an Echo

Chapter Twenty-Six

Make a Move

The first time Ichigo felt it he had been lying in bed trying to fall asleep. It was a light brush, almost like someone had thrown a cotton ball at his insides. He was excited and hopeful, but when the little presence didn't return he drifted off to sleep with his hand over his daughter and a smile on his face.

The second time was a lot like the first, except this time he was working with Shinji in the office again. He had found a comfortable way to sit and was working away diligently; that was until the tiny puff brushed against his senses again. In the same place as the last time, only lasting a little longer and was a bit stronger.

It wasn't a surprise that Shinji noticed something odd was happening, considering Ichigo had just lit up like a light bulb, "Alright, what's so exciting? I kind of doubt you are getting that worked up over progress reports."

Since he didn't know who might be in hearing distance, he just put his hand on his slowly expanding stomach and rubbed; trying to convey it was the baby and hoping Shinji would figure it out.

The huge grin spreading over the blonde Visored did a good job in persuading Ichigo that; yes, he had gotten the message.

He could barely believe it, she was moving, he could finally feel her and have proof of the new life growing in him. He was so awed that all he could do was lean back and feel, waiting for the brush to come back. He slipped a hand into his Shihakusho; held low beneath the desk so no one could really see what he was doing if they came into the office unexpectedly.

The hand held over his daughter just confirmed what the mirror told him every morning, his abdomen was now a smooth expanse of tightly stretched skin. He had no muscle definition anymore and was starting to protrude out into a true curve. Still unnoticeable beneath his loose Shihakusho as long as he bound his abdomen the way Retsu had taught him, but when he took the bandage off to sleep it was impossible to miss that he had a baby resting under his heart. At least in his own opinion anyway.

And now she was moving and getting so big he couldn't deny her presence. The movement was soft and tentative, but there all the same. He just wanted her out where he could see and hold her; keep her safe from any harm. As he grew larger he knew his ability to fight would suffer and she would be safer born where he would have access to all of his skill. No matter how many people, or how often, he was told not to worry about keeping her safe with the sheer amount of people rooting for her he just couldn't help it. She was his daughter and it was his job to protect her.

"What do you say we take a break and get some fresh air?" Shinji's voice cut through Ichigo's inner monologue and Ichigo had to appreciate just how good of an actor he could be considering his voice was no different from any other day despite the still present grin.

"That sounds good, we have done quite a bit today already," Ichigo was completely willing to play along if it gave him an excuse to get out of there and start tracking down interested parties.

It was safer to make impromptu visits to Jyuushiro's squad. Since he was housed there after his return from Hueco Mundo they had a valid reason for getting along well and wanting to meet up, and now they had the additional excuse of Ichigo needing to check up on Grimmjow and since he was right up there with Nnoitra in terms of destructive power it made sense to look in on him often.

Though he got side tracked on the way from the Fifth when he passed by the Ninth and saw his father out in the training yard surrounded by young soul reapers watching him spar with Shuuhei. He couldn't resist making a detour inside, it wasn't like he had seen Isshin fight very often, at least not like this anyway.

Kensei was already out watching the fight, Mashiro nowhere in evidence for the moment, so Ichigo decided to go over to the older Visored and watch with him.

The fight between current Lieutenant and former Captain was engaging enough that Ichigo and Kensei didn't speak after acknowledging the other. Ichigo recognized immediately what his father was up to, he was teaching. Pushing Shuuhei just a little harder than he looked comfortable with, but in a way that was also safe and informative for the squad members observing the spar.

When Ichigo had been young, this was the same way Isshin had taught him and it brought a nostalgic smile to his face. Those memories would always be shadowed by pain, since father and son had used those lessons as an escape from the reality of Misaki's death, but Ichigo wouldn't give them up. They helped shape him into who he was now.

Towards the end of the fight, when both combatants were worn down and nearly ready to quit, Kensei spoke. "Is there a reason he refuses to use his Shikai; do you know?" Kensei did remember Shuuhei from all that time ago, though he had been surprised to have left such an impression on the young boy that he got a permanent reminder tattooed onto his face where everyone could see.

"No, I don't," Ichigo responded, not having realized it until it was brought up, but come to think of it he had never seen the dark haired Lieutenant's Shikai in all the time he was fighting an recovering in the Soul Society. "He would probably answer you if you asked, he idolizes you."

"Even now?" Kensei asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ichigo nodded, "You didn't see him when the squads were deciding who would go where; he practically begged that you and Mashiro come back to the Ninth. Dad stood up for him just to make sure it happened that way."

Kensei looked contemplative, "I guess I should do something to repay him then. I didn't think it still ran that deep."

"All he really wants is your attention," Ichigo advised with confidence. "Show interest in him and I am willing to bet he would do anything you asked; including answering questions about how his Zanpakuto works."

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," Kensei realized, "I take it you know him pretty well then?"

"I know the Lieutenant of the Third a little better but Izuru and Shuuhei are close friends, whenever he had time we met up to practice together." Ichigo informed.

"Then I'll listen to you on this one I guess." Kensei decided.

Ichigo just had to smile, still in a really good mood, "You're going to make his decade."

Their conversation had to cut off there because Isshin had caught sight of Ichigo's shockingly orange hair and was coming over to them with Shuuhei in toe. "What brings you here?" Isshin asked, too tired for his usual high energy greetings which was a lucky fate for Ichigo.

"I was on my way to check on Grimmjow and saw you fighting, thought I'd stay and watch." Ichigo explained, before switching focus to Shuuhei. "How'd it go?"

"He's a great teacher but I doubt I'll be moving much for the rest of the day," Shuuhei admitted, still breathing heavy and soaked with sweat though someone Ichigo recognized as his Third seat brought him and Isshin towels before backing away to give the group of four a chance to talk.

"Nah, you'll be fine in a few hours," Isshin refuted, "you've got quite a bit of stamina, you must spar a lot."

"Whenever I have the time," Shuuhei admitted. "I need to set a good example until we get a permanent Captain back."

That gave Kensei an opening, "I noticed you didn't use your Shikai, why?" He inquired with interest.

Shuuhei paused a moment, the internal debate plain to see on his face, but he did eventually answer, "I don't like my Shikai, it just looks evil to me; like I'm supposed to do nothing but kill. I use it as little as possible, and I do my best to keep it that way."

"You do know we are heading into a war right?" Kensei responded incredulously, not expecting that kind of reason.

Shuuhei nodded, "I do, and I realize I will probably need it sooner or later, I'd just rather it be much, much, later."

"Look none of us like killing; some of us happen to be very good at it, but that doesn't mean we get any enjoyment out of it. The more you practice and hone your skill the less you need to worry about hurting someone you don't intend to. It is noble to keep a weapon so dangerous under wraps, but don't keep yourself from it too or you will just be opening yourself up to massive amounts of collateral damage." The Visored had experience, both as Captain and warrior, he had faith in his words and that carried over into his tone of voice lending credence to his opinion.

"I can kind of see where you are coming from, but I don't know, it's a habit I've had ever since I discovered my Shikai; I'm not sure I can fight it." Shuuhei's desire to obey his idol was warring with his own ideals. Though the just next to hero worship he still held towards Kensei had him leaning in the direction of believing him.

"Just trust me on this one, don't be so afraid of yourself you give up on what makes you strong. I will train you myself if you'd like if that would make it easier on you?" The offer was made thanks to the Visored's newfound knowledge of the Lieutenant courtesy of Ichigo. Plus he liked teaching and hadn't had a student with as much potential as a Lieutenant had to have in a very long time.

"You really would?" The sheer amount of hope radiating from Shuuhei was enough for Ichigo to need to suppress his chuckles, and from the way his father's shoulders were shaking he was pretty sure Isshin was doing the same thing.

"Yeah, remember part of our deal with Yamamoto was about teaching, he didn't say we couldn't work with the higher officers, so why not?" Kensei really didn't care about Yamamoto all that much; as long as they stayed out of each-others way he could live and let live for now; but he needed some way of making Shuuhei think there was more behind the decision than the way he came across as a love struck puppy; you could practically see the tail wagging behind the Lieutenant.

Ichigo recovered enough from his brush with laughter to add on, "Plus if the others see you two working together well it might help them feel more comfortable working with all the hybrids. It couldn't hurt anyway."

"You know, I think you're onto something," Isshin realized, mind quickly analyzing the half-formed thought and bringing it together. "I think that's what each of you should be doing. Pick at least one high-profile student to teach and be very obvious about it. That way observers would get a taste of each style without putting themselves on the line against a complete unknown."

"Shuuhei, you know more about the current officers, do you think something like that would work?" Ichigo realized they had a great resource right with them; it would be a wasted opportunity not to get his opinion on the plan.

"Yes," Shuuhei didn't have to think about it, "Actions speak louder than any words, no matter who is asking. If they could see what you are wanting to teach us then I think you would have a much better chance of getting the majority to go along with the orders."

"Ichigo, you are the one in charge of us, how do you want to go about starting this? One big meeting, or squad by squad?" Kensei asked with a mind towards the logistics of actually pulling something like that off.

"Let's get it over with in one big meeting, I can set it up for this weekend if you think that would work out?" Ichigo decided. "I've always wondered how to work Hell-Butterflies; this could give me an excuse to learn."

"I'll teach you," Isshin offered, "And the weekend should be fine. Captains almost always leave a little wiggle room on those days for things that come up on the fly; at least they always used to and I don't see that changing."

"It hasn't," Shuuhei assured. "Even Izuru and I who ran our squads without a Captain were told to leave open time then."

"Then that's what I'll aim for," Ichigo responded, glad things seemed to be moving along. Also he was even more excited when Isshin and him split away to carry on the lesson where they would have less distraction; and conveniently less distraction also meant less of a chance at being over heard. So when he was finally alone with his dad in his room, Ichigo spoke up, "She started moving."

Despite his evident tiredness Isshin still managed to hug him so hard he was nearly knocked over; the tight hold around his shoulders the only thing keeping him upright. "Really?!" He asked excitedly.

"Lemme go," Ichigo demanded, slowly managing to wriggle free, "And yes, I think so anyway. It's really light, but I don't think it could be anything else; I've never felt something like this before."

"What's it feel like?" Isshin asked curiously, settling a hand over Ichigo's bandaged abdomen. There was little chance the baby was strong enough to be felt from the outside, but he could still feel her comforting aura nonetheless.

"Like I said, I'm not sure how to describe it. Nothing feels quite like this. It kinda feels like she's throwing cotton balls at me, but that's about as close as I can get to it." Ichigo tried to answer, he really did.

Isshin rubbed his hand over the little curve again, "Yeah sounds like it's her. Your mother told me the same thing anyway when you started kicking. She's got to be a little bigger before any of us can feel her though; I can't wait. Have you told Shunsui or Jyuushiro?"

"Didn't have the chance, was on the way to tell Jyuushiro when I saw you. I don't think they would mind someone else knowing first as long as it's you. I wouldn't have told anyone, but this was too good a chance to pass up."

"I think they'll understand, plus all of this is your choice. Who to tell and who to keep it from, we are all taking our lead from you." Isshin reminded. "You've barely told anyone you're showing and I'd imagine you're going to let fewer people know she's getting this strong." Isshin knew his son better than anyone, he had the best guesses for what was going through that head of his.

"I don't want to give anyone the chance to hurt her, the fewer people I tell the less likely someone will find out that might turn us in." He couldn't suppress the shudder running down his spine at the thought and he wrapped an arm around his abdomen.

"Easy," Isshin pulled him into his side, holding him tight, not wanting to dislodge his son's arm from over the baby. "It's going to be alright. You are both doing so well, and she is proving to you now just how strong she is. We have to prepare for people to start finding out about her, but we will keep you safe. I will do everything in my power to keep her hidden and when that is no longer possible I will fight to the death for you two; and I am not the only one. I have an idea that might work, but the longer we wait to put it in place the better for you and her."

"What is it?" This was the first time one of his speeches about hope had something solid backing it up; and that made Ichigo take notice even when he was so scared for his coming daughter.

"An old device used by the Shihoin family to train its member in times of crisis, it could buy us some time, but only externally. You would endure all of it in real time; it would only seem faster to those of us outside the influence of the device. That would mean months of solitary confinement plus if anything does go wrong with her, which I don't see happening but you never know, we wouldn't find out about it for a while. That's why I said it would be better to not to use it until you were as far along as we could safely hide. The longer the better." Isshin had been keeping this information under wraps just so his son wouldn't jump into it too quickly, it would be both mentally taxing and physically dangerous for both him and the baby to go too long unchecked.

"How would we know when the right time would be?" Ichigo followed everything, including the unsaid part about why it took so long before his father had told him anything about it.

"Easy, we take action as soon as someone who doesn't already know starts noticing her. I know about the club Shunsui and Jyuushiro run, use that it would be safer, just ask if the members noticed anything different. It would give them a hint at least that something has changed but hopefully won't draw attention to the exact problem unless it is truly visible." Isshin had been debating over and over, but with this newest development they were rapidly approaching the crisis point. As careful as they had been to hide her, she was very determinedly undermining all that work.

"We could combine the plan to get the hybrids working together with seeing those people again, it wouldn't look suspicious to invite the higher officers, and all the club members are at least seated if not higher." Considering the discussion hovered around his daughter, if he was willing to discuss her then he felt it was safe to mention that one identifier towards club membership.

"So you want to open up the hybrid assignments to all officers?" Isshin asked for clarification, "Or just those in the club?"

"It would have to be an open invitation at the start, but if any are part of both we could ask them to stay behind. With the Hell butterflies is it possible to send a message that no one else can hear except who it was intended for?" That was one hitch to his plan.

"There is, but doing that is suspicious in its own right. Then you are opening that person up to questions on why they would be receiving a secret message, especially if they are on the middle to low end of seated ranking." Isshin warned. "If someone is curious enough to start digging it could spell trouble."

"I know, but we are kind of running out of options here. She is growing really fast, and I'm happy she is strong, but it will make things unpredictable. At this point I'm not even sure we'll make it to the weekend without getting caught, much less longer." Ichigo was starting to panic again and it was only his father's soothing touch that kept him from completely losing it.

"Like I said, it's going to be alright. What I suggest doing is sending out individual Hell Butterflies to each Officer, that way o one will look too out of place. In the ones not intended for club members just say it is to keep general members out of the way; there is going to be enough chaos with just those coming as it is. That way anyone getting a Butterfly with more information won't be noticed, we could tell them to act natural." Isshin had been making and executing plans for a lot longer than his son had, and realizing that helped Ichigo gain control over himself again.

"Do you really think something so simple will work?" Ichigo was calming down, but still unsure.

Isshin nodded, "I know it will. We will be treating this like hiding a needle in a haystack. If there are so many messages going out people won't be able to figure out which ones are different."

"So how exactly do I make one?" Ichigo got back on track to the thing they were actually supposed to be doing.

"You've been practicing Kido right?" Isshin already knew the answer since even with his son right beside him he couldn't feel the power he knew lurked under the shield; he still wanted to get the reassuring nod though before continuing. "Good, you will need it, because we do not make the butterflies, we summon them. The body of the butterfly is nothing more than pure spirit particles gathered together, we use our power to basically record what we want to say on them and give them any information they would need to deliver it; such as only letting the person addressed hear it. The more complicated the task the harder it is to make one, which is why I'm going to suggest you have someone help you send out the messages if you are going to contact all Officers. I'll help, and you can bet Jyuushiro and Shunsui would be willing to do the same. You three would know the best way of phrasing the ones with special instructions anyway so I would be the one concentrating on the others."

"Whatever I have to do, I'll do it," Ichigo found the determination he needed, glad all the stress and fear hadn't stolen it from him, though he had motivation in the form of his daughter's first kicks. He would not let her down.

"Alright, then here is how it's done." Isshin responded with a pleased grin, launching into the lesson that took the better part of an hour to complete, but by the end he had sent a butterfly to Shunsui telling him to meet at Jyuushiro's. After that he left his father's side to go meet up with his loves, unable to wait a moment longer to tell them.

Thanks to the loosening of restrictions on the Arrancar Jyuushiro did not have to stay in the vicinity of Grimmjow, so the white-haired captain managed to sneak by Sentaro and Kiyone, telling them he needed to rest a bit back at his family home, and the three of them were finally truly alone for the first time in months.

They couldn't keep their hands off each other. It felt so good to touch and hold on without the fear of being discovered or the need to keep things proper in the presence of others. The urge to ravish one another was too strong to fight, and with all the new changes happening to Ichigo's body the older two couldn't resist exploring him first.

Shunsui was behind him, attacking his neck and jaw with needy kisses, making Ichigo toss his head to the side to give him room. Not to be outdone Jyuushiro was the one slowly opening his Shihakusho, pale lips trailing over and around tanned and toned skin. That was until the cloth hiding their daughter showed itself. With happiness and pride the two captains helped divest the younger of the final bit of obstruction in order to see what their love had made.

They laid him back gently against the soft futon, Shunsui on his left, Jyuushiro on the right; each had taken one of his hands and used the other to rub over their little girl. The twin touches causing an aching warmth to settle in Ichigo's chest, making him feel like his heart was going to burst.

"She's getting so big," Jyuushiro was the first to comment, leaning down to kiss his cheek.

Only for his lips to be replaced by Shunsui's, "And strong too." He added.

Ichigo's face lit up with joy, "I came here tonight because I felt her move, just a little, but it's her."

Pulled into a tight three way hug, he didn't know whose hands were where, and at that point it didn't matter. All he heard was happy laughter and excited words spoken so quickly he didn't hear exactly what was said; only that both his loves were happier than he had ever seen before. He had a feeling they would keep breaking that record as their baby was born and grew up.

"Our little treasure is finally showing herself," Shunsui commented in excitement, the first to speak after the announcement.

Jyuushiro brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead, "How are you handling it?"

"I'm both happy and terrified, but dad had an idea and I think it will work," Ichigo quickly explained his father's idea about when and how to use the device he'd gotten from Yoruichi.

"Can you handle that, being alone for so long?" Jyuushiro asked carefully, both sets of arms holding him tightened considerably though.

"If it's for her I will do anything, I just want to get her born and safe, but dad thinks it's still too early. We want to make it another two weeks at least, get me about half-way there. Any longer and it would take too much power to maintain the shield and put her at risk if something goes wrong. If I make it to twenty weeks then any major problems should be found by then." Not including actually having her, but they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

"I think Isshin is right," Shunsui supported the idea. "We want the both of you to come through as best you can, too long alone and you could get lost in your own mind. We don't want that. Though in your case you might have some protection against long term isolation because you have both Junichi and Zangetsu, they could help distract you."

"I know they can because they already had to," Ichigo reminded, "When Aizen had us in Hueco Mundo, all we really had was each other as a distraction from the humiliation." He hated to think it, but his capture had prepared him well for what lay ahead.

"How about we do the distracting while we still can?" Shunsui enticed, wanting to get Ichigo nice and relaxed again. Yes this topic was important, but so was keeping Ichigo calm, happy, and comfortable.

Ichigo surrendered himself over to their ministrations, enjoying both being taken and doing the taking. He didn't have much experience, but didn't need to in order to know he was lucky. Every time was different and new with these two, they knew how to make his body sing in ways he never thought possible.

They brought out a side to him that only ever surfaced when he fought, something primal and wild, burning of hot he could barely contain it. He was almost insatiable with need now that he had both willing and able to oblige him. Worried about the weight and if they might hurt the baby, Ichigo straddled Shunsui, with Jyuushiro helping to settle and guide him into place for such a bold move. The groan of pleasure so deep it sounded almost painful told the youngest of the group he was doing just fine.

Shunsui's broad hands came up to grip his hips, pulling him down, rocking up inside him. The feel of that had Ichigo seeing stars, centuries of practice giving the older man an edge in finding the right places. Jyuushiro added his own fuel to the fire, coming up behind Ichigo, wrapping his arms around to stroke and rub at his chest while hissing and nibbling the backs of his shoulders. Jyuushiro and Shunsui so in sync with each other their movements perfectly combined to make Ichigo lose his mind; unable to think of anything but them.

He didn't last long, the torrent of sensation taking its toll on a mostly inexperienced body, and he soon collapsed breathless and spent sprawled across Shunsui's body with Jyuushiro sliding in beside them, wrapping his arms around the both of them.

Almost without thought two hands found their way to the curve of Ichigo's stomach, while little kisses peppered his face from both sides. "I love you," Ichigo spoke, breathless, but unprompted and completely of his own will.

"I love you too," Jyuushiro answered first, kissing his temple.

"Don't forget me, I love you too." Shunsui added with a grin, his kiss landing on the side of Ichigo's neck.

"She's going to be okay, right?" Ichigo couldn't help but ask, as he felt another gentle brush from his baby; he took it to mean their little one was happy.

"Yes, and she'll be here before you know it, only a little more and we can see her," Jyuushiro affirmed, tightening his arm around them.

Shunsui gathered silver hair away from brilliant green eyes and laid a kiss on his first love's brow, "I wonder if she'll look like you."

"I don't know Shun, I think she's going to look like you," Jyuushiro responded with a light, happy, laugh.

"You two really don't mind? I mean about not knowing," It was impossible to turn away from them with how they were laying, but Ichigo did the next best thing and squeezed his eyes shut.

That was until he felt two kisses land on his lips one right after the other, "Ichigo, she is ours. I love her, and I put no conditions on that." Shunsui assured. "I've told you before and I'll say it again; she is mine and I will always love her."

"I feel the same," Jyuushiro added. "This baby is ours. I refuse to treat her or you any different if she happens to be a brunette. I love her Ichigo, just as much as you and Shunsui. My baby or his I am not going anywhere."

Before Ichigo knew it there were tears in his eyes he couldn't explain if he tried, so he didn't; he just let his loves kiss away the moisture and bring him back to peace with their touch. His love for them was so deep he felt like he was drowning, but with their words and actions, they made him unafraid to fall. It was a nice feeling knowing there would be someone to catch him when he did.