"I am losing my mind!" Mayuri was sweating heavily under his makeup. His companions held back from pointing out that they'd thought he'd lost it years ago. "This is hopeless! Absolutely hopeless! We need to go back and tell the Soutaichou it is not going to work!"

"You still can't cut through the interference?" Shunsui asked. Mayuri's devices had caught the track of Ichigo-kun's reiatsu and led them into this hot, barren wasteland. But then the trail had vanished, devoured by the oppressive reishi. Shunsui reached up to wipe his forehead, removing his hat for a moment and wishing he had a good place to store his kimono. "If I'd known it would be so hot I would have brought a lounging robe." He muttered. Not a thought to gladden Yamamoto's heart – they'd had words the last time he'd lost his haori – but still infinitely preferable to sweating to death. Even with the 'water creator' thing of Mayuri's they were all extremely uncomfortable.

"This is boring as hell." Zaraki complained. "Why do these pussy hollows keep running away?" He was getting very annoyed with that. They'd encountered a large group just a few days ago but they'd run the instant they set eyes on the shinigami. Shunsui did wonder about that. The group had been a pack of five and at least one of them had been very powerful. As strong as himself? Yes, without a doubt. The other four had been weaker but still well above fukutaichou level. Those hollows could have given them a hard time, but they'd fled instantly.

"I wonder if they know that Aizen has been defeated?" Byakuya said as Mayuri cursed his machines. Shunsui blinked at the thought. "They may think we are here for him." Byakuya stoically ignored the sweat trickling down the back of his neck, gazing into the distance thoughtfully. Probably trying to reach out with his reiatsu. Shunsui tried again before giving it up as hopeless. He could reach out, but not far or well.

"We must go back." Mayuri said again and they all looked at him. He sounded calm and composed, now. "I need to come up with a better way to search. I never anticipated this absurdly high reishi environment. If we continue to search this way it will literally take us forever." He held one of his machines. Shunsui honestly had no idea what it was for. "This should have been able to detect the vizard's reiatsu within a ten mile radius, and track a trail of it for months. It's limited to a half-mile at the moment and it can't pick up a trail at all. This just won't work."

"Yes." Shunsui sighed. He wasn't eager to report absolute failure to the Soutaichou, but they couldn't remain out here forever. "We'll have to see what Yama-jii wants done." It was hard to see what they would do next. Get Mayuri to build something to take this environment into account, yes. But how long would that take? And sending enough shinigami to properly explore this area was out of the question. It was too big and everyone below fukutaichou would be appetizers to the vasto lorde. Even fukutaichou might fall to them. They fled from taichou, but would they flee from shinigami they knew they could easily kill? Shunsui didn't think so. They ate each other, they had no reason at all to spare shinigami.

Of course, getting back was its own chore. The garganta generator wouldn't work in the barren wastes, as the high reishi environment threatened to tear it apart. Shunsui honestly wondered how the vasto lorde survived out here. But they didn't want to be here. They'd fled from Aizen… and now from them. He wondered how long it would take for them to return to the mountains and frowned to himself. Now that he'd been here it seemed wrong, that the mountains would be so empty of life. Aizen had upset the natural order of this place and now they were doing more damage.

Alas, there was nothing he could do except find their wandering boy and bring him home.

Rocca sighed to himself as he sat on a rock, in the endless night of Hueco Mundo.

He honestly liked the wastelands. They were barren and empty, true, but that meant he didn't have to make excuses for himself. Being without a mate was only prudent here. Ichigo's pups were going to be a problem and the only one who didn't know it was Ichigo. How would they feed them here? But they would find a way. They would prey on the other vasto lorde, if necessary.

But the topic was himself and his thoughts strayed back to it. Yes, it was prudent not to have a mate here. It wasn't like the mountains, where it was relatively easy to acquire a mate. There were other vasto lorde, but they could afford to be picky and approaching them was dangerous. But it was easy to approach an adjuchas and most of them were flattered. So why didn't he have a mate?

Rocca rested his head on his knees for a moment. He'd tried. He really had, but after a while the adjuchas didn't want to stay and he never had the heart to force it. Was he that bad a lover? But he knew he wasn't. It was something else, something he couldn't fix.

"Why am I so stupid?" He muttered, feeling miserable. Although stupid wasn't quite the right word for it. He could be very clever. He'd taken down opponents stronger than himself, several times. He knew when to run, when the hide and when to attack with full force. As a hollow he was a great success. As a mate, as a person… not so much. "Ugh." He'd only had one mate who had stayed for very long, and Rocca honestly wished he hadn't. Being treated with contempt was not pleasant and as soon as the pups were gone, he had given in to his hatred and rage. "He deserved it." He really had. No one treated him like that. Rocca wondered, though, what the pups would have thought if they'd known their dam had eaten their sire as soon as they were out of earshot. "Unh." Rocca sighed to himself. That made him feel guilty again, not for eating the bastard but for being something worthy of contempt.

It was hard to define, but Rocca thought that his mind had gotten lost somewhere. Grimmjow called him a kid, and that was close to the truth. There was something childish about him, some part of him that had never grown up. Despite being intelligent he could become very fixated on things, almost to the point of obsession. He often didn't understand what other people were thinking and feeling, although he really tried. Rocca was often very, very lonely. Loneliness and boredom had been the drive to decorate his den, for all those years.

"Rocca? You okay?" Rocca lifted his head and smiled behind his mask at the childish lisp. Nel was there, looking up at him with those big brown eyes. He chuckled softly and lifted her into his arms. Her presence was like a balm on his soul, soothing the pain away. He might not have a mate and that hurt a little, but at least he wasn't alone. Rocca settled her into his lap, cuddling the little one close.

"I'm fine Nel. Just thinking." He said as Nel wiggled around to look up at him. She caught her upper lip in her teeth, worrying it with her fangs.

"Whatcha thinkin' about? You felt all sad!" She asked and Rocca was reminded that she wasn't really a cub. He'd been able to hide his feelings from his real pups, so long ago. Although he was sure they'd known something was wrong between their sire and dam.

"Oh." Rocca sighed, then patted her gently on the head. "Just… thinking. About everything." He said vaguely. Nel just looked at him questioningly and Rocca hesitated a moment before giving in. Who else could he talk to, really? He didn't want to endanger his position in the pack. Nel might not understand, but she was safe. "I'm different from most people. I don't think I'll ever find someone to love me." Rocca admitted sadly. It hurt to say but it was nothing but the truth. The dragon had told him not to be ashamed of who he was, and that there would be someone out there for him. But he wasn't sure he believed it.

"I love you Rocca!" Nel protested and he laughed, cuddling her close.

"Aw, thanks Nel." Of course, he had experienced that love several times. The love of a pup to dam, a warm, genuine love. It wasn't what he was looking for but it did make things better. "Um… Nel, what are you doing?" He said in alarm as he sensed a gathering power. The little one had her face screwed up. What was she trying to - ?

That was as far as he got before things changed radically. One moment the vasto lorde was holding a tiny cub, the next there was a full grown arrancar straddling his waist. Rocca made an incoherent gargling sound as his gaze suddenly fixed on very plush breasts. They were right in front of his face, too, he couldn't have avoided seeing them if he'd tried. Like most hollows, he was bisexual and a blush crept over his skin before he managed to yank his gaze up.

"N-N-Nel?!" He stammered out as he saw the broken mask, the very familiar green hair and the mark on her face. But this was Nel all grown up. Rocca had known she could do this, of course – Grimmjow and Ichigo had mentioned it – but this was his first time seeing it. It nearly broke his brain.

"I'm different too, Rocca." She said with a smile and he swallowed, hard. Her position was a bit… oh crap. He tried desperately to control his body, keenly aware that there was only a thin loincloth between them. This was no time to display his childishness! "I wasn't before Nnoitra hurt me, but I am now." She reached up to touch the scar on her face, the jagged break in her mask. Rocca followed the gesture, grateful for anything that would take his mind off the fact that she was in his lap. "I like you Rocca. I like you a lot." She said shyly and he swallowed hard as she shifted slightly. He couldn't keep his body from reacting and from the way Nel was smiling he was sure she could feel it. "Would you like to? Although I can't have cubs." She said sadly and Rocca nodded.

"Your mask is broken." He said huskily. If it wasn't for that, she could inject her reiatsu and DNA into him. It was strange but could be done… but not if her mask was broken. Nel nodded sadly. "I don't mind. And I like you too, Nel." He wasn't going to say love just yet, mainly because he hadn't been thinking about Nel like this at all. She'd just been a little girl… but now she wasn't. Her hands slid under his clothing and he hissed before embracing her and nuzzling her cheek. She giggled as her mask fragments scraped against the hood of his cowl. His armoring went a bit over his head, creating a hood like effect. Her hands were warm as they stroked his growing erection and Rocca groaned softly, nuzzling her cheek. Kissing was hard with bone in the way, but that was a common dilemma for all vasto lorde. They mostly nuzzled back and forth, gently licking and nibbling in tender, loving gestures. Rocca slid his hands under the tattered shirt she wore, exploring her breasts. They were large handfuls and he enjoyed squeezing them, lightly flicking the nipples and making her gasp.

"That's good…" She panted and Rocca was pleased to hear the desire in Nel's voice. Then she adjusted herself and he yelped in surprise and pleasure as she impaled herself on his length. The tight, grasping heat was simply amazing and so very unexpected. "Rocca…"

"Nel." He breathed her name as he began to take her, watching her breasts bounce as she rode him. Was this really happening or was he having an amazing wet dream? No, he would never have imagined this. "…" There were no words, so he concentrated on making this good for her. He wasn't a bad lover, and he would prove it.

Their bodies rose and fell together beneath the crescent moon of Hueco Mundo. It was a long, slow mating, both of them fully engaged in the sensations and not wanting it to end. But it had to. They couldn't keep it up forever and the pleasure built to a natural peak. Rocca made certain it was Nel who came first, her sweet cry of pleasure echoing over the empty plains. Then he let himself go, gripping her hips and taking her hard as he felt her insides tighten and clench around him. Stars danced behind his eyes as the moment of climax came over him, the pleasure that claimed all of his senses.

They lay together for a moment, spent and tired. But then Nel slowly pulled away, letting him slip out of her body. He muttered weakly in protest and she flashed him a grin, her cute little fangs glinting in the moonlight. Then, in a puff of purple smoke, he had a child on his chest.

"That was fun Unca-Rocca! That was lotsa fun!" Nel said excitedly and Rocca just stared at her for a moment before laughing and patting her head.

"And that went from amazing to horribly wrong in zero point five seconds." He said with good humor. It really was funny although it was extremely peculiar. Nel looked a bit hurt and Rocca cuddled her against his chest. "I love you Nel." It was easier to say that to a toddler, for some reason. Maybe because he would always love her as a cub. He still wasn't entirely sure about the woman, mainly because he wondered if she would love him. But they could find out.

"Love you too Rocca. Mmph! I'mma tired." Nel said before dropping her head onto his chest. Rocca yawned but stayed awake as the little one slept.

It was his duty to keep the watch.

Grimmjow looked at Ichigo with a frown.

They had been out here for three months. He was fairly sure of that, despite the time being so difficult to define. But it had been far too short for nine months and the shinigami was almost ready to give births. Panthers had a three month gestation so that looked likely.

Grimmjow bit his lip as Ichigo adjusted himself, trying to find a comfortable position. They'd puffed the ground as much as they could, fixed up the makeshift nest for him, but Grimmjow didn't like it. They were terribly exposed here. Every instinct wanted to go back to the mountains and take up Rocca's old den. That would be a fine spot to raise cubs, warm and comfortable and safe. But it wasn't safe, not really, not with the shinigami looking for them. How would the high reishi environment of the wastes affect them? Grimmjow smirked to himself. They were probably having a ton of fun with that.

The smirk faded, though, as he thought about the child. Ichigo was eating far too many reishi pills and they'd even caught a vasto lorde for him, letting him take the entire kill to feed the cub. That had done him a world of good but Grimmjow feared for him. The drain on his reiatsu after the child was born… would the pills be enough or would he require kills?

"Shit." Grimmjow mumbled to himself. This was an awful place to raise a cub. "Damn those shinigami freaks." If only they could go back to the mountains they would have plenty of adjuchas to pick through. The adjuchas in the sands were constantly moving in their effort to find prey and that inevitably brought them to the mountains. Most of them had no idea there was anything to be wary of and fell easily to the vasto lorde. Vasto lorde didn't hunt that much, either, unless they were raising cubs. So there was always plenty of prey.

"Don't worry Grimm. We'll make it work." Ichigo said with a smile before wincing. Grimmjow frowned and went to his side. The teen was all lean muscle, he'd actually lost what little fat he could claim in the pregnancy. The only thing soft about him was his distended abdomen. Grimmjow ran a hand over that taunt flesh before gently placing a kiss against it. He could feel the child flutter and sent him or her a gentle pulse of reiatsu. The little one responded with happiness and the arrancar grinned at the feeling. "Have you noticed something odd going on with Rocca and Nel?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow grimaced. He actually knew exactly what was going on. He could smell it all over them both.

"Eh. Don't worry about it." He advised. He was fairly sure the shinigami would freak. Nel did appear to be a little cub, after all. Of course she really wasn't but it was still odd as hell. Ichigo gave him a frown and Grimmjow patted his stomach. "Really, it's nothing important."

"Huh. Well I – " Ichigo paused, a strange look on his face. "…Grimm?" He said tentatively and Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow at him. "What does giving birth feel like?" He asked just as his stomach very obviously rippled. Grimmjow stared, his eyes going wide.

"Oh shit!" This was it. The time he'd see his first cub as a vasto lorde. It was going to be a singleton, they knew that already. It was easy to read in Ichigo's reiatsu. "I think it feels like that. Okay. You can do this." He forced himself to remain calm. He was the only one with experience, Ichigo wouldn't have a clue. The shinigami was looking at him all trusting again. Damn, that made things tough. "Hmm…" He quickly stripped off his jacket and called for Rocca and Nel. They both hurried over, concerned. "Rocca! Pass me your loincloth."

"I, uh, what?" The vasto lorde stammered and Grimmjow just gave him a look. He finally stripped it off, mumbling in embarrassment. Then he used the fabric to create a nice pad for Ichigo to kneel. The position Grimmjow knew best was hands and knees but that would hurt Ichigo's knees cruelly without some kind of padding. It had been different as a cat like adjuchas.

"I notice you made Rocca give up his pants but kept yours." Ichigo observed as he took Grimmjow's directions on position. The ex-Espada grinned.

"I'm the pack alpha. Privilege of rank. Although if you need 'em, they're going to be gone too." He said easily and Ichigo laughed, stripping away his own clothing and using it for his hands. The stone of the desert really was sharp and unpleasant.

The birth wasn't easy. Before long Grimmjow was gripping Ichigo's shoulders, letting the shinigami rest his weight against him. Sweat poured down that hard, toned body as he fought to bring their child into the world. His body had formed a vagina like passage, his balls vanishing to make room, just like any vasto lorde. Rocca was the most experienced of all of them and he quietly assured Ichigo that he was doing fine, the baby was coming and he just needed to keep pushing. Nel watched wide eyed, a thumb in her mouth as they urged the hybrid onward.

"Grimmjow, I don't know if I can." Ichigo sounded close to tears and Grimmjow nuzzled him, kissing his cheek and wishing he could drive the pain away. "It hurts so much, anh…" He panted harshly before groaning and tensing.

"You can do it Ichigo. You can do it." Grimmjow said, willing him not to give up. Birthing could be harder for vasto lorde just because they were more humanoid, and he knew shinigami could die in childbirth. But that wasn't going to happen to Ichigo. He was strong, he could take it. Then Rocca spoke encouragingly.

"I can see the head! You're almost there Ichigo. Keep going, you can do it." He said and Ichigo blinked before nodding tiredly, gathering his strength. Grimmjow held him as he went rigid, pushing strongly with the next contraction. "That got the shoulders! Just a bit more… ah!" There was some quick scrubbing followed by a very loud wail. Ichigo's eyes went wide and Grimmjow froze as they both heard the sound of their offspring. "I'll take care of the cord…" Rocca tied it off then bit through it. Ichigo yelped in surprise as his body expelled the afterbirth and Grimmjow laughed.

"Newbie." He teased gently, then winced as Ichigo scowled and punched him. It wasn't much of a punch, the teen was exhausted, but it got the point across. How was he to know there would be an afterbirth? "Rocca, can you take care of that?" He said as he gently helped Ichigo into a better position, the shinigami's back resting against his chest. Rocca was licking the cub off but he looked up with a nod.

"Sure." He passed the pup over and the new parents just looked at him for a moment. He was still wet, sticky and cranky from the birth but in most ways he was perfect. Ten fingers, ten toes, everything in all the right places. Definitely a boy, that was easy to see from the swollen privates. But the rest…

"He's… white?" Ichigo sounded a little confused and Grimmjow couldn't blame him. Their baby was white as snow. Black and gold eyes blinked up at them as the child started to calm.

"White or not, he's definitely ours. Look at those ears." Grimmjow reached down with a smile to stroke the child's ears. They were just like his resurrection, pointed and furry. The cub seemed to enjoy having them touched and looked absolutely blissful as he found a good spot and gave him a gentle scratch. "Although he doesn't look much like you. Maybe he's not yours." He added just to be a jackass and Ichigo yelped before punching him again.

"Oi! I just spent hours pushing him out, don't you dare say something like that!" He protested and Grimmjow laughed before kissing him on the cheek. That made his mate smile and cuddle up to him. "I love you Grimm. What are we going to name him?" He asked sleepily and Grimmjow frowned.

"I don't know." They'd been waiting to see what the child would look like before deciding on a name. But they hadn't anticipated this outcome. Where did all the white come from? The eyes were clearly from Ichigo's hollow, at least. "You go to sleep. We can figure it out tomorrow." He advised and Ichigo nodded, clearly close to passing out. Grimmjow adjusted the fabric around him before stripping off his pants and adding them to the pile. It wasn't like he needed clothes, they were a social convention. Plenty of vasto lorde went without. And he was going to make sure his cub and mate had all the comfort they could, in this barren waste.

They could name the cub tomorrow.

Author's Note: I have a few ideas for names but I'm taking suggestions! ^_^