When you mess with fate

Chapter 17

A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters. If I did... Never mind…

"Chire, Senbonzakura..."

Millions of glowing sakura petals floated in the air between the shikai wielder and his target – the man who impregnated his little sister 49 years ago.

"Do not activate yours, Ichigo," Renji warned from behind the recent migrant.

Ichigo's fist tightened around the hilt of his sword as he kept his eyes on Byakuya's hand, which was holding his bladeless katana. "Then, what am I supposed to do? Let myself get chewed by flowers? That's going to be embarrassing," he said, grinding his teeth at the words.

"I don't care. Ise-fukutaichou..."

"Kurosaki Ichigo." And there it was – the voice of thunder before the floral storm.

Ichigo huffed, "Byakuya."

"We shall begin."

"Begin what?"

Ichigo could see that the petals were restless. They needed somewhere to go. They were just waiting for Byakuya to flick his wrist in the direction he wanted them to attack. Knowing Byakuya, he wouldn't strike a defenceless opponent.

"Don't test my patience, boy," Byakuya snarled, in a Kuchiki Byakuya way – the usual stoic, aristocratic expression still in his voice and on his face.

"I can't," Ichigo finally said, unsure if he should take being called 'boy' as an insult or a compliment. He was, after all, a 66-year-old man. He felt his fingers itching towards his katana but he had already been warned against summoning his shikai until he had seen Kurotsuchi, and the wrath of Ise Nanao was the last thing he wanted to deal with. That female shinigami could be worse than the late Unohana-taichou.

Byakuya sent the petals at him anyway. Guess he didn't care that his opponent was defenceless; especially because said opponent was Kurosaki Ichigo who impregnated his sister 49 years ago.

Renji watched his friend shunpo away from his captain's pretty weapons. It was kind of embarrassing – an overgrown man getting chased by flowers. He sighed and crawled to a corner of the training ground. Sorry, man. I don't think I'm allowed to help you with this one, he thought. He could barely help himself. Ichigo had really done a number on him. Without his shikai. Speaking of embarrassment…

"Byakuya, could we just talk like well-educated, civil adults?" Ichigo yelled over the sound of sharp petals slicing through his skin. He didn't want to fight because it would not solve anything. He wanted to talk because he wanted to see Rukia. It didn't matter if she still had feelings for him. He just wanted them to start over; at least be friends again.

Another graceful swipe of Byakuya's sword sent the petals nipping at Ichigo. The orange-haired shinigami leapt above the pink dots swarming like bees towards him. This fight with the cherry blossoms gave him a feeling of nostalgia. The first time it happened, he was here to save Rukia. He recalled the smile she gave him after that which was the reason why he wanted so much to save her.

Who am I kidding? It does matter if she still has feelings for me, he told himself. He wanted to see that smile again, and he wanted to be the reason for it. Disregarding the painful piercing of the tiny swords through his skin – blood spraying out of every cut, Ichigo flash-stepped towards Byakuya.

The flower wielder's eyes widened when he realised a little too late how fast Ichigo was charging in his direction and how the former ryoka had come to invade his mushoken – the woundless zone that was within 85cm radius of his personal space. His astoundment caused him to lose control of his zanpakutou; the petals immediately dropping to the ground behind Ichigo like dry leaves.

Hands on his knees, Ichigo tried to catch his breath and continued to ignore the pain around his body. He looked up at Byakuya who was staring back at him, his eyes unreadable as usual.

"What do you know about being educated and civil," he scoffed as his zanpakutou reverted to its passive state. "I have nothing to say to you, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"But I have something to say to you. I want to see Rukia," Ichigo said, his heartbeat gradually returning to normal.

"No."

Ichigo stood upright, wincing as the fabric of his shihakusho slid across his wounds with every movement. "Why not?"

"You have caused her too much trouble in the past," Byakuya replied.

"You mean, Ichika?" Ichigo deadpanned.

Byakuya narrowed his eyes at the mention of his niece's name. He then, threw a heated glare at the redhead who was almost curled up at the far end of the training ground. Renji felt a chill running down his spine. Of course, he would be the first suspect.

"I found out from my adopted son. Ichika went to see him," Ichigo was quick to clarify. He didn't want his friend to get into trouble with his captain.

Bastard... Renji scorched a scowl at the blazing orange. Why did he ask me if Ichika knew about him, then?

"Hn." Byakuya returned to glowering at the man directly in front of him. He thought about the state his sister was in and realised that Rukia never really did tell him why she was depressed. She only said she had ruined many lives. As much as he hated to admit it, Ichigo could possibly be the one who could snap her out of her self-reproach. He had done it before.

Ichigo might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed but even he could tell that Byakuya's resolve at keeping him away from his sister was wavering.

"When I said trouble, I was not implying Ichika in any way," the clan head began. "That niece of mine is her mother's hope and joy. If it were not for you, Rukia would not have conceived her. Only noble souls are capable of pro-creating, and Rukia certainly does not possess the noble blood."

Ichigo felt smug about it but he wasn't going to show it. He had a feeling he was closer to getting what he was asking for. And being a smart arse would probably ruin his chance.

"You are allowed to see Rukia," Byakuya continued. "But only if she is willing to see you."

"Renji-san," Ichika greeted as she slid open the door to her living quarters at the Second Division. Ever since her promotion as a fukutaichou, she had moved out of her mother's place at the 13th Division. Rukia herself, finding it rather lonely there sometimes, would spend her weekends at the Kuchiki manor these days.

Renji stepped inside the home that used to be resided by Omaeda Marechiyo, the former fukutaichou of the Second Division. After the war with the Quincy, the Onmitsukido Corps had decided to take Omaeda out of the Second Division so he could completely focus on the Patrol Corps section of the Onmitsukido as its commander. They needed to increase the security at the Seiretei in case a threat like Yhwach showed up again.

Ichika was the perfect candidate to take his place as a fukutaichou under Sui-Feng-taichou, who had considered the girl as her star apprentice. The captain always thought Ichika reminded her of someone. "As much as I hate that ryoka boy, he used to be one of those rare cases who became powerful very fast and took all his battles seriously. You seem to resemble him in that way, Ichika-chan," Sui-Feng had said during one of their meetings. The young girl had never seen Kurosaki Ichigo fight before. She couldn't picture herself being similar to him in any way. In fact, her captain's words made her feel awkward.

"Are you free this evening, Ichika?" Renji asked, looking around the living room before settling his gaze on the girl who took his name.

"I just got back but I don't have any appointments later," she replied.

"Want to take a walk with your old Ji-san?"

Ichika nodded with an excited look, taking the arm Renji offered. When she was a little girl, the redhead would take her out on walks to the Rukongai so Rukia could get her paperwork done.

It was during one of these walks when the five-year-old Ichika brought up the fact that the two of them looked different from each other and wondered if he really was her father. Surprised and not knowing what to do, Renji had taken her back to her mother who had confirmed Ichika's suspicion. When she asked who her biological father was, Rukia explained that she couldn't find out or she would be taken away. That was the first and only time Renji saw fear in Ichika's eyes. She clung to her mother tightly and told her she promised she would never ask again because she didn't want to be separated from Rukia. It was a heart-wrenching sight. The petite shinigami who was still the fukutaichou of the 13th Division then, had tried to lay the news on the girl as gently as she could but it was a scary thing for a little girl to find out at that age.

Renji and Ichika settled themselves on the grass when they reached an open field somewhere between the Seireitei and the First District. Far out ahead of them, the sky seemed to have connected with the green grass at the horizon. Except for the sight of a roof about a quarter of a mile away, this whole place was just a vast empty piece of land.

"You know about Ichigo." Renji voiced, breaking the silence.

Ichika sighed. "Yes, Renji-san. Okaa-san told me about it last year."

"You don't want to see him?" he asked.

"I want to," she said. "I've told you before, remember? That I've always wanted to know whom my real father was. And now that I do, I'm not sure if Okaa-san would be okay with me going to see him. She's been so down lately. I don't want to add to her anxiety."

"He has been trying to talk to her but she's been avoiding him."

Ichika nodded. "I think it's got something to do with Orihime-san's letter. Kazui told me his mother wrote a letter to Okaa-san and it was after she had read it that she started closing up."

"You know, there was a time when your mother was caught in a period of guilt after her previous fukutaichou died," Renji began. "And there was a time when your father was also depressed about the death of his own mother. When the two of them met, they seemed to have filled the void in each other that was caused by their losses. Being together as partners helped wash away their guilt and boost their self-confidence and strength."

Ichika gazed at her father figure. She had never seen him so serious before. "So you think I should talk to Kurosaki-san?" she asked.

Renji flinched at the way she addressed her real father. "You're going to have to work on that."

The brunette snickered. "I know. But it'll be weird. I've always felt like I shouldn't be too familiar with him. I couldn't even call him by his first name the way I do with Karin-obachan, Yuzu-obachan, and all the other human friends of yours. I was afraid it would trigger something deep within Okaa-san and upset her somehow. I didn't know what it was, but I could see it in the way they tried not to be in the same room together, alone or otherwise. When they talked, they wouldn't even engage in any sort of eye contact but they bickered anyway. I thought it was some conflict they had in the past that caused the awkwardness between them. I thought maybe Okaa-san had visited them because of her human friends and they only put up with each other to keep the peace."

Renji smirked with pride as Ichika spoke. She really was a smart woman. Definitely got that from her mother. Because between him, Strawberry, and Rukia, the short stuff had always been the quick-witted one.

"But now I know. And I'm certain that they really did put with each other to keep the peace. Only that it was the peace among their friends, not between the two of them. I suppose they're given the opportunity to work at it now, if only they could put their stubborn selves aside," Ichika concluded, picking on the blades of grass around her. She used to collect them and line them up on a piece of cloth. Being the hyperactive person that she had always been, she was too restless to get into a jinzen. Somehow lining grass on a cloth and rearranging them to make patterns helped calm her down enough to go into meditation. That's how she first got to contact her zanpakutou earlier on in her Academy days.

"He wants to see you," Renji said.

"Is that why you brought me here?" Ichika smiled, nodding at the building structure up ahead.

Renji chuckled. "Nothing gets by you, Ichika-fukutaichou."

Ichika joined in the laughter, leaning her head on Renji's shoulder. Her surrogate father wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him. "Are you going to be all right with this?" she asked, her voice almost inaudible.

The redhead placed a fatherly kiss on her forehead. "Remember our talk after that argument you had with your mother about that guy classmate of yours?"

Ichika groaned in annoyance, "Now, I do." A senior male student whom she had had a huge crush on had asked her out when she was in her third year at the academy. Rukia did not allow her to go, resulting in a huge squabble between the mother and the daughter. When Ichika stormed out of their home, she ran into Renji, who helped convince Rukia that it would be all right and he would chaperone their date. Of course, he didn't deliver his part of the deal. Instead, he had told Ichika and the boy that he trusted them and would leave them alone as long as they promised to behave. Their relationship didn't work out, and as expected, Renji didn't have to do anything about the boy because Ichika had set the poor guy's kimono on fire with a medium-level hado combined with her zanpakutou's black flame.

Renji smirked. "I've probably never been anywhere near what a father should be to you. I'm more like an uncle, your mother's brother. The cooler one, of course. Not the uptight, 'thou shalt obey my rules' one."

The girl laughed aloud as the image of Byakuya crossed her mind.

"But, you will always be my little girl. Even if you have to change your family name some time in the future. You were Abarai Ichika first," he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

"You know biologically, I was a Kurosaki first, right?" Ichika taunted, nudging her elbow at his side.

"Tsk." Renji rolled his eyes. "You're just like your parents. Always out to spoil the moment. And no, biologically, you're in fact, a Shiba. Your grandfather decided to take his wife's name when he exiled himself to the human world."

Ichika sighed, "That is going to take some serious getting used to on my part. I'm a confused child."

"You'll live, I'm sure. You're crazy enough," Renji said, ruffling the ponytail that was similar to his.

"Hmph..."

"Well, look what we have here? My newly-discovered mei-chan coming home to have dinner. You are going to love my cooking, unlike your easily-bored Otou-san who has been spoiled by his sister's home-cooked meals," Kuukaku welcomed Ichika with open arms when the latter arrived at the Shiba home.

Taken aback by the familial gesture, Ichika patted the back of her aunt awkwardly while struggling to breathe as she was crushed into the generous bosom. "Konbawa, oba-san."

"Let her go, Kuukaku-san. You're suffocating the girl," Ichigo said from behind the older woman.

She rolled her eyes as she let Ichika go. "She's a Shiba. She wouldn't die easily."

Ignoring his cousin, Ichigo flashed a small smile at the brunette. "Yo."

"K-konbawa, K-kuro..." she stuttered.

"Ah..." Ichigo interrupted, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew it would be awkward for Ichika at the moment. He turned his gaze towards the guy behind his daughter. "Thanks for bringing her here, Renji."

The redhead nodded, smirking at the father and daughter. "See you around, squirt," he said, lightly pressing Ichika's head with his big palm.

The younger fukutaichou gave him a nervous smile, watching her adoptive father flash-step away from the manor.

"Okay, I'm not going to interfere with your reunion. You can even stay the night here, mei-chan. Plenty of room in this house. The old man likes to provide accommodation for people, as always," Kuukaku said before she left the two alone at the doorway.

Ichigo jerked his head at the inside of the house. "Come on in and make yourself at home."

A few minutes later, Ichika found herself in a small dining room with a low table enough for four people. Ichigo came in with a huge tray of food prepared by Kuukaku. She felt at home immediately when she watched him sit across from her and began placing the dishes on the table like what she would usually see a servant in the Kuchiki household do.

Ichigo raised his brows when he caught her smile. "Something amuses you?" he asked.

The girl's throat rumbled a nervous snigger. "Yeah, because you shouldn't be serving your guests. You're the heir to a noble clan. And by protocol, I should be the one serving you."

Pausing his task, Ichigo tilted his head and eyed sideways at his daughter. "Are you lecturing me about how to behave as a noble?"

"Uh..." she stammered.

Ichigo chuckled. "I'm just kidding, Ichika. I don't remember you being so rigid when you visited us in the human world."

Ichika sighed in relief. She had never experienced what a real father was. According to Kazui, Ichigo was always very stern with him. "Sorry, Kuro... err, Otou-san. I'm sorry I need to get used to this. I know it's only right that I should address you appropriately."

"It's fine. I don't expect anything like that from you. And I understand. This is all very new to me, too. And if you're not comfortable at any time, you have to tell me. I'm not the kind of noble person who would shut you up for being disrespectful," Ichigo said, placing their bowls of rice on the table.

Ichika smiled as she clasped her hands together and bowed. "Itadakimasu," she exclaimed before picking up her bowl and chopsticks.

The father and daughter enjoyed their meal with an easy conversation, mostly about Ichika's experience as a Shinō Academy student and a shinigami.

After the dinner, Ichigo showed her around the Shiba estate where the small temporary clinic was located next to a Japanese garden for the patients to have a walk in while waiting. There was a big building under-construction, separated by a fence, which Isshin would later turn into a medical centre.

"You are a totally different class of nobles," Ichika commented as they walked across a small bridge in the middle of the garden. "It defies everything I learnt from the Kuchiki clan."

Ichigo snorted. "Those elders..."

They stopped at the top of the bridge, overlooking the koi pond beneath them. "I hate them," she blurted. "I heard they treated Okaa-san like trash when she first came into the clan. But she hardly ever complains about the pressure they still put on her. When I was born, they didn't want to accept me. If not for Byakuya-ojisan and Renji-san, Okaa-san wouldn't have been able to keep me."

Ichigo's fist clenched over the railing of the bridge. He resented the Elders of the Kuchiki clan. But more than anything, he hated himself for not being here for Rukia when she was fighting to keep Ichika. "I wish I was around for the both of you," he muttered.

"Okaa-san told me why you couldn't be here. It seemed as if you were both tricked by fate," she remarked, giving the man next to her a sympathetic gaze.

Ichigo smiled sadly at her. "Can't change the past. But I hope I'll be able to make it up to you and your mother soon. If she would let me."

"I don't know what's gotten her so upset," Ichika said, deciding not to mention Orihime's letter to him. "Oji-san told me she's blaming herself for ruining some people's lives. I'm not sure what he means but he said you might be able to get her out of it."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, feeling skeptical about what the girl just said. "Which Oji-san do you mean now? It's not Byakuya, right?"

Ichika snickered and her father noticed that she got her smile from her mother. "I do mean Byakuya-ojisan."

"No way..."

She nodded, still laughing.

"Did you drug him or something?"

"If he were under the influence, then it would make his statement all the more true, don't you think?"

Ichigo scoffed.

A few moments of comfortable silence later, Ichika said she needed to head home and turn in for the night. As much as she would love to take up Kuukaku-obasan's offer to stay the night, she must go back to her barracks, as she would have an early start the next day.

"I'll walk you home," Ichigo proposed.

The girl nodded and they both took a slow walk back to the Second Division barracks as Ichigo told her stories of how he used to walk back to the Kurosaki Clinic with her mother after school, and how they would get into petty arguments all the way home. He realised how he had missed those days when she would kick and scream at him. And those drawings… And her climbing up to his bedroom window… And how she used to shove his shinigami form out of his body with that glove…

"Thank you, erm... Tou-san, for the dinner and for bringing me home," Ichika said, breaking his reverie as they neared the entrance of her quarters.

Ichigo nodded, secretly feeling elated about the way she had addressed him. "It was a pleasure having you over. We should definitely do this again. You can drop by any time. The Shiba manor is your home, too. Your sofu would've gone crazy if he had known you were coming over."

"Where is he, anyway?" Ichika asked with a chuckle.

"He's back at the human world for a while. He misses the twins and their families," Ichigo replied.

The fukutaichou nodded. They were right in front of her door now. "Well, oyasumi-nasai, Tou-san," she said with a bow.

"Oyasumi-nasai," Ichigo nodded.

Before Ichika had even touched the shoji door, it slid open to reveal her mother at the doorway in her usual rigid stance and expressionless face.

"Where were you, Ichika?"

I've posted this on tumblr but I'm going to say it here, too:

Somebody posted once that 'Ichika' also means 'strawberry' or something like that. I don't know how I would feel about my wife naming our son after another man she shared her soul with once upon a time. I think it would be a huge blow to my ego. Sorry, Ren. Kubo fucked you up. He even muted you in 686.

Thanks for the reviews! If I have not replied you, I'll do that in a bit.