Surrender

Shadow of an Echo

Chapter Seven

Open Your Heart

Kenpachi, for once in his life, was at a loss. The memory of their visit to the living world kept replaying in his head. Fuck he hated that. Straight forward was the way to live in his opinion, things didn't have to be complicated, if there was an enemy you fought it, if it was a lover you protected them. Easy.

Damn if a few freaking words hadn't sliced that to bits. First Ichigo's little sister challenges him to a task he had no fucking clue what he needed to do to satisfy her, and then Ichigo had to go and call them a family.

He'd say it again, fuck!

The emotion didn't scare him, that was his son and he wasn't going anywhere, and no matter how odd their relationship was to the common observer, he knew he loved Ichigo. That wasn't the problem. It was the word.

He'd meant what he said to Ichigo's father. He didn't know what a family was much less how to be in one. How in the hell did he fall into the role Ichigo wanted him to when he just didn't know how.

"I never thought I would say this, but you're thinking too much," Ichigo interrupted, settling down next to him on the porch overlooking the, for now, empty training yards. It was to be expected, what with being the middle of the night and all.

Kenpachi slung his arm around Ichigo, feeling the muscular body lean into him. "It's your family's fault." He grumbled.

Ichigo nodded, "I thought that might be it. Care to tell me why it has you so worked up?"

"I'm used tah knowing what people expect from me, now I don't have a fucking clue, and tah top it all off you've got my head spinning; I don't like it." He growled out, hating to admit weakness, only doing so because it was Ichigo asking,

The response he got did nothing to help his sour mood, Ichigo laughed, "Is that all?"

"Isn't it enough?" He just wanted things back to comfortable normalcy. Was that too much to ask?

"Would it help if I explained some of what my crazy family meant?" He got a nod accompanied by tinkling bells in response. "Karin is trying to help you. She doesn't pull punches; but she won't torture people. She challenges you because you would learn more figuring out the puzzle than you would if she just told you."

"But what she wants is something I already do, Yachiru is mine. Why would that change with a word?" His frustration was obvious, and Ichigo didn't like it one bit coming from his lover.

He had to put a stop to this, "Because words can turn a possession into a daughter." Ichigo pointed out bluntly, "I know you don't see Yachiru like that, but you have to admit all this talk about claiming and who belongs to whom sounds a whole lot like we are talking about trophies and not people."

"That's another thing I gotta ask," Kenpachi admitted.

Ichigo huffed a bit at this unanticipated stumbling block, he wanted his fierce bloodthirsty lover back, not this uncertain person he barely recognized, "What now?" He couldn't fathom what this could be about; nothing was going as he predicted.

"Ichigo, what's a family? Don't talk down on me, I know the words, but what do they mean?" Finally, he said it, the issue was out in the open now.

Ah, so that was the problem, at least now Ichigo knew how to handle the situation. In response to Kenpachi's question Ichigo grabbed his hand and sat it over their baby, "This is a family. The ones you live for, fight for, and want to protect with all you have. It is unconditional and irrevocable love. That is family."

"It's that simple?" Kenpachi asked, moving his hand around the curve of Ichigo's stomach, now much more obvious as he entered his sixth month, feeling their son kick.

Putting a hand over Kenpachi's Ichigo had to smile, "No it isn't simple. Families fight, we yell, and cry, sometimes smash things, it is not a simple thing to keep a family together. I know we can though. Goat Face was able to keep mine from flying apart after my mother died, and while sane is not the word I would use to describe him, or us to be honest, we are all safe and healthy."

"You really thing we can pull this off?" Kenpachi had never been nervous about raising their son, but it seemed they would be adding a dimension to it he hadn't counted on.

"Kenpachi you will be a great father, you have done amazing with Yachiru and you were alone raising her. I saw your face the first time I put your hand over him, you were about ready to burst with pride. You want him, just as much as I do, and I have watched you with Yachiru when you thought no one else was looking; you may not call her daughter but she is every bit your child. Also when you train your men, I can see the way you are devoted to making them better and stronger; I want that drive for our son." He assured before, "Now I want you to snap out of this; it isn't like you. I promised your men that if you started softening because of me, I would kick your ass. Please don't make me carry out the threat, because you know I will if I thought it was necessary."

The arm around Ichigo's shoulders tightened, as Kenpachi pulled himself together. "I ain't goin' soft, don't yah worry 'bout that, but you and our son come first. You're mine, and no, not a trophy."

Ichigo couldn't help the smirk, "Good cause I really would have to kick your ass."

Kenpachi matched Ichigo's smirk with a grin of his own, "I know. So that's what yah want, a try at being one of those real families?

"Kenpachi hate to break it to you, but we already are a real family, you just didn't know it." The smirk turned into full on laughter at that response, "You'd think I'd let Yachiru call me Mommy, and call our son her little brother, if we weren't a family?"

"Alright, I get it, don't got to rub it in," Kenpachi protested without any real force behind it.

"Come back to bed, it was lonely without you," Ichigo beckoned, Kenpachi following; never willing to turn him down.

XxxxX

Captain's in a much better mood today," Yumichika commented from his spot next to Ichigo, both of them observing the mammoth Captain slicing through his opponent with a maniacal grin on his face.

"I had to knock some sense into his skull. I knew my family would pull something like that but at the same time I didn't expect how much it was going to affect him." Ichigo admitted.

Yumichika laughed at that, "Yeah I remember your family. They could scare Aizen back into Heuco Mundo, did you even bother to warn him what you would be up against?"

A tiny smirk, "I sent him to Toushiro."

"You mean the most biased member of our group since he still has that crush on your little sister?" Now Yumichika was dangerously close to an unbeautiful snort he was laughing so hard.

"That's the one," Ichigo's smirk had grown until he looked like the cat that got the canary. "I knew he would focus on Karin; she is dangerous in her own way, but the truly difficult part about my family is all of us can team up together and scare the hell out of anyone. Yuzu disarmed him with kindness, Karin challenged him to think, and Dad went in for the kill. I was left to put him back together." Kenpachi had been braced for Karin's reaction as Ichigo had suspected he would be, but was unprepared for the multi-faceted attack.

"Sounds like smart tactics, so they even took down the Captain?" Yumichika watched another Shinigami fall under the serrated blade of Kenpachi's Zanpakuto and tried to imagine the trio of Kurosaki's completely dominating him. "Yeah I can see it, you are the only one here who can put Captain in his place; three of your relatives working together could manage to destroy him."

Ichigo nodded, "Yes but they didn't do it to hurt him, or humiliate despite what Kenpachi may think after his little breakdown last night, it was just the best way of getting through to him so he could start seeing what's between us for what it is."

"Tough love," Yumichika realized, "I guess that means they like him?"

Another nod, "Yeah, they wouldn't have gone to the trouble of correcting him if they had a reason to reject him. After all he is a good person, they would see that despite the scars. It was an attempt to smooth out a few rough edges so that the two of us fit together better. I kind of wished they had warned me what they were planning so I could have been prepared to handle him when we got back here though. There are only so many rough edges I am willing to see smoothed out, too many and he won't be my Kenpachi anymore."

"Good call," Yumichika agreed, "You chose him knowing full well who he is and what he is like, that shouldn't be messed with. May I ask what they were trying to do to him?"

"They were trying to make him understand that we are a family, Kenpachi really didn't know what that meant before now." Ichigo explained.

"Unfortunately that isn't uncommon when talking about people who grew up in the outlying districts of Rukongai. Ikkaku and I were lucky to be a few districts further in than Captain. It was still rough, but we didn't sleep in gutters full of blood either." Yumichika informed. "When you are scrapping together an existence out of that mire, family isn't a big item on the lists of things needed for survival. You have allies, friends, and enemies; but family is a little different. The fact Captain could keep the Lieutenant safe and with him all those years just proves how strong and determined he can be."

Ichigo took a moment to think about it, before his curiosity got the best of him, "How long were you and Ikkaku together out in the Rukon?"

"Hmm, hard to remember, it's not that I forgot how we met, it's the when. It's been so long. I guess it's been about a century and a half since we met. About 60 or so years of that were spent with just the two of us, though Ikkaku did fight Captain a few years before we found him again here." Yumichika tried to remember, but in the life they lead; it just wasn't important to keep track of years. He wanted to focus on remembering events rather than dates.

"Did you fight Kenpachi too?" Ichigo asked, after hearing Ikkaku had come up against him before any of them had stepped foot in the Seireitei.

"No, it was Ikkaku's turn to fight." Yumichika replied easily, leaning back against the wall and letting his hand rest on his slightly curved stomach, "We took turns, any money we had was from placing bets on our fights. Interestingly enough I won more money than Ikkaku; for some reason more people were willing to bet against me than him, I guess they saw my beauty and not the danger."

Ichigo figured he was safe enough asking his next question, only because he was talking to the more relaxed Yumichika, if that was hot-headed Ikkaku he wouldn't chance it, "Who is actually stronger, you or Ikkaku?"

A slight sigh, "I used to be, not sure now that he has a Bankai. I wanted to keep my Shikai secret, so I didn't practice enough to achieve my own second release; that's also the real reason Ikkaku is in Third and I am Fifth seat. When we first got here, by all rights I should have gotten Third seat. Instead I told Ikkaku he should take it since he is the more vicious of the two of us. Truly I knew if I was Third seat I would have far more difficulty hiding my Shikai from everyone. The higher you are in the hierarchy the more you are called on to fight."

Now Ichigo was curious about something else, "How did you hide your Shikai, even from Ikkaku?"

"I didn't need my true Shikai to beat him," Yumichika admitted, "My false one was enough. It's small though, and my Zanpakuto hates that form so I get no backup from him whatsoever. I doubt I can beat Ikkaku without the true one anymore."

Too bad they were interrupted before Yumichika could say anything else. "What's goin' on? You've got something hidden away don't yah? Thought so, but yah can really beat my Third with it?" Kenpachi strode up to them, chest bare, Zanpakuto resting casually on his shoulder with a few smears of blood still staining it.

"Captain!" Yumichika was flushed as red as the flowers on his Kimono, "I, um, ah, don't know what you're talking about!" He stuttered out, wincing at how ungraceful he sounded.

"Bullshit, spill it, you've been holdin' back haven't yah?" Kenpachi accused, a hint of command in his tone and stance.

Yumichika couldn't hold up under the weight of his Captain's stare, replying quietly, "Yes."

"Tch, I thought I taught yah better than that. Why the fuck are you holding back?" Kenpachi continued to push, Ichigo watching him carefully ready to intervene should the questioning get too intense; as it was he felt confessing his Shikai would be a step in the right direction for Yumichika.

"My Zanpakuto, it well, it has more power than I show, but you won't like it." Yumichika answered softly, touching the purple wrapped hilt of his sword lightly as he spoke. Both Ichigo and Yumichika still carried their Zanpakuto, it was just too ingrained a habit not to.

Kenpachi figured it out, "It's a Kido blade, isn't it?"

Yumichika couldn't form the right words, only nodding, not raising his eyes from the wooden flooring.

Ready for everything from anger to expulsion Yumichika braced himself for his Captain's response, the loud laughter catching him off guard. "So what? You fight damn hard without it, might as well see what you can do with it."

"I thought you hated Kido Shikais?" Yumichika chanced asking, raising his head up again.

"I do, but not for why yah think." Kenpachi responded with a shrug, "I hate the wimps that rely on their sword more than themselves. Yah haven't done that or I would have seen it by now. So show me what you got Fifth." Kenpachi's enlightening little talk ended with a command.

"The baby?" Yumichika mentioned quietly, not sure about this.

Kenpachi huffed, "I ain't gonna hurt your kid, Ichigo would skin me alive." The Visored nodding in agreement, eyes trained on Kenpachi in warning.

"Fine I will show you," Yumichika finally agreed, rising from where he was sitting. "Please, don't hurt her." Yumichika reiterated.

"How bout this, you fight me your way, and I won't come anywhere near your stomach. This is about seein' your power, nothing more. I ain't gonna beat yah senseless like I did those cowards." He gestured with the tip of his Zanpakuto to the bloodstained sand.

Yumichika nodded, following Kenpachi into the arena, Ichigo sitting up to get a better look since he had never actually seen Yumichika use his Shikai.

As he promised, this time Kenpachi did not immediately go on the offensive, letting Yumichika charge at him, already calling his release phrase so he could get this over with quickly, "Split and Deviate, Rui'iro Kujaku!" The beautiful array of bright blue tendrils emanated from his blade, stretching towards Kenpachi, who soon discovered trying to slash through them only got you trapped.

"What the fuck is it doing?" Kenpachi hollered as he felt his vast well of Spirit Pressure start to drain away. Flowers began to bud along the lengths of the blue tendrils encircling him, draining him further.

"Rui'iro Kujaku drains the Spirit Pressure from my opponent, weakening them, and once those flowers bloom I can consume them and receive a boost of energy and power from the trapped Spirit Pressure within the petals." Yumichika explained, finishing up just as his flowers spread their petals wide; he plucked one off and ate it to show the increase in power he could get from one. Except he had never drained someone as powerful as Kenpachi, the intensity of the infusion nearly had him swooning.

He cancelled the release, sheathing his Zanpakuto as Kenpachi ended up with one knee on the ground, trying to catch his breath. "Fuck I've never felt this drained before, that's some wicked power you have."

Yumichika managed a small smile, glad his Captain had kept his promise and not attacked potentially hurting his baby, and grateful for the compliment instead of the expected anger. "Thank you Captain," He responded greatly as Kenpachi managed to get back on his feet.

"Keep that tucked away, use it when yah need it; but it's tah be a last resort. I see yah usin' it more than yah should and I'll have tah punish yah," Kenpachi warned.

"Punish?" Yumichika asked warily.

"You'd have to watch Yachiru for as long as I ask. Could be a day, or a week." Kenpachi kind of enjoyed how pale his subordinate got from hearing that.

"How much is too much?" If that was the punishment he never wanted to overstep his boundary; Yachiru was damn near uncontrollable without Kenpachi or Ichigo around.

"If your life ain't on the line, find another way. I will extend that tah your family as well. The minute I see it without prompting, it's babysitting time," Kenpachi outlined with a grin at the end.

"I'm just glad to still be in the squad," Yumichika admitted.

Kenpachi slung his Zanpakuto back onto his shoulder, before responding, "I don't throw away good warriors, yah gotta remember that. Yah follow the rules and yah stay."

Yumichika nodded, letting his body relax at knowing his place in the squad was safe.

The duo went back to the porch, and the waiting Ichigo, "Nice work Yumichika, didn't think I'd see anyone else make him hit the sand."

"It was only one knee," Yumichika reminded.

Ichigo snorted, "And you should know perfectly well how hard that is. When was the last time you remember him even going that far down when it wasn't me fighting him?"

"Good point," Yumichika replied, realizing Ichigo was right, it had been so long he couldn't remember. Though Ikkaku had come close a couple of times.

"Yeah, yah got lucky cause I promised to let yah fight first. Next time yah won't be so lucky." Kenpachi broke in, wanting to make it clear.

"Next time?" Yumichika asked incredulously.

"You really think I'm going to let a power like that go tah waste? Nah, you'll help me train until I can break through that thing." Kenpachi explained.

"But I thought you said…?" Yumichika trailed off, not sure how far he could push the Captain before being called out for insubordination.

Kenpachi realized what he was getting at anyway. "That yah couldn't use it? I meant in battle, trainin' is different. If I order it, yah can do it."

"Ikkaku? Can I train with him too?" That was a little much to hope for he suspected, but there was no harm in asking.

He was surprised when his Captain nodded, "Yeah, yah can train with him. He still wants tah beat me someday, yah can help him get there faster. I've waited a long time for that fight."

"Thank you," There was so much enthusiasm behind this words, both Ichigo and Kenpachi ended up looking at his strangely. "What? I haven't fought against him with both of us full strength in such a long time. I like fighting him, and I've missed it."

"Damn Ichigo, they're just like us," Kenpachi noticed.

The Visored nodded, "Yeah I've noticed that too."

"I think I'm going to head home now, I want to tell Ikkaku about this." Yumichika excused himself, excited to see the look on Ikkaku's face when he let him know what was going on. It had been Ikkaku that said before that maybe he should let the Captain know about his Shikai, but Yumichika hadn't wanted to take the risk.

"Well, Ichigo, I have an idea, come with me." Kenpachi offered his hand to help Ichigo to his feet. Their son wasn't too big yet, but it was enough to throw off his balance if he didn't pay attention.

"What are you up to?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"I wanted tah try something, and I wanted yah to see it." Kenpachi would only admit that much.

Ichigo didn't even have a chance at guessing correctly, so he kept silent and let Kenpachi lead him away from the barracks. He still didn't have a clue when Kenpachi stopped at a seemingly random building, telling him to wait outside for a minute.

Then all of a sudden he was attacked by a blur of pink and black, Yachiru latching herself onto him, being surprisingly careful for the normally rambunctious girl.

"I thought it would be good tah spend some time together, and Unohana did say you should be moving around tah keep yourself fit." The slight shudder accompanying his mention of the Squad Four Captain was still a source of glee. There was one other person that Kenpachi feared in the Seireitei that wasn't Ichigo, and that was Retsu.

"What did you have in mind?" Ichigo asked curiously, reaching down to ruffle Yachiru's hair since she was still hugging him.

Kenpachi shrugged, "Yachiru and I usually just get lost and see where it takes us, wanna try that?"

"So, the whole getting lost thing, that's on purpose?" Ichigo asked, a bit stunned.

"Well yes and no," Kenpachi admitted, "I can't trace Spiritual Pressure at all, mine clouds it; remember how you used to be? I'm still like that. Doesn't help with finding my way out of the maze. We don't mind being lost though, so haven't really attempted to learn all the streets."

"Ah so that explains it," Ichigo noted, "Sounds like a nice way to pass the time to me, so let's go get lost."

Thus the three of them spent the evening wandering around the Seireitei, bugging various Captains, and visiting the Visoreds briefly. All of which managed to say at least once how nice it was to see them all together.

Ichigo was very tired by the time they got back home, he had enjoyed the day, but he could really use a nice comfortable bed right then. Kenpachi, realizing this, headed for their room. Although he pulled a move that shocked Ichigo, he turned to Yachiru and called her in with them.

"Mommy Ichi! Kenny said I can stay!" She cheered, plopping down on the futon next to Ichigo.

"I see that Yachiru, I'm glad," He pulled her close and started stroking a hand through her hair, the little girl practically purring at the affectionate attention.

"About that Yachiru, yah already call him Mommy, if you want tah yah can call me father, or somethin' like that." Kenpachi dropped the final bomb on them, and it took Ichigo's breath away; that was until Yachiru let out a happy little squeal and disentangled herself from him, launching herself into Kenpachi's arms. "Papa Kenny!" She proclaimed happily, arms locked in a vice grip around his neck.