A/N: Well, minna, you're in luck! The same issue that caused me to miss a week of updating is making me post this chapter early. I'm going in for surgery tomorrow to have my gallbladder removed, and I don't know if I'll be up to posting on Saturday. If all goes well I'll be home, I just don't know what my energy level is going to be. So, here you go! The last chapter of Part 2. Part 3 starts next week. Warning, FLUFF!

The end of the week came much faster than anyone wanted, and in spite of sleeping better than he had in months, Gin couldn't shake the foreboding cloud hanging over his head. Literally. In reflection of his anxiousness over Renji going back to work, his mist cloud had taken to being a dark, ugly summer-storm grey-green, hovering just over the kitsune's head. Spending most of his time the last several days in his nest with his mate, no one had really noticed it, but the morning of the day War had to leave, the pair were in the kitchen, and the little cloud was quietly raining on the floor. Since it had been doing so for the last hour, the oven had brought a bucket over to catch the water.

The redhead was stroking his mate's hair, trying to soothe him and get in as many cuddles and touches as he could before he had to go. He couldn't put it off—a new battle had just erupted on a new front, and this time he couldn't say 'fuck work' as he had been lately.

"I'll be back soon," he coaxed.

"B-but I'm so close...another month an' they could be here at any time...why d'ya hafta go personally? They were doin' just fine on their own b'fore ya Woke up." The kitsune grumbled, tucking his nose into his favorite spot.

Renji held him closer. "That's just it…they weren't doin' fine without me…they won't…er can't…stop. I hafta go personally 'cuz I'm th' only one that c'n make 'em stop. If there ain't no wars, I c'n stay home, but...an' I'm tryin' ta wrap shit up as quick as I can," he said softly, rubbing his belly lightly. "I'll be back...'fore month's end, I promise. I wanna be 'ere when ya kit."

"The end of the conflict may not be that simple, War." Ichigo's voice entered their conversation, as the King ducked through the plastic sheet hiding whatever it was he was doing in the former chapel. "I've had Famine and Conquest investigate the skirmish. I think you'd better go and do an assessment." His expression was solemn. "I don't want to disrupt your time together but this looks bad. I have an idea how to balance your time management problem, but I need an accurate reading of how fast it takes you to get there and back again. I'll wait here with Gin until you get back."

The Jester bit his lip. "Now?"

"Yes, it would be preferable." The orangette's eyebrows drew together in an apology.

Renji's shoulders slumped, but he unwound his arms from his fox and nodded. "Alright."

His wire wings flared, and between the long metal blades his magic strung in solid sheets, making them look like phoenix wings. His brought them down in a hard flap, and with the buzz of Demonic Flit, he was gone. It took nearly half an hour to get there and back, even at his top speed, and when he returned he leaned on the counter sweating, panting, and wheezing. Flit was an emergency technique, and not meant to be used for long distances nor extended periods, and even War's toughened, strong body didn't escape the effects of using it longer than it was meant to be utilized.

"That's what I was afraid of. There's no help for it. I'll be right back." The King left the kitchen in search of his own quarters.

Gin waddled over to his mate, "Are ya ok?" He scanned the redhead for signs of injury, physical or otherwise.

One of his wings, up near the secondary joint, was bent all out of shape, and he'd torn a few tendons and ligaments, plus was now suffering extreme muscle exhaustion, but other than that he was alright. Except...the flicker of his magic, extremely low, indicated he'd run into something.

"What happened!?" The kitsune ran his hands over the physical injuries, pulling from their Ley Line combined with his natural healing abilities, just like he had when the redhead had collapsed after that very first fight.

Renji sighed, relaxing into the healing as he always did, though he winced when the wing screeched upon being straightened out. "Jus' as I was arrivin' some crazy fucker blew hisself up," he admitted with a little hiss. "I kinna...got caught in th' blast."

The fox was about to translate his growling insults when the King returned, his own mate in tow. The blunette looked a bit worse for wear, dark shadows under his eyes but a determined cast to his chin that almost over-shadowed the way his frame looked tired.

"Alright. I have a solution but it's going to take some doing. Grimm will go with you tonight and between the two of you, I want you to warp the conflict so that Conquest can take your place when you need to be back here for Gin."

"I c'n do tha', but c'n he?" The Second pointed at the First, who was looking rather like he did after that three-day bender with no sleep and two pounds of coffee that one time during Finals Week.

The panther scrubbed under his eyes self-consciously. "M' fuckin' fine, Red," he grunted, irritated.

"He's been pushing himself." Ichigo frowned at his lover. "But he's cut his Flit time down to fifteen minutes there and back again. So, he can run for you if we need you here or if they need you there, without much disruption between the two places. So, short of giving him a Directive, I can't stop him from going."

Gin looked from one vibrant feline to the other, and though part of him purred, he felt the same way as his lover. "Are ya sure ya c'n handle it, Kitty? Ya look...eh..." His ears drooped and he bit his lip in worry.

"O' course," the blunette's voice was gentler as he spoke to the Jester, instinctively being kinder because the smaller male was pregnant, "I'm fuckin' Conquest. Nothin' I can't take."

Then he grinned and kissed his own mate, long and hard and forcefully. When he broke for air moments later, he looked visibly perked and restored, eyes sparkling.

"Mmm. See? Feelin' betta a'ready," he chuckled.

The orangette made a squeak and his eyes crossed for a minute after he was released. Then he let himself shiver and the corner of his mouth curled up in an expression the First liked to call 'kissed stupid'. "Ah...yeah...Heee."

The kitsune giggled. "Ok, I get it." He rolled his eyes and cuddled up to his own feline. "Big, strong, Kitty. But...don'tcha have stuff ta work out?" He turned his gaze upwards to peer at the redhead, "Especially if yer gonna hafta deal wi' idjit's like th' fucker who blew ya up. That is...if yer actually ok now."

"M'fine," the Second assured with a small kiss to the top of his husband's head, "ya fixed me up good 'n proper, darlin'. Me'n Conquest c'n get it all straightened," he grinned with a purr.

Grimmjow chuckled and nuzzled the King proudly. "Tha's m' man. Anyway, when we doin' this?"

"If yer leavin' t'night...fer a bit...I gotta talk ta Ichi-kun 'bout som'thin'." The kitsune tried not to sound either depressed, or like he was hiding something. He failed at both, but gave the felines a pointed look that meant 'go away.'

Both Horsemen weren't about to push the pregnant man. They gave each other a look, shuddered, and disappeared with a buzz to allow the two mates to talk privately. They went to the hot springs beneath the bathroom, since they were both sore and not even Grimmjow could hear anything in the kitchen over the bubbling and water, which he normally could if he wasn't blocking his extraordinary sense of hearing.

"What did you need, Gin?" Ichigo recovered himself with another shiver.

"What does one usually do when one gets somethin' like this?" The Jester held out his hand for the orangette to inspect his ring.

The King took the pale, vaguely canine hand in his own, bringing the almost white band closer. "Wow...Re-War gave this to you?" At Gin's nod, he continued, "Well, I would give him one too. Something that matched. But I wouldn't use gold for War. It might get damaged when he's out in the field."

"So, I shouldn't get him som'thin'?" The fox's ears drooped.

"No, no, I didn't say that. I mean, get him one that's made out of stronger stuff...like titanium." Ichigo covered Gin's hand with his own, and pulled him out of the kitchen towards the library. "C'mon, we'll go talk to Aizen about it. He'll know more than me."

When they entered the library, the Third was hovering near the ceiling. What he was doing up there, however, wasn't able to be seen because with a tiny ripple of dust an illusion completely covered it. Not that they could see the illusion from the floor anyway, as the ceiling was rather high. Still, he drifted down to meet them, smiling in that cordial way of his. That project was his private work. He refused to talk about it with anyone, not even Gin or Ulquiorra. So, the arrival of the King meant distraction was in order.

"Hello there, Gin, Ichigo. Do you venture here in search of knowledge?"

A little flutter of his wings in amused pale yellow let them know he was teasing a little. Since around the middle of the Jester's pregnancy, the only times the fox ever really sought him out was when he needed questions answered.

The kitsune stuck his tongue out, "Grrr."

"Yes, actually." Ichigo laughed, rolling his eyes at the habit everyone seemed to have picked up from his twin. He flat out denied that he did it more often than the albino. "Gin needs a present for Ren-War. Show him." The orangette nudged his companion, who promptly stuck his hand out so the butterfly could admire his new pretty-shiny.

Aizen's wings turned a brilliant sunshine yellow as he looked at it, and his grin was quite pleased as he took his hand in both of his, admiring it dutifully. "How wonderful! A wedding ring. What does his look like?"

"I...uh...he...um..." Gin sputtered and looked away, ears flushed and pinned back against his hair. He pulled his hand back and cuddled one of his tails.

"That's why we're here. He needs to get one, but I have no idea where to start and neither does he." The King supplied with a sympathetic smile.

"Oh. Oh! Well, that's easy," Aizen chuckled. "Any jewelry store can provide you with a wide selection, and the clerk can recommend certain rings based on what you tell him or her you want. I would ask why you didn't pick them out together, as many human couples do, but knowing War, he wanted it to be a surprise," he smiled softly. "Come, I know a very fine jeweler's that provides extremely sturdy objects for people just such as Renji."

"I c'n go...like this?" The expectant mother looked down at his belly and back up again, his blush getting deeper. He hadn't left the Shrine since that fiasco with the bookstore, and though he no longer had to worry about the nue bothering him, the idea of being out among humans was a little daunting.

Ichigo frowned for a moment, "Can't we cast a glamour on you, make you look female?"

The Jester bit his lip. "I suppose, but I c'n't do it m'self anymore...m' magic's all wrapped up in Feedin' th' kits 'til they're born now."

Aizen gave him a 'don't be stupid' look. "You're looking at the Master of Illusion, Gin. We both know a mere glamour is child's play for me."

A snap of his fingers and the desired image shimmered into place. Naturally, he couldn't do it like that all the time, but anywhere in the Shrine it was just that easy because his wing-dust covered absolutely everything and everyone, just by being circulated around because he lived there.

"It should disguise your voice as well."

To try it out, the silver-haired now-human woman, hummed, and spun to get a look at herself, "It'll do. S'not as good as mine, but at least I don't hafta work on th' voice."

Her nose twitched, however, as though she still had the fine, almost invisible whiskers the kitsune's natural form had. Really, she was playing down what the butterfly had done for her because she could still feel herself under the illusion, nothing was missing and everything was still reacting as it should. If she'd cast the shift herself, her tails, ears, whiskers and paws would have actually disappeared, leaving her to remember how to balance without those things on top of the extra weight of her belly.

"Good," the King grinned, and closed his eyes. A subtle shift rippled through the library and his appearance changed such that he was a duplicate of Renji's human form. "There. Now we can make sure it'll fit him before we buy it."

Gin giggled outright at the sound of Renji's voice speaking without an accent. "Ya sound so funny that way!"

"Should I try ta sound like 'im?" The now-redhead grinned, though to the butterfly and the fox it was obvious that they weren't looking at War, it was a pretty good facsimile.

"That'll help," Aizen responded with some amusement. "After all, if the clerk sees how...rough and tumble you are," he couldn't help snickering as he said it, "it will drive home the point that Renji is a fighter and needs something as tough as he is, with no overlarge gems that might catch on things."

"Alright, I'll do what I can." Ichigo tried.

"C'n." The ex-fox giggled again.

"What?"

"C'n. He drops th' middle o' it. An' 'wha' not 'what'."

The King rolled his eyes, or rather, visibly he rolled the eye he could 'see' out of, at the woman who was now supposedly his wife. He shook his head trying to sort it out and failed. "I'll do m' best. Better?"

"Much." The woman slipped her arm through his and leaned against him. "Now, be a big strong man an' help yer 'wifey' ta th' store ta buy ya a ring ta match mine."

She was loving every minute of the complicated mess that their outing had turned into. Complications meant fun and fun was something she'd had entirely too little of since becoming War's mate. So, she grinned, actually showing her teeth since she was in a glamour, and looked up expectantly at the now-much-taller King.

Aizen bit his lip hard to keep from laughing as he case his own glamor on himself. "Right this way, 'lovebirds'." He couldn't help letting out a wheeze of half-smothered laughter. Oh, this was going to be a fun outing indeed. "And you do need to carry him Ich-Renji. War carries Gin everywhere that the man doesn't float."

"Uh...Tha's it." Ordinarily Ichigo had no idea if he could carry the kitsune, but he knew one way to solve the issue before it became a problem. So, in his clearest voice, he said, "For the duration of this trip, from now until we return to this place, I wish to have the same strength as Renji."

As with all Directives, a ripple ran through reality and though there was no physical obvious change, when he bent to scoop the ex-fox up into his arms bridal style, both could feel that he indeed had the same strength War had. He blushed a little at the way the Jester nuzzled into his chest, but strode out the door of the library, leading the expedition to the jewelry store.

Shiro walked past and waved to them with a smile. "Glad ta see ya gettin' out an' about, Foxy."

"How'd ya know it was me?" The silver-haired woman asked.

"Red wouldn't dare carry anyone that wasn't ya right now." The Mage laughed.

Blushing furiously, Ichigo almost said something but a nudge to his chest made him look down, inadvertently, into Gin's own brand-new endowments. He sputtered a bit and almost tripped over his feet. "Whoa!"

The albino slapped his knee and held his ribs, laughing harder, "See? He gets all flustered at me jus' suggestin' it!"

"Too true, Shiro-kun, too true." The Jester sing-songed, grinning and waved. "Ja ne!"

"Hai, hai." Ichigo's twin moved off towards the hot springs, intent on getting a soak in before Ulquiorra woke up from the nap he was taking after a round of rather furious love-making with the albino.

When Shiro entered the subterranean cavern that housed the Shrine's hot spring the first thing he saw was Grimmjow relaxing, up to his chin in the comforting water, next…to…Renji!?

"Th' fuck?" The Mage stared at the two felines. "I swear I jus'...y'know what...I dun wanna know. I don'. I really, really don't."

Aizen smirked, hearing the commotion from the room at the back of the bath house. "Right this way."

He led the way to his preferred jeweler's; Aizen might have been a butterfly, but he had two loves he didn't like to talk about. His love for sugar—he was an insect after all—and his love for shiny things that rivaled even a magpie. He had a dragon-sized hoard of gold and jewels and rings and torques and cuffs and even specially fitted armors, including some for his wings and feelers, that he'd been building for countless centuries. If anyone asked, he would give it to the dragons if they were ever revived and to any nue whose treasure ran out...but nobody was ever going to find out.

Anyway, the long and the short of it was he knew the best jeweler in the city and said jeweler knew him, greeting him with a wide smile and a cheerful "Great to see you again, Mr. Aizen!"

"They know ya, So-so?" Gin asked blinking at all the pretties.

Ichigo-as-Renji set the fox-turned-woman down so she could inspect the cases closer. It was a fox's paradise in here with the light glinting off the collection of trinkets fit for a king, or at least a King's right hand cat. So much potential, how could she ever choose just one!?

"Mr. Aizen is one of our best customers, Ma'am," the clerk said. "What are you looking for, if I may ask? I might be of some assistance. Perhaps a necklace for the lovely lady? Or a bracelet as a token of your affections?"

Aizen had already moved to the 'exotic selections' counter, perusing the ear cuffs with delicate chains and platinum torques. He didn't have any of those...

"Oh, no, no. My husband here, silly thing that he is, has lost his 'wedding ring'." The Jester was playing up the 'innocent doe-eyed female' role, and the redhead beside her rolled his good eye.

"It ain't m' fault I gotta work wit' m' hands." He crossed his arms over his chest in what the King hoped was a fair approximation of his friend.

"Ah, and might I ask what kind of work Sir does? Something quite involved, such as woodcarving, or building, or as a mechanic, something where a ring might get caught quite often?" The inquiry was entirely professional, the clerk already moving to the ring counter.

"Eh, som'thin' like that...er, tha'." Gin gave him a look as Ichigo tripped over the assumed accent. Maybe he should have wished to sound like Renji too? He shrugged lightly, blushing at the disgruntled now-female.

But when the clerk looked up again, she was all smiles and batting eye-lashes. "Yeah, he's pretty involved in his job. Real hands-on. D'ya have anythin' that'd survive bein' hit wi' som'thin'? Like, oh...say, a sword? Er an axe?"

"Only in gauntlet-style cuffs, Ma'am," was the prompt response. This was a high-quality shop, unfazed by anything the customer might ask of them. "However, we do have some simple titanium rings that might stand up to most vigorous, high-force wear and tear if that is what you prefer. You may wish to also look at the armor selections Mr. Aizen is perusing," he nodded at the butterfly, who was ogling over a lovely torque that covered collarbone and neck all the way around, including the shoulders and over the back.

"Eh..." Gin was now out of his element. Ring? Or armor? The turned-female looked up at the man posing as her husband, but all the redhead could do was shrug. So, going on the principle that one can never be too vocal about one's affections, an old kitsune ideal. The silver-haired woman grinned. "Both."

The clerk smiled. "Wonderful. Let's select the ring first, as Mr. Aizen doesn't appear quite ready to move away from the armor just yet," he chuckled.

Aizen straightened up, a blush taking over his cheeks. So he liked armor...that didn't make him easily distracted! Or obsessive!

The ex-fox snickered as she bent to look at the display. Several caught her eye, but one in particular, a thick band inlaid with blackened tungsten in a sharp tribal flame pattern, jumped out at her. With glee, she pointed, "That one! It has ta be that one!"

The King dutifully held out his hand for the clerk to check the sizing as he felt the breezing of the Jester's hidden tails.

The clerk grinned when it was a perfect fit. "Lovely! Would Sir and Madam like to check over the armor now? We have many lovely styles and kinds, allowing for maximum mobility and strength. Everything from wrist cuffs to full-body armors."

"F-full-body? Could it...uh..." She blushed, fearing that she was giving herself away. Ichigo-as-Renji nodded, prompting her to continue, "Uh...he works in some real nasty type places, an' he's goin'...uh...overseas...t'night. So, if we find one...he c'n wear it now? Like right away?"

A light appeared in the shopkeeper's eyes, and his smile curled just a little too much, revealing sharp points on his eye-teeth, but in the blink of an eye the effect was gone, "Of course. We have the ability to properly fit all armors right here on the premises. Mr. Aizen has utilized the service a number of times and can vouch for our quality."

Gin looked to Aizen, then back at the clerk, trying to figure out how to make sure her mate had room for his demonic appendages while still maintaining the cover that they were only a fairly well-off human couple expecting their first child. She worried her lip, and decided to simply bite the bullet with another tried and true kitsune method of negotiation, lying.

"My husband has ta wear this costume, y'see, He's got wire wings, a tail, fake claws glued ta his fingers an' toes, horns that stick outta his head here," she gestured, "an' animatronic cat ears. They move up an' down, like this." She mimicked the motion of her own ears for emphasis. "Y'sure ya c'n have it ready now?"

The clerk smiled warmly, and briefly there was a flicker of something not quite...human to his appearance. Another flash of too-long teeth, unnaturally bright eyes, but just like the first time it was gone again so quick it could very well have been a trick of the light. "Positive, Ma'am. We make such adjustments for costumes frequently. Again, Mr. Aizen can attest how well we compensate for such things. We made him a lovely helmet a few years ago with particular hollow horn-like protrusions to accommodate false feelers he was wearing for a booth worker at a convention."

"Gaming convention," Aizen supplied. "I was working showing for the Killer Insectoid game."

"Ah yes. For a release show he needed armor to fit the feelers, as he had to appear both with and without armor for the performance," the clerk continued smoothly. "We can easily accommodate wings and ears."

"Thank ya so much! The metal has ta be flexible, has ta breathe, but able ta be insulated. He's gotta wear it all over th' world, an' when he goes ta places like Russia he wears a thickly furred body suit. So it's gotta go under th' armor." She wandered over, past Aizen, carefully looking over each display.

"That is quite a tall order. You may need specially adjusted metal," the man informed as he came from behind the counter, gliding over to the case. "Steel is inappropriate, as even spring steel is much too snappish, and gold too soft. Iron is too heavy, but perhaps bronze...but no, that is too weak. It may need to be adjusted titanium, or a titanium-steel aggregate."

Of course, 'adjusted' was a disguised term for 'magicked'. Something such as 'breathable metal' generally required a little magic infused into it to prevent the person inside from overheating. Magic might be mostly lost, but some could use it unconsciously, and did it to their advantage all the time.

"Adjusted?" The disguised kitsune raised an eyebrow. She didn't dare glance at the butterfly now, because if her suspicions were correct doing so would be to sign her death warrant. "In that case, I'll take this one, if ya c'n 'adjust' it now." She gestured to a full set, from head to foot, her tiger would be covered from attack.

"Wonderful." The man smiled again, unlocking the case. "If Sir would like to put the armor on, we can size it now. And Mr. Aizen, I noticed you were rather interested in the Egyptian torques...?"

"...Yes, the platinum one," Aizen gave in with a little sigh. He just couldn't resist.

"It flatters your complexion wonderfully," the employee replied as he handed it over.

Ichigo-as-Renji stepped over, and allowed the strange clerk to fit the armor to him. Holding perfectly still for the adjustments and sizing and other mundane aspects of fitting while Gin fussed over him, checking flexibility, pushing and pressing to check the strength, and finally seeming satisfied, nodding at the shopkeeper so the slender man could make his own 'adjustments'.

The man ran one finger up the side of each armor piece, a subtle shine encompassing it that seemed to shift, almost like opalescence, except...darker. Like the shine of oil atop of puddle of water. Once each piece had this 'adjustment', Ichigo-as-Renji felt noticeably cooler, as the armor was now breathable and flexible more than it had been.

"Feel free to test it further while I adjust Mr. Aizen's torque," he invited as he went to the butterfly and fitted the metal back plate so it wouldn't hit his wings when it was fastened, putting a little bend in the specific spots where the metal met his primary wing joints.

As soon as the slender clerk was out of what Gin assumed was hearing range, he leaned into Ichigo and asked, "C'n ya mark it? Y'know color the metal?"

The King grinned, this time looking exactly like the red haired tiger. "I know exactly what you want, Gin."

Before the salesman came back, they removed the armor and packaged it, a subtle ripple going through reality at a murmured Directive that no one but the kitsune could hear.

The clerk smiled at them and rang everything up. It was a rather high total, and he asked if he should put it on Aizen's tab or if Gin would like to pay upfront.

"I think this'll cover it, ne?" The Jester pulled a bauble of blood red apparently out from between her breasts, though really it came from the center of his mist cloud. Kitsune stones were rare, precious, and only given away when the actions of the recipient warranted a vast sum of money. He was also testing the waters, because he was almost certain that the 'human' in front of them would know exactly what he was being offered.

The clerk's composure faltered for a second, crossed with a look of such extreme want it was nearly palpable before he composed himself again and cleared his throat. "I...that, Ma'am, I believe would be too much. And we both know it would be nearly impossible to divide such a...payment...as fairly between all of the crafters of your purchase as it should be."

One of the only reasons this 'human' was still around was his astonishing ability to suppress his darker, greedier side. He would've been found out long ago had his sense of honor and self-control been any less than it was.

"Believe me," She allowed her glamour to flicker ever so slightly, by blowing on her hand. "What yer givin' us...this ain't enough."

The clerk swallowed…hard. "...There still is no way to properly divide it between shop, jeweler, and blacksmith," he protested weakly. "Human coin would be easier to divvy up."

"Then I can solve that."

It was nearly time, and they still had to get back to the Shrine. So, Ichigo gave Gin a look that clearly stated, 'if you're wrong and I fuck up this guy's life, you're in deep trouble.' The kitsune nodded at the unspoken comment, and the King took the stone in his hand. Again reality rippled, and where there had been a stone, was now a check, made out to the jeweler's shop.

"Will that fix the issue?"

The Third smiled, and the shopkeeper took the paper, with a deep bow, the glint of excitement in his eye unmistakeable now. "As always, Mr. Aizen, it is a pleasure doing business with you and your friends."

"Also with you, Tsukishima-san." The butterfly answered, holding the door for the others to take their packages and leave.

A demon, a kitsune, and a whatever-the-hell-the-redhead-had-been-but-wasn't-human...it was certainly getting interesting around town these days. Perhaps setting up shop here had been a good idea after all, the vampire supposed, taking out a small black book to peruse until someone else came into the store. Feeling a bit peckish, the pale not-human wondered if maybe he couldn't sample the next person. Surely with a kitsune in the area, Hunting was allowed. That thought made him smile again, and he settled in to read his book.

Back at the Shrine, the felines were getting ready to go. The moment the trio entered the grounds, their glamour disappeared so as not to frustrate their living mates or the caretakers any further than they already had.

"Renji…" Gin called, uncharacteristically soft-spoken. "I…uh…Ichi-kun said I should give ya som'thin' since ya gave me that ring." He twisted it unconsciously.

"Yeah?" The tiger's tail curled in curiosity.

"Here." The Jester couldn't think of anything special to say, but he blushed furiously, as he held out the package that was topped with the small ring box identical to the one War had used to keep the ring the kitsune now wore.

Opening the box, it took Renji's breath away. "Thank ya, Koi! It's perfect."

"Heh. That's what I said."

Then the tiger opened the other half of his present. "Oh…wow…"

Over his shoulder Grimmjow whistled as the rising moonlight glinted off the enhanced and 'adjusted' titanium. Burgonet, modified to allow for the growth of the tiger's horns; breast plate, with slits in the back for his wings; spaulders, gauntlets, cuisse, and greaves. He'd wear modern steel-toed combat boots if he didn't have his paws out, and leather gloves for his hands with nicks in the tips of the fingers for his claws.

"Well, put it on Red!" Shiro called, with an arm around his mate. They were there to see the other two off, as Ulquiorra had just woken up from his nap.

"Alrigh'." War grinned and Flitted to their room.

He was back moments later, fully dressed, and manifested, like the great god he had been in ancient times. The armor fit like a glove, decorated with the same intense dark lines as War's tattoos laid over the gleaming silver of the titanium.

"It really is perfect, Koi." Renji repeated, taking his mate in his arms and kissing the fecund vulpine soundly. "I'll be back b'fore ya know it, an' I'll be safe an' sound thanks ta this...an' th' armor'll help too." He bent to plant a kiss on the Jester's belly, as the gathered Court laughed at his lame joke, "Be good, y'hear. Don't go keepin' yer mom up, an' don't go nowhere 'til I get back."

He rested his left hand, the tungsten and titanium ring glinting on his finger, over the swell, smiling proudly when he received a kick to his palm in response. Then he turned, gave the rest a wave, and Flitted off, wings discharging crimson electricity through the air as he went.

"Heh, someday, Kitten." Grimmjow purred in the King's ear. "That'll be us."

"Yeah, right." Ichigo scoffed, "Now, git. Before I miss you too much to let you go."

They exchanged a quick kiss and Conquest followed War. As soon as the blunette was out of sight, similar lightning tracing his Flit-steps, the orangette discovered he had a growth on his arm. He raised an eyebrow at the fox, but merely sighed and flexed his arm so the vulpine could feel the bunch and twist of his muscles.

End Part 2