Thoughts on a Unique Timeshare and Other Important Things

It became apparent that he could no longer keep his… Misfortune? Unusual circumstances? …Pregnancy a secret when the meek Ururu (one of Urahara's spiritually aware employees) mentions that he seems overweight one evening as he made his usual report on what Hollows he had encountered to Urahara.

He had been shaken and returned home swiftly. He leaps into his bedroom's second story window with ease and alights softly on the sill. He notes that Kon is in his human body and is snoozing on the bed with a swim suit magazine draped across his chest. He shudders when he notices that his pants are unbuttoned and looks away.

Kon is such a pervert. Ichigo has mixed feelings on the artificial soul that inhabits his body when Ichigo is out. Kon is very useful, attending classes for Ichigo so his attendance record is not ruined, taking very good notes in class so Ichigo can learn the material and do his homework, and protects his family and town when Ichigo is not around from the violent spirits, Hollows, as they hunt unaltered human spirits for food. He is actually an alright sort of person.

He just has extremely inappropriate responses to human females, although more so when he is in his lion plushy body. (Ichigo suspects that this might be an over the top attempt to establish his male human identity. Being artificially created he may not have much in the way of a libido and is overcompensating to act more real. There are some people at school who sometimes act the way Kon does. On the other hand, being artificially created he may have been created with an excess of libido. Ichigo has no way of knowing, given that he doesn't feel inclined to question this particular quirk. However, Ichigo did have a long talk about how Kon should act in public when wearing Ichigo's body. As a compromise though, Ichigo had to get him various magazines and allow Kon private time in Ichigo's body.

Usually this did not interrupt Ichigo's life much and he could ignore what was going on. Sometimes though, Kon did not allow himself enough time to clean up afterwards and Ichigo was confronted by the fact that he was essentially being molested while he could not defend his body. It was disturbing.

Ichigo shakes Kon awake. He stares down at his body, watching the eyes split open as Kon yawns hugely. He slaps a hand over the mouth as Kon notices him and nearly shrieks. Kon is easily startled on waking, something that Ichigo is now well aware of having had his family woken several times late at night by Kon's exclamations.

"Go get cleaned up," he whispers harshly and jabs a hand at the bedroom door and towards the bathroom.

Kon flails his way right off the bed with a quiet thump before getting to his feet sheepishly and edging past Ichigo and out the door. Ichigo pulls out his desk chair and sits there. He needs to think.

If he cannot keep his pregnancy secret then he will have to tell the relevant people. Thank god that his human body does not show the growth the way his spiritual body does. He could only imagine what school would be like if he showed up pregnant there.

If he was even allowed to continue after getting pregnant, he knows sometimes girls get kicked out for shameful behavior that is not acceptable in Karakura High students. If they name names and bring up the boy that got them this way, if proven the boy may be kicked out too, although both are allowed to register again with another school or after the pregnancy is over.

And how would he explain the pregnancy as a man? That a mad scientist got a hold of him? (Completely true by the way- Urahara is certainly a mad scientist and has done things of an unknown nature to him while he was out.)

But for now he does not need to worry about that. He just needs to figure out the best way for his spiritually aware companions to learn the news that he was soon to be a father. He leans back in his chair and stares down at his baby bump. It is still pretty small in proportion to himself which is the only reason it has gone unnoticed for so long. He rests a hand on it gingerly. It is disconcerting knowing that a baby is growing inside of him.

He takes a moment to direct angry thoughts at his inner Hollow and Zangetsu. Rationally he knows that neither chose this nor even thought it was possible but… Who else is there to blame? Urahara claims that he had no idea that this was even possible. Perhaps he wouldn't have. Most hollows are dead after all. Would they even have mating cycles?

Libidos, yes, he remembers Nnoitra (one of Aizen's ten most powerful Hollows) obscenely shoving his fingers in Orihime's mouth to shut her up when Ichigo had been trying to rescue her from Hueco Mundo. Afterwards he learned from Orihime that while that was the first time any male Arrancar had touched her during her stay (Ulquiorra- another of Aizen's ten most powerful Hollows- was her guard and captor and was a very effective protector who inspired fear in most of his inferiors) Nnoitra had said some rather gross things to her or in her hearing about her and her supposed relationship with Ulquiorra.

Perhaps Ichigo's inner Hollow is unique in its behavior because Ichigo, and therefore the Hollow, is still alive. Of course, with only nine beings in existence with inner hollows the sample size is too small to extrapolate that his hollow would still be unique if there were more Visored (Shinigami with inner hollows like himself). Although, perhaps there is a tenth. Ichigo sometimes wonders if Urahara has the powers of a Hollow as well. Not with any good cause, Ichigo will admit, but just because the man is so creepy. It would explain why he chooses to hide his eyes with that striped green hat of his. Given that he blocks the emission of the spiritual power that he produces to prevent others from detecting him, his eyes would be the next greatest tell as they would turn black with yellow or white irises if his Hollow powers were drawing close to the surface.

He sighs out in the gloom of his bedroom. Idle speculation to avoid thinking about the important things, he scolds himself. The door creaks open and his eyes flash over to the doorway. Oh, it is just Kon coming back. Kon changes outfits into a t-shirt and shorts before getting back into bed. He pointedly ignores Ichigo now and turns his back to his owner as the modified soul attempts to get back to sleep. (Ichigo averts his eyes to the papers on his desk while Kon changes. It may be his body but he has been conditioned to look away in the school locker rooms and feels awkward seeing at anyone in a state of undress. This whole sharing one body thing is weird.)

He wonders who he should tell first. The most important Shinigami in his life already know- his father, Isshin, and mentor, Urahara- or are absent like Rukia. He considers that he will need to tell his sisters, Karin and Yuzu, as well as his living friends: Sado (who is calm and accepting), Tatsuki (aggressive and competitive but also honorable and caring), Orihime (sometimes ditzy but intelligent and very friendly), Mizuiro (level-headed and clever) and the easily flustered and dramatic Keigo.

His roaming eyes catch the blink red numbers of his alarm clock. It is growing late and he needs sleep too. He sighs and changes out of his Shinigami uniform and into some night clothes as well. He joins Kon on the bed and is quite grateful that his bed is just big enough for two to sleep in without touching. (Part of his deal with Kon is that whoever goes to bed first in his body sleeps in his body. Kon has fewer nightmares as well, which increases the amount of rest his body gets.)

Completed 3/25/15. Word Count 1458.

As ever, I would love to hear my readers' thoughts.