A:N/ Hey guys, how's it going! I've been meaning to get this chapter typed out for the last three weeks or so, but something always came up. Of course, I somehow found the time to do so when I least expected it. Sorry it's not very long, I thought I'd get farther along in the story, but it seems not. I just feel this is the right point to stop, so I hope you guys enjoy it.
"The Spirit King?" Jūshirō choked out, his hands clenching almost painfully atop his crossed legs as he stared wide eyed at one of his best friends sat on his futon with a warm haori hanging from his shoulders that he almost desperately wanted to fuss with and settle tighter around Ichigo's shoulders in a very characteristic mother hening that Shunsui would undeniably tease him for any other time. "What did they want?"
Ichigo shifted uncomfortably as he simultaneously coughed into his fist and pulled the bedding further up his lap in a desperate attempt to maintain warm. Ever since he woke up yesterday for a couple disorienting hours, and now today after some restless hours of sleep, he felt the chill in his bones might consume him.
"What do you two know about the legend of the Fallen God?" Ichigo asked once his windpipe was clear, moving his gaze from his white-haired friend to the brunet sitting beside him.
Shunsui sighed tiredly and almost seemed to age a couple decades before their very eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose and gave the orange head an exasperated stare. "Ichigo, those are- well, legends. I don't know what that would have to do with-"
"Jūshirō?" Ichigo cut in, his eyes turning back to squint at his other friend's puzzled expression. "I imagine that's a no; I'm not surprised."
"What does that have to do with anything Ichi?" Shunsui groaned, tired of where this odd line of questioning was going and hoping they could get this conversation moving.
Ichigo rolled his eyes before breathing in a fortifying breath and almost immediately coughing when it got caught in his lungs. Ugh, he really hoped his reiatsu imbalance figured itself out soon.
"Remember what happened during the elder plague Shunsui? The main Ukitake line died and that's why Jῡshirō's in line to inherit soon." Ichigo reminded hoarsely. "That means he didn't grow up hearing our stories."
Shunsui almost deadpanned. "Those are stories Ichi. Bedtime stories for little kids."
Ichigo shook his head while he adjusted the heated pack on his back a bit higher. Thankfully, the headache had receded yesterday or else that movement would have caused a horrible flair up.
"Most of those stories and legends us Main line kids were told is information passed on as folklore that once you take your place as Clan head, are told is real." He revealed without preamble, gesturing a hand tiredly in the air to prove his point. "The legend of the Fallen God talks about a powerful man who ruled a land with love and compassion. After years of giving and giving to his people, the fatigue caught up to him and he went into a deep sleep never to wake up."
"That-" Shunsui began drily. "Was the most paraphrased thing I've ever heard."
Ichigo sighed. "It doesn't matter. What does matter, is that it's referring to the Spirit King itself and how his Godly powers have become so rooted in the worlds that the power he has left is not enough for him to even stay conscious."
"Wait." Jūshirō blurted out in shock. "Then how did you meet with the Spirit King if he isn't even awake?"
"He's not conscious." Ichigo corrected lightly. "But that asshole is most definitely awake."
"Ugh." Shunsui whined almost childishly, and Ichigo found a smile curving the edges of his mouth at his friend's antics. "What does that even mean?"
"It means-" Ichigo emphasized. "That while his body is asleep, his conscious isn't and that's how we were able to communicate. He brought me into his mindscape."
Jūshirō spluttered and Ichigo found a brow raising at the reaction. "He can do that?!"
The orange head thought about this for a second, and then wondered if it was a thing the Spirit King could do on a whim, or if he had to have some sort of connection with the people in question. He felt a tug in his gut, almost as if he were free falling from a tall skyscraper that had him tensing up without meaning to and then a slight disorientation joined the fray.
He was unnervingly reminded of how he had felt when he passed out weeks ago to meet the being in question and felt dread pool in his gut before the sensation subsided and all he was left with was an affirmative feeling touching the edges of his mind that had nothing to do with what he was thinking.
yes.
It echoed in his brain, almost insidiously so and then-
Yes. Yes. Yes.
"Ichigo!" a finger snapped in front of his face, and he was startled out of his daze to see Shunsui half out of his seated position hovering above Ichigo and Jūshirō, pale faced and looking about two seconds away from running out to go find Retsu-senpai.
He inhaled a small breath, held it for one, two, three seconds and then released it in a woosh before righting himself back into his previous seated position as he had somehow almost curled in on himself without even noticing.
"Yes." Ichigo blurted out without really meaning to and then elaborated when his friend's concern didn't disappear. "The Spirit King can do that, but only with people he has a connection to."
"What the hell was that?" Shunsui cut in sharply, almost as if he hadn't paid attention to anything Ichigo had just said.
Ichigo sighed and found himself massaging his temples at the headache brewing behind his eyes. "It's not nothing but… "
"You can't tell us?" Jūshirō inquired politically as he alternated his stare between his two best friends.
"It's not that." The orange head denied. "I'm not sure, but I think, that was the Spirit King passing a… message."
Shunsui made a face at this while Jūshirō remained pensive in the face of this revelation before asking. "If you need a connection to the Spirit King to be able to speak with him in his mindscape and I guess whatever-" he gestured at Ichigo vaguely "-this is, then what connection do you have? Why you?"
"Is it because of the- 'you know what'?" Shunsui asked, very discreetly in Ichigo's humble opinion.
The orange head hesitated, his scowl up before the expression made his headache increase and so he dropped the expression into a mulish frown instead. "No but… you remember what I am, right?"
Shunsui and Jūshirō shared a look before nodding in tandem. "Yes." Jūshirō agreed. "Is that why?"
Ichigo grimaced. "Partially."
Honestly, this tip toeing around words was troublesome. Usually when they spoke about sensitive topics, they had a muffling ward up to keep nosy people from overhearing, but Ichigo was in no state to put one up, and his two friends hadn't cast one to not attract attention since a lot of people were constantly coming in and out the room.
Ichigo flexed his reiatsu lightly, found the edges frayed between the boundries of his powers and carefully mapped any foreign reiatsu signatures around the building. Usually, he could keep this up indefinitely, and over a larger span of land, but right now that would just exert his reiatsu and no one wanted that.
"I have lineage from all four races, that means my connection to the Spirit King is stronger than anyone with only one of the four." Ichigo explained distractedly as he made sure no one was coming soon.
"But why." Shunsui inquired. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Ichigo grimaced but explained anyway. "That asshole claims, that since I am above his notice, I am outside his purview, and with lineage from all races of the world as Gods of have had in the past, I could theoretically speaking be called some sort of god in my own right. Progenitors of the worlds, he called it."
Jūshirō gaped in confusion, but Shunsui absolutely howled in laughter at Ichigo's obviously discomfited expression. Ichigo found himself absolutely regretting this conversation and wished he could take it all back.
"I need new friends." He groaned.
"No you don't." the two chorused in sync, their tone almost identical and without an ounce of pity.
"Hey Ju," Shunsui began in a gleefully evil tone that had Ichigo dreading whatever would come out of the brunet's mouth already. "Since our best friend is a God, do you think that means he can ban paperwork?"
"I said theoretically speaking!" Ichigo squawked indignantly. "Theoretically! He said I'm not actually a god but there's no other word for what I am and-!
Jūshirō, the absolute traitor, chuckled.
Ichigo tried to smother himself in his bedding and unfortunately failed.
#25#
It took Ichigo longer than he would have liked to be allowed back to light work, but at the end of the day, what Retsu-senpai said, was what happened and there was no going around that.
The Captain Commander and Retsu knew that he had been pulled in to speak with the Spirit King and that's the reason he had collapsed, and why his reiatsu had been so unstable too. But, when he was asked for what purpose, he had stayed silent instead, and when further prompting about the topic conversation was asked, he had said nothing either.
Really, what could they do?
Ichigo hadn't lied and told them the Spirit King had asked him to stay silent on the matter, but well, they could and did draw up their own conclusions and that was the end of the matter.
Everyone else though- well everyone else thought he had come down with a nasty case of burn out that Retsu-senpai had made up on the spot to appease everyone involved that he didn't have an underling illness that could pop up again, but also not be connected to his venture to Hueco Mundo.
This meant hovering by quite a couple people though, and unfortunately for Ichigo, even three weeks after he had woken up, he had only been allowed to return to light work which, to Ichigo meant one thing, but to everyone else, seemed to mean he couldn't lift anything heavier than a pencil or spoon and not even for more then three hours at a time.
Another two weeks later, and he was allowed to return to normal work operations, but well, the cooking staff still served his favorites and gave him to go snacks for the office, his division had become frantic in trying to do things quicker and efficiently, the kids had some sort of timetable so at least two were hovering nearby at a time, and Daisuke had gone from eerily helpful, to frighteningly helpful.
The week after, he ran to the 15th district and spent a couple calm and normal days at the orphanage where Haruka rolled her eyes good naturedly and Kazuki had smiled in understanding.
"I'm sure Ni-sama is getting tired of all the hovering." The 'older' man had pointed out, and so Haruka huffed and didn't tell anyone he was there besides Daisuke who was going to catch up to him anyway and wouldn't have told anyone else either; attuned as he is to Ichigo's moods.
When he returned to Sereitei, four days later, he was scolded lightly for the disappearing act and nothing more. Fortunately for him, it seemed his gamble had paid off and so everyone seemed to have finally gone back to normal fussing instead of their insistent, overbearing they had recently.
Three weeks after everything had finally normalized itself, it happened.
Yasahiro stood awkwardly in front of Ichigo's desk in the Shiba compound with an air of both excitement and apprehension. Ichigo found himself raising a brow further and further the more his nephew twitched in place before giving the boy -man now really, but if there is one good thing about being 700 years old, it's the right to tease everyone younger, and now in days, the list of people older then him, was getting dangerously short- a slightly impatient look.
"Yes Hiro-chan?" Ichigo pressed lightly when it looked like this conversation was going absolutely nowhere.
Yasahiro took in a deep breath, held it in for a couple seconds, before exhaling and blurting out. "I'm pregnant."
What? A voice echoed in his head with a swoosh like feeling in his stomach.
"What?!" he said out loud, jerking up from his chair and slamming his palms on the desk loudly without meaning to."
Yasahiro spluttered as a blush raised up his neck and onto his cheeks. "I mean- I meant that- that we're pregnant."
Ichigo stared without comprehension at his little nephew and wondered if maybe he should have made sure that Haruka had given Yasahiro The Talk before foisting him off on him a century ago.
"What?" he whispered this time, more confused than shocked as Ichigo tried to make heads or tails out of this conversation.
"Ugh!" Yasahiro groaned in horror as he buried his face in his hands and looked like he desperately wanted the ground to swallow him up. "My girlfriend is pregnant is what I've been trying to say."
"Ah." Ichigo said, dropping down to sit at his desk again as he tried to process this information accurately.
Well, that was unexpected, but not something that could be taken back at the end of the day. At least the line of succession would be secure? Ichigo had been wondering where things would go from here since he wasn't having children and Hiro was his named heir and-
"Wait a second!" Ichigo stood up again with a yell, staring into Yasahiro's startled and worried eyes like he was waiting for Ichigo to condemn him. "Why didn't I know you had a girlfriend?"
Yasahiro groaned into his facepalm as he seemingly regret everything that lead him to this moment in his life with fervor. "Why is that what your hung up about?"
"As your favorite Uncle, you'd think I'd be told these things." Ichigo complained. "Why wasn't I told?"
"Look," Yasahiro hastily placated. "We've been dating for like, only over two months. We made it official while you were gone on mission and then well…"
"Still," Ichigo grouched, milking this for all it was worth in payback. "It's been months now. Was anybody going to tell me that you had a girlfriend? Or was I just supposed to find out when you got her pregnant?"
"I didn't mean to!" Yasahiro whined.
"Which part?" Ichigo deadpanned.
"Either?" Yasahiro blurted out hysterically.
#25#
"So what's the plan?" Ichigo asked Yasahiro, who sat calmer across from him with his own much needed cup of tea. "Bastard children are not uncommon in the noble clans, and while we Shiba acknowledge pretty much everyone we know exists, one in the Main line is pretty… uncommon."
"You mean unheard of." Yasahiro interjected mulishly, but not overly concerned. "It doesn't matter. I was going to marry Miku anyways, this just… moves up the timetable a bit."
Ichigo raised a brow in question before inquiring. "Did you ask her already?"
Yasahiro paused, almost like he was mulling his words carefully which is something Ichigo had never seen his nephew do, at least not with him. Haruka may have had the twins in their younger years, but Ichigo raised them to be men who wouldn't hesitate in saying what needed to be said and having the determination to get what they want. This was a very… odd occurrence.
"I needed to speak with you first." He revealed at last, the words almost tumbling out without his say so before he took a fortifying breath, squared his shoulders, and met Ichigo's eyes with a fiery determination he was used to seeing in the mirror. "Oji-sama, I think it would be more appropriate if I step down as heir and my brother takes my place so I don't tarnish the Shiba Clan overly much."
Ichigo sighed as he massaged his temples to ward off a headache he didn't have time to deal with.
"Yasahiro." Ichigo intoned seriously and just as formally as the other had addressed him. "Have I disappointed you so greatly, that you would think so lowly of me?"
The brunet spluttered, looking absolutely horrified at the notion. "What? N-No Oji-sama! I didn't mean-"
"Do not underestimate me!" Ichigo almost roared, the commandment in his voice more than just an order. "Tarnish the Shiba Clan? That is impossible not only because I wouldn't allow anyone to belittle this Clan, but also because we are Shiba. Do not forget, you are Shiba Yasahiro and I am Shiba Ichigo. We are Shiba of Shiba with fire in our hearts, and lightning in our veins."
"But-" Yasahiro stammered out. "What will the other clans say when-"
"They will say nothing if they know what is best for them." Ichigo retorted instantly. "I am not spewing pretty words just to pacify you, Yasahiro. I have not let people say a thing in the past, and I will not let them say anything in the future. Do you understand me?"
And as Yasahiro stared into Ichigo's eyes that shined like they held the answers to the universe and the powers of the world, what was he to do but believe?
#25#
"Are you going to make a habit out of this?" Ichigo asked out loud when he felt the swooping feeling in his stomach that he now associated with the absolute mad person at the helm of the known worlds.
No. The being projected into his mind, before a slight shift had him once again disoriented to the outside but now aptly aware of the inside.
Not awake, not asleep.
Ichigo felt bile at the thought that this is what the Spirit King must always feel.
I've left you with many questions, young apostle, and right now our connection is still fresh. I can project without pulling you away, but if I don't do so every year or so, it'll fade and I'll have to once again pull you into my mind Palace.
"Standing at the brink of reality with no lies between us." Ichigo whispered, his brain both hazy and unerringly clear.
Why do you resent the title, apostle; young godling of war?
Ichigo startled, his eyes once again seeing the outside where Isshin and Yasahiro were talking in hushed whispers. He imagined Hiro was telling Shi the news, and proved himself right when what looked like an impromptu brawl broke out in the middle of the garden. He felt the breeze in the air, the warm tea grasped in his right hand and the comfortable cushion between him and the hard wood of the engawa before he was once again focused more inwards then out.
"We can't be Gods." Ichigo denied, almost calm even with the topic of discussion one that usually riled him up. "We can't"
I'm saying you do. The Spirit King projected. I, a God, is saying you can. Why would you know better? The way he said this was almost curious but insidious.
Ichigo thought about Aizen at the height of his maniacal power and his proclamations of Godhood. He thought about Ywach and the hold he had over the Quincy and that terrifying ability of his at his fingertips with the goal of becoming God too. He thought about himself, and all the times he had defeated, killed, murdered, massacred those two men and how it had never been enough.
"People don't become Gods." Ichigo pushed, his brain fuzzy as he felt the wood under his left hand but not the tea in his right. "Shinigami, humans, hollows or Quincy, we don't become Gods- we can't." he paused, the outside senses returning to him in a woosh that almost startled him. "But we can become something less than human with frightening ease."
To be continued…
Decree# 5- We are Shiba of Shiba with fire in our hearts, and lightning in our veins.
Decree# 6- Main line secrets must remain main line secrets.
Decree# 7- If something doesn't go to plan, that means that was the plan.
Decree# 8- No Cacti allowed in Main compound grounds.