Malleus was rather surprised to find himself pulled aside not just by Tatsuki, but Orihime and the Kurosaki twins.

"Has something happened?" he asked. He had noticed a slight change in Ichigo's behavior, but nothing too alarming.

"We need you to kidnap Nee-san for a day or two," said Karin bluntly.

Malleus blinked. Twice.

"Pardon?"

"Ichigo has been running herself ragged, with what we're not sure. However I'm pretty certain it has something to do with the weird new transfer student Rukia," said Tatsuki grimly. "She's been acting distant, and is a bit too close to Rukia for someone who has difficultly remembering names on first glance."

Malleus was a rare exception, because he had made an instinctive impression on her within the first week.

Malleus' eyes narrowed.

"You suspect this Rukia has something over her?" he inquired. He was almost growling at the idea.

"I'm almost certain she does," said Orihime. "I have a vague memory of my brother showing up at my apartment about a week ago, before Ichigo showed up with Rukia. She used some weird device on us, but for whatever reason the thing didn't take."

"Your guardian faeries must have shielded you," said Malleus.

He had noticed they were almost ready to awaken, but had kept quiet. Where Orihime had found hair pins made of mystium was something he'd dearly love to know, but it wasn't his place to pry.

Long exposure to Ichigo and now Malleus had resulted in her own abilities coming to the surface, drawn out by the sheer amount of power that spilled from the two. Malleus wouldn't be surprised if Tatsuki and Chad developed abilities of their own, since they spent just as much time around Ichigo.

"So you wish for me to kidnap Ichigo long enough for you to confront this Rukia?" said Malleus.

"Ichigo needs a chance to sleep. I don't know why, but she's been coming back ridiculously late for the past two weeks and hasn't been sleeping well at all," said Yuzu.

"Not to mention her coffee intake has gone up by double," said Karin.

Malleus frowned, as he heard the geniune concern in their voice.

The plan was simple. Tatsuki and Orihime would distract Rukia while Chad distracted Ichigo long enough for Malleus to abscond with her. If she was as tired as they claimed, convincing her to take an overdue nap would be easy.

Malleus would then visit the clinic long enough to tell the twins that Ichigo was safe in his apartment.

The plan itself went off without a hitch. Tatsuki made very sure Rukia didn't see Malleus, and by this point Ichigo had a key to his apartment so he hadn't been around for the past month to pick her up.

He had respected her wish for some space, and she still visited regularly.

Malleus was deeply unhappy that it took less than ten minutes for his mate to fall into a deep sleep, without the aid of magic. He could tell her store of energy was far below where it should have been and it irked him.

He made a point to lock the door, as he could simply teleport to his apartment after the fact. Better for her to get some much needed rest, once he figured out how to silence her cell.

The second he stepped foot into the clinic, his nostrils flared.

There was a scent here that had been lingering on Ichigo's clothes for the past week and a half. A scent he didn't recognize, but had partially dismissed due to the fact it was a female.

Karin took one look at his expression, before a sudden suspicion came to her. Several of Yuzu's dresses and clothes had gone missing, only to pop up in the laundry later.

Seeing Malleus head straight for Ichigo's room, Karin didn't think twice on the matter. Malleus had a sort of old-school code, and she highly doubted he was interested in any of Ichigo's personal belongings. Especially if she was there to chaperon him.

Karin opened the door for him, giving him implied permission to enter. Malleus went straight to the storage closet...and the second he opened it, Karin saw red.

"Son of a..." she started angrily, mostly because she damn well recognized that dress.

Malleus was not amused. At all.

Four hours later...

Ichigo woke up from her much needed nap to find her phone on silent, and a dozen missed messages from her dad and Karin.

She opened the first one, and after a few moments registering the contents began to laugh uncontrollably. She couldn't help it, and she had warned that idiot that her boyfriend would eventually suspect something was up and become territorial.

Stories on dragons were fairly consistent in the fact that they were possessive, territorial bastards around things they had claimed for themselves. Especially western variants like Malleus. She could only assume that went double for a faerie, though she still had trouble believing that part.

Karin had helpfully sent a video of Rukia being thoroughly chewed out by Isshin, and later sent a text that Malleus had taken the twins out for ice cream while Isshin had a little...chat...with the stranger who had been living in Ichigo's closet.

She didn't know what Isshin had said to Rukia, but the woman looked thoroughly chastised. She was also permitted to stay...for now...but would not be borrowing Ichigo's closet anymore.

When Malleus returned, he found Ichigo calmly sipping some tea and looking much more awake than when he 'borrowed' her.

He was also incredibly smug.

"So what really happened?" asked Ichigo.

"I merely reminded her about showing proper manners as an invited guest, as opposed to a squatter, as Karin put it," said Malleus.

Ichigo said nothing, and knew that Malleus took the implied Rules of Hospitality very, very seriously. It was one of the things she adored about him, even if she was fondly exasperated about his inability to work technology some days.

She still found it funny that someone as 'new' to a computer had managed to become positively addicted to World of Warcraft of all things.

She also said nothing about the obvious bruise forming on Rukia's throat.

The next morning...

Rukia was not happy with Ichigo, but was now extremely wary of the girl's boyfriend.

"I apologize for abusing your hospitality, and for the fact I forced you into what should be my responsibility."

"Apology accepted," said Ichigo, deeply amused.

Rukia looked rather skittish, but to be fair she hadn't expected the human she had forced into doing her job to be the mate of such a powerful faerie. For that matter, she was still in shock that there was one in such a suburban setting.

Last she checked, such creatures stayed in remote regions as far from humans as possible. The stronger they were, the less they wanted to associate with humanity.

Malleus found Ichigo staying overnight more often the longer Rukia's stay became. It was the one place where the stranded Soul Reaper couldn't force her into doing her job for her. Don't get her wrong, she did feel slightly guilty about the fact Rukia's powers had somehow gotten absorbed into her.

But...she didn't think it was fair she had to sacrifice her own social life and perform late night patrols doing something that wasn't her responsibility.

The living, as Malleus had put it, should avoid interfering in the affairs of the dead unless there was no other choice. Rukia was simply putting off alerting her superiors to her own screw-up, and was dragging Ichigo into her mess for no reason.

Needless to say Malleus and those in the know were not impressed with this and would be glad once the brat was gone.

"Any idea why she keeps putting off explaining to her bosses what happened?" asked Ichigo.

Malleus rumbled with dark amusement, likely at Rukia's expense. He did not appreciate her presence in the least and was deeply annoyed that she was cutting into his time with his mate.

"From what I was told, sharing her powers with one of the living is a serious offense. So much so that she will be more than reprimanded for the act," said Malleus.

Urahara gave him an unsettling vibe, but wasn't about to piss off the dragon unless he was very, very sure he'd survive the encounter. Especially since they were in the middle of a densely populated residential area.

Ichigo nuzzled her head under his jaw. Malleus let out a pleased purr of sorts.

She found it beyond addicting when he made noises like that, mostly because she was the one causing it.

While they hadn't done anything too physical beyond making out, she still enjoyed moments like this.

"Any idea why the power went out yesterday?" asked Malleus. That had puzzled him and he had a nice chat with his neighbors over the matter. Many of the married women were delighted to have such a 'handsome, respectable young man' in their block.

They might be off the market, but they could still appreciate the eye candy.

Ichigo was both amused and slightly somber.

"About that..."

Malleus listened fascinated...and slightly disturbed...at the story.

"A hollow ripped a child's soul out and forced him into a bird, then played a 'game' to continue hunting? And Chad ripped out a power pole to use as a flyswatter?" said Malleus.

"We managed to free the kid, but his soul had been gone from his body too long so the only thing we could do was send him on to the afterlife," said Ichigo sadly. "All he wanted was to see his mother again."

She shivered at the memory of the Gates of Hell, which had appeared after the hollow was taken care of. Malleus' arms wrapped around her more firmly in response.

Malleus decided to change the subject.

"I noticed your sisters preparing for something. Is there an event going on?" he asked.

Ichigo almost winced at the question.

"We're visiting mom's grave next week. The anniversary of her death is coming up and we close the clinic up to visit the graveyard."

Malleus would have winced, but he had been peripherally aware of the fact that the Kurosaki matriarch was no longer alive. Isshin, in between his odd theatrics, had made that clear.

"I am sorry," he said.

"What about your parents?" she asked.

"I was raised by my grandmother. My father died shortly after I was born, and my mother soon after while defending our escape. I was still an infant at the time," said Malleus calmly.

"What's your grandmother like?" asked Ichigo, honestly curious. Mostly to know what she would be dealing with if and when Malleus' family came to visit.

"Fierce. Powerful," said Malleus. "She has been queen for as long as I can remember, and I spent more time with Lilia than her. Both grieved the loss of my mother."

Ichigo had an odd look on her face.

"Queen?" she repeated.

"My grandmother is the current reigning Queen of Briar Valley. When I am deemed ready, I will take over as the next King. That is still a far way off though," said Malleus calmly. Almost like he was commenting on the weather.

Ichigo had a headache, and decided to ask something that had been bothering her for ages.

"If you're royalty, then why are you in Karakura?" she asked, honestly baffled by this information.

Malleus let out an amused rumble in his throat. Ichigo did her best to keep him from distracting her.

"I found an odd spell in the castle library, one that would allow me to seek out a proper mate as opposed to a match made by my grandmother or Lilia. When I came to my senses, I was in the forests outside town with no recollection how I left the castle. Once I realized I was in a human territory, I meet the one you call 'hat and clogs' who assisted me in my disguise."

Urahara had sensed his approach and had wisely opted to "help" the misplaced faerie rather than try to hinder him. It was easier to help the dragon with whatever brought him there than it was to try and get rid of him. Less messy as well.

When he realized Malleus was planning to stay long term...or at least until his people found him again...Urahara set up a fake identity and did a bit of hacking to give him a proper bank account, among other things.

It was all highly illegal, but it put him in the dragon's favor enough that he didn't get roasted.

"What's this Lilia like?" asked Ichigo, honestly curious.

Malleus perked up, as he had always been incredibly fond of the former general, who was the closest thing to a father figure he had growing up.

It made Ichigo rather eager to meet him properly, because she could tell how much the older male meant to her boyfriend.

Also, she swore to never let him and Orihime talk about cooking. From the sound of things his sense of taste was worse than hers, to the point his food became inedible to everyone else.