An hour later-
Ichigo couldn't stop looking around in interest or fidgeting. She was far from a child, and overly curious and yet...this was the first time that she had been out of the mansion since coming to live in the Netherworld as Sullivan's adopted child and heir. So of course, she was going to have a little bit of a staring problem as she looked around her new surroundings.
Especially when the inside of the restaurant that she was supposed to be meeting her husband and his friend at had a massive aquarium being used as a wall that was full of new and interesting aquatic life that she had never seen before.
So, while Sullivan and the others were all waiting to be seated, she couldn't help but walk up to the aquarium/wall and begin to study the various fish, and plants that she saw there.
"Sir, should I go and collect our lady?" Opera asked as he stared while his lady lifted a hand to lightly tap the glass of the aquarium with one of her fingernails and grin when several small fish came swimming over.
Sullivan cast a look his child's way and saw the look of utter fascination and delight on her face and chuckled. "No. Let her have her fun since we're a bit earlier than expected."
Opera nodded his head in understanding and went back to watching Ichigo. And he wasn't the only one doing so. Mizuiro and her Reaper friends were all watching her as well.
Many of them were probably wondering what she found so interesting about the fish. But Opera could tell that she genuinely liked the fish and cast a curious glance his master's way to see if he could guess what the elderly demon may be thinking right then.
Unfortunately, Sullivan was hiding his thoughts from him.
But the older demon was certainly interested in their lady's newest fascination with the sea creatures.
"Has Ichigo always liked aquatic life?" Sullivan asked the others after a few minutes of silently observing Ichigo while she played a small game of follow the leader with some of the smaller multi-colored fish following her finger around the aquarium while she giggled.
Surprisingly, it was Toshiro who answered Sullivan's question. "As a matter of fact, she has. Every few months or so whenever we would visit the...present world while on missions or afterward. She would grab us and anyone else interested in such things and drag us all to the aquarium in Karakura." He paused for a moment and then added. "Her family used to go to the aquarium frequently before her mother passed away. And they stopped going, after she died. Yet despite the fact that no one else would go with her, Ichigo would go alone, and look at the fish, animals and other things. And for a little while she used to be able to forget that her family was fractured by the loss of her mother. It was her way of escaping both reality and her grief for a little while."
Sullivan mutely nodded his head in understanding and looked back towards his precious child, his mind abuzz with the new information.
He still knew so very little about his dearest child, and yet...there was also so much that he wished that he didn't have to know. Almost every story he was told about her childhood and past broke his heart. Not all of the stories were bad, mind you. In fact, some of them were rather entertaining and cute.
But a fair amount of them were just horrible.
Which was something that he was trying to be understanding about. But it was so hard.
After all he was still reeling a bit from the fact that she had been grounded and still needed to look into the matter. But he wasn't sure exactly where to start.
He was about to try asking the Reapers if they knew anything about her grounding but decided against it right then given that they were out in public, and he didn't wish anyone to overhear him asking about such a sensitive topic and begin to spread rumors.
Besides...he could hear Kalego's voice coming from outside the restaurant and had to force himself to shift his attention to the fact that the hell hound and Balam were both about to come inside.
Shichiro's heart felt as if it were trying to punch its way through his ribcage. He was excited and anxious and also a little bit of a nervous wreck right then at the prospect of seeing his wife, Ichigo again.
Just breathe, Shichiro. Try not to focus so much on the fact that she'll be at the restaurant soon. Try not to think about how you made sure to clean yourself up a bit to be more visually appealing to her. He thought as he did his best to follow his own advice about just breathing.
But it was a lot harder than one would think.
Especially with so many various emotions whirling through his head at the moment. He had been playing the 'what if' game with himself ever since he had called to ask her to join, he and Kalego for lunch.
It wasn't as if he was purposefully trying to give himself any complexes, or even more self-esteem issues. It was just...he already had so many insecurities when it came to himself. His personality, his quirks, his habits and looks.
He was a powerful demon, sure. One of the renowned rank of Chet, and yet...he seemed so very weak and undemon-like to others because he was gentler natured than others of the same rank.
And if not for his reputation locally as a deranged lunatic that liked to experiment on other people, he would likely have a much better time of connecting with others and making new ally's and acquaintances.
As it was, he was already somewhat scared that Ichigo may rethink their marriage and wish to never set eyes on him again if any of the rumor's managed to reach her ears. Which would be a shame since he very much doubted that she would want to still be his friend.
Especially since he was actually looking forward to seeing what being her friend would be like.
He was twenty steps from the door of the restaurant and his anxiety was spiking dangerously when a small group of young demons made the mistake of bumping into him- causing him to snarl at them in warning. His mouth pulling back away from his fangs behind his mask as he did so.
There were a few yelps and quickly mumbled apologies before said demons all scrambled to put as much distance between themselves and him as possible. While Shichiro went eerily still and glared at their retreating backs.
Part of him was already wondering if he could get away with teaching them a lesson that would give them nightmares for years. While the more rational part of him was already clocking the behavior that he was exhibiting as being akin to when he was going through one of his wicked phase's.
And while that wasn't exactly a good thing, he wasn't quite there yet. He would calm down considerably once he saw his wife. He was sure of it.
"Good devi, Shichiro- are you alright?" He heard Kalego ask from several steps away from him where his ally had been walking.
"I'm fine." He said automatically. Watching as Kalego gave him a quick assessing once over. His dark eyes sweeping him from head to toe as if his ally were trying to see if he were lying to him or not.
Finally, Kalego hummed thoughtfully and then reluctantly said, "Well if you're sure that you're okay... But do try not to start going into a wicked phase in the middle of town. I don't want either of us banned due to any property damages."
Shichiro blinked at him but then made a noncommittal sound of agreement since that would just be awful for the both of them for a multitude of reasons.
The door was well within reach now, and Ichigo was patiently waiting for him just on the other side. However just as he went to grasp the door's handle, Kalego quickly pushed himself between him and the door growling out, "I'll get it."
Shichiro let him do as he wished. But only because he understood what the hellhound was probably thinking. After all, accidentally ripping doors off of nice establishments was a big no-no regardless of who you were or your rank.
The second that the door was pulled open, Shichiro's heart leapt up into his throat and he took a second to scan any nearby patrons within the restaurant and saw Sullivan's tall figure standing over by where the host was usually greeting people. And with him was a group of unknown people that he'd never really seen before.
The bodyguards maybe?
A foot or so away from Sullivan was Opera, speaking with a young man with little black kitty ears just like Ichigo's. His new...son? What was he doing here?
However, Ichigo was strangely absent from everyone's vicinity. Where is she? He wondered as he locked eyes with Sullivan for a second and the elderly demon smiled at him and subtly moved his hand to point off towards... Shichiro followed the older demon's finger, and his eyes widened a bit when he finally caught sight of Ichigo.
Her back was to him and her face was practically up against the wall of fish, but it was her, nevertheless. He just knew it. He knew it so strongly that he could actually feel it in his bones.
He gave Sullivan a nod of thanks and then while Kalego was being cornered by Opera, who had finally realized that they were there, before he could escape- walked over to the fish tank and stood quietly behind his wife and simply observed her for a moment.
But she must have seen his reflection in the glass, because he saw her smile before she then lifted a hand and pointed to a colorful little fish and said, "Do you know what everyone back where I grew up call this fish?"
He didn't, but he was interested to know what the ones that she'd grown up with called it anyway.
"It's called a clownfish, because it sort of looks like a clown with all of its many colors." He cocked his head and took a second to examine the fish, absently noting that it did look rather clown-ish to him with its bright and vivid colors.
Next, she pointed to a little star shaped creature without a head, eyes or mouth.
"That's a starfish," She pointed to another that looked like a worm with a shell on its back. "That one is a sea snail. The long one above it sliding through the water like a snake- is called an eel. Actual sea snakes, also known as coral snakes, are known to be venomous." She pointed to another fish, "That one is a crab- they are great for eating. They are super delicious and nutritious."
His eyebrows disappeared beneath his bangs, and he found himself squatting down behind her so that he could study her more closely as she continued to name the various creatures in the tank.
"That one is an angelfish. That one is a guppy fish. And that one with the long tentacles over there," She pointed to another one and he followed her finger to see which one. "That is called a jellyfish. They sting, and it hurts. Badly." She said matter of factly as she finally turned her head to look at him.
"Are you speaking from personal experience?" He asked, not sure whether or not he should be upset if she had ever been stung by a jellyfish.
"No," She said with a frown. "But I've known a few people who have been stung while swimming at the beach. And from the way that they carried on, you would have thought that they were dying. I know that I certainly thought so."
Shichiro wasn't able to help himself, he chuckled at the mental image of some faceless people being overly dramatic about being stung by a jellyfish.
"Would you like a proper greeting now?" Ichigo asked him once he finally finished laughing. The question startled him a bit since he wasn't sure what she thought was a 'proper' greeting for them. And yet...
"Yes, I would." He said, his mouth going dry as he uttered the words.
Ichigo nodded her head and then turned her body around to face him and then reached out and gently turned his head a bit so that she could give him a brief but achingly sweet kiss on his scarred cheek. Just above his mask.
Causing him to make a small squeaking sound as his face turned a vivid shade of red. While he struggled to figure out how to greet her properly once she moved back away from him. But he was at a loss.
How should he greet her back? Was kissing on the cheek required? Or could he give her a hug? Maybe even a pat on the head? That wouldn't be too uncomfortable for her, would it?
He just didn't know!
Feeling himself start to flounder and then panic, he looked at her for some sort of guidance, his gaze pleading with her for help as she stepped forward again and leaned in to whisper. "Do whatever your most comfortable with. I'm not someone who is easy to offend so don't worry, okay."
He nodded his head curtly in understanding and then used one arm to sweep her up off of her feet so that he could settle her in the crook of his arm and then stared at her while she made herself comfortable there. Then once she was done with that, she smiled at him in encouragement.
"Okay, now what?" She asked him, her tone playful.
"I...don't know. I didn't think that far ahead." Shichiro said in a hushed tone that bordered a bit on panicked. Ichigo, patted him on the chest twice with one of her open palms and then said.
"It's okay. There's nothing wrong with not thinking ahead here. So, how about instead of agonizing over it, we can go back to the others so that I can introduce you to my guards and Mizuiro properly. I can tell from here that all of them are super curious to meet you." She suggested.
Shichiro blinked at her for a second but finally he nodded his head in agreement.
Shichiro had never met anyone's bodyguards before.
So, despite being nervous about being found lacking in some way- he was more than happy to meet the people who were looking out for Ichigo's wellbeing. Not only that but he could also use this as a chance to get to know some of the people that kept an eye on her and learn new things about his wife in the process.
At the moment, he was standing very still, trying his best not to look scary or threatening in any way as Ichigo let herself down from his grasp and introduced him with a cheery sounding, "Hey guys, look what I brought home!" That had him flushing to the tips of his ears as he eyed the group of unknown people's various reactions to him.
"Whoa! He's bigger than Chad!" A buxom woman with long blond hair said with a grin before something seemed to occur to her and she grabbed Ichigo and started shaking her. "How? How did you manage to land yourself a guy bigger than that sexy tall drink of water you call your brother from another mother? Huh?"
"I...don't...know?!" Ichigo said as she forced the woman to let go of her. "Are you trying to cause brain damage?" She growled out in annoyance.
The woman merely gave her a pretty smile and then patted one of Ichigo's cheeks as she said, "You have to have a brain before it can be damaged, honey."
There was a heartbeat or two of stunned silence before Ichigo snorted. "That's a nice one, Rangiku. Now everyone line up and introduce yourselves, please."
A tall brown-haired man wearing a pink floral jacket over his black clothing- put his hand up into the air and did a little dance in place until Ichigo looked at him. "What is it?" She asked curiously.
"Should we introduce ourselves with our ranks or not?" The guy asked, sounding eager to impress.
Ichigo frowned for a moment as she thought before slowly saying. "I don't think that your ranks have much bearing on this meeting since I'm more concerned about him learning your names right now. But if you want to mention them... that's your choice."
"Yay!" The woman that had shaken Ichigo before cheered. "I get to go first then!" She said cheerfully and she locked eyes with Shichiro and smiled prettily before saying with a hair toss. "Hi, my name is Rangiku. I'm the lieutenant of squad six."
Shichiro blinked at the words 'lieutenant' and 'squad' as he wondered, Are these people actually military personnel? Surely Sullivan hadn't gone quite that far to find some bodyguards for Ichigo.
"Hello," He said politely with a slight nod of his head. "My name is Shichiro Balam. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Rangiku's smile turned catty after a second.
Shichiro, caught the slight shift in her expression, stiffened and wondered what was about to happen as the woman started to take a step forward in his direction and was promptly caught by the face when Ichigo's hand shot out and her palm latched on to the older woman's face in a manner not totally unlike Kalego's tended to do when he was peeved and wanted to maim something.
"Down girl. But you keep your damned blood sucking man eater claws off of my husband." Ichigo said in an annoyed tone as the woman floundered and flailed her arms around for a few moments before Ichigo finally let her go with a little shove back.
"Aww, I was just going to give him a hug!" Rangiku whined.
Shichiro automatically took a step to the side and hid himself behind Ichigo for protection as he made a mental note not to be alone with that one.
"Liar! You were going to cop a feel of him and see how I reacted." Ichigo snarked at the woman, her tail fluffing up some before she snapped her fingers at the other woman and pointed to a secluded spot several feet away from them. "Go over there and reflect on the severity of what you just tried to do."
Rangiku pouted a bit as if her feelings were hurt. "I just wanted to welcome him properly to the group." She muttered sullenly.
"I understand that but keep your mitts to yourself." Ichigo said in a lower tone, "Married men are off limits."
"Fine." Rangiku said as she turned and walked away while Ichigo sighed and let her shoulder's droop a little bit.
Shichiro hovered behind his wife like a fretting cloud. He could see how stressed she was at Rangiku's attempt to 'welcome' him. And while she didn't seem all that angry about the woman's antics that didn't mean that she was going to tolerate them either.
"Alright. Who's next?"
"Me!" Mizuiro said as he jumped up and down in place excitedly.
"Alright kiddo. Introduce yourself." Ichigo said with a hand gesture.
"I'm Mizuiro! You're new kid. Hi pop!" Mizuiro said happily.
"Ah, hello. Uh...son?"
"Yay! He called me son. Can I hug him?" Mizuiro suddenly asked Ichigo.
"Uh...if he's okay with you giving him one then I don't mind."
"Yay!" Mizuiro cheered. "Can I have a hug pop?"
Shichiro looked at Mizuiro as if he were a puzzle piece that wasn't fitting into a puzzle and then hummed and glanced down at Ichigo. "You don't mind?" He asked, not wanting her upset again.
"Nah. He's a harmless cuddle bug." She said with a slight smile as Shichiro nodded in understanding. And then he bent down so that Mizuiro could give him a hug.
However once Mizuiro had his arms around him, he refused to let go. Which made Shichiro a tad bit apprehensive since he shot Ichigo a pleading look that practically screamed for help.
Ichigo merely rolled her eyes at her son's antics and then reached out and tickled him along the ribs, making him automatically release Shichiro. And then once he realized what she'd just done he walked over to Opera and laid his head on the hell cat's shoulder and pretended to cry while Opera tried to console him.
Not long after that, everyone had finally finished introducing themselves to him. And Shichrio wasn't sure what was more impressive to him. The fact that there were a small group of military men/women guarding his wife or the fact that Sullivan actually managed to pull them away from their day jobs to act as bodyguards for someone.
Even if it was for Ichigo, the elderly demon's resourcefulness was nothing short of incredible.
After all, several of them were Captain's and at least two of them were Lieutenants. They were all high-ranking people! How the hell did the older demon even manage it? And on such short notice too. He just couldn't figure it out.
Not only that, but he'd also noticed a short time ago while introductions were being made that Kalego was strangely absent.
And while not entirely uncharacteristic of the hellhound whenever Sullivan or Opera were nearby, Shichiro had somewhat hoped that his ally would stay where he could find him easily. As it was, he wouldn't be able to introduce Ichigo to him, and that was just a bit upsetting.
"Is that everyone?" Ichigo asked.
"Uh, actually. My ally seems to be MIA." Shichiro said.
"You mean the guy hanging out on the light fixture above us?" Ichigo asked as she pointed up.
Shichiro did a funny full body twitch and tipped his head back and looked up. Sure enough, there was Kalego looking flustered at being found out by someone.
"What are you doing up there?" He asked curiously as he watched his ally shift himself gingerly on the crystalline light fixture.
"Well, I was hiding from Opera," Kalego growled. "But now he knows where I am." The hellhound shot Ichigo a glare meant to be scary and intimidating to her.
But Shichiro could tell that he was lying about why he was actually hanging out above them. And while he was sure that Opera was simply part of the reason that Kalego wasn't on the ground with the rest of them, he was well aware of how cautious his ally tended to be around new people.
So, he had likely gone up to the fixture so that he could observe everyone's interactions with one another.
He probably figured that he could hide up there and watch all of their interactions for any signs of devilry on Ichigo's part up until it was time to be seated. It was sly of the hellhound to think that he could get away with such behavior. Especially since Shichiro intended to take him to task for it once they were finally alone again.
He was already beginning to think of what he wanted to say to his ally when the host walked up to all of them and told them to follow him to their table. Shichiro of course glanced over at Ichigo for a moment and quickly debated on whether or not he should offer her his arm when she offered one of her own and smiled encouragingly at him.
He floundered for a moment but took the offered arm and linked it with one of his own and began to walk while Kalego fell into step to the side of him. Both demon's unaware of the fact that Sullivan had done something to alter their reservation to include he and the rest of his party until they were halfway to the room where they would be eating.
"Hey wait," Kalego said as he stopped walking and reached out to stop Shichiro and Ichigo as well. "I didn't reserve a room over here. I reserved a different room for privacy's sake." He said with a frown. Shichiro frowned as well, feeling just a bit confused as the host chimed up.
"Ah, about that- Lord Sullivan asked for he and his party to join you. And since we couldn't exactly turn down such a request, we went ahead and got the room ready for both of your parties since he said that you would be dinning together so that things didn't get out of hand."
Kalego looked as if he wanted to spit fire. Shichiro was a tad bit disappointed, but only a little bit. Whereas Ichigo...
"No," She said firmly in an annoyed tone. The host, Shichiro and Kalego all looked at her in startled surprise while she then went on to say. "This lunch was meant to be a means for me to get to know the two demons beside me." She indicated to Shichiro and Kalego with her hand. "I'm afraid that you were mistaken. My Papa and the others will not be joining us. At least not today. However, they should at least be seated near the room where we will be eating- for safety's sake."
The host floundered for a moment and then plastered on a fake smile and started to argue. "But miss-"
"It's Lady to you," Ichigo corrected the host in a positively chilling tone. "Lady Ichigo of the house of Sullivan. And you will not argue with me again. Now fix this error or we will be taking our business elsewhere."
The host opened and closed his mouth like one of the fish that was on display in the tank/wall for a few seconds and then quickly shook himself out of his stupor and went to do as she bid him while a high pitched and pitiful sounding whine sounded behind them.
It was Sullivan, Shichiro and Kalego knew since they had heard such whines before both during their days as students at Babyl and as teachers as well.
Ichigo sighed heavily and turned to face the elderly demon as Shichiro and Kalego moved themselves to face Sullivan and his party too. If only to see/hear what was going to happen next.
"Papa..." Ichigo said as she stared at the older demon and crossed her arms over her chest and glared.
Shichiro and Kalego were both under no illusions here. If sullivan really wanted to eat at the same table as them- then he would. So, they figured that the Great demon would explain himself or even stare the woman down. Or maybe even order/demand that she submit to his wishes.
Instead, Sullivan folded like a house of cards, startling them since he didn't usually cave in so quickly to anyone but Opera. And they had long figured that the only reason that that happened was entirely due to some sort of information that the cat demon held over his head to keep him in line.
But this...
"Ichigo! Papa did it for a good reason!" Sullivan cried as he dropped to his knees on the floor and then quickly crawled forward so that he had his arms wrapped around the startled woman's waist. "They're boys!" He sobbed out. "Stinking, beady eyed boys!"
Ah, so that was why he had tampered with Kalego's reservation. Shichiro mused in understanding. The old demon was feeling protective and was attempting to shield Ichigo. Though it was somewhat laughable that he would shield her from them of all demons.
After all, were they not some of his most loyal and trusted underlings? If not, then his actions would be more understandable. But right now, Shichiro both understood where the great demon was coming from and at the same time...not.
"Papa- you knew that this would happen sooner or later."
"Well, yes, but."
"No buts. You had absolutely no issues at all earlier when Rukia married Balam and me. Now did you?"
"No, but that was before I realized that Balam would take you away from me!" Sullivan cried. Ichigo stared at him for a heartbeat or so before then glancing over at him, as if she wanted him to help her figure out how to respond. But Shichiro was a tad bit lost since he wasn't entirely sure what to say.
After all, he wasn't a father- oh. Oh! Now he understood what was needed.
Walking over to Ichigo, Shichiro squatted down a bit so that he could see Sullivan. Eye to eye. And once he was in place, he reached out with one of his gloved hands and gently rested it on one of the elderly demon's shoulders drawing Sullivan's eyes to him curiously.
"No one will ever take your hard-won child from you, Lord Sullivan. Not me, not Kalego- no one."
Sullivan sniffled and looked at him almost hopefully as he asked in a small voice, "Really? You won't take my Ichigo away?"
"I think that you're thinking about this marriage thing all wrong," Ichigo said as she hugged the elder to her as best as she could since he was practically wrapped around her waist like a loincloth at the moment. "Marriage doesn't mean losing someone. It means gaining a new family member. And also having new possibilities and futures open up to you." She smiled at Sullivan and then tacked on in a conspirator's whisper tone that only Sullivan and Shichiro could hear, "There's also the fact that if things work between us, you'll get grandchildren. Itty-bitty little ones who will be so cute and adorable that we'll be beating kidnappers away from them in droves."
Sullivan practically started glowing, his expression was so excited. While Shichiro suddenly got the mental image of Ichigo, pregnant with his child. Her body swollen and glowing with health and beauty.
And his mind slid right into the gutter again as Sullivan suddenly reigned in his excitement and grabbed Ichigo and thrust her into his arms and bowed to him as he said, "Let me know when to expect my first itty-bitty grandchild."
Ichigo's smile was so wide that it looked as if it hurt her cheeks just to maintain it as Shichiro looked at her wide eyed for a moment- his mind still in the gutter, and then promptly hid his red face behind his hands and let out a squee.