ccc

…

The silence was unbearable.

After such commotion, a day of random explosions, high excitement in thrilling battles, endless waiting and loud personalities, Tatsuki would have thought this lull would have been a bit more welcomed. Instead, it was suffocating.

Suffocating because something was obviously bothering Orihime, who'd asked for her friends to join her. Or rather, the other in the room insisted on coming along, thinking it'd be a grand time for girl talk. In the end, she seemed the most bored out of the three, reclining on her elbows on Orihime's bed with a loud, obnoxious sigh. Such beauty, but her manners seemed less refined…

"What's the matter, Orihime?' Rangiku finally pried, fed up with the prolonged silence and monotony. She shifted onto one side, facing the damsel idling in her secretive but blatant woe; Orihime was so out of it that she wasn't even sure what was just asked of her. "You're being pretty boring right now."

"H-Hey, that's a bit harsh," said Tatsuki, taking it easy on the woman she hardly knew but was enamored by her beauty. Her eyes darted to the slip of Rangiku's robes. Those heavy breasts were stacking into the tilt. Would it be crass of Tatsuki to warn her? It didn't seem like the blonde cared much and just let her chest do as it did.

"O-Oh! Heheh!" Orihime rubbed the back of her head and apologized, keeping an uncertain smile on her face to mask the uncertainty in her heart. "I-I was just thinking about things."

"Yeah, we could tell that," Tatsuki muttered, always able to recognize when her best friend was lost in a train of wild thought. Then she pressed, folding her legs tighter atop Orihime's bed, "But what's got you all like this? Is it Ichigo?" Her tone changed to accusatory as she brought up a fist, "Did he try something scandalous with you?!"

She ignored Rangiku's cheer of approval for the scandalous.

But Orihime quickly denied it, both hands coming up and her face turning the beet-red only a timid virgin could make. "N-No! No! Kuro- Ichigo-kun's been very"—She hesitated in a way that concerned Rangiku—"very kind to me."

Tatsuki, also a virgin, settled a bit, saying "That's good" and crossing her arms.

"That's it? He's been kind?"

Orihime perked up with a "Huh?" She saw Rangiku's crystal-blue eyes observing her in that serious way; the type of serious that made her lieutenancy undoubtable. That brain of hers was peeling back the layers of Orihime's response, seeing underneath with a more experienced approach than Tatsuki, who was satisfied to hear that all was well.

If all was well, that meant all was stagnant when all needed to change with the greater change. Not just Ichigo becoming Soul King, but Ichigo becoming Orihime's husband. Rangiku was privy to Orihime's not-so-secret secret, so to her, it stood to reason that there was nothing that should foul up Orihime's mood. The only reason she could have such a look would be if she was in competition like she'd been with Kuchiki.

Rangiku smiled knowingly and turned her head. Of course. She wasn't the only one who had Ichigo as her husband. How many was it up to, now that the Quincy had filled a slot? She believed it was at nine, with two humans, two Arrancar, both women of Squad Zero, the Quincy, a Zanpakuto, and timid Isane. And there was a possibility of more, Rangiku considered slyly, thinking of something mentioned by a certain ex-noble, laughing boisterously over sake.

But that sort of consideration should not precede Orihime's happiness. So Rangiku eased into the motherly role and said to the despondent girl, "Ichigo's sure got a lot to take care of right now, isn't he? He's hardly had a chance to talk with anyone, and Squad Zero has to keep him in check."

Orihime looked up, and then gave a shy nod.

"It's good that he's being patient, but don't let that stop you from reminding him that he has a responsibility to you as well! We were all there when you stepped up to be a representative and Ichigo's wife!"

"I wasn't there," Tatsuki grumbled jealously.

Rangiku got off the bed and went straight for Orihime, jabbing her very deliberately in the boob. "You can't be mopey like this anymore! You're giving him all the power, but you're the wife! You have all the power! He wants you more than you want him!"

"R-Really?" Orihime flushed. She really wanted Ichigo, but was afraid of seeming selfish.

Rangiku nodded definitively, proud of her own harebrained logic, as Orihime was the only one who was ditzy enough to take the advice seriously, though Tatsuki would back her with confidence. After all, she'd always said that Orihime's 'charms' were being wasted when she could have had Ichigo to herself years ago!

"It's all about how you present yourself!" Rangiku winked, pointing to Orihime's outfit, particularly her dress. "You've got the sex appeal down, so he'll sit down and listen when you tell him to. He'll do anything to see what you have under there."

Orihime immediately flustered and grabbed her cheeks with a cry of embarrassed delight. "Hey, hey! Don't fill her head with those kinds of ideas too quickly," Tatsuki cautioned, knowing that Orihime could very well go to the extremes if she thought it would appease Ichigo's manly appetites.

Regardless, Orihime's fits quelled. It was hard to combat the wavering of her heart when there was a seed of doubt. "I can be patient, I think," she confessed, "and-and I think I can tell him but…" Her fingers tapped together nervously. "It's just…" She looked down and to the right. "I don't know how he feels. I mean, he's spent so much time alone with Riruka-chan. They've been acting… different."

Tatsuki tensed up. She wasn't really sure who Riruka was beyond the annoying brat that contended with anyone who had crossed her path. She couldn't see Ichigo falling for her when he had Orihime. Then again, she'd been oddly protective and possessive of Ichigo on the arrival of the guests. And the time Orihime was absent in the Living World definitely left time for her to nettle her way past Ichigo's density. He had never tried anything on Tatsuki since they'd known each other – the closest being when a poor judo grab had placed his hand upon her budding breast – and, recounting that fact, had put an odd twist in Tatsuki's gut.

Still, she was going to ease Orihime down from the ledge of doubt with a vote cast towards Ichigo's idiocy towards women. But whatever she or Rangiku planned to say was interrupted by the sound of a toilet flushing and running water. The three heads turned in sync to notice the lavatory's door opening. Cleaning her hands in a Senjumaru-sewn rag and tossing it carelessly behind her into the toilet, a fresh glow on her cheeks and a vicious grin on her face. Candice Catnipp looked at Orihime.

"So," she said with thick wickedness, "you're worried your shithead husband's in love with one of his other brides, huh?"

"Wha-What are you doing here?!" Tatsuki stammered, uncrossing her legs to rise halfway on her knees. "Were you in there this whole time?! What were you doing?!"

Candice caught her smile before it could wilt. She tilted her head back to seem particularly condescending and said, "I've been holding it in since this morning. What do you think?"

Tatsuki blanched a little. How crass…

But it was a topic of disregard for the Quincy, who now pulled on her gloves, setting them in place with a tightening of her fists. "What are you three doing here is my question. Isn't this supposed to be Meni's room?"

The décor was certainly to Meninas' tastes, come to think of it. Though less refined. Meninas wanted everything pink and sparkly and jewel-encrusted and gold. Riruka's things – which cluttered the room with cabinets, mirrors, vanities, and chairs – fit part of Meninas's code of quality.

As an aside, Candice eyed the cartoonish chest next to the wardrobe, "Only she has tastes this gaudy."

ccc The Soul King's bedroom ccc

Meninas sneezed while fixing the straps of her bra on her shoulder. Sniffling, she rubbed her nose with her finger. "I got out of the bath too quickly," she assumed.

ccc In Orihime's and Riruka's joint bedroom ccc

"Actually, it's Riruka-chan's," Orihime said, smiling warmly despite Candice's cold appearance. "But we don't mind if you…"

"You!" Candice jabbed a finger at her. "So you're Kurosaki's wife, part of his harem, huh? And you're worried that he's screwing around with another wife." She sauntered over, practically elbowing Rangiku out of the way to trap Orihime between her and the makeup desk behind her. Orihime submissively leaned back, drawing her hands up to guard her chest; she looked hurriedly over to Tatsuki, who was already acting to intercede. Orihime, though intimidated, did not want that.

Candice slapped a hand down on the desk and placed the other on her hip. "You must be pretty stupid. Of course he's fucking his other wives!"

"Hey!" Tatsuki exclaimed while Rangiku made a grab at Candice's shoulder.

Orihime, on the other hand, looked like a noose had tightened at his throat.

"What'd you think a guy like him's gonna do? He doesn't just accept a whole lot of wives just to play cutesy house," Candice mirthfully continued, knocking off Rangiku's hand. "It's the whole plan, don't you see? They're already planning to counter the next enemy! Aizen, Yhwach, Tokinada. They're already preparing for the event of Kurosaki's death." She made a chopping motion at her neck. "So they want to make sure they have a fresh supply of new candidates."

"Wh-What?" trembled Orihime, though she was smart enough to know what was being suggested.

"Lots of babies," Candice clarified. "From each race, to make sure one fits the bill next time. Of course both women of Squad Zero would already be a part of it. They'd have the loyalist brats of all!"

Both Rangiku and Tatsuki now grabbed at both of her shoulders, prying her back and warning her not to say such things to Orihime. "Ichigo's not like that!" Tatsuki professed for her friends' sake.

But Candice kept her smirk on Orihime even as she willfully receded by the Shinigami and human's pull. "I wouldn't be surprised if he screwed Bambi while they were together. She has a thing for hot guys."

"That's it!"

"Huh? Hey!" While she could tolerate being manhandled away from Orihime, when Tatsuki's arms locked under hers and put her in a tight Full Nelson, Candice was concerned. Her arms dangling overhead, she turned and flashed a fearsome glower at the powerless human. "You want me to turn you into ash, you bitch?!" Sparks zapped from her eyes, but Tatsuki's seemed unconcerned; more mischievous than anything.

Like this, Candice's weak points were dreadfully exposed. And Tatsuki said to her teammate, "Tickle her armpits."

"What?" Candice looked forward to see the same gleam in Rangiku's eyes as her wriggling fingers came at the ready. "What're you doing?" Candice pulled against Tatsuki, but was unable to break the lock. The fingers came closer and she began to sweat. "Don't you dare! I—ha!—I'll kill you! I'll execute—execute you—pah!—execute you all! Ha! Snrt! Hee! Hahaha! Stopit! No!"

"Coochy-coochy-coochy-coo~" Rangiku's fingers ran down Candice's sides rapidly, from her underarms to her midriff and back up again. She stood out of range of Candice's vengeful kicks; she had practice at this kind of torture.

And though it was heartening to see a human, a Shinigami, and a Quincy resolve their disputes – albeit unconventionally – Candi-chan's words stuck in Orihime's mind; that it was not some acknowledgement by Osho and the others of her strong feelings for Ichigo, but rather how quickly Ichigo's seed could occupy her womb with a potential heir.

ccc Dining area ccc

"Darn it, Nee-san! You let him get away again! How are you going to keep him if you let him escape so easily?!"

Isane looked up timorously from the stack of dishes she was procuring from the table. Organization was healthy, and she needed something to do while the others were whisked away. "I-I didn't let him escape, Kiyone. Don't say it like that." She pulled another bowl onto the pile and pushed away the serving of mostly-untouched tempura; it could possibly be kept for later. She wanted to get the empty dishes put away… though she wasn't sure where they should go.

"Ahn! You're making this so frustrating!" whined Kiyone, waving her fists up and down. "Ichigo's your husband now, but you've hardly said anything to him! Hurry up!" She tugged at Isane's sleeve, pointing to the hallway Ichigo had been dragged down earlier. "He went that way! Corner him and use your womanly charms to seduce him!"

"Kiyone!" the older sister fussed, pulling out of her grip and clutching around her chest defensively. "Don't talk like that! It's-It's for…!" Her mouth pulled shut, afraid to speak the words out loud. Kiyone was frowning at her in challenge, wanting to hear some sort of explanation to her hesitation, but Isane couldn't get it out. So instead, she shifted back to the table. "We should just get this place cleaned for the morning meal. I-I should probably stay up too, and discuss with Hikifune-sama a proper diet for breakfast."

Again, Kiyone burst out a noise of frustration. "Why are you calling her '-sama'?! She's a wife just like you!"

Isane cowed under all this pressure from her pushy little sister, but… it was to be expected. She'd gone through similar anxiety and would do anything and everything to distract from the loss of a beloved leader and Captain. Ukitake and Unohana had both sacrificed themselves for the sake of Soul Society and the balance of reality. Let Kiyone have these distracting outbursts; Isane would be the reliant older sister and hold it all together for both of them.

Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps came down the corridor, and just as Kiyone lit up with the expectation of her brother-in-law's arrival, she sulked to see Squad Zero returning; two-fifths of them, anyway. Osho and the Grain King. Aside from Kirio's more pleasing features in this form, Kiyone was not impressed to see them. Squad Zero had lost their impact now that Ichigo stood above them, and her unlucky-in-love sister was married to him.

"Ah! So there were some stragglers!" mused Osho jovially as he sauntered over. "The healer and Jushiro's protégé!"

Kiyone bowed, pleased to be recognized regardless, and shouted, "It-It's an honor, sir!"

Isane smiled in spite of Kiyone's expressed displeasure of Osho's musk.

"Healer," repeated Osho, his hand finding his beard as usual, "Kotetsu Isane. No, Kurosaki Isane it'd be now, correct?"

"Uh-um!" Isane formalized her posture, turning away from her cleanup to fold her hands in front of her and give a slight but respectful bow. She was a little red in the face, her eyes casting downward. "If it suits you, or Ichigo-san…"

"Don't be so tense, Isane-chan," Kirio consoled, stepping around the Monk and eyeing the spread of uneaten food separated from the soiled, now-stacked plates. "You needn't worry about these mundane tasks! We have attendants who do this work for you!"

Isane straightened her back abruptly, and realizing that she was at her full height, hunched forward to seem less tall. "I know that," she half-lied, for she'd only suspected that there were people – somewhere – who'd clean up the mess, but hadn't confirmed it with her eyes yet. She smiled a little. "I just wanted to keep my hands busy."

"Understandable," Osho agreed, sharing a glance with Kirio. "But now that Ichigo's here to eat his fill, I'd say you can relax and enjoy some time with your husband!" He turned with an outstretched arm. "Wouldn't you say, Ichigo-san?!" He smiled at nothing behind him.

The three women waited awkwardly for an explanation.

"Oh!" Osho looked upward, making a low hum. "I guess he got lost…"

ccc In Orihime's and Riruka's joint bedroom ccc

It took some time, to the point where even Rangiku's fingers were beginning to tire, but Candice finally agreed to terms of peace. And a bit of civility, insisted Tatsuki; Orihime could hear some tough news, but it wasn't going to do any good for her. The damage was already done, though. Candice had said – and believed with certainty – that Ichigo had slept with Riruka and with any other woman he had been alone with. Orihime had thought that it was something she could easily handle at one time; all the girls 'ganging up' on Kurosaki-kun to claim an overwhelming victory. Well, she'd gotten what she wanted, but now had to come to terms with it as an adult.

"Ichigo is a guy still," Tatsuki said in some mild form of agreement to Candice's predictions. "If he's married to you and all these other girls, I guess it's only inevitable that he'd be promiscuous. N-Not that he'd overshadow you, Orihime! Like we said, you just need to stand out a bit more!" She didn't want to see Orihime sulk anymore.

All this coddling of feelings… It was making Candice's stomach turn. She was more used to callous, vulgar talk. The Bambis would be jeering at one another, calling each other a whore or threatening to steal cute boys from the bedroom. What was Orihime going to do if this Kurosaki bastard never made time for her? She'd just wither into a bitter old maid.

Candice sneered a bit. Such a pity…

The topic of more intimate acts came up. "Well, have you two"—The subject even made Tatsuki squirm a little in her seat—"kissed at all?"

"N-No!" Orihime shrunk a little, the thought clearly on her mind. Quieter than her outburst, she uttered, "Not yet. I think we almost did… once." She thought about when he called her 'Orihime' for the first time. She was standing at the dimensional doorway to head back to the Living World to make preparations. His eyes were so soft when he looked at her, his defenses down. The moment she had crossed that threshold, she instantly regretted not pitching herself into his arms and planting a smooch on him as boldly as Nel-san had taken his first kiss. And if it was true that Riruka had taken another 'first' from him… then he had no more 'firsts' to give.

"Well, his face went between your boobies," Rangiku declared, motioning to her own cleavage and laughing. "That's a pretty strong start, if you ask me!"

"Argh!" exclaimed Candice, fed up with the niceties of this chatter. She never thought she'd long for the idiocy of Meni, the sarcasm of Lil, the lewdness of Gigi, or the bitchiness of Bambi so much! "Is that what this is all about?! A kiss?! Well then, let's just take care of that!" She stormed over from where she was leaning against the wall and letting these three mewling and bleeding hearts spew their toxic support of one another.

Watching her approach, fearing what she planned, Orihime held up her hands in resistance. "No, Candi-chan! I'm-I'm not ready to see Kuro-Ichi-mmph!"

Rangiku and Tatsuki's jaws dropped in tandem. No one had seen it coming, least of all Orihime, who was mid-sentence when Candice fisted what little of her top that she could and yanked her forward, smashing their lips together and claiming Orihime's first kiss for herself. Candice unapologetically snuck that kiss in. And it was no chaste or innocent kiss. It was a full lip-lock, Candice's head turned slightly to one side with an open mouth, and there was no doubt that a tongue was involved when Orihime made a jump after initial contact.

And Orihime didn't try to move away or pry her mouth apart. She just tensed up, her knuckles turning white as she clutched the edge of the desk. Candi-chan's mouth was so smooth and warm, making her tingle down to her toes. Every reaction of her body was positive to this invasive kiss. Her acknowledgment of Rangiku-san and Tatsuki-chan had left her; she felt like it was only her and Candi-chan in the room at the moment. With a whimper, her eyes steadily rolled up to the back of her head, her tongue nervously answering Candi-chan's elated coaxing.

Kuro…saki…kun…

She melted into the kiss and, with what little knowledge she had about this long-awaited moment, she pressed forward to return it, which renewed Tatsuki's and Rangiku's shock. "Orihime!" shouted Tatsuki when she'd had enough of the visual, Orihime's arms steadily creeping up from the desk to linger on Candice's waist. "What are you doing?!"

And yet, it was Candice who pulled back with a loud, gratified sigh and a string of spit arching between them until she wiped at her grinning lips. "There ya go!" she jeered, mildly breathless as she continued to scrub under her plumped, glossy lips. "Now it's no big deal that he kissed someone else, right?" She took a moment to let Orihime answer, but Orihime was panting and out of her mind, staring forward blankly as she tried to process her feelings after the toe-curling kiss. Her tongue crept out and dabbed on her scorched lips.

Candice was tempted to sweep in for another kiss. It had been some time, after all, and this ditz seemed particularly interested when her eyes finally regarded her again. Meek, frail, begging to be dominated and led through the process of lovemaking and sexual frenzy.

"You know what?!" Tatsuki jumped on the bed, poised for a fight. "I say you should get out of here before I clobber you!"

Rangiku would back her up, and at the same time, noticed the entranced look on Orihime's face.

"Heh!" Candice didn't mind leaving, but not before a bit more provocation. She tilted Orihime's head with her index finger lifting beneath her chin. "If you want a bit more than just a kiss, I'll be sticking around here for a while."

Tatsuki's rage was delicious.

Walking to the door with a sensual saunter in her hips, she winked back at Orihime with that devious smirk and opened to leave.

THMP!

Candice barely jumped out of the way when two bodies fell inward, one on top the other, his hand stuck underneath the bottom's uniform, latching to her large breasts. His robes were loose, his indecency protruding and hard and nestled in between the Arrancar's legs.

Eyes bugged from all except the enraptured Nel, who flung her legs around Ichigo's waist, proclaiming her love for him. Orihime quivered as her stomach contracted, proof of Ichigo's philandering ways right in front of her.

And all Candice could do was hold her sides and cackle. "Looks like you'll be visiting me sooner rather than later!"

ccc

I've always had the misfortune of getting it out in time before someone mentioned it, but now I'm on track.