Adult-FanFiction.org : Bleach

Consort To The Three Kings	By : Snowway32 Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 7102 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters there within, Kubo Tite owns that sole right and I am making no money from this. It is purely for my own pleasure.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Wow, finally, I managed to finish it! And just in time to. But I'm glad that I managed it, the inspiration was surprisingly easy to find after I took some time to look for it. I want to sincerely thank everyone who reviewed and shows their support for this story. I truly warms my heart when I wake up in the mornings to find my inbox full of little encouragements and sweet messages.
I was so happy! Thank you all. I had a question about Ichigo being born in the 1600's by someone so I'll tell you now, yes in this story...the events that took place in soul society and Ichigo's previous life happened several hundred years earlier than in the canon as I've said before. I'll be seriously playing with the canon facts to fit it in with my plot as you'll see but I hope that doesn't put you off.
For now though, I hope that helps. I don't have much more to say in this author note except please enjoy this chapter. It may start out light hearted but the end...just a little warning: please keep the tissue box close at hand.

Chapter 3: Present and Past
'Are you just going to watch?' Ryuu's curious voice hummed as he looked up from his cup of sake briefly to stare openly at the man that was now standing beside him on one of the platforms within the isolated training room. Beneath them, rushing across the sands of Hueco Mundo and the dome of a training room separate from Las Noches itself, insane laughter and grunts of frustration resounded in tandem to the clash of metal against metal. The sounds that were echoing in the vast space below, dangerous and dark, were so distracting that it was almost unpleasantly to hear unless one was to peak down to observe the beautiful display of prowess below.
The tall dark haired man that had just been spoken to, shifted on his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. Dressed in a black Shihakushō with a tattered white captain's haori tied to his arm, only nodded absently at the question. His tanned skin, much darker than Ichigo's and with chocolate brown eyes that were so intense and serious like his son's when he decided to show them, were openly observing the battle of strength ragging below them. The parrying of blows, the nimble flips of defence and intense swings of Zangetsu's large blade combined with the rushing reiatsu had Kurosaki Isshin completely captivated at the range of raw talent and yet to be refined fighting style of his orange haired son.
'It's been a very long time since I've seen that carefree spark within his eyes, Ryuu.' He finally replied, his brown eyes pulling away from the confrontation to gaze at the long, white haired King of Hueco Mundo beside him. 'He seems to be enjoying himself for the first time since Masaki's death, and when you failed to protect the world that he has treasured before; it becomes a father's pride to watch the pain his son has been unconsciously harbouring since the beginning, settles little by little when he returns to where he belongs.'
'You are rather morbid today, Oyaji(1*).' The Third King of Hueco Mundo noted with a frown. The man was indeed strangely subdued in accordance to what they were used to from him. But, Ryuu really wasn't complaining. It was rare enough to find Shiba Isshin in a mood that did not include him trying to attack you or surprise the shit out of you just for fun or 'training'. And what was even rarer, was to find him so calm and collected when Ichigo was crossing swords with someone else right in front of him.
Ichigo did not just inherit this man's uncontained power, but his complex sense of duty and protective nature as well.
'Allow me my mourning, my fourth son.' Isshin said, strangely sobered. 'If I had noticed Ichigo's spike of reiatsu sooner, I too could have helped before his body was killed by them. It is not easy telling your sweet little daughters that their brother, whom they love so much they'd die for him, was murdered by death gods but was still alive in another world at the same time.'
'Yeah, it's painful.' The golden eyed triplet said, brushing his long white hair with streaks of orange over his shoulder. A heady silence of contemplation falling upon them at the surging power of the battle below. It was beginning to press down upon them harsher than before, Ichigo and Hichigo's spar was only climbing in complexity and intensity. The heady rush of reiatsu leaking from Hichigo in response to Ichigo's raising power was dark and dangerous, but somehow much more controlled, as he stepped up his retaliation to Ichigo a little. Poor Ichi, Ryuu thought. His control over his newly gained power was uncertain and erratic at best, but his enthusiasm for learning everything from the beginning made up for it in more ways than one.
Both observing parties, Ryuu and Isshin, were suddenly stilled and shuddered at the new and heady rage of spiritual pressure that saturated the air in a heavy lurch. Two sets of eyes, mismatched in colour, widened in quiet surprise when two cries of 'Bankai' echoed through the air in a synchronized shout. The older being of the two felt his heart stutter in his chest, chocolate brown eyes zeroing in on the push of reiatsu as sand and dust was kicked up by the sheer force of the simultaneous Zanpactō release.
'Oi, oi! Isn't it still too early for that? Why is Hichigo pushing him so far?' Isshin asked with rising concern, his brow furrowing deeply as his large fingers instinctively curled around Engetsu's hilt at the pressing, almost numbing reiatsu rushing against his skin. Geez, Ichigo really did not know how to hold back, ever. 'Damn it! Ichigo has only just regained his powers. His soul cannot be used to that an intense of a release only two days after being here. Hell, he probably doesn't even know how to do it...yet.' The elder Kurosaki trailed off, caught off guard as the dust that had blocked their vision settled and two inverted forms stood facing each other with pure determination.
A white Zangetsu rested within a black nailed hand, balancing the beautiful daitō quite carelessly over Hichigo's shoulder by its broken chain as the Mei-Ou appraised his opponent's determination in meeting him step for step with equal power. And Ichigo, he slipped into stance, the trailing black and red coat reminiscent of the floor length coat Zangetsu no Ossan always wore, spoke volumes to his correct execution of the full release. But Hichigo too, was dressed in the exact same way but with black and white instead. For several seconds the two opponents were watching each other carefully in their reversed forms, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
'Ready, Ichigo? I ain't goin te hold back.' The shout resounded just before a flicker of white and black followed an explosion of reiatsu. The rising power, like a magnet for the Espada, was beginning to ring out through Las Noches like a siren's call. Elegant white and black blades crossed in a heady clash as they flickered out of sight again with the aid of their hyper speed. The only indication that they were still facing each other were the occasional sparks their blades made as they crossed in fierce collisions, the rushing black and white masses of the Getsuga Tenshō clashing together mid air as they countered and attacked in parries and thrusts of power.
'Speechless, Oyaji?' Ryuu teased as he leaned forward to get a better view, his fingers absently pouring another cup of sake before passing it to the older Shinigami standing next to him not only to calm himself but the older spirit as well. 'We were all surprised when Zangetsu called Ichigo to his inner world the first night he was here. I, at least, had expected it to take more than a month before he would reach that stage. But with Ichigo, you know, nothing ever goes at a normal pace.' Golden eyes bathed in a sea of black now critically followed the rising intensity of the fight with alertness. The Mei-Ou biting back his own concerns when the coppery scent of blood started to permeate the air.
'Why is he still pushing so hard?' Isshin asked with confusion. His shoulders were tensed as he readied himself to jump into the fray but long black finger-nailed fingers dug into his Captain's haori and hakama to keep him rooted in place. Forcing chocolate brown eyes to re-evaluate the beautiful dance of carnage down below. He could clearly see that Hichigo was overpowering Ichigo, and intentionally too, as the scent of blood only became stronger. Several cuts were now blossoming red around the torn black fabric of Ichigo's coat, leaving the teen to lose himself in his ever deepening exhaustion. Hichigo remained unscratched and aloof, his golden eyes observing his opponent with concentrated calculation. Isshin, however, would be fooling himself if he did not see the dancing flickers of torture and regret within those intense eyes as the fight continued to rise and rise in intensity.
'Because Hichigo is trying to force Ichigo to materialize his mask. The way Ichigo is now, fighting in what he thinks is his true power, his reiatsu is in actual fact just about half the amount it used to be. Whether it is because he was forced to awaken two years before we were supposed to bring him to us or he is unconsciously holding himself back; we need to make sure that little Ichigo can defend himself on the off chance that we cannot be by his side and he needs to overpower his enemy.' The Third King said softly, his own knuckles turning white around the neck of the sake bottle. His own shoulders were even tenser than even Isshin's, especially when a cry of pain resounded throughout the room. He stubbornly forced himself not to move, though. His fingers, instead, instinctively dug further into Isshin's white haori to keep the Shinigami in place. This was a necessary evil that they could not avoid and it was better doing it this way than asking Ichigo to spar against the large range of power in the Espada.
Hichigo would never intentionally injure Ichigo, but they had to do this...Ichigo had agreed to this beforehand but even so, it did not make it any easier to watch.
'What the hell are you waiting for, Ichigo?' Ryuu thought to himself as Isshin fell quiet beside him. Both of them too concerned with the fight below to say anything more. 'You cannot hold Hichigo back with just that, call it to you. Call on your instinct... your injuries will heal...call it...you won't lose your sanity as you are subconsciously telling yourself you will.' The youngest of the triplets growled his internal frustration, pushing his ragged bangs from his eyes as a sudden and heavy reiatsu began swimming around Hichigo. The tell tale, black and red aura of a Cero forming at the tip of white Zangetsu's blade instantly made the two men observing the fight stiffen.
'Ichigo!' Isshin shouted in response, his feet already pushing him forward despite the grip on his clothes only to find himself being forced back harshly with the ragging explosion of red and black reiatsu of the hollow flash. The deafening screech, suppressing power and heady reiatsu seemed to engulf the entirety of the training room within an instant. Ichigo's stifled cry of surprise and pain rang out above the roar of power, his counter to Hichigo's Cero enveloping him pitch black as he finally reached towards that instinct buried deep, deep inside of him.
His explosion of reiatsu doubled and nearly succeeded in pushing Isshin to his knees as he jerked himself from Ryuu's re-established grip. Waraji clad feet were already hitting the sand before he knew it, Engetsu drawn to put a stop to the spar when he froze in the middle of the room as two Zangetsu's clashed with his blade. Isshin was too stunned to move at the ragging power emanating not only from Ichigo's Zangetsu but Hichigo's as well.
'Ah, ah! I was wonderin' when ya'd finally show up, Oyaji.' Hichigo murmured in deep disappointment, pulling the white Zangetsu from the Shinigami's blade to rest it over his shoulder as he breathed a hiss of annoyance. The powerful release of their combined reiatsu had surely just shattered the barrier that surrounded the training room, and it was sure to attract many a curious gaze at the familiarity of the reiatsu in accordance to the three kings'. But oh well, Hichigo smirked. He had gotten what he wanted as he peered over Isshin's tall shoulder.
Concerned father as he was, Isshin quickly followed the King's gaze over his shoulder and faced the direction where the most menacing of the two auras was coming from. A breath hitched in his chest as he encountered a completely transformed Ichigo standing behind him. His orange hair billowing behind his menacingly, long horned mask as he stepped forward. A claw like hand tightening around Zangetsu's black and red hilt as his feet dug into the sand in readiness to launch himself through the opening Isshin's appearance had given him. But instead, the older Shinigami suddenly found himself face down in the dirt when powerful kick to his back stole his very breath and caused his spine creak in protest.
Damn! Ichigo hadn't lost any of his aversion to his father's sudden appearance and reacted accordingly every time. Leaving Isshin not knowing if he should be proud or disturbed that his son attacked him when he had just stopped these two from attempting to kill each other.
'What the hell, Goat-Face! Who said you could interrupt, it's just getting fun.' Coughing up the stale sand of Hueco Mundo, father to the powerful hollow like being standing behind him, turned his head to the side to watch as a tanned hand came up to caress the tip of a long horn. All traces of shallow wounds had dissolved as the gaping hole marked with bold black estigma (2*) suddenly vanished from Ichigo's chest the moment he allowed his mask to dissolve with a flick of his fingers. His body reverted back to its former state and inadvertently left the orange haired teen panting headily for breath as he stuck Zangetsu's black tip into the ground to keep himself balanced.
Taking pity on his father's defeated whining about only 'saving his precious son from a demon' after a while, Ichigo held out his hand and pulled the older Shinigami to his feet. Only for a second longer did his eyes reflect the black and gold pattern of the Mei-Ou before they became a soft amber again, making him unconsciously lean towards his father's strength to keep himself from falling over in exhaustion. That last resort in defence he had just pulled had completely exhausted him but he did not want to disappoint Hichigo so he smiled softly in triumph.
'Good enough for you, Hichigo?' Ichigo asked raggedly, causing the oldest of the three triplets to just smile.
'More than enough—.' The Mei-Ou was promptly interrupted by Ichigo's yelp of surprise as the shoulder he had just been leaning against shifted and he was thrown over his father's back like a sack of potatoes. He flushed beet red in embarrassment at being manhandled so easily, his fingers desperately reaching out to Zangetsu's standing form to defend himself when he was jostled playfully and a cackle escaped his father's lips when large tanned fingers curled around the hilt instead and lifted the daitō out of his reach.
'What the hell are you doing, you Bastard!' Ichigo shouted in rage. 'Give Zangetsu back! I'll kick your ass! Fuck! Put me down, put me down, put me down! NOW!' Fingers dug into spiky black locks and gave several harsh tugs in retaliation as it was the only place he could reach that would hurt his brute of a father. Isshin though, remarkably unconcerned, remained still at the prospect of his son desperately attempting to make him bald for life in his ragging temper as he started flitting to the top of one of the pillars and towards the exit with the aid of Shunpo.
'My spirited son! You should be more happy! Your loving father has brought your sweet little sisters to come visit.' The insane man yelled at the top of his lungs as he navigated the castle better than even Ichigo could. 'But I wonder if it was such a good idea to leave Urahara to look after them whilst I observed your spirited fight.' The dark haired man said out loud, his words suddenly stopping Ichigo's pulling fingers in black hair as the orange haired teen stilled at the implications.
'You LEFT them with the Geta-Boushi (3*)! Are you INSANE?! Do you have any moral values in protecting your daughters from a shady pervert?!'
...
'It never ceases to amaze me how that man can piss off our little strawberry so quickly and violently.' Hichigo remarked rather calmly after having to watch his beloved get carried away like that. But he wasn't concerned, not really. Ichigo was way stronger than even his father and could look after himself, but just to make sure, as he shook Zangetsu out of his Bankai form and sent the sword back to Ichigo's inner world, he traced their pulsing reiatsu through the castle corridors as they headed towards the tea room where three familiar souls were waiting for them along with Ichiru's powerful but calm presence.
'You pushed pretty hard today, Hichigo. I don't think that Cero was really necessary.' Ryuu remarked carefully as they fell in step next to each other. 'It's just luck that Ichigo managed to bring out that form for several seconds to counter it with his own Cero. Otherwise he might have been seriously injured.' The eldest of the two didn't say anything for a while as he closed his eyes and allowed his feet to carry him through the corridors he knew like the back of his hand. His hands were buried in his pockets as he internally surveyed the battle step for step and blow for blow within his mind.
'Iie(4*), it's not luck that guided him through that fight.' Hichigo said softly. 'There is no such thing in this world, you should know that. It was instinct, instinctively he knew how to overpower me but he was still trying to fight whilst trying not to injure me. His heart is as gentle as always, that's why I had to awaken that instinct within him at all cost. There was no other option, Soul Society have grown restless according to reports and the assassins of the Nibantai(5*) are moving again. We need to make sure that Ichigo can protect himself.'
'But he sure surprised me.' Hichigo said with a smirk after a while in the fallen silence. His golden eyes peering slyly at his triplet through narrowed lids. 'Who would have thought that he would pull out his second strongest form so quickly and easily...it seems Zangetsu no Ossan has been talking to him in his sleep again.' Ryuu chuckled as they rounded another corner, their pace much more sedate and companionable than most of the Arrancar ever thought the bickering trio was capable of. But the younger of the two shrugged his shoulders as his eyes gained a distant look, his thoughts turning quite sour for the moment.
'I'm glad that he is getting stronger but our trust is still not strong enough for him to pull off that form should he need to. The form he has used only twice in the past, once to kill Aizen and the other to fight off a range of assassins even though he had been poisoned by their blades already. And all to protect us from falling to the same fate as he was. You know, sometimes I just want to curse him to death for his foolishness.' Ryuu said and Hichigo agreed wholeheartedly, there was just something that gravitated within Ichigo that drew so many people towards him. The same people he always wanted to protect in return but in the end he struggled to protect himself first and foremost.
He was a true self sacrificing martyr that rarely looked for anything in return.
'When he enters that state, he becomes quite terrifying.' Hichigo remarked to himself almost absently. 'So calm, so still. So assured of himself that nothing passes those beautiful brown eyes of his. It's only a bonus to us that the transformation lasts for three years whilst a new white Zangetsu is reformed. But we only got to see it for a little while the second time on that night...that poison was much too strong for even him to fight for more than twelve hours. Twelve hours that he spent making sure we would be protected, Zangetsu was sealed and would wait for him until he came back.' A heavy and unwelcome silence settled between them at those words, as the two brothers were left to relive their own memories of the events of that night. Something they did not want to remember but still did in any case...
The heavy, gasping breaths and pained cries of their beloved Ichigo as he laid dying in the blood splattered sheets of their bed. His dark form, long black hair...skin dyed bloodied red in places as the scattered remains and bloody carnage remaining of the twelve assassins that Ichigo had killed in a frenzy for attempting to hurt his beloved's, were scattered throughout the royal chambers. All ruthlessly cut down by his own hands despite his dizzying state from their poison. It was not something anyone ever forgot easily, especially those who had to watch with climbing horror as such an insignificant and cowardly way to kill slowly but painfully took away their Consort for two hundred painful years.
In those private moments, where neither brother said a single word, it was assured that each were fighting with their own personal demons. Cursing and questioning their own abilities in protecting their loved one from a similar fate again as they rebuilt their resolve from the beginning. So when a familiar voice and the pained cries of his victim echoed down the halls to meet their ears, they were both instantly startled them from their dazed state. Golden eyes blinked in simultaneous confusion before they shared an exasperated gaze. Smirking in amusement before they shot down the last few metres towards the traditional tea room where the noise was echoing from.
'How could you?! I cannot believe that you never told me anything, you stupid old man! How much did Ryuu, Hichigo and Ichiru have to suffer whilst I remained so blissfully ignorant? And Yuzu and Karin...they had to have been hurt too...' Ichigo finally ran out of steam in an irritated huff, dragging his fingers through the orange bangs that fell in his eyes as he ignored his father's playful tantrum as best he could. His enraged shouts must have echoed throughout the castle walls with reverberating force but he didn't care, he was tired, irate and he needed to use someone to take his frustrations out on. And Goat-Face was the perfect target, which was until pale arms wound around his thin waist and a warmth suddenly engulfed Ichigo from behind .Ichiru beating both Hichigo and Ryuu standing in the doorway, in capturing Ichigo for himself before he could truly go on a rampage.
The instant that those warm arms snaked around his waist, though, Ichigo only tensed for several seconds before he recognized the presence and slumped backwards tiredly without a care in the world. His sudden heady collapse from a tiring spar and calling out powers he was not quite ready for, was finally catching up with his body in a dizzying rush. Ichigo sighed, leaning his head back against a strong shoulder. Ichiru only tightening his hold to let him know he was not alone before he led the teen towards the seat he had previously occupied before his anger had gotten a hold of him.
He scowled over his shoulder, still finding it unfair how the Triplet of Kings, who was born from within his soul, were several inches taller than him and could so easily calm or entice him to frustration and a yearning need he did not quite understand. But when they touched him, all his ragging emotions and fears were almost instantly settled and all was right with the world again. So, with his anger suddenly evaporated, Ichigo shifted irritably in the tight embrace as the Mei-Ou settled directly behind him with a chest pressed to his back and a warm chin resting upon his shoulder. Floppy white locks teasing the skin of Ichigo's cheek as he leaned forward to bring their forms even closer together than before.
'Ochitsui(6*), Ichigo-Koi. (7*),' Ichiru's voice rumbled calmingly in his ear. 'If you act like this, you are going to upset your little sisters further. Besides, there's no need to get so upset. We ordered your father not to say anything so that you could life without the burden of knowing you had to die one day to be with us again.' Silence seemed to fall heavy and thick around the tea room as seven pairs of eyes trained uncertainly upon Ichigo. The silence however, was broken by twin sighs of contentment when two heads rested in a white hakama clad lap to promptly still Ichigo's anger further. He sighed guiltily, his sweet little sisters were snuggling up to his side as if they had no audience to their actions. Smiling at him brilliantly in happiness and Ichigo's heart finally relented. His fingers automatically found the softness of their hair as he tried not to show the guilt he felt in watching their tears of relief begin to stain his hakama.
'W-we're so glad Onii-chan is alright...' Yuzu murmured with a sniffle, her small hands reaching upward to tug long lock of orange hair over Ichigo's shoulder to play with and twist around her finger with sisterly bliss. Her soft eyes gazing lovingly at her brother's features as she clutched at the lock of hair as if it were a precious gem not to let go of, as if she were to let go for only a moment, then her precious Onii-chan would no longer be there right before her. Ichigo, in return, sighed softly. His fingers carding through Yuzu's hair as he leaned back against Ichiru and rested his other hand on Karin's shoulder that was trembling slightly.
There was a gentle peace within the moment and he closed his eyes blissfully. Revelling in being able to see them again, for he would be lying if the thought of never seeing them again did not hurt him as deeply within his soul as losing his mother did.
'I'm fine, Yuzu, Karin.' He reassured. 'But now, in a while perhaps, I can finally protect you with all my power.' He whispered, smiling softly as he tugged them closer for a gentle embrace. Gazing over their shoulders gratefully at Hichigo's form reclining against his stack of pillows, lips curling in grateful thanks before he was offered a small nod of acceptance in return. Staring at the untouched cup of tea to his right, he closed his eyes in regret when he could not reach it with his arms so full. In fact, it seemed that neither of his sisters would let Ichigo go now that they had him where they wanted him...
'Ichi-nii?' Karin whispered in his ear just loud enough for everyone to hear. 'It's all fine and good that you are still alive but your hair...you look like a girl.' Her dark eyes watched with mature amusement as her brother stiffened instantly at her words.
'I do not!' Ichigo yelled in frustration, a flush starting to creep across his nose as he felt suddenly insulted. But Karin just bumped her shoulder against his, telling Ichigo instantly that it was only a joke.
'I don't mind.' Yuzu said dreamily, her hand reaching up to tug more of the orange locks towards her and giggled as the strands tickled her fingers. 'Onii-chan's hair has always been very pretty. And don't be like that Karin, Urahara-san gave me a lot of clips and ribbons before we came, we can use those! You cannot tell me you don't want to play with it. Will you let us Onii-chan? Pretty please?' The orange haired teen stilled again, trying very hard to hide his embarrassment at his father's obvious snickering and Ryuu and Hichigo's gazes of pure amusement.
'No! Absolutely not!'
'But Ichi-nii, we can make you look even more pretty.' Karin insisted with a leer as her dark eyes flashed menacingly. That was when Ichigo started struggling in earnest to get away. He didn't like this new obsession with his hair and what was worse...just before he could get away, there was a vivid flash of a camera as the presence he had not even noticed within the room before took a picture of the scene. He was probably going to use it for blackmail later and Ichigo shook with boiling rage.
'You bastard! Give that back! I'll kill you!' He yelled at the blonde haired shop keeper he had only briefly met a few days ago, but his anger lost its potency when Ichiru suddenly moved away from behind him and went to join his brothers instead. Leaving Ichigo to fight his own battles against the tiny hands that were now winding through his hair and doing all sorts of strange things to it.
His mouth opened in a silent scream but it was interrupted with his father's 'thumbs up' of approval as he wailed about gaining a new and beautiful daughter. Internally Ichigo snapped.
'DAMN IT ALL! I'LL DEFINATELY KILL YOU THIS TIME!' He shouted at Goat-Face but his protests to his sisters playful and sometimes painful tugs to his hair, no matter how intense his resistance became, did not pack the anger to actually deny Yuzu and Karin their fun. He just didn't have it in him to refuse them, besides it was his fault that they were so sad in the first place...now if only he could snag that damn flashing camera from the laughing shopkeeper. How had even known how to bring one, or give his sisters ammunition to use against him in the first place? But there were no answers for him, not even one of the Three Kings were going to save him from this as they completely ignored his pleading looks with smirks of laughter and amusement.

Amber eyes, seemingly dull and irate from exhaustion, bravely dared to peek in the bathroom mirror in order to observe the damage that had been wrought on his hair. Ichigo was trying terribly hard to conceal his disappointment at what Hichigo had told him earlier that day. Telling him, quite seriously, that it wouldn't matter if he cut his hair short again. The instant that Ichigo summoned his mask as he had done earlier that day, it would only grow back instantly. Ichigo had never really cared much for the length of his hair since he had come here, but what his little sisters had said that day, and done, it irked him terribly.
He didn't like looking like a girl damn it! He wasn't effeminate for fuck's sake! So why did he regret even thinking about picking up scissors to cut away at the long strands of his hair? No, he shook his head. That wasn't it, he wouldn't do that, especially not after the disappointed look Hichigo had shot him the moment he had even asked if he could cut it. So instead, Ichigo was left to bravely struggle to remove the vast array of thinly woven braids, untangling ribbons, pulling out clips and fasteners that he didn't even know could exist in such a colourful array as slowly but surely, his previous anger began waning to a dull throb. He sighed softly, shoulders sagging as he reached towards his bangs, it didn't matter the extent of their trespass, Ichigo really couldn't stay angry at his sisters for long. They had looked so happy, what brother would stop them after—.
'Need some help with those, Ichigo?' A familiar voice called from the direction of the open door and Ichigo glanced up to catch the reflection in the bathroom mirror. Frowning golden eyes were watching his struggle with his hair with no amount of the previous amusement it had possessed before and the orangette smiled his silent gratitude when long fingers pushed his hand away promptly to take over where he could not have reached before. Ichiru, Ichigo noted, had not escaped from his sisters' affectionate clutches either, if the clips on the right side of his head were any indication. The teen wanted so desperately to laugh at the Dark King's predicament, but kept it back instead.
Ryuu was probably also one of the unlucky ones too, meaning that somehow his little sisters had accepted all of them into their lives.
Ichigo chuckled to himself, assured that Hichigo was probably the only one of the four of them and Urahara surprisingly, that had escaped their playful antics because his hair was too short and there was just something about the First King that left him highly unapproachable. Many would see it as anger and an aura of dark danger, but Ichigo knew that it was just a natural reflection of his fierce determination to protect those under his rule and those he loved.
'Thinking of something funny?' Ichiru asked and Ichigo just smiled and nodded, there was no need for elaboration between them. The understanding between the four of them seemed to have intensified after Ichigo's spar earlier that day, binding their souls closer together than ever before. Not that Ichigo was fully aware of it, but he revelled in the new sensations all the same. There was just something in the way the gentle fingers carded through his hair and brushed his scalp that left Ichigo leaning back into the touch.
'Hmm,' He murmured in contentment and after several moments of comfortable silence, Ichigo turned to the side and finally took pity on his Mei-Ou. Long, tanned fingers reaching forward to pluck the crisscrossing strawberry clips from brilliant snow white hair before he carefully ruffled the longish locks back into their place. The older of the two did nothing at the contact at first, his golden eyes merely lidding behind pale lids in blissful enjoyment before his black-nailed hands drifted down a white kosode clad chest to rest on each of Ichigo's hips. The orangette, not quite surprised at the movement, turned towards Ichiru at the change of position but strangely felt no need to pull away as he had done before. His own amber eyes slid peacefully shut as a pale forehead rested against his and a soft nose brushed against his affectionately.
'So sweet,' Ichiru murmured lowly and Ichigo shifted in the embrace, lips parting to expel his rapidly climbing breaths of yearning. But never once did Ichiru move to claim them for himself, no, the way their breaths intermingled for the longest of time, his body supported by the weight of another as he slumped forward...it was far more intimate than anything Ichigo had ever experienced before and he found himself whimpering and shuddering when a chin rested on shoulder and his body was tugged into a full embrace, legs slipping between his and a strong chest pressed fully against him.
The Consort breathed softly in understanding as the arms curled around his waist. This was a reaffirmation, Ichiru was reaffirming to himself that Ichigo being so close to him was not a cruel dream but a certain reality. Unable to help his compassion and eternal kindness, Ichigo lifted his own arms to pull his King even closer to him. This time, he braced himself and used his own strength to support the both of them as it was Ichiru's turn to melt into him.
'I'm here.' He whispered into the ear that was resting against his cheek, Ichiru had embraced like this earlier that day as well. Making sure that he got as close to his Consort as possible before embracing in a cheek to cheek fashion. Ichigo found it endearing, and lifted his one hand to brush through soft white locks in comfort. Saying nothing of the small tremors shaking tensed shoulders as the Second King fought an internal battle with his own demons that Ichigo was not privy to. Ichigo had noticed the heavy, charged silence since dinner had tapered off to a warm end earlier that evening. Something that Urahara Kisuke had said had been bothering all three of them, as Ichigo could see the shimmer of pain in those beautifully golden eyes of them. They had not told him why they were like this but Ichigo did not ask.
He did not need to. As he was now, it was his job to make sure that they felt no pain and had a comfort to return to whenever it was needed.
When they reluctantly broke apart because of a newly hovering audience at the bathroom entrance, Ichigo stunned himself when he leaned up to press a chaste kiss to Ichiru's furrowing brow and floppy bangs falling down to cover his eyes. Silently grateful when it almost instantly un-furrowed and the Consort was gifted with a small smile but instantly felt threatened when the smile turned into a wolfish smirk instead. His breath promptly hitched into his chest when two overwhelmingly powerful presences flooded the bathroom now and he found his audience had shifted from the doorway to entangle him in a three way embrace. The remaining two of the Triplet King's accosted him for an embrace far more intense than he had ever felt before as two noses nuzzled the side of his neck playfully at the same time.
'Not fair, Ichi. You have ta share yer kisses, that's the rules. Now we all have to get a goodnight kiss.' Hichigo whispered sensually against his neck and Ichigo sighed softly in the uncomfortable and ragging warm feeling brewing in the pit of his stomach. After several moments of untangling himself he somehow managed to shoo the Triplet Kings out of the bathroom before he could get ready for bed. The only way that they left without much of a fuss was only after Ichigo promised them all a 'chaste' goodnight kiss. He shivered softly as he ran a brush through his long hair, the heat that had spread across his nose had yet to fade and the brewing warmth in the pit of his stomach only got worse the moment they stepped outside. Something was still holding Ichigo back in falling into his role as their consort, it wasn't the lack of attraction emotional connection, no. Ichigo was doubting himself, he was surprisingly afraid of his own response to them should they take things too far too fast.
'Sweet dreams.' He said after having fulfilled his promise to the letter, each had gotten a kiss to the forehead despite Hichigo trying to move so that it landed on his lips. But Ichigo was too smart for him and had kept him still, this time when a pair of arms curled around his waist and pulled him down under the covers of the large bed he did not resist. Falling willingly into the softness of feather pillows as warm bodies curled and splayed around him in a pattern he was getting used to despite it only being a few days since his arrival in Hueco Mundo. No, the pattern was nostalgic and made his heart ache with déjà vu because surely when he had been alive all those years ago as their beloved, they had done this as well. That was perhaps why it came so easily to him, why he could relax so easily and not worry of where he was or why.
It didn't take him long to drift off to sleep at all, not with the soft breaths puffing against the back of his neck, warming his cheeks and warm arms curled around his waist, fingers entwined with his own and a soft palm resting in his hair.
...
Kurosaki Ichigo, somehow having drifted into a blissful, peaceful doze within the pile of limbs and warm bodies of Hueco Mundo's Kings wrapped possessively around him, shifted restfully within the sheets one last time to get his lay before he fell into a deep slumber but his natural course of falling asleep that night was interrupted by the incessant tugging, anxious sensation originating at the back of his mind and pulling his body backwards in a rush. It was not unlike the first night he had met Zangetsu, the sudden weightless sensation as he fell into an unknown abyss crawled across his skin for the third time since he had awoken his powers. A hasty cry of surprise left parted lips as Ichigo fell on his feet this time, eyes snapping open at the familiar touch of a warm hand on his shoulder.
Amber eyes blinked open at the rushing cold against his skin, gazing confusedly at the sudden darkness that surrounded him instead of the blues and whites of his Inner World. The familiar hand however, did not move from his shoulder as Ichigo gazed up at the dark spirit standing supportively behind him. Zangetsu was frowning deeply, his lips pulled downwards as his yellow sunglasses barely even lit up in the surrounding darkness. But there was light, however minimal, that Ichigo could now see the outlines of things as his eyes adjusted. The only reason why he could see was because of the moonlight that was filtering in from several large windows, where beyond the glass the sands of Hueco Mundo's eternal night spread out before him and he found himself in the Royal Chambers again...but out of bed and at the far end of the room with Zangetsu by his side.
He had no idea how he had gotten here...but—.
'Z-Zangetsu? W-what? Why did you call me out? W-what's going on?' Ichigo felt his heart stutter in his chest with fear and confusion, it was so eerily still and lifeless where he found himself but Zangetsu did not move behind him. Ichigo did not know why but the scene that was spread out before him was making his limbs tremble and his breath rasp painfully within his chest with anguished recognition. He frantically turned towards his loyal sword again but instead, only found Zangetsu's frown deepening. The hand on his shoulder only tightened in reassurance that he was not as alone as he felt as an the all consuming darkness swarmed in front of his vision. The subtle tactile touch was also a way to ground the rushing sensations now racing through Ichigo's vein and the blood that pounded deafeningly in his ears.
'It wasn't me that called you here, Ichigo. You instinctively called me out this time and I can understand why.' Ichigo shifted restlessly at the response, it was not helping him one bit to understand what was going on. But, the more he gazed at the darkness the more it cleared and distinctive features and shapes started to appear with every minute that passed. He shivered at the sight of the four bodies curled up protectively in the sheets of the large, black four poster bed. The person in the middle had bright orange hair that could not be mistaken as anyone but him, that flared brightly over the black pillows and the bare shoulders and torsos of his sleeping companions wrapped around and next to him. And his sleeping companions, they all possessed the same haunting snow white hair in varying stages of length and style...
'W-what—.' The confused teen was instantly silenced when the warm hand shifted from his shoulder to clamp over his mouth.
'Hush, Ichigo. And watch. Hichigo, Ryuu or Ichiru has unconsciously tugged you into one of their dreams. You cannot escape unless they realize what they have done or the dream ends. No amount of noise or struggle on your part will alert them to your presence here. So please just watch, this would have come sooner or later but I am glad you will experience it from one of their perspectives and not your own.' Ichigo was just about to ask what the old man was on about when he felt two hands press against his shoulders harshly, both to keep him quiet and rooted in place. But that was not was what kept him silenced. No, Ichigo was unconsciously being pulled closer and closer to the events unfolding before his very eyes as the paradox of watching himself two hundred years ago blossomed before his dark brown orbs.
It came so quietly...only a small shift of movement with the room, the soft stir in the air currents of the Royal Chambers as an uncountable number of dark figures emerged from the darkest of shadows cast against the walls. Their reiatsu was sealed, the darkness aiding their movement but it was the shuffle of a scraped foot and the soft glint of the Hueco Mundo Moon upon a deadly curved blade that stirred the orange haired figure from the bed first. Ichigo watched as he sat up first, warm chocolate brown eyes now long replaced with golden eyes that were buried in a sea of black sclera. They instantly swept through the large room with a heady alertness as the assassins realized their target had awakened.
There was a moment, a single split second of deadly reiatsu that hung in the air with awaited suspense, before it exploded outwards and crashed through the room in a heady blur. The Ichigo on the bed moved, wild orange locks whipping behind him as he flickered out of existence and out of the arms of his lovers with a powerful burst of static. His body instantly reappearing as shield to the pale form that had been closest to the dark figures rushing towards them. There was a splatter of blood as a tanned hand stopped the blade mere inches away from burying in Hichigo's exposed back as the orange haired consort wavered on his feet and shuddered through the pain of three blades instantaneously digging into his shoulder, abdomen and back.
His yell of instant rage was staggeringly loud throughout the Royal Chambers as three golden eyes now shot open at the commotion. Hichigo instantly shifted, preparing to move and engage the enemy when Ichigo held up a hand to halt their progress as a heady reiatsu so powerful and potent flushed through the room and brought every single assassin to their knees with its crushing force. He was gasping, black and gold eyes hidden behind flaming orange hair stared desperately up at his companions as the sacrifice wheezed through his ragged breaths. But still not a single of Three King's moved to take on their enemies, not with Ichigo still holding them back as he was on purpose.
'Do not move, do not even think of engaging them.' Ichigo commanded sternly, both his hands reaching out to the sides of him as two swords materialized within his hands. 'I will not have another sacrifice through their underhanded methods.' Tensa Zangetsu, deadly and black glinted in the moonlight in correspondence to Ichigo's climbing reiatsu as he carefully moved through swaying steps and knelt on the edge of black bed sheets. There was not even a single thought paid to the sluggish drip, drip, drip of blood from the wounds on his body. In his other hand, just as deadly as Zangetsu's form, rested the inverted form of the sword.
The injured Ichigo coughed harshly before leaning towards Hichigo who was the closest to him.
'T-take it Hichigo, my eyesight's going.' He murmured. The white hilt pushed painstakingly unsteady towards its original owner.
'Ichigo! You—!'
'Ichi-Koi what—!'
'I refuse, King.' Hichigo said simply, already knowing what Ichigo was asking. His brow was furrowing in deadly anger as his rage and hate swirled around the room and pushed a harsher and much darker reiatsu onto the men still curled up on the floor only half aware of what was going on. Ichigo coughed again and gave a bitter smile, his free hand now tiredly reaching up to brush bloodied fingertips across a pale cheek and rest it there affectionately. The tears were now freely flowing down Ichigo's drawn features, staining his uncommonly pale cheeks in tracks as sickening blood began to bubble forth from his mouth.
'There is no other choice, Hichi. It's the end. I will not allow you to take my prey, I will not risk the possibility that a single of my beloveds will die for me t-tonight. Please... give me the strength to fight on just a little bit longer. I cannot—one life is enough.'
'Poison?' Hichigo breathed in disbelief and Ichigo nodded, his bare, bleeding hand now moving to rest upon the pure white blade of Tensa Zangetsu as he pulled it towards his heart, where the tip rested precariously as the blade shook within Hichigo's hand. The cries of mourning from Ryuu and Ichiru stained the air like a call to arms as warm bodies surrounded Ichigo from all sides. But his gaze never once strayed from the golden orbs of Hichigo, where surely a silent conversation of determination and reluctance passed between them within seconds.
'Do it,' Ichigo urged, never once flinching or gasping as the white blade was thrust straight through his heart. Hichigo's black nailed fingers, trembling with emotional misery, coming up to break the snow white blade by the hilt. The sound of shattering metal echoed ominously through the room as all the reiatsu that had previously been keeping the assassins pinned to the floor suddenly vanished in an instant.
In the wake of their newly gained consciousness, the assassins moved to complete their mission. But they were confronted instead with a grey bandage wrapped demon with flowing black hair, blood red eyes, a mask covering half his face and black markings dotting his right arm. The being was so fast, so infinitely incomprehensible that they never even felt a flicker of his reiatsu as he cut through his enemies one by one before they could even make it a single shunpo step towards those sitting dazed in the bed. Only able to watch helplessly at the rapid downhill turn of events.
Ichigo, too stunned to move at what he was seeing wished to close his eyes at the sadness that was washing over him, but Zangetsu told him not to look away. Told him that he would be reliving this moment of his previous life many a time over because it was what defined him...what brought him to where he was now. Ichigo was shaking through the images, balking at the sheer amount of damage he himself had wrought two hundred years ago as he ripped through the assassins with not a single ounce of mercy.
And when it finally stopped after what seemed like forever, he watched himself falling into Hichigo's arms as his significantly weakened body could no longer support him. He was carried towards the bed, his pitch black hair, inherited from becoming the Getsuga Tensho himself, splaying around him in waves. His physical wounds may have been healed with the transformation but his black haired twin was rasping for breath, the strange bandaged like mask crumbled away from his face so that the blood trickling from his lips could now be seen.
He was talking, whispering something as his three lovers hovered over him anxiously but Ichigo could hear nothing. His blood was rushing in his ears, his entire being screaming at him that he should not witness something so personal without remembering it himself. It was as if something snapped inside of him and he was suddenly thrust from the ragging dream around him. Zangetsu's ever warming presence vanishing from his side as he thrown headlong back into consciousness. A cry of agonizing pain echoing into the night when he sat bolt upright. His heart was hammering in his chest, his blood rushing in his ears, sweat trickled down his forehead but still his three companions did not stir at his movements.
Ichigo frantically looked from one to the other and back again, repeating the process with building and insatiable panic.
Which one...which one...which one do I wake? Which one is suffering? Ichigo was crying openly now, his shaking hand moving from forehead to forehead in search of the dreamer...a desperate cry pulled from his lips as it roared through the royal chambers in despair, he could not sense him or find him...what was wrong with him?!
'Which one! Which one! Which one!' He chanted painfully. 'P-please please, PLEASE! WAKE UP!'
'Just, please. Wake up.'

1* - Oyaji – Has a double meaning, like an old man, or can be used as a derogatory way to refer to one's father
2* - estigma – In the manga it referred to the markings the Arrancar usually bore
3* - Geta-Boushi – Sandal –Hat (Ichigo's way of referring to Urahara)
4* - Iie – No
5* - Nibantai – 2nd Division
6* - Ochitsui – Calm down
7* - Ichigo-Koi – Koi means tender passion but can be used as a term of endearment for the one you love
Thanks for reading! If you've enjoyed my story then please leave me a review, I really appreciate it, it keeps me moving forward. I'm off for my cup of hot chocolate and hope to see you guys in a fortnight. Sorry 'bout the small cliffie!
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Consort To The Three Kings