As he sat quietly on his chair, idly watching the news, Isshin realized that the older his children got, the quieter his home became. Which wasn’t all that strange since they were all adults now who could come and go as they pleased. Well, at least with his son, who had graduated college. Yuzu and Karin would start their own collegiate life, at which point they’d move out and stay in a dorm on campus, most likely.
It really made him wistful.
And very conscious of his age. He was a Shinigami, of course, so he didn’t age or perceive time as a human did, but still… his children were all on the cusp of forging their own lives. As with all fathers who had daughters, there was much concern for his two baby girls. Even in the mortal sphere, there were plenty of dangers for young women. Especially on their own in a big city.
A part of him regretted not teaching them some more control over their spiritual powers. But after their mother died, he was desperate to keep their spiritual awareness to the bare minimum, lest they attract the same kind of attention that resulted in the murder of his dearly departed wife.
Of course, that sentiment backfired tremendously with Ichigo. Year by year the boy’s soul grew ever more powerful, to the point where he could have rivaled most seated officers by the time he was in high school. If Ichigo had been born under the Shiba household, he would have been the center of attention within years of his birth. The boy’s prodigious growth was unnatural, monstrous even.
And, honestly, if he weren’t for their living status, Isshin would have absconded back to Soul Society with all three children and raised them in the safety of the Shiba household after their mother’s death. Sadly, Central 46 would have sentenced him and his children to death immediately.
Never mind he had abandoned his station as Captain and sired children with the living, both capital offences, but Masaki had been a Quincy. And from an old and respected line, even if it had been rendered extinct with her death. There was no way those control-obsessed fogies wouldn’t have traced their lineage back. At best his children would have been outright murdered. At worst… they would have been handed over to Squad Twelve.
He shuddered at the possibility.
And, aside from the laws of Soul Society basically guaranteeing his family’s demise, there was an equally glaring danger: Aizen.
Kisuke had informed him of the secrets from over a century ago, and honestly, it made too much sense. The Five Noble Clans had been rocked when one of their own, Yoruichi Shihōin, a Captain and Head of the Shihōin family essentially went into exile, following several condemned Captains and Lieutenants. Such a thing had never happened before in the history of the Gotei Thirteen.
Over a hundred years of conspiracy… and somehow all of it fell on the shoulders of his fifteen-year-old son.
He let out a sigh as he sank deeper into the cushions.
The world had put far too much on that boy. And, unfortunately, Isshin hadn’t done much to help. In fact, he had complicated too much of Ichigo’s life, to the extent that he had essentially driven his own son into the arms of the Devil.
The literal Devil.
He knew of the grander supernatural world, of course. It was impossible for him not to know. But never in his wildest dreams did he think that it would so completely consume his own son.
That being said, he was grateful for the fact that the boy had someone in his life now. Two someones, apparently. He snorted in amusement; he could only imagine the look of horror on Masaki’s face if she were confronted with the fact that her darling little boy grew up to be in a polycule.
But goodness, that girl of his – or rather, woman. Because Tiamat was older than him, older than even the Gotei Thirteen. How on earth did he manage to pull a woman like that?! It was inconceivable.
And he had a Kitsune lover in Kyoto as well? A single mother at that too?
He let out another sigh. Masaki’s death had shaped that boy beyond just his aggressive protective streak. He really wished that therapy had been an option for Ichigo. As it were, child psychiatrists who were spiritually aware were sorely lacking.
No doctor, he really can see ghosts, they’re real. No, I’m not in need of therapy myself, why do you ask?
It was in the middle of his musings that he sensed the nearing presence of his two children, the muted yet heavy presence of his son, and the wild and erratic energy that was his potential daughter-in-law approaching the house.
Within minutes the front door swung open, and the previously silent house erupted with the cheer-filled and animated voice of Yuzu.
“We’re home!”
Letting out a small chuckle, Isshin turned his attention back to the newscaster. “How was the beach?” he said loudly, so that his voice could carry over to the entrance hall.
“It was great!” Yuzu replied enthusiastically.
“Yeah,” came Karin’s dry follow-up, “until Ichi-nii threatened to rip some guy’s arm off.”
Isshin blinked to himself, that didn’t sound like his son at all. Well, the boy was always getting into fights against bullies and local delinquents, but such visceral threats of violence.
“What? Why?” he asked.
“Because some creep was hitting on my teenage, still-in-school sisters!” Ichigo grouched.
And soon enough, all three of his children came into view as they entered the living room. Both of his daughters were giving his son mild glares and Yuzu, rather comically, stomped her feet.
“Still! You can’t just go around threatening dismemberment, onii-chan!”
“Whatever,” Ichigo said as he rolled his eyes and sat down on a sofa and turned towards the TV.
Isshin dismissively said, “Oh,” much to his daughters’ disgruntlement. In his entirely unbiased opinion, his son was perfectly justified.
But then Tiamat followed behind his children and – sweet, ancestors above.
Isshin’s brows nearly climbed into his hairline as he beheld the woman in nothing but a tight, white bikini. It was almost unnatural how beautiful that woman was. He then turned towards his son with a questioning look – how many people did he threaten with carnage if his girlfriend was walking around looking like that?
For his part, his son simply gave a casual shrug.
“Anyways,” Yuzu then said, “I’m going to go change and then get started on dinner.”
She then began to bound up the stairs but stopped halfway and turned around, giving a questioning glare to Tiamat. “Will you be joining us for dinner?”
Ichigo turned his head away in a poor attempt to conceal his snigger, and Tiamat merely smiled, amused by his daughter’s apparent heated look. Yuzu really did not appreciate having her cooking questioned.
“I would be delighted to,” their ancient guest responded with perfect grace and politeness.
“Hmm.” Yuzu continued to glare for a brief second before disappearing upstairs with Karin following wordlessly behind.
Tiamat then turned towards his son, her mirth still very apparent on her mien, and she said, “You should also go change, beloved.”
“Yeah, I’ll be up in a second,” he responded.
And within the next second, she vanished, but reappearing in his senses inside Ichigo’s bedroom.
“So, how was it?”
“It was good,” Ichigo said. “They seem to be a little less wary around her now.”
Isshin let out a chuckle. “It doesn’t seem like it.”
Ichigo gave a light shrug. “Once Tiamat’s eaten a meal or two of Yuzu’s cooking, she’ll come around. As for Karin… I suspect she’s figured out there’s more than meets the eye to my girlfriend.”
Isshin stared at his son heavily for a moment, before reaching for the remote and closing the TV. “You can’t keep the truth from them forever. Nor should you.”
His son leaned back into the sofa and let out a breath. “I know. There are just too many things going on and now is not the best time to introduce them to what’s out there.”
He raised a sharp brow. “Something to do with what you want to talk about at Kisuke’s place?”
“Yeah.”
His lips pressed into a thin line and Isshin looked away and at the ceiling, as if his gaze could physically pierce through the veils of dimensions and peer into Soul Society itself. He still had a few contacts in the afterlife – not just Kisuke – and he was well aware of the oddities manifesting there. Naturally his son would be involved in it somehow.
“I’m not going to like this, am I?” Isshin looked back to his son with a sour look.
Ichigo paused, carefully considering his words before saying, “Honestly, dad, I have no idea how you’re going to take it. Hell, even I’m not sure how all of this is going to turn out. But it’s big.”
With a sigh, Isshin scratched his beard and said, “Well, I guess we can sort all that out after dinner and the girls go to bed.”
“After dinner,” Ichigo agreed, and stood up and made for his room.
=======
Dinner had gone by without incident, much to Ichigo’s immense relief. Still, it was quite a surreal sight, watching Tiamat sit at the table, dining with his father and sisters. It was all so… mundane.
A word he usually would never associate with his Dragon King. She was always more.
But no, Tiamat had sat there perfectly polite, taking every bit of food Yuzu offered without a word or complaint – quite the opposite, she had even slipped in a couple of surprising compliments about the food. Yuzu had practically preened at the positive words. As for Karin… well, his other sister retained her suspicions and had some pointed questions about Tiamat and her past.
Nothing too rude, but just enough prodding where Ichigo was certain now that the twins were assured that his girlfriend was of supernatural affinity. Nevertheless, Tiamat had answered deftly with practiced half-truths, most of them coming from his mind – the very same ones he had fed his father a few months ago when last they were in Karakura.
He appreciated the effort Tiamat had put in to respect his wishes to keep Yuzu and Karin as far removed from the supernatural world as possible. A sentiment his father shared, thankfully. Neither of them wanted the girls in the ceaseless conflicts that seemed to plague the magical side of reality. Not that the human world was some sort of perfectly safe utopia.
But still, he was grateful for Tiamat’s consideration of his feelings and reigning in her more domineering habits. Though he really shouldn’t be all that surprised, she always had a soft touch when it came to children.
Though with that thought, Ichigo was struck with the heavy realization that Yuzu and Karin would not be children much longer. They were in their final year of high school and soon they would begin college, exiting their teenage years and crossing the line of adulthood.
It was… actually, Ichigo did not know how he felt.
“Apprehensive, perhaps?”
Ichigo looked up to see Tiamat sitting against the wall on his bed, her eyes mixed with understanding and amusement.
“They’re not going to be kids anymore,” he said softly, as much to himself as he did to her. “They’ll move on to college, just like I did and…” He lost his words as a strange sense of uncertainty overcame him.
“Build their own lives?” She supplied kindly. “Perhaps even fall in love, start their own families - just as you have?”
He opened his mouth but found no words would come out because Tiamat was right, he was feeling apprehensive. He looked down at one hand, at how empty his palm was, and slowly he closed his figers tightly.
“It’s like sand falling out of my hand,” he said ruefully.
Tiamat smiled kindheartedly and moved over to sit next to him, gently wrapping both hands over his clenched fist.
“They were never yours, beloved,” she said, her voice both tender and patient. “Such is the most difficult reality that all parents are confronted with. All children grow, and as they do, they have their own choices to make. Choices you cannot make for them. You may shield them, protect them, caution them as much as you may, but their hearts are their own. Their thoughts, their own. All hearts yearn; all minds ponder.”
Ichigo went silent as he stared at their enjoined hands. A heavy sense of solemn resignation flooding through his soul – that overwhelming desire to keep safe and secure what he possessed. And it was that same overwhelming desire that manifested as an ocean that drowned his inner world and plunged him into despair, as Old Man Zangetsu had explained to him so long ago.
“I know I can keep them safe, better than they could themselves,” he said.
“But inevitably, they would yearn for more,” she said. “Their gaze would ever shift to what falls beyond your shadow.”
“I have a pretty big shadow,” he said with a hint of irony.
“I am aware.” And Tiamat lifted one hand to flit her fingers through his hair. “But then comes another great challenge of nurturing and guarding the young: wouldst thou crush their hearts to protect their lives?”
He paused for a moment, but then closed his eyes in silent sigh when he realized, rather terrifyingly, the answer was not no. If it meant keeping Yuzu and Karin safe, or anyone he loved for that matter, he would not hesitate to do what had to be done. Even if they ultimately came to resent him for it.
“Well… that’s probably one of the most horrifying epiphanies I’ve ever had,” Ichigo said bitterly.
“Oh, beloved,” she said sorrowfully and leaned in to kiss him gently on the cheek. “Knowing oneself is essential to self-mastery. Did you not say the same to Baraqiel’s daughter?”
He let out a sigh and dropped his head down in defeat. “I did. And I also know that denying Yuzu and Karin the chance to live their own lives and make their own choices is incredibly hypocritical of me, because that’s exactly what I’ve done ever since I accepted Sirzechs’ offer. But…”
Tiamat gave a low chuckle, nuzzling her head against his shoulder and Ichigo responded by gently laying his own head atop hers.
“I’ve suddenly gained so much more appreciation for your domains of motherhood,” Ichigo said with a wistful laugh.
“Good. Too oft does the world forget the immensity of a mother’s hand in shaping all who walk its breadth.”
He let out a soft hum and said, “You know, it’s funny. You talk about choices and letting them make their own – I just had a brief thought about using my prescience to look into their futures.”
“Now there is a trap, if there ever was one,” Tiamat said all too knowingly.
Ichigo agreed instantly. “Yeah… the thought of seeing a future, a possibility of them coming to harm. Or worse, several futures. I think I’d go mad with the knowledge and trying to stop it.”
“Certainty is a cruel burden to bear.”
Ichigo went still, her words ringing familiar in his head, but then the memories of another connected to the two of them surfaced in his mind.
“Set said the same thing,” Ichigo muttered softly.
Tiamat nuzzled deeper into his embrace, and she let out a soft hum. “Yes, he would know better than most.”
Chuckling to himself, Ichigo then said, “I am not looking forward to having this conversation again for our own kids.”
Tiamat stiffened next to him, and Ichigo could feel the reverberations of shock through their shared mindscape. But then came the overwhelming waves of love and joy and as she turned to him, he saw her eyes water with wonder and tender adoration, he leaned in for a kiss.
Only for them to be rudely interrupted by a solid knock on the door.
Both of them stared at each other for a full second before Tiamat let out a huff and turned away and Ichigo closed his eyes, willing patience through the sudden tide of frustration coursing through his veins. Flexing his jaw, he tightly said, “Come in.”
His father walked with a cautious expression and, seeing the two of them holding hands and sitting intimately close to each other, he rubbed the back of his head as he asked, “Am I interrupting?”
“Yes,” Ichigo responded curtly.
“Oh… well, too bad,” his father said shamelessly. “Kisuke and the others are expecting us.”
With one last sigh, and a mental tirade of curses against Hat-n-Clogs, Ichigo gave Tiamat a soft peck on the cheek and murmured, “Be back soon.”
And with that, he followed his father out the door, but not without sending the man a dark look for his untimely interruption.
=======
The night had fully set over Karakura, and with it Ichigo realized his time in his hometown was coming to an end. He was needed back in the Underworld, and in the ongoing civil war that ripped through the empire he governed. But before that…
As he stood next to his father, Ichigo stared blankly at the dusty lot that was Urahara’s Shop. There was a barrier over the area, protecting the interior of the shop from extrasensory observations and surveillance, he realized. As he analyzed the Bakudō, a part of Ichigo felt regretful he never learned the Kidō of Soul Society. Unfortunately, there had never been much time during his seven months as substitute Shinigami for such extracurricular studies.
Regardless, Ichigo’s semi-divine senses allowed him to slip past the spiritual barriers and perceive the interior of Hat-n-Clogs’ shop, as well as those who dwelled within. He was briefly surprised by the presence of a certain soul, but he figured that was Urahara’s doing – the man did enjoy dragging others into his business.
“You’d think he lay down some concrete at this point,” Ichigo complained as he stepped into the brown dirt that stained the sides of his white sneakers.
His father scoffed. “Man’s so cheap he should be running the government.”
“Hey! I heard that!” A voice yelled from inside.
Ichigo rolled his eyes and walked to the entrance, his father following behind closely. However, as soon as he slid open the door and stepped past the threshold, there was the sudden sound of party horns, and confetti rained from the ceiling as a large banner unfurled with much fanfare.
Welcome Satan!
He stared at the bright characters for several seconds before pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a defeated sigh. “Why are you so annoying?”
Standing at the forefront was Urahara himself, in his typical garb, with a paper fan unfolded before his face as he laughed rather exuberantly. Behind him stood Tessai-san, tall and as imposing as ever, with a party hat on his head. Next to the older Shinigami stood the young Ururu and Jinta, the former looking as reserved and shy as ever while the latter was scowling fiercely. Not that Ichigo could blame him. He’d be rather upset too if he was constantly being pulled into Urahara’s nonsense.
“Welcome back, Kurosaki-san!” The jovial shopkeeper exclaimed. “It’s my honor to host such an esteemed guest!”
“Bite me,” Ichigo grouched as he put his hands into his pocket as his father walked in from behind. “But it’s nice to see you again, Tessai-san. Ururu, Jinta – hope you’ve been well.”
“And you as well, Ichigo-dono,” Tessai said with a polite nod.
Ururu gave a small bow as a greeting and Jinta merely put his hands behind his head and looked away. But, again, Ichigo didn’t hold it against the kid.
“Oi, Kisuke,” his father barked gruffly. “Where do you get off calling my son Satan?”
“Oho! And excellent question, Isshin-san! Perhaps your son would like to clarify?”
And Ichigo had to roll his eyes as Hat-n-Clogs practically shook giddy. He, undoubtedly, had managed to reach contacts through the supernatural world and discern his identity as one of the Crown Princes of Hell. Not that it was a secret – most of reality knew it already. It was just the isolated Soul Society that was in the dark about him now.
Actually, when Ichigo really thought about it, with the Soul King returned to full strength, there was no longer an active danger of the veils between the living and dead falling anymore. It wouldn’t surprise him if the bulk of Soul Society was made aware of the wider supernatural world within the coming months.
All that being said…
“Because I am Satan,” Ichigo said wryly as he walked forward. “Can we head to the back and sit down? I’m in a bit of a rush.”
“Wait, what!” His father yelled from behind him.
Ichigo rolled his eyes even as Urahara opened the back door and motioned for him to enter. “Look, dad, it’s a long story and a lot happened. We’ll talk about it some other time. We have more pressing matters right now.”
But his father was having none of it though as he exclaimed, “I thought you worked for the Devil! Not that you became him!”
Ichigo scratched the back of his head. “I used to work for him before I got promoted. Now I’m Satan. I mean, he’s also a Satan, but I’m Satan proper. Just like how he’s the Devil except he’s actually a Demon and not the part of the race that is named Devils. Look, it’s all very convoluted and messed up because the people originally in charge of all the nomenclature were egomaniacs who named everything after themselves.”
His father just stared at him utterly baffled.
Feeling helpless, because yes, even to Ichigo the whole thing was nonsensical, he gave his father a shrug and said, “I’ll send you a link.”
“It’s very helpful,” Urahara added from beside.
His father continued to stare blankly for a second before his expression turned to mild outrage. “Wait, you told Kisuke but not me?”
Ichigo shook his head. “No, he figured it out on his own. I just sent him some basic books and a website we use to traffic deals – it’s actually very educational.”
“Quite!” Urahara said as he nodded enthusiastically. “Very professional and easy to navigate!”
“How could you hide something like this from me?!”
Ichigo gave the man an incredulous look. “The same way you hid the fact that you were an interdimensional undead psychopomp, and mom was part of some superhuman tribe that your kind hunted onto extinction?”
His father visibly flinched at his barb, but Ichigo felt it was justified. A lot happened in his life in the past several years and he had his reasons for not divulging everything to the people from his old life. He wasn’t ashamed of becoming a Sin, unwitting though it was, but it was a very lengthy and nuanced conversation that Ichigo had to consciously make time for. Time he sorely lacked these days.
“Look, one day, I’ll sit down and tell you everything that happened, just like how you told me everything that happened with how you met mom. But I wasn’t kidding when I said we have more pressing matters to discuss. Matters that involve everyone’s future.”
He held his father’s gaze sternly, pushing all the resolve and gravity he could muster into his eyes. Several seconds passed, and finally the elder Kurosaki dropped his head with a sigh. “Well, I guess I’ll hold you to that then.”
“Thanks,” he replied gratefully. He then turned towards Urahara and said, “Shall we?”
“Right this way, Kurosaki-san!”
Following behind Urahara, Ichigo made his way through the familiar hallways of the shop, his gaze briefly drifting across the worn wooden floors and paper walls. The last time he had walked these corridors, Yoruichi had been at his side, casually guiding him through the hidden rooms and workshops concealed behind the unassuming storefront. The memory drew a faint smile to his lips before he rounded the final corner and arrived at a plain Japanese room, sparsely furnished save for a lone wooden table resting at its center.
And his brown eyes immediately met a pair of violet ones.
“Hey there, Rukia.”
“Hey yourself, fool,” she responded with warmth in her voice.
“Wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Ichigo said as he sat down on the opposite end of the table.
Before she could respond, Urahara gave a jovial laugh from behind and said, “Hohoho! Kuchika-san is such a dear friend! And she has been quite helpful in gathering information on all the current oddities in Soul Society! Why, it seemed downright rude to not inform her when you appeared in Karakura Town, Kurosaki-san!”
That seemed fair to Ichigo given how passionately Rukia had implored him to tell her what he knew.
“Yoruichi-dono contacted me earlier today to let me know that you had information to relay,” Rukia said while sending him a mildly miffed look.
“So I did.” Ichigo turned to see Yoruichi in cat form stride into the room and she promptly jumped right into his lap. Habitually, he started scratching behind her ears.
His father then came into the room and paused, looking at Rukia with a surprised expression before smiling at her. “It’s been quite some time, dear. How have you been?”
Rukia stumbled as she quickly jumped to her feet and gave a small, polite bow. “Ah, yes! It’s been a long time, Isshin-san. I’ve been well, thank you for asking.”
His father smiled fondly and sat down next to him. “I’m glad to hear it. You should stop by the house sometime, Yuzu and Karin miss having you around.”
Rukia’s cheeks lightly dusted pink and she stammered, “I-I’ll be sure to! Thank you for the invitation!”
“You’re welcome any time, you’re no stranger in our house.”
Rukia’s blush only deepened and she softly muttered a “Thank you.”
“Well now!” Urahara beamed as he sat on Ichigo’s other side while Tessai-san took a seat next to his father. “Isn’t this a lovely reunion! It’s been ages since we’ve all met together like this.”
“Cut the crap, Kisuke,” Yoruichi said as she padded out Ichigo’s lap and onto the table. “The six of us have never been together like this.”
The eccentric shop-owner frowned down at the cat. “Really? I could have sworn we had before…?”
“Never mind that,” and she turned towards Ichigo with a demanding look, “out with it already Ichigo. What the Hell is going on in the universe? Why is the Royal Guard paying you visits?”
Everyone seemed to jump at that and look at him in shock.
“The Royal Guard?” His father whispered in astonishment.
Rukia gave him an accusatory look. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“It happened after we last met,” Ichigo said as he rolled his eyes.
That being said, where did he even begin with all that had happened? Briefly, he looked up at the ceiling, gazing beyond the folds of physical reality and into the weaves of fate. And far into the aether, he could see Amaterasu shining in all her immortal glory, but unlike before, he could no longer sense any of her censure and severity. Quite the opposite, the Queen of High Heaven seemed distracted, if that was even possible for a being outside of Time.
But Ichigo knew well enough that most of her energies and attentions were directed towards countering the numerous efforts and machinations of Tsukiyomi through eternity. The issues of the Dead were no longer her primary concern, not with the…
Ichigo crossed his arms with a sigh and stared thoughtfully into his lap, even as everyone looked at him keenly.
“I guess there’s no point in beating around the bush,” he said more to himself than them. But then he raised his gaze and looked at each of them in the eye.
“The Soul King’s been restored.”
=======
Tiamat sat comfortably upon a sofa in the living room of her beloved’s childhood home; one leg folded beneath the other as her cheek rested against a loose fist. Before her, on the small table in the center of the seating arrangement, sat an open box of donuts that her beloved had thoughtfully purchased before leaving. Though, as the minutes ticked by, the contents of the box found themselves quickly being emptied
The Dragon King reached forward, selected another pastry, and consumed a small portion in a delicate bite.
But her gaze lifted from the sugary delight and fell upon the serious and determined expressions of the two young women who were doing their best to provide a united front. The edges of her lips curved, they truly were adorable children.
And, while her love fretted as, by the day, they approached human adulthood; in Tiamat’s eyes, the adolescent girls were still hatchlings, uncertain of their own place within the world.
Though not for the lack of trying.
No, despite their youth, she would not deny them that. Despite their ignorance of what lay beyond the borders of their home, a symptom of their youth though not of folly, both of them possessed an assuredness within the confines of their own mind, a firm grasp of identity and what they wanted from the world. Even if they did not know said world.
They were much like their brother in that regard - filled with determination and the fierce desire to protect what was their own.
As if drawn by her stray thoughts of him, she briefly felt his dark yet warm touch within their shared mindscape, and she briefly saw through his eyes – of old friends and allies seated around a humble setting. She gently nuzzled his presence with phantom love, and she felt him caress her back, illusionary lips pressing against her cheek.
But her attention quickly returned to the donut.
She did so enjoy this mortal invention known as chocolate.
"So..." Yuzu began, drawing Tiamat's attention back toward the two children. "You mentioned before that you didn't really have much of a formal education."
She said nothing nor made any movements, merely continuing to stare at them with faint amusement; an open invitation to voice their curiosities.
"If it's not too rude," Yuzu said as she shifted in her seat, hesitation briefly striking her face, "where exactly are you from?"
Tiamat moved her head, her long white hair pooling and falling to one side as she considered the rather mundane question. But then, she supposed, for mortals and their obsession with tribal identity and association, origin was a thing of import.
"Nar-Marratu," she replied, her tongue rolling with the ancient name. “It is near the country known as Iraq.”
Both girls frowned and the dark-haired one – Karin – she recalled, said, “I don’t think I’ve heard of that place. Is it a local town or village?”
“No,” she said plainly, and she took another soft bite of the donut.
The two girls looked at each other, and she had to suppress a quiver of her lips as she saw the silent conversation that took place between them. Her very first children, the very beginning of her motherhood, had also been a pair of twins. They too would often hold entire conversations with the simple meeting of the eyes, and, in those earliest days, it had been a great source of mirth and laughter for her: her two eldest children always tried to hide away their mischief from her eyes.
Alas… she would never have dreamed their mischief would one day twist into malice.
But she banished those ancient sorrows away. As her beloved was fond of saying, here and now.
"How's Onii-chan been lately?” Yuzu then asked.
Tiamat’s smile grew genuine and became marked with warmth and fondness. “He has been busy of late, but he is doing well. Exceptionally well, even. Has he been contacting you regularly? I do try and remind him from time to time.”
Yuzu beamed at her words and perked up slightly. “He has! He’s been so much better about calling home after your last visit. But there was those two weeks where he went no contact again, he said something about losing his phone?”
Her mood fell slightly as she recalled those trying days when he nearly died by the treachery of Albon’s host and the machinations of the Shinto Moon. Though she made an effort to keep those emotions from coloring her expression.
“Yes, it was away from his hands for a number of days,” she said idly.
“Onii-chan can be so clumsy sometimes!”
Yes, yes he could. Despite the vast depths of his power and the surprising wisdom he possessed, her beloved did have his endearing yet silly moments. But that was part of his charm, for all his immense gravity he could be… what was that mortal word? Goof.
Yes, her Ichigo was a goof.
Though she loved him all the more for it.
But Tiamat was drawn away from her fond musings when Karin let out a leaden breath and leaned forward in her seat.
“Screw it,” the young girl said, leveling her with a firm glare, much to Tiamat’s curiosity.
Yuzu frowned heavily as she looked at her twin. “Karin-chan…”
“No, I need answers. We need answers,” Karin said firmly, her eyes narrowing as she sucked in a breath of air before saying, “You’re not human, are you?”
Tiamat paused as she looked into the defiant resolve in the young woman’s eyes. The direct confrontation without any semblance of prodding and testing the waters…
Too much like her brother, she laughed in her mind.
“Karin-chan!” Yuzu abruptly leapt to her feet.
“No! Yuzu! If Ichi-nii is getting pulled into dangerous stuff again we deserve to know the truth! What if he’s getting hurt all over again!” Karin shouted at her twin.
“And if he were in danger, what would you do?” She asked.
Both girls fell silent and turned to her with mild shock.
“W-what?” Yuzu asked, her brows furrowed deeply.
“If your brother were in danger, if he were entangled in something dire, what would you do? What could you do?”
“We’d protect him!” Yuzu said immediately.
But Tiamat’s eyes then slid towards Karin who sat there in silence, her lips pressed flat as she understood Tiamat’s meaning.
Her eyes then moved back towards Yuzu. “Can you?” she challenged, but without any severity or malice.
Yuzu quickly fell quiet and both girls looked away refusing to meet her gaze.
“Do not misunderstand,” Tiamat said, allowing a kind and caring sincerity to shade her voice, “I do not say it to be cruel nor to push you away. But you must acknowledge the reality of your station.”
“That we’re powerless?” Karin spat bitterly.
“No,” she said, gently shaking her head. “That you are children.”
“We’re not children!” Yuzu said hotly.
“You are. Whether you acknowledge it or not, to the world and to those who love and care for you, you are children.” Tiamat’s eyes fell to the same spot where the twins glared intensely and said in a quiet voice, “And it is not for children to fight in place of their elders.”
A lesson she herself learned far too late.
Karin scoffed, her eyes suddenly brimming with rage. “Yeah right! What about Ichi-nii then!? Why was he fighting!? Where were those so-called elders when he was getting hurt all the time!? When he was-tch!”
The girl broke away, glaring at the far wall as she blinked away tears of fury and past heartache.
Yuzu’s expression mirrored her sister’s, though hers was more forlorn than anger. She clutched at her elbows and said, “He was always getting hurt back then… he always disappeared for weeks, only to come back hurt. And not just physically. We could feel it. Karin and I: we could always sense these things in people, and onii-chan… he kept getting sadder and sadder. The more he got hurt the sadder he became and then one day he got so hurt that he just left.”
Tiamat’s mien morphed melancholy as she felt the raw ache come off the two girls in waves. They were too young to fully remember their mother, but the emptiness she left in her death would resonate in them for a lifetime. But to have to witness their only brother drown in his despair as he waged war beyond the world of the living… her heart swelled for the two children before her.
Not just as the Primordial of Motherhood, but as the woman who so desperately loved their older brother.
And, the unfortunate reality was, they were powerless. Even more so now that his station in life had swelled beyond his adolescent years. He was a being of significant cosmic importance whose wake shook entire worlds.
But she was right in saying it was not their place to protect him, to be responsible for him.
“You are not wrong,” Tiamat began softly, “he was failed by those who should have protected him, nurtured and guided him. An unreasonable burden was placed on his far too young shoulders, and given his noble, self-sacrificing nature he took even more. But even as he was failed, do you think, even for a single moment, he wishes to do the same to you?”
They both froze in place, their anger and outrage stilling as their expressions became stricken.
“I can say, with complete confidence, that there is nothing in this or any world that your brother loves more than you.” And it was the absolute truth. Tiamat, who was so entrenched in his mind knew that, for her beloved, his sisters were of the utmost paramount. Their place in his heart was unshakable. Even by Yasaka and herself. But it did not lessen her love for him. No, quite the opposite; it made her love him fiercely all the more.
“But know this, that mere moments ago, when I sat with him in his room, his thoughts were consumed of you two – fretting over your future just as you fret over him now.”
Both of them shifted, and Yuzu slid back down to sit on the couch, her shoulder brushing Karin’s. And it was in that small moment of contact between the two that Tiamat felt her own heart quiver. A part of her yearned to embrace the two children, to touch upon her domains and push their concerns away with her domains of motherhood.
And yet…
“I will not insult you by denying nor avoiding the suspicions in your minds, yet it is not my place to speak of these things,” she said kindly. “But know this – your brother’s silence is not out of a lack of trust nor a desire to keep you at arm’s length. He does so because he deems it the best course of action. Trust him. Even as he trusts you to live your lives to the best of your capabilities.”
They both seemed to be taken aback, but fell into a quiet, pensive state. As Tiamat watched Yuzu grasp Karin’s hand, she felt another pang of maternal sorrow, but she kept herself still. Despite their shared love for Ichigo, Tiamat was not yet in a place in their lives where she could give them physical comfort and affection.
In due time, she told herself.
Karin then looked up, eyes watered and filled with resignation and anxiety. “Just… he’s not getting hurt anymore… right?”
Her only answer was to smile sadly.
=======
It was impossible to go through life without getting hurt, something Ichigo knew very well. As it were, an extraordinary existence meant proportional heights of hurt. But that was okay, being hurt wasn’t the be-all, end-all of one’s life. What was important was standing back up, facing your hurt and overcoming it. And, in Ichigo’s experience, that came easiest when surrounded and supported by the ones he loved.
One day, when things weren’t as hectic and he wasn’t so consumed with cementing his own place in mythology and waging wars, he’d turn back around and welcome parts of the old into the new. But for now, wisdom dictated a more cautious approach.
Well, at least, for that aspect of the old.
For this one, however…
Ichigo stared mildly amused at the mix of astonishment and disbelief etched onto the faces of the many Shinigami sitting around him. All except Urahara, who had lowered his head and allowed the shade from his hat to hide his expression.
“What?” His father said breathlessly.
Ichigo’s eyes slowly drifted over each of their disbelief before reaching and softly tapping the table before him. “Everyone here knows how the Soul Society was created, the partitioning of Yomi into separate dimensions by the Soul King, and the lingering curse of Izanami that spawned Hollows. As well as the later sundering of the Soul King.”
Though no one said anything, they all stared at him with rapt attention.
“Shortly after my last visit here to Karakura Town,” Ichigo continued, “there was an incident in a town here in Japan by the name of Kuoh – an army of Fallen Angels managed to slip past the barriers of Takamagahara around the Japanese archipelago and invade the country. They were repelled, but the Fallen had managed to bring with them a superweapon that did immense damage to the veils between the Living World and the afterlife.”
“You never did elaborate what this superweapon was,” Rukia said sharply.
“And I won’t,” Ichigo said shaking his head. Rhongomyniad was simply too dangerous of an existence – even now, Michael, Sirzechs and Azazel were in private talks on the particulars of forever sealing away the Spear of Finality. If it never saw the light of day again it would be too soon.
“But suffice it to say, that weapon’s powers are catastrophic. It wasn’t even truly activated, and it nearly destroyed this Earth and numerous adjacent dimensions in the process.” And that was a very real possibility, had the Soul King and Hades not been able to fix the tears in Kuoh, the death energies of the afterlife would have poured onto the Earth and would have triggered a chain reaction, pulling countless other realities tied to the planet with it.
The consequences would have been apocalyptic.
“But the veil was repaired,” his father said shrewdly as he crossed his arms. “And I’m assuming it was the Soul King who somehow did so.”
Ichigo nodded. “Realizing the immediacy of the danger, the Soul King took a desperate gamble, he merged with another divine existence, another Chthonic Immortal. Their combined divine energies were enough for the Soul King to recall of his scattered divine pieces and energies, restoring him to full strength and bolstered further through the divine fusion.”
“And so the pieces begin to fit,” Urahara said to himself. But the older Shinigami then turned to him with narrowed eyes. “Who was the other deity?”
Briefly, Ichigo allowed his senses to pervade past the waking world, but when he received no censure or warning, he calmly said, “Hades.”
Yoruichi’s head jerked and her tail swished back and forth. “The Greco-Roman Hades? The one from western classics?”
Ichigo dipped his head in affirmation.
“Holy crap,” she quietly exclaimed.
“I can’t say I’m familiar with much of the other pantheons,” Rukia said as she looked between him and Yoruichi. “Is this Hades famous?”
“The Greco-Roman Pantheon is counted amongst the greatest mythos in human history,” Tessai-san said. “By certain measures, some would consider them the most influential on modern humans. Like the Shinto, they too have their own triumvirate, the Kronian brothers: Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Though, much as Amaterasu-sama is the head of the Shinto, Zeus is head of the Greco-Romans. As for Hades, he rules the Lands of the Dead, just as the Soul King reigns over our dead.”
Rukia looked at him curiously. “And this Hades has merged with the Soul King?”
“Yeah,” Ichigo said. “But not without consequence.”
“What do you mean?” Yoruichi asked, her cat-brows furrowing.
Ichigo let out a small breath and scratched the back of his head. A part of him considered downplaying it – the part of him that did not want to worry any of them and cause them to freak out. But he knew better; it wasn’t fair to mislead any of them when their home and families were on the line. Especially with Urahara sitting right next to him. The man was too perceptive and too skeptical to take Ichigo’s word alone. No doubt, once this conversation was over, he would lock himself away in his labs with his instruments, running experiments and simulations.
Ichigo crossed his arms and weighed his words, while he did want to be honest, he didn’t want them to panic either.
“The realm reflects the ruler,” he said, repeating the very words the two Dead Kings had spoken to him in the Golden World of Time. And as soon as he said them, Urahara perked up. Ichigo wasn’t surprised the man understood it all before he even explained the details.
“And what does that mean?” his father asked as he narrowed his eyes inquisitively.
“With the Soul King changed and merged with Hades, their respective afterlives will also follow,” Ichigo said.
Yoruichi tilted her head. “You mean…”
“Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, the Valley of Screams and whatever other subspaces and dimensions connected through the Dangai, all of them will merge with the Hadean Realms – the Asphodel Meadows, the Fields of Punishment, Elysium and all the other sub-realms there. Actually, the process has already started.”
“The change in the ambient Reishi!” Rukia deduced. “Not to mention all the geological changes noted in Rukongai. The Soul King is the ultimate cause of all of this.”
“The odd phenomena observed in Hueco Mundo as well,” Tessai-san noted astutely.
They all fell into silence after that, each looking down thoughtfully and slowly digesting the knowledge Ichigo had revealed.
“What of the Souls then?” His father asked sharply. “How will they be reaped, how will balance be maintained if the two chthonic realms are merged? How can we keep the Shinto souls from mingling and getting lost with the Hellenistic ones?”
Ichigo rolled his jaw and hesitated, and he hesitated just enough for Urahara to insert his own question, “There won’t be any separation, will there?”
Before he could answer, Yoruichi interjected and said, “What? Of course there will, Kisuke! How can entirely different human souls with different mythic ties to different pantheons be kept together!”
But instead of answering, Urahara merely fixed Ichigo with a piercing stare.
He let out a sigh, “Hat-n-Clogs is right. There won’t be any separation… because there won’t be any cultural or mythic ties left.”
Yoruichi looked at him confused as they all turned to him with the same question in their eyes.
Ichigo let out a sigh and said, “Under the new paradigm, every soul will be returned to their most primal state, wiped of identity and a sense of self. Waiting in limbo to be returned to the Cycle of Souls – unless otherwise decided upon by the Sovereign of the Dead.”
The silence was deafening, and Ichigo could feel their horror coloring their auras. His ears could hear their hearts pulsing in their gigai, and the fear coursing through their veins.
“But…” Rukia looked at him stricken. “All of the souls?”
“Yes,” Ichigo admitted quietly. “All of them.”
“So the Sereitei and Rukongai…?” Violet eyes trembled and it took all of Ichigo’s resolve not to look away.
“Will cease to exist.”
Ichigo stared gravely as they all exchanged looks, meeting one another’s eyes in question.
“No,” Yoruichi said disbelievingly. “No, you can’t be serious. Centuries, millennia, of dedicated service, of countless Shinigami toiling and dying to keep the balance in place and this is our reward? To be wiped away? To be robbed of our very identities!?”
Ichigo raised his hands in a placating gesture and said, “As it is, Zeus and Amaterasu would agree with you. They would also prefer to keep the afterlives separate.”
“But how?” Rukia asked. “As you said, the process has already started! We’re already seeing tangible effects of the merging! How much longer do we even have?”
“Well…” Ichigo said slowly. “The most obvious solution is for someone else to become the Soul King.”
And instantly Urahara’s eyes fell heavy on him and Ichigo had to keep himself from cursing under his breath. Damn the man and his perceptiveness.
“What!” Yoruichi yelled. “How on earth is that even possible!”
“Who?” Rukia quickly asked. “Who would even be capable of taking on the Throne!”
But his father remained silent, in fact, he followed Urahara’s gaze as it landed on Ichigo, and this time Ichigo didn’t hold back the curse under his breath.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” his father said incredulously.
Ichigo shrugged helplessly. “I mean, the only other option at this point is to dig up Aizen from wherever the Shinigami buried him.”
His father dropped his head in his hands and let out an audible groan. Meanwhile, Yoruichi’s eyes went as wide as saucers.
“Holy shit…”
Rukia looked at all of them, utterly mystified, and Ichigo’s response was to slowly raise his hand.
Rukia blinked twice. “Eh?” And then her expression morphed outraged as she banged both hands on the table. “You!?”
“Yeah…” Ichigo said weakly.
She stared at him incredulously for several seconds before her shoulders slumped and she moaned, “…we’re all doomed.”
“Hey!”
=======
A/N: The central theme of this chapter was the inability to hold on to the people and institutions we love forever. And it was primarily motivated from my own musings on father hood as my son just turned two years old this week. (How time flies.)
It was fun exploring the idea from different perspectives: Isshin who is currently living through it with all three of his children, Ichigo himself who is coming to terms with his own sisters' nearing adulthood, the vice-versa for Yuzu and Karin as their brother keeps drifting deeper and deeper into the supernatural, and Tiamat who - ironically, tragically - failed in motherhood when she forced her second brood of children to fight the first.
I know that the reveal of Ichigo's status as Satan was anticlimatic, but I feel it was quite in character. There is no way Urahara wouldn't have figured it out on his own, and though Isshin is rightly baffled/horrified, Ichigo pushing those concerns away to prioritize the ongoings of Soul Society is on point for him. What makes Ichigo work so well in the DxD setting (from my perspective) isn't his immense power, it's his irreverence towards that power. Everyone fears Satan, the word itself inspires awe and dread... but to Ichigo, it's just a dayjob. Sometimes a very annoying one. And, as Set has encouraged him, it is ultimately Ichigo who will define the role.
Every generation eventually inherits a world it did not create and must decide whether to preserve it, change it, or let it go.
Satan is Ichigo's inheritence.