This is my first story, so I'm still trying to find my writing style. Please R&R!

Summary: The Winter War is over and all the arrancars are gone, including the father to Orihime's daughter: Ulquiorra. Ichigo and Rukia get married and have a boy named Kaien. About 13 years later Orihime's daughter, Akira, wants to know the truth about her father. But when Ichigo goes missing, they are all recruited in the mission to find him. Along the way, Akira and Kaien uncover their powers and become the targets of a mysterious new enemy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

Not too long after the battle with Aizen was over, Orihime learned that she was pregnant. She was sure that Ulquiorra was the father, he was her first and only. But she didn't know how to tell her friends about it, when they would surely call her a traitor. She had already lost her friends once and didn't want to lose them again. For the first few months of her pregnancy she managed to conceal her growing stomach. She felt horrible for lying to her friends, but it was the only thing she could think of to do. Soon, she started making excuses so that they wouldn't witness the last months of her pregnancy. The only problem was that Rukia had noticed her strange behavior. Rukia had cornered Orihime with questions, pleadingly asking what was wrong. Orihime cracked, and finally told her everything. Afterwards her heart felt lighter and less burdened, but immediately felt horrible again when she saw Rukia looking sad and disappointed. She asked Orihime why she hadn't said anything sooner, and she replied by revealing her fears to Rukia. After a long talk and clearing up some details, Rukia told Orihime that she didn't understand the love she had for Ulquiorra, but wasn't mad.

Glad to have someone by her side, Orihime gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Akira. Her skin was pale, her eyes were green, and the wisps of hair on her head were black. Orihime was happy that the baby was practically a carbon copy of the fourth espada. Now she didn't have to worry about never seeing him again.

Of course, she couldn't hide Akira from her other friends for long. When they discovered who the father was, they were shocked. Chad and Uryuu soon came to terms with it, though they didn't like it that much. Ichigo was furious, so much so that he refused to see Orihime. It broke her heart that her best friend couldn't even face her. It took months of convincing from Chad, Uryuu, and Rukia before Ichigo agreed to see how Orihime was doing. Orihime begged Ichigo to forgive her, and said that she didn't want to lose him after everything they'd been through together. He refused to forgive her, but only for the reason that she didn't need to apologize. Instead, Ichigo asked for Orihime's forgiveness, for not supporting her when she needed him. Since then, Orihime lived peacefully with her daughter. Her friends frequently came by to visit her and help her, if she needed it.

After a few months, Ichigo and Rukia married and started a family of their own. They had a son and named him Kaien after Rukia's former Lieutenant. He had an uncanny likeness to Ichigo, having the same strange orange hair and attitude that comes with it. Ichigo and Rukia moved in the same neighborhood as Orihime's and visited her often for years. They usually brought Kaien with them to Orihime's house, so that he could play with Akira. They soon realized that Akira had inherited more than just her father's looks. She had also inherited a large portion of his personality. She was mostly quiet and thought things through with logic. It was as if Ulquiorra Cifer had been reincarnated.

Orihime was overjoyed. But her friends weren't sure how they felt about it, namely, Ichigo. If Akira had inherited this much from her father, what else did she inherit?

Akira Inoue walked home from school with Kaien Kurosaki, deep in thought with her arms crossed. Tomorrow was Take Your Father to School Day, which seemed ridiculous to her. Kaien, on the other hand, couldn't be more excited. He babbled on and on about how great it would be to show off his father to everyone. Kaien's father, Mr. Kurosaki, was a well known doctor who ran his own clinic and usually went away on business trips. Thinking about it only frustrated Akira more. Why waste a day of learning by listening to a bunch of men talking about themselves? It was stupid.

"Hey, Akira! Are you even listening to me?"

She stopped and looked over to Kaien, who was frowning. "No."

"Well, fine. Then I guess I won't tell you what my dad's gonna bring."

"I don't care." Akira sighed. She continued walking, not bothering to look back to see if Kaien was following. Unfortunately, he did.

"Aw, c'mon! It's really, really cool!"

She stared straight ahead, spotting an ice cream store coming up. Her clever mind quickly thought of a way to get Kaien to stop broaching on the subject. She factored in the possibility that if Kaien ate ice cream, then his appetite for dinner would be spoiled. When he started talking about the difference between a doctor and a nurse, she decided to risk it. "Kaien, would you like some ice cream?" She asked innocently, glancing over her shoulder.

His eyes lit up with excitement and he nodded, his head bobbing up and down like a bobble head. "Yeah!"

Kaien listed the possible flavors he would get aloud as they approached the store, which was better than him talking about his plans for tomorrow. Akira opened the door to the ice cream shop, a little bell ringing to announce their arrival. There were a few people standing in line.

"Strawberry. No, wait, Chocolate. Oh, they've got sundaes! What are you going to get, Akira?"

"I don't like ice cream." Akira had never liked anything sweet, much to the dismay of her mother. She preferred eating simple and healthy meals. This explained why she was slimmer than most thirteen year olds and the envy of every girl in her class.

They moved up in line, and when it was their turn to order, Kaien was torn between having a sundae and trying a new shrimp-flavored ice cream. After receiving an idle threat from Akira for taking too long, he settled on the sundae. They left the store and continued the path to their house. It was silent, since Kaien was too busy devouring his treat. Akira stared at Kaien as they walked, semi-disgusted and semi-amused by the sight of him. She briefly wondered how he could be so easily distracted, and then returned her gaze to the street in front of them. She noticed the sky slowly growing a darker shade of orange, concluding that they would get home late.

"Akira."

Kaien sounded so somber that she immediately looked over at him. The first thing she noted was that he had already finished his sundae, faster than she had anticipated. The second was that his expression was one a person would give to a dying dog. It took her a moment to recognize; it was pity. Upon seeing this, Akira felt anger rise in her chest. She stopped walking.

"Are you sad about . . ." he hesitated. "About not having a father?"

"Why?" Akira's eyes hardened. "Should I be? I've lived this long without a father. They are unnecessary."

"What about your mother? Doesn't she miss him sometimes?"

"You would have to ask my mother." Akira hadn't expected this from Kaien. For as long as she could remember, he was always simple-minded and rarely thought things through, unlike her. But the way he spoke about this sounded like he'd been thinking about it for a while now. She didn't like it. "I will not continue to answer these questions."

Kaien sighed and nodded. "I get it if you don't want to talk about it. I can't imagine a life without my dad." With nothing more to say, he walked on.

Akira stood there for a moment. Oddly, Kaien's words had stuck with her. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was somewhat right.

She was brought out of her thoughts by an uncomfortable feeling. It felt like a strong presence was nearby. She'd been having these feelings since she was four, and it had been steadily growing since. Akira noticed that these feelings were especially strong coming from her mother, Mr. and Mrs. Kurosaki, and even Kaien. She once tried to ask her mother about it, but couldn't find her that day. Instead, she came home to a babysitter she'd only seen on one occasion several years before, a man in a green-striped hat and wooden clogs, whose name was Urahara. Coincidentally, it was the same day Mr. Kurosaki left on one of his business trips.

She searched the area, seeing no one else on the street but her and Kaien. Suddenly, it vanished, as if it had never been there. Still unsure of what it was Akira swiftly caught up with Kaien. They walked back home together, not speaking a word. When they arrived at Akira's house, her mother and Kaien's mother were waiting for them.

"Kaien!" Mrs. Kurosaki yelled.

"Akira!" Her mother called.

The two sighed simultaneously, each going to their respective parent.

Kaien's mother had her arms crossed. "Why are you late?" She questioned him in a reprimanding tone.

"I apologize, Mrs. Kurosaki. We stopped for ice cream."

"Ice cream! Kaien, don't tell me you had a sundae."

"Sorry, mom."

As Rukia scolded her child, Orihime watched Akira silently. It was amazing how much she took after her father, even if she didn't realize it. Orihime gazed at Akira, whose expression was cool and impassive. She answered calmly whenever Rukia questioned her, and actually seemed to expect it. Why was that? And what did she say about ice cream? Akira never liked sweets, so she guessed that her daughter didn't have any. But . . . Akira seemed a little different from normal. Her features appeared to be forced, like she was trying to hide what she was really feeling. During what little time she spent with Ulquiorra, and years with her daughter, Orihime learned to read the smallest gestures. Based on how tense her daughter looked, she would say she was upset. "Akira," Orihime said again. Her daughter glanced up. "It's time to go inside." Akira nodded, listening to her mother at once.

After Akira disappeared into the house, Orihime placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder. "I'm sorry about this," she apologized. "Let me make it up to you. Come inside until Ichigo comes back."

Hearing his father's name, Kaien spoke up. "Where is dad?"

Rukia hesitated. "He's . . . visiting a patient. Now, go inside."

"Oh, okay." He ran inside.

After a few moments of silence, Orihime spoke up. "They're growing up too fast. Akira's been suspicious since she was six. When should we tell them?" She didn't like lying to, or not telling, her daughter the truth about her past. Neither did Rukia, but they decided it would be best if they grew up without worrying about being half-hollow.

"I don't know," Rukia sighed, staring at where Kaien had run off. "I agree that they are getting old. Maybe we should tell them when Ichigo comes back."

Orihime nodded. "Alright. Let's go inside." Once inside, Orihime offered to make tea and went into the kitchen. Rukia was sitting at the table, waiting for Orihime, when Kaien came down the stairs. He didn't even look her as he passed and lied on the ground near the table with his back to her.

Rukia glanced from the stairs to her son. "Kaien, why don't you do something with Akira?"

He sighed and looked over his shoulder. "She won't let me in her room. I've been trying for a few minutes, but all she said was 'Go away.'" He paused. "I think it's my fault."

"Why would you say that?" Rukia frowned.

At that moment, Orihime walked in with a teapot and teacups on a tray and set it on the table. She held her hands behind her back and smiled at Kaien. "Go on. Why is it your fault?"

He fidgeted. "Well I . . . kind of asked her if she was sad about not having a father."

"Kaien!" Rukia's frown deepened. "You should know better."

"I didn't think I'd upset her," he replied quietly, looking away. "At the most, I expected her to be angry with me. I'm sorry, Miss Inoue."

"It's alright," Orihime said. She now understood why Akira seemed troubled before. She noticed Kaien's worried expression and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry Kaien. I'll go talk with Akira." He nodded, apologizing again before she went upstairs.

Rukia crossed her arms, staring at her son until he looked up. He slowly sat up in a cross-legged position and scooted closer to the table.

"Did Miss Inoue bring out any cake?"

Orihime Inoue's house hadn't changed much over the years. The only major change was adding Akira's room, which had been Sora's old room. The walls were a simple white color, bare of any posters, pictures, or drawings any regular girl might have wanted to tape up. Akira, as mentioned before, preferred simple things. Even her furniture had a color palette of plain white, black, or beige. The only decoration that implied it wasn't a guest room was a single picture of her mother on her desk. She also kept her room in impeccable condition; things were never out of place.

Akira stood in front of her window, watching the sky grow dark. The moon was out already, as well as some stars. She stared at the sky and tried not to think about the next day or what Kaien said earlier. She cast those thoughts from her mind, and settled for finding constellations.

There was the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper.

There was Orion.

Taurus.

Gemini.

Auriga.

Draco.

She soon ran out of constellations to identify and turned her gaze to the moon. It was bright and full tonight. Akira heard a soft knock on her door and her mother asking to come in. She replied with a polite, "Enter."

Her mother stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "Why is it so dark in here?" She squinted.

"I feel more comfortable." Akira answered, and then paused. "Mrs. Kurosaki and Kaien are still here." She was almost certain she felt their presence close by.

"How did you know?" Instead of seeming surprised, her mother was curious. Strange.

Akira chose not to answer, and instead turned back to look at the moon. She wasn't sure if she should tell her mother about the feelings she'd been having. Akira knew she was strange enough with the way she acted. Would her mother understand?

"It was nice of you to get Kaien ice cream, but you must have known that it would ruin his dinner."

"Yes." Akira said. "I did."

Orihime sighed. It looked like she was going to have to do most of the talking. "Why?" She walked up next to her daughter, also staring up at the moon. The last time she had done this was in Hueco Mundo.

Seeing no escape, Akira resigned to telling her mother. "Kaien was irritating me. He kept talking about what he and Mr. Kurosaki could do tomorrow, and then I saw the ice cream shop." It was straightforward and concise. However, Orihime was far from finished.

"Isn't tomorrow Take Your Father to School Day?"

Akira chose not to answer, but it was enough for Orihime to understand. She placed a hand on her shoulder, sadly looking down at her daughter. "You can tell me how you feel about it, Akira. It's okay to open up. Sometimes it's better to tell someone, instead of keeping everything bottled up inside." Orihime waited for a few moments, trying to see a change in her daughter's expression. There, her eyebrows came together slightly. She was frowning.

Akira's usually logical mind was consistently coming up with possible responses to get out of this situation, but her heart wouldn't allow it. Looking at her mother, she knew she wouldn't always be able to run away from it. The truth was . . . she hated her father. He was the reason her mother worked so hard to try and keep the both of them happy. He was the reason her mother sometimes woke from horrible nightmares. And yet, Akira was also curious about him. The only thing she'd ever heard was her mother's description of him, which wasn't that much itself. She knew that her mother's friends knew something about him, but whenever Akira was close on the subject, they got uncomfortable and wouldn't talk any more about it. How many nights did she spend lying in bed wide awake, trying to figure out why no one would tell her about her father? If they refused to speak about him, perhaps it meant that it wasn't good. She glanced up at her mother and, doing something she rarely did, let her guard down.

Orihime's heart twisted at the pain and confusion in her daughter's beautiful emerald eyes. It was one of the few times Akira looked more like the young girl she was.

"Tell me about my father."