Me: y, yes, I am starting a new fanfic. It is a GrimmIchiUlqui with an Arrancar Ichigo and possible betrayals and mpreg and plenty of yaoi. enjoy! ^^

Warnings: yaoi, mpreg, violence, bashing on sum characters, swearing

Pairings: GrimmIchiUlqui, ByaRen, AiGin, NoitraSzayel (don't ask, just sounded good), KyouJyuu, HisaKira, IkkaYumi, HitsuKarin, and JintaYuzu

Summary: The past few weeks, Ichigo has been acting very strange. One week he's himself and the next, he's using an act. No one could figure out why he was behaving so differently until he started having a bloody coughing fit similar to Jyuushiro's. After forcing his soul to separate from his body, they find out why and trigger the anger of a certain Cuarto and Sexta Espada. Which side is Ichigo really on? And would there really be a Winter War at all? Can the Independent Ichigo convince Aizen that it isn't necessary?

Disclaimer: no, I do not own Bleach for the exception of characters that no 1 has heard of.

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Tea-colored eyes watched as the people down below wandered along the streets, communicating with each other and laughing at jokes or confessing their love for one another. The eyes blinked a couple times before scanning the area below to find a different place to watch. The wind blew at the being's orange hair, causing the tips to gently caress his cheek.

He did this often, watching the normal humans from the sky and wish his life was normal like theirs. He used to wish that he couldn't see ghost and spirits. He used to wish that he had nothing to do with Shinigami. He only allowed Rukia to stab him in the chest so he could borrow her power long enough to protect his family from that Hollow. He used to wish that he never had any spiritual pressure or energy of any sort so the Hollows wouldn't come after him in the first place. He used to wish he had never had anything to do with what happened in Soul Society or the Arrancars.

He used to just want a normal life with a normal family and have normal friends.

"What are you thinking about this time?" a husky voice whispered into his ear before Ichigo looked uncaringly over his shoulder to see the familiar Sexta Espada. "You always have that look on your face when you're thinking of something. What is it this time?"

"It's of no importance," Ichigo replied with a sigh as he stepped around Grimmjow. "What does Aizen want this time?"

"Who says I'm here on Aizen's orders?" Grimmjow chuckled, wrapping his arms around Ichigo's waist. "I don't always bother you on his orders, you know."

"Ulquiorra isn't here with you," Ichigo pointed out, looking around for a bit before attempting to sense the pale Arrancar's energy. He didn't feel it at all. "When you aren't here on Aizen's orders, Ulquiorra is always with you. He isn't here."

Grimmjow sighed as he nuzzled his nose into the crook of Ichigo's neck, nipping at the skin with his slightly pointed teeth. "Aizen wants you back in Hueco Mundo long enough for him to give you another assignment," he gave in.

"If it has anything to do with the Shinigami here, tell him I deny it," Ichigo growled out, pushing the teal-haired Arrancar from him as he started to walk away.

"He said that it didn't before he sent me here," Grimmjow sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I don't know what it is, but he says it doesn't have anything to do with your friends."

Ichigo turned his head to look at the other for a quick second before turning around completely and opening a gargantuan. "Then let's go see what my new assignment will be if I accept it," was all he said before the two stepped in and the gargantuan closed.

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Rukia and Renji were watching Ichigo with close eyes. Last week, he had been acting abnormal and now he was acting as his usual self. They had yet to see him take his Shinigami form for two months and he behaved as though he was keeping a secret from everyone. Hitsugaya and everyone else noticed this as well, but they kept an eye on him from a further distance.

They weren't the only ones that had noticed. Kisuke and Isshin had noticed as well. Isshin just behaved as the overly hyper father that randomly attacked his son, but on the weeks when Ichigo acted different, he left him alone. Kisuke could tell when the two switched as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kon, on the other hand, was having plenty of practice on how to behave like Ichigo, even though he believed he aroused the suspicion of the others. He knew what was going on with Ichigo, seeing as the orange-haired teen couldn't keep things from him, and helped him out as long as he kept everything a secret. So far, he was Ichigo every other week and could tell Isshin saw the difference. None of the others could, though. Which Ichigo found kind of sad since the spiritual pressure would be a dead give away. Then again, he always left some to make it look as though it really was him and not Kon.

He only gave control over to Kon when he felt the pain in his chest or couldn't breathe right. That was when he knew he needed to separate from his body or the upcoming consequences wouldn't be good.

It had only been a week since the mission Aizen had given him, which was just to find more powerful Hollows for him to turn into Arrancars for his army. He eventually found out why Ulquiorra wasn't around when he was in Hueco Mundo. Aizen had given him a mission to investigate the Shinigami in Karakura Town and report any new information to him since Ichigo always refused to spy on his friends for any reason, especially for Aizen.

What made Ichigo agitated and paranoid enough to bring Kon along with him without the stuffed animal toy was that a week was his limit until he felt the pains and had breathing problems. He already felt the slight pains in his chest during lunch, but couldn't leave because he knew one of the others would follow after him. He knew that they suspected something of him and didn't want to increase their suspicion. He decided he would switch with Kon at nighttime. He hadn't gone that long after feeling the first pain before, but he figured it wouldn't be too hard.

How wrong he was. They were heading towards Ichigo's house to hang around and discuss strategies in case any Arrancar attacked when it happened. Ichigo went into a coughing fit.

"It's nothing," he reassured the others after he coughed harshly a few times, beating at his chest before slipping his hands into his pockets, one finger tip checking to make sure Kon was still there.

"You're sure?" Rukia asked, standing in front of him and refusing to allow him by.

"I'm sure," Ichigo sighed. "Humans cough like that sometimes, Rukia. It's no big deal." The pain in his chest was growing, refusing to stop beating at his ribs until they were bruised or broken.

"The only time I've heard a cough like that was with Ukitake-taichou," Hitsugaya muttered, glancing at the taller teen from the corner of his eyes.

"I'm fine," the teen stated before coughing a few more times, harsher than the last. His hand curled into a fist before flying to his tight lips. He felt something rise up his throat, but it went back down, leaving a coppery taste at the back of his mouth. He recognized that taste and decided he better switch with Kon quick or the others would not let him go until they got some kind of explanation, which would lead to revealing something he didn't want them to know. "Let's just hurry up and get to my place," Ichigo suggested after clearing his throat. "We got cough medicine in the clinic."

His steps quickened a little bit, but not enough to make the others think he had another motive. He didn't see the three in the back exchanging words.

"I think he's hiding something," Ikkaku lowly whispered to Yumichika, who nodded in agreement.

"We should just keep an eye on him to make sure nothing else happens," Hitsugaya said before Yumichika could say anything back to Ikkaku.

"He's walking faster now," Yumichika pointed out. "Something is up, and I think it has something to do with his cough. It doesn't sound like a normal one. That last one sounded like he was about to thrown up. That would be beyond hideous." The other two just looked at him before rolling their eyes slightly. Their attention snapped to Ichigo when he started to cough roughly again.

This time, he was leaning against a brisk wall for support and his hand was covering his mouth with his eyes squeezed shut. He slid down the wall a little bit before breathing in heavily, lowering his hand before his eyes went wide. There were spots of red liquid on his palm that he was sure Rukia spotted since she was right beside his shoulder.

Rukia gasped as one hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes quivered a little bit before she looked over to Ichigo.

He coughed again before she could say anything. His hand stayed on his mouth as his whole body shook with each force from his chest. The pain inside of his ribcage grew greater until it felt like there was an earthquake within his chest. His heart beat faster and faster, pumping too much blood too fast. His chest rattled with each harsh cough, bringing him worse pain. His body slowly slid down the wall until he was supporting himself on his knees and one hand, the other still covering his mouth as more blood came out with his coughs.

The others eyes went wide. Rukia bent next to Ichigo, one arm on his beck. She felt helpless. She didn't know what to do. She barely knew what to do when Ukitake-taichou had a fit.

"Call someone from Fourth Division!" Hitsugaya ordered before Matsumoto nodded and pulled out a pager.

"No!" Ichigo objected. "I'm fine!"

"You're coughing up blood, Ichigo!" Renji pointed out in a harsh tone. "Don't you even dare say nothing is wrong with you!"

"I didn't say something wasn't wrong with me," Ichigo panted out, wiping away the blood that circled his mouth. "Just that I'm fine." 'And I need to switch with Kon before I have difficulty breathing,' he mentally added. "I can just take some medicine at the clinic and I'll be fine," Ichigo grunted, as he got back to his feet with Rukia's help.

"I don't think this can be cured with just medicine, Ichigo," Rukia stated, keeping on hand on his back and the other on his chest in case he fell. He appeared to have a problem standing straight and balanced at the moment, but that may just be an aftereffect of the coughing fit.

"Rukia's right," Hitsugaya agreed. "We should get someone from Fourth Division here to see what is wrong with you. We know you don't want to worry your family over this, so it would be better if-"

Ichigo cut him off. "Look, this happens from time to time!" he yelled at them. It wasn't a complete lie. When he had a harsh cough or breathing problems, he immediately switched with Kon before it got out of hand. Besides, it has happened before when he was a kid and his father managed to get it under control. "I just need some medicine from the clinic and I'll be perfectly fine."

He started to walk off, but as soon as he didn't have the support from Rukia, he pressed his hand against the wall of the building to keep himself up straight. He didn't understand why his body had always reacted like this after a week of inhabiting it. And the only solution he could come up with to stop it was to hand his body to Kon while he was separated from his body for a whole week.

He wasn't planning on alerting his father of this. After all, as far as Isshin was concerned, this all stopped when Ichigo was a child. The teen didn't know what had stopped it, but he didn't care since he was cured. But now, whatever it was, was back with a vengeance. All he planned to do when he got home was clean off the blood and switch with Kon as fast as he could.

'It would be a good idea for you to leave your body at least once every week.' Tousen's voice ran through his head. He, Gin, and Aizen had spoken about something barely moments before Ichigo was given that piece of advice. He didn't understand why it was given to him, but he took it when he coughed up blood for the first time. No one knew about the first incident since he was in his room, and Kon was the only one that knew the secret Ichigo was trying so hard to keep from the others.

A few more bloody coughs escaped his lips that were covered by his other hand. 'I just need to hang on long enough to switch with Kon,' he thought to himself, repeating it over and over as though it was a mantra. The pain in his chest eventually disappeared, but he knew it wouldn't last long. He breathed in heavily, trying to fill his aching lungs with enough air to get back to the clinic that was barely a few blocks away.

Chad, noticing Ichigo's reluctance to move, went over to the smaller teen, stepping around Rukia to get to him. He placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder before the orange-haired teen looked up at him from the corner of his eyes. "I'm fine," he reassured, despite the blood on his hand and lips.

"No, you're not," Uryu argued with a glare. "You're about to fall over!"

"Didn't know you cared," Ichigo weakly chuckled before his lungs started to burn. He tried to breath in some air, but couldn't get any. It was like there wasn't any left in the atmosphere. 'Damn!' he inwardly swore. 'If I stop breathing now…' He couldn't finish his thought before his word was engulfed in darkness. The only sounds he heard were his friends calling out to him. The only thing he felt was Chad's large hands stopping him from falling to the ground and placing him on the broader teen's back.

"Hanatarou should be around here," Hitsugaya stated, looking between Yumichika, Ikkaku, and Matsumoto. "Find him! Check Urahara's first!"

"Yes, sir," the three replied before they ran off in different directions.

"Let's just get him to Urahara's," Rukia suggested. "Hanatarou might be there and it would save us some time going there instead of waiting for one of them to come back and say he is."

"No," Chad said. "We should get him to his house. His father may know what's going on with him." Even though a part of him doubted, an even larger portion of his heart and mind said it was better to take Ichigo to Isshin than Urahara.

The others were reluctant, but eventually nodded in agreement before Chad sprinted off with Ichigo on his back. Everyone blinked in astonishment about his speed before following the larger teen after a moment. They caught up with him a few yards from the house.

"He doesn't look like he's breathing," Orohime nervously said when she looked at the unconscious Ichigo.

"Let's hope that isn't the case, Orohime," Rukia panted out before they were in front of the Kurosaki Clinic.

Chad didn't bother waiting for anyone to make a second opinion about taking Ichigo to Urahara's. He just went on inside with Ichigo secured against his back. As soon as he stopped in through the doors, Orohime went past him in a blur to locate Isshin as quickly as possible.

"Wow, she is worried," Renji commented when the others got inside.

"Of course she is!" Rukia scolded him, slapping his arm. "Aren't you?!"

"Of course I am!" Renji yelled back.

"Stop yelling or you might wake Ichigo up," Uryu sighed before Orohime came back with Isshin behind her.

When his eyes landed on Ichigo's still form, his eyes went. "Bring him in here, Chad," he said in a scared tone, motioning the large teen into an empty room at the end of the hall. Once in the room, Chad placed Ichigo's body down and stepped back before Isshin examined his son. Everyone else gathered around the door, wanting to know what Isshin had to say about what was wrong with Ichigo. "You can come in here as long as you don't make too much noise," Isshin sighed.

"Kurosaki-san?" Orohime timidly spoke. "Is Ichigo going to be okay?"

"I don't know," Isshin hesitantly replied, closing his eyes tightly as he rubbed his forehead. "Orohime, Uryu, and Chad. Can you three please leave for a moment? I'll call you back in a minute."

Orohime nodded before she slowly made her way out the door, followed by Uryu and finally Chad. "Why did you ask them to leave?" Rukia asked, her eyes at the door before going over to Isshin when he spoke.

"Because what I am about to share with you, they don't need to know," Isshin replied, his head turning a little to look at the others. "I know what you all are." Their eyes went wide. "You are Shinigami. You are a taichou, am I right?" he asked Hitsugaya before he nodded. "You're a fukutaichou. Correct?" Renji nodded. "The rest of you are seated officers for the exception of that woman with the large chest. Matsumoto Rangiku is a fukutaichou, right?"

"She's mine," Hitsugaya stated, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at Isshin, suddenly unsure of the old man.

"Relax," he sighed. "I was a Shinigami, taichou class, before I met Ichigo's mother and decided to stay in the human world using a gigai that I asked Kisuke to make for me. That is how Ichigo got his powers at all and why he's always been able to see the dead." He sighed heavily. "When Ichigo was younger, he had an infection in his lungs. It wasn't tuberculosis. I would recognize it if it was. I don't know what it was. And I couldn't find a way to cure it. I had already lost my wife a year before and I refused to lose my son as well.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't do much but watch his body slowly kill him. He never knew of this and I never planned on telling him. He died when he was ten, but I was selfish and didn't want to lose him so soon after already losing one loved one. I asked Kisuke to make a special gigai for Ichigo for his soul to inhabit since I refused to put him back inside of the body that had killed him and was still carrying the infection.

"The gigai I asked Kisuke to make was supposed to grow with Ichigo's spirit, like he was a normal child again. When he died and his soul separated from his body, there was someone with him - an older man dressed in black and wearing a pair of sunglasses. It took me a while until I figured out that Ichigo would eventually inherit the powers of his Shinigami heritage and that the man was the spirit of his zanpaktou, Zangetsu.

"I just don't understand how he got the infection again. He shouldn't with this gigai." His head dropped into his hands as he stared down at the still form of his eldest child and only son. "I guess the gigai turned into an actual body for him and he somehow got it back. I don't know."

"Maybe it's the spiritual pressure," Hitsugaya said with a shrug. "Some gigai can't handle a Shinigami's spiritual pressure. It has to be custom made for certain Shinigami."

"No, that shouldn't be the case," Isshin stated. "I figured that at most, Ichigo would turn into a Vaizard and told Kisuke to make a gigai that can handle that sort of spiritual pressure."

"Would it help to separate his soul from his body?" Rukia asked.

"It might," Isshin replied, looking at the young woman over his shoulder. "Miss Kuchiki?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have that glove with you? I'm afraid I lost mine a while back."

Rukia nodded before pulling it out of her pocket and slipping it on. "Wait," Hitsugaya said, bringing attention to him. "Ichigo was in a rush earlier like he expected something like this to happen. If that's the case, wouldn't he carry that mod-soul Kon?"

"I can go get him real fast," Renji volunteered before Isshin reached into Ichigo's pocket and pulled out the small ball.

"He takes Kon with him in case he needed to suddenly separate," Isshin stated. "Kon is right here." He placed the mod-soul pod into Ichigo's mouth before the two separated. The eyes of everyone in the room went wide when they saw what Ichigo was and figured out what he was hiding from them.

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Me: cliffhanger, though ppl probably no what it is. -sigh- Figure it out if u can! Review!