MP: Well hello, it's been a while…oopsie.

Cee: You bitch.

MP: That's my name, don't wear it out. Anyways, since I've taken such a liking to Bleach, I figured I would write another story for it.

This time around, I'm using Kira, because the poor boy needs a cookie and a hug. And in this story it's going to be mpreg, which makes no probable sense, but is fun to write anyway.

I would appreciate it if you review and share your opinions.

This story takes place after Aizen & Co. have betrayed Soul Society.

Okay, story begins now

X X X

"Love is like an echo. It comes back."

How long had it been?

Two months? Three? Four?

The idea of it being longer seemed abstract. Many things do when one lives in a realm where endless day is always endless night as well.

Soon one just doesn't bother to distinguish the two, and the night simply becomes the time when he is too tired to care.

Gin was sure of one thing; the nights in the Sereitei had never seemed as cruel.

Was that why he found himself going back?

Sometimes.

But on nights such as this, it was not the warm summer air that drew him in, nor the sound of laughter echoing through the darkness.

Tonight only one sound drew him closer.

The sound of his former lieutenant breathing.

What did he risk by being so close?

Everything and nothing.

These journeys cost him nothing he wasn't prepared to lose. And that was why he felt no shame or trepidation when he found himself in his former lieutenant's room.

It was difficult for him to think of Izuru as such.

His former lieutenant.

Too much time had been spent with them being side by side to consider him anything but.

Lieutenant.

Part time lover.

But always Izuru.

He had other names as well, but those were best kept hidden in the darkest of nights they had spent in each other's arms.

Presently, his Izuru was lying asleep on the futon they had shared in long times past. His chest rose and fell softly, a thin sheet gathered around him to ward off the small breeze that summer brought.

In sleep, his hair was off his face to display a thoroughly troubled expression.

"…Smile…"

Another wisp of memory…

"C'mon, Izuru…smile…"

Teasing and flirting at the edge of his subconscious…

Izuru's face blushing…a hand pulling the hair out of his eyes…a small transparent smile twinkling on his face…

Gin sighed.

Always so serious.

If he was still Izuru's captain, he could have told the blond to smile whenever he wanted.

But he wasn't Izuru's captain anymore.

Now Izuru was just another shinigami, and Gin was his enemy.

In his sleep, Izuru's mouth twitched, one side going up in a half smile, before returning to his ever present frown.

A tongue went out to wet his lips.

Gin glanced out the window at the sky. When he came, the sky had been completely black, but now it was regressing to its navy blue state, signaling to all that dawn was approaching.

He would have to leave soon.

He knew that soon he wouldn't be able to leave.

It was going to be too much soon. And the only resolution he found was that he would need to stop coming all together.

Perhaps it was time to kick the habit.

And the next time he would see Izuru would not be lying peacefully in bed. Most likely it would be on a blood soaked battlefield.

He wanted to protect him from that.

There was only one way he could think to do that. But he didn't make that decision months ago, and he wasn't making it now.

Izuru belonged to the Sereitei, and it was best if he remained there.

That thought didn't make it any easier.

It just made it logical.

Gin rose silently, stretching the bones of his spine, which had been nearly plastered to the wall for hours.

He approached Izuru's bed, his steps falling like silent raindrops on the floor.

All the nights he'd been coming, he had looked and never touched, despite the most irrepressible of urges that had plagued him.

Just one touch wouldn't hurt.

Gin stopped before the blond's bed, his shadow blanketing Izuru's sleeping form.

One touch, for old times sake…

He reached out his fingers, letting the tips ghost over Izuru's jaw line. Daring to press down further, he put his hand on the smooth cheek.

Izuru sighed and gently pressed his face to Gin's hand. A smile formed unconsciously on his face, softening the boys gaunt, sorrowful features.

The gentle, smiling lips invited him closer.

One kiss. For the road…

Gin got to his knees beside the futon, quietly bringing his face to hover above Izuru's.

He put his other hand into soft blond hair, letting his own pale skin frame the boy's face.

Slowly, his face drew closer and closer to its target, his silver bangs tickling Izuru's forehead.

Ever so quietly, Gin's lips rested on Izuru's.

It did not last long, and the fanfare that usually occurs when lovers lips meet was muted down to the sound of the wind outside.

Regretfully, Gin removed his lips from Izuru's, and untangled his fingers from his hair.

He sat for a moment, taking a last look at the blond in the bed.

When would he see him next?

Across the battlefield, stained in blood…

No. He would always remember Izuru as he was now.

Pale and peaceful, a small smile lingering on his lips, glowing in the moonlight.

"I'll see ya later, Izuru" he whispered, rising and beginning the 10 second walk to the door.

He'd forgotten about the creaky board on the floor.

The shrill noise pierced the air, and Gin froze.

Did-

"I-Ichimaru-taicho…?"

The voice was small, timid. The voice of a mouse.

Gin didn't want to turn around and face him, but he did.

Izuru was sitting up, his eyes wide, and sleeping robe falling open to reveal his milky figure, which seemed fuller since the last time he'd seen it.

He fought to find the words. "…Hi, 'Zuru."

Hair fell back into his face as Izuru's breathing quickened. "What do you want?" he asked apprehensively.

"I…" Gin started, hands clenching and unclenching. "I guess I wanted ta see ya…"

Izuru stared at him, his single visible eye wide, its blue iris merely a pinprick of water in its white depths.

Gin found it hard to keep his smile on his face when Izuru was looking at him like that. "I…I'll go now" he said, turning back to walk out the door.

"W-Wait! Please, wait!" Izuru called after him.

Forcing his smile back onto his face, Gin turned back to the blond.

Izuru had begun to get up to go after him. He was on one knee, and his robe had fallen open further, displaying his form once again.

This time, Gin was able to see the small bump on his stomach, proudly jutting into the moonlight.

The smile vanished from his face.

Blinking, Izuru followed Gin's invisible gaze down to his exposed stomach. Paling, he hastily pulled the robe back together.

"Ichi-"

"You…" Gin began, turning fully, his eyes barely cracking open. "You're…"

Izuru lowered his gaze to focus on the hands that rested on his stomach. "I was going to tell you…" he said softly, almost fearfully.

Gin approached him, hands reaching forward. He went to his knees in front of Izuru, removing the boys hands and pulling the robe aside again.

The skin was still smooth, still pale and clean.

He put his hands onto it, spreading his fingers out to butterfly around the growing life.

"Baby…" Gin said softly, his eyes inching open.

"Ichimaru-taicho-" Izuru began, breath still sped up.

"How long have ya know, Izuru?"

Izuru breathed deeply, letting Gin's hands rise along with his stomach. "It was before you left with Aizen-taicho…a few days before…I was going to tell you, really…but then you left and I didn't what to do, and I…"

Gin sighed. "Izuru…poor little Izuru…"

He brought his face to Izuru's, pressing their lips together once again, keeping his hands on the blonds stomach.

A small gasp escaped between them, before there was stillness.

The fanfare never erupted, but the splendor of calm waters existed between them.

A tongue prodded at Izuru's lips, and was almost immediately granted access.

The familiar taste of Izuru's mouth was sweet to Gin as his tongue roamed around the familiar cavern.

A soft noise of contentment echoed in Izuru's throat as his own tongue mingled with Gin's, and he brought his hands up to tangle in Gin's hair.

Taking his lips from Izuru's, Gin began to kiss and suck his way down an alabaster neck.

"Ichimaru…taicho…" Izuru sighed.

"I've missed ya, Izuru…" Gin said, kissing at the base of izuru's neck. "I've missed ya so much…"

A smile worked onto Izuru's face, and he closed his eyes as Gin lips trailed down his chest, and began to kiss at his stomach.

Tightening his grip on Gin's hair, Izuru breathed out his name once more.

Gin rested his forehead onto the bump, letting his hand begin to rub at it soothingly.

Stillness.

"Izuru?" Gin said, looking back up at the blond, a smile placed back on his face.

"Yes?" Izuru answered, looking back at him calmly.

"Does anyone else…?" Gin trailed.

"No, I haven't told anyone."

"Hm…" Gin thought, putting his head back on Izuru's stomach.

Izuru began to scratch at Gin's scalp, letting silver tresses slip through his fingers. "What are you thinking?"

"About the baby" Gin said, smile growing.

"Ichi-…Gin?"

"Hm?"

"You're…you're not staying are you?"

Gin paused. "No, I'm not."

Taking a deep breath, Izuru closed his eyes and gave a slow nod. "Alright."

A small notch took down his smile. "Izuru?"

"Yes?"

Gin raised his head again, eyes opened slightly to reveal two electric blue irises. "I…I wanna do right by ya"

Izuru's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I wanna take care a ya when tha baby comes. We can take care a tha baby tagether" Gin said, a determined tingle to his smile.

"But…" Izuru's eyes widened. "We can't do that."

"No" Gin shook his head. "Not here"

"What do you-" Izuru cut off, realization dawning on his face. "You're not saying-"

"Come back with me" Gin said, smile widening.

Izuru looked at him as though he had grown a second head. "To Hueco Mundo?"

"Yeah! Ya can come back with me an have tha baby at Los Noches!" Gin said excitedly.

"No no no, we can't do that" Izuru said, shaking his head. " I have all my friends, and the squad needs me, and you… I'm sure you have something back there, so we just can't-"

"'Zuru," Gin said, putting a hand on the blonds cheek. "Don't ya want ta be with me?"

Izuru's face softened sufficiently. "You know I do… I love you"

"There's no way we can be tagether here. They'd be on us like white rice"

Izuru laughed softly.

"But if we went ta Hueco Mundo, I could talk ta Aizen-sama, and we could be tagether there."

Izuru shook his head. "Gin-"

"Ya'd be taken care of. Ya an tha baby" Gin said reassuringly. "I'd make sure a it. An' ya wouldn't be alone, I'd be there an' we could find ya someone ta be with when-"

"Gin." Izuru silenced.

"I want ya ta come with me, Izuru" Gin said, bringing his face closer to Izuru's. "Come with me an' have tha baby."

"But…" Izuru fought pathetically. "But the squad-"

"They'll get over it" Gin said, "They can replace me an' ya like they always wanted" ke kissed Izuru's cheek.

"But I have my friends-" Gin kissed his still moving lips. "and I can't just leave without-" another kiss. "A word, they'll worry-" Gin clamped his lips over Izuru's, silencing anything he could have said.

"Ya worry ta much, Izuru" Gin said, nuzzling the blonds nose.

"I think this is a perfectly logical thing to worry about" Izuru said. "You're asking me to pick up and leave the place where I've built my life."

"Ta start a new one, with me an' tha baby" Gin said, putting a hand on his stomach. "Ya could be sent ta battle at any moment, an' what if ya got hurt? What would happen ta tha baby then?"

Izuru searched inside for an answer, and found none.

"If ya came with me, ya'd be safe. I wouldn' let anything hurt ya or tha baby" Gin said, putting his forehead on Izuru's. "I'd take care a ya."

Biting his lip, Izuru looked down at his stomach, putting a protective hand over the small bump, opposite Gin's.

A thoughtful silence passed between them.

"Gin?" Izuru asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"You know that if you had asked me to go with you before, I would have, don't you?"

"Tha's why I didn't ask."

Izuru swallowed. "But I would have" he looked at Gin sadly. "Why didn't you ask me then?"

Gin frowned, the muscles in his cheeks protesting. "I thought I was doing what was best for ya. But its not just ya an' me now."

Izuru nodded.

"Come with me" Gin said, kissing his cheek. "Come with me" he kissed his other cheek. "Come with me" he kissed his nose. "Come with me" he kissed his forehead. "Come with-"

"Alright" Izuru relented with a smile.

Gin's face brightened. "Ya will?"

"Yes, I'll come with you" Izuru said, putting a hand on Gin's face.

Gin immediately engulfed Izuru's lips again.

And this time there was fanfare. There were falling stars and blooming flowers and crashing waves.

"You're gonna be sa happy, Izuru…" Gin whispered. "All three a us will be sa happy…"

X X X

And there's the first chapter!

I'll write the next as soon as I can, but in the meantime I would appreciate reviews.