"Did you guys find any survivors?" Renji asked the squad six members that just gathered at the middle of the desolate village.
"No lieutenant Abarai! We could not find any survivors from the village after the hollow attack was stopped; we got here a little too late sir!" One unseated officer informed the squad six lieutenant of the horrible news.
"Damn, wait where is the captain?" Renji asked the other squad six members realizing his captain wasn't there anymore.
"In here Abarai" The voice of the sixth squad captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, drifted out from a small house a little bit down the road that was still barley standing.
"Squad dismissed, go back to your work at the barracks" Renji informed the squad before running to the house his captains voice came from.
"Captain, what are you doing?" Renji asked his captain once he got to the open door and saw his captain crouching on the ground in front of something he couldn't see past his captain.
"There was one survivor" Byakuya informed his lieutenant before standing up and moving to the side to reveal a little newborn, that didn't even look older that a few days.
"Aw, he is just a little guy" Renji said walking over to the baby.
"She Abarai, it's a she" Byakuya informed his lieutenant lightly while also staring at the baby.
"Well what should we do?" Renji turned to his captain after picking up the baby in his arms and cradling her lightly.
"Take her to an orphanage" Byakuya informed going to turn and let Renji follow behind him.
"We can't do that! Those places are like hell!" Renji snapped at his captain angered at the suggestion.
"Then what do you say we do with this….child?" Byakuya asked his Lieutenant with a blank face but a raised eyebrow.
"How 'bout we raise her, yay! We can both train her while she gets older so she could be a great shinigami in the future!" Renji turned to his shorter captain with shining eyes with hope that his captain would say yes.
"You can take her but what makes you think I want her?" Byakuya questioned Renji confused as to why the boy would as him to care for the child too.
"Well, because you like kids, and you kinda need an heir and I know you don't want to get married, so I thought this would be a good alternative, ya know, raise a kid from a few days old, she could pass for a Kuchiki too, she has hair the same colour as yours and her eyes are a lighter shade of grey" Renji said pointing out the good points of taking care of the girl.
"What makes you think I like kids?" Byakuya questioned Renji intrigued on how he would answer.
"You carry candy around all the time for Yachiru, and you hate sweets, it isn't that hard to figure out that you like her presence no matter how much you pretend not too" Renji stated bluntly to his captain while looking down at the little girl again.
"Well, I guess you are right, this ONE time, you are right, well lets go back, I will ask the elders about this tomorrow to see if they approve" Byakuya said turning on his heel and walking out.
"And what if they don't?" Renji questioned sadly.
"Then you can take care of her and I will help with paying for her and training for when she becomes older, and also to teach her some manners, like people are supposed to have" Kuchiki stated walking a little faster this time.
"Do you think we can just shunpo back?" Renji asked his captain.
"Maybe, I don't know how she would react though" Byakuya said pointing to the little baby.
"You know, she needs a name" Renji stated looking down at the little girl.
"Yes she does"
"You name her captain!" Renji beamed at his captain that was suddenly shocked at the suggestion.
"Why me?"
"Because I know you would pick a better name, also don't name her Hisana, I think that would just piss those old bags off" Renji said looking at his captain with a grimace.
"Hmm, you are right on that one, well how about…Ayako?" Byakuya looked up at Renji for approval considering Renji was the one that wanted to take the baby back.
"Colourful child? I though you would pick something more….noble-ish" Renji said giving his captain a weird look.
"Well, you are helping raise her, and knowing you, she will turn out to be a very...Colourful child" Byakuya told Renji trying not to roll his eyes.
"Well in that case, hello little Ayako~!" Renji cooed at the little baby that had her eyes wide and staring at them. She started turning her head around slightly to see, and then she spotted Byakuya and stopped moving around.
"Hey cap'n I think she wants you to hold her" Renji said looking over at his captain.
"Well I'm not holding her, I don't even know how to hold a baby that size" Byakuya blatantly told his lieutenant.
"It's easy, take this arm, to this, place you hand there aaaannndddd HERE!" Renji yelled successfully getting Byakuya to hold the baby correctly.
"Renji what am I supposed to, um, I think she is about to cry" Byakuya said looking down at the baby scared, because the baby's eyes were watering and her nose was scrunching up.
"Ya, That may have been my fault with screaming" Renji explained right when Ayako started to cry.
"Wha-what? No don't cry! Oh my god what do I do?" Byakuya started to panic a little at the baby still crying in his arms.
"Hold her closer to your chest, pat her butt lightly, and hum a little tune, it use to calm the kids that me and Rukia helped when we were kids when Rukia did that" Renji explained to his captain that was suddenly showing emotion which shocked him.
"Oh o-okay" Byakuya blinked doing just as Renji said and Ayako stopped crying in a matter of minutes. Once Byakuya looked up he was smiling lightly and Renji had to look away to hide his blush.
"Oh, hey we are at squad thirteen" Renji noticed how far they had walked. They turned to see Jushiro's office door open and Jūshirō and Rukia walking out of the door.
"Did I just hear a baby crying?"
"Nii-sama, why do you have a baby?"
"Ugh…." Renji and Byakuya both stopped to stare at the two that just asked them questions.
"Renji please explain for them" Byakuya told the Lieutenant when he noticed the baby starting to wake up.
"Well you know the attack? Well everyone in the village is dead except for the baby, and Captain wanted to put her into an orphanage, but I didn't want that to happen, so I asked him if we could keep her and that he could probably use her for the next Kuchiki clan head since she is only a few days old by looks" Renji explained sheepishly to the two staring at the pair with the baby weirdly.
"The most disturbing thing I found about this whole situation is that they look like a married couple with a baby" Shunsui suddenly said coming out of nowhere.
"Byakuya, you know the elders won't like this" Jūshirō the ever smart looked over at the younger man who was poking the baby's tummy who giggled right after.
"I know, but she looks enough like me to pass as my child! And it can get me out of having to produce an heir" Byakuya looked up at the older man with his blank expression back on.
"Just hope your grandfather and grandmother are on your side, if they aren't then you can kiss that child goodbye" Jūshirō sighed with finality.
"Trust me, I know Grandma will be one my side" Byakuya said looking back down at the Baby that just grabbed a hold of his scarf.
"Okay, but you might want to get her checked out at the 4th division first to make sure she isn't sick" Jūshirō nodded.
"Rukia go with them and make sure they bring her to the 4th squad"
"Yes sir!" Rukia saluted then ran over to her brother and best friend and her possible new niece.
"So, what will happen if the elders don't want her?" Rukia asked looking up at her brother.
"Then Abarai will take her in instead" Byakuya said looking over at his sister while they were all walking. They got quite a few looks from by passers at seeing Captain Kuchiki, aka the heartless man, with a little baby.
"What's her name?" Rukia finally asked getting a closer look at the baby girl.
"Ayako, her names Ayako" Renji smiled lightly rubbing his knuckles lightly on the babies cheek.