The sweetest love would be mine

The funniest laugh would be yours

The happiest family would be ours

If, in any circumstance, his teachers or even high school friends were looking at him right now, none of them would believe it. They would think that the friend they knew back then had a fever or some sort of brain disease. Why? The only answer was that he was smiling. Broadly. Ear-to-ear, without his infamous deep scowl that used to adorn his face. Yes, people would find it weird. Kurosaki Ichigo always had a scowl and he rarely smiled. It was not the Ichigo that the other people knew.

His smile grew bigger, whether it was possible or not, with every second that passed. He held the small bundle of soft pink blanket. Carefully and slowly, the man brought his hand and pulled back the blanket a little. It revealed a round, chubby face. The infant's eyes was closed but Ichigo knew that behind those slightly blush eyelids were deep amber eyes, the colour of autumn. It was the same colour that he had. Behind those eyes, there was something else. The little baby girl's eyes were filled with life. Something that he knew wholeheartedly that she got from her mother.

"She's perfect," his voice was barely above a whisper; afraid that he might awaken the little angel in his arms.

His wife stifled her laughter as she watched her husband. His smile. Something that she rarely saw during the first few years of her life with him. Now, it was something she saw everyday if it weren't all the time. Today, it was one of the widest and one of the happiest smiles she had ever seen.

"Of course she is. She got it from me," she replied.

Ichigo rolled his eyes which gained him a small laugh from her. "Well, I hope she doesn't get your 'drawing talent' cause that's gonna ruin her life and mine," he put the baby in her hospital cot.

She wanted to scoff back but seeing her husband's face filled with overflowing pride and happiness, she smiled. Her emotions were as high as Ichigo's. She leaned back on the hard hospital bed. After giving birth, she was tired to the bone. But her husband's face and their newborn in his arms gave her some energy to stay awake.

There was a knock on the door and both young parents turned to it. A second later, Isshin appeared behind the door. His hair was salt-and-pepper now instead of pure black but his eyes were still filled with mischief. The old man also had a big grin on his face, making him look a few years younger that he really was.

"Where are the-" Ichigo's words stopped midway when the door ajar slid away, making the opening bigger. Two overly-cheerful young children came running into the room and to their mother's bed.

"MUMMY!" both of them greeted in unison, ignoring their father by their side.

Ichigo beamed as he had his transfixed at his sons' affections towards their mother. They reminded him of him. They loved their mummy more than anything else in the world. She was their world. Jealous? Sure he was, but he knew they loved him too. They were like him when his own mother was still alive.

"Hey sweethearts. How are you guys? Did you miss me? Did you behave towards jii-chan?" Her hand gracefully ran through the twins' hair. The older of the two was a smaller version of his daddy while the other one looked a lot like their favourite uncle, minus the cold demeanour and obsidian eyes. Both of them had their father's eyes.

As the children chatted away enthusiastically with their mother, Isshin came to his son's side.

"How's my beautiful granddaughter?" The proud grandfather of four asked.

"She just fell asleep. Wanna hold her?" Ichigo offered.

"It's alright. Let her sleep. She needs it and I shouldn't be disturbing you kids."

"Are sure, pop?"

"The question should be directed to you. Are you guys sure that you don't want me or anyone else to take care of your kids? Both of you need as much rest as you guys can get, now that you have another member in the family."

Ichigo chuckled. Listening to his old man talking about his own kids; sometimes it was hard to believe that he already had three kids and just yesterday, another one came. Four kids. Not only that, he also felt that it was hard to believe that he was married to the woman of his dream and had a family together with her.

"Yeah we are very sure, pop. She misses the kids already."

"She or you?" Isshin teased.

Ichigo smirked. He didn't need to answer that. His father should have known it already.

There was another knock against the door. They turned as the door slide open. There, stood a man holding a sleeping child against his shoulder. The last member of Kurosaki Ichigo's little family.

"She fell asleep on the way here. It seemed that she had used too much energy playing with Abarai's kids," he said as he stepped into the ward.

"Thanks for taking care of her," Isshin said as he took his first granddaughter from the hands of her uncle.

He nodded. "My pleasure, Kurosaki-san and she's my niece. It's my job as the uncle to take care of them."

Ichigo snorted unceremoniously upon hearing his brother-in-law's statement. If it weren't only for the twins and his wife's voice jabbering about something at the background, Ichigo would be pretty much sure that he was imagining things.

"Anyways, uncle, do you want to hold your beautiful niece?" the carrot-top man asked.

"I'll do that later. I don't want to wake the baby up. If she did, we have to ask my sister to take care her and I don't want to disturb her. Let her rest," the uncle explained.

"Huh?" Was all the dumbfounded father replied towards his brother in-law's elaborated answer.

"Nothing Kurosaki. I'll take my leave now," he bowed slightly to Isshin before went to the bed to give his sister and nephews goodbye kisses.

"Bye bye, Bya-ji-chan!" The twins waved to their favourite uncle.

"I think I better leave now too," said Isshin as he gave Ichigo his sleeping daughter.

"Alright. Thanks for taking care of them."

"Sure thing. If anything, just call me. I will be here for my third daughter and her beauuuuutiful babies." And with that, Isshin received a kick on his face for being overdramatic.

Few hours later, the room finally quieted down. There was only the sound of the air conditioner pumping out cold, clean air. The chattering of two young boys was long gone when they fell asleep beside their mother. One on each side, as if they were her personal bodyguards. His daughters were both asleep as well.

Ichigo sat down and sighed contentedly. A full blossom smile crept on his face as he watched his little family. He wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. Not even for his life. He knew, without them, his life would be meaningless. He closed his eyes and thought about how much his life had changed since she came into his world.

"Ichigo."

His eyes cracked open and turned to the caller. His wife awoke from her nap.

"Yeah?"

"Stop smiling with your eyes closed. It's scary," she commented.

He laughed. "I was just thinking about you and the kids. You perfected my world more than I could wish for," he whispered as he got on his feet and moved to her bed. Lovingly, he stroked her raven hair.

"I love you," he kissed her head. It smelled like strawberry shampoo. The same one she had been using since they met.

"I know silly. Love you too."

He smirked and bent down to share a kiss with the one he loved the most. "What are we going to name our perfect little daughter? It's your turn to name our baby."

"Hhmm... Kurosaki... Masaki?"

Ichigo looked directly into his wife's big round eyes. His heart had stopped when she suggested it. She knew how much that name meant to him. His late mother's name.

"That's... Perfect. Pop's gonna be really happy to hear about it."

"I'm sure he will..."

He took her hand into his and started to make circles on it. She leaned back, enjoying every moment spent with the man she loved, and their kids.

"Thank you for everything. The kids and your love are the most priceless gifts you gave to me."

She couldn't help herself to laugh at his sappy statement. "Thank you too for accepting me in your life, you lovestruck puppy."

He laughed. "Yes I am lovestruck. Thanks to you, Rukia."

And their lips met again as they shared another kiss in the cool ward.

A/N: Thanks to Gensomaden Sayuki for beta-reading it! Oh, thanks to my roomate for her short poem there! Don't forget to review!