I do not own Bleach.
Bright teal eyes twitched in annoyance.
"No."
"Oh, come on, man! Please! I'm begging you just this once!" pleaded an orange-haired man garbed in an intricately designed traditional Japanese kimono. Sweat was already forming on his forehead and he could feel the inner layer of his clothing cling to his skin. The weather is too damn hot to wear something like this!
Sighing deeply, the 10th division captain massaged his aching temples. After a rough week of signing mountains of paperwork and training with the new members of his squad, all he wanted to do was spent the remainder of his weekend with his girlfriend and rest. He was about to leave his office when the substitute shinigami barged in and begged him to babysit his five year-old son.
"Why don't you let your family take care of the child? I'm sure-"
"Karin and Yuzu are in college and the old man is visiting them this weekend," Ichigo hastily replied.
Giving him a hard stare in return, Toushiro said, "What about Kuchiki? Doesn't he have servants and shit?" Kami-sama, all he wants is a damn break.
The other man sighed in frustration, "Rukia doesn't trust them."
Glaring at Ichigo, he said argued, "What about Abarai? Isn't he off-duty?"
"He's on a mission in the human world."
"Urahara?"
"He almost lost my kid once."
"Ukitake?"
"Bed-rest."
"Kenpachi?"
Ichigo stared down on him, "Are ya kiddin' me? Rukia will kill me if I even think about bringing our kid to the 11th division."
Point.
"Kyouraku?"
"Nah, I don't want my kid to be a drunkard and a womanizer when he grows up."
Toushiro slumped down on his couch. Why is it so troublesome to take care of a kid? Looking at the small child standing quietly by his father's side, he noticed the striking resemblance between him and his parents. The boy has his mother's hair and eye color. His spiky hair and facial features bears a similarity to his father. It was actually quite amusing seeing them stand side by side.
"Look," Ichigo said, "Do this once for me and I'll owe you my whole life."
The white-haired captain sat in silence.
"You're the only responsible adult here who I can fully trust with my child. Even Rukia feels the same way. If you and Momo ever had a kid in the future, you can count on us to look after them!"
Feeling a familiar warmth crept up his neck, Toushiro stood up and groaned, "Fine. Leave the kid here. Don't go back on your word, you owe me."
Grinning, Ichigo cheered and pumped his fist in the air, "Yosh!"
The 10th division captain then walked to his desk and slumped unto his seat with a sigh of defeat. It's going to be a long night.
He then watched the conversation happening between the two with interest and slight amusement. The small boy's wide violet eyes were alert and he looked very serious as his father gave him a few reminders.
"Remember to brush your teeth before sleeping and to take a shower. Finish all of your dinner. You know your mother doesn't like it when you waste food. Don't give the captain a hard time. He can be moody at times but, daddy trusts him. He's a good friend. Got it?"
The young Kurosaki nodded his head and hugged his father tightly.
Standing from crouched position, Ichigo briefly smoothed his extravagant attire before turning to Toushiro, "Thanks, man."
Crossing his arms, he replied, "Yeah, yeah. Now leave before I change my mind."
After gently ruffling his son's hair, Ichigo left the office. He and Rukia were invited (or more like forced by his brother-in-law) to attend an overnight gathering in another colossal Kuchiki manor outside Seireitei for the birthday celebration of a great-great-uncle. For Ichigo, it was just a way for them to showcase their wealth. Troublesome.
Silence ensued the room. Momo should arrive soon with their dinner. He should probably tell her to bring more food since... the brat hasn't eaten yet.
"Oi," Toushiro called out.
Deep violet eyes snapped to his direction. "What's your name?" the captain inquired.
"Kurosaki Ryoichi," he replied.
Toushiro nodded, "Are you hungry? I can ask someone to bri-"
"Are you really a captain?" Ryoichi inquired, cutting him off. Toushiro raised a slender white brow. "Yes, I am," he replied.
The child's small mouth slowly formed an 'o'. "But, you look really young! Younger than my dad!" He exclaimed.
"I'm much older than your father," Toushiro pointed out. He watched in amusement as Ryoichi's eyes sparkled in wonder and excitement.
"Ne, ne! What kinda power do you have? Since you're a captain, I bet it's as cool as Byakuya-oji-sama's!" he asked.
Leaning a bit, Toushiro crossed his arms over the table and smirked, "I'm a lot cooler than your uncle."
Ryoichi gave him a widened smile in return, letting the 10th division captain see one of his two front teeth missing. "Can you show me, mister? Please, please, please!"
Before he could reply, his girlfriend rushed into his office smiling and holding up three large bento boxes, "Good evening! Your delivery has arrived!"
He stood up to take the boxes from Momo, gesturing her to take a seat. "You brought three," the captain said.
Nodding, Momo replied, "Rukia-san visited me in the office before I left and told me you're babysitting today. She bought those for us as a 'thank you' gift for looking after Ryoichi this weekend."
"I see," he said. Toushiro then turned to see the said boy openly stare at the beautiful woman beside him. This girl also looks younger than his dad! She felt his eyes and looked at the child. Momo smiled, "Nice to meet you, Ryoichi! I'm Momo Hinamori. We'll have lots of fun this weekend, ne?"
He blushed. Her voice sounded better than his favorite singer! Ryoichi nodded enthusiastically in reply, "Yup!"
The captain cleared his throat. "Let's eat in the garden. Didn't you say you wanted to see my power?"
And just like that, Ryoichi's attention went right back to him. Hn. He needs to distract the kid from Hinamori. The last thing he wants is another idiot confessing their undying love for his girlfriend. Clearly those fools did not value their lives.
His eye twitched for the second time that day when Ryoichi grabbed Momo's hand. "C'mon! I want to see how cool he is!" She giggled in return.
Wide eyes watched in complete awe as the huge ice dragon floated a few meters away from him. The 10th division captain looked at Hyourinmaru before reaching out his hand in greeting, "Sorry for calling you out like this."
The dragon gently flapped his wings. You need better control of your jealousy, master.
Toushiro narrowed his eyes. Who's jealous?
Hyourinmaru roared. I doubt Hinamori-san would exchange you for a child.
The captain sighed in return. Oi, Hyourinmaru. He called out.
The dragon tilted its head.
He smirked. Piss off.
Toushiro then called his zanpaktuo back and sheathed his sword. He turned to see the young boy's face light up in utmost admiration. "That was great, mister-captain! Can I ride the dragon next time?" Ryoichi asked excitedly, half of his dinner almost forgotten.
Momo softly smiled at the bouncing child before gently brushing through his wild dark hair. As Ryoichi went on and on about Hyourinmaru, Toushiro turned his gaze to his lover. Seeing her look after the small boy with such care tug at his heart. He had no doubt that Momo would be an incredible mother. I wonder how many kids she wants. His body tingled at the thought. Being with her at this moment together with a child made him think about having a family with her. Hopefully in the near future.
Fixing his eyes on Ryoichi, Toushiro said, "You better finish your food first or I won't allow you to play with Hyourinmaru tomorrow."
Gasping, the boy immediately grabbed his bento box and hurriedly munched on his remaining dinner. "Slow down, Ryoichi, or you might choke!" Momo giggled, wiping off some sweet brown sauce from his chin.
After swallowing his last bite, he downed the whole water bottle before slamming it on the veranda they were sitting on. "Finished!" He happily exclaimed while holding the empty food box up high for the captain to see.
Nodding in satisfaction, the captain instructed him to clean up so they can start preparing for bed.
Once they reached his private quarters, Ryoichi turned to Momo and asked, "Ne, Momo-nee-chan, can we bathe together? My mom always takes a bath with me."
Toushiro was about to protest when Momo interrupted him, "Sure! Let me just place my things here."
The vice-captain ignored the glare she received from her boyfriend. "Oi!" Toushiro called out.
Throwing her lover a humored look, Momo walked up to him and whispered to his ear, "Don't worry, Shiro-chan. After this weekend, I'll take lots of bath with you too."
He was sorely tempted to throw her on his bed and ravish her right then and there if it weren't for the fact that the Kurosaki spawn is in the vicinity. Toushiro swore that the once Rukia and Ichigo picks him up from his office, he would keep Momo in his room. His paperwork could go fuck themselves because already plans to take the whole week off and stay in bed with his sexy girlfriend. Or on the floor. Or in the bathroom. Or his living room. Or the kitchen. Never really bothered him before.
Sighing in defeat, he murmured, "I'll be back with some green tea."
Once they were all done with their nightly rituals, the couple prepared for bed. Ryoichi was nestled in the middle of the large white futon, enjoying its warmth and softness.
"Ne, Momo-nee-chan, how long have you been a shinigami?" he asked. Smiling, Momo settled comfortably beside him and tucked him in. "More than a hundred years now," she smiled.
"How did you meet him?" Ryoichi inquired while pointing to Toushiro who sitting beside him, busy with a report at hand. Placing a finger on her chin, Momo replied, "Mmm... I saw him being bullied by some mean children near my home when I was playing with my neighbors. He looked really lonely so, I invited him to be my friend!"
Ryoichi nodded in understanding. "Are you guys boyfriend-and-girlfriend?"
Both shinigamis looked at him. How can a five year old know about that? Toushiro answered first. "We are. We love each other very much."
Momo gave him a warm smile and mouthed I-love-you. His eyes were so expressive that she no longer needed to hear his response.
"Are you guys going to get married?" the boy continued to ask. The brown-haired girl continued to stare at her lover who immediately replied, "Yes. Soon."
Tears welled up in Momo's eyes. She could feel her heart pounding hard in her chest. She truly loved this man.
Suddenly, Ryoichi stood up and cried out to Toushiro, "You're going to hurt Momo-nee-chan!" Confused, the captain took in the boy's small chubby hands turn into fists on his side. His eyes were also welling up in tears.
"What are you talking about, Ryoichi?" Momo asked, worriedly. She gently pulled the child unto her lap and let him cling to her tightly. Was Ichigo actually... hurting Rukia? Physically?
Brows furrowed, Toushiro asked, "Is your father hurting your mother?"
Ryoichi sniffled and nodded once, "Every night I would hear my mom's voice. She sounded like she was in pain. There are also times where I would hear her beg my dad to stop."
Blushing furiously, Momo hugged the poor child closer. She had an idea on what he was talking about. Looking at Toushiro, she knew he got it too.
"Also, I saw them once when they thought I was asleep. Dad was on top mom and he was holding her down on the bed," he continued. Toushiro groaned. He was gonna kill Kurosaki for this.
Clearing her throat, Momo glanced at Ryoichi before telling him to forget what he saw and never say to anyone again. Especially to his Byakuya-oji-sama. She could only wonder what he might do Ichigo once he finds out that his beloved nephew has seen and heard them in action.
"Why not? You shouldn't hurt the one you love right?" Ryoichi whispered.
Toushiro massaged his aching temple. He should be careful with his explanation. He did not want the child to ask any more questions that would make things more awkward than it already was. Besides, his parents should be the one who should take responsibility for this. Those idiotic fools!
"Listen well, Ryoichi," he started. "What happens between your mom and dad are something that adults are only allowed to do. They're not really hurting each other. It's another way of showing affection but on an adult-level. So never mention this to anybody else, you hear? Cause if you do, you'll get a stomachache for the rest of your life," he said.
Momo slapped him lightly on the arm, "Shiro-chan!"
He narrowed his eyes in return. "What? You have a better explanation?"
She sighed. Brushing some loose strands of hair away from his tear-stained face, Momo said, "It's okay, Ryoichi. You'll understand when you're old enough." He only sniffled in response. Giggling softly, she tucked him back to bed.
"Good night, Ryoichi. Good night, Shiro-chan."
"Hn."
Somehow, she was not sure if the bland response came from her boyfriend or Ryoichi.
Bowing, Rukia and Ichigo thanked the couple in front of them. "Thank you for looking after him. Hope he didn't give you too much trouble."
Toushiro glared at the orange-haired man in response. He covered Ryoichi's ears before exclaiming, "I ought to freeze your ass for the mental torture I had to endure last night."
Rukia threw Momo a questioning gaze before the blushing girl whispered in her ear. Blushing furiously herself, she slapped her husband at the back of his head.
"Damn, Rukia! What was that for?" Ichigo asked, rubbing the tender spot. "Ryoichi saw us!" she replied.
Ichigo stood there confused. Saw us? What does she- suddenly his eyes widened in realization. His gaze snapped to his son whose delicate ears were still covered by the 10th division captain.
"Aish!" he sighed in frustration. Taking a hold of his son's hand, he said, "Ryoichi... I think it's time we have the talk."
Author's note: Check out my other one-shots! :)