AN: The dream sequence in this chapter for Rukia was inspired by several mini manga as well as a picture entitled 'Captured' by Sakky Attack. Thanks to the wonderful people at Deviantart for their work. To find them go to and with filter off look for 'hot Rukia' pictures. And remember to thank your local artist.

Wages of Sin

Chapter Two

...Her eyes were closed but she could feel someone behind her. The smell of him was familiar as her own heart beat. There was also a small wind playing about the floor. He was closer now, she could feel his hands on her, coming up from her waist to stretch her arms out. She could also feel his hot breath on her neck kissing the base of it.

Opening her eyes things seemed all wrong she was taller-almost the same height as the person behind her, as well as rather than being in uniform she was wearing a heavy white silk kimono. The other arm was still clad in black, but near the ground the breeze flirted with the tattered hem of a coat...

Waking from the dream Rukia is greeted by the familiar, closed in, darkness of Ichigo's closet. This wasn't the first time she'd had this dream. Every so often since the incident with Muramasa and Kouga she would have the same dream. She was Sode no Shiroyuki, and rather than Ichigo it would be his Zanpakuto Zangetsu. It was as if they were trying to tell her that she should quit trying to hide her feelings. The two of them would make love every so often, but it always seemed naughty somehow. As if Nii-sama would come and make a fuss about duty, it would end tonight though,. Her sister had been a commoner, so why couldn't she have Ichigo.

Hearing him out in the main bedroom, she begins to prepare herself for the day as well. Just as she finishes her soul pager goes off telling her of an impending Hollow attack. Opening the closet door she sees Ichigo already grabbing Kon. The plushie was complaining loudly, but soon the switch was made. Leaving her own gigai in the hands of Chappy she follows close behind Ichigo.

This was starting to be a problem. More and more Hollows were showing up regularly. This was good for Ichigo's and Rukia's pocketbook, but not so good for the town. It was as if something was building again just like right before the fight with Aizen. This one seemed to be a fixed spirit that had ended up too tied to it's location rather than one that had a bounty, but as she'd told Ichigo all those years before this was their job. Heading back the two of them return to their bodies, one real the other faux, and get breakfast.

That night rather than going to her closet Rukia sits on Ichigo's bed. Looking pensive she doesn't know how to tell Ichigo about what she'd decided. When Ichigo walks in she just gathers herself and speaks.

"Ichigo we need to speak about something."

"Is something wrong Rukia," Ichigo asks, "what do we need to talk about that you're this serious?"

"It's about us Ichigo. Where do we stand? We're a finely honed partnership that occasionally gets physical, but is that all we are? I have these dreams where we're our Zanpakuto and are lovers. Can we have that in real life?"

Thinking a moment before answering Ichigo sits on the bed next to Rukia. Leaning his chin on her head he answers carefully.

"First do you want me to be all formal and speak with Kuchiki Taicho or will this be just between us?"

"Just between us for now," Rukia answers truthfully, "I have to figure out how many laws this will break. Remember you're still technically human."

"Okay you know and I know that my dad is a Shinigami, and was ranked Taicho. What's the problem? My body? If that's all Urahara-san could probably help with that," Ichigo jokes lightly.

"Baka, you know it's not that easy. And how could we prove it anyway? Your dad left Seireitei for a reason, are you sure he would go back?"

"Heh, I guess, but what can be done? Soul Society will find out eventually and then we'd better had a good defense. Yama-jii is one sharp old man, I don't want to have to fast talk him."

"That's Yamamoto Sotaicho," Rukia says primly, "but yes he is rather intimidating up close. I don't know, if things go bad we can ask Nii-sama or Ukitake Taicho."

"Well I think it's bedtime," Ichigo says with a sly grin, "as someone once said we'll cross that bridge when we get there,"

With that he turns out the lights and tumbles Rukia into the bed. They may have gone to bed but neither of them slept for several hours afterwards. They had made love the night before but this was somehow different. Last night had been a tangle of bodies while tonight was more of a promise.

Something was wrong, she had always been regular, at least within a few days. It was two weeks since she should have had her period. Calling her doctor Mizuho gets an appointment for as soon as possible. The earliest she could get though, was about a week out. The whole situation puzzled her, Ikkaku had told her that he used a false body when in the mortal world. That meant he couldn't produce children didn't it. The only thing she could think to do was ask her brothers friends about her love-life or wait until Ikkaku came back. She thought she'd wait since this was something she didn't want spread around.

That next morning Mizuho gets sick on the way to work. The sickness passes as she teaches her first class but reappears briefly as she eats lunch. This continues to happen each morning including the day of her appointment. At first she thought it was just the flu but it seemed to go away and come back throughout the day. This had her really afraid; what would happen if they did have a child? Ikkaku had told her that a Shinigami could have a human lover, but they couldn't do anything that would mess with the humans destiny.

Going to the appointment she tells the doctor all the symptoms she had been having. Doctor Fujikawa tells her that she could run a couple other tests but they probably would tell her nothing. Mizuho asks her to run the tests anyway just in case. Drawing the samples she needs Dr. Fujikawa takes them to the lab to run the tests. Sitting in silence waiting for the doctor to return Mizuho begins to fidget. What would she do if the pregnancy test came back positive? What if ALL the tests came back negative? Stewing over these questions Mizuho is startle when Dr. Fujikawa returns with the results of the test

"Ahem... Asano-san the results are done."

"Wha- sorry doctor. They're done already?"

Not knowing exactly how to break the news Dr. Fujikawa sits and thinks for a second, then asks if Mizuho still was with Ikkaku. "So just a quick question before I give you the results. Are you still with that same guy...ah, Ikkaku?"

"Yes... why is that important?"

"Well you know how you've told me he's sterile. It looks like you were wrong about that."

"Hmmm, do you mean...it came back positive?"

"Yeah the only test that came back positive was the pregnancy test"

With this Mizuho burst into tears, on one had she was overjoyed that she would finally have Ikkaku's child, but on the other she was afraid that this would cause some difficulty. Unsure what else to do the doctor hands Mizuho a Kleenex so she can blow her nose. Pulling herself together Mizuho smiles sheepishly at her doctor and apologizes for the out burst.

"Sorry about that doctor I really don't know what happened."

"It's alright, I'll have to do a couple more tests but from what you've told me the embryo should be about 28 days or so old. You might be able to hear the heart beat if you'd like. It may not be audible yet though."

"Really...?" asks Mizuho startled "how would you do that?"

"A small, very sensitive, mic that would pick up the noises. Now if you'll lie back I can examine you further and we can see if we can hear that heartbeat."

Lying back Mizuho feels the doctor begin to press on her lower abdomen. As she does this the doctor mutters to herself. It seemed that the embryo was a little older than the doctor thought. Getting out what looks like a kids karaoke set D Fujikawa runs it over the area. Suddenly the small mic picks up what they had been looking for, the heartbeat of the embryo. After listening for a few minutes Mizuho sits up and begins to leave. As she walks out she asks if she could have the test results, which the doctor gives her.

Returning home in a daze still Mizuho calls her younger brother Keigo to see if she could talk to him.

"...Moshi, moshi." Keigo says answering the phone, "what do you need Nee-san? How did your appointment go?"

"It went alright I guess, I found out what was wrong. Can we meet for dinner? I really don't want to talk about this over the phone."

"That bad Nee-san? Sure we can meet fro dinner but not tonight. I have a hot date I'd been planning. How about night after tomorrow?"

"No not bad precisely, I just want to talk about it in person. Night after tomorrow will do fine. So take-out or a restaurant?"

"Lets get take-out from that place up the street. Now I gotta go sis jya-ne."

"Jya-ne Keigo, enjoy your date.

The two days pass quickly for Mizuho, soon it's time to get the stuff for dinner. Even though the place is up the block Mizuho gets them to deliver. She also mostly orders stuff that would be easy on the stomach like steamed rice and goyza. Dinner manages to arrive just as Keigo does so he brings it into the house. Setting the table they dish out the food and begin to eat.

Staring into her rice, Mizuho begins to speak. She tells her brother what she had found out from the doctor. That the reason she was sick in the mornings was because she was pregnant.

"Hey Keigo, you know how I said it wasn't that bad after the appointment?"

"Sure, were you lying Nee-san?"

"Don't know yet, but what I learned was that the sickness and the reason 'that time' was late. I'm five weeks pregnant."

"Five.. weeks... Pregnant? Have you told Ikkaku? Does this finally mean he'll marry you like he should have? Do you want me to talk to him? I'll make him face up to what happened if you want."

"Uhh..please don't Keigo, if I can pummel you on a bad day what do you think Ikkaku would do to you? I'd be scraping you out of the carpet for days. You'd be nothing more than Keigo paste."

" I guess," Keigo agrees sheepishly, "so what are we gonna do?"

"We are doing nothing at the moment. We are going to finish dinner, chat, and then we'll go to sleep early."

"Nee-san? Shouldn't you talk to Ikkaku?"

"Can't you feel it Keigo? Something is gonna happen soon. You can try and contact him if you'd like, but I think he'll be here sooner rather that later."

With that the conversation begins to wind down. Soon afterwards Keigo takes his leave. On his way home Keigo looks for whoever was posted in the town as it's Shinigami. Not finding the Shinigami he returns home and decides to tell Ichigo the next day.

"IIIICCCHIII- go?" With the usual warning Isshin Kurosaki bursts into the room his son had, had for the last twenty years or so. Upon entering though, he's greeted by a sight he'd despaired of ever seeing, not that he really wanted too.

"DDAAAADDD! What are you doing! Can't you knock! You knock on Karin and Yuzu's door all the time!"

"A man should be ready for anything at a moments notice. Now since the records office is closed for the weekend I can't march you down there right now but come Monday we will take care of this. You will not carry on like that in my house"

While Isshin expounds Ichigo and Rukia begin to put themselves back together. Looking each-other in the eye they grin. This was almost exactly what they had been afraid of for the last few weeks. Soon he would be crying to the poster of Masaki in their living room.

That weekend Rukia was moved to sleep with the twins, again, rather than in Ichigo's room. Bright Monday morning Isshin makes sure that all the paperwork Ichigo would need was brought with them. Rukia was going to be a problem, but Isshin was sure she would come up with something.

Arriving at the clerks office everything goes smoothly for Ichigo just like Isshin planned. Rukia begins to tell the clerk a story about how she had been an orphan who had been adopted, and how all her records had been destroyed a couple of years ago. The clerk looks less than convinced especially when she has absolutely no computer based record. Rukia begins to cry and tell her she had been looking forward to being able to marry her boyfriend. She could ask her older brother, but he would want to know why, and he didn't like Ichigo. This soften the clerks stance a little he membered what it was like to be young and in love. Admonishing Rukia to fix the fact her papers had been destroyed he issues the license to them.

Returning home Ichigo runs into Keigo at the front of the clinic. He'd wanted to speak to Ichigo and Rukia about something. Going up to Ichigo's (now officially Ichigo and Rukia's) room Keigo tells them he needs to speak with Ikkaku as soon as possible.

When asked why he just tells them it's not for him to go into details. Ichigo then asks if it's some sort of emergency or if it could wait. He was expecting the back-up team to be there within the week. Keigo tells him that it could probably wait until Ikkaku got there, but he really did need to talk to him when he arrived.

A/N:For those of you who don't know here's the translations for various words throughout the chapter

Moshi moshi- casual greeting meaning hey or what's up

Nee/Nii- older sister/brother (short form)

jya-ne- casual meaning good bye or later. Shortened sometimes to just jya

san/sama- honorific attached to a name

goyza- a type of steamed dumpling. AKA potstickers.

Please read and review... It feeds the muse and helps chapters get out that much quicker