I apologize for the long wait in updating. Life. It's something else. So I wrote something quick to get back in the swing of things. I'll be back sooner to continue on.

Enjoy ^_^

Reizo sat in silence. His life was nothing short of extraordinary and all he could do was reflect on it during the small time slot he had to think.

He sat overlooking his now favorite spot to think at. A place that used to be his late Aunt Hisana's favorite pond when she was alive. When his Uncle Byakuya still lived in the Main House, he would come there as well to think. Now Reizo was the main occupant. It was the most peaceful place of all the houses of the Kuchiki Clan, from the Kawarimono Koi fish that swam peacefully in the pond to the man-made water fall that fed into it. It was where Reizo enjoyed his solitude when he could.

Struggling a bit to sit beside him, Yoi sat beside Reizo as he gazed over the pond. She was now the size of two beach balls in only two additional days' time. Any minute, her water could break and she would be well under way to deliver this new addition to her little family.

Even though it scared the living day lights out of her to not now what she was truly about to give birth to.

"Shouldn't you be resting in your quarters, with your feet propped up?" Reizo asked, once he was ready to acknowledge Yoi's presence.

"I should. But I have a feeling that it is only a matter of time before I give birth to Takeshi. I want to help evict him as soon as possible," Yoi said.

"Takeshi? You have a name for the mutant already?" Reizo asked, surprised a bit at how Yoi had already figured a name for the child. He was a little hurt as well, but it was no secret that he was jealous.

Reizo was jealous because Yoi was carrying another man's mutant child. And she seemed to love it, regardless of not knowing what would happen once she delivered the child into the world.

But the bottom line was that she was carrying another man's mutant child. Not Reizo Kuchiki's mutant child.

"He's not a mutant. And even so, he did not ask to come into this world like this. So I plan on loving Takeshi the best way possible," Yoi announced, somewhat offend that her child was being called "mutant".

"Yoi, I say mutant because it takes nine months for a fetus to develop. It's been eight days and already you're the size you would be if you were eight months pregnant," Reizo said in his defense.

"You know, jealously is not a good look on you." Yoi smiled. "I understand you are upset that this baby, mutant or not, is not yours. I get it. I believe the entire Main House understands. But you only have yourself to blame. If you had done right by me instead of being caught up in your pride, this would have never happened," Yoi said as she pointed to her stomach. "But right now, this is not your son. He is mine and I plan on loving him the best way I can. Regardless of the outcome."

Reizo smiled. Yoi was a pretty admirable person. He knew that she was scared to her very core about what was going on, yet she stood her grounds firm and never faltered a bit.

"You're absolutely right. I shouldn't call him a mutant. So I won't anymore. Out loud at least. I'm just concerned. And jealous. And it is my fault. I should have paid more attention to you, your needs, and the needs of my son. I was stuck in my prideful ways. And took for you to be with another man for me to finally see it. I guess, what I need to really say is that I lo—"

Yoi cut Reizo off by placing a finger over his lips. "Don't say it. I won't believe you. I know you don't fully mean it. And with the crazy high amount of hormones flowing through my body, I don't need to hear it. The time is not now but when it is, you will know and I will believe it only then."

Reizo nodded his head once and leaned over to kiss Yoi on the forehead. "Until then."

Yoi took that as her cue to leave Reizo so he could return to his solitude. She knew that she gave him something more to think upon and she wanted him all the time in the world to do so.

-U-

On the outskirts of Karakura Town, a few miles away from Urahara's shop was the location of the coveted Bridge to the Heavens. There Ichirou, Rukia, Byakuya, Airi, and Isshin waited, guarding the bridge from whatever foes might come their way.

"This guy is surely taking his time to make his attack," Ichirou said, growing impatient every night that passed without a fight.

"Hush, Ichirou. When the time comes, just be prepared. They might not show their faces for months. Or it could be a matter of days. We won't know until it's time," Rukia said to her grandson.

"I agree with him. They are dragging this out," Byakuya chimed in.

"Be patient, brother," Rukia said to Byakuya.

Time dragged slow during their shift. And for some, it was the longest six hours they had to endure.

But as the shift began to come to an end, Ichirou felt something.

"Do you guys feel that?" Airi asked, beating her nephew to the punch.

"Yes and whatever it is, it's strong," Ichirou said, placing his hand on his sword reflexively.

"Something is coming," said Rukia. As Rukia stated this, everyone began to brace themselves.

A giant dust cloud rushed towards them and if they had been in a desert area full of sand, it might have appeared to be normal. But since the area where the Bridge to the Heavens was located in a lush valley, it was just enough to set a huge alarm off in everyone's head.

As the cloud steadily approached, the group awaited their fate. Eventually the dust rushes past them but to their dismay, nothing appeared with the disappearance of the cloud.

"Really?" Ichirou verbalized first. "All that and nothing happened? You've got to me kidding me." Ichirou then turned to walk closer to the bridge but before he could get very far, a sword was brought down swiftly in front of him. But what was holding on to the sword was something that no one expected.

It was a puppet-like man. More man than puppet but with such a lifeless expression on its face. The puppet opened his mouth and a red orb began to glow and grow from his mouth.

"What the hell?" Airi stated and as they heard a weird, distorted noise come from the puppet's mouth, they knew it could not be good.

Once Ichirou realized that the orb could possibly be fatal, he yelled out, "MOVE!" Just as he said that the orb traveled from the puppet's mouth and in the direction of where the substitute shinigami's once stood, taking out everything that had been in its path.

The puppet gave them no time to grasp what was happening before another red orb began to form out of his mouth once more. As the group prepared to make their attack, suddenly twenty more of those puppets appeared. Each of these new enemies were armed with weapons that were all different.

Weapons these substitute shinigami's were not afraid of.

"I think we're going to need a little back up. Five to twenty are not great odds. But eleven to twenty sure sounds better," Isshin commented.

"They're not going to get here in time for the initial battle. Sound the alarm and they will have to help whenever they get here," Rukia said back.

Ichirou was the first to draw his zanpakuto. "Well I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I've been training my whole life for this moment."

Ichirou charged into battle without hesitation. And it didn't take long for the others to follow suit.