Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I've been busy with the end of the school year and now I'm in summer government and I just finished Driver's Ed. So I'm pretty busy as my summer actually begins :x. But anyways, here's chapter eight!

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A few minutes after leaving the rest of the group, I heard hurried footsteps approaching me. Expecting to see Mina and her protruding stomach at my side, I continued to walk and prepared to ignore her apologies. I had more important things on my mind than her guilty conscious and I intended to make that clear.

To my surprise, Rukia's small form quickly caught up to me and kept my pace, close enough that her arm was pressed against my own. She leaned forward slightly, looking up at me with evident concern on her face.

"Ichigo, what's going on?" she asked, a calm and patient expression crossing her features as she continued to stare up at me.

"Nothing," I answered, trying to keep a hold of my frustration. I had a feeling Saki wasn't the only one who was getting used to depending on Rukia's good nature.

"Saki told me what you said. Does it bother you that she's gotten…sort of close to me?" she continued, causing me to sigh. She only pressed her lips together, holding back a smile.

"Honestly?" I asked, stopping and turning toward her, shoving my hands in my pockets. She nodded and placed her hands behind her back. "Yes, it does, because now she's convinced you're just always going to be there."

She nodded. "I understand, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any problems. But maybe it would be best if you just…let her think what she wants," she said shrugging slightly. "If you want, I can talk to her and try to clear this all up. But right now she needs her father, even though she's a little angry with him and said some things she didn't mean." I knew she was trying to tell me what Saki had said to her without flat out saying it, and I appreciated it.

Staring down at her, I sighed and nodded. "Sure, okay," I answered, ready to end this conversation and get on good terms with my daughter again. As I turned to head back to the group, Rukia grabbed my arm and stopped me, earning a confused look.

"Well, not right now. She's asleep at the moment. After explaining everything, she just sort of passed out," Rukia explained, putting me on edge again. I wanted to apologize, make things right and soon. She seemed to notice, her smile growing warmer. "Don't worry; she'll be okay until she wakes up."

Nodding and looking away from her understanding expression, I sighed and nodded. "I know, sorry," I answered, unable the help the sense of calm that came over me again. She seemed to be able to ease a lot of my worries by simply telling me things would work out, causing a different type of worry to eat at my mind.

"Good. Now, why don't we get back to the group? Mina's having a heart attack, thinking you're angry at her. What did she do?"

"Nothing," I answered, turning back. Suddenly I remembered Rukia's earlier depressed state and concern flooded my mind. "Hey, are you alright?"

She looked up at me, her smile fading slightly as she nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. Of course I'm upset, but…I don't know. I think I made peace with not seeing Kyoko again a long time ago. Not that I expected her to die so soon, or that I had thought about it at all, but…I've already grieved losing her. When I found out Kaien wasn't going to let me see her anymore, she became dead in my mind…"

I frowned down at her and when she noticed she laughed and looked away, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, that must sound weird," she said quickly, pink adorning her cheeks.

"Not at all. It…makes a lot of sense. It's relatable."

"Really? Are you just saying that to make me feel better?" she asked, smiling up at me.

"No."

She stared up at me for a while before laughing quietly and nodding. "Alright, I guess I believe you," she answered. The rest of the way, which wasn't far, we stayed silent. When we approached the group Hisagi smiled at us and looked over at Mina, causing a grin to cross her features for a split second. I pretended not to notice.

Using her husband for support, Mina ignored his protests and stood, approaching us with a frown on her face. "I'm so sorry, Ichigo! I didn't mean to make you angry! Are you alright?" she questioned, causing Rukia's brow to crease.

"You didn't make me angry, just calm down," I answered, trying to push the subject away.

"Are you sure? I really didn't mean to, please forgive me!" she whined, her frown deepening. She looked like she would burst into tears at any second, regardless of how I answered her. Ah, the beauty of pregnant hormones…

"I promise, you didn't make me mad. Okay? Stop worrying, it's fine," I answered, trying to be sensitive.

"What are you guys talking about?" Rukia asked, causing Hisagi to open his mouth.

Before he could say anything Mina answered, "Nothing, me and Sagi were just teasing Ichigo earlier, and I thought we made him mad."

Rukia nodded and smiled slightly. "Oh, okay."

The rest of the day Saki slept in the car, me and Rukia taking turns checking up on her. She seemed alright, but she didn't wake up until eight-thirty in the evening. When she woke I sat in Rukia's car with her and apologized, easily getting her to forgive me. She was still tired but asked if she could stay up to be with everyone. I agreed and expected her to run to Rukia once we left the car, but to my surprise she approached Mina and Renji, taking one of the meal packs from the NDAA and scarfing it down. When she finished she took her place on Renji's lap, surprising him immensely and seeming to please his wife, and began to fall asleep again.

When it got too dark, we all moved into Rukia's car. I sat in the passenger seat next to Rukia while Renji, Mina, and Hisagi occupied the back seats, Saki still clinging to Renji in her sleep. After about twenty minutes or so Rukia shut her headlights off, but keeping the car running for the AC.

"Hey, Kia, can you turn the lights back on," Hisagi protested.

"Why?" she asked, turning them on anyway.

"Because, I'm expecting someone," he answered a grin on his face. "And I want her to be able to find me."

"Oh really?" Mina asked, smiling over at him. "Who?"

"If you must know, Michiru," he stated happily.

"Are you serious? How did you get her to come back?" Mina continued, almost unable to speak through her laughter. "Did you tell her Ichigo was going to be here?" She laughed loudly now, covering her mouth and quieting when her husband nudged her as Saki began to stir.

"No, shut up!" Hisagi argued, also getting shushed by Renji. "She called me and asked when a good time would be," he continued, quieter.

"What are you guys talking about?" Rukia asked for the second time that day, peering over the seat to see the source of all the noise.

"That woman who brought those meal packs for us earlier today," Mina began to explain. "She was obviously into Ichigo and Hisagi likes her. I think she's only coming back for you, though. She's coming to admit her love," she finished, directing her statement at me.

Rukia looked over at me with a smile on her face as I rolled my eyes. "If that's the case, she's going to leave pretty upset," I answered, trying not to get so offended or annoyed.

"Seriously? What if she just asked you out? Would you honestly just turn her down?" Mina continued, seeming to peak everyone's interest.

"Yeah."

"But why? She's cute, she seems nice, and who knows, you might really like her," she persisted.

"I don't care. I don't want to date anyone; I don't have time to date anyone," I stated, hoping to get everyone off my back.

"Have you completely given up on relationships after Saki's mother?" Mina asked after a moment of silence.

That question hit a nerve, but I ignored it. "I just don't trust anyone with my daughter. If someone's with me, they're with her too. And if they break up with me, they're leaving her too. If I break up with them, then Saki hates me. I'm not putting either of us through that," I answered honestly, surprised by how calm I sounded. I felt pretty pissed off that she would ask, but I wasn't really mad at her, or any of them for that matter.

Again, after a silent moment Mina answered. "That makes sense…but you shouldn't give up your happiness because you think it might hurt her. No matter what you do to try to protect your daughter, she's going to be hurt eventually, whether that's by you, her mother, a boyfriend, or just a friend. It will happen. You deserve to be happy, too."

"You don't think I know I can't protect her from everything?" I questioned angrily, beginning to lose my patience. "I know it's unavoidable, but there's one less person who can hurt her! Besides, I am happy!" At this point I was yelling, thankfully not waking Saki, and causing everyone to fall silent. My usual glare had deepened immensely and my hands and formed into tight fists.

Frustrated with their silence, I muttered, "Fuck this," and shoved the car door open, hearing a thud and then an "Owwww…". Stepping out of the car quickly, I saw Michiru on the ground, holding her stomach while trying to sit up. "I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, suddenly a little panicky. I helped her up carefully, asking if she was alright.

Everyone was getting out and laughing loudly at my panicked nature as Michiru joined them in laughter. "I'm sorry, Michiru! I didn't know you were there, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she answered through her laughter, placing a hand on my arm.

I scratched my head to pull away from her, laughing slightly from my discomfort. "I'm really sorry, though," I stated again, finally calm.

"It's okay, I'm fine," she said again, smiling up at me for a few moments before looking at the others who had circled up around us.

Stepping forward, Hisagi put his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close. "Are you sure you're alright? Ichigo was pretty pissed when he opened that door, I'm sure it must of hit pretty hard," he questioned, causing her to pull away slightly.

"Thanks, but I'm positive," she answered, a hint of annoyance clear in her tone.

Renji laughed loudly at her reaction, forgetting he was still holding a sleeping Saki, and effectively waking her. She sat her head up and looked around sleepily as Mina elbowed her husband roughly.

Michiru saw Saki and approached Renji with a wide smile on her face after completely detaching herself from Hisagi. "Hey, Cutey," she said to Saki, who pulled away shyly and hid her face in Renji's shoulder.

"Hey," Renji replied, grinning down at her only to be elbowed again. He flinched away and laughed, pulling an arm around Mina's shoulders. "I'm just kidding," he said, earning a fake glare from her while Michiru backed away disgustedly.

Turning back to me, she asked, "Are all of your friends pigs?"

"Hey, I was just joking, Shorty. I'm happily married," Renji answered for me. Michiru reluctantly smiled and nodded, tugging on Saki's hair, attempting to get her attention again.

"What's your name?" she asked, causing Saki to pull away again, tightening her grip on Renji.

"She's not going to answer you," Rukia suddenly said, smiling at Michiru slightly.

Said woman glanced at Rukia, who had made her way to my side, and grimaced a little. "Why not? Are you shy?" she asked, directing her questions to Saki again.

"Extremely," Rukia answered again, absently crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against her car, not seeming to realize that she was leaning against me.

"Hmm," Michiru responded, turning back to us, noticing Rukia immediately, a sour look on her face. What the hell is wrong with these two? "Are you two siblings or something?"

Renji laughed again; this time Mina only sighed in frustration and placed a hand on her swelling stomach.

Rukia laughed as well before saying, "No, no. Just a friend. Why do you ask? We don't look anything alike."

"You just seemed to know a lot about his daughter, I thought maybe you were her aunt or something."

"Nope, not at all, we're just friends," Rukia stated again. Everyone was silent as the two women stared at each other. I have never been more uncomfortable in my life.

"So…how are you, Michiru?" Hisagi asked, stepping in and blocking her view of me and Rukia.

She sighed and looked up at him. "I'm fine, thanks," she answered slightly smiling up at him.

"Good, good. So, what do you say we go take a walk and get away from these losers?" he questioned, grinning down at her.

"That's pretty rude," she said, slightly frowning.

"I'm just joking, they're my friends. They know that. Come on!" Grabbing her hand, he headed toward a nearby path, pulling her behind him.

"Will you slow down?" she exclaimed, laughing slightly. Their voices slowly faded and eventually fell silent as they got further away from the car.

After they were far enough away Renji turned to me and said, "She wants you, man."

I just shook my head and held back a laugh. Saki piped up, asking, "What do you mean?"

Laughing again, Renji just said, "Nothing, nothing."

Mina absently took Saki from Renji and pulled her up to her shoulder. "You better watch yourself," she said, looking up at Renji who just smiled and nodded. Turning to me, Mina said, "But he's right. She was all over you, Ichi. And you're sure you're not interested at all?"

"I'm sure. She seems a little…desperate," I answered, causing them all to laugh again.

"I don't think so. I just think she's really into you," Mina responded, nodding slightly.

It was silent for a moment before Rukia asked, "What do you guys think they're doing out there? It's pitch black."

"I think Sagi's proposing," Mina stated, obviously joking.

Rukia laughed and rested her head on my shoulder absently, getting Renji and Mina's attention. I ignored them and looked down at my feet, hoping they'd get the point.

Suddenly there was a loud smacking noise followed by Michiru's disgusted demand. "Get your hands off of me!" She soon exited the path's entrance, a glare on her severely red face.

Following her, Hisagi emerged and said, "I didn't mean to upset you!"

"Upset me? You grabbed my ass!"

"No, I didn't! Or at least I didn't mean to! I was just putting my arm around you," he explained, causing her to calm down slightly.

Sighing, Michiru crossed her arms over her chest as her face started losing its excessive color. Mina smiled at her and said, "You put too much trust in him, following him into the dark alone like that." She seemed to be teasing her.

"Yeah, I should have known," Michiru answered

"I said I'm sorry," he answered.

"I know, I know," she answered, brushing the subject aside. "So, what have you guys been doing to entertain yourselves out here?" she asked absently, looking around. "There's nothing close to here at all, is there?"

"Nope, nothing," Mina answered, a hint of worry in her voice as she glanced down at her stomach.

Michiru saw and seemed to understand right away. "You're close to your due date?"

"Yeah…it was today," she answered, smiling slightly.

"Wow…you must be pretty uncomfortable in this heat," Michiru stated, looking at her with sympathy.

As her smile widened, Mina responded with, "Not really. Rukia's been kind enough to let us stay in her car to escape it a little. That's been nice."

She nodded and glanced over at the half-conscious woman leaning on me. "That is kind of her," Michiru stated absently.

A few hours later both Saki and Rukia were completely out. Renji and I carefully placed them in the back seat of Rukia's car, making sure the AC was on. Michiru stayed until after two in the morning; she ended up staying with us in the crammed car. Renji and Mina somehow shared the passenger's seat, Michiru reluctantly shared the driver's seat with Hisagi, and I sat in the back seat, Rukia's legs across my lap while Saki clung to her. As I sat awake, everyone's soft snores began to fill the car.

Glancing down at Rukia, the accusations Hisagi and Mina pushed on me earlier that day came to mind. I had no idea how they came up with that conclusion, but for some reason I couldn't get that conversation out of my head. Trying to ignore it, I turned toward the window and laid my head against the head rest when she started to stir.

When I glanced at her I noticed her sit up, her head down. "Hey, are you alright, Rukia?" I whispered, not seeming to get her attention. She seemed to still be sleeping.

Still holding onto Saki, Rukia pulled her legs into a sitting position. She then laid back down, her head in my lap, pulling Saki closer. I now realized that she was still asleep as her snores started up again.

Sighing, I laid a hand on her back and closed my eyes, soon falling asleep.

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Okay, there you go. Hope you liked it!