Hey Guys!

I can't believe we are already on chapter 10. I know I've been slow with my updates, so to you guys it feels like my chapters come in slow motion. But, for me, chapter 10 felt like such a long ways away not too long again. And now…here we are!

This chapter is more about Orihime having her baby. I tried to tie in some Hiroshi/Nanami moments, but we'll see how it goes.

Check it out! And, as always, let me know what you all think!

. . .

(Back in Nanami's POV. Yay!)

Chapter 10: Because I Care

"The baby's coming! Everyone get out of the way! The baby is coming and no force in the world can stop it now! Oh, the miracle of birth is happening right before your eyes—"

My father hit his father over the head. Hard. He glared angrily down at the older man. "Stop dragging more attention, old man. You're only stressing out Orihime even more."

Isshin—my hyperactive, doting grandfather—cringed. "You've always fought hard for your friends. I'm proud of you, my son."

Dad rolled his eyes. "I'm not fighting for any one. You're just annoying me."

Orihime was rushed to the hospital when she realized that she was going into labor. What made things worse was that the labor started about 2 weeks late. This had Uryuu worried for a few days until he was reminded that (apparently) all of his kid were born a week of so after their original due date.

Everyone came along to the clinic, but not everyone was allowed into the small room. Crammed spaces seemed to the best thing to avoid with our rather large family. Kana and Yuta were fighting about who would get to hold the baby first. Tara seemed like she would have rather been at home. Yumi, on the other hand, clung to me tightly, worry and fear deeply embedded in her features. And, not surprisingly, Hiroshi was absent.

Hiroshi and I haven't talked much since our little spat we had a few weeks ago. He seemed as distant and cold as he did the first day I met him. When Mom and Orihime went grocery shopping the other day, I was left with all of the kids. It was just after they had gotten out of school and were begging for a snack. Izuro had woken up from his nap, so he had to be changed and wanted a bottle. Everything that could have gone wrong did. The twins knocked over the living room lamp and broke it whist the ran around the house with one hundred percent of their energy. I listened intently to Yumiko talking about her day while I tried to get a bottle ready for Izuro, who cried the entire time. Tara was doing homework, but helped me when she could. She was old enough to stay him alone while her father worked, however was used to helping out with babysitting, so she was sweet enough to come over and save me from insanity.

The only thing that bothered me was Hiroshi's absence. I hadn't seen a few glimpses of him in the last several days. Why was he being so distant?

"He's always like that," Tara told me the other day while she helped me keep the twins under control. "He's like a shy animal—he doesn't come out of hiding unless he's hungry or he's coaxed out. Give it time. You won't even notice his absence, like the rest of us."

That thought bothered me. I didn't want to notice his absence.

"Uryuu is on his way," mom told dad as Aunt Karin took Orihime back to a room. "I had to convince him that abandoning his car and coming here on foot wasn't the best idea."

Dad grunted and adjusted Izuro on his hip. "He's been through this with two other kids; he shouldn't be so stressed. All of Orihime's other labors lasted almost half a day. He's got plenty of time before the baby comes."

"And you should know better than to think that all labors are the same," mom argued. "Just because she's past her due date like all of her other labors doesn't mean that this one will be like the others. You should be more cautious, Ichigo."

"Is that…bad?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. This was something new to me—definitely not something we learn about in Soul Society.

Dad was thrown off by my questioning, but shrugged and said, "It's nothing serious. Sometimes the due date perdition is off by a few days—whether it's a few weeks early of a few later. The baby hasn't thrown us any kind of complication so far, so I'm sure she's fine."

I nodded and wracked my brain for another question, wanting to learn more. "How is it done?"

This time, both of my parents looked at me.

"H-How is…what done?" Dad asked cautiously.

his reaction confused me, and I hesitated to clarify. Had I asked too personal of a question?

"Uh…never mind. It's okay."

That seemed to relieve the both of them. Mom put her hand on my shoulder, a grateful smile on her face. "We'll talk about it another time, Nanami."

I just nodded, thankful that the tension I had unknowing caused was over.

Another few minutes passed and Aunt Karin stuck her head out of the room. "Rukia. Orihime is asking for you."

Mom looked shocked. "M-Me?"

Aunt Karin sighed almost impatiently. "You are Rukia, aren't you? She wants to know what's taking Uryuu so long."

Getting over her initial shock, Mom nodded and walked in. The door was closed behind her.

Dad let go of a long sigh and turned to me. "I know this is a lot to ask, Nanami, but would you mind taking everyone back to the house?"

"No!" Yumiko protested. "I want to stay here with Mommy!" Her pleading eyes were hard to ignore.

"You can stay for a little while," Dad agreed. He looked at me, eyes holding a command and leadership that would be well suited for a Captain. "Nanami, will you—"

"Yes," I answer before he could ask again. "I'll take whoever is left back to the house."

That's what the twins decided they hated being left out. "But, Daddy…!" they whined in unison.

"I want to stay with you and Mommy." Kana's bottom lip quivered.

"Yeah, and if Kana's staying I want to stay, too." Yuta crossed his arms over his chest, as if to finalize his request.

But Dad wasn't having it. "No, you two are going back with your sister."

My siblings, again, whined in protest.

Dad sighed, and it was clear his patience was wearing thin. "You two remember staying at the hospital when Izuro was born; Meimi is not your sister so you can wait at home for the time being." The twins were going to argue again, but Dad said, "End of discussion." The finality in his voice was had to miss, and the twins reminded quiet after that.

Dad thanked me again for watching them, though I'd done it more than a few times so I was used to it. He promised they would be back soon, hopefully with news about Orihime and the baby. He had said her other child births were long and taxing, but I was with mom on this one: he should expect the unexpected.

The walk back to the house was uneventful. Other than Yuta and Kana moping most of the way, a promise to get them a snack seemed to cheer them up. After our snack and the remained of the walk home, I turned on the TV as a distraction. Tara won the battle for that argument, and they wound up watching a teen show that I wasn't familiar with.

Izuro hadn't had a nap yet, so I got him ready for bed. Which was not easy in any way. But when he did finally fall asleep, I was left to my thoughts.

My mind had been on what dad had said to the twins earlier: "You two remember staying at the hospital when Izuro was born, and being the first to hold him…"

That was yet another thing that I didn't have. I didn't get to be there when my brothers and sister were born. I didn't get to watch the twins grow and learn. I didn't get to watch Yumiko play with those girls, so seem Hiroshi grow to be a protective older brother.

I've missed a lot…and I know I may not be able to catch up. I ate at my heart knowing that I could never get back the life I would have had here, and I could never live the way I wanted if I had grown up in the human world.

I was so lost in my thoughts and pool of self pity I didn't notice my parents walking in until Mom put her hand on my shoulder.

"Nanami?"

I jumped slightly, and it was like everything in the real world was coming back to me. Tara, Yuta and Kana were asleep on the couch with the TV still going. From the top of the stairs, Dad came out of the hall that lead to Izuro's room with said baby on his hip, crying into his shoulder.

"Oh, my crap! I'm…so sorry. I…I guess I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't realize he was crying," I explained in a rush, and practically jumped up from my chair. I took a deep bow of apology, feeling terrible.

But Dad didn't look mad or upset. Instead, he chuckled as he descended the stairs. "First of all, the phrase is 'oh, crap', not 'oh, my crap'." I smiled sheepishly. "Second, try not to let the twins hear you say that; they tend to copy what you say. And third, you didn't do anything wrong. Izuro was already awake and started crying when I went to check on him. You did nothing wrong, Nanami."

"You just looked so lost," Mom cut in. "What were you thinking about?"

I hesitated. Could I tell them? Yes, oh course I can. But…I didn't want them to think they should regret anything they've done. That wasn't fair—not when they risked so much just giving me the life I've had. I love the life I've lived so far, and I'm looking forward to the life I will have in my future. I never want them to feel regret. Never.

"I…was thinking about Orihime and the baby? Are they doing okay?"

Mom smiled. "Actually, your father was wrong. As usual," she mumbled under her breath. Dad glared in our direction, and I had to suppress a giggle. "Meimi was born just a few minutes ago! Karin kicked us out so she could take care of mom and baby, so we figured we would come get you so you could meet her," she said with excitement.

A slow, stead smile captured my features. "That's great!"

She nodded and moved to the living room where the younger kids were sleeping on the couch. "The labor only last a few hours; I bet it felt like you were waiting a lot longer than that."

I shrugged, walking up to Dad and Izuro, tickling the babies foot to make him laugh. "Nah. It was okay."

Once everyone was awake, we made our way back to the Kurosaki Clinic. In the room of the small clinic where Orihime was being tended to was pretty full. When I first walked in with Yuta's small hand in mine, and Kana's in my other, I wasn't expecting there to be as many guests as there was.

Obviously, Uryuu and Yumiko were there, and Hiroshi was there, too, of course. Although he made very little conversation and was practically stuck to his chair in the corner. Chad was walking into the building just as we were. Karin was obviously there, being Orihime's nurse. Yuzu and her family was there—she was in tears as she held a little pink bundle I her arms. With my parents, the twins and Izuro and I, that made a total of 15 people in one rather small room.

Karin soon ordered Yuzu and her family out, seeing as they were there the longest. Uryuu took Yumiko to get a snack from the cafe, and coffee for himself. Hiroshi said he was hungry and left with his father and sister. Karin announced that she would be back soon to check on mother and baby, and warned us not to be too loud, seeing as there were other patients.

Meimi was passed around from person to person for about an hour. When it came my turn to hold her, I froze. This was different than holding Izuro for the first time. He was able to hold his head up. Mom assured me that it would be okay before passing the abby to me. I mimicked how she positioned her arms and was surprised by how light and tiny she really was. I thought for sure she would fuss when it came to my turn, but she didn't make a nice.

"She's…amazing." The words slipped from my lips in a whisper, as if the slightest sound would wake her from what seemed like a peaceful sleep.

The twins and Izuro were getting tired and restless, and both Mom and Dad were tired from the long day.

"We're going to take them home," Mom announced, giving Orihime a hug from where she lay in her bed. "Congratulations. Meimi is beautiful."

Orihime smiled tiredly. "Thank you, Rukia. I'm sorry I was such a burden today."

"Oh, you weren't a burden at all," my mother assured her. "It's all a part of being an expecting mother." She smiled warmly and turned to follow my father and her youngest children out the door. She turned to me, half way across the room, before she left. "Don't think we're abandoning you, Nanami. The kids are getting bored so I'm going to help your father get them to bed and I'll be back to get you."

I smiled, warmed to my core at how much they thought of me. Did they think of me this much while I was gone?

I gave her a look of surprise. "I would never think that! And don't worry about coming back here. I'll make my way back when Aunt Karin gets back. I'll be safe, I promise."

A worried expression crossed her face. "Are you sure?"

I nodded slightly, trying not to jostle the bundle in my arms. "I'm sure. I'll be fine."

She gave a hesitant nod and hurried from the room when Dad called her name impatiently. Actually, what he said was: "Hurry up, Midget! Izuro's squirming and the twins are running out into traffic."

I doubted the twins would do that, but I could sense his impatience.

After mom left, there was a comfortable silence in the room. Orihime smiled over at me, though she looked exhausted.

"You are such a sweet girl, Nanami," she said weekly, still smiling.

I was taken aback—where had that come from? Nonetheless, I still smiled. "Thank you. Though I haven't done much since I've been here to deserve such a compliment."

"And that's why you're so sweet. You think you have to do extravagant things to make it in this world. But you don't. And that makes you so much like your father. Although, there's quite a bit of your mother in you, too."

I smiled much more brightly. "Really?"

She nodded. "You have honor and respect, much like your Mom. Although, you also know how to follow your own path, which is so much like your Dad." Her smile fell. "Rukia told me that they had been erasing your memories in Soul Society."

I only nodded. She took that as a sigh to continue: "That doesn't make them bad, you know that. They tend to protect their own, and even when they don't do that, there's a reason for it."

I took a deep breath, trying not to let this bother me. "They were protecting themselves—they didn't care what happened to me, let alone my parents. The aftermath of their actings wasn't given a second thought. I doubt they would have let me come with Uncle Byakuya hadn't been the one to send me off." I tried hard to push my frustration aside. "I just…I hope Soul Socitey—the place I called home for so long—wasn't always like this…"

Her gentle hand raised from the bed, and she motioned for me to sit by her. I slowly rose to my feet, careful of the newborn in my arms, and crossed the room to sit by her bedside. Her hand found my shoulder and the look in her eyes was so meaningful I was surprised she could muster such a strong look in her tired condition.

"You are so much stronger, wiser, and braver than you give yourself credit for. Never let go of that. Your parents never did, so neither should you."

Feeling a determination and courage consume me, I opened my mouth and let the words fly out: "Tell me about my parents!" The words rushed out and there was little I could do to keep from stumbling over them.

Orihime looked at me like that was the last thing she expected from me, but smiled again. "I'm not sure there's much I can tell you that they haven't already."

"I want to know…about their lives before I was born. I know mom was a Soul Reaper and Dad was a human—at one point anyway. But…were they happy? Before me?"

Orihime's expression relaxed. "You want to know if they were expecting you, or if they thought you were a burden." It wasn't a question, but it was like she read my mind.

"I…I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I think I want the answer from someone else's point-of-view."

"Do you think they would lie to you? Because you're parents would do that. They are the most honest people I know."

I shook my head. "No, it's not that. I trust that they would give me a straightforward answer, but…" I paused, picking the right words. "I didn't even know I had parents until just a little while ago—let alone that they were alive and living in the human world. I've missed out of so much, and trying to catch up is taking a lot out of me. I just want to learn as much as I can, when I can. I would make me feel like I had always been here, even thought deep in my heart I know that's not true."

By time I was finished with my rant I was out of breath. I can be a very open person, and I will listen to others, but not always about such touchy subjects.

Orihime much have noticed my internal struggle, and smiled lightly. "You knew you can talk to anyone about what's on your mind, and you chose me to talk to. Thank you!"

She bubbly attitude was clouded by her exhaustion, but it was nice to see her smile.

"Well," she started, "you should know that your parents had this little connection that no one could break, ever since he stormed through Soul Society looking for her. He came back different, but he was stronger than ever."

My jaw dropped open. "W-What?"

She smiled like it was nothing new. "Yeah, you heard me right! Ichigo fought Captain after Captain, destroyed building after building in order to rescuer her."

"Soul Society…threatened my mother?"

At first I refused to believe it, but then remembered that they had my memory erased in order to keep the truth from me. It was a stab to the heart, but I had to learn more.

"Yeah, Ichigo and the rest of us didn't like that idea very much. Not long after that, I was abducted by this creep called Aizen and—"

"'Aizen'… That name sounds familiar."

She waved her hand dismissively. "He was a real jerk, and Ichigo fought through enemy after enemy in order to rescue me. Your mother was there, too! And Uryuu, of course. And so was Chad and a few of the Captains from Soul Society! But, to be honest, the Captains were only interested in catching Aizen. Ichigo followed along in order to help me. I've always felt a little bad because he's had to rescue me more than once, but then I remember that if it weren't for him…" She motioned to Meimi, who was still sound asleep in my arms. "I wouldn't have any of these happy moments to share. Ichigo did—and still does—so much, even though I know he would never want anything in return. Although, I will say that he is the reckless one, while your mother is cautious one. But that's just what completes them perfectly."

My mind was spinning. It was hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that my father was doing these rescue missions. And that he obviously would do them again if he had to. It was good to know that my parents had a life before having kids, and that they were happy weather they did or not.

I shook my head, as if to physically clear the confusion from my head. "I'm sorry, it sounded like you just said Soul Society helped my father save the world from what could have been the most catastrophic demise the work had ever seen."

She laughed opening, he sound seeming as though it caused little effort. "Yes, that's exactly what I said! Your father risked life and limb to save everyone he cared about, and more. And I can assure you, Nanami, he would do the same for you."

I nodded. ANd then something alarming hit me—almost as if it were just an after thought. "Then…then that means that…my parents rely did save Soul Society! The story I was told since was was very young wasn't necessarily the whole truth, but it wasn't a complete lie either! That means…"

I looked up at Orihime for clarification. She nodded, smiling. "I guess they thought they owed Ichigo for saving the world, and did this favor for him. Whether they kept your memories from you for their own selfish gain or not is hard to say. But, what's completely clear to me, is that you weren't to follow this part you're on—living the life you're Mom wince had, while needing the life your Dad had."

It was like she knew exactly what I was thinking, and I wasn't sure if that was just something she was good at—reading people—or if I wasn't masking my true feelings as well as I thought I was. Never the less, I felt peace come over me, and I didn't have any more questions.

Meimi stirred in my arms and made a cute little noise and dragged my attention back to her. Her little cheeks were pink and her eyes were closed as she wiggled around for a second. I though she might cry, but didn't. Thankfully.

Just then, the door to Orihime's room opened and Uryuu came in with Yumiko in tow.

He smiled lightly. "Looks like Meimi is going to be the baby that likes getting passed around."

He came over as looked down at the newest edition to his family. Yumiko practically climbed in my lap to get a better view of her baby sister. I watched as Uryuu's smile grew just a little bit more.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

He looked from Meimi to Yumiko, and then pushed his glasses farther up his nose. "Just that Yumiko and Hiroshi never wanted to be held by anyone but me and Orihime. Even when they were new borns and on—they were as independent as they come. Yumiko was a little more shy when she was a toddler, but she quickly grew out of that."

I almost asked about Hiroshi and what he was like as I young boy, but decided against it.

"I'm not like that anymore!" Yumiko restated proudly, smiling brightly.

I smiled back. "Nope. You're the big sister now. You'll have to teach Meimi how to brave like you."

She giggled and nodded vigorously.

"Well, since Orihime's asleep, we should let her get some rest."

Glancing over at the woman in the small cot just next to me, her eyes were closed and she looked as though she was resting peacefully. I hadn't even noticed she had fallen asleep.

"Time to go, Yumi," a new voice said from the doorway, though it was one I was definitely familiar with.

For some reason, I felt my face turn a slight pink and quickly hid my face in my long hair, hoping that it would subside. Why was I reacting like this to Hiroshi being here? It's not like this was something personal.

Yumiko didn't like her brother's suggestion. "Ah, come on! We just got here! And I only got to hold Meimi once." She crossed her arms over her chest, her lip sticking out as she pouted openly.

I laughed as I stood to pass Meimi to her father, and then bent down to Yumi's level. "Well, if you think about it, you'll get to see her every day from now on, and you'll get to hold her again tomorrow. But for today, she needs to rest and get stronger."

She did think about it—she seemed to seriously consider my words. For someone so young she was so smart.

With a heavy sigh, she gave in and said, "Okay, I guess you're right."

"Get her ready for bed as well, Hiro," their father said as he laid a still sleeping Meimi in her temporary crib.

"You're coming home too, right Daddy?" Yumi asked, sounding almost worried.

He pushed his glasses farther up his nose again. "Yes, I will, but I might not be until late tonight when you're already in bed. I'll stop by your room to say good night."

The worry vanished from her face. "Okay."

It took a lot more coaxing, but I finally managed to get Yumiko to leave her mother's room as was headed for the front of the small building. I waved to Aunt Karin on our way out, who was busy at her desk with a patient. She only offered a small wave back before getting back to work.

The trip back home was…quiet. Hiroshi seemed as though he barely noticed Yumi and I were there, and even though that bothered me it didn't seem to bother his sister. So, for the time being, I get my frustration go and ignored him. (It turns out that two people ignoring each other is what makes a situation both awkward and quiet.)

It was getting late and the twins would no doubt be locked in a vicious battle with Mom and Dad about going to bed. However, there could only be one victor, and I'm positive that would be Mom or Dad. I was abruptly brought from my thoughts by Yumi, who had suddenly grabbed my hand hand held it withers tightly.

I looked down at her to see she was smiling. "Swing me!" she demanded excitedly.

I raised my brow in confusion. "How am I supposed to do that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Not just you, silly. Both of you are going to swing me!" To prove her point she raised her other hand, which was connected to Hiroshi's.

Unintentionally, my eyes followed the length of his arm to his shoulder to his face and eventually land on his blue eyes. Immediately, our gaze locked. And a half a second later, we both looked away. My heart beat a little bit faster in my chest without my permission.

"This is how it's going to work," Yumi continued, oblivious to the tension she inadvertently caused. "You and Hiro are going to lift up when I count to three and pull me into the air so I can swing! Doesn't that sound like fun?"

It may have sounded like fun to her, but I still wasn't very sure about what I was supposed to do.

"When she jumps in the air, pull up on her arm," Hiroshi explained more clearly. He must have gotten a glance at my confused face, though when I looked up at him, he wasn't looking at me anymore.

"One."

Yumi started her count down. She lagged behind us a few paces, like she was getting ready to jump off a cliff side.

"Two."

It wasn't a life or death situation, but it felt as though it was. The look of expectancy on the little girl's face was too hard to ignore.

"Three!"

I pulled up on Yumiko's arm as she jumped into the air. With the momentum from her jump and the staggered poisons we were in, she swung forward and slightly ahead of us. I was still caught slightly off guard, so she wound up back on her feet after a bit of stumbling.

Yumi jutted out her bottom lip. "Are we done already?"

I smiled sheepishly and opened my mouth to speak, but (of course) Hiroshi had something to say. "Blame the slacker, not me."

I ignored him. "No, sorry. We can do it again. I think I know what I'm doing now."

She smiled and began to repeat the process.

As we 'swung' our way back home, I was too focused on not dropping the little girl to really notice someone's eyes on me. Whenever I looked over at Hiroshi, he was either looking down at Yumi or looking to see how much longer he had to keep doing this.

If it wasn't him, then who's eyes did I feel looking at me?

. . .

Hmm…I wonder who it could be watching Nanami. Is something following her? :P

I think we all know who it is looking at her… Right? lol

I'm curious: would you guys would want more NanamixHiroshi time, or more family-feels time? I personally like writing the fluff, but its hard to leave out the family love. (: Let me know and I'll see what I can make of it.

I hope you guys liked this chapter. It was mostly more feels than action like chapter 8, but there's more of that to come! Hang in there (:

Catch you in the next chapter!

Thanks For Reading!

—Romni