Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo. Nor do I claim this chapter to be mine, 'cause the whole idea came from riahsparks and I just merely put it in words.

A/N: Okay, just a special chapter I wrote solely on a request for riahsparks. For those who are happy with the ending of the story in the last chapter, please do not read this one, 'cause it's fluff and honestly I admit I am super bad at it. Nonetheless, I had to give it a try. Forgive me if you find it uncharacteristic. This is the only time I am requesting no flames please.

The chapter is set—let's just say it's… um I dunno, maybe a few months later…

Special Chapter

Dedication-riahsparks

He woke up a little less constricted than usual. Her side of bed was empty. It was strange, she never woke up before he did. He got out of the bed thinking she might be in the garden, tending flowers or something. Just like any morning, the fresh flowers were in place, a clean shihakusho neatly folded, ready for the day. He took a shower and dressed up. Picking up his zanpakutou from its spot he realized hers wasn't there. Neither had he seen a pair of her shihakusho on her drawers. It was strange she had gotten up early enough to have gotten ready even before he woke up. He checked the clock to make sure he wasn't late.

He went into the dining room and breakfast was served. She was not there either. He ate alone in silence. It was really strange. Now that he thought of it, he hadn't sensed her presence anywhere around since he had woken up. Where could she have been? He finished his meal and got up to leave for his division. It was early but there wasn't anything else there. He found her maid in the corridor and asked her as inconspicuously as he possibly could.

"Isshily-sama left early in the morning, Kuchiki-sama," the meek old woman said. "She said she had a lot of work at her squad."

Strange again, there wasn't much work around off late. He walked wondering if everything were okay. But then the woman always had a strange sense of duty. She had been working really hard for the division lately.

The vice-captain of the eighth division was quite startled to see the captain already halfway through the day's work when he arrived.

"Isshily-senpai, how long have you been here?" he asked, a little guilt in his voice. "You could have asked me if there were too much work."

"Ah, Kouichi-kun, don't worry," she smiled tiredly at him. Her eyes were evidently sleep deprived. "It's not like there's much work here. I just came early for I… had nothing else to do."

"Alright, you can leave the rest of the work to me," he returned her smile and picked up a small stack.

"Ano… Kouichi-kun," there was a hint hesitation in her eyes. "Leave this work be. Can you… can you take care of the academy training for me today? I don't feel so well."

He nodded. So he wasn't just imagining that she looked a little pale, she actually wasn't well.

"Leave that to me, Isshily-senpai," he smiled at her again. "Take care of yourself ."

She nodded with a little smile as he walked off out of the doors. She checked how much work was still left and sighed. There wasn't much, it could be done later. So she slid back and walked over to the couch. She needed sleep, especially when she hadn't shut an eye for the whole night.

The next morning, again he woke up to find her side of bed deserted. She must be feeling insomniac if she could be up and about so early. He remembered coming back a little late last evening just to find the manor still devoid of her presence. He had dinner alone again and dozed off halfway through reading something. He remembered being moved to the bed late last night and the warm feeling by his side as he slept.

He could feel her presence in the garden. He slid the door open to find her tending to a patch of flowers she had grown. Her hair was still wet from the shower, tied up loosely. He stepped out and walked towards her.

"I see those flowers are already in full bloom," he came to stand next to her.

"Yes," she smiled, gazing at them affectionately. She loved those flowers and was proud they were finally blooming beautifully. "They look so beautiful, Byakuya-sama."

"They do," his voice was nearer than she had imagined and she stiffened as she felt his hand gently tuck a flower in her dripping hair. She snapped and staggered two steps away from him. He could see a torn look on her face. He reached out his hand but she shot it a scared look before she turned and ran away. He stood a little dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. Had he done anything wrong? Why did she react like that, running away like a scared little deer. It was strange.

She shut the door behind her, breathing raggedly. She shouldn't have been there. A part of her mind registered the fact that her reaction was utterly uncalled for and that might cause a misunderstanding. But without another thought, she moved swiftly to dress up in her uniform and sling her zanpakutou around her waist. She paused for a second in front of the mirror and observed her image closely. Then she loosened the knot of her shihakusho just slightly and looked at the mirror again. It was okay. His reiatsu swept through her senses and she realized he was almost to the door and she was out of time.

He slid the door open to find the room empty. Wind swept through a single open window. There was a trail of her reiatsu lingering around. He sighed, shaking his head. What had he ever done wrong that she should escape through the window just so she wouldn't have to face him. Her actions were so utterly confusing and, somewhere, a little infuriating. Irritatedly, he dressed up and made his way out, ignoring the lonely meal that lay in his wait.

The papers to be sent to the eighth division lay completed on his table. A subordinate came in to pick them up but he dismissed him. He would deliver them personally. She could keep running away all she wanted but he was going to confront her no matter what. It was simply frustrating. And his mind kept wandering back to the morning, asking him over and over what he had done wrong. Holding back a sigh, he got up and headed out with the papers.

The vice-captain looked startled and confused as he barged into the eighth division office. His eyes scanned the room as the only presence—the young lieutenant gave him a scared look. Her reiatsu was fresh there but she wasn't. Curtains swayed in front of an open window. He shot the young boy a glance to confirm his thoughts. Suddenly, windows had become the woman's favorite escape route. He walked back with an irritated look on his face as many dodged under cover, half scared out of their skin.

The shuffling of feet and sliding of doors jerked him out of dozing in and out. The hushed voices couldn't be so noticeable if it weren't the dead of the night. He sensed her presence and got up to go find her, determined to put an end to this futile game of hide and seek. He could hear the soft murmur of voice as he rounded the corner of the corridor and she instantly stopped talking and looked up at him. She handed a pair of clothes to the maid who bowed and disappeared.

"Byakuya-sama," she smiled her tiny smile. He could tell it did not reach her eyes. There was something she was definitely hiding and he was determined to find out. "I'm so sorry I thought you were asleep I did not mean to disturb you."

"Not really," he said, closing the distance between them. "I was waiting for you."

"Oh…" she looked down on the ground. "I-I'm sorry I had so much of work and—"

"You are… going somewhere?" he said, noticing she was fully dressed as if ready to head out.

"Ah… yes… I… I wanted to… go home for some time," her stuttering was evidence enough she was hiding something. "Thought I'd pay a visit to ojii-sama…"

"And you have to be leaving in the middle of the night?" he got closer and she visibly cringed. "Without having to inform me?"

"I… Byakuya-sama, I thought you were asleep and—"

"What is it?" he reached out a hand but then dropped it midway. "You're keeping something from me, aren't you?"

"I…" she looked up at him and then looked away, not wanting to meet his eyes. "I was just… feeling really home-sick, Byakuya-sama. And I did not want to worry you or anything…"

"You should stop lying," he said flatly.

"I… I'm not lying," she backed away a few steps as he closed in. "I'm not lying. Why would I lie to you?"

"That is precisely what I am trying to understand," his voice was now a little softer with concern. "What is it?"

"I…" she suddenly felt the walls tilt and the ground wasn't stable under her feet anymore. A faint feeling of nausea and his hand was around her arm to balance her as her body swayed.

"Are you alright?" he could see she was feeling dizzy.

A sick feeling rolled inside her stomach and she covered her mouth before jerking her arm free of his hold and running into the nearest room. He stood shocked and hurt. She had just jerked away from his hold. Why was she acting like that? For the nth time he wondered what he might have done wrong to deserve such a treatment. More than anything else it was highly infuriating for him to see her close herself from him and no matter how much he tried, she wouldn't tell him the truth. He stood deliberating whether he should storm back into his room or pursue her. The answer came with a sickening sound of her throwing up. He sighed, walking towards the door of the room she had just rushed into. The maid appeared in front of the door and shut it behind her.

"My deepest apologies, Kuchiki-dono, but Isshily-sama wishes to be left alone for now," she bowed humbly.

He glared at the meek lady and stepped forward as if he had not heard what she just said. She was half scared out of her skin but did not move out of the way.

"Please, don't cause her unnecessary stress, young master. She…" she glanced at the door and mumbled. "She… she hasn't been feeling well lately."

A horrified expression crossed his face for a split second and he stepped around the maid and into the room before she could say anything else. Now that he thought of it, she did appear a little pale to him. An uneasy sense of déjà vu triggered an upheaval inside of him. How had he not noticed she was sick? All the anger and fury was now melting into concern. He saw her stumble out of the bathroom and plop on the corner of the futon. She definitely looked pale. Her eyes gave him a tired look as he moved to sit in front of her at the edge of the futon.

"Your… health…" was all that came out of his mouth as he helplessly looked at her. She had an instant feeling of guilt as she looked at his broken expression.

"It-it's nothing you should worry about, Byakuya-sama…" she met his eyes for the first time in a long while and they were honest. "I… I'll be just fine. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing," he wasn't going to let it go that easy. It scared him and he wasn't strong enough to suffer the same pain again. She could see him visibly shaking and the guilt only tightened its grip on her throat.

"Why did you not tell me?" he demanded.

"I-it's not that, Byakuya-sama," she looked away, biting her lip, then finally took a deep breath and turned her eyes on him. "I'm not sick."

He stared at her honest expression for a long moment. She wasn't lying, he could tell. Yet she was keeping something from him. There was something about the faint flush coloring her cheeks, something about the way her eyes refused to meet his… something about her hands that lingered onto her belly… and then it hit him. His eyes widened as he placed his hand over hers that still rested on her belly. She looked up at him and suddenly there was a very knowing look on her face as she bit her lip.

"Isshily?" he squeezed her hand lightly. He could not tell what his expression was but he saw her look down at her hands again and then her eyes welled up with tears.

"I'm sorry, Byakuya-sama," she whispered. "I don't know when it happened. And I didn't know how to tell you I was so scared I… I…"

She closed her eyes and tears flooded down her cheeks. His bewildered expression said it all. She had known all this time that was exactly what his reaction would be and yet it hurt her so much. Somewhere, she had probably been hoping otherwise. She took in a deep breath and tried to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke.

"I'm really sorry about this," she said. "It might not be too late. I'll go see Unohana taichou first thing in the morning and talk—"

A finger on her mouth silenced her from speaking any further. She opened her eyes as he slowly wiped away her tears, his fingertips leaving a trail of burning sensation on her cheek.

"Isshily…" his voice was so soft, she could barely make out. After a long moment, he met her eyes and the look in them just froze her heart. She swore she had never seen that look on his face ever before. The smile that spread on his lips just made her heart speed up at an unbearable rate. He kissed her forehead gently and pulled her against him.

"Thank you," he whispered against her hair. He was at a loss of words. Honestly, he just did not know how to react. It was something he had never experienced. And the feeling of joy in his heart was so great that it almost hurt. He'd never felt so elated in his life ever before.

"Thank you, Byakuya-sama," she shook her head as fresh tears flooded down her face. All her worries and fears seemed so distant suddenly. Her heart was already bursting with happiness. She could never thank him enough for all he had given her.

He held her to himself as a lone tear fell across his cheek. She looked up in utter amazement and he smiled back at her.

"Aishiteru, Byakuya-sama," she whispered, kissing him tenderly as she slid back against his chest. And they drifted off into a world of bliss that was yet so unknown and beautiful that all the joy they had ever felt in all their lives could be nothing compared to it.

A little way down the road…

The delicate little angel is lighter than a feather in his arms as he gently cradles her, afraid his slight movement might damage the fragile thing. She has the same adorable locks of perfect brown hair as her mother. But she has his eyes—the exact deep slate grey that her mother has so often failed to find words to describe. Now he understands what she meant. She babbles happily as he tickles her chin. In more than a century that he has lived his life, he swears he hasn't seen something so beautiful. And he swears he's never felt even close to the feeling of elation he feels now. He has never felt so complete before. The experience is other-worldly.

Through the half opened curtains of fatigued heavy eyes, she watches the overflowing affection in his eyes as he smiles. The little angel babbling in his arms is the most precious thing she's ever had in life. She reaches her hand out and instantly he takes it into his and guides it to the baby's soft chubby cheeks. She smiles at the delicate feeling and closes her eyes. It's all so fresh. There is no sound as sweet as the soft babbles, no sight as beautiful as the one in front of her, no touch as tender as her delicate skin against her fingertips. A life borne out of love… what would she not give to have it the way it is now! Everything seems full, complete… more than that. Perfect—that can't even begin to describe it.

His fingers twine with hers as he gently kisses her forehead. And silently, they vow to protect their greatest treasure together.

A/N: If somebody did end up reading it and did not hate it, please leave a review.

Thanks to riahsparks for the whole idea I really liked working on it, even though it might have turned out to be a lot worse than what was in her head. I know I'll have to work much on my writing skills in order to write fluff -.-' maybe after exams I can relax and drown into cheese.

Anyway, here I take the opportunity to thank the reviewers and favorite/followers.

Thank you for reading.

Please leave a review. But remember, no flames.