I do not own Bleach.
Okay, I'm finally back with an update. Once again I am sorry for the long wait! I had my gallbladder taken out and also I have a confession to make. Some of you already know this, but I have another fanfiction account on this site. I also have an ongoing Hetalia fic on that account. I often times update this one and then update that one and so on. That is why it takes me a while to get my updates out. So there you have it...my secret is out!
If you're at all interested in my other account then feel free to take a look at it. There is no mpreg on that account because this is my mpreg account, but there is a lot of Bleach fics on there. My name for that account is A . Eelif. Just take out the space between the A and the period.
Okay, special thanks time: Elder Dragon 93 for following, Soul More for reviewing, Paradise Eden for reviewing, ChocoChibi456 for reviewing, phAnt0mghost7018 for reviewing, snowflowersister of toshiro241 for reviewing, Shenigmatic for reviewing, ytygr for favoriting and reviewing, for favoriting, andreea04 for following, Blinded-by-Truth for favoriting and follow, -Black-Potter for favoriting, and Jazzybella for favoritng.
Okay, sorry for deceiving you about my other account, but I've come clean now. So enjoy chapter 21! Thanks for reading!
At 32 weeks (8 months), Byakuya had a hard time doing anything or getting anywhere in a timely manner. He was far bigger than he ever expected to be with just one baby on the way, but when he and Renji questioned his weight gain Captain Unohana simply said that the more powerful the baby's reiatsu was then the more he needed to eat. The more the sixth captain ate to appease Takahiro of course caused a considerable amount of weight gain. Renji had to pretty much help Byakuya do everything which included getting both on and of the futon, getting dressed, sitting on and getting off the other furniture in the mansion, taking baths and showers, and ascending or descending any set of stairs they happen to come across. The raven haired noble also couldn't bend down to retrieve something once it was knocked to the floor.
As much as Byakuya appreciated Renji's help, he was still slightly annoyed that he had become such an invalid. He never really liked to ask anyone for help and this was very humiliating to say the least. Not only was he having to ask for help constantly, but the redhead was driving him insane with that damn disposable camera. Renji would snap a picture of him doing the most unflattering things with his face all red and his hair a mess and as much as Byakuya pleaded with his lover to stop taking pictures, the redhead just continued claiming that every picture of him would be beautiful. The nobleman had already decided to leave a note for Urahara not to send any of the truly horrifying pictures back and just tell Renji they didn't turn out as expected.
SNAP!
The captain sighs when he hears the familiar sound of the camera and he very slowly lifts himself from his dressing table to be able to shoot his lieutenant a dirty look, "Renji, must you always take pictures of me doing the most boring and unflattering things? I am not even fully dressed yet. I do not see why you have to have a picture of me sitting at my dressing table."
Renji frowns, "I thought it was a good picture. You were all lost in thought with yer hand on yer stomach and I thought it would be a real memorable thing years from now."
Byakuya sighs again and crosses the room to his closet, "I understand that, but you have already taken a multitude of pictures of me doing mundane things and if you continue to snap random pictures then there won't be any film left to take pictures on Takahiro's actual birthday."
"Oh." Renji slips the camera into his robes and sits down on the edge of the futon, "I guess yer right, but I can just send this camera back and have a fresh one to use fer when Takahiro gets here."
Byakuya looks into the closet and rolls his eyes at Renji's logic, "I suppose you could do that." The noble frowns as he continues to look in his closet. Nothing he owned seemed to fit right anymore and it really made him depressed to have to tell Renji to pick him up a larger sleeping yukata since he'd just gotten one a few weeks ago. He knew it was irrational and foolish to get upset over something so trivial as a yukata, but his hormones just would not let him act civil about anything anymore and he begins to feel the tears well up in the corner of his eyes.
He attempts to wipe them away before Renji has a chance to notice, but more tears quickly appear and spill down his face. He hated being this way. He hated feeling so emotional and vulnerable, but he couldn't help it and soon Renji notices his silence, "Hey babe, are ya okay?"
"No, I am not okay!" The older shinigami slams the closet door shut with enough force for the servants to hear it all through the mansion, "I am tired of being so helpless and worthless! I am tired of being fat! I cannot fit into any of my clothes and I still have a whole month to go!"
When the dark haired captain turns to face him, tears are streaming down his face and his hair is a disheveled mess. Renji stands up from the futon and puts his arms around his distraught lover, "Hey, it's okay, babe. You can't help any of that stuff." He rubs the noble's back soothingly and pulls him closer into his body, "As soon as Takahiro is born you'll get back to normal and we'll have a big maternity clothes burning and you'll never have to look at these clothes again. Until then I'll just get ya another one."
Byakuya buries his face deeper into the fabric on Renji's chest and grips the redhead's robes tightly in his fists as he continues to silently cry. He hated crying in front of anyone and he especially hated crying in front of Renji because even though they were lover's he was also the tattooed shinigami's captain and crying in front of his lieutenant was just degrading in his opinion. He couldn't help it though and the more he tried to tell himself that it was just clothes and that his weight would go down after the birth it only made him more upset.
Renji, however, never stopped rubbing the nobleman's back and kissing the top of his head. He secretly enjoyed being able to comfort his usually uptight, stoic lover. He certainly didn't like for him to be upset, but he was glad to know that Byakuya did have a more emotional side than he let others know about, "Are ya gonna be okay while I'm with the squad?"
The dark haired noble sniffles softly and nods his head against Renji's chest, "I am sorry that I lost control like that. I will be fine as always." Byakuya finally reveals his red face to the redhead and wipes his eyes with his hand, "Just please pick up a few more yukata for me and rip all the size tags out before you give them to me."
Renji chuckles before cupping his lover's face with his hand, "I will definitely never let ya see the size, but just so ya know, I love ya more than anyone and you could stay this size forever and I'd still love ya." He leans in and chastely kisses Byakuya on the lips before pulling back and smiling.
Byakuya returns the smile before carefully lowering himself down to the futon, "That is nice of you to say, but I do not think I could handle being this size forever."
Renji knows better than to say anything else regarding the captain's weight and quickly pulls his red hair into a ponytail while glancing in the mirror, "Well, I'm off to the squad. If ya need anything just let me know. I'll see ya in a bit."
Byakuya nods letting the redhead know he understood before laying back on the futon and covering his face with his arm, "I will attempt to be in a better mood when you return."
"Okay, babe, love ya."
Before the noble has a chance to return the statement, Renji leaves the bedroom. Byakuya lies on the futon sensing his lover's reiatsu until he's too far away to feel it anymore. After the sixth captain lays around a bit, he decides to get up and walk around. It does take him a considerable amount of time to get off the futon without Renji's help and he refused to let anyone else help him. He had only been walking around for a few minutes when he hears a knock on the door. Usually, he would just let the servants answer the door, but since he was so close he makes his way to the door and opens it himself. To his surprise, he sees Captain Ukitake and a very grown-up looking Emiko standing on the other side of the threshold, "Oh, hello, Captain Ukitake. I was not expecting you."
The white haired shinigami has a firm hold on his daughter's hand as he peers into the living room behind Byakuya, "We're not interrupting anything are we?"
Byakuya shakes his head and stands away from the door to usher them inside, "Of course not. I was just moping around the house. Please, come in."
The two visitor's walk inside where Jushiro finally picks up Emiko in his arms, "We just wanted to come by and thank you properly for the nice clothes and toys you and Renji sent Emiko for her birthday last month."
"Think nothing of it. We wanted to help you celebrate and we are sorry we couldn't attend the celebration, but I was just not feeling up to it and Renji was behind with the squad." The nobleman sits down in the living room and Jushiro does the same placing Emiko beside him, "It is still hard for me to believe she is a year old already."
The thirteenth captain laughs softly, "You're telling me! It seems like yesterday I was holding her in my arms for the first time." He smiles at his daughter and pushes her unruly hair out of her face, "You'll see soon enough that time flies. In a few months, you'll wonder how your pregnancy ended so fast even though right now I know it seems like it's been going on for an eternity."
Byakuya frowns, "Do not get me wrong. I am glad that I went through all this if it means I will get to have my son here with me and Renji, but it has been a more than trying experience. I feel as if it will never end." He rubs his stomach absentmindedly as he continues to dream of the day when he would no longer be pregnant.
Jushiro gives him an understanding smile as he places Emiko to stand on the floor, "You should be thankful that you still are pregnant."
Realization suddenly hits the nobleman and he shakes his head in apology, "I am terribly sorry, Captain Ukitake. I did not mean it that way and I know you went through a very trying time with Emiko's early arrival. I just…"
The thirteenth captain waves Byakuya's apology away as he begins pulling toys out of the diaper bag he'd carried in with him, "No need to apologize, Byakuya. I know you didn't mean anything by it. I simply meant that you should be thankful that you get to experience the full effect of it all. That's not to say that you're completely in the clear, but it's a good chance that Takahiro will be a very healthy baby and you and Renji will get to bring him home right away."
Byakuya nods. He still felt terrible for saying such a thing to a man who had almost lost his own life and his daughter's life due to early labor, "I imagine it was a very difficult thing to have to leave your newborn in Squad Four for so many months before getting to bring her home."
Jushiro nods, "Oh, yes…of course, she always had me or Shunsui with her, but it was very hard not knowing what each day would bring for her." He hands a few of the toys to Emiko and smiles at her, "Emiko, did you know that this doll and the dress you're wearing were given to you by Byakuya and Renji for your birthday?" She shakes her head making her black curls swish around her face, "Can you tell Byakuya thank you for your nice gifts?"
The little girl gives the nobleman a hug and smiles up at him, "Tank you!"
The sixth captain reaches down and ruffles her hair with a smile, "You are very welcome."
"Emiko, go sit on the rug over there and play with your toys and when we leave here we'll go and have lunch with daddy, okay?" He hands her a few more toys and she does as she's told and walks a little ways before sitting on the rug with her doll and her favorite pink bunny.
"It is hard for me to believe that she is walking." He looks at the child for a moment before looking back at the white haired man, "Would you like anything to eat or drink?"
Jushiro shakes his head, "Oh, no…nothing for me, thanks." He places the diaper bag on the floor and makes himself more comfortable before continuing their conversation, "I can't believe she's walking either. At first, it was cute, but now she gets into everything. When Shunsui comes home he gets her all hyped up and then it's as if I have two children. They have both broken something since she started walking." He laughs when he sees the weird look on Byakuya's face, "What's the matter?"
"Does that not bother you? I mean for your lover and your child to be so…rambunctious in the house?" He places his hands on his stomach and sits up a bit more.
Jushiro shakes his head, "The things in my house are just that…things. I certainly don't want either of them hurt, but I would rather them have a good time with each other and have a good relationship than stress over material objects." He gives Byakuya a soft smile, "Besides, Shunsui is an excellent father and he would never let anything hurt Emiko if he can help it. You'll learn when your child gets here that people step up when they have to and really surprise you. I never thought that Shunsui would turn out to be so responsible, but he really fooled me when she was born."
Byakuya smiles at hearing the elder shinigami's words, "I think I know what you mean. I never thought that Renji would be able to deal with all the things that came with having a pregnant lover, but he has surprised me time and again. I feel as though he will be a better father than he gives himself credit for."
The white haired man nods, "You'll see that everything will work out just fine for you and your little family. I can't even imagine what my life would be like without Emiko. I love her so much that I can't even describe the feeling." He gives the noble a knowing look, "I'm sure you will feel the same way about Takahiro if you don't already."
Before the raven haired shinigami can respond, he feels a sharp pain in his abdomen and he grips his belly in his hands, "I-I am sorry, but I do not feel so well all of a sudden."
The thirteenth captain gives him a worried look, "What does it feel like? Do you think you'll be alright?"
Byakuya doubles over and grips his stomach a bit tighter as he feels an odd pressure and wave of pain shoot through his stomach and lower half, "I am not sure…how to describe it…I think I…need to lie down."
"I'll help you." Jushiro stands up and helps the noble to his feet, "Stay here, Emiko. Mama will be right back." The two shinigami make their way to the room designated for all birth related things that Byakuya had set up for Unohana to do all his check-ups in and Jushiro helps him lie down, "I think that I should send for Captain Unohana. You are pretty close to your due date and who's to say you aren't going into labor."
Byakuya nods and doesn't argue. As much as he didn't want to be pregnant anymore, he also didn't want to be going into labor either, "Can you…send for Renji? I would like…for him to be here with me."
"Of course, just give me a moment." The white haired captain disappears from the room for a good while and when he returns he's carry Emiko on his hip, "How are you feeling?"
The noble closes his eyes and groans softly, "About the same I suppose."
Jushiro sits down in the chair beside the bed, "I sent for Renji and Captain Unohana. They are both on their way. Captain Unohana says to take deep breaths and try not to get too nervous."
Byakuya groans again, "That is easy for…her to say."
"Do you need anything? Some water or anything?" Jushiro holds Emiko close to him and rocks her back and forth in an attempt to keep her from being scared, "I don't mind."
Byakuya shakes his head, "No, I do not…need anything."
After a few more minutes of waiting, Captain Unohana and Renji arrive almost at the same time. Jushiro stands to allow Renji to sit down beside the noble as Unohana gets the ultrasound ready. Renji grabs his lover's hand and gives Byakuya a worried look, "Hey, what's goin' on, babe?"
Byakuya shakes his head, "I…I really do not know. I just started hurting suddenly."
The room is quiet for a moment as Unohana concentrates on the image in front of her and after a few minutes she smiles, "I am pleased to tell you all that nothing is wrong." She puts the ultrasound wand away and gives the nobleman a cloth to wipe the gel off his stomach.
Renji gives her a confused look, "Whataya mean nothin's wrong? He's obviously still in pain! Are ya sure he isn't goin' into labor?!"
"Please, calm yourself, Lieutenant Abarai." She sits down in the chair behind her and sighs, "This is what's known as false labor pain. Some people experience this while other's never do. It's just the baby and the body preparing itself for the big day." She gives them all a smile before speaking again, "The pain should be fading soon, but if you feel it again and it last for a long time and the contractions get worse or closer together then please send for me as soon as possible."
Jushiro lets out a relieved sigh, "Oh, I'm so happy that nothing's wrong. Byakuya and I were just discussing early labor and it had me worried when he started feeling odd."
Byakuya glances to the older man, "Thank you for being so helpful, Captain Ukitake, but I do not wish to keep you from your lunch meeting with Captain Kyoraku."
"Nonsense! I'm just glad you're alright." Jushiro balances a now sleeping Emiko on his hip and the diaper bag on his shoulder, "But, now that I know you're okay I really do need to get going."
Byakuya nods and Renji thanks the thirteenth captain for his help before the white haired shinigami leaves the manor. Captain Unohana checks a few more things before also leaving the manor until finally Byakuya and Renji are alone in the room, "Ya really scared me, babe. I'm really glad yer okay."
Byakuya lets out a relieved sigh, "I was terrified by the thought that I was about to have a baby. This has really made me realize that we are not as prepared for this birth as we would like to think we are."
Renji nods, "I'm gonna stay with ya the rest of the day. I don't want ya here by yerself with just the servants." He helps his lover sit up and he gives him a kiss on the lips, "I'm not gonna leave ya here alone fer the rest of yer pregnancy."
Byakuya shakes his head, "No, Renji…today is fine, but you need to be with the squad for as long as possible until the baby is born."
"The squad is gonna have learn to get along without us soon enough." He places his hand on Byakuya's baby bump, "It's about time I gave em some practice. I'm not leavin' ya again."
Byakuya nods, "Fine, but did you bring me that new yukata you promised?"
The redhead gives him a disbelieving look, "Ya scared me half to death and yer worried about a yukata?!"
"Well, I cannot be naked for the duration of my pregnancy." He gives Renji another questioning look, "So, did you bring it?"
The tattooed lieutenant lets out a low growl, "After I get yer yukata then I'm not leavin' ya again."
Byakuya smiles, "Thank you, Renji."
"Yeah, yeah."
TBC…
Thanks for reading!