If any of their friends from the Shinsengumi were to see a franticly pacing Heisuke and a solemn looking Okita, they would assume that something was very wrong. Especially when they combined that with the screams coming from the doorway in front of the two men. Ichigo had been in labour for two hours now and the longer he heard her cries of pain, the more worried Heisuke became. Okita watched his friend in concern. Usually he would say something to annoy the younger male, but even he was worried about his sister-in-law.

A while later and Ichigo's screams suddenly stopped. Both males' heads turned to the door and after a few minutes the shock wore off and Heisuke began to move towards it. It opened and a frazzled looking Chizuru stepped out. As she opened her mouth to speak Heisuke pushed past her, anxious to get to Ichigo. Okita caught her as she stumbled slightly, knocked of balance by Heisuke's eagerness to get to his wife.

"You okay?" he asked her quietly, searching her face for any sign that anything went wrong. The younger sister looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm an aunt and you're an uncle." Chizuru managed to force out, a smile spreading across her face. Okita grinned back at her before noticing the furious red spread across the girls face. "She says it's my turn to have a baby next." Chizuru told him, finding the ground very interesting. The ex-captain simply laughed and began to steer the blushing girl to the kitchen to get both herself and the new mother something to eat.

With Heisuke and Ichigo

As soon as he entered the room, Heisuke froze at the sight in front of him. Ichigo was sat up in her futon smiling as she held a small bundle against her chest. When he finally stepped forwards, Ichigo tore her eyes away from their child and smiled even righter when she spotted him. Careful not to disturb the feeding baby she extended her arm to him, silently calling to him.

"Heisuke." She began when he had settled down next to her, still in awe of the precious bundle in her arms. "Meet our son." The stunned Heisuke could only nod, before reaching out to gently stroke the tiny brown curls on his sons head. "He's perfect." Was the only thing the man could think to say, though that was enough to make Ichigo's heart swell with happiness. Heisuke shifted and wrapped his arm around his wife and son. "I think you should name him." He told her, pressing his lips to her forehead. "You did all the work after all." He joked, seeing the surprised look on his exhausted wife's face. Settling against his shoulder, Ichigo began to think as she watched her son finish feeding and close his eyes to go to sleep. "How about…. Rin." She mused aloud.

"Rin?" Heisuke repeated, double checking that was the name she had decided. When she nodded, he gently took the sleeping new-born from her and held him close to his heart.

"Welcome to life…. Toudou Rin."

Seven years later

"RIN." Called a furious sounding female voice, causing Heisuke to jump in surprise from where he had been sat reading a letter. His surprise quickly turned into amusement when the door slide open and a pair of small heads poked sheepishly into the room.

"Alright you two." He called as the two children quietly came closer. "What did you do this time to get her so annoyed?" The small browned haired boy in front of him stayed quiet and shuffled his feet while the other child, a five year-old girl with aurbun coloured hair hide behind her cousin to avoid her uncles stare. "Rin…" Heisuke said warningly while staring at his son, which seemed to break the boy's silence.

"Father it was an accident I swear." Rin protested. "We were just playing with our ball when I kicked it too hard and hit the laundry mother just did…" He trailed of when he saw his father raise his eyebrows. Shaking his head Heisuke lent down to ruffle Rin's hair. "Don't worry about it, I'll go calm her down. In return however you both have to stay in here for a bit and work on your writing." Both Rin and his niece Okita Hikari nodded in acceptance of their punishment.

As Heisuke stepped out of the room he found Ichigo leaning against the wall, smiling to herself. She turned to face him and Heisuke silently wrapped her in his arms. Through the thin walls they could hear the two children chattering happily to each other as Rin helped his cousin with her writing. Burying his face in Ichigo's hair, Heisuke couldn't help but think of the past. Growing up without his parents, joining his friends at the dojo in Edo and becoming the Shinsengumi. His thoughts turned to when he first met the two sisters, when he realised he had fallen for the brunette in his arm and all the battles they had faced together. Tightening his arms around Ichigo, he lifted his head to rest it on her shoulder.

"You and Chizuru made this possible. The two of you made this life of peace for Okita and me." Moving to press his lips to hers his voice turned to a whisper. "Thank you for being born, and thank you for going to Kyoto when you did… Toudou Ichigo."