This is the penultimate chapter for Karakura Incubus! Please enjoy and say hello to the cubs at long last!
Chapter Twenty-Five: Final Descent:
Ichigo yawned loudly as he woke slowly, looked around at the familiar room he shared with Stark at the Werewolf Estate; he could hardly believe he had finally made it back here, after so long cooped up in the same room with Aizen the whole Estate was like a damned dream. He couldn't tell whether he was still asleep or really awake.
He sat up slowly and held his stomach, he had had just about enough of the damned aches in his stomach, they hadn't stopped for two days; that was the same length of time that he had been back where he belonged.
It had taken, and was taking, some time to get his head around the fact that he was the host of the soul of the first Werewolf and he had killed Aizen in a life and death battle where the soul of the first Werewolf had been unleashed. The presence of the soul meant that he should take over the Clan, according to Stark, but he didn't want that, he wanted a peaceful life after everything that had happened.
He wanted to peaceful life, with his lover and their cubs. He felt a small amount of guilt, knowing that one of his cubs was now fatherless, despite Goat Face being a pain sometimes he wouldn't have been without him. He was saddened that one of his cubs would never know the man who was its biological father, but at the same time he knew that Stark would step into the roll and do the very best job he could.
Ichigo stretched leisurely and yawned again as he slowly swung his legs off the bed and stood up, rubbing his stomach again as another stabbing prang coursed through his belly and lower back. He shook it off and went to the bathroom to complete his usual morning routine.
He relieved himself and flushed the toilet before he turned to the sink and washed his hands before he set about brushing his teeth. He gritted his teeth his as stomach ache got slightly worse and he set his toothbrush in the holder and rubbed the side of his belly firmly.
Pausing suddenly as he felt a wetness running down his legs, he briefly wondered if he had failed to relieve himself properly before his eyes widened as realisation washed over him and he staggered from the bathroom to try and find his lover.
He groaned heatedly as he lurched from their room and began roaming the corridors, wishing he could remember where Yamamoto's office was as he was certain that was where he would find Stark. A cry escaped him suddenly and he held his stomach, leaning heavily on the wall and panting heavily as he was hit by another contraction.
Apparently drawn by the noises he was making, a door opened and revealed his redheaded Incubus friend who had been staying at the Estate until things died down. Though on closer inspection, Ichigo then saw the look of pain on Renji's face and a whimper escaped him.
"Not you too..." the strawberry whined.
"Y-yeah... I'm afraid so..." Renji groaned and hunched over slightly, "Byakuya and Stark are down the hall with Yamamoto together... We... We need to go... And find them..."
The two staggered together, helping each other down the corridor and each letting out the off groan of pain. They looked up as the door ahead opened and their lovers rushed out, having sensed the changes in their auras.
Ichigo was taken into the arms of his lover before he was scooped up and carried off in another direction, the strawberry fleetingly saw Byakuya doing the same thing and following them.
"Unohana is already here, she had been staying upstairs because you are both near your due dates, don't worry... Just relax." Stark said soothingly.
"Ugh... Pain relief... I want pain relief... Desperately..." he panted quietly.
"I know... Just take deep breaths... We are almost there... You are doing so well..." the brunet comforted as he dashed the last few feet and kicked open the door to the make shift delivery room.
The strawberry groaned heavily as he was laid on the bed and rolled onto his side, curling his body around his stomach and whining as it didn't seem to help at all. Stark rubbed his lover's back, glancing around ad watched as Byakuya carried Renji into the room opposite theirs before he let out a sigh of relief as Unohana arrived and hurried into the room.
"How far apart are the contractions?" she asked in a professional tone as she snapped on a pair of latex gloves and attached stirrups to the bottom of the bed.
"About... Every five minutes..." Ichigo panted as he rolled back onto his back.
"Alright, Stark, I need your help to get him changed into one of these gowns." The Witch told them sternly but supportively.
When Ichigo was changed and ready, his feet were placed into the stirrups and he was handed gas and air. Unohana felt his stomach and closed her eyes for a moment before she sighed heavily.
"We don't have time to set you up for the invasive deliveries that Abarai-san and myself told you about... I am going to give you this little potion and I need you to drink it in one go." She told Ichigo as she held up a phial of purple liquid.
"W-What? Why?" he asked as he took the phial.
"I can't perform a caesarean because you are too far along... So you have to deliver naturally. As Abarai-san told you I have a potion which allows your uterus and to create a channel to your... Rectal cavity, the potion loosens the muscles during the birth and allows you to push your cubs out as a woman would in this case." She explained quickly, "Now drink it."
"Oh my God... Oh My God... Oh my God!" he panicked, not wanting to drink the liquid and wanting to go back to sleep so this had never happened to start with, he popped the cap and downed the purple substance before handing the phial back to her.
"Very good, now try to relax and start sucking on the gas and air, it will help you along." She murmured, rubbing his shoulder gently.
Ichigo panted between contractions as they grew worse and sucked harder on the gas and air, wishing he had never been impregnated and wishing desperately that he wasn't giving birth 'naturally'.
Unohana stepped to the end of the bed and moved his legs slightly in the stirrups before she leaned down to check his progress, "Alright, you are coming along well, you are going to start needing to push soon so get yourself ready..."
"Come on love, you are doing so well." Stark said, kissing the top of his head and taking his free hand, "I am so proud of you."
Ichigo cried out as he bore down, pushing as hard as he could as the urge arrived; he arched restlessly and curled his toes as he felt movement within his body. His fingers clenched around Stark's and he began squeezing the life out of his hand. The support kept coming, as did the urges to push and the contractions as his body customised itself to the circumstances and tried to help him give birth.
It was around half an hour before he heard the first screams of one of his cubs, he slumped against the bed as he was given a moment's reprieve and he looked up at Stark; the man's eyes were shining with tears as he watched Unohana tie the umbilical cord before she cut it and wiped the cub down.
"A little boy, this is the Werewolf cub," she announced as she turned away to weigh the crying infant, "He is a healthy seven pounds six ounces."
"A son..." Stark breathed before he looked around as Ichigo started to groan again.
Getting back to the job, Unohana allowed one of her subordinates take over caring for the new born, they all flinched as they heard a high pitched cry from the room opposite and it appeared that Renji was reaching the final stages of his own labour.
Concentrating on her own work, she positioned herself back between Ichigo's legs and helped guide him through delivering the second cub. It took longer and there was a moment of panic when she discovered that the child was coming the wrong way around; she was forced to slide her hands into his body so that she could turn the cub and help it come smoothly.
Ichigo cried out and arched his back, tipped his head to one side as he bit down on his bottom lip, gasping out as he felt the pressure and the strain cease suddenly, glancing down as he saw the second cub in the woman's arms.
"W... What..." he faltered as Unohana turned away from them instantly and panic set in, "What's going on?!" he exclaimed.
"The second cub is much smaller than the brother, I need to clear the airway and try to start the heart." The woman responded over her shoulder.
Ichigo's eyes widened and welled up, feeling Stark wrap his arms around him tightly, "Please... Be okay..." he breathed as his eyes spilled over.
It took several long minutes, but finally a second cry broke through the deathly silence of the room and Ichigo let out a cry of relief in response. Unohana turned back to them and gave them a tired smile.
"The Incubus cub is a little girl, weighing five pounds and three ounces." She announced.
"A girl." Ichigo repeated and rested back on the pillows, fatigue washing over him like a mist.
"Well done, love I am so proud of you." Stark breathed, leaning down, and kissing his forehead.
"I..." he swallowed sleepily, "Will you..."
"Yes, I will love them both as my own. I already do." He reassured him, "Now rest... You need your strength."
A third wail of life echoed through from the room opposite and Ichigo looked up at Stark sleepily, "Byakuya and Renji are parents too..."
"Yes they are, it is a good day for everyone." He agreed.
Hours later, Ichigo was sat up in bed, Unohana had just confirmed that his temporary womb had been removed properly and he was 'all man' again, when Stark returned from informing Isshin and everyone else of the successful delivery.
Unohana left the pair alone with their new born cubs and shut the door to behind her; Ichigo yawned loudly and smiled at his lover, "So... How does parenthood feel?"
"Feels very good." The brunet responded as he leaned over and kissed him softly, "Your father was hysterical."
"I bet he blubbered the whole way through the conversation." He sighed.
"Yeah, that about sums it up." Stark laughed quietly, not wanting to wake their sleeping children.
His son had a thick mop of brown hair, his skin was lightly tanned and he was exceptionally long for a baby; there was no doubt at all that this was his biological child, though the cub had Ichigo's eyes. His son would be a heartbreaker for certain.
And his daughter, he truly loved her like his own, had a mess of orange hair just like Ichigo's, her skin tone was quite pale and she was a lot smaller than her brother. She was healthy despite her traumatic start to life, her heart beat was strong, and she was certainly beautiful. Examinations had shown that she had Aizen's eyes, but it didn't faze him, she was his daughter as much as she was Aizen's. And he was the one that was going to be raising her, considering her biological father's demise.
Ichigo rested back on the pillows, "I am scared that they are going to take her from me... Because of who her father is." He admitted.
"We won't let them, and neither would Byakuya or Renji." Stark promised.
"Why would it matter what they thought?"
"Byakuya became the Clan Leader when you killed Aizen, his wings grew larger and he became stronger. Renji is now his official second in command. A lot of things have changed."
"I... I didn't realise." He murmured, "I guess it couldn't be worse than what it was before though."
"No... I don't think anything would be worse." He agreed as he sat on the bed beside him and put an arm around him.
The strawberry rested against him and was dozing off when a knock at the door woke him and he saw Byakuya wheeling Renji in in a wheelchair. Ichigo's face cracked into a smile as he saw how tired Renji was, but also how proud he seemed. He remembered the redhead saying that it had been thought he couldn't bear children because of sickness in his childhood and damage to his body, but the small bundle in his arms was proof that they had been wrong.
"What have you got?" Ichigo asked as Renji was brought to a stop at the bedside.
"A girl." Renji responded, pride clear in his voice, "And you?"
"One of each." The strawberry answered, "The girl's heart wasn't beating when she was delivered but she is strong... Though a lot smaller than her brother. What does she look like?" he asked as he nodded to the bundle.
The redhead grinned and shifted his arms slightly, showing them the sleeping Incubus cub, she had Byakuya's hair and Renji's complexion; she opened her eyes a little and revealed amber-ish irises like Renji's.
"She is beautiful, congratulations." Ichigo said, looking at Byakuya, "Good going."
"Thank you." Byakuya's cheeks pinked slightly but he was smiling like they had never seen before.
"What do your two look like?" Renji asked.
Ichigo gestured to the two cots beside his bed, "The boy is of the Werewolf Clan, he has Stark's hair and skin but my eyes; and the girl is of the Incubus Clan, she had my hair and skin but Aizen's eyes." He told them.
"What names have you come up with?" Byakuya questioned as he took a seat at Renji's side, "We are considering naming this little one Katrina."
"Hmm," Ichigo looked up at Stark, "Well... For the boy we were considering Sebastian, and for the girl maybe Willow... They will both have Stark's surname so Sebastian Coyote, and Willow Coyote?"
"They sound very nice." Byakuya smiled, "They are lucky to have you."
"As is little Katrina." Stark said and shook his old friend's hand.
"And just think... All three of them share the same birthday... Joint parties are ahead." Ichigo laughed.
"Absolutely!" Renji agreed, "Sounds like a perfect idea!"