Unexpected Surprise

Little mewls and moans softly echoed around the bedroom as Minako laid on the bed, Jushiro straddling her nearly naked body as his hands worked the tired muscles of her back, "Mnnn oh gods... Have I ever told you that you had magical hands?" She asked in a dreamy voice as his fingers worked out the knots along her spine. Her skin felt so soft beneath his hands that we're going from her shoulder blades down to the small of her back, his thumbs pressing against the cute little dimples there to relieve the tension, earning him another sweet moan from her supple lips. After the sweet romantic date Jushiro surprised Minako with that night, their lives were nearly back to normal. Their grief was now at the acceptance stage and they were learning to move on with their lives. Of course they still thought of their baby often but now it wasn't so sad. They spent more time with Sakura and doting over her, much to the toddler's delight. Sakura was now learning to walk, still stumbling a bit but she was getting more and more steady on her feet and didn't need their help much anymore to get around. She even surprised them by babbling a "Dada" to which Jushiro was over the moon about and would often say it in hopes of her saying it back to him.

Chuckling, Jushiro leaned down to press a soft kiss to the back of Minako's shoulder, "I've been told on occasion. But it's always nice to keep hearing it." he answered her in a soft voice, sliding his hands back up to her shoulders once he was finished with her lower back. He was straddling her, nearly naked himself as he was wearing a pair of briefs. Night had fallen over the Sereitei and after a long day at work the two had settled for dinner at home and now Sakura was tucked into bed fast asleep and Jushiro was working up his charm by offering a massage. Of course Minako wasn't going to say no. He kissed the middle of her shoulder blades before pulling back, his dextrous fingers brushing down her spine which made her smile, "Feel better?" he asked her with a smile, making Minako giggle quietly.

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to say? Being your doctor and all?" she asked him as he moved off her so she could roll onto her back and Jushiro was quick to move back over her so he could lean down and steal a kiss from her lips, making Minako smile as she kissed him back.

"Heh, that is true. But I also have a job to take care of you as well. As your husband I have a duty to make sure my wife and children are in tip top shape." he said, Minako smiling as she reached up to brush her fingers along his cheek to which he nuzzled happily. Jushiro was always an overachiever when it came to performing as a husband and he never disappointed.

Minako sat up when he did and she ran her fingers through her hair before she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, "You're too good to me…" she murmured softly, Jushiro turning to catch her lips in a quick kiss, "You wanna take a shower? It's been quite a long day and I'd like to take one. Figured you'd like to join me~" she mused, brushing one of her fingers down his chest, enjoying feeling his muscles twitching beneath her touch.

"A shower sounds wonderful. I trained with some of the upper seats today and I'd like to get the smell of the training grounds off me." he said, making Minako giggle as she climbed off the bed with him, starting for the bathroom. She just reached the doorway when she heard a thump and then a terrible, hacking cough coming from him. She turned around to see him slumping to the ground, a hand covering his mouth now covered in blood that was dripping between his fingers. His lungs felt like they were burning. It was definitely a more aggressive attack this time around. Sometimes they were mild, other times they were severe. This time it was borderline severe and it nearly made him black out. He managed to stay conscious but his vision was blurring and he was leaning against the chest of drawers as his coughs continued to wrack his body, the familiar taste of copper hitting his tastebuds.

Immediately Minako was running to him and she dropped down to her knees beside him, "Jushiro!" she said with wide eyes, her hands immediately going to his chest and back to start emitting the healing kid, making his chest glow blue for a moment. Her frown only deepened when that seemed to have little effect and when his terrible coughs only continued she murmured a curse word before jumping up and running to the bedside table, pulling out a syringe and a vial of clear liquid. She quickly measured out the correct dosage and then rushed back to him, taking hold of his arm to push the needle inside his vein, pressing the top to push the liquid into his body. After the medicine took a minute or two to pump through his body his coughs slowly came to a stop. She grabbed a towel that was sitting on the dresser from a freshly folded pile and held it up so he could take it to wipe the blood off his hand, grabbing another one to wipe at his mouth.

Jushiro looked up at her with a weak but thankful smile, clearing his throat softly, "Thank you…" he murmured, his voice scratchy and hoarse. She nodded with a small smile and she reached up to brush his bangs from his face, tucking his long hair behind his ear.

"You're welcome…" she said, placing her hand on his chest again to try and use that soothing kidou now that his coughs had calmed down, "Can you stand?" she asked quietly, Jushiro nodding as he slowly moved to stand up, pressing his clean hand against the wall to help keep himself balanced. She her onto his other elbow to help support him, guiding him back to sit on the bed, "Okay… How about a bath instead of a shower?" she asked him with a sheepish smile, Jushiro returning it with one of his own.

"A bath sounds much better." he said, figuring he could relax more soaking in a bath rather than standing gin a shower. She kissed his forehead and went to the bathroom to get the water running, adding in some bat oils as well to make it more relaxing. Once the bath was ready she went back into the bedroom and walked him there, letting him pull off his briefs and she took of her panties before stepping down into the hot water, Jushiro following her lead. She sat back against the rim of the tub and motioned for him to lean back against her which he gladly did, tipping his head back to rest it on her shoulder.

She smiled softly as she took the sponge, getting it wet before dabbing it along his hair to wet it, "There we go… Just relax." she murmured softly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head while she ran her hands along his body, taking his bloody hand and wiping the crimson fluid off into the water. She grabbed the soap and began to wash him up, finally getting the shampoo to lather it into his hair, taking the sponge again to wash the suds out. Jushiro closed his eyes as he relaxed, very soothed by the feel of her hands gliding along his body. His chest still hurt from coughing but it was better. With a sigh Jushiro sank down further into the water, happily content as his wife took care of him, "How do you feel?" she asked him quietly as she rubbed his arm with her free hand.

He shrugged his shoulders and cleared his throat softly before glancing up at her, "I'm feeling a little better… I still feel weak but the pain has finally subsided. The bath has definitely helped too." he said to her, his hand casually running up and down her thigh that was resting against his side while they relaxed in the tub. After spending nearly half an hour soaking in the bath the water began to get cool so they decided to get out and once they were dried off she walked back into the bedroom with him to lay down, not even worrying about putting on clothes. Minako laid down on the bed and welcomed him into her arms to curl up with her, laying his head on her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. She pulled the blankets over their bodies and hr hand went to stroke his hair. He sighed contently as they laid there, closing his tired eyes, "I'm sorry Minako… for being such a burden to you…"

Minako blinked and looked down at Jushiro, smiling softly as she wrapped her arms around him, her hand stroking his snow white hair, "What are you saying? A burden?" she asked him, hooking a finger beneath his chin to tilt his features up so he'd look at her, "Who took care of me when I was left alone and pregnant? Who stayed with me through my entire pregnancy and who claimed Sousuke Aizen's child as his own and who has helped me raise her? You've helped me through the most confusing time of my life and we even fell in love during that journey. So no, Jushiro Ukitake… you are no burden. You are my husband and as such I will love you and take care of you until my last breath." she told him, making him smile softly before he moved to loom above her, bending down to kiss her deeply.

Pulling away from the kiss a few moments later, he pressed his forehead against hers with a small smile on his lips, "That makes me very happy to hear." he told her quietly before settling back down, one of his hands lacing together with hers as they laid beneath the covers. He yawned softly and hummed, glancing over to the clock, "I feel like an old man going to bed this early. It can't be helped though." he said quietly, making Minako chuckle.

"I think we can make up for it another time. Besides, when you have a toddler any extra sleep is wonderful." she mused, making him smile lightly. He had to agree with her there. She reached over to turn the lamp off and then snuggled down with him under the covers, closing her eyes as she too yawned quietly, "Try and get some rest. In the morning I can make you some more tea again to go with your breakfast." she said, Jushiro nodding slightly and murmuring a good night to her before he slowly drifted off to sleep, soothed by Minako brushing her fingers through his hair.

SEVERAL WEEKS LATER

As the weeks went by the weather was slowly warming up. The chilly days soon gave way to spring and more and more flowers and trees began to bloom, coloring the Soul Society in beautiful colors. The grass began to grow lush and green while the trees filled with emerald leaves and colorful blooms, some bearing fruit that would be picked and eaten by those who came across it. However, with flowers also came pollen and with pollen came dreaded allergies. Often times Minako found herself having sneezing fits and on occasion came down with a cold or two. Of course, being the doting husband that he was, Jushiro happily took care of her, nursing her back to health and making sure she made a full recovery. Just a short time later, maybe two or three weeks, Minako was feeling crummy again but decided to take a pain killer and go to work anyways. There was much to do as there would be a reconnaissance mission that she would be leading. Jushiro offered to go with her but she wouldn't have it. She appreciated his concern but it would be her first mission to lead a group and she wanted to see it through herself. It wasn't anything too big. There was a district in the lower parts where a garganta opened itself up and hollows were breaking through. She was to lead the small group chosen to accompany her and they were to take care of the hollows and destroy the garganta. The group assembled at Squad Thirteen's main gates, Minako making double sure everyone was present. Jushiro was there too, but only to see them off, "You sure you don't want me to go?" he asked her as he looked her way.

Nodding her head, Minako looked up at Jushiro and gave him a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine Jushiro. It's a simple mission. Just some hollows to take care of. I'll be back by lunch and we can go to your favorite place in District 1." she told him, Jushiro sighing softly with a smile before leaning down to give her a kiss on the lips.

"I know you will be. I just can't help but worry. I'll hold you to that promise. I'll have a table reserved and everything." he mused, making her chuckle.

"Sounds good to me." she said back to him before turning to look at the small squad she was leading, "Are you ready to move out? We can't waste any more time. The sooner we get there the sooner we can take care of these hollows and get back here." she said, pulling her hair back into a ponytail before walking towards the gate, "Let's head out!" she instructed, the shinigami giving a resounding "Yes ma'am" before following after her. Once they were outside the gates, Minako glanced back to Jushiro and gave a little wave before they all disappeared in a flash step. The journey only took a few minutes. Using flash step made the travel time a lot quicker and it was only ten or so minutes later that the group arrived in the afflicted district. Minako looked around, noticing that the streets were pretty much deserted, the sounds of hollows' cries in the distance. Minako turned to look at them, pointing to two of the shinigami, "Split up into groups of two and span out. We need to deal with these hollows quickly." she said to them, watching them all pair up before they went their separate ways, "Keep a sharp eye out. You may come across groups of hollows. Act accordingly and signal if you need backup." she said, getting a partner herself before she ventured out into the wooded area where she felt the presence of a hollow approaching. She dimmed her reatsu to make herself less detectable and once she spotted it she flashed towards it, jumping up into the air before coming down on it with a hard swing, "Hyaah!" she called out, her zanpakuto ripping down the beast's mask, effectively splitting it in two. The hollow roared and reared back on it's hind legs before dissolving, the rats of it disappearing with it. Her partner took care of another that showed up, quickly killing it as well, "Good job. Let's keep going." she said, turning around when she felt dizzy all of a sudden. She leaned against a nearby tree and pressed a hand against her forehead, closing her eyes until the dizziness passed and her vision was clear once more.

The shinigami aiding her ran to her with a concerned look on her face, "Lieutenant! Are you okay?" she asked her, Minako nodding and giving her a slight smile.

"I'll be all right. Don't worry over me. We need to continue." she said, pushing off from the tree to walk further into the woods. After about an hour or so most of the hollows were taken care of. There were still a few though that were hiding rather well and they still hadn't located the garganta. Walking along a path Minako stopped, listening around them. Her hand gripped her zanpakuto harder as she looked around, "Be on your toes… it's far too quiet around here for my liking." she murmured to the shinigami who nodded and looked around them. The pain in Minako's head was slowly growing worse and the dizziness began to appear again, this time with a small bout of nausea. She took deep breaths, trying to keep steady. She wasn't paying attention and before she could react two long red vine looking ropes came rushing at her. Her partner quickly reacted and jumped in front of Minako, using her blade to slice the vines up, a hollow roaring in pain as it charged towards them. Minako went to jump into action but the sudden movement caused a ringing in her ears and the dizziness hit her hard, making her sway before she fell to a knee.

"Lieutenant!" she said, jumping around to evade the hollow's attacks which only aggravated it more. The hollow roared out again but not without attracting even more hollows which soon had them surrounded. Several shinigami heard and felt the commotion and appeared to help. Over to the side was the gargantuan, hollows slowly escaping from it only to go attack the shinigami who fought back with everything they had.

But Minako could barely fight. She suddenly felt weak and exhausted and the dizziness wasn't letting up. The nausea hit again and this time caused her to empty her stomach by a nearby bush, "What's going on…?" she asked in a mutter, trying to stand up to attack but a hollow too its claw and knocked her backwards only to hit a tree, knocking the wind out of her and her vision to go white for a split moment. She fell to her hands and knees, one shinigami rushing to her aid while the others fought the hollows, a few trying to seal the garganta. Minako could feel her conscious fading and she slowly sank down on her side. The last thing she heard was a familiar voice releasing his zanpakuto and a familiar white haired man charging into the fight with the hollows. At that point everything went black.

When Minako awoke, she found herself in a white washed room, dressed in a hospital gown with an IV in one arm and a heart monitor on the other. As her senses began to clear her nose picked up the familiar scent of Squad Four and when her eyes focused she realized she was in a room, "Mnnn…" she groaned softly, reaching up to press a hand to her forehead.

Almost immediately a soft, cool cloth was pressed against her forehead and she looked up with her platinum eyes to see Jushiro standing beside her, a soft smile on his face, "You gave us quite a scare there…" he said quietly as he dabbed the cloth across her forehead and al little on her cheeks. She tired to sit up but Kushiro's free hand gently pressed on her shoulder, "No no… you need to rest. You've been asleep for three hours now." he told her, Minako blinking as she looked up at him.

"Three hours…? What happened? Where's my squad? Are they okay?" she began to ask, her sudden jolt of worry causing her heart monitor to speed up but Jushiro sat down on the bed and calmly shushed her.

"Easy Minako… They're all fine and accounted for. The hollows have been taken care of and the garganta has been sealed." he quickly explained to help her relax, "What do you remember last?" he asked her, his wife sighing as she thought back.

"I remember finding the nest… There were a lot of them… I got… really dizzy and nauseous… A hollow knocked me back against a tree and I just remember hearing you and seeing you before I blacked out… I don't know what happened… I'm sorry." she said but Jushiro smiled softly and reached out to stroke her hair.

Jushiro leaned down to kiss her forehead, shaking his own head slightly, "Don't apologize. It happens. The important thing is is that you and the rest of the squad are safe and the district can come out of hiding. You completed your mission." he said to her, turning his head to the door when he heard a soft knock.

Standing in the door way was Captain Unhand, holding Mink's charts in her hand as she entered the room, "May I come in?" she asked, the couple nodding to her. She approached the bed and smiled lightly to her, "You gave Jushiro a scare. He came running in here with you shouting and carrying on. I thought I was going to have to give him a sedative." she tesased, Jushiro blushing slightly as he gave the captain a sheepish smile, "We did some blood work and ran some tests since you've been sick on and off these past few weeks. We've been able to determine what is causing it, and it isn't allergies." she said, Minako looking at Unohana with a confused look.

"What do you mean? They weren't allergies?" she asked her, Unohana shaking her head with a soft smile as she handed Minako her charts to look over herself, particularly one test result listed near the bottom of the page.

"No my dear. You're nine weeks pregnant."

And there you have it! Another update in... less than a month? Wow. I couldn't help myself. I wanted to get another chapter out to you guys as a major thank you to your support. 3 Please please drop a review. I would love to hear what you thought about these chapters as it's been so long since I've written for anything. Have I improved? Have my writing skills gone down any? I only want to give you the best I can give but I don't know if I am if you don't give reviews. Once again, thank you all for your love and support, especially through my low points in these last few years. I love you all and hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! :)

Byakuya'sGirl90210