Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach, just borrowing the characters for my own amusement
A/N- hey, it's the one year anniversary of this fic! I posted the first chapter on March 17, 2008. I can't believe that I've actually had a story on going for this long, it's a record for me. I normally don't have the attention span for long fics, my second longest Enemy in Soul Society is only 21 chapters and I finished it in four months. Thanx to everyone who reads and enjoys this fic and extra special thanx to the people who review. Made it to over 300!! You guys rock!
Chapter Thirty-Eight- New Arrival
"I can't believe this," Ichigo muttered as he paced around the small room where he and several members of his family were awaiting news on Rukia's condition. The baby had decided to make an appearance early that morning and at two o'clock Ichigo had been awakened from a sound sleep by his wife's gentle nudging. When he'd opened one eye, to find out exactly what the problem was, Rukia had whispered, "We have to go to Soul Society. It's time."
Instantly fully awake, Ichigo had called his father to tell him the news and then he had roused his son from sleep. Together the small family had quickly traveled to Soul Society where Rukia went into the care of Squad Four and her husband and son went into a small room to wait. Ichigo had felt nauseous ever since.
"Dad," Shiro said from the spot where he was reading a book, or at least trying to read a book. "Pacing around this room isn't going to speed things up so would you please just sit down?"
It was a sign of how stressed Ichigo really was that he obeyed this command from his son without comment or argument. Shiro went back to reading his book however he sighed in resignation as his Dad jumped to his feet not five minutes later and resumed his pacing.
"You may as well give it up Shiro-kun," Karin Kurosaki said from her spot across the room. She, along with her sister and their father, had joined the vigil in Squad Four about three hours ago. "He's not going to stop until the baby gets here so you're just wasting your breath."
Shiro debated the words of his aunt for a few minutes and then a slight glint appeared in his blue-green eyes. "I know how we can make him stop."
Isshin shook his head, noticing the gleam in his grandson's blue-green eyes and realizing what he had in mind. "Not a good idea Shiro. Your dad's already suffered too much head trauma in his lifetime."
Shiro sighed. "If you say so Gramps."
The group lapsed into silence at this point, each person lost in their own thoughts, however they were jarred from these thoughts by a light knock on the door. Ichigo shifted a wide-eyed gaze toward the door, halting his pacing mid-step.
"Calm down Dad," Shiro said with a sigh. "The people from Squad Four wouldn't knock." Raising his voice slightly the young boy called out, "Come in."
The door of the small room slid open and Hinamori and Hisagi stepped inside. "How are things going?" Hinamori asked, offering the group a small smile.
"Last we heard Mom was doing fine but the baby hadn't arrived yet," Shiro told her as she sat down. "And Dad needs a couple of Valium but other than that we're all fine."
Chuckling softly to herself Hinamori turned her gaze toward Ichigo. "Why are you so nervous Ichigo? You already have a son."
"I know," Ichigo said, in a voice that was almost a whimper. "That's why I'm nevous. I don't know if I can handle two of them."
"You have to Ichi-nii," Karin said with a smirk. "You don't have a choice in the matter."
Saying nothing Ichigo went back to his pacing.
"So exactly how long is this likely to take?" Shiro asked as he watched his dad walk the familiar path back and forth across the room. Pretty soon there was going to be an indentation in the floor from one end of the room to the next.
"It depends," Isshin said in a thoughtful tone of voice. "Your grandmother was in labor for nearly nineteen hours with your dad."
"Ugh," Shiro exclaimed. They'd already been in this tiny room for nearly eight hours and Shiro didn't know how much more he could take. Feeling slightly anxious the young boy suddenly jumped to his feet. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back."
Shiro wasn't sure if his dad had even registered the statement however Ichigo didn't tell him that he couldn't go and that was good enough for the boy. Walking across the room he slid the door open and stepped out into the hallway. "Thank goodness," Shiro muttered to himself as he began walking down the hallway. "I was beginning to feel claustrophobic."
Without a clear destination in mind Shiro began walking down a hallway in Squad Four. He had no idea where he was going but he knew that he had to get as far away from that claustrophobic little room as possible before the state of his sanity took a decided turn for the worse. At this point he definitely couldn't handle that.
As the young boy walked down the hallway a door suddenly opened and Isane stepped out. She paused in her tracks as her gaze fell upon the young boy and she offered Shiro a smile. "Hey Shiro-chan," she said in a quiet voice.
"Hello," Shiro said, hoping that his presence hadn't disturbed anything. "I'm sorry. . ."
"It's okay Shiro-chan," Isane said, her smile growing wider. "I was actually on my way to see you guys." Stepping back inside the doorway she motioned for the young boy to follow her. "Come with me Shiro-chan."
Shiro hesitated, his eyes holding an uncertain expression.
"Come on," Isane said in a reassuring voice.
Shiro took a deep breath and followed Isane into the room. It took a couple of minutes for his eyes to adjust to the semi darkness of the room and when his vision cleared he saw Captain Unohana standing beside a bed and as he stepped closer he saw the face of his mother. Rukia looked more exhausted than he'd ever seen her but she also looked extremely happy.
Rukia smiled as her gaze fell upon her son. "Hey Shiro-chan. Come over here and meet your siblings."
"Siblings. . ." Shiro thought to himself as he stepped closer to his mother's bed. The young boy stepped up to the bedside and gazed down at the two bundles that his mother held in her arms. "Twins," he said with a small smile on his face.
Rukia nodded. "What do you think your Dad will think about that?"
"He's gonna have a stroke," Shiro replied. "He's already on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown and he thinks that you're only having one baby. This news is gonna make him need meds."
"Well," Captain Unohana said in her quiet voice. "I suppose I should go and collect the new father."
Rukia nodded and Isane came to stand beside her captain. "I'll come with you."
The two Squad Four officers left the room, leaving Rukia alone with her three children. Shiro once again gazed down at the two blanket wrapped forms and he noticed that one of the sleeping twins had the black hair of their mother while the other had Ichigo's bright orange hair.
"So Shiro-chan," Rukia said softly, gazing up at her eldest son with a loving expression in her eyes. "Now you have a brother and a sister."
Shiro smiled. He'd told everyone that he didn't have a preference however he found that he liked the thoughts of having both a little brother and a little sister. He felt a sense of love build up inside him, as well as a tremendous desire to protect the two tiny creatures that Rukia held in her arms.
"Would you like to hold one of them?" Rukia asked, noticing the intense expression in Shiro's blue-green eyes as he gazed down at his newborn siblings.
Shiro hesitated, his eyes widening.
"It's okay Shiro-chan," Rukia said as she held one of the blanket wrapped bundles out to her son. "She won't bite."
"I was more worried about hurting them," Shiro whispered as he carefully took his newborn sister into his arms and gazed down at her angelic face.
"You won't hurt her," Rukia whispered in a reassuring voice. "Babies are more durable than most people think. Just cradle her in your arms and make sure that you support her head."
Shiro nodded and watched as the baby opened her eyes and gazed up at him. The little girl had the clearest violet eyes that he had ever seen, almost an exact match for her mother's. "Hey," he said in a soft voice.
The door opened at this point and Shiro stepped back into the shadows as his dad stepped inside the room and rushed over to Rukia's bedside. "How are you feeling Rukia?"
"I'm wonderful Ichigo," Rukia said in a contented voice, smiling up at her husband.
Ichigo nodded and his gaze went to the bundle that lay beside Rukia. He reached out a hand and tentatively touched the black hair of the infant.
"Meet your son Ichigo," Rukia said in a quiet voice, a soft smile appearing on her face.
"I can't believe it," Ichigo murmured.
"That's not even the half of it Dad," Shiro spoke up as he stepped out of the shadows and rejoined his family at his mother's bedside.
Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as his gaze fell upon the bundle that Shiro held in his arms. He turned back to Rukia, a disbelieving look on his face. "T. . . two of them?"
Rukia nodded, her smile widening. "Meet your daughter."
Ichigo's gaze shifted once again to the infant that Shiro held in his arms and his eldest son gently placed the baby girl in his arms. Ichigo stared down into the clear violet eyes of his daughter, his gaze also taking in her pale skin and orange hair.
"How could Squad Four not have known that there were two of them?" Ichigo asked as he continued to stare down at the little girl that he was holding so tenderly in his arms.
"Well actually," Rukia began, sounding almost guilty. "Captain Unohana told me several months ago that we were having twins but I wanted it to be a surprise."
"Well I was definitely surprised," Ichigo said, willing to forgive his wife anything at this particular moment.
"So what should we name them?" Rukia asked.
"I. . . I have no clue," Ichigo stammered. Of course he'd thought about baby names, both boy and girl since Rukia had been adamant on the gender of their baby being kept a secret, however now that he knew there were two of them he was at a loss.
"Well I've been thinking," Rukia said, her soft-eyed gaze going to the little girl that he held in his arms. "And if it's okay with you I'd like to name our daughter Masaki."
Ichigo smiled at his wife as she professed her desire to name their daughter after his deceased mother. He nodded his head in agreement, his smile widening as he gazed down into the tiny face of the infant that he held in his arms. "Masaki," he whispered. Ichigo held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few minutes and then he turned his attention back to Rukia. "I think that we should name our son Kaien."
It was Rukia's turn to smile softly at Ichigo's choice of names for their son. Kaien had been the first person to treat her like a normal Shinigami after she'd been adopted into the Kuchiki family and although he was gone he would always hold a special place in her heart. "Kaien," she murmured, gazing down at the infant that was dozing in her arms.
"Kaien and Masaki," Shiro thought to himself. His new brother and sister.
"So should we let the rest of the family come in and get to know the little ones?" Rukia asked her husband in a quiet tone of voice.
Ichigo nodded and made a move to hand Masaki back to her mother however Shiro quickly spoke up. "I'll go and tell them that they can come and visit." And with that the young boy hurried across the room and stepped out into the hallway.
"So how did he react to his new siblings?" Ichigo asked, pushing aside his own shock and addressing his eldest son.
"When Shiro saw them he got this really intense look in his eyes," Rukia said, a thoughtful expression appearing in her eyes as her mind flashed back to the moment Shiro had met the twins. "This may sound strange but I think that he would gladly die for them."
"It doesn't sound strange at all," Ichigo said as he thought back to the day that his twin sisters Karin and Yuzu had been born. He had first hand experience with the protective big brother gene and knew exactly what had passed through Shiro's mind.
As Shiro made his way down the hallway, back to the room where the rest of his family as well as Hisagi and Hinamori were waiting, his thoughts flashed back to the two newest additions to his family. Kaien and Masaki. He couldn't believe that he now had not one sibling but two. "Poor Dad," he thought to himself, thinking that with twins there would be twice as much trouble.
When Shiro arrived at the waiting room he slid the door open and stuck his head through the doorway. "Would you guys like to go meet the new arrival?"
Everyone immediately jumped to their feet and Shiro led the way back to the room where his family was waiting. Opening the door slowly Shiro called out in a quiet voice, "Here's the rest of the family."
The group entered the room and Yuzu was the first to notice that both Ichigo and Rukia held a small bundle in their arms and her eye lit up. "Twins!" she exclaimed in a quiet voice, rushing over to the spot where her brother stood with his daughter in his arms. "Congratulations," she said as she wrapped her arms around Ichigo.
"Thanks," Ichigo said as his sister gave Rukia a hug.
Everyone else crowded around the bedside and Ichigo and Rukia introduced them to the newest additions to the Kurosaki family.
"Guys," Ichigo said in a quiet voice as his gaze shifted to each person in turn. "We'd like to introduce you to Kaien and Masaki Kurosaki."
Isshin was brought to the verge of tears when he heard that Ichigo and Rukia had named their newborn daughter after his wife and as he gazed at the orange haired princess that Ichigo held in his arms he knew that Masaki would be so proud of their son and would love his family with all her heart.
A/N - Fluff! aw, now Shiro has siblings. We should all observe a moment of silence for Ichigo since his life will never be the same. (cue maniacal laughter) Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.