Cravings and Body Changes
"What do you mean you want to keep the gender a surprise?!" Tokinei asked with a pout as she put her hands on her hips, Minako laughing softly as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, Jushiro and I both thought about it and we said we wouldn't mind either gender so long as the baby was healthy and so together we decided we wanted to keep the gender unknown until the birth." She said, lifting her cup of hot tea to her lips so she could take a sip of it. Both women were relaxing on the porch of Minako's home, overlooking the pond that was nearby. Sakura was down for her afternoon nap and Jushiro was running some errands for a while.
Tokinei grumbled cutely and put her tea cup down so she could cross her arms over her chest with a little huff, "But I wanna know if I need to get little pink booties or blue! I had a whole plan mapped out!" She said, making Minako laugh softly as she leaned against the wall.
"You can get yellow or green. Or just wait until the baby arrives to buy him or her the booties. I'm sure the boutique or baby store will still have plenty when thcatche baby arrives." She mused with a little smile, reaching over to pat Tokinei's back, the woman hanging her head with a pout and an invisible rain cloud over her head. Minako's hand then moved to her stomach, "It's still hard to believe... We're having a baby... I'm excited... But I'm a little nervous too."
Her sister in law smiled and reached over to place a hand on her leg, giving it a little squeeze, "It's perfectly normal to feel nervous. Even if it's not your first child, you're still gonna be nervous. But once you see your baby, it's just gonna melt away." She said, humming as she crossed her arms, "I remember when I had my little boy. He looked so tiny and fragile. But he was so perfect... Now he's a little hellion who doesn't like to wear pants and likes to terrorize the fish in the koi pond." She muttered, making Minako laugh brightly which in turn had Tokinei laughing along with her. Minako took another sip of her tea, humming quietly as she closed her eyes.
"I only found out three weeks ago that I'm pregnant and I'm already eager to see my baby... I keep going through different combinations of features to imagine what he or she would look like. If the baby will have my eyes or his, my hair or his hair, if it's his hair will it be white or black, on and on and on." She mused, Tokinei tapping her chin before smiling and pointing to her own eyes which where a beautiful dark green.
"You never know~ The baby could have green eyes! The Ukitake eyes as mom used to say. Jushiro and our little sister Megumi are the only two siblings who didn't get them. They both have Mom's brown eyes." She told her, making her hum in thought and then it made her smile. She could see her baby having pretty green eyes and black or white hair. The thought made her smile without realizing it.
"That would be nice... Pretty green eyes with red, black or white hair. I imagine if the baby got his hair it would be black seeing as that's what it was before it turned white from the tuberculosis attack." Minako mused, poking her belly with a finger as she looked down, "Ugh why do you have to take nine months to cook in there? Cats only take like two months! It's not fair~" she whined blinking and looking to the side when she heard foot steps.
Walking down the porch with a smile on his face was Jushiro, a few bags in his hands from his errands, "I leave my wife with you for just a few hours and I come back and she's pouting. What did you do?" He asked his little sister, only teasing of course.
She stuck her tongue out at him and put her hands on her hips, "What makes you think I made her upset? Maybe she just missed you too much. Or the baby is just throwing her hormones all out of whack." She retorted, making Jushiro chuckle as he opened the door to go put the things away and then he came back out with his own cup of tea, a packet of medicine mixed in with it. He sat down beside Minako who instantly leaned against him, curling her legs beneath her.
"I'm just teasing. I got some groceries for dinner tonight. I thought I'd cook something nice for us." He said as he wrapped an arm around Minako to hold her close, said woman mewling contention as she nuzzled his shoulder with her cheek.
"That sounds perfect~ I'll eat whatever you cook." She said, always loving when he cooked since he usually made something delicious. Unlike her last pregnancy, she hadn't had even half the morning sickness that she did with Sakura. She had maybe one or two bouts with it but she'd had a fairly good appetite and her energy was back up now that she knew what was going on. Once she was entering her second trimester Unohana lifted the bed rest order and Jushiro finally relented and let her return to Squad 13. He was quite adamant about her staying off her feet while she was under bed rest and was at her every beck and call when he was home with her. Some days just so she wouldn't be left at home alone she'd go to the office with him but would sit on the couch in his office and read. Sometimes he'd let her help with the paperwork but even then she'd have to ask. He wouldn't let her lift a finger and doted on her left and right.
The couple visited with Tokinei for another hour or so until it got late in the afternoon and finally she figured it was time for her to return home. They said their goodbyes and waved her off, then they both returned inside where Sakura was up and waiting for someone to come get her. Jushiro volunteered and disappeared down the hall and came back a minute or two later with a bouncing redhead on his hip, "Someone is definitely ready for some play time," he said with a smile, placing her down on the floor in the den so she could play with the toys left out from earlier. He walked over to Minako and pulled her to him, making her meep softly as she looked up at him, "Now~ I didn't get to properly say hello." He said, his voice deep and velvety which only helped make Minako melt as he dipped down to kiss her, smirking faintly when he heard the delightful mewling noise she made as her hands wrapped around him.
"Mnn well hello..." She murmured back in a quiet voice, stealing another kiss from him before pulling back, "How did your errands go?" She asked quietly, keeping her arms wrapped loosely around his lower back. He had that familiar scent of a subtle spice with his natural musk.
He shrugged his shoulders and cast her a handsome smile, "As well as expected. I was going to go by Shunsui's but according to Lieutenant Ise he was out napping somewhere. I shouldn't have been surprised but I said I'd catch him another time. I'll try again tomorrow during lunch. If he was napping I wouldn't want to interrupt him." He explained with a chuckle as he moved to start pulling the things he bought out of the bags he brought them home in, pulling out a black velvet box that fit in the palm of his hand, "I saw something today that I thought you'd like. I couldn't resist." He said as he held it out for her to take. Minako blinked and smiled as he passed he velvet box to her.
When she opened it her eyes widened and she gasped softly. Laid inside was a beautiful wooden hair pin that had small swirls and patterns carved into the arch, a few decorative wooden flowers adorning the corner that were painted a soft pink and purple, "Jushiro..." She murmured softly as she lifted the pin out of the case, turning it ever which way to examine the beautiful craftsmanship of it. The wood was smooth and polished with a gloss as were the carved flowers. The details were exquisite and you could see each paint stroke the artist used to paint the flowers.
Jushiro smiled softly as he watched her reaction. He was glad she liked it, "It's not much... But I thought it was beautiful and would look lovely in your hair." He said, slowly reaching down to take the pin from her so he could pin her hair back on one side. Minako walked over to look into a mirror and she looked back at him when he followed behind her. Jushiro was always one to do things like this. Surprise her with little things that she absolutely adored. He always called them simple or not much when to her they were everything. He showered her in these little gifts often, something she wasn't used to her from her past relationships. He was spoiling her really but she was loving every minute of it.
"It's perfect. Thank you." She said, leaning up to kiss him to which he happily obliged, "I love it." She whispered after pulling back from the kiss, helping him unload the rest of the groceries before heading into the den to relax, "Have you told Captain Kyouraku the news yet?" She asked him as they sat down on the couch to watch Sakura as she played.
He shook his head as he reclined on the couch, Minako draping her legs over his while his arms wrapped back around her, "Not yet. I was planning on waiting until after you started your second trimester to tell anyone else." He said, Minako nodding. She could understand that.
"I don't blame you. We only have a few more days before I'm there. Then you can shout it to the world." She mused, teasing of course but it made Jushiro laugh and he grinned at her.
"Oh, I plan on it. I'll shout 'My boys can swim! My boys can swim!' And let everyone know." He teased which made Minako laugh brightly, a soft blush appearing on her cheeks.
"Okay I don't think you have to go /that/ far. People can deduct that on their own." She stated, Jushiro running his hand up and down her leg since they were both draped over his lap. She hummed and tipped her head to rest it on the back of the couch, "You know what would be good for dinner?" She asked, Jushiro looking at her with a quizzical look on his face, "Edamame with hot sauce and onigiri topped in wasabi." She said, Jushiro raising an eyebrow while trying not to make a face.
"Okay... So cravings are setting in I see." He mused, a little amused at the food combinations she could come up with. She sounded like Orihime would with food whenever she was wanting a meal.
When he pointed out her odd craving she blushed softly and poked her fingers together, "S-sorry. I don't know why I have these odd cravings. I just get something on my mind and I just want it." She said to him, Jushiro chuckling as he leaned over to kiss her forehead.
"I'm just teasing you darling. There's no need to apologize." He told her, reaching up to brush his fingers down her fiery locks, "If that's what you want then I'll make it for you. I might make something different for myself and Sakura but if you want edamame and hot sauce and onigiri and wasabi then I'll make it for you." He said, making her blink cutely.
"You'd really make it for me?" She asked, getting a nod from Jushiro and a reassuring smile, "I mean... I won't stop you from making it but I'd be fine with whatever you had planned to cook tonight. I don't want to ruin your dinner plans." She said quietly. If she made him cook something different than what he went to the store for then she'd feel bad about it and she didn't want that.
Her musings made Jushiro smile and he leaned down to kiss her silent, "I'll cook you whatever you want, however weird it sounds." He teased, making her giggle quietly before she hummed in thought, tapping her chin as she leaned against the back of the couch.
"I say just surprise me. You're an amazing cook so I could just bug you with cravings later on." She teased back which had him laughing next as he kissed her forehead and then headed to the kitchen.
"Deal." He said, looking back at her to wink before he disappeared into the next room to start up dinner for his two girls.
Shunsui hummed softly as he idly tried to distract himself from the paperwork Nanao had dumped in front of him, peeking over to her as she worked on her own paperwork, "My stack is bigger than your stack Nanao-chan. So mean to give me more~" he said with a little pout, Nanao raising an eyebrow as she looked back over him.
"My stack is smaller than yours because you haven't sign a single paper captain. I gave us an equal amount, you've just been looking around like a cat trying to look for a fly to catch." she answered him, Shunsui huffing playfully as he leaned back in his seat.
"Paperwork isn't my forte. I need a little inspiration to help me along. Maybe if my pretty Nanao-chan agrees to a date with me I'll finish these papers~" he said in a sing song voice which made her sigh and shake her head.
"Then those papers would never get finished." she answered simply which made him nearly fall over.
"So mean Nanao-chan…" he grumbled quietly, looking over to the door when he heard a knock and then he hummed a 'Come in' and Jushiro walked inside the office, making him grin, "Jushiro! Perfect timing!" he said as he stood up from his desk, quickly moving to his friend to hook his elbow with his, "Let's go for a walk!" he said, Nanao jumping up with a frown.
"Captain! Your work!" she protested but the two were already gone. She sank back down into her chair and she sighed deeply, "That man…." she grumbled quietly, running her fingers through her bangs.
Jushiro blinked as he was nearly dragged away from the office and he chuckled, "What's going on? Trying to avoid paperwork again?" he teased him as they headed out into the gardens that were behind the division. Once they were a good distance inside them Jushiro stopped, "So, I wanted to tell you some news." he said as they started to walk along the pathways. Shunsui tucked his hands into the sleeves of his hoary, tipping his head as he looked at him, raising an eyebrow when he saw the soft smile Jushiro had on his face, "Minako's pregnant." he said to him, Shunsui's eyes widening.
"She is?" he asked him, Jushiro nodding as his smile grew.
"Yeah… She's twelve weeks along now. She passed out on a mission a few weeks ago and went to the Fourth Division for care and Captain Unohana discovered she was pregnant. We decided to wait until she finished her first trimester to start telling people. The only one besides Retsu who knew that early on was Tokinei." he said, Shunsui grinning as he reached up to pat Jushiro on the back, Jushiro grunting but smiling.
"Well! That's great news! Congratulations Jushiro. Here you are starting a family and I still can't get Nanao to go on a date with me. I'm not getting any younger." he said, making Jushiro chuckle as he shook his head, humming before giving him a little smirk.
"Here's an idea. Challenge her. I know you loathe paperwork but use it to your advantage. Make a deal with her. If you finish it within a certain amount of time then she goes on an outing with you. Don't call it a date. She might agree to it then." he suggested, Shunsui tapping his chin in thought.
After a moment or two he smiled, "That's not a bad idea. It might actually work." he said, Jushiro chuckling as he shook his head. He didn't think he'd actually take him seriously but if it worked then it worked. Nanao was very stubborn and very dedicated to her work so he figured she wouldn't give in so easily, especially to someone like Shunsui Kyouraku, "So, you guys hoping for a boy or girl?" he asked him, changing the subject back to Jushiro and his growing family.
He shrugged his shoulders and gave him a warm smile, "Well, we said as long as the baby is healthy we don't care what the gender is but I think we're both secretly leaning towards a boy." he told him, Shunsui smirking as he nudged him with his elbow.
"Then I'll secretly root for team blue too." he told him with a big smile, Jushiro thanking him with a smile of his own. Jushiro really would't mind either gender. All he cared about was Minako having a smooth pregnancy and that both she and the baby would be healthy and happy.
The two friends walked around for several minutes chatting before Jushiro went silent for a moment and then he looked over to his best friend, a small smile on his face, "I just feel lucky you know? Most of my life I felt… broken. Having tuberculosis was really the deal breaker when it came to being romantically involved with anyone. It made me feel like I was broken goods. I was jealous of you for a long time… Not in a bad way… Just jealous that you always had women who flocked to you and fawned over you and women practically ran from me when I told them of my illness. It just… makes me happy that Minako saw past that." he said, blushing lightly as he felt silly for saying such a thing but it was true. Minako never ran. Hesitant, yes, but only because Jushiro was not only her patient but her superior. It wasn't his illness that made her hesitant. Minako looked past his illness and got to know him, what made him tick. She didn't know him as a man with a disease. She knew him as Jushiro Ukitake, the Captain of the 13th Division.
Shunsui listened to Jushiro as he explained what he was feeling and it mad him smile, reaching out to put his hand on his shoulder to give it a squeeze, "I can understand that. Sometimes women can be shallow and see sickness as weakness. Which, I mean obviously shouldn't be the case since you're a captain of the damn Gotei 13 and have been for what… nearly a thousand years now? Besides, if they truly got to know you and stuck around they'd find out about that secret little thing acting as your lungs." he said as he poked the middle of his chest, "All that matters now is that you'e found a woman, a beautiful woman, who doesn't care. I mean, obviously she cares since she's your doctor and wants to see you healthy but, she didn't let that dictate her feelings for you. And I mean hell Jushiro, she had so much shit going on herself being pregnant by you know who and she still dedicated time to you. You two are a good match and I couldn't be happier for you. You both came together and became a family and now you're adding to it. I figured one of these days you'd settle down and have a family. You're such a family man and adore children it was only natural for it to happen one day." he said, making Jushiro smile as he nodded slightly, crossing this arms over his chest as he looked at the path in front of them. He was taking in the different flowers that were starting to bloom, already getting an idea to take a bloom or two home to Minako.
"Yeah… she was always interested in getting to know me. We became each other's confidants I guess. I helped her, she helped me and somewhere in between we just… fell in love. To be honest, it kind of scared me. The last time I had been in a serious relationship was when Retsu and I had that thing back in the Academy days and after that ended I just sort of… gave up I guess. We parted ways to keep it professional in the Gotei 13 but… didn't make it hurt any less."
He hummed softly, rubbing his chin with his index finger, "Yeah. You two did date for quite a while. At least a year yes?" Jushiro nodded to his question but Shunsui only flashed him a small smile, "Well, it ended up the way it did for a reason. The gods had different plans for you. We don't know why we have to wait so long sometimes to get what we want but… if it ends up happening then it ends up happening. We can't rush things. Only hope that one day we'll achieve what we want." he said, sitting down underneath his favourite napping tree with a soft hum, tipping his head back to rest it against the trunk of the tree.
"Is that what you tell yourself every time Nanao denies you a date?" he asked with a hint of a smirk on his face, Shunsui chuckling at his friend's banter as he held up a finger.
"One day Jushiro. You'll see." he told him, Jushiro sitting down beside him as he gazed up at the clear blue sky above them. He pulled his knees up slightly and rest his forearms on them, a small smile on his face as he closed his brown eyes.
"Yeah… One day…"
TWO WEEKS LATER
Sighing quietly, Minako turned this way and that as she looked at herself in the mirror, just having returned home from the 13th Division. Her uniform was quite baggy, as it was on every shinigami, but when she smoothed it down it revealed an ever growing bump. It was still small, but it was there, and it made her smile every time she put her hand there and felt the slight curve. Her nausea and dizziness was nearly gone now, only a few certain foods setting off her nausea which Jushiro was quick to throw out and not dare cook in the house. But with the disappearance of those symptoms arose others that corresponded with the second trimester and the growing baby. It was mostly physical changes in her body and it made Minako somewhat self conscious. She noticed certain parts of her body were becoming more tender, some more swollen and some darker. Certain things she didn't really pay attention to while pregnant with Sakura suddenly felt /very/ noticeable. She thought it had to do with her relationship with Jushiro. It was more or less her worrying that he would no longer find her desirable with her changing body. When she felt his familiar reatsu approaching their home she shook her thoughts away and quickly changed into a simple blue kimono, putting her uniform in the basket to be taken to the wash and then she headed downstairs to greet him, seeing him coming in through the door as she made it to the bottom, "Welcome home." she said with a small smile, Jushiro giving her his usual warm grin.
He hung his haori on the hook by the door and then he pulled her into his arms, "Welcome home indeed." he said, bending down to give her a sweet kiss on the lips, "Heh… we haven't seen each other for more than an hour and it felt like a lifetime." he murmured sweetly, making her blush softly as she waved her hand dismissively.
"Such a charmer with your words." she teased, earning a chuckle from him, "Sakura is upstairs. I went ahead and fed her but I think she's waiting on you to tell her a bedtime story and tuck her in." she told him, making him smile as he nodded.
"I'll get right to it then." he said before heading up to Sakura's room, getting her all tucked in with her favorite stuffed bunny before he picked out a short story book, reading her a few before he noticed she fell right to sleep. He stayed in there for a good half hour with her to make sure she was completely settled and then he quickly snuck out, turning the lights off and closing the door before quietly heading back down to the kitchen where Minako was cooking leftovers from dinner the night before. The two shared a meal of their own, chatting about the different events that happened to them throughout the day, most of them including shenanigans that the third seats got themselves into but overall it had been a good day. Once dinner was eaten and cleaned up the two headed to their own room, Minako going into the bathroom to change into a pair of sleep pants and a t-shirt she'd gotten in the world of the living. Jushiro was in a pair of black sleeper pants himself but sported no shirt, already reclining on the bed reading a book by the time Minako finally emerged from the bathroom. He looked over to her, his face sporting a pair of reading glasses he used in the evenings. If anything she thought those made him even better looking than usual. He patted her side of the bed and she climbed under the covers, Jushiro wrapping an arm around her to pull her close, "I've never seen this sleeping outfit before. Usually you're in some cute night gown." he mused, making her blush lightly. The man always paid such good attention to detail.
"W-well… I am usually but…I guess I wasn't really feeling it this time around." she said, her hands fiddling with the hem of the oversized t-shirt, making him raise an eyebrow behind those rimless glasses.
The book was placed on the night stand and Jushiro took off his reading glasses, placing them on the book before he rolled onto his side to look at her, "Not feeling it? Is everything okay?" he asked her, placing his hand on her own that was laying atop the blanket. He could sense the uncertainty in her voice and it concerned him a little bit. Minako nipped on her lip and his eyes shifted to her hands that were fiddling even more with her shirt.
"I… I just… I don't know…" she murmured, looking over at him with a slight frown, "I'm starting to show now… and not just the baby bump… My body is changing in other ways and… I guess I don't feel attractive." she finally said, Jushiro blinking before he smiled at her.
"Minako… What are you talking about?" he asked as he sat up a little bit, "I think you're beautiful." he said, Minako shaking her head.
"But it's different this time… When I was pregnant with Sakura… you didn't see my body in the early stages of change… My skin is getting patchy and my body is producing a higher volume of blood to give to the baby and it's causing my veins to get… well… veinier especially in my boobs that are starting to get bigger again and I just… don't want you to be turned off by it." she said, her eyes downcast to her hands that were gripping her shirt hard. Jushiro just looked at her for a moment, blinking maybe once or twice before he moved, slowly easing her to lay down with him looming atop her, her eyes widening slightly like a deer in headlights.
Jushiro was just giving her that sweet, charming smile and one of his large hands was moving to cup her cheek, "My darling… that would /never/ happen. If I were to care about those things to the point where it would turn me off, that would just make me an asshole wouldn't it?" he asked her, his choice of words getting a small chuckle out of her. His free hand settled on her stomach, his fingers spreading over it, "You are doing something miraculous... You're creating life. And I think that's beautiful. It may change your body, yes. But that won't make me love it or you any less. It only makes me love you more. You are carrying our child, protecting it, nourishing it. I love your body now and I will love it months from now and I will love it still after our baby is here. If anything it turns me on more. The fact that you're carrying my child, it thrills me. I could never get turned off by your changing body Minako. Not when it's giving me the greatest gift." he whispered, tears brimming Minako's eyes as she gazed up at him, sniffling cutely which made him chuckle. How this man could use his words like that she had no idea but it had her already emotional self get even more emotional.
"So… you don't mind it…? You really don't mind it?" she asked him, Jushiro chuckling as one of his hands tugged at the hem of her shirt.
"Let me show you just how much I don't mind it~" he purred, Minako only able to answer with little gasps and moans as his lips and hands got to work showing her exactly how he felt about her body.
"Mnnn Jushiro~~"
And there you have it! Another update! ^^ Thanks for the reviews~ I'd love to hear more from you! Poor Minako having body image issues and Jushiro is just.. well... Jushiro. So adorable. For those who are interested, I have a poll on my author page right now. Cast your vote! Do you want Minako to have a boy, or a girl? YOU WILL LITERALLY DECIDE. It's a blind vote, so you won't see the results until Minako has the baby. Do review/vote/both! I could reviews as votes too so review review review! :) Until next time!
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