Chapter 22

"So, Hime-chan, why are you here today?" the bearded man asked, holding a clipboard. Orihime hadn't told Isshin the nature of her appointment, only that it was necessary that she meet with a physician familiar with their types of special circumstances. She also hadn't mentioned that Ulquiorra would be accompanying her.

"Well, you see, Isshin…" she trailed off, suddenly at a loss for words.

"We think Orihime is pregnant and need confirmation," Ulquiorra said, deciding not to delay matters.

The older man nodded. "I understand. Have you taken an at-home pregnancy test?"

Orihime nodded. "It was positive."

Isshin smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Well, then I'd say congratulations, but I understand you'll want a bit of reassurance first. How long has it been since your last period?"

Orihime tried to think back; she knew the date, but she wasn't sure how many days or weeks ago that was. "Um, the first of June… Is it too soon to check?"

Isshin shook his head. He looked at a calendar and said, "No, that puts us at almost eight weeks. If we're lucky… Let's just try something. Lie back on the examination table and let's get your belly out."

Orihime blushed and did as instructed, pulling her shirt up to her ribs and her waistband down to her pubic bone.

A scowl crossed the former arrancar's face as he stood next to the thing Orihime was laying on. He didn't like this, but understood it was necessary for whatever these baby appointments entailed. "This won't harm her, will it?" he asked.

The doctor looked Ulquiorra in the eye for the first time since the couple had entered the office and regarded him for a moment. "No, it won't, but I think you will be interested in what happens next. Pay attention," he said with a small smile and a heavy breath. A nod later and the man seemed to have made some kind of decision. "Okay, Hime-chan, I apologize if this is a little cold; I don't do a lot of these."

Orihime laughed as Isshin squeezed a blob of clear jelly onto her skin and then took out a plastic wand attached to a cord. The doctor flipped a switch, brought the wand to her skin, and began to move it around. Orihime's hand fished for Ulquiorra's blindly as she waited.

The green-eyed man took the woman's hand. He was filled with apprehension. What was this device called? What was the doctor doing? Answers were needed. He sighed as he watched Isshin work.

"Ah!" Orihime's father-in-law said, raising his brows, then his face fell. "Lost it," he grumbled, then continued to move the wand.

"Everything alright?" Orihime asked, tipping her head up nervously.

"Yes, just be quiet, it shouldn't be-" The older man's voice stopped, and a smile that caused his eyes to crease at the corners appeared on his face. Not moving the wand, he reached with his other hand to the machine it was attached to and turned a knob. A soft thrumming sound began to amplify through a speaker on it, louder and louder as the knob turned.

Orihime knew what that sound was, and before she could say anything, she whimpered and covered her mouth, tears coming to her eyes.

"What is wrong?" Ulquiorra asked. Fear was threatening to make him panic. The doctor said this wouldn't hurt Orihime! "Why is she crying and what is that sound?"

Orihime removed the hand from her mouth. "That's our baby, Ulquiorra," she squeaked.

Isshin nodded. "That is one healthy heartbeat. Congratulations," he said softly, looking at the couple and smiling still. It was a bittersweet moment for him.

The words hadn't sunk in, so Ulquiorra looked from Orihime to Isshin several times. "Our… baby…?" He asked, brow furrowing. Then realization came to him. Oh. Ohhhh. OH. This was rude. They should have picked a different doctor. They shouldn't have Orihime's late husband's father do this and tell them the news.

"Kazui will be so excited," Isshin said after a moment. He chuckled softly to himself, adding, "Do you think it would be alright if I was there when you tell him?"

Orihime looked to Ulquiorra for permission before saying anything, but her eyes were pleading. It would mean a lot for both her and Kazui if his grandfather felt a connection to the baby as well.

"Uh," Ulquiorra said. He didn't know what to say to this request. It really baffled him as to why Kurosaki's father would want to be there for the announcement. "I don't see why not," he offered.

Isshin grinned then. "Oh," he sighed again and shook his head. "This is going to be fun."

"You know you won't get to throw your stethoscope at this one, Isshin. Ulquiorra is a much more protective father than your son was," Orihime warned with a watery laugh.

Isshin snorted. "We'll see about that," he said. "Do you want to listen some more? I can give you two a moment, if you want to hold onto this thing, Cifer-san."

Nerves flared up again as Ulquiorra nodded. "Where do I—just hold it there?"

"Yep, if you lose the sound just wiggle it a little. Use light pressure. Hime-chan will be able to tell you if it feels like it's in the right spot or not." With that, the doctor took Ulquiorra's hand and placed it on the instrument and walked to the door. "Just knock on the door when you are ready for me to come back in."

Once the other man was gone, Ulquiorra turned back to the redhead. He sighed as he listened to that strange sound. "Well this is certainly… I don't have… I'm going to murder Urahara."

Orihime scoffed. "Do you regret it?"

Ulquiorra shook his head. "Never, but he should have warned me about this stuff. I have no clue what this thing is called or what I'm supposed to expect. I don't know if Goatface is going to strangle me if he gets me alone. I have no clue what to do, Woman."

Orihime closed her eyes, shaking her head and smiling. "You worry too much. I'm sure Isshin is feeling conflicted, but he wouldn't lie; he's happy that Kazui is gaining a sibling. He often told me he thought Ichigo had not lived up to his potential as a Kurosaki male," she chuckled. "Isshin only stopped at three children because his wife died."

A frown crossed his face as the sound faded. Ulquiorra had to move the wand in his hand to a different spot. "I wish Sato-san were here for this. She would walk me through every step. Maybe Kurosaki can play the role of grandfather to this one. Babysit for us."

"You can believe he'll try, and if you can tolerate him, he will." Orihime looked at Ulquiorra fondly. "I think Sato-san would be proud of you. She certainly did a good job teaching you how to be a great father. Once Three is here, I'm sure you'll get right back on the horse, so to speak."

Once Three was there? Again it felt like Ulquiorra was getting hit by a train or something big. The air was knocked from his lungs. He shook his head. Logic had to be employed. "There is so much to do and so little time to prepare. I have so many questions to ask."

"You can knock and get him back in here if you want to ask questions," Orihime offered. Her boyfriend looked like he might pass out. "Do you need to sit down? I can get up and you can lie here if you need to."

Giving Orihime a stern look, he shook his head. No, he didn't need to lie down. He needed to know things. He had to have his curiosity sated. After placing the device on the table, Ulquiorra walked over and knocked on the door, opening it slightly and peeking his head out.

Isshin looked up from his desk chair. "So soon?" he smiled. "Got all your kisses and thank yous out of the way already?"

"What? Am I supposed to kiss her and thank her?" Ulquiorra asked, clearly confused.

"I don't know, son. That's what I always did," the larger man said with a shrug as he came to the door.

"I'll take care of that later. Right now I have questions," Ulquiorra stated moving back to Orihime's side.

"Alright. I have some pamphlets for you if you think you'll need them, and I think I still have your copy of that pregnancy book you donated laying around here somewhere, Hime-chan. I'll send it back home with you. What questions do you have for me now?"

"Will she be okay? We know that Kaz is a Shinigami, but we have no clue what this child will be. We're not even sure if Eriko has any power. Will having sex hurt the baby? What about Orihime? Is there anything I need to do for her?" The questions poured from him as he stared at the doctor.

"Slow down, Cifer-san. One at a time. You're my last appointment today, so you can take all the time you need. As for the first, Orihime should be alright. We'll need to monitor her health just like any other pregnant woman, but her first pregnancy was very healthy. You'll be thirty-four when this one is born, right, Hime-chan?"

Orihime nodded.

"No problem. You could probably have a couple more after this one before we would have to start giving her special treatment due to her age." Isshin paused and waited for what he assumed would be an inevitable follow-up question.

Ulquiorra turned and looked at Orihime. A couple more? That was a thing? He looked at his girlfriend with questions in his eyes. "We will see about that option of more children," he replied. "What are the chances of this child having some type of power?"

"Fifty-fifty. Same chances of it being a boy or a girl. Same chances of it having brown eyes or another color. If you wanted me to place bet, I'd bet on yes. Just as I'd bet that Eri-chan will at least be as spiritually aware as my Karin, if not more, one day. I'm very much like you, Cifer-san. I'm a soul in a gigai as well. I had three children, and each of them were very different."

Ulquiorra digested this information silently, rubbing his fingers together. "Will we still be able to have sex? Does that harm the baby?"

"Not at all. I would only advise you to abstain if it causes Hime-chan discomfort. As she gets bigger, you'll need to get more inventive with positions; her belly will get in the way of the more traditional approaches to love-making-"

"Isshin!" Orihime scolded, her face bright red.

"What?! You're a beautiful woman, Hime-chan. I'm sure your… I'm sure Cifer-san will still be attracted to you as your pregnancy progresses."

Orihime had to cover her eyes and imagine she was somewhere else. This was way too embarrassing. Maybe Ishida would have been a better option for this.

"Okay one more question and I am finished," Ulquiorra said ignoring the woman's discomfort. "I know that this child won't be an extension of your bloodline, but it will have no one but us… Would you be willing to accept Three as a somewhat grandchild? You already treat Eriko like she belongs here."

"You soft son-of-a-bitch," Isshin laughed. "You think I don't consider Hime-chan my third daughter? Just because my idiot son died doesn't mean that has changed. I love her and her family. If you decide to join it, if you add to it with another child, or more after that, then my family is expanded. I love Eri-chan because Kazui does. And I am, uh, kind of taken with my grandson, if you didn't notice." The elder Kurosaki was about three emotional steps away from his raving moments in front of the poster of his late wife, talking on an increasingly dramatic tone.

Ulquiorra smiled at Orihime, then nodded. Her face was still covered by her hand which he removed. "Woman, all is well now."

Orihime groaned, not quite over the shock of hearing the older man talk about her love life in such a cavalier fashion. "You sure?"

"If I have any further queries, I will correspond by text. So yes, I'm certain we are done."

"I would recommend you come back in…" Isshin paused and tapped his chin with his forefingers. "In four weeks. I'll need to ask Ishida a favor, but I think I can get him to lend me an ultrasound machine by then."

"Ishida? No, I do not want him—"

"You know Ryuken Ishida? I wouldn't have thought that you had ever met him. He keeps to himself," Isshin interrupted.

"Oh," Ulquiorra said, feeling like a scolded child. "I thought you meant his offspring."

Isshin shook his head. "We don't want to start another war, do we?" he asked, raising a brow at Ulquiorra before getting a towel and wiping the goo off Orihime's belly, then pulling her clothes back into place. "Maybe we'll meet in his office, though. It might be easier to move the equipment within the building than sneak it out and over here."

Orihime nodded and started to sit up. "It would be better to use the three-dimensional ultrasound as soon as possible."

Three dimensional ultrasound? That sounded like a scary thing. "Is that anything like those 3-D printers? Will it print Three?" Ulquiorra looked at the doctor then Orihime. This was becoming stressful.

"Three? I hope… Is that what you'll be naming the baby?" Isshin asked, unable to disguise his distaste for the name.

"No, it's what we're calling it until an agreement on a name can be reached," Ulquiorra answered.

"Ah, so it's Baby number Three. Gotcha. And no, it won't print the baby. The 3-D ultrasound will provide a 3-D image of the baby's features and anatomy so we can make sure everything looks healthy and normal."

Orihime nodded along. She had used the same machine when she was pregnant with Kazui. The resulting pictures had been extremely accurate, so much so that they had been able to name him before he was born.

That seemed handy. Ulquiorra sighed in relief. "So are we done here?"

"If you're done I'm do- Wait, are you taking your vitamins, Orihime? I can write you a prescription."

"Oh! Yes, if you don't mind. I bought a small bottle but the over the counter type is so expensive."

The doctor nodded. "And you remember what you can't eat? No deli meats either. I don't remember if that was a thing back your first time around."

Orihime nodded. She had read about that anyway.

"Good. Any other questions?" the doctor asked as he scribbled on a prescription pad.

Ulquiorra shook his head. "As I've said, if any other questions pop up I will text you."


Eriko looked at her dad and then at Orihime and finally at Kazui. "What's going on?" she asked. "You look nervous."

"Nothing," Ulquiorra said. He cleared his throat and glanced at Orihime. The sooner this was over with the better. He was practically twitching to tell the two kids their news.

Orihime smiled at Eriko and chuckled. She was buzzing with excitement but knew that the children would probably react with mixed feelings to the news. At the moment she didn't care. She was too busy falling in love with her new baby. She looked to Ulquiorra and tugged on his sleeve.

"Hmmm?" he hummed and looked at the woman. Ulquiorra smiled at Orihime. "What?"

"Do you want to?" she offered, an unsure half smile on her lips. Despite her uncertainty she had the aura of someone who could not be anything but ecstatic at the moment. "I can do a video conference with Isshin? Or we could drag them back over there. What do you want to do?" she whispered to him and giggled.

Ulquiorra sighed as he thought about it. What seemed easier? What should they do? "Video conference. I do not want to leave right now. I have a feeling that Eriko might start throwing a fit," he said quietly to Orihime.

"This way it's two against two. I'll call him, you gather the kids on the sofa," she murmured to him and then kissed his cheek, walking to the other room to call Isshin.

"Okay, you two, to the couch," Ulquiorra ordered. He followed the kids to the piece of furniture and watched them as they settled down. "Not a peep until I get back."

As Ulquiorra left the room, Eriko looked at Kazui. "They're acting strange," she mumbled.

"Yeah, do you think we did something naughty?" His eyes widened dramatically. "Do you think they know that we took the last piece of cake yesterday?"

"I hope not!" Eriko said. She frowned. No the cake wasn't the problem. There had been other cake and they took the one that wouldn't be missed. "What if… What if they're getting married or they've decided to break up or they've decided we're all going to move to England and-"

Kazui interrupted, "England? For real? You're crazy. We don't speak any English. And they are not breaking up; did you see how lovey dovey they are acting? They probably are getting married though. I hope so," Kazui explained, rather content with the idea.

Eriko perked up. "Wait a minute. You mean you do notice that kind of stuff?"

"Well, yeah. My mom is, um, pretty expressive, if you haven't noticed. And she's my…" Kazui trailed off, a bit embarrassed.

Well, Eriko knew that the woman was expressive. She could barely contain herself at times and the girl found that she and Orihime had a lot in common when it came to that kind of stuff. Eriko would bounce up and down when she was excited. Sometimes Orihime would do the same thing. "I know she's your mom."

"Yeah," the boy said, grateful that Eriko didn't press him for what he had almost said. "Anyway, the other thing is, your dad… He almost smiles at her. A lot. That is kind of creepy but also kind of nice, I guess."

The girl nodded. When her dad smiled it was almost creepy. She was going to say something else but Ulquiorra came back into the room. Eriko sat up with her hands in her lap.

"Are you two ready?"

"Yeah- Oh, Hi Grandpa! Why are you on the phone?" Kazui looked at his mother with a confused expression and back to the device in her hand, which she passed to him.

"Hi Kazui! Hi Eri-chan!" Isshin boomed over the phone. "I need to see something, that's why I'm on the phone," he said with a grin dripping with anticipation.

Kazui screwed his brows together. "Okay… this is weird. What's going on?"

Orihime was beaming. She couldn't keep her hands still. They were clasped together, then wrapped around Ulquiorra's elbow, then one went behind his back as she switched her weight from one foot to the other. She even squealed a bit. "We have something exciting to tell you!" she finally squeaked.

Ulquiorra had a calm expression on his face as he stood with Orihime. It was hard trying to keep her from getting too excited. While they were in the hallway, Ulquiorra told her to tell the kids since she was practically bursting with happiness. He was happy too, but most of his reaction was internalized.

Orihime took a deep breath. She had thought of many different ways to word this announcement, and she had decided on one that put the kids on the couch first. "Eriko, Kazui, we asked you to sit down because," Orihime had to take a deep breath and sigh it out before she continued or she was going to pass out. "Because you are going to be a big sister and a big brother."

Kazui tipped his head in a confused expression as he figured out what his mother meant. His lips echoed the words, "big brother", silently, and then he was drawn out of his thoughts by his grandfather's laughter.

"Sometimes you are a chip off the old block, Kaz! Your mom is pregnant! Go give her a hug!" Isshin shouted in glee.

Kazui's eyes widened and he robotically got up to hug his mother but said nothing. It still hadn't sunk in.

Meanwhile Eriko was staring at her father, absolutely livid at this news. They had said no babies. They said that wasn't something they had to worry about. There were really two ways she could react to this. She could blow up and get yelled at or she could take this anger out quietly. "You lied to us," she finally said, trying to remain calm.

Orihime hugged Kazui back and then her eyes found Eri's. She raised one eyebrow. If she wasn't mistaken, that was spiritual energy radiating off of the child. It wasn't a lot, but it was there. "Eriko, we didn't lie. We just didn't know some things. We had been misled," she said in a calm, firm tone.

"Eriko, you need to calm down." Ulquiorra stepped in front of Orihime. He could feel a wave of pressure coming off of his daughter. "I requested things that were impossible and Urahara didn't think I would find anyone, so he did not tell me that he did not modify my Gigai. I would never lie to you."

"But you did. You said no babies." Eriko stood up and stared at her dad. "You could have told us about you two being a couple weeks ago."

Ulquiorra rubbed his forehead. Eriko could be a tedious creature. The girl looked angry and confused at the same time. "Yes, we could have, but we didn't see a point in it until we were certain we would be together."

"And?"

"I think having a child together is something that would cement our families together," Ulquiorra answered.

Orihime frowned slightly. "And whether you like it or not, it has. Forever. So you can be angry about it, Eriko, but question why you are angry. What is it that makes you upset? Take your time and figure it out, then come talk to us about it, because this isn't going away. We're all a family now. That goes for you too, Monkey," She said, looking down at her son.

His eyes were wet. He still really didn't know how he felt. "I want to talk to Grandpa for a little while. Can I take your phone up to my room?" Kazui asked, looking at Orihime first, but really asking Ulquiorra. This was still his house.

"Go ahead. We'll call you back down when we're done talking to Eriko."

Kazui nodded absently and left.

Orihime watched him go with a gentle sigh and then looked back at Ulquiorra. "What do you think?"

"I think this is a mess. They were supposed to be happy about this like us." Ulquiorra sighed and sat down on the couch. Eriko scooted away from him.

"Can I go up to my room?" she asked.

"No."

She huffed. "I'm mad because the baby is going to get all your attention. You won't love me as much."

The man turned his head and looked at his offspring, brow furrowing as she spoke. "Are you crazy? Did you hit your head at some point? Eriko, you are my number one priority. You are my Fraccion, remember? I would die for you."

"Why do you have to be so weird?"

"I'm not being weird. I'm being myself," the man replied. He looked at Orihime.

Orihime was smiling at them both, trying not to cry. She felt very touched by the scene playing out in front of her. "No offense, darling, but you are a bit weird. I love that about you, though," she murmured. She turned her head more toward Eriko before he had a chance to respond. "Sweetie, I know it seems like your dad is being a bit, um, dramatic, but trust me, he's not. He would most certainly die for you. Not that I'd let him, but still, he'd try."

Orihime walked up to the girl and knelt in front of her. "Eriko, I'm not trying to steal your dad. The baby isn't going to steal him either. We're all coming together. Our hearts will grow bigger. Our family will grow bigger. There will be more love to go around. We won't be fighting for scraps. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"I'm not giving up my room either."

This made Ulquiorra laugh. "Is this what this is about? You won't have to give up anything. If anything we may find a bigger home. Right?"

Orihime smiled and took Eriko's hands. "We'll see about that. It wouldn't be for a long time, anyway. The baby will share a room with your father and me for the first several months, anyway."

"Okay, can I go upstairs now?"

Ulquiorra nodded.


"Are you okay, Kazui?"

The boy sighed, unable to look at the video feed of his grandfather. "I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know? This is wonderful news! You're going to have a brother or sister!"

The boy sighed again, then looked at the phone. "Grandpa?"

"What?"

"It doesn't…"

"It doesn't what, Kaz?" The older man asked after a pause.

"It doesn't make you mad?"

The man's expression was almost startled. "Why would you think that, Kazui?"

"Because…" the boy's mouth turned down at the corners and his lip trembled. "Because Dad…"

If there was ever a moment Isshin Kurosaki wished he could teleport without consequences it was now. His heart was breaking for this sweet little soul. "You're worried about me, Kazui?"

The boy nodded and covered his eyes with the back of his arm as tears slipped out of his eyes.

"Oh, Kazui," Isshin's voice took on a warm, soothing tone. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm so happy for you and your mom. I'm happy for myself."

"Really?" the boy asked and sniffed a loud, snorty, snotty sniff.

"Really. I get a new grandchild! Two new grandchildren! Your new baby and Eri-chan! And Sakura and Jun and baby Natsumi get two extra cousins and a new uncle. It's a good thing, Kazui, when your family gets bigger. More people to love you. More people to look out for you and each other."

"But, they aren't Kurosakis," the boy put it out there. There was no use pondering it if he wasn't going to clear it up, not that the boy was able to understand his motivations.

Isshin laughed. "I'm not a Kurosaki either, boy! My family name is Shiba!" He laughed like Father Christmas until he could barely breathe. "If that's what you're worried about, don't," Isshin wheezed finally.

Kazui looked at his grandfather with a confused expression. "But, Grandpa, the baby isn't your real grandkid."

The doctor's expression grew rapidly serious. "Kazui, I'm only going to say this once, so I want you to listen very carefully, alright?"

Kazui nodded.

"Family is the people you love. I love you and I love your mother. I loved my son, too, but he is gone. I have your aunts and your mother left. I will never let any of you go. You and your mom are expanding your family with Cifer-san and Eri-chan, and now the new baby. I will welcome them into my family as well. I don't want you to think that bloodlines are more important than the bonds of family made in love, boy. There are blood relatives who hate each other. We don't base our relationships on that alone. That's just silly. Do you understand me, Kazui?"

He nodded again.

"Good. Now I want you to answer a question for me, and I want you to be completely honest. Do you like Cifer-san? Does he treat you and your mother well?"

"Yes," Kazui answered. "Mom seems really happy."

Isshin pursed his lips and nodded. "Good. That's all I needed to know. I'm going to hang up, now. I want you to go tell your mom and Cifer-san congratulations. Give them both a big hug for me, okay?"

Kazui looked horrified but nodded. "Okay, if you say so…"

The boy stared at the phone as the screen went black, then stood and opened the bedroom door. Slowly, like a man approaching the gallows, he walked down the stairs to where is mother and her boyfriend stood between the living room and the kitchen. Without looking up at their faces, he said, "Congratulations," then hugged his mother. Then he let go, and, staring intently at Ulquiorra's shoes, he approached the man and put his arms around his waist.

The green-eyed man looked at his girlfriend like a deer caught by headlights. Without thinking he put his arms around the kid and squeezed. "Thank you, Kazui."


It was the first week of August, and the kids were out of school for the summer break, when she got the text message.

- It's been awhile, Kurosaki-san. Want to meet for lunch this week?

Orihime smiled at the message. It had been a very long time since she had heard from her Quincy friend.

- Yes, it has been too long, Ishida-kun. Lunch sounds great. How about today? You could come to the shop or I could meet you near the hospital.

Ishida wrinkled his nose at the idea of running into Riruka again.

- How about the sandwich place across from the station?

- Make it the noodle place and you've got a deal.

Orihime didn't think it was any of his business why she was avoiding sandwiches. Although he would probably figure out something was amiss; Orihime was still in her first trimester and the fatigue and sensitivity to smells were becoming daily nuisances. Not only that, but her lips were starting to fill out, despite the new gauntness in her cheeks.

She was so tired that she decided to drive herself the seven blocks to the station. She parked on a side street and walked over to the noodle place, dabbing her sweaty neck with a hand towel as she stepped into the blessed air conditioning. It was sweltering outside.

"Irasshaimaseeeeee!" a pair of elderly kitchen staff called out to her as she entered the place.

Ishida recognized her spiritual pressure right away and stood up. "You look lovely as always, Orihime," he said as he pulled out a chair for her.

Orihime, huh? Apparently old habits can die after all. "Thank you, Ishida-kun, but what's with the royal treatment?" She laughed as she made the comment.

"Oh, come now, can't a guy treat a woman with some care without catching heat for it? I know you're probably not used to it, but you deserve it."

Orihime scowled lightly. What was that supposed to mean? Whatever. "I heard this place has great cold ramen, so that's what I'm getting. You?"

"Same." Ishida called the wait staff over and ordered for both of them, then looked to the woman. "So, how have you been?" he asked, taking a sip of ice water and looking her over.

"Tired. The heat and lack of energy… But I'm alright. You?"

Ishida pushed his glasses up. "Are you unwell, Orihime? Have you seen a doctor about your fatigue?"

"Yes, it's nothing bad, trust me," she responded, blushing and looking down with a small grin.

"I talked to Riruka awhile back. I really don't like her."

Orihime's eyes snapped up.

"Are you still seeing the Espada?"

It sounded almost like an accusation. She decided to play it cool, though. "I am. Things are progressing nicely," she smiled at took a sip of water. "How did you know he was an Espada?"

Oops. That's right, Uryu had played dumb about Ulquiorra's identity the last time they had spoken. Orihime was looking at him through narrowing eyes. "Uh, I spoke with Urahara."

"Really? So you really never met Ulquiorra before?" Orihime asked sweetly.

"No, can't say that I have," Ishida responded with a lazy stretch and a grin, leaning back into his chair.

Orihime nodded. She couldn't shake the suspicion that he was lying, but she decided to ignore it as well as she could. She smiled at her old friend and asked, "Well, enough about me, what's new with you?"

"I like someone."

Oh, that was a pleasant surprise. Orihime grinned and leaned forward. "Who is it?" she asked in an excited whisper.

"You," the doctor replied confidently. "I think that if you give me a chance, I'll be able to steal your heart away from that hollow."


Eriko and Kazui were going through their kendo exercises while Ulquiorra watched them and silently corrected their posture or form. He studied his daughter for a moment before turning to the boy. It had been a little less than two weeks since he and Orihime revealed their surprise. Kazui was taking it well. Eriko was still displeased.

Ulquiorra knew the girl was going through puberty or whatever but her emotional outbursts were ridiculous at times. He had to stop himself from screaming at her for crying or acting like a child. It was frustrating being a father to a teenager.

It was cool in the shaded yard, but still the heat was pressing. He sighed. It was probably the heat that was making him irritable. He didn't like Orihime working. She was pregnant and looked exhausted. Certain foods would make her gag and run to the bathroom.

The whole situation made Ulquiorra feel bad, but Isshin had assured him that this kind of stuff was normal. Orihime would be fine

"Can we stop Dad?" Eriko said. She was sweating. "I'm sure Orihime wouldn't like it if she came back and her two favorite people were piles of sweat."

"You'd soak into the ground before she would come home. What are you going to do if you stop?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Go to the pond and go swimming?"

He looked at his daughter who was staring at him. "Fine. You and Kaz can go."


"Excuse me?!"

"It's the truth, Orihime. You know it. You and I have more history. We have more in common. If Kurosaki had never been in the picture—"

The doctor was interrupted by a server setting down two servings of cold noodles. Orihime's lip curled. If she wasn't so hungry she would have left. She took a huge bite, then another, and then another. As she ate she thought about the situation. It would be a shame to throw away a decades long friendship because of Ishida's misplaced advances. Maybe if she nipped this in the bud the friendship could be salvaged.

Orihime swallowed her fourth bite and replied, "Maybes and what ifs are for time travelers, Ishida-kun. What happened, happened. And you will not succeed in your current plan of action, so I suggest you drop it and throw your line elsewhere. I'm in love with Ulquiorra. You don't have to like it, but you must respect that or we'll have to keep our distance until you can."

Ishida just smirked and mumbled through bites, "We'll see about that."

"You will see, Ishida-kun. Very soon."

"What's that supposed to mean," the bespectacled man said, turning to look at Orihime with a raised brow as she gobbled her last bite of noodles.

"It means you will see. I am with Ulquiorra now and there is nothing anyone can do to break that bond at this point."

Uryu's eyes darkened. Nothing? Hardly. "I guess I will. Are you leaving so soon?"

Orihime nodded. "Work to do. Have a nice day." She couldn't truly say it had been nice to see him. She got up and returned to the steaming hot summer day and texted Ulquiorra.

- What a day. Just had lunch with Ishida. Remind me to tell you about it later. He's a dick. Want me to bring home some leftovers for dinner?

He had gone inside and sat at the kitchen island. Ulquiorra wasn't used to having nothing to do. There was always something for him to do. So when he got Orihime's text it was a welcome distraction. He decided to call her. It would take his mind off the worries that rolled around his brain and the fact that he was feeling uneasy.

"Woman? You didn't tell me you were having lunch with him," Ulquiorra said when she picked up the call.

"No, it was spur of the moment," she sounded winded as she walked toward the shop from her parking spot, despite the short distance.

"So what happened? The kids went swimming and I'm just sitting here… Nothing else to do."

"The shop is busy or I'd come home. Anyway, this isn't really a great topic for a phone call, but the long and short of it is he thinks he can come between us. I informed him in no uncertain terms that he could not. It was not pleasant."

Ulquiorra huffed. No wonder he was feeling uncomfortable. Things weren't right. "Fine. I'll be coming to Karakura shortly. I'll have words with Ishida and then I can come help you. This is not a discussion, Orihime."

Orihime sighed. Sometimes her boyfriend was more like her late husband than either of them would ever care to admit. "I told him, Ulquiorra. I told him that if he was going to disrespect our relationship that he would have to stay away from me. You're welcome to do as you please, but I don't want you to think I didn't stand up for us."

"I don't think that. I heard what you said. That man has been after you since Hueco Mundo. I left you in his capable hands, hoping he wouldn't-" Ulquiorra trailed off. He needed to calm down, feeling the spike of spiritual pressure. "I need to tell him for myself."

"I understand. I love you."

He hung up and then went back outside to inform the kids where he was going. Ulquiorra told them to go back inside after an hour. It did not take him long to drive to Karakura Town. He parked near the hospital before walking to the building. "I need to see Doctor Uryu Ishida," he told the person at the front desk."

"Do you have an appointment?" a daffy old lady behind the counter responded in an ancient voice.

He shook his head. "Tell him that Ulquiorra Cifer is waiting to speak to him about a matter, I'm sure he will make time. I need thirty seconds."

The woman got on the phone and announced the visitor, mangling his name. "Doctor Ishida will see you now," she said, getting up and hobbling her way to a locked door. "His office is third on the left."

Ulquiorra nodded and followed the woman's directions. When he got to the door, he didn't bother knocking; he just barged into the office. "Ishida," he stated.

"Cifer," came the guarded reply. The doctor did not look up from his paperwork, though.

Green eyes narrowed at the man as Ulquiorra slammed his hand down on the desk. "How dare you try to solicit my woman! Orihime will not leave me. I won't allow it. You sat around too long."

"Oh? You won't allow it? Who do you think you are, Espada? Orihime can decide for herself," the man responded snidely.

"Who do I think I am? I'm Orihime's future. I will be there for a long time. I will be helping her raise children. I will be the one helping her through the rest of her days," he replied. Ulquiorra then scoffed. This guy had no clue how much anger he was holding back.

"She may think differently when she learns who you really are."

Another scoff followed by a bitter chuckle. "Are you going to tell her how you and Kurosaki decided to play with her memories? Even if you succeed, I'm still going to be around. I will always be a part of her life."

"How do you figure?"

"C'mon Ishida. You're supposedly the best at detecting spiritual pressure," Ulquiorra said. He spoke the words in a mocking tone. "Didn't you notice something strange with Orihime's? Anything seem off about her?"

"She… You didn't…" he finally looked up in disbelief.

"She's pregnant."

"Get out."

Ulquiorra's mouth twitched as he fought back a smirk. He nodded and turned, leaving the office. That was one battle he had won. He decided to text Orihime as he left the hospital.

- Ishida is unhappy with me. Actually, unhappy may be an understatement.

- what do you mean?

The teacher sighed. This wasn't a conversation to have through text messages.

- I'll talk to you in a few minutes. I'm not that far away.

Ulquiorra rarely used the powers he had. It didn't seem right to use them since he was mostly human. His Sonido was almost silent as he took a step before finding himself in front of Halcyon. Before he walked into the building, Ulquiorra sighed. He left his car at the hospital. He had used his powers when he could have just driven over to the place due to impatience. He pushed the door open and walked into the cafe.

"Hi!" Orihime called to him as she approached. "So tell me all about it?"

"You did not inform him you were with child?" Ulquiorra asked as he came to a halt in front of the redhead. He tilted his head and looked at Orihime. "We need to talk about something."

"No, I didn't. I didn't want him to blow up while I was sitting next to him. What do we need to talk about?" she asked softly; his expression was making her nervous.

He sighed, not sure of what her reaction would be to his claim. What if she didn't believe him? What if the truth made her leave? "You should sit down for this," Ulquiorra replied, leading her over to a table.

"Okay now you're making me nervous, Ulquiorra. Should we go upstairs for this conversation? Am I going to cry?"

"No, but please understand this is what Ishida has told me. Your memories? Your husband and Ishida conspired to rid you of anything that reminded you of me."

Orihime's brows knit together. A hard breath blew out of her nostrils as her eyes searched the wood grain pattern of the table. "What? Why? How?" Her hands trembled as she looked at Ulquiorra. "How is that even possible?" She sounded breathless.

"I'm not certain."

No. It didn't make sense, she thought, shaking her head again and leaning backward. "Why would they do such a thing?" The tone of her voice conveyed hurt and Ulquiorra could see by looking at her that she did not want this to be true.

He reached across the table and grabbed Orihime's hand. "I caused terrible things to happen to you. What I did was horrible. What your husband did was horrible," Ulquiorra said.

"No." Orihime shook her head back and forth quickly. "No. You would never hurt me, Ulquiorra. I know it," she said, squeezing his hand and looking into his eyes for truth. She could see that he wasn't lying, but that didn't give her much comfort.

"I threatened you, as an Espada, Woman."

She exhaled heavily. "But you worked for Aizen, so you had to, right? Besides, threats are one thing. You told me we had "a thing" in Hueco Mundo. Surely that means you never hurt me, at least not intentionally."

Ulquiorra looked at her and frowned. He did not understand how she could take this information so calmly. "I allowed other Arrancar to harm you. I threatened to tie you down and force you to eat. I'm the bad guy Orihime."

"No. That doesn't make any sense. Why would Ichigo and Ishida want to erase my memory of you if you were nothing but a bad guy? Aizen was a bad guy. Nnoitra was a bad guy. They didn't try to erase my memories of them."

"None of them were in love with you. None of them fought your husband while he was a Vasto Lorde. I am the only Espada to fight Ichigo Kurosaki when he was fully hollowfied."

"A Vasto Lorde?" Orihime almost smiled; it was ridiculous. Then she blinked. White claws. She opened her eyes. Halcyon Cafe and Gifts. She blinked again. A scream; something between an elephant and a lion, full of blind, primal, killing intent. She opened her eyes. Ulquiorra's human face. Blink. Long orange hair, horns, and a mask. No. No. No no no no no no. Orihime climbed around the table to Ulquiorra and into his lap. "He's going to kill you. You have to leave. Don't let him cut you, Ulquiorra!" she whimpered in a tight, terrified voice, hiding her eyes in his body.

Her frightened state caused his arms to tighten around her. Ulquiorra rubbed his hand over her hair and her back, trying to calm her. The shock of her words made him panic slightly. Was it that easy to break this hold that was on her memories? "Shhhh, Orihime. He's gone. Ichigo's gone. He can't hurt you. He can't hurt me. Ishida can try, but he won't get far."

Her memories were not so much clear replays of past events, but rather still pictures, isolated sounds, sensations, or feelings. They came to her bit by bit; not in order, and not all at once. It was patchy and it was already starting to fade away. "I was so… I was so sad, Ulquiorra." Her fingers found his face and she held it as she came back to the present, her eyes glued to his, the only remaining memories being Ichigo's mask and her horrible grief. Her eyes were wet and tears flowed freely over her cheeks. "You."

"What about me?" he asked, bringing a hand up to wipe one side of her face. He didn't like to see her in such agony.

"You. It was you. You were there. You were there and then you were gone. There was nothing left. Nothing," she choked and threw her arms around his neck, sobbing without regard to her surroundings or customers. She held on tightly and cried. "You were gone," she repeated in a harsh whisper.

"I know. I know, Orihime. I came back to life though. I'm here now with you," he said trying to comfort her, still rubbing her back. "I am here now. I'm alive. When is the last time you slept?"

It seemed an odd question. "Last night," she answered, sniffling and slightly confused.

He stared at her for a moment. "Did you actually sleep or toss and turn? Maybe I'm keeping you up at night," Ulquiorra said. "You look exhausted."

She shook her head. "That's just the pregnancy. I'm growing a new organ as well as a baby. In a few weeks the placenta should be done and I'll stop looking like a zombie and getting sick all the time," she answered in an information-dump style of communication. "I don't want to sleep without you."

His eyebrows rose as she talked. Ulquiorra knew she was growing a human but he didn't know about this placenta thing. He sighed, knowing he'd probably read up on that when he got back to the house. "I don't want to sleep without you either. If I can help in any way, please let me know."

It was Riruka who spoiled the intimacy of their moment. "You can start with taking out this trash," her annoyed voice interrupted them as she pushed a bag toward Ulquiorra, "And telling your girlfriend to pipe down; she's scaring off customers. Why's she so clingy and whiny, anyway? Oh, don't tell me you asked her to marry you, ew."

Ulquiorra scowled at Riruka and ignored her offering of trash. "You haven't told her yet, have you?" he asked Orihime quietly.

"I haven't told anyone besides Isshin and the kids," she said, shaking her head. "It's not just my news."

"Orihime, I don't have anyone to tell this news to," Ulquiorra replied before kissing his girlfriend. "If Sato-san hangs around I'm sure she already knows about it. I do not like her, by the way."

Orihime sighed. "Can't say that I blame you. Let's tell her now? That way we're two against one."


Awww. So do you think Isshin and/or Kazui can be any freakin' cuter? Thanks for reading!