Preface -

She had been standing there for well over an hour, the pretty lines on her face permanently stuck in a down-turned position. Her vibrant violet stare was glued on the white frozen blanket covering her garden. Her hands were clasped around her steaming mug of decaf coffee, much to her displeasure.

"You ain't gunna melt the snow by staring at it, Kitten." He teased as he continued his task of drying the dishes he had just washed. He attempted to help where he could to lift her sour mood, though some days it seemed futile.

She snorted out indignantly, not amused by his poke at her grumpy demeanor.

"It's not like you'd be able to work in it anyway." He continued.

"I'm pregnant, not handicapped." She snarled and he rolled his eyes. Oh what a mood she was in today.

He weighed the options in his mind. As much as it pissed him off when she was like this, getting into arguments never helped. Hell, he could just blow off steam on Kurosaki later. No, it was best to handle her one of two ways, either leave her the fuck alone until she got over herself or try to get her to forget what the hell she was so miserable about.

He tossed the dish towel on the counter and slowly, almost silently, walked over to her. She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice him. It wasn't until his arms were sliding around from behind that she jumped. She immediately relaxed back against him, one hand lifting to cup the side of his face as his chin dropped to her shoulder. His lips brushed against her ear, pressing soft kisses there and sending chills down her spine.

"Wanna talk about it?" He asked in a whisper.

He waited, could feel her tense up as she thought about what was bothering her so much. He knew the words were there, just waiting to fall from her lips. He just needed to coax them out.

She sighed.

"Talk to me, Kitten." He tried again, one hand sliding over her protruding stomach and the other holding her against his chest.

"I just- it just doesn't stop." She said, her voice sounding defeated.

He frowned. "More visions?" His voice rumbled with dissatisfaction.

She nodded in affirmation. "I'm not sure if it's visions or just dreams. It's every night now. And if they are visions…" The worry in her tone made his hair stand on edge. He wasn't one for superstitions or predetermined fate, but he had also learned to never brush off her dreams as just that…simple dreams.

"Do I want to know?" He asked as he released her. He was careful about what he tried to coax from her, more so now than ever before. If there was something she felt he should know, she'd tell him. Altering the course of a life was tricky as she put it. Seers were rare, but there was some dispute as to whether they were rare because the gift of Sight was rare or they were rare because they had all been killed off due to the life altering information they held.

"I'm not sure if it's really a vision or just crazy pregnancy dreams. It's hard to tell them apart when they are all so realistic." She mentioned. Her eyes were still fixed on the snowy ground. It now became apparent to him that she wasn't sulking over her buried garden. She was seeing something horrific.

"Who do you see there?" He asked. She visibly faltered, his instincts never ceasing to surprise her.

"Kenji." She whispered painfully.

His brow scrunched, confusion and skepticism marring his face. "That don't make sense, Ruka. He's already dead."

"I know. Maybe it was just a dream…"

"It was just a dream." He agreed. Her stare finally broke from the window and moved to his confident gaze.

"You're right. It was just a dream." She smiled small, attempting to hide the doubt from her face.

"Come on, I'll make you something to eat." He said as he made his way back towards the kitchen counter.

"Ok, thanks." She replied as she started to follow him. She paused for a moment though, glancing back through the window to see her former lover's body laying in the snow with his cold dead stare locked on her. "It was only a dream."

/* Hi all! So I know it's been a very long time since I posted anything and I am really sorry about that. 2020 has not been my year (as I'm sure is true for many of you). I lost my father unexpectedly in the beginning of July and the craziness of the pandemic, breakdown of society, and trying to make arrangements for remote learning for my kid has left me with zero time or motivation for any writing. That said I am trying to get back into it and one of the best motivators is knowing I have a deadline. So I figured I'd start posting what I have so far on my next HarukaxGrimmjow fic. I've got about 6 chapters competed so far though they do need to be proofread so there will be a gap between postings. Just a fair warning right now, I don't know how often I will be able to update this. It could be once a month, once every two months...I just don't know. It will all depend on how much time I can dedicate to it, but I will do the best I can. If you are new here, you can check out the first two stories The Futile Repent and Sands of Vengeance. There are also one shots in Living in the World of the Living. In the meantime, I'll keep working on this. Thank you all for your support via reviews and favorites on my other works and I appreciate the patience as we all get through this horrific year! Stay strong! */