A Small Defense

Chapter Three: Heartbeats and Raspberries

July

Rukia sat at the desk in Ichigo's room, struggling to focus on her homework as waves of nausea kept hitting. Finally she gave up and glanced over at Ichigo, who was sitting on his bed with a book on his lap while he took notes in a planner.

"What are you doing?" Rukia asked, half curious and half hoping to be distracted from her nausea.

"I got a planner to track your pregnancy and the baby's development." He said without looking up from his work. "I've already labeled all the weeks, so now I'm writing what's happening each week."

"You're really taking this seriously."

"It's my kid, of course I'm taking it seriously!"

Rukia could not help but smile at Ichigo's words. He really was a sweet guy, whether he admitted it or not. She pushed away from the desk and rolled the office chair over to the bed to look at his work.

"So what's happening this week?" Rukia asked

Ichigo set aside the book he was looking at and began to flip through the planner he was filling out.

"Well, the baby was conceived six weeks ago, which means that you're in your eighth week, so. . ."

He stopped on the page for the last week of June and pointed to the Friday which had been labeled as Beginning of Eighth Week.

". . .there's actually a lot happening; the baby is now the size of a raspberry-"

"-That sounds good." Rukia said.

Ichigo stopped and turned to look at Rukia.

"You want raspberries now, don't you?"

"Not right now, I want to finish hearing about the baby first, then we can get raspberries."

Ichigo gave a small smile before returning his gaze to the planner and reading his notes.

"Okay, so the baby now has fingers and toes -they're webbed at the moment, but they're there. The eyes and ears are forming -and most of the essential organs should start forming by the end of the week."

"Already?"

"Yeah, the heart already developed a few weeks ago and it's beating twice as fast as ours."

Without thinking, Rukia moved her hand to rest on her lower abdomen.

"It's weird to think about -we only met six weeks ago, and we already have a baby with a beating heart."

"It's pretty crazy," Ichigo agreed, "but I'm not gonna lie, I kind of wish I could hear it."

Rukia smiled ruefully at Ichigo's words. Even though his father had all the equipment necessary to hear and see the baby, they would not be able to use it. They had agreed to keep Rukia and the baby a secret from Ichigo's family for awhile -at least until he had a stable job and could prove to his father that he was taking his responsibilities seriously. They also had to make up a believable story about their relationship. With all that she was putting him through, she really wished that she could give him what he wanted.

"Urahara may have a way." She said after a few moments of thought.

"Really?" Ichigo asked in a surprise.

"He asked me to stop by his shop so that he can give me a check up."

"Is he even qualified to do that?"

"Of course he is -he is the one who made my gigai so he knows more-"

"-He made your gigai? I thought he was just a shop owner!"

"He's the former captain of Squad Twelve -the Department of Research and Development- he invented gigais."

"Wait, you're telling me that guy is a soul reaper?"

"He's no longer a member of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, but yes, he is a soul reaper."

"So what's he doing running a shop here?"

"He was exiled."

"That can happen?"

"Rarely, bu-" She paused as the nausea intensified and she began to feel bile rising in her throat.

Her eyes widened and looked around as she held one hand to her stomach and the other covered her mouth. Ichigo seemed to realized what was happening and quickly jumped off the bed before returning with a large bowl. Rukia wasted no time in hugging the bowl to her chest and vomiting into it as Ichigo pushed her hair away from her face. After a few minutes, the vomiting subsided and Rukia leaned her head on the back of the chair in relief.

"Do you think you're done?" Ichigo asked.

"For now." Rukia said with her eyes closed.

She felt Ichigo's hands drop from her hair and take the bowl out of her hands. She heard the sound of a drawer opening and water being poured into a cup.

"Here." Ichigo said when he returned.

Rukia opened her violet eyes and took the small glass of water that Ichigo was offering her. She took a large sip, swished it around in her mouth, spit it back into the glass and handed it back to Ichigo. The teenage boy took the glass of vomit infused water and poured it into the large bowl before snapping a lid on the top.

"My family is out for a bit if you want to use the bathroom." Ichigo told her.

Rukia nodded, tiredly, as Ichigo exited the room to empty and clean the bowl. She was absolutely exhausted, despite the nap she had taken upon returning home from school. She knew she ought to use the bathroom while Ichigo's family was out, but the very thought of getting up was tiring. Maybe if she closed her eyes for just a few seconds. . . .

"Is Rukia okay?"

Rukia hardly acknowledged Kon's voice as she continued to sleep.

"She will be if you stop yelling, and get out from under my feet!" Ichigo snapped.

Rukia felt herself being lifted from the chair and laid on the bed. She began drifting further into unconsciousness until she suddenly felt something land on her chest.

"RUKIA!" Kon sobbed. "WAKE UP! PLEASE WAKE UP! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE WITH ICHIGO!"

"WHAT THE HELL KON! I'VE TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM RUKIA WHEN SHE'S SLEEPING!" Ichigo yelled, as he tried to pry the stuffed lion off of Rukia's chest.

Rukia opened her eyes, grabbed Kon by his head and threw him off of her.

"RUKIA!" Kon cried happily as he tried jumping back to her, only to be smacked by Ichigo.

"Didn't I just tell you to leave her alone!"

"But she's awake now! I saved her!" Kon argued.

"Kon. . ." Rukia groaned.

"Yes, Rukia?" The lion replied happily.

"Be quiet. You're giving me a headache."

"Bu-"

"-Kon, if you wanna help Rukia, go grab that pack of rice crackers from the kitchen."

"I thought they were in your drawer." Kon said.

"Oh, sorry, what I meant to say was 'go away, you're bothering Rukia'."

"What! It's your spawn that's making her sick, you go away!"

Ichigo and Rukia glared at the stuffed lion, who gulped in fear upon realizing that he had crossed a line.

"Fine!" Kon huffed when Ichigo threw him out of the room and slammed the door. "I can see when I'm not wanted! I hope the baby is a nice girl and not an ugly boy like you!"

Ichigo scowled as he opened his drawer and pulled out a water bottle and pack of rice crackers.

"If the baby is a girl, I'm sending Kon away." He said as he set the food and drink on the desk and helped Rukia sit up.

"I'm sure Urahara will take him." Rukia replied.

"Here."

Ichigo handed her a rice cracker.

"Thank you." Rukia said as she accepted the cracker and began to nibble on it.

"That hat and clogs guy, he forged your documents, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well, I was doing some more research on morning sickness and I read that eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day can help decrease it, but obviously you can't be snacking during class unless you have a medical condition that requires it."

"Like being pregnant?"

"Or hypoglycemia."

"Hypoglycemia?"

"It's when you have low blood sugar. It can cause nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, excessive hunger, and a lot of other symptoms that you've been having; so it would also help keep everybody from getting suspicious."

"So you want Urahara to forge a doctor's note?"

"Do you think he'd do it?"

"Probably."

"Great, so -uh, I guess, let me know when we're going?"

"Can we get some raspberries on the way?" Rukia asked.

"If you still want them."

"Then we'll go once I finish this." Rukia said, before taking another bite out of the rice cracker.

"Are you sure that you'll be able to walk?" Ichigo asked.

"I'll be fine Ichigo, stop worrying."

"It's hard not to worry when you're vomiting and passing out."

"I didn't pass out, I just fell asleep -besides, I can go out the front door since your family is out right now, and I think we can both agree that that's preferable to climbing out the window right now."

"Fine." He agreed.

As promised, they stopped for some raspberries on the way. Ichigo also got another pack of pocari sweat and gave Rukia a bottle to drink while she was eating on a park bench. It definitely helped her feel better and made the walk to Urahara's shop bearable.

"You're getting check up in a candy shop?" Ichigo asked when they arrived."

"Hey, Boss!" Jinta yelled before she could respond. "Kuchiki and that orange haired guy are here!"

"Coming!" Urahara said, before coming out from the back. "Ah, Ms. Kuchiki, what can I do for you?"

"You said to come in for a check up." Rukia reminded him.

"Oh yeah, come on back then." He said casually, motioning for them to follow him.

They followed him down a hall and into a room filled with science equipment, a few machines, and an exam table.

"Take a seat on the table, Rukia, we'll start with you're vitals." Urahara said as he opened a drawer.

Rukia was about to follow his instructions but looked back when she noticed that Ichigo was not following her. He had his hand on the door like he was ready to slide it shut, but stopped when he noticed Ururu standing outside the door.

"Uh. . . Can I help you?" Ichigo asked the shy girl.

"What's up, Ururu?" Urahara asked.

"Um, will you be looking at the baby?" The little girl asked.

"In a bit, but first I have to check to make sure that Ms. Kuchiki's gigai is functioning properly."

"Oh, um, do you think I could stay to see the baby?"

"That'll be up to Ms. Kuchiki."

"Um, Ms. Kuchiki, would it be all right if I stayed?" Ururu asked, nervously looking at Rukia.

"I don't have a problem with it. Ichigo?"

Rukia knew that seeing his child for the first time would be a big deal for Ichigo, so she decided she should let him choose whether or not he wanted to share this moment with Ururu.

"Yeah, sure, come in." He said to the little girl.

Ururu scurried into the room and quickly made her way to Urahara's side. Ichigo slid the door shut behind her before walking over to stand by the exam table that Rukia was now sitting on. Ichigo was quiet as the blonde man carried out his examination and asked Rukia questions. Urahara remained professional this time, but Rukia and Ichigo almost hit him when he asked her to pull up her dress for the ultrasound and did not offer a blanket to cover her lower half.

"Whoops, sorry, forgot about that. Silly me!" He claimed as he went to grab the machine from the corner. "Ururu, could you grab a sheet for Ms. Kuchiki?"

The little girl pulled a sheet out of a drawer and helped Rukia spread it over her legs.

"Turn around, Urahara!" She snapped.

She was about to do the same to Ichigo, but saw that he had already turned away. Why did this child have more decency than Kisuke Urahara? She quickly pulled the dress up so that her abdomen was revealed and made sure that the sheet was arranged properly before letting them know that they could look again.

"All right, this is gonna be a little chilly." Urahara said, holding a bottle of gel.

"That won't be a problem." Rukia replied, thinking of Sode no Shirayuki.

Kisuke squirted the gel onto her stomach and began to move the wand around on her abdomen. Black and white images moved on the screen until Urahara seemed to find what he was looking for.

"Okay, so this circle here," he said, pointing to a black space in the center of the image, "is the amniotic sac, and this right here is your baby."

This time he pointed at the white shape inside the sac. It looked like an oval with a rounder oval attached to it. It was just an odd shape in a screen but it managed to take Rukia's breathe away. The baby squirmed and Rukia swore she saw tiny limbs moving, causing her to smile.

"Was that-" Ichigo seemed unable to finish his question as he stared in amazement.

"Arms and legs." Urahara replied. "At this stage of development the baby even has fingers and-"

"-We know," Rukia said, "Ichigo has been doing a lot of research. He also mentioned the baby's heartbeat."

"Did you want to hear it?"

"Yes." Ichigo and Rukia replied in unison.

Urahara smirked at them, and Rukia could tell that he was resisting the urge to tease them.

"Okay, let me just check the measurements and then we can listen to the heartbeat."

The measurements did not take long, and Urahara quickly assured them that everything was looking good.

"Okay, are you ready to hear your baby's heartbeat?"

"Yes." Rukia answered.

"Right, hear we go." He said.

It took a moment for him to pick up the heartbeat, but they soon heard a rapid thumping noise coming from the speaker. Rukia stared at the image of her baby and listened to his heartbeat in wonder. She was vaguely aware of Ichigo gasping, but was too awestruck to check on him. She stared at the image of her baby and listened to his heartbeat in wonder. How could this be real? How could this baby be real? How could she of all people be bringing life into this world? How could she be bringing it into the World of the Living?" The very thought of such a thing had never occurred to her, and yet, it was happening.

"Ms. Kuchiki?" Ururu said. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Rukia finally took her eyes off the screen. "Yes, why?"

"You're crying, Rukia." Ichigo told her.

"What?"

She lifted a hand to her face and, upon feeling the tears, quickly wiped them away.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"-You don't have make up an excuse," Ichigo said, "it was an incredible thing to hear."

Ichigo and Rukia shared a smile before being interrupted by Urahara.

"Well I think we're done here. Everything looks good. Want me to print out a picture?"

"Yes, please." Rukia said, certain that Ichigo would like to have one.

"How about you go eat dinner now, Ururu?" Urahara said as he began printing the images.

"Yes, Mr. Kisuke."

Ururu ran out the door and shut it behind her. Urahara handed Rukia a clothe to wipe the gel off her stomach, and began to shut down the machine. Once again, Rukia told the men to look away while she sat up and readjusted her clothes. She let them know when she was done and they turned back to speak to each other.

"Well, like I said, everything looks good. The baby is definitely acting as an anchor between you and your gigai but I'm still going to suggest that you take one somafixer tablet everyday, just to stay on the safe side. Overall it should be just like a regular human pregnancy, but it would still for me to give you a check up once in awhile. Any questions?"

"I have a few." Ichigo said. "First I was wondering if you could forge a doctor's note saying that Rukia has hypoglycemia, it would help a lot at school."

"Sure, that's a piece of cake." Urahara said with a wave of his hand. "What else do you need to know?"

"I have one. Can you please tell Ichigo that hollows won't be targeting me because of the baby? He's been paranoid about it and has been insisting on staying close."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. Your average hollow is unlikely to notice the baby's spiritual pressure. If it becomes noticeable, I'll let you know and help mask it, just like I do for Ururu and Jinta."

"See," Rukia said to Ichigo, "I told you there was nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, yeah." Ichigo said.

"Have you two decided what you're gonna do when the baby is born?"

"Yeah, I'm raising it, so don't worry about making room here." Ichigo said. "I might just let you have Kon if it's a girl."

Rukia found it a little cute how protective Ichigo was of his possible daughter.

"Well I guess that covers everything." Urahara said. "How about you two have a bit of dinner while I write that doctor's note? Tessai cooked tonight, so I can promise you that it's edible."

Rukia thought about turning down the offer, but changed her mind when her stomach growled and she remembered that they still had to walk back to Ichigo's house.

"I think we could eat a little bit, but I need to stop by the bathroom before that."

"Sounds good! Ichigo, follow the sound of Jinta yelling and I'll bring Rukia to the bathroom."

"I can wait-"

"It's fine Ichigo, just go." Rukia said.

It was clear to Rukia that Urahara wanted to speak in private, and she was certain she knew what it was about.

"Does he know why you have to leave?" Urahara asked as soon as Ichigo was out of earshot.

"No. He knows that I don't want to. He heard Saido say that I committed a crime, but he doesn't know the severity of it and I intend to keep it that way."

"Are you worried he would try to save you?"'

"I know he would, and he would get himself killed."

Later that night after they returned home and went to bed, Rukia crept out of the closet, took the sonogram out of the drawer and snuck out the window. She sat on the roof and stared at the sonogram in private. She knew that she should not get attached. She had to leave her baby behind, it was the right thing to do. Despite telling herself otherwise, she had become attached. It was not simply a matter of right and wrong anymore, she loved this baby; but love meant putting the one you loved before your own wants and needs. No matter how much it pained her, she had to leave her baby and Ichigo, because it was the only way to ensure their safety.

"I'm sorry, little one," Rukia said to her baby as she stroked her abdomen, "I know that it will be hard growing up without a mother, but it's the only way to keep you safe."

It was there, on the rooftop, where she could be alone that finally able to let out her tears of sorrow.

Well, that that took a long time. My excuses? Life has been busy. I've been getting sidetracked by everything. My cat tried to help me write.

A major dilemma I've been having with this story is the year. The wiki and other stories say that it starts in 2001; however, the day before visiting Masaki's grave, Ichigo looks at his watch and it says thursday, 16 June. I decided to look up the calender from that year, because I think it's important, and found out that June 16th, 2001 was a Saturday. The only year that fits, given that knowledge is 2005. I'm trying to decide whether or not I should change the dates to 2005 or just leave them. It's seriously bothering me.

Now feel free to enjoy a sample of my cat's writing.

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