Bleach (c) Tite Kubo
Once More To See You Again
Second born
When the ultrasound revealed Masaki was carrying twins, Isshin was thrilled beyond all imagination.
He was bouncing off the walls in gleeful excitement at the though of being a father, but suddenly the prospect of two little children entering their lives at once was as exciting as it was terrifying.
Once upon a time Isshin was a soldier; responsible for an entire division of men and women. He led those warriors into battle; less frequently (and by unfortunate necessity) to their deaths. Friends and colleagues he'd known for years fell in the line of duty, and every Shinigami accepted that as a fact of life.
Somehow the prospect of being caretaker to these two huge little lives is more daunting than a thousand hellish battlefields.
Isshin puts a lid on those anxieties and puts them aside.
That was a different time, a different life.
The here and now demanded his attention. While there would be many trials for years to come, Isshin wants to enjoy the notion of fatherhood, no strings attached. At least for a little while.
Its just a new challenge and he's ready and eager to tackle it head on.
Masaki continues happily chatting away despite, or perhaps because, Isshin sometimes gets lost in an uncharacteristic bout of melancholy. Little nothings like how to arrange the baby room - baby rooms. Mentally mapping out how she'd arrange the cribs, what colours to paint the walls and other such minutiae.
And like a lighthouse on a moonless night, Masaki guides Isshin home every single time.
One was a boy. That much was beyond despite. Cheeky little so-and-so made that fact abundantly clear on the ultrasound. Which left baby number two a delightful little mystery.
Masaki thinks it will be a girl and Isshin trusts her judgement. He'd enjoy that.
In his mind's eye, he can picture a little toddler looking just like his mother and a little girl who takes after her father.
They decide on the names then. Ichigo for the boy, the First Protector. Karin for the girl.
Masaki was always a student of etymology, and while the Japanese variant of "Karin" referred to a fruit, Masaki's quincy heritage was very much on full display as she much preferred the western Germanic interpretation; Pure one. Its her own private little joke and Isshin only smiles in return.
Its fitting he thinks. Poetic even, in an extremely sappy way; the First Protector born first to protect the purity that comes after.
But that's Masaki in a nutshell.
Somehow the idea of the boy and girl become so engrained in their minds over the course of their pregnancy, and they just accepted it as fact.
So when the time comes, a second son is a surprise.
He's a fussy baby. Screaming his head off, unlike his older brother already sleeping on his mother's chest. Strong lungs and loud opinions from the very first second.
Ichigo has his mother's hair and eyes like Masaki predicted (she's scarily good at that, Isshin wonders if that some Quincy ability he's never heard about or just her freakishly good maternal instincts kicking in).
The second son on the other hand? Carries the classic Shiba look through and through with mussy black hair and obsidian blue eyes. (Wasn't a girl, but they were half-right about each kid taking after one side of the family.)
Its a whim that Isshin thinks of a name; one that he partially wonders is a mistake.
These boys. They were already in for a hard destiny by virtue of what they were. Would it be cruel to saddle his second born with yet another mantle of responsibility? To invoke the same fate that befell Isshin's beloved nephew over half a century ago? He was another boy Isshin loved and helped raise like a son but taken from them all too soon.
Against his better judgement perhaps, Isshin suggest the name anyway and it fits like a glove.
Now he's spoke it out loud, Isshin understands there's no more fitting a name for his second son. (There's an idly fancy Isshin would like to be true in that moment. That his beloved nephew returned to the cycle of life, choosing his favourite uncle to be his father in name and spirit this time around. He could always ask Urahara if there's a test he could run or something but decides against it. Knowing would spoil the illusion.)
Masaki can read his emotions easily. He's always been an open book to her and with an understanding smile she says she loves it.
They're back home now. The boys are fed and Ichigo's already swaddled in his crib while Isshin paces the nursery back, rocking Kaien back and forth. It took some coaxing (exactly like his namesake) but Kaien is finally asleep too, his tiny fist clutching around Isshin's finger.
Maybe in this child, in these children, his nephew's legacy lives on.
Author's note:
Reincarnation AU ahoi!
Regards,
Aurora313
