Neji sat in a near trance like state while Niko drew some blood from his arm. As he was sporadically responsive Suzume was the one to hold the cotton ball in place while he bent his elbow up to put pressure on the cut from the phlebotomy that had been performed.

He kept thinking about the implications of what Niko had said, and a few things kept playing over in his mind. How did this happen? Never mind how it happened, since when has a human managed to get a soul pregnant? Forget that, where was his family going to live? How could he provide for a newborn? Taking on Suzume was challenging enough, and she was self sufficient in a few ways! No wonder Yumichika had been angry with him. If someone had done something like this to a friend of his he'd be looking to murder the guy responsible. But he also knew he wasn't the kind of guy to push for something to happen if the woman wasn't willing, men like that are just trash in his opinion. He'd sooner dip his head in to a snake pit than even be in the company of a man like that let alone be a man like that. If he witnessed a man behaving in such a manner he wouldn't be able to restrain himself from intervening. At least, he thought that was the sort of man he was. So he was pretty certain that she had been willing.

"Are you certain this baby is mine? There has to be some mistake," he proposed.

"No mistakes. Chiaki isn't exactly known for dating or being intimate with anyone. Last boyfriend she had was a little over twenty years ago. That guy broke her heart and she steered clear of dating for a while. Course her sister died and left her with Tetsuya to care for so dating wasn't a priority or her," Akon replied as he went back to tapping at the keys.

Neji blinked again as he realized, "I need to get a job."

Niko began analyzing the blood as she inquired, "Why?"

"I have a baby on the way. I have to be able to provide for them and their mother," Neji reasoned.

Akon chuckled as he realized, "Uh you don't quite remember who Chiaki is do you?"

The query caused the brunette white eyed man to raise an eyebrow at him so Akon gave a sigh as he elaborated, "Chiaki Kyoraku is the adoptive daughter of Head-Captain Shunsui Kyoraku. The Head-Captain, or some call him the Captain-Commander, is the second eldest son of the lesser noble Kyoraku family. Chiaki may not be blood related, but he's always treated her as if she was. He always kept her close or under the caring eye of a Captain he trusted explicitly until she became the Kido Corps Commander herself. Money isn't going to be an issue between the two of them."

Neji's eyes widened a bit. Akon shrugged his shoulders as he added, "Financially, she's set, but I think she'd rather not do the whole single mom to an infant thing again. She took on that role to her nephew when her twin sister was murdered. I'm sure she'd rather have you in the picture and have you be there for your child."

Neji nodded and relaxed a little while replying, "I see. Those are good points."

'I don't normally panic, but having no employment and finding out you're going to be a father—that's more terrifying than being trapped inside a prison of water,' he thought to himself.

Akon nodded to Neji's arm as he advised him, "Let's get some gauze on that, and you should be alright to leave for now. If we need anything else we'll look for you."

"Alright," Neji agreed, as he lowered his arm. Akon applied pressure to the cotton ball as he began to wrap Neji's arm with gauze, and then tied it off at the back of the man's arm.

"I'm going to take him to the First Division," Kiyone told Akon, the Lieutenant nodded his head in acknowledgement as he finished with the bandage.

Neji looked to Kiyone and asked, "What's at the first division?"

"The Captain-Commander, and he's been keeping Chiaki there as well," Kiyone replied.

Neji felt as if his blood had turned to ice. Chiaki—obviously they'd been involved, but he barely remembered anything about her, except she doesn't like mushrooms or sweets and loves savory foods. From what Akon had mentioned she had a nephew whom she was a guardian, and had raised him from infancy.

He thought back on the times he could remember with her and quickly realized something else, she wore autumn colours, her wardrobe when she was in his world consisted entirely of red, yellow, orange and brown. The corners of his lips curved upwards as he realized that's why he was smiling at the colours of the autumn leaves. Subconsciously he does remember her, but consciously the memory isn't there.

"I just realized something, I don't remember her consciously but I've been happy over things that I felt a bit strange being happy about. I couldn't figure out why those things made me smile, like autumn leaves. Autumn is the most unpredictable season, weather wise and yet—I found myself smiling at the autumn leaves on the tree that I was sitting under. Now I realize Chiaki likes to wear autumn colours," he advised the others.

"That's right, her name means 'a thousand autumns', which was her mother's wish for her," Kiyone replied.

"Since she was born in autumn, that means that her mother's wish was for her to live for a thousand years," Neji concluded.

Akon raised his eyebrows as he inquired, "You remember that about her?"

"Yes, I believe so. It's October seventeenth, right?"

Kiyone smiled with a nod, while Suzume seemed to play with the ratty sleeves of her grey kimono. Neji knelt down to be eye level with her and asked, "what is it?"

"After you see her and she has the baby, you're gonna forget about me," Suzume admitted her fear, tears welling up in her eyes.

"That won't happen. I'll be busy with the baby, yes, that will be true. Babies need a lot of care, but whenever you have need of me I will be there for you too. That will never change," Neji replied.

Suzume hesitated before wrapping her arms around Neji's neck, and hugging him. He gently wrapped his arms around the girl, cuddling her as he stood with her still in his arms. This would definitely be a challenge, but he hadn't backed down from a single one yet since he arrived here.