Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. No, no I fail to own it again!! Curse it, well I can't whine now.
Before we get into the lovely chapter:
I would want to wish my readers a MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR, KWANZAA, HANUKKAH, or any whichever holiday that you and your family might celebrate. I wish you joy and happiness during the holidays, and my best regards for the upcoming year. And, may the new year bring cheer and another chance to create a different path. Happy Holidays! - bleedingxinspace
The Bridge Of Silence
+---+
+Storming Lamentation+
The snow continue to fall, the once green ground now was covered in white along with almost nearly all surfaces that went uncovered. Karin sat on her desk, mindlessly tracing around a blank piece of paper as though she was a silly high school girl. Her mind seemed filled with other thoughts, mainly that hunger for something sweet. The thought of visiting 11th division to see Yachiru was tempting, but Kuchiki-taichou would not like that very much because it wasn't the proper behaviour for his fukutaichou.
"Kurosaki, take this reports to 9th squad." Kuchiki Byakuya appeared suddenly, a large stack of papers on his hands.
"Hitsugaya, Kuchiki-taichou." She corrected him, taking the papers and walking to the door. "Its Hitsugaya, married."
"My apologies, Hitsugaya." He was always so stoic about everything. She sighed, it was very stupid of her to try to get him to correct his mistake because even if she had been married for nearly four years--none of it would make a difference.
The cold air brushed against her pallid skin, there was a slight blush on her face due to the wind as she shunpoed to her brother's squad, but it was slow. Being pregnant was certainly stressful, tiring and very hard to move around. Three months to go, the baby would be born somewhere around March or perhaps earlier--depending on how Unohana-taichou would say that her child had developed since babies were not the same as they were in the real world.
As she landed on barracks of the 9th division, she felt a sharp pain run thru her but did not think much of it as she walked slowly towards her brother's office. The snow that had fallen on her hair and body melted, the warmth spreading around her was comforting and welcoming. As she walked, the pain returned so she slowed down to breath--pregnancy was never easy and she couldn't deal with it alone.
"Hitsugaya-fukutaichou." 3rd seat Mizuki Akira appeared, his face was plastered with a pleasant smile. Karin was well aware of how that kid really was--a bully. He was always harassing his niece and nephew constantly, just because they were Ichigo's children.
"Mizuki-san, is my--Kurosaki-taichou here?" She asked, wincing from the pain that was not going away at all.
"Hai, he's in the training area right now. Would you like me to accompany you?" His smile was sheepish, teenage love. She grimace.
"No, thank you." She turned, walking away quickly to find her brother. The pain would not leave, with each step she took she was wincing. "Damn it, this fucking hurts."
The snow was blinding her now, her vision was blurring out as she walked slowly towards the training area that had moved out into the forest. She took the small path that was free off grass, a simple rocky path she had to followed that lead up towards the clearing of the forest where the training grounds were placed at. The air settled, turning cold as the forest grew denser with each step as the canopy that once stood green, had turned white with the amount of time it had been exposed to the snow.
Karin's breath seemed to grow ragged, her feet becoming less functioning as she continued to walk slowly. The speed though, it was dropping as she leaned against a tree to rest for simply a second--though the pain became worse and she slid down the tree trunk. The whistling wind passed by, her eyes unfocused entirely and she passed out from the pain that was coming from her stomach.
+---+
"Kuchiki-taichou, where's my Kaasan?" Tatsuya perked up, the silence was a waste for him. His bright eyes focused on the stoic man's eyes.
"I sent her on an important task." He replied monotone at the child, averting his gaze away from the small boy. "Is there something you're looking for, Hitsugaya Tatsuya?"
He stood there, his small frame would be laughable as he tried to look strong and tall against the captain in front of him. Though, compare to his small frame--he was a four year old of course--his intelligence wasn't matched easily with other children his age at all. Byakuya was well aware that Tatsuya was smart, branded by his father's genes and his mother's strength.
"Not really, I'll go find Kazuki-kun." He smiled brightly at him. "Bye-bye." Before the older captain noticed, the small boy was gone from sight.
The raven haired shinigami glanced outside of his window, the snow was falling down like rain--fast and fierce that it seemed like a snow storm would brew any time soon today. He closed his eyes, focusing only on the paperwork that needed to be completed, but his mind wondering over his fukutaichou. Karin was easy to get the job done, quick and reliable that most of the paperwork was taken care at a fast pace--she was very knowledgeable.
Even while bearing a child, she wasn't slowing down at all, but somehow today she was taking a little bit too long now. He wasn't the one to worry so much, but due to the situation she was in--it was very much proper to worry about her. Byakuya stood up abruptly, he crossed the office in a few strides and slid the door open.
"Kuchiki-taichou, good afternoon." The division greeted him as he walked, his walk was that of a noble and very intimidating. Karin was the only one who wasn't easily moved by that, nor had been his brother-in-law when he had met him.
"Nii-sama?" Rukia appeared, she was wrapped in a thick coat. Her violet eyes staring at him, attentively of course, but still holding her respectable gaze.
"Rukia, have you seen Hitsugaya?" He asked. His mind still on her, the state she was in obviously wasn't helping with the worry he was hiding so well.
"Karin-chan? No, I have not." She answered. "I was just with Ichigo, but we didn't see her at all."
"I see." Byakuya replied, his gaze dropping a bit.
The worry on him would never surface at all, no one would see the emotions play around his face at all--but today he simply could not handle it. Two lives could be lost, many people would get hurt by that, and there shouldn't be any more mourning or sadness anymore with the way things were being taken care at the moment.
"Nii-sama, what's going on?" Rukia's tone became worried, her eyes searching for the truth behind his, but that was impossible to do so.
"I'm worried, she has not returned." He answered, his eyes closed. "I sense her, come Rukia."
"H-hai!" The petite shinigami followed her brother.
+---+
Matsumoto hated many things--one being doing paperwork that would only drag on and on for hours--but what she hated the most was the long silence that would fall on the office. Certainly, the silence was far too much to handle while doing the tedious task at hand, and the strawberry blond shinigami wasn't having none of that today.
"Taichou, why does it have to be so silent?" She whined, propping her head on her crossed arms in front of her in the table. "Have you picked a name yet? Karin-chan hasn't said anything, she's being really crabby."
The white haired captain grumbled incoherently, his eyes never leaving the paper in his hands at all. Matsumoto hated doing paperwork, absolutely, but she couldn't do anything after she had willingly volunteered on doing so.
"No, we have not. Get back to work." Hitsugaya exclaimed, shaking his head on the process. Dealing with her was impossible, but at least there had been some noise. "You had your share of speaking, now quite and work."
"You're so mean, maybe her anger is rubbing off on you too." She smiled candidly at him.
"Matsumoto!" He spoke louder, his tone was obviously he was not amuse at all. "If you don't--"
"Hitsugaya-taichou, come quickly to 4th squad." Hanatarou Yamada interrupted. "Its Karin-sama, she's in labour."
Both of them stopped bickering, Matsumoto bore a smile on her face as she thought about a new baby in the 10th squad. Compare to hers, Hitsugaya's was a horrified expression because their daughter was being delivered earlier then anticipated. It was like time suddenly stopped, the ghastly feeling of fear reared its ugly head once again in his world. Toushiro was tired of it though, tired of having to deal with that pain and everything that came with it. If something happened to his wife and daughter, the world would crumble easily in front of him.
As he followed the usual timid shinigami out of his office, those type of thoughts were pushed away instantly because he didn't want to think about it anymore. There would be positive thoughts, Unohana-taichou had stated that babies weren't compare to that of the real world, so there was a chance that nothing bad would happen at all.
"Hitsugaya-taichou, right this way." Kotetsu Isane greeted him as he entered, a smile placed on her face. "You must be worried." He was confused, nothing more or less. "Don't worry though, she's fine. Kuchiki-taichou and Kurosaki-fukutaichou found her in time."
Before Toushiro had a chance to ask, the doors to the delivery room were opened and he saw Karin laying on the bed already shouting curses that would perhaps echo throughout the entire Soul Society. There was sweat already on her forehead, she was pushing and breathing. Her eyes were focused, clearly the pain wasn't easily claiming her composure at all.
The room was filled with strange machines, the beeping and the rest of the sounds were new along with the smell. Hitsugaya was hit with nostalgia, he tried to picture the day in which Karin had given birth to Tatsuya--had she looked the same as she did now? Who had been the one there, watching out for her? Her brother might have, or Yuzu, perhaps Rukia might have been there.
"Hitsugaya-taichou, just in time." The motherly captain smiled at him, her smile was very warming. "She wouldn't do anything until you came, so please go and hold her hand."
"…" He felt mute, following the directions of the 4th squad captain. He stood besides her, stretching out his hand to grab hers.
The grandiose feeling crept up suddenly, shocking Toushiro for a second before he realized the situation he was in at the moment. Nothing could break it for the time, this is what he had prepared himself to see for the longest time, to not miss it for any second. His turquoise eyes glistening, that spark was growing with so much energy everyone could easily see how happy the white haired shinigami was at the moment.
"Toushiro--you're here." A smile appeared on her face. Those dark eyes focused on him, the smile on her face becoming more warmer and gentle. "I-I'm glad." Karin hissed, grabbing his hand tightly. The warmth from her spread around him, it was a feeling he couldn't bring himself to describe at all.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He smiled tenderly at her. She nodded, and begun to follow the instructions from the captain.
Happy wasn't a word to describe it, there was nothing that could describe the feeling clearly at all. All the words wouldn't do justice, the sight of the child coming to the world was a feeling that Hitsugaya wouldn't forget at all. His heart and chest felt compressed, at the thought of seeing Karin in pain was still hurtful to a rather extreme point, but he figured that it was the case when dealing with a delivery.
Going from a frantic state, to a happy, to a worry, and back to happy he manage to stay together throughout the entire thing without complaining about the pain on both of his hands. He swore that perhaps he wouldn't go back to work instantly with that hand, either way though, he couldn't return for a full month at least until everything went back into place.
"I love you Toushiro." Karin muttered, as Unohana-taichou instructed her to push hard one last time.
The crying of the little girl was soft, almost as if she didn't really want to cry. Her dark hair was glossy, her small baby face was just like all the babies faces were like--she looked amazing. He kissed Karin's forehead, his eyes leaving his daughter for a second while she got cleaned up.
"Congratulations, Hitsugaya-taichou and Hitsugaya-fukutaichou." Unohana-taichou expressed, finishing up healing Karin before throwing off the gloves on her hands. "I'll like for both mother and daughter to stay for the night, a simple overnight inspection before letting the two go. I'll go announce it to everyone outside, I'm sure they'll be eager to know." She smiled again, both parents nodding at her and returning their attention back to the baby.
"She's beautiful." He exclaimed, holding their baby girl in his arms.
"I'm glad you think so, or else this fucking pain wouldn't express anything." She smiled, looking at her little girl on his arms. "What would be a good name for her, I decided last time. Its your turn."
For the longest time, since she had known that she was carrying Toushiro's child again, she knew that the least she could do was to allow him to pick a name. Still, the feeling of being a mother was foreign, Tatsuya was a great son and amazing. Though, sometimes she wondered if she was being a great mother, but she didn't doubt on her duty at all. Happiness came out of that alone, a happiness that could not compare to any other happiness in the world. It was so strong, like a flame burning brightly against the dark background.
His face was thoughtful, his eyes focusing on the baby as if he was trying so hard to concentrate--she smiled.
"Yuri, lets name her Yuri." He smiled up at his wife. "I'll like to name her that."
Karin nodded, the widest smile was spread on his face that it made her get teary eyed, it was hard not to think about the fact that he had wished to be there on the birth of their son. For now, she wouldn't think back on that memory alone at all because either way, they would only be replaced by this moment and nothing more.
+---+
The closest friends were there, everyone smiling at the sight of the new Hitsugaya member. Ichigo and Rukia held hands during the announcement of the baby being a girl, it was a good feeling at the moment as it was for their children. Karin's twin, Yuzu, and Hisagi were smiling at the good news that both of them were alright and very happy to know about that as well.
Though, while they were keeping their happiness in a quiet sort of form, Isshin was the one who was being so loud and screaming like an idiot. He held pink balloons, a large basket filled with baby clothes and other goodies for the parents--surely that was going a little overboard with everything.
"My loving daughter has granted me another grandchild, Masaki would be proud." He wailed, earning a kick from Ichigo on the face.
"Stupid old man, can't keep anything quiet." The orange haired shinigami grumbled, holding his fist up ready to punch his father again.
"Aniki, aniki, aniki." Tatsuya, Amaya, and Koji were chanting while they were spinning in a circle.
While that was taking place, Hitsugaya shook his head as he re-entered the room where Karin and Yuri were now resting for the time being until tomorrow. It was strange, not being bother by the overly used emotion at the moment, all the worrying and irritation had drained from his body because now he was filled with the strong emotion inside of him.
"That old man, always so loud about everything." Karin muttered.
"Kaasan, Otousan!" Tatsuya entered the room, skipping towards his parents. "She's my little baby sister."
"That's right, Yuri." Toushiro smiled, picking up his son and sitting him on his lap. "Look, she has your mother's hair--we're not sure about the eyes though."
The small boy stared at his young sister, the soft look upon her face was angelic and peaceful. Somehow, he understood that this was something special, having the right to carry out his duty as an older brother and a son. There was a determination that laid in the end, to protect the ones he loved just like his mother and father. To believe strongly just like his uncle Ichigo and aunt Rukia, to become the pillar of support for those that were part of his life now. Remain gentle and thoughtful, like aunt Yuzu and uncle Shuuhei, always following your heart and be open minded.
Even for his young life, Tatsuya was well aware of his life and those that surrounded him. Everything was clear, put right in the path of life that would lead somewhere far and filled with whatever emotions he pictured it with. Though, that aside, his duty was not to take care of Yuri and become a brother that can be reliable, strong, and very caring for her protection. Tatsuya watched, his sister moved in his mother's arms and then opened her eyes. The same eye colour staring back at him, a strong colour for a girl who would become strong like their parents.
"She has the same colour as us, funny." He smiled at his father and mother. "I'll become strong, to protect her."
"Taking those tips from Kazuki and Ichi-nii again, silly." Karin ruffled her son's hair, but was happy to know that he wasn't being selfish for being the oldest. "Your four, there's no hurrying because your sister won't need protection anytime soon from bullies."
"Your mother is right, you're four." Toushiro supported his wife's decision, but Tatsuya wasn't being cooperative on that at all.
"Being four sucks, I'll be five in a few months." He grumbled, folding his arms across his small chest and tried to look defiant. "Age is just a number, something that exist for us beings to take on account because our lives must end at some point. And, I'm not a child."
Both of them were shocked, it was incredible as to how smart he really was and how he was able to handle bullying from others. Strong, everyone knew that he was strong and very willing to understand, but he was being rather stubborn.
"Tatsuya, you're being stubborn and rather rude." The white haired shinigami changed his tone. "And, if you do not stop, we're going to have to put some rules down."
Tatsuya sighed, controlling his anger was easy and he couldn't offend his parents at all. "I'm sorry." His tone was simple, but very much apologetic. "It was my fault for being rude like that, truly sorry about that. I'll wait, patience will be rewarding in the end."
The dark haired shinigami sighed, it was hard to imagine how easily he came to conclusions like that. He was forgiven like that, punishments weren't easily dealt with by him, and he was responsible for only a four year old kid.
"I'm sorry to say this, but both mother and daughter need their rest." The 4th squad captain entered. The serene expression on her face seemed comforting, she shooed both father and son out of the room.
"We'll come back tomorrow, Kaasan." Tatsuya called as he disappeared out of the door.
"Sleep, Karin." Toushiro smiled, and followed his son out of the door.
+---+
Short chapter, my apologies. After the awful and boring chapter from last time, I give you a little less depressive and moody chapter. Nothing much to say really, I wanted to go into a different direction with this chapter--but it would end up on a foul note on my book. Sighs, I brought you the birth of Hitsugaya Yuri (I'm into the gist of using surnames first now!). I love the name Yuri actually, I was going to name her 'Sayuri' but decided not to 'cos I would get confused with a side story I'm working on. Anyways, but yeah I though it would be better to have that instead of the other thing.
+happygirl24- 'Again, my deepest apologies. Stupid meds, made me all moody and it was horrid. Hopefully this chapter was better. Sorry, again.'
+Tsukihime nee- 'Agree, though I do have a tendency of bashing a lot. Well, not in stories particularly, but you know where I am going with that. I tried to make it short and to the point--meaning my dislike for the two particular characters. So, it wasn't so bad. Hope that you enjoyed this chapter.'
+Kida Ookami- 'Yes, it was cute I thought too. I've been trying to add more to that, so yeah. Hope that you enjoyed this chapter.'
+WatermelonPrincess- 'Its alright, you mentioned your reason so I understand. Thank you though. I needed for Hitsugaya to forget about her completely, to move on and make peace with it so he could lead a better life. And, well how did you like the new baby? LOL, that was hard to decide upon since I've made Ichigo's children to look like him, with the exception of Koji I believe. Um, gotta go more into detail with the children. I have yet to describe Yuzu's and Hisagi's twins! XD.'
Well, I'll be returning with a new chapter perhaps before the end of the year. I'm not sure--I'll have to work it out and since I'm going to my Aunt's for Christmas for one night so I'll have some time to write something down while I'm there. As long as my cousin's bitchy pregnant girlfriend doesn't bug (she's very annoying) along with my older cousin's baby (good grief, where in the hell do many babies come from!! Stop it the bloody--that bloody bird's name 'stork'?) Anyways, rambling off there. So, I think I'll be moving a few more years down the road on the next chapter. As I said, I want to explore more sides the Kazuki, Amaya, Koji, Tatsuya, Takehiko, Yuri, Hotaru and Yuu. Well, that's all I have to say--have a safe holiday everyone--damn forgot to add that up at first! Well, you know what to do...Review!