Chapter 8 – Waiting for You
Three hours later, we were lying underneath crisp white sheets, sweat bead covering our bodies. I was lazily tracing circles on his skin while he played with my hair.
"Why do you really love me, Shiro? Don't give me any of that 'ice melting' shit like you did last night, either. I want to know the REAL reason."
"Am I not to love without reason, Mouse? I love you because I do, Alex. I didn't know I was searching for you until I moved in, even while I was chasing after Momo. She is more like a sister because we grew up together. Rangiku is the same way, only more like a favorite aunt or cousin. I love both women dearly but the reasons are completely different from why I love you. You are mine, now and forever, Mouse."
He started to nuzzle my cheek but it stopped when I heard a soft snoring in my ear. I rolled my eyes and snuggled closer to him. For an ice wielder, he gave off extreme amounts of body heat. For some stupid reason, a song came to mind. Wait for You by Elliot Yamin. I guess that I was waiting for him, too, without even realizing it. Fortunately for me, Jackie Boy was gay. Otherwise we wouldn't be agreeing and arguing over music and the latest styles of the stars in southern California. I realized that I had been gone for a full twenty-four hours and wondered if Jack and Sally were beginning to worry about me or not. While these thoughts ran through my head, I felt my eyelids begin to droop as my body begged for rest after our short and sweet lovemaking session. I closed my eyes and pulled even closer to Shiro.
Surprisingly enough, I woke up before Shiro did, feeling better than I did the day before. I turned onto my stomach and began playing with his spiked white hair. I smiled when he groaned and opened his eyes slowly. He looked at me for a second before pressing a small kiss to the skin over my larynx. I smiled again as I pressed a kiss of my own to his forehead.
"Morning, Field Mouse," he mumbled. "You look radiant as always. Something seems different today, though. I can't quite place it, but it's there. Can we stay like this the rest of the day?"
"Morning to you, too, Sleeping Beauty. Thanks for the compliment. I FEEL better today than I did yesterday. Today will be one of our days off together. I still want to see the city when the chance should arise for some free time. Oh, great!"
My stomach started rolling and a wave of nausea hit me hard. I stumbled to the bathroom and nearly hit my head on the edge of the sink when I felt Shiro's arms around me, holding me steady. He gently guided me to the toilet and held my hair away from my face while I threw up undigested bagels and half digested grapes and strawberries. When I felt that I could speak, I tried to make a joke out of it.
"Guess I spoke to soon about feeling better, huh? This could mean one of two things. One: I'm pregnant. Or two: I have a stomach virus. IF I'm pregnant, the morning sickness doesn't kick in until week six or later. IF I have a stomach virus, it will still take a few days for it to get this bad. Do you have a hospital around? I want to get checked out before anything creepy happens."
"Captain Unohana is a first class Healer and she usually stays close to her patients unless something more important comes up. She's in the Fourth Division Medical building close to General Yamamoto's quarters. I'll take you when you're not throwing up as much."
"Thanks, Snow White," I managed before heaving up more grapes and strawberries.
After the last upheaval, Shiro helped me to stand and I held onto his shoulders. He helped me into a lighter feeling version of the Soul Reaper uniform. I had to lean on his shoulders until we were out in the street. He picked me up bridal style and speed stepped toward the Fourth Division Medical Office. That's when a thought hit me.
"Shiro. How long does a pregnancy usually last here in Soul Society? If you don't know, then I could just ask Captain Unohana when we get to her office."
Shiro chuckled at me. "I'm not real sure. Unohana will be able to tell you all that you want to know about that when we get there. I wouldn't mind having kids with you, Mouse."
I laughed the rest of the way. The way he talked about her, I knew that she had to be good at what she did. Less than ten minutes later, we were walking into a building similar to the Tenth Division. The woman standing before me had a thick braid that started from behind her neck and joined together down her front almost to her feet. She had soft sad looking brown eyes and a gentle smile with a voice to match.
"What a pleasant surprise, Hitsugaya-Taichou," she greeted. "What can I do for you today?"
"Can you check her out, Retsu-san? She started throwing up this morning and neither one of knows what is wrong with her. The last thing she had to eat were bagels, grapes and strawberries. But that was yesterday morning for breakfast. Please, Retsu-san?"
His pleading got me into a private room. Unohana's hands began glowing a soft yellow green color as she ran them up and down my body. She stopped at my stomach twice as if she were double checking on a growing suspicion in her mind. When she stopped at my stomach a third time, the glow was gone from around her hands and she pressed down HARD. I yelped and grabbed onto Shiro's hand.
"She's pregnant. About four weeks along. How long have you two been sleeping together, Hitsugaya-Taichou?"
"The last couple nights. Why? How can she be pregnant? Have you slept with anyone in the last month, Mouse? If you have, I will rip his head off."
"What? Why? NO! I would never sleep with anyone until I know that they will treat me right. I never slept with Jack because God knows he gay and I have only slept with you the last two nights. By the way, Captain Unohana, how long does a pregnancy last here in Seireitei?"
"Anywhere between six and ten months. It's twice as painful here in Seireitei as it is in the human world. We need to get you registered at a pregnancy clinic in Karakura Town as soon as possible so that you have normal check ups until the baby is born. Deal? I will stop the nausea and dizziness as much as I can so that you can function normally while you are doing paperwork and going on weekly patrols."
I nodded as a darker green glow surrounded her hands. Three times over my stomach and lower abdomen and twice around my head. We both thanked her before leaving to meet up with Rangiku for lunch. I leaned on Shiro still because my knees were still a little wobbly after hearing the news and throwing up half my stomach that morning. Before we could make it in the door, a dark blue and royal purple butterfly landed on Shiro's free shoulder. He rolled his eyes as if to say, What now?
"Speak, little one," he told the small creature.
"Message from Momo Hinamori."
"Begin message."
"SHIRO-CHAN! BRING RAN AND YOUR NEW FRIEND TO THE WEST GATE. JIDANBO SAYS THAT HE HAS NEWS OF THE DEFECTORS. WE CAN EAT LUNCH WHILE HE GIVES US HIS NEWS. SEE YOU IN HALF AN HOUR, SHIRO-CHAN!"
With that, the butterfly flapped away leaving us standing there by the door with shocked looks on our faces. Shiro switched directions, picked me up bridal and speed stepped all the way to the West Gate to meet up with Momo, Rangiku and Jidanbo.
Twenty minutes later, I could make out four figures by a large wrought iron gate. I recognized Rangiku because of her bust and strawberry blonde mane and Momo because of her covered bun. The third figure was tall and had a navy blue hakama with the characters for WEST GATE KEEPER on the back while the fourth figure was dressed like Shiro only he had an overturned basket covering his head. I knew that the guy in the navy blue hakama was Jidanbo.
"Who is the guy with the basket on his head, Shiro? I already figured out which one is Jidanbo because of the writing on his back."
"The guy with the 'basket' on his head is Sajin Komamura. He was best friends with Kaname Tosen before the betrayal. Refer to him as Komamura-Taichou while in his presence. I don't want him to think that you have no manners, Field Mouse."
I rolled my eyes at his order and at his nickname for me. I had to smile though because my heart skipped a beat every time he called me "field mouse."I loved him so much. I still do to this day. After four years, he still calls me "field mouse." I tapped Rangiku on the shoulder and she jumped about a foot in the air. I laughed at her. A low barking caught my attention and I looked around for a dog of some kind. Sajin-san's shoulders were heaving up and down and Jidanbo was chuckling heartily. Shiro's mouth twitched before he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention back on the topic at hand.
"What do you have on Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tosen, Jidanbo? Give it up or I'll go Bankai on your ass here and now, Gate Keeper."
"The Freaky Three are planning on pulling out all the plugs this time around. The lower numbered Arrancars are gathering what they can before Aizen sends in the Espadas to get more for whatever the maniac has planned. Aizen is planning on using Kurosaki's home town to create one of those key things for himself. How he knows how to make it is beyond me, but I don't want anymore death and destruction than there has been the last year or so. Care for some pork buns and plums, young lady? I have plenty to spare."
"No thanks, Jidanbo-san," I answered. "I'm having a bit of trouble keeping anything in my stomach right now. Thanks, anyway though. Shiro, can we go now? The heat is unbearable with all the body heat mixed in. and I need something besides dirt to throw up in on top of all the heat."