Chapter 6: Love and Honour
Tōshirō suddenly found himself in a situation he had never been in before. He was in a room with a woman who was soon going to be giving birth, and it was very clear that an infectious and potently dangerous panic was starting to spread.
"This is way too early!" Screamed a panicking Hanatarō. "I never had to deal with a birth that started this early before and with all the com…"
"What needs to be done Seventh Seat Yamada Hanatarō of the Fourth Division of the Gotei Thirteen?" Tōshirō asked in a demanding tone. "Do we have everything we need to complete the birth in this room?"
"No Captain!" Hanatarō rapidly explained. "We don't have some of the important tools for birth in here, because it wasn't expected to happen yet. Also with the birth being premature were going to need to get the newborn into a special Kidō augmented cot very quickly after birth. But I'll never be able to get there back before the baby start wanting to come out…"
"You won't need to." Tōshirō said as he turned to his two female subordinates. "Because Vice-captain Rangiku Matsumoto and Ninth Seat Kurosaki Karin are going to go to the Fourth Division's barracks and get the kit for you."
"A good idea Captain Hitsugaya!" Hanatarō said in a slightly high pitch voice before a relived expression started to spread across his features as he turned to Rukia. "Find a seated officer and inform them that the birth is happening now, I will see to the patient."
"As ordered Captain Hitsugaya." Karin said with a calm salute as Matsumoto and her flashed stepped away.
Tōshirō took a deep breath and gathered his own thoughts a moment. As expected the best solution for the panic was to treat the birth like a military operation. Even Hanatarō, healer that he was, had been drilled countless times over the decades to follow the chain of command in battle and keep a calm and logical head while doing so. Tōshirō simply had to grab that part of there mindsets and stop the panic dead, a pretty simple solution to the problem when all said and done.
Unfortunately there was one person in the room who was not calming down.
"Where is that dam carrot top headed freak!" Rukia screamed in rage. "He got me into this weak, annoying and plane painful state in the first place and he doesn't even have the common decency to turn up for the birth!"
Tōshirō put his hand on the screaming woman shoulder; the Reiatsu that was coming of her was strong enough that even Tōshirō, a captain, had to put a fair a bit of his own against it to keep it from knocking him off balance.
"You know full well why he can't come here Kurosaki-dona". Tōshirō spoke sternly. "Captain Unohana was very firm about Kuro…"
"Ichigo doesn't care about dam rules! Ichigo doesn't care if people say he can't do something, if thinks it rights, he does it!" Rukia screamed.
"Then you know his absence is because he believes it is right that he should not be here Kurosaki-dona." Tōshirō said sternly as he stared into her eyes. "That he cares about you and your child so much that he is willing to trust friends and family to care for your wellbeing, because it be foolish for him to try and do so."
"Hitsugaya..." Rukia said softly.
"Kurosaki-dona." Tōshirō said firmly. "Right now you need to focus on keeping your spiritual pressure and your emotions under control. We all know this is going to be hard, but we have all done hard things in the past and will do so again."
Rukia calmed down and Hanatarō started doing some Kidō of the ritual variety. Tōshirō was unfamiliar with the rite, but the gentle glow of golden Kidō fields and the river of energy that he felt leaving the room via the window made Tōshirō suspect that it must be some form of medical Kidō that the Forth Division had created to deal with other pregnant women who were giving birth and having serous Reiatsu control issues.
For a while things went smoothly. The room might have been freezing cold and the spiritual pressure a bit on the heavy side, but there was nothing that several battle hardened Shinigami couldn't deal with. But then slowly, but surely Hanatarō Kidō fields started to crack.
"Seventh Seat Yamada Hanatarō." Tōshirō said while looking at the man. "You need to sure up that Kidō of yours."
Hanatarō gulped.
"I can't sure it up Captain". Hanatarō replied very nervously. "It works by using my Reiryoku as a counter balance to Kurosaki-dona's and the babies. Captain Unohana taught me the technique personally."
"Considering the tension that yours is currently under, it may be wise to teach me the technique quickly." Tōshirō suggested, but only sighed Hanatarō in response.
"Unfortunately that is impossible Captain." Hanatarō explained. "I had to attune myself to Kurosaki-dona gradually over her pregnancy and it's now far too late for another to do so, even one as talented as you Captain."
Tōshirō sighed deeply.
"I'm in serous trouble aren't I?" Rukia said in a small voice from her bed.
"It should hold long enough for Captain Unohana or Vice-captain Kotetsu to reach here." Hanatarō explained. "Once either of them is here, we are all in safe waters, so don't worry."
Hanatarō words would have been reassuring, if it wasn't for the sound of one of those cracks increasing in size.
"I can't imagine it will take Vice-captain Rangiku Matsumoto and Ninth Seat Kurosaki Karin much longer!" Hanatarō said in a nervous high pitch.
"What will happen when your Kidō fails?" Yumichika asked in a worried tone.
"I will most likely faint…." Hanatarō explain nervously while looking everywhere but at Rukia. Rukia on the other hand bit her lip and looked down at the slowly breaking Kidō field with a naked fear in her eyes.
It was then Yumichika looked down at Rukia and then at Hanatarō.
"Am I correct in assuming that the worse case scenario can be avoided if a way to draw off the dangerous amounts of Reiatsu is found?"
Hanatarō nodded.
"It would be, but I know of no Kidō spell that could do that Ayasegawa-kun." Hanatarō explained.
Yumichika bit his lip and stared quiet intently at Rukia's bloated stomach for some time.
"The shield is breaking and the child will die if no way to draw off some the Reiatsu is found." Yumichika said with a cold certainty. "To let this child die would break the promise I made to Captain Kenpachi to protect the child with my life. To use my Zanpakutō to it fullest in an event like this would bring down his murderous intent on me for dishonouring the principles of the 11th Division as my Zanpakutō true nature would most certainly be known after."
Rukia glanced up with a mix of hope and guilt at the man as he gazed down quiet intently at her stomach; thoughts most certainly blazing through his mind with intensity to mach his gaze.
"Ayasegawa-kun." Tōshirō said firmly. "If you are willing to sacrifice your all for the sake of a child, I would gladly put myself between you and Captain Kenpachi fury without a second thought."
Yumichika turned and smiled at him sadly.
"I appreciate your willingness to aid me Captain Hitsugaya." Yumichika said softly. "But I ask you do not. I knew this day might one day come and I'm ready for it. All paths come to an end as surely as all paths must start. At least my path will end in beauty."
His gaze was once more clearly aimed at Rukia's stomach and her unborn child.
Yumichika stood up straight and drew his Zanpakutō from its scabbard, his voice and stance full of determination.
"Unborn child of Kurosaki Ichigo and Kurosaki Rukia of the Great Kuchiki clan! Know that I draw my blade to protect your life and give you a future, know that I expect you to return this boon by walking the path of the warrior, showing neither fear of death or battle! Know that I am aware that your nature is hybrid, know that I know you a creature of conflicted forces, but also know I expect you to be a Shinigami of the finest order!"
He stood back slightly.
"Split and deviate Ruri'iro Kujaku" Yumichika yelled as he released his Zanpakutō, which instead of the expected blade, instead took the form of feather like vines that quickly grabbed hold of Rukia prone body.
"I will have to be careful with this." Yumichika explained as the vines started to slowly bud. "Ruri'iro Kujaku is normally a killing weapon and not a healer's tool, but I believe he has much desire as I not to fail in this final battle."
Maybe it was the way he said final or maybe it was the passion of his speech. But however Tōshirō knew it, he knew Yumichika had made his peace with his fate.
"Shinigami continue with your duties." Tōshirō said calmly. It was all that was needed to be said for a good while.
Eventually the silence was broken by Isane's arriving. Karin and Rangiku close behind with the cot.
"Hanatarō I've got no idea…." Isane shouted as she pushed open the doors before seeing the vines "Oh."
It wasn't a simple oh. It was a oh full of meaning. It was a oh that was followed by a glace at Yumichika that surprised Tōshirō with the understandings undertones in it.
"Brave Chika" Isane said with a sad sigh as she looked at the released Zanpakutō that was clearly no secret from her "I guess today is not a day of secrets is it?"
"You know I hate that nickname Isane" Yumichika said with a somewhat cold tone before saying in a somewhat warmer tone. "But your areright today is not a day of secrets, but a day of duty."
Isane nodded softly to the man before she walked up to Rukia's prone form on the bed. It was obvious that Rukia was suffering a great deal from the pain and pressure.
"This will be over soon." Isane said softly. "Just hang in a little longer and things will be back to normal but one extra little person in your life."