I love this one! I think it is my favorite thing I had written so far. I really like it! And it doesn't have the new baby in it . . . although you will find out if it's a boy of a girl!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ichigo and Rukia. I do own baby Kaien, though. And Kaien owns Ichigo's hair. And Ichigo's hair looks like a carrot . . .

Daddy Pt: IV — Gently Sing

"Rukia, where is the baby radio?"

Ichigo, who was currently holding a crying Kaien, was searching the baby's nursery for the baby monitor, which had gone missing. Kaien, nearly eight-months-old now, was screaming for all he was worth. And Ichigo's ears couldn't take much more.

What does this have to do with a baby monitor, you ask? Well, before I tell you that story, I have to tell you this story first . . . well, forget that story. This one is much better.

"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled, sticking his head out of the door, and trying to make his voice be audible over the baby's loud, shrill screams. Rukia, dressed simply in a jean mini skirt and a pink Tee, walked into the nursery.

"Huh?"

"I asked where the baby monitor is," Ichigo said, wincing as Kaien's cries became louder.

The three had just moved into a larger apartment three weeks ago, and nothing was in place yet. Kaien's nursery was the only thing fully decorated because that was what Ichigo spent the most time doing. The living room was a mess of boxes and furniture, and their bedroom was holding everything that was supposed to be in the kitchen.

Moving in while you had a baby that had colic was a very hard thing to do. Right now, though, colic wasn't all that Kaien had. He also had an ear infection, which was making him even more cranky. And on top of that he was coming down with something, because he had a small fever.

Rukia smiled and took Kaien from Ichigo, holding him gently in her arms and rocking him back and forth. She kissed his tiny, hair covered head. His hair was growing fast, and it was bright orange, just like Ichigo's.

"Hey, little guy. Don't cry. You're giving daddy a headache," Rukia whispered, rocking him back and forth in her arms as she walked out of the room. Kaien stopped crying for a second, blinking tears out of his bright violet eyes. Rukia looked back at Ichigo and mouthed,

'I don't know where the monitor is. Look in our bedroom.'

Ichigo nodded and put a hand to his head as he leaned up against the wall. Life with a baby was hard.

He couldn't imagine two babies. Kaien would barely be one by the time the new baby came!

But as he began rearranging Kaien's tiny clothes in his dresser, he smiled, fingering the tiny frog suit.

They would make it.

Ichigo closed the drawer and walked out of the room, heading into his and Rukia's bedroom. But he stopped when he saw Rukia walking back and forth in the living room, singing in a quiet voice to Kaien. He recognized the tune; it was one his mom used to sing to him.

Baby dear, good night, good night,
Doggie lies in slumbers deep;
Hush-a-bye, my treasure bright,
Pussy, too, is fast asleep.
Don't you wake them! If you do,
Pups will bark, and Puss will mew.
Go to sleep, and never fear,
Mother will call when morning's near.

As she finished the song, Kaien stuck his fingers in his mouth, looking up at Rukia while kicking his tiny legs back and forth. She smiled down at him and kissed his head again before continuing to walk back and forth, her hips swaying as she continued to hum.

Ichigo shook his head and walked back into his bedroom, beginning to shuffle through the mass amounts of boxes.

Rukia's voice was so beautiful . . . and she rarely sung. Only when she was trying to get Kaien to calm down. Whenever he was cranky, he would immediately calm down when Rukia started humming. Sometimes when Rukia was gone, and Ichigo was alone with Kaien, he could tell that the baby missed his mother.

He was sometimes envious of her bond with Kaien, but he knew it would be like that. She'd had eight months with him as a part of her; it was only natural. But still . . .

He smiled to himself as he listened to Rukia singing again.

He wondered where she had heard that song . . .

"Ah! I found it!"

Suddenly, Ichigo jumped up from his position shifting through the boxes and held the monitor up proudly.

Sadly there was no one else in the room to share in his happiness.

After hooking it up quickly beside Kaien's crib, he walked out into the living room and wrapped his arms from Rukia from behind. She looked up at him and smiled.

"He's sleeping," she announced. Ichigo smiled, burying his face in her neck and breathing in her scent.

"Where did you learn that song?" he asked quietly, reaching a hand over her shoulder to gently touch Kaien's face. The little baby moved in his sleep, cuddling closer to Rukia and sticking his thumb in his mouth.

"I heard you singing it to Kaien."

Oh. So that was where she had heard it. But he had only sung it once, because he had remembered that whenever he was scared, or couldn't sleep, his mother would sing that song to him. And it always made him feel better.

"Rukia, what did the doctor say today during your visit?"

Rukia turned around in Ichigo's embrace. She smiled widely.

"I asked him the sex of the baby, and he told me."

Ichigo's face lit up.

"Really? Tell me!"

Rukia smirked.

"It's a girl."

Ichigo's smile grew, if that was even possible. He would have jumped up and ran around the room yelling if he wasn't afraid of waking the baby.

"Wow! A baby girl . . ."

Rukia grinned back, handing Kaien over to Ichigo.

Ichigo looked down at his son, whom was currently dressed in a tiny pair of overalls and a red T-shirt. His tiny feet were bare, and his toes were curling in his sleep.

"Hear that? You're getting a baby sister," he said, grinning madly as he walked into the nursery and set Kaien gently down in the crib. Rukia followed after him, standing by the side of the crib and watching as Kaien rolled over on his stomach, his tiny fingers popping out of his mouth.

She loved watching him sleep.

Leaning her head against Ichigo's arm, she rested her hands on her stomach, which was gently swelling with her five months in pregnancy. She could already feel the baby moving, something the doctor said was because of her already having a child and her small frame.

"Did you find the monitor?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo nodded, pointing to the radio, who's green light indicated "on".

"Good. Now, go get to unpacking."

Ichigo whined but hopped out of the room. He was in the bedroom hanging up his clothes in the closet when he heard Kaien's small cry come through the monitor in his room. But then, he heard Rukia's soft voice float through the monitor. Kaien's cries stopped, and all he heard was Rukia's beautiful voice. Walking over, he sat down on the bed, picking up the radio in both hands.

Baby dear, good night, good night,
Doggie lies in slumbers deep;
Hush-a-bye, my treasure bright,

He didn't know when he had started crying; he just felt the cold, salty tears running down his cheeks. He couldn't protect his mother, and she had died to keep him safe.

Pussy, too, is fast asleep.
Don't you wake them! If you do,
Pups will bark, and Puss will mew

He would never let that happen to Rukia. And as he listened to her voice float over the radio, he felt as though he could hear his mother's voice, too . . .

Go to sleep, and never fear,
Mother will call when morning's near. . .

Well, did you like? I had fun writing it, and there will be one or two more parts. This one I just had to write when the idea came to me. I think I nearly made myself cry . . . although that could be from PMS . . .

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