Flames will be accepted but ignored. Please review! This is part eight, and I have parts nine and ten written. :D Please enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters.

Daddy Pt. VIII — School

"But I wanna stay home with mommy!" Masaki said, trying to fight Ichigo as he worked on putting her coat on. He smiled down at her and kissed her head of black hair. She pouted, finally letting Ichigo put her coat on. He then picked her up and set her down on the counter, picking up one of her tennis shoes and putting it on her small foot, grabbing the strings to tie it. "No! I wanna do it, OK daddy?"

Ichigo nodded and smiled as Masaki took the laces into her fumbling little hands. She frowned in concentration as she tried to tie them in a knot as Ichigo had showed her time and time again.

Three and a half months ago, when Rukia had been ordered onto bedrest, because the procedure had been successful and she was now five months pregnant, Ichigo and Rukia had decided the kids would have to go back to public school. Rukia, being on bed-rest, couldn't watch them, and two small kids really did wear one out. And the doctor put Rukia under orders not to get out of bed unless it was to go to the bathroom.

So, now Kaien and Masaki were going to school again. They didn't like it as much as home school, but it was OK, they had said.

Ichigo was snapped out of his thoughts as Masaki spoke again.

"Daddy, hwelp me?"

He nodded and took the laces, expertly tying them into the small loops. Masaki kicked her feet back and forth, admiring her new shoes as she stared at her pink and white sneakers. Ichigo covered them with her pink, jean overalls and hoisted her off of the counter.

"Come on, squirt. We need to get you and Kaien to school. Backpack?"

"Check."

"Homework?"

"Check."

"Pencils and crayons?"

"Check."

"Clean socks?"

"Daddy!" Masaki said, giggling as she put her pink, bunny backpack on her back.

"Fine," Ichigo said, pretending to pout. Just then, Kaien bounced out of his room wearing a black turtleneck sweater and khaki jeans. He was smiling from ear to ear as he began talking.

"Daddy! Guess what? Yesterday at school, I met a kid named Ryo . . . he was fun! He's my bestest friend. And guess what else? We had pudding for lunch and I got to sleep in school!"

Ichigo grinned as he watched Kaien bounce all around the room. Masaki was giggling as she jumped out of Ichigo's grasp and ran over to join him in his bouncing. Soon, Ichigo had to physically pick them up and take them out to the schoolbus. When they hopped on, Masaki pressed her small hands up against the window and stuck her tongue out at Ichigo before waving at Ichigo. Kaien waved, too, before sitting down beside his friend, Ryo.

With a deep sigh, Ichigo walked into the house.

Time to go to work.

Kaien took out his pencil and began doodling on the piece of paper set in front of him. He was supposed to be doing Math, but maybe he could get out of it. He wished he were in the other first grade class; both Ryo and Masaki were in there. Sighing, he began drawing a bunny on the top edge of his paper.

"Kurosaki!"

Kaien snapped up with a start. His eyes flew to the mad teacher at the front of the room.

"No spacing out in school! You'll stay after class and clean out all the erasers from the chalk boards."

Kaien groaned and dropped his head onto his desk.

"Also," the teacher went on. "We have a new student. Class, I would like you to welcome Kumiko. She's a transfer student from America. I expect you to give her a warm welcome and show her around. Kurosaki; that will be part of your punishment. Kumiko will follow you around all day in order to get a better idea of the layout of the school. Understood?"

Kaien looked over at the girl who was, strangely, sitting right next to him. She smiled and waved, her eyes closed and her smile showing two missing teeth.

He just hit his head on his desk harder.

Masaki was having a better time.

"Teacher, shouldn't the answer to number three be thirty-seven?"

The teacher looked back at the board and sighed.

"You're right. I need more sleep," he continued groaning as he changed the answer on the chalkboard. It was beyond Masaki how he had gotten the answer wrong; forty minus three was thirty seven; even Kaien knew that. Maybe the teacher did need sleep.

Sighing, she went back to writing her answers down on her paper. After she filled the sheet, she put 'Masaki Kurosaki' at the top in messy, childlike writing. Jumping up from her desk, she bounced to the top of the room and gave the teacher her paper. He raised his eyebrows as he looked it over.

"Wow. The youngest of us finished first."

Masaki beamed as she settled back into her desk and pulled out her notebook, opening it up to the page filled with her drawings, and began sketching. Ryo, Kaien's friend, leaned over and looked at them.

"Wow. You suck."

He mumbled under his breath, rubbing the spot on his head where she had hit him with her eraser, and went back to his Math.

Masaki was grinning happily and she swung back and forth on the swing. It was recess, and she liked being outside. Besides the fact that it was cold. The chilly October air was blowing her hair around, causing it to fly in her face every now ant then.

"Masaki!"

Masaki looked up as her name was called and laughed. Kaien was standing in front of her, covered from head to toe, in chalk. She soon fell out of the swing she was laughing so hard. Kaien pouted.

"It's not that funny!"

She just continued laughing. Kaien ignored her and said, "Where's Ryo?"

Maskai pointed across the playground to where the little boy was sitting on a slide. Kaien watched as he went to the bottom, then ran over without so much as uttering 'thanks' to Masaki. She just shrugged and went back to swinging.

"I hate this."

"I know, Kuchiki-san. But it'll all be over in four months."

Rukia just groaned more, wishing she could get out of bed and do something. She spoke into the phone, "I just want this kid out."

Orihime, who was on the other end, laughed.

"I know how you feel. My baby is overdue. It's a girl, by the way! And she should have come a week ago; if she isn't born within the next week, me and Uryuu are going to have the doctors induce labor. And guess what? All throughout my pregnancy, Uryuu wouldn't let me cook; he said I might miscarry if I ate my own cooking."

Rukia laughed at her friend. That very well might have happened.

"Ichigo does all the cooking now. I can't even come out of bed to eat with him and the kids; this really sucks. But sometimes Ichigo will help me onto the couch so I can play with the kids."

"By the way, how are they doing, not that their back in school again?" Orihime asked, and Rukia was sure she could hear the other woman crunching on a carrot on the other end of the phone.

"Good. They like it. I miss them here, but I simply couldn't have them home during the day while Ichigo wasn't here. I hate not being able to do anything."

Orihime chuckled.

The two woman often called each other because both were on bed rest, and while Uryuu and Ichigo were at work, there was nothing for them to do. And on top of that, their husbands had their Shinigami and Quincy duties . . . so they were alone ever more often. Ichigo said he was just glad they they got unlimited calling for only twenty dollars a month.

Rukia had stuck her tongue out at him.

"Have you guys thought of a name?" Rukia asked.

"Ah . . . yeah."

"Really?" Rukia asked, excited. "What is it?"

"Um . . . well, Uryuu asked me not to tell you, soo . . ." Orihime cut herself off.

"Oh. Well I understand."

"Anyway, enough about my baby. How did your appointment go yesterday?"

"It went great. The doctor said the baby and I were doing well . . . and we found out the sex."

"What?! Well, boy or girl?" exclaimed Orihime. Rukia giggled. She sometimes doubted the fact that Orihime was twenty-four. But she was. Then again . . . Rukia barely ever thought that Ichigo was his age. Though he never failed to make her realize it, however, when they made love.

"The doctor said girl!"

"Oh, wow!"

Orihime and Rukia talked for a while more until Orihime said she had to go; Ishida was home and they had a doctor appointment. Rukia said good-bye and they both hung up.

Turning around in bed and picking up her book, Rukia began another boring day.

"I can't tie ma shoes!" Masaki said, dropping down onto the ground and pulling her foot up to her face. The shoe remained untied. She pouted, crossing her arms over her white T-shirt.

She was getting ready for gym, and, having changed into a pair of red shorts and her tee in the girls locker room, she was now trying to tie her shoe.

"Can I help?"

Masaki looked up to see Kaien's friend, Ryo, looking down at her. She noticed her shoes were tied.

"How'd you learn?" she asked, putting her foot out for him to tie the laces.

"In kindergarden. But I heard you were smart enough to skip it."

"Uh huh."

"There. All done. Where is Kaien?" Ryo asked, looking around.

Both first grade classes usually met up for gym, but the second class was late. Masaki shrugged and looked around the gym. Several of the girls were, like her, already ready, and all of the boys were. Masaki stuck her fingers in her mouth as she surveyed the faces of her classmates. She was the youngest by a whole year, and everyone else was taller and bigger than her.

Ryo walked away, having seen Kaien enter the room.

Masaki put her hands on the bench beside her and kicked her legs back and forth, chewing on a lock of hair that had fallen in front of her face.

"Hey, do you have any money?"

Masaki looked up when a boy, about twice her size, spoke. He was in her brothers class, she knew, and he was supposed to be in second grade but wasn't smart enough to get in.

"Yeah. I gots my lunch money," Masaki said, still swinging her legs back and forth.

"Good. Give it to me."

Masaki realized too late that this boy was the "Bully" that her brother was talking about.

"No. I needs it for lunch."

"I said give it to me." He pulled her off of the bench by her shirt. He was just about to drop her onto the floor when he received a kick to the face. Masaki fell back onto the bench with a thunk to see Ryo and Kaien both standing there. Kaien had been the one to kick the boy while Ryo was now sitting on top of him, holding his hands behind his back. Kaien asked,

"You OK?"

Masaki nodded, scooting down the bench and further away from the boy.

"Teacher! Nao was bothering another kid again!" Kaien called. Soon, his teacher, Mrs. Adria, walked over and ordered Ryo to get off of him.

"He tried to takes my milk money," Masaki said, pulling her feet up under her as she stuck her fingers in her mouth again and stared at Nao, who was still being sat on by Ryo.

"Well, I don't think he'll do it again. Especially not with these two boys around to protect you, right?"

Ryo and Kaien nodded happily. Kaien then took his sisters hand and the three began walking. Masaki reached over and took Ryo's hand, too, causing him to freeze for a second then blush. Masaki swung their hands back and forth in hers as they walked to the other end of the gym to start dodge ball, that days sport.

"Thanks, guys!"

They just smiled.

School was hard, but when you have friends, it's better.

Name suggestions are now being taken for both Orihime's baby and Rukia's. I have names already, but if I find one I like better, it WILL be used!

Please Review!