Chapter: Points of Authority

Shalan's Say: Hot damn… I loved that chapter… anyways… there's a lot more to go guys… that's not the end and neither is this… stay with me people! I have a ton more planned for Somewhere Over the Rainbow… and you may have noticed that I finally changed them from the just the chapters to the chapter titles… XDDDD I was being lazy before… uhm… I really just wanted to cover a few basics here… I wanted to see the feelings between Uryu and Kazumi after being so close to loosing each other… and I'm hopefully going to be introducing a new pairing that should play a very important role in chapters to come… so hang in there…

Side Note: Just thought you should know that you should probably have some tissues handy… there is a scene that had me crying while I was writing it… but that's just me… if you don't cry then that's alright but if you've cried or nearly cried at this story before… then you'll probably cry during this chapter at some point…

Note #2: XDDDD If there are any errors in this... I'm sorry I finished it at like 2 AM XDDDD

&&&

"Seven months… you must think you're hot shit huh?" Ichigo laughed as he lay on the ground to the cottage they had been moved to. The little baby crawled towards him and he grabbed her swinging her into the air. "HA! I've got you now!" He laughed, bending a knee up as the little baby squealed and laughed. His jeans slid a little lower as he bent his other knee up and placed his baby daughter on his bare stomach.

"Don't say things like that to her!" Rukia warned from the couch where she was reading a magazine. He looked up at her innocently.

"Like what?" He blinked as the little girl crawled across his chest to his hands and grabbed onto his index finger. He looked slightly confused but laughed as she tried to grab his other hand. "Stop that!" He chuckled and gently picked her up again. Rukia watched at Ichigo played with their daughter, laughing the entire time.

"Sometimes I wonder if you really did break a chair with your bare hands or not…" she said softly and he paused in his movements and looked back up at her with a soft smile. She smiled back and he flipped over, Masaki already on the floor above his head. He placed his lips to her bare stomach and blew. Squeals of delight rang through the house as the baby laughed.

"Sometimes I wondered if you delivered her… she's too sweet…" he laughed as Rukia smacked his head. He picked up the baby and set her down on the couch, walking towards his wife. She watched him as he stepped closer, she hated it when he walked slowly… it was like troll speed. He jumped on her and she laughed.

"No! NO NO NO!" She laughed as he crawled closer and grabbed her.

"Maybe her mommy wants one too!" He pulled her shirt up and Rukia tried to get away from him but his powerful arms held her there as he blew as a raspberry on her stomach.

"Ichigo!" He heard her shout as she laughed and hit his shoulder. He let go of her and laughed at her. "That wasn't funny!"

"Yes… oh yes it was…" he nodded and scooped up Masaki as a pillow was thrown at him. "Stop that!" He laughed and stumbled over his jeans and fell over backwards, disappearing behind the couch.

"Ichigo!?" She jumped up and ran around the couch. He groaned lightly, Masaki wide eyed on his chest. He blinked. "How many fingers am I holding up?" She held up two fingers.

"Two… I'm okay… just… the wind… knocked out…" he laughed as she took his hand and pulled him up to standing.

"Don't scare me like that…" Rukia said softly as she wrapped her arms around his abdomen. She pressed her cheek to his warm chest and shoulder, holding herself there with her eyes closed.

"What'd you think I'm gonna die from something like that?" He smiled as he wrapped an arm around her petite frame, the other arm cradling Masaki. Rukia didn't answer but simply smiled, her eyes opening a crack.

"No… you're tougher than that… but it would be funny…" she looked up at him and he look stunned.

"How dare you! I'm going to have to teach you a lesson!"

"Alright… I can go for a lesson… I need a refresher…" she smiled as his lips met hers. "But wait until Masaki goes to sleep…" She laughed.

&&&

Uryu walked into the house with a heavy and painful sigh. He pulled off his jacket and looked over into the den. His wife lay sleeping on the couch, the TV still on. Her hand was curved around her swollen belly. He walked over and delicately pulled the blanket she was under over her feet and slid his fingertips up her curves to pull the blanket up a little higher. As he turned to walk away a hand caught his and he turned around. The baby blue eyes that he had fallen in love with looked up at him, sleep fogged but beautiful. He let go of her hand and placed a hand gently against the side of her face.

"Uryu…" his name fell off her lips as she lifted herself from her place on the couch and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled, pressing his lips to her neck as he wrapped his arms, albeit painfully, around his wife. The pain that throbbed in the wounds in his chest were nothing compared to the love he felt for the woman in his arms, and she made his pain fly out the window. For the first time, in a long time, tears dripped down his face as their lips met.

He didn't say anything; something stopped him every time he tried. Sometimes it was the lump in his throat when he thought about leaving her alone, sometimes it was her lips against his… yet others it was feeling the bulge of her stomach against her navel.

Her tears mingled with his as his hands gently gripped her face. It wasn't the best or hottest kiss they had ever experienced, it was however, the most awaited; the kiss that the two had been longing for since he had walked into that building.

"I love you…" she whispered so softly that he almost had to strain to hear it, but once it did reach his ears it was like butterflies rose in his stomach all over again. "Don't make me wait anymore…"

"I take risks Kazumi… that's what my job is all about… you knew that when you married me…" he replied as she pressed her forehead against his. He hated seeing her in pain… but the truth was something she had to come to terms with. "I don't want to die… oh god I don't want to leave you… but you have to understand that risks come with what I do…"

"Then don't do it…" she said it, but she knew that it was futile; fighting was in his blood, the thrill of a gun battle the adrenaline that pumped through his veins when he pilled the trigger… there was no way around it. He knew she was fighting against it, the truth that she couldn't get around… was that someday… he might not come home…

"Kazumi…" she let a fresh wave of hot tears pour down her face as she buried her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, resting a hand on the back of her head and pressing his nose in her hair, she always smelled the same, like cinnamon apple… it made him smile, such a comforting smell… not erotic or mind blowing, just a simple homely scent that made his heart twinge.

They stayed that way for some time until her sobs subsided and she looked up at him. His eyebrows lifted slightly and she smiled. "I love you so much… and because I love you… I will stay right here and wait for you…" tears dripped from her eyes, clinging to her eye lashes like balls of shiny dew, clinging to the petals of a rose, awaiting the moment that they would have to fall to the ground.

"Don't worry angel… I won't keep you waiting for much longer…" she rested her chin on his shoulder as he pressed his face into her neck. She leaned her head against his and smiled through her tears.

"You called me angel again…" she smiled. "You haven't called me that in a long time…" her voice was softer than silk on his mind. He just wanted her to keep talking… keep talking to him.

"I'll call you angel for a long time to come…" his lips met hers again and she smiled, that was a promise…

&&&

Toshiro leaned back in his chair. It seemed that he was the only one left of their squad. He looked over at the picture of the four of them. Ichigo stood on the far left, an arm wrapped around Uryu's neck and a beer bottle in his hand. Kisuke had his arm around Uryu's neck as well, his other hand held a margarita in a glass bowl. In front was himself, Uryu had dragged him into the picture, he was falling towards the camera and the others were laughing, hard.

Ichigo, he'd proven himself hundreds of times over but this time took the cake… he still pursued their mission even after he was married and had a daughter. The orange haired young man had a history further back than any of them. Even with his military experience there was still more behind him than Toshiro had ever imagined. Now he had even more to fight for than just survival.

Uryu, the blue eyed young man that Toshiro would have never pinned as being the type to do Ichigo's line of work; it just went against everything Toshiro had learned. The blue eyed gunslinger had more to fight for than most, since he fought for his life everyday; fighting to stay alive for his wife.

Kisuke, the only one in the group who didn't surprise anyone as to what he was going to do. He went on to do what he loved most: wreaking havoc. He did everything, he was more than just a gun slinger, he was their jack of all trades that covered their asses when they needed it. Feigning involvement when all he was doing was getting something out of it… Toshiro shook his head.

He looked over to the other picture on his desk, his mentor, Jushiro Ukitake. He had come to him with information on Ichigo. A few things that Toshiro hadn't known. Ichigo's past was twisted and tangled with lies. He had been lied to when he had joined the military, he had been lied to when he had joined their operation… hell, he had been lied to by the police department. So he fought for everything that was true and pure in the world.

Jushiro had explained to him that the reason Ichigo still fought so hard was because he believe that there was still some good in the world.

"Toshiro?" He heard a soft voice from behind him. He turned around in his chair only to see his good friend standing in the hallway. Momo Hinamori had been there for him through even the darkest times.

"Momo…" He blinked then stood up, walking towards her as he noticed the dark bruise beneath her left eye. It tore at his heart to see her hurt. "Momo, what happened?" He gently gripped her wrist, letting her know that he wasn't going to hurt her. She blinked tears back then dove into his arms. He blinked, she had never done this before… she hadn't hugged him since they were little kids…

"Toshiro… I'm sorry… they found out… and fired me…" she cried into his chest and he gently brought his arms down and wrapped them around her.

"What are you babbling about Momo?" He looked down at her and she looked up with wide eyes.

"They fired me… Ichimaru fired me… he threw me out of the building and told me not to come back… he figured it out…" she choked and his eyes widened. Shit. That was the only thing that came to mind. He suddenly realized that he was going to be the one that was going to have to tell Ichigo about this.

"Damn it!" He jerked away from her and she stumbled. He slammed his fist into the wall. "GREAT! Now we've lost our only inside source! MOMO! Why couldn't you have been MORE CAREFUL!" He shouted at her and she looked taken aback. He had never shouted at her before.

"I'm sorry Toshiro…" she hung her head and he threw his hands up.

"Is there anyone in the world who can do anything right? This whole mission's fucking falling through the-roof…" she slapped him hard across the face, his head snapping to the side and he blinked. "Mo-mo?"

"You can't just keep treating me like a tool!" She shouted at him. She was usually such a quiet creature… so why was she shouting at him?

"What?" He blinked as he realized what she was talking about. He had been just using here. Of course he was; he always used her when he needed her. He saw tears come to her eyes and spill down across her flushed cheeks and drip off her chin. "Momo…" he said and she buried her face into his chest again.

"Toshiro I don't want to be used by you… I want to help you…" she choked through her tears. "I wa-ant… to help you…" he listened as she struggled for air. He had only seen her sob one other time in her life, when her kitten had been run over by a car. She had sobbed so hard that he had to go to the other room and change his shirt.

"I…" there was no excuse for what he had done for his best friend. The one who had done everything with him, gone through everything with him… he had broken her trust and ruined their friendship.

"Toshiro… don't apologize you dumbass… just tell me that you're not going to use me anymore… not against my will anyways…" He blinked, that sounded suggestive.

"Okay… I won't…" he nodded and smiled lightly as another one of the officers walked into his office. He held up a finger to him and he nodded, backing out of the office. "Now just tell me everything that you can…" he pulled her back and she nodded.

&&&

Ichigo sighed softly, wrapped in his wife's arms in a warm homemade quilt… there could be nothing better. He tilted his chin up as she shifted, planting a line of soft kisses up his neck. He smiled and she leaned her head back on the pillow. "What's wrong you too tired to continue?" He chuckled as she snuggled up against his chest. She nodded, closing her eyes. "You won't even talk to me? The man who gave you Masaki?" she shook her head, keeping her face pressed against his chest.

He gripped her head tightly and pulled her head back, pushing his tongue into her mouth and exploring again, much to her disgruntlement. She pulled away but joined with a soft moan as his tongue lashed hers. He was a damn horn dog.

&&&

Kisuke walked off the airplane silently. He thought about his buddies back in the states and sighed deeply. He was starting to wish… that he had something like they did. He was disheveled and rather road worn. He had been travelling for nearly three days. He had been forced to drive across the United States to get to JFK, New York's airport. During that time he had taken one bath and not eaten hardly anything except a bag of peanuts on the plane.

He caught a cab and it drove him to his East London duplex where he paid the driver and got out, walking to his front door. He put his key in the lock and the door swung open. His tired eyes opened wide as suddenly a pair of dark skinned arms wrapped around his neck.

"Yoruichi?" He blinked as she pulled him into a hug. He smiled into her soft skin and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You came home safely…" she smiled. She was the one person he could count on. She always seemed to be there when he thought he had nothing left. "Next time take me with you so I can make sure you don't kill yourself…" she smiled as his lips met hers. She laughed as he pushed her up against the foyer wall, dropping his bags on the ground.

"Yeah… you can come with me…" he told her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She pulled his button down shirt open and off, dropping it off on the floor as her sweatshirt joined it. He tore her pants off and threw her back onto the couch.

"So what are you going to do now? Make love to me or ravish me?" She asked as he unbuckled and unbuttoned his jeans, shredding them off.

"What? Have you suddenly become a damsel in distress?" He stretched himself over her, pinning her to the couch. She grinned like a Cheshire cat as her hand slid tantalizingly down his chest and navel. "I'm going to fuck you…" he finished as she kissed him, dragging him down into her vice-like grip.

&&&

XDDDD I had fun with that chapter… It took me forever to write it because… glares at Beta and Matt… they kept me talking all the time… and I COULDN'T GET ANYTHING DONE! OMG! I don't even sleep with them around anymore… anyways… there's a lot more to come… I just had to give you guys a few breather chapters… before we go in for the final stretch…

Shalan