I do not own Bleach.

Hello, I'm back with an update. So sorry for the long wait. Most of you know that I am getting married on June 11th and most of my free time has been spent planning that. I was trying to update all my ongoing fics though before the honeymoon. I know this chapter isn't very long so I apologize for that as well.

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It was well into the early hours of the morning and Yumichika was still wide awake on the borrowed futon from Rangiku. If he had to guess he would say it was around four in the morning. He lets out a restless sigh and turns his head to see his busty friend with her back to him on her own futon. He knew he should be trying to get some sleep as well, but he was more upset than he let on to Rangiku about his and Ikkaku's fight. It had been a long time since they had fought like that. He only hoped that Ikkaku would understand and forgive him after the seven days were over. He only had four more days to go, but those four days seemed like an eternity when he was lying to his lover. He remains silent for a little longer as he mulls over his thoughts before opening his mouth to whisper, "Rangiku? Are you asleep?"

The blonde lieutenant rolls over to face him, "No, I can't sleep? You're restless reiatsu is driving me crazy."

"Sorry." He frowns at knowing his worry is keeping his friend awake, "I can't help it. I'm so confused about everything."

She lets out a concerned sigh, "I wish I knew how to help, sweetie." She sits up and fingers the tangles out of her hair before looking at the fifth seat again, "I still think you should just come clean. Just tell him everything and let him know it was just a lapse of judgment and you won't do it again."

Yumichika sits up as well as he fully gives up on getting any sleep, "I can't…it wouldn't be as simple as you think." He lets out a heavy sigh, "I have to just keep him at bay for a little longer."

The blonde frowns at the dejected sound in Yumichika's voice, "Let's say you do manage to hold him off for the remaining days and the two of you actually resolve the fight that's going on right now and he's never the wiser to what almost happened…then what?"

"What do you mean?" His violet eyes show his confusion as he awaits her explanation.

"When this is all said and done you still want a baby and he doesn't." Her frown worsens as she contemplates her next words, "Sure you may still have his trust, but you don't have what you really want and you've done absolutely nothing to make him see how badly you want this." She shakes her head in frustration, "What good is his trust if you end up resenting him for not even considering what you want the most." She gives him a stern look, "Resentment can break up a relationship quicker than you think and I don't want to see that happen to the two of you."

"I know that, but…" He looks down at the futon, "The timing just isn't right."

She lets out a sigh as she puts her fingers underneath his chin to lift his face up to hers, "The timing for something like this will never be right. You just have to bite the bullet and tell him this is what you want. You have to give him an ultimatum."

"I can't do that." His eyebrows come together with worry as he turns his face away from her once again, "As much as I want a baby…I-I want him always. I don't want to ever know an existence without him in it." He brings his gaze back around to her showing her his glistening violet eyes, "You don't know what all we've been through together."

The room is quiet for a very long time without either Shinigami saying a word. Yumichika was trying his hardest not to be upset by the whole situation and Rangiku didn't really know what else to say that wouldn't make her friend's situation seem even more hopeless. Finally, the fifth seat opens his mouth and breaks the crushing silence of the small bedroom, "What do you think it feels like…to be pregnant?"

Rangiku thinks about Yumichika's question for a moment before responding, "I think it would be scary and happy, but also weird all at the same time."

"I think so too." He nods and quickly wipes away the few tears that manage to escape down his cheeks, "Do you think I'll ever get to experience it?"

She gives him a long reflective look, "This is really something you want, isn't it? Not just some passing fancy of yours?"

He nods his head as more tears leak from his eyes, "I have thought about this more than you will ever know." He lets out a soft breath before continuing, "I've always wanted a family with Ikkaku, but I never thought that was possible for us, but then Captain Ukitake had his baby and I was so excited to know that it was possible for me and Ikkaku, but I was still a little bit scared and not sure if that's the path I actually wanted to take." He wipes his face with his hands and sniffles before speaking again, "I thought about it a lot after Emiko was born, but I never had much dealings with that family so I sort of let the idea slip from my mind. That is until Renji and Captain Kuchiki had a child. Renji is a close friend and he used to be part of the Eleventh Squad. Seeing Captain Kuchiki go through his pregnancy and getting to see how excited Renji was…it…it made me want to have the same experience with Ikkaku, but I think seeing Renji's experience is what really soured the whole idea for Ikkaku."

Rangiku listens raptly to his story before breaking in with her own words, "What makes you think that? Captain Kuchiki had a wonderful pregnancy and birth unlike Captain Ukitake. Why would that make Ikkaku think negatively about it?"

"I don't really think it's the pregnancy and birth that bothered Ikkaku." He shifts his position on the futon to be able to face the tenth lieutenant a little better, "I think Ikkaku only sees that Renji doesn't have as much free time as before, but he also doesn't see how happy having a child has made him either. I think Ikkaku views children as a burden and I think he didn't have a very good childhood so he doesn't want to bring a child into the world not really knowing how to be a father because I think he's never had a good father experience."

Rangiku frowns, "That's really sad, but he can't let that stop him from experiencing something like that with you. I think the two of you really need to sit down and talk about everything. Maybe not the lozenge incident that is going on right now, but about all the things you just told me."

Yumichika lowers his gaze to the futon again and lets out a very defeated sigh, "Don't you think I've tried. He absolutely does not want to talk about any of this. I think…I think it makes him feel vulnerable and he doesn't like that."

Rangiku shakes her head once more before lying back down on her futon, "I don't know how to help, sweetie. I wish I could make it all better for you."

He lies back down as well and lets the frustrated tears flow from his eyes, "Thank you, Rangiku for just being here."

Later in the morning, Ikkaku wakes and for a moment he forgets that he spent the night in Kuchiki manor. He sits up and stretches and feels the throbbing in his head from the massive hangover. He groans as he swings his feet over the side of the bed before standing up and making his way to the bathroom. He rids himself of the borrowed pajamas and leaves them in the corner as Renji had asked him to. As he dresses in his own clothes he can't help but replay the fight he and Yumichika had in his head. As much as he didn't want to talk about whatever was making Yumichika angry he figured he had better just grit his teeth and listen to his lover for once.

Renji had been right. He did know what Yumichika wanted, but he just didn't know how to even begin a discussion like that. Sure, Yumichika had tried to talk to him about it plenty of times, but he always shut it down. He hated to see the defeated look on his lover's face when he shut down the conversation, but he just wasn't ready for any of this stuff. Ikkaku finishes dressing and makes his way down stairs as quietly as possible so as not to wake anyone in the house, but as he makes it downstairs he sees Renji sitting in a rocking chair giving Takahiro a bottle, "Hey, man…leaving already?"

Ikkaku stops his journey to the door and turns to face Renji, "Yeah, I really appreciate ya lettin' me crash here last night. Hope I didn't cause ya too much trouble."

Renji stands up still holding Takahiro, "It was nothing. Byakuya was a little pissed about all the noise ya were making but he was fine with ya staying the night. Ya should stay for breakfast."

"Nah." The bald man shakes his head, "I should be gettin' back and try to figure out what the f..uh, what I did to make Yumi so mad."

Renji nods as a look of understanding passes over his features, "Well, good luck with that. Let me know how it turns out."

"You'll know how it turns out if I'm back here spendin' the night again or not." He claps Renji on the shoulder, but not hard enough to jar the baby, "Tell yer wife I said hello."

Before the redhead can retort, Ikkaku heads out the door into the sunlight. His hangover really was a bitch with the sun in his eyes and he was still too dizzy to try and flash step back to his quarters so he just walks hoping that sweating would help get rid of his hangover. He wanted to go to Rangiku's and force Yumi to talk to him, but he knew better and figured he should give his lover a couple more days to cool off, but if the fifth seat didn't return by tomorrow evening then he was going down there and drag him back home of he had too.

He hated that they were in this place. He wanted things to be the way they always were. What was wrong with the way things were? Why did Yumichika feel like he needed something else to make him happy? Wasn't Ikkaku enough? The third seat shakes his head making his head swim slightly. He knew it wasn't Yumichika's fault. The real question was, why wasn't he ready to progress their relationship? Why didn't he want the same thing Yumichika wanted? He hated himself for not knowing the answer and he hated himself even more for making Yumichika sad.

TBC…

Thanks for reading!