A/N: Hello!
Okay, well personally I consider this to be a cute chapter. BTW, I don't own Inuyasha.
I was going to make this chapter longer to wrap this story up in the next chapter, but it didn't feel right, I'll leave the fighting till next time, and the finale for Ch. 20! Yay an even number!
Well without further delays...CHAPTER 18.
Enjoy and let me know what you think! :)
Oh, and I'll be updating much sooner.
Ichigo, Rukia, and Orihime were in the house of a miko named Kaede; Ichigo could assume by their surroundings that they were in Japan's Sengoku period. They were inside a room, and Rukia was lying on a futon, covered in perspiration, the white Arrancar clothing that had been given to her was stained with her blood. Ichigo sat beside her while Kaede spoke to Orihime, instructing her on how to assist her.
"Ichigo," said Rukia through glazed eyes; Ichigo smiled at her and took her hands in his.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine," said Ichigo hiding well his worry and fear; Rukia smiled at him but then shut her eyes tightly as another contraction hit her.
"May I have a moment with you?" Asked Kaede; Ichigo nodded and walked with her out of the room.
"Are you the pup's father?" Ichigo hesitated, but then he nodded.
"Well, she is losing a lot of blood, I will do what I can, you should have brought her much sooner."
"I understand, please do everything in your power to help her."
"Yes, I will, wait with the others. The delivery will be very messy; leave it to us, we'll take care of it." Ichigo looked reluctant, but then he nodded.
Ishida, Soi Fong, Renji, and Ashido were sitting in another room having hot tea, through the opened door, dawn appeared more and more visible with each appearing ray. Arriving to this dimension, Ichigo sensed the others' reiatsus and joined them. Ishida was surprised to find Rukia in that state and led them to a village a couple kilometers away. Apparently Ishida and his group had arrived there the day before and were staying with an old village miko; apparently it wasn't the first time the old woman ran into someone from the future, and so she offered them her help during their stay. Ichigo walked inside looking at bit troubled and took a seat next to Renji.
"How's Rukia?" Asked Renji concerned.
"Kaede said she was bleeding a lot, Orihime's helping her, so she should be fine," said Ichigo optimistically, though there was still a hint of worry on his face.
Orihime sat looking at the image before her with yes wide in shock. Of course she knew all about how pregnancies happened, but she had never witnessed one in person. She had never seen so much blood in her life; poor Kuchiki-san looked in so much pain, she was so small and frail, and Orihime couldn't fathom how she was going to empty that baby out of her system. She looked at Rukia's stomach, then at Rukia, and gasped when she realized that Rukia's stomach was perhaps half as big as Rukia herself.
Orihime's thoughts were interrupted by one of Rukia's ear-shattering screams. Orihime quickly rushed to Rukia's side and held her hand; Rukia held her hand almost painfully tight.
"All right, it is beginning to crown, push Rukia," said Kaede. Orihime assisted Rukia on sitting up slightly so she could push; then Rukia released the loudest scream that Orihime had ever in her young life heard.
Ichigo paced back and forth outside, the sun was halfway showing through the mountains. Hours had passed since she had gone into labor, why was it taking so long? Ichigo sighed exasperated; he sat on the ground and massaged his temples. Then when he heard Rukia scream again he stood back up and paced around again.
"You know, if you walk back and forth in the same spot enough, you could probably dig up a new well for the villagers," said Renji walking towards Ichigo.
"It's taking so long…"
"Well, according to Kaede it's perfectly normal, she said there's women that spend days popping their kids out," said Renji nonchalantly.
"How could you be so calm?! Isn't Rukia your childhood friend?!"
"Yes, but I have faith in Rukia's strength, besides, there's nothing I can do about it; looking so nervous isn't going to solve anything and it's only gonna make everyone else feel uneasy," said Renji.
"You're right, it's just…" sighed Ichigo exasperated; he groaned as he massaged his temples.
"If you're this worried, imagine how Kuchiki-taicho must be feeling," said Renji scratching his chin thoughtfully.
"Kuchiki-taicho what do you think you are doing?!' Asked Rangiku outraged as Byakuya took her bottle of sake and walked away with it.
"I need it," said Byakuya a tad anxious, they were in a forest, and Byakuya walked towards the river, he didn't bother pouring the sake in a dish, he just gulped it down, but nothing happened. Dammit why couldn't he be an easy drunk.
He threw the empty bottle of sake into the river and buried his face on his knees. A moment later, the others came by and peeked at him through the trees. They were doing a very bad job at hiding themselves since they were whispering loudly and he could clearly see their faces peeking out of the trees. Even captain Hitsugaya, Byakuya expected better from him.
"You thinks Bya-kun's baby is born yet?" Asked Nel.
"No, the key has not appeared before him yet, but it is apparent that lieutenant Kuchiki has already gone into labor, observe how he's stooping while gathering his knees," said Hitsugaya.
"I can hear you," said Byakuya irritated.
"Matsumoto have you captured that rabbit for dinner yet?" Asked Hitsugaya as he came out of the trees.
"No, Hitsugaya-taicho, but Chad and Nel were helping me."
"Oh, Kuchiki-taicho, what a surprise to see you here," said Hitsugaya; everything they were saying sounded as if they were reading it from a script.
"Your acting is very poor captain Hitsugaya," said Byakuya without turning to look at them; he kept his gaze on the river.
"But now that we're here we'll keep you company," said Rangiku; they all sat with him, "so, do you umm, think Kuchiki-san will be delivering any time soon?" Asked Rangiku, but Byakuya didn't say anything, his sight still fixed on the river.
"Would you like more sake then?" He still didn't say anything; Rangiku sighed in defeat.
Suddenly something happened that caused Byakuya to snap out of his slightly emo state. A faint yellow glow appeared before him; little by little the glow turned golden, until a golden key appeared. Byakuya stared at it for a long time before finally taking it into his hands. He looked down at the key and his eyes softened; a slight warm smiled graced his face.
"Bya-kun's a daddy!"
"Congratulations Kuchiki-taicho," said Hitsugaya smiling. These two comments by Nel and Hitsugaya pulled him out of his stupor and returned to his usual cold proper self.
"There is no need to congratulate me on such a matter," said Byakuya coldly as he stood up and left.
"That jerk," said Nel with raised fists; she was about to run after him but Rangiku held her back.
"Leave him alone, if he stays with us he won't allow himself to smile," said Rangiku smiling at Nel; Nel suddenly understood and nodded.
Ichigo was pacing back and forth standing outside when Orihime walked towards him with a little bundle wrapped in white sheets. Ichigo ran towards her meeting her halfway. He took the baby in his arms and cradled him. He was still very little, but Ichigo already saw Byakuya in him; the child would grow up to be the exact replica of his father.
"Take care of him, I need to go back inside," said Orihime warmly as she saw how affectionate Ichigo seemed to be towards the baby even though it wasn't his.
"What about Rukia? Can I come and see her?" Asked Ichigo unable to hide the excitement in his voice.
"Well, you see…" said Orihime scratching the back of her neck nervously, "Kuchiki-san isn't done yet."
"What do you mean she's not done yet she-" Ichigo's eyes widened in realization.
"There's another one, we found out just now, looks like Kuchiki-san will be having twins!" Said Orihime smiling optimistically; Ichigo's shoulders drooped a little. He would have to go through all that…again.
Byakuya sat on a tree looking intently at the key in his hand. His son was born, but yet, the feeling of anxiousness still lingered inside of him. His thoughts were interrupted by the sensing of another reiatsu, it was Nova. Byakuya descended the tree and walked to where the others were.
They all sat around a fire having breakfast, they were all hungry, but Nova was even more, he devoured the cooked rabbit rapidly.
"So you've found a way to defeat Aizen?" Asked Hitsugaya; Nova nodded as he finished eating.
"Yes, it is simpler than I expected actually, though I never thought about it before. Even if we cannot defeat him, which I think we will anyway, we can capture him in here. I created a dimension outside of this matrix of dimensions, one that only I can control. As soon as we leave, the matrix of dimensions will be sucked into a small orb, and they will not be able to get out. Once the dimensions has been shut, their spiritual powers will be absorbed to the point that they will become normal humans," said Nova.
"You're a genius, I swear I could kiss you right now," said Rangiku anxiously, but stopped when Hitsugaya looked at her annoyed; she smiled sheepishly at him.
"Then we would only need to keep them unconscious or immobile long enough to escape the dimensions," said Byakuya.
"Yes, and I have mapped out where the other reiatsus are, it would only take about two days to get there. Rukia and Orihime are with Ichigo and Ishida's groups, it will be easier to get to all of them now," said Nova.
"Very well then, let's go," said Byakuya; they were about to leave when three Espadas appeared before them, Ulquiorra, Grimmjaw, Nnoitra, along with ex captain Tossen.
"You're not going anywhere," said Tossen; Byakuya looked at Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra glared at him.
"You're getting in my way," replied Byakuya.
"What's wrong Captain Kuchiki? You seem tense," smirked Ulquiorra standing in front of Byakuya.
"You hurt Rukia," said Byakuya, his voice still calm and lacking emotion.
"And your point is?"
"My point? No one touches what's mine!" Screamed Byakuya suddenly enraged; he charged towards Ulquiorra and they both commenced in battle; Byakuya's comrades were still shocked by his sudden burst of rage.
"So the ice king does feel," smirked Rangiku.
"It appears so," said Hitsugaya.
It was midday; Ichigo sat under a tree with mini Byakuya lying down on his lap. The child stirred a bit and then opened his eyes; Ichigo gasped surprised when he saw that his eyes were a deep purple, just like Rukia's. He looked up at Ichigo and started crying; Ichigo immediately carried him in his arms in an attempt to cheer him up.
"You and Byakuya have more in common than I thought, neither of you like me," said Ichigo. Orihime walked out of the room with another baby. Ichigo walked towards her, confused to see her jumping in joy while clutching the baby close to her body.
"What? Was he born with red bean paste on his forehead?" Asked Ichigo; Orihime frowned momentarily but then smiled again.
"No, and it's not a he, it's a her!" giggle Orihime, "you wanna carry her?"
"Sure," said Ichigo, and they traded babies; mini Byakuya stopped crying and the baby girl looked up at Ichigo and smiled. She was the exact replica of Rukia, except her eyes, they were gray like Byakuya's.
"I think she likes me," said Ichigo and Orihime nodded, " so how's Rukia?"
"Poor Kuchiki-san is so tired, she fell asleep as soon as she got the chance to carry her baby girl."
"I'll come see her later then," said Ichigo, come on let's introduce the babies to the others.
The others were helping Kaede with lunch, peeling potatoes, steaming vegetables, frying rice…they all looked rather tired. As soon as Ichigo and Orihime walked inside, a smile spread itself on Renji's face. He ran towards them and took both babies from them; he looked at them back and forth.
"Twins?! Are you freaking kidding me?! Kuchiki-taicho will drop dead when he finds out!" Said Renji laughing, "and they look just like them too."
Ashido and Soi Fong remained peeling the potatoes, but Ishida walked towards Renji to take one of them into his arms; it was the boy, Hideto. Ishida looked at the boy's cold expression and couldn't help but laugh.
"Yes, this one's his father's son."
"I know, isn't he cute Uryuu-kun?" Beamed Orihime.
"Yes, very cute," said Ishida looking at Orihime; Orihime looked away blushing. From the side, Soi Fong glared at them; Ishida noticed this and walked away from Orihime.
"Hey look Soi, you want to see Kuchiki-taicho's baby?" Soi Fong nodded as Ishida approached her; Orihime looked down at the floor sadly.
Rukia opened her eyes and everything around her seemed blurry, the only thing she could register was that she was no longer wearing those uncomfortable arrancar clothes, but rather a yukata. She tried to sit up but her entire body ached; she gave up and lied back down. It took a minute for her vision to come into focus again. Then she remembered everything, she was somewhere in the past and she had just given birth to twins; both were very difficult to bring into the world. She sighed as she looked at the ceiling; then Ichigo walked through the door with the babies, both appeared to be sound asleep. He lied down beside her on the futon, placing both babies in between them.
Rukia rolled to her side to face them, even though they were newborns they were born with heads full of jet black hair. She combed their hair with her delicate fingers as she smiled warmly at them. Ichigo's jaw almost dropped, he had never seen Rukia this…beautiful. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks were flushed, and her skin was pale, but there was something different about her, the unmistakable light in her eyes shone with great intensity, and her usually angry features were now soft and tender. Her lips seemed softer, and her face smoother and brighter.
She noticed him looking at her and looked up at him; Ichigo immediately looked away blushing. Rukia smiled and leaned over enough to plant a kiss on his forehead.
"Thank you," she whispered to not wake up the babies. He wanted to say she didn't need to thank him, he wanted to tell her she looked beautiful, and that motherhood suited her perfectly, but he remained silent. He didn't want to ruin the moment, he wanted this moment to remain, and enjoy it in silence.
"You should sleep," he finally said after a moment of silence; Rukia shook her head, her sight not removing itself from her sleeping children.
"I want to watch them sleep," she said; then Hideto groaned in his sleep; he lifted his chin in the air with a look of arrogance on his face; Rukia giggled.
"He does that a lot, he's just like Byakuya, except his eyes, they're like yours," said Ichigo.
"You know, I think I'd like to name my daughter Masaki, after your mother," said Rukia looking deeply into his eyes; his eyes became fixed with hers; Rukia smiled at him then looked away bashfully. He placed his hand on her chin, and then turned her to look at him. He touched her bottom lip with his thumb, and her lips parted slightly.
"I love you," he said simply, never looking away from her. Rukia's eyes softened, he had confessed his love for her before, but never like this. When he said it before they were children, when he said it before he said it laughing because she punched him. But this time, it came from him to say it, and it was a thousand times more meaningful than the last. Her eyes glazed in tears, and she smiled. Ichigo leaned forward, and planted a soft kiss on her lips, a pure, clean kiss.
"Now sleep, you've had a long day," said Ichigo; Rukia nodded and rested next to her children. She was very tired, and it only took her a moment to fall asleep. Ichigo stretched one arm towards her, embracing the babies in the process. He managed to cover much space, placing a hand behind the small of Rukia's back. He sighed and looked at the young family he embraced. Byakuya, that lucky bastard, what he wouldn't give for this family to be his, what he wouldn't give to be their father…and her lover.