Well, here it is... Chapter 3!! Well, technically 4, but whatever! :D The last chapter, I actually just kind wrote it and posted it up. It was kinda like the second book of Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling said she had trouble with her second book of the series because it didn't flow! and that was my case... it didn't flow... to me at least!! DX So sorry if it disappointed any of you. I hope this chapter makes ammends! But I must say, Urahara is a pimp and Yoruichi just rocks. They're my second favorite couple, next to IchiHime, of course. Caution: Beware of all the talking! Man.. I hate doing just dialouges, but there was no way around it! Argh!
Disclaimer: I do not own bleach, but if I did, then I'd totally make Ichigo and Orihime end up together. And Ruki/Renji and Ura/Yoru and Ishi/Tats and...
One Week and One Day Later- Saturday- March 1st: Week 3
Orihime scanned her room.
"Gloves, gloves, gloves, gloves, gloves…"
She found her maroon gloves and slipped them on.
"Scarf, scarf, scarf, scarf, scarf, scarf…"
She quickly wrapped it around her neck and fixed her hair.
"Oi, Inoue! You ready yet?" Ichigo hollered out from the living room.
"J-just a minute, I need to find my… BOOTS!" Orihime picked them up and attempted to put them on while hopping her way over to the living room. Ichigo averted his gazed momentarily.
"Inoue. Your skirt…"
Orihime raised her leg well above waist height in order to put her knee-high boots on without sitting. Her floral skirt rode up and threatened to expose a part of her panties. He looked back at her. With her leg still raised and some frilly little undergarment peeking out, Orihime looked up at Ichigo. "What did you say, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked as she finished putting on one of her boots, completely oblivious to what he had said. "Nothing," he replied, secretly enjoying the peep show. He looked away once he realized he was staring.
She finished putting on her other boot and straightened her skirt, much to Ichigo's relief and displeasure.
"Alright! Let's go!" Orihime said cheerfully. "Oh no, Nell…"
Nell, who was being carried by Ichigo, bit onto her dad's maroon jacket collar. Once his collar became saturated with her saliva, Nell reached for Ichigo's hoodie strings. Before Nell could chomp down, Orihime took her into her arms and went over to the sink. She wet a rag and began cleaning off Ichigo's collar.
"Oi, Inoue, you don't need to do that." Ichigo said, looking down at the busty beauty.
"I know," she said as she attempted to take Nell's saliva out of Ichigo's collar, "but you don't want to smell like Nell's spit, do you?" Orihime finished cleaning his jacket and fixed the collar. She lightly patted it down onto his chest. "There! All clean!" she said, smiling gleefully. Orihime packed up the rest of Nell's belongings, pulling out a baby cap in the process. She put the hat on Nell's head and placed her baby into her carrier.
"She looks so cute!" Orihime took a step back and looked at her baby. "She looks just like Nell now!" She clapped her hands together and looked at Ichigo. "What do you think, Kurosaki-kun?"
"Where did you get that hat from, Inoue?"
"I made it!"
The hat looked like a cracked skull.
"Looks alright, I guess. When did you make it?"
"I would work on it whenever you went off to fight a hollow," she replied while slinging Nell's baby bag over her shoulder. "Well, shall we go?"
Ichigo nodded and picked up Nell's carrier. The happy family walked out of the apartment, locked the door, and made their way towards their destination. They did not speak as they walked; only Nell's "goo's" and "gaa's" were heard. But as they walked, Orihime began to daydream. She chuckled to herself. Ichigo looked over to Orihime who was covering her mouth as she laughed to herself. Before Ichigo could ask, Orihime looked up at him.
"Hey, Kurosaki-kun!"
"Hmm?"
"You know what I just realized?"
"What's that?"
"Most of our friends, maybe even most of the people we know, are already dead!"
She laughed to herself again, causing Nell to giggle as well. Normally such a comment would be perceived as negative, but Ichigo couldn't stop himself from grinning. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Since their return from Hueco Mundo and the end of the Winter War, Ichigo and his nakama agreed to meet every month at the Urahara shop.
As they neared toward their destination, a large hoopla could be heard.
"Oi, Inoue." Ichigo called out to her as she reached for the shop's door.
"Yes, Kurosaki-kun?" She looked back towards him.
"I'll stay out here for a bit." He looked down at Nell, who was fast asleep in her carrier.
Orihime nodded and handed their baby's bag to Ichigo. He sat at the front of the shop and rocked Nell's carrier with his foot. Orihime was greeted by Jinta and Ururu as she walked into the shop. "They're in there," Ururu said as Jinta pointed to the room in the back with his thumb. Orihime bowed slightly to say thanks and made her way to the back room.
She slid the door open.
"Inoue!" Rukia called out as she sat cross-legged, leaning back on her hands. She appeared to be dressed in normal attire rather than her shinigami robe. Renji sat next to her in his hippie outfit. A large assortment of food lay on the table in front of them and Renji was happily eating the majority of it. "You're late! And so is Ichigo!" Rukia said, grinning.
"Kuchiki-san! Abarai-kun!"
Before Orihime could make her way over to the table, her face was caressingly, yet violently, shoved into a gigantic bosom. "Orihime!" Matsumoto held onto the poor girl, suffocating her with the large crevasses of her breasts. Orihime found the strength to pull away for a moment.
"Rangiku-san!"
Her freedom was short-lived. Matsumoto grabbed Orihime and hugged her once again, but she quickly let go of her. Orihime finally caught her breath once Matsumoto released her from her grip. Matsumoto grasped onto her shoulders and examined the confused girl with excited eyes.
"Hmm… you've grown. You might even get as big as me one day."
Orihime blushed. "Thank you?"
"No problem!" Matsumoto replied. "But, never mind that!" She inched closer to Orihime's face. "Did you give it to him?" she asked quietly as she glanced over to Rukia and Renji, who were already arguing over the food.
Orihime scrunched her face, but smiled a little. "Kind of…?"
Matsumoto clenched onto Orihime's shoulders again. "What do you mean 'kind of?' It's either you did or you didn't." She loosened her grip. "So did you do it?"
"Yes… but it's complicated."
"How?" Matsumoto asked, trying to be patient.
"Well, I gave it to him, but I didn't at the same time… I kind of left it on his pillow, but I fell asleep so I didn't see his reaction." Orihime replied as she fiddled with her hair and bit her lip.
"What? What do you mean: you left it on his pillow?"
"I told you it's complicated. I couldn't give it to him at school like you and Tatsuki-chan said."
"Why?" Matsumoto waited for a full explanation.
"Well, because-"
Suddenly, Ichigo slid the door open with a crying Nell in his arms.
"Inoue, she wants her 'mama.'"
Ichigo walked briskly towards Orihime. A startled Matsumoto loosened her grip, allowing Orihime escape her clutches. Orihime took Nell into her arms and began bouncing her baby. Ichigo turned to Rukia and Renji as she soothed Nell. "Yo," he said as he put an arm up to wave hello.
"Yo?! What the hell, Ichigo?!" Rukia slammed her hand onto the table as she stood up. "When did you two have a kid together?!"
"Wha-" was all that escaped Renji mouth with a some barbequed squid dangling from his mouth.
"Orihime! So that's what you meant by 'it's complicated.'" Matsumoto said as she patted Ichigo on the back. "Been getting' busy while we were gone?"
"N-no…" Orihime said as she rocked Nell.
"Wait a second!" Ichigo tried to defend himself as he scowled. Why does everyone react like this?!
"When did you get Inoue pregnant?"
"How did you get her pregnant?"
"How old is your baby?"
"What did your dad say?"
"Is that why your boobs are bigger?"
The two were bombarded with questions. Ichigo furrowed his brow and brought his hand up to his face while Orihime looked back and forth from Ichigo to their friends, unsure if she should answer their questions. But then, it suddenly occurred to Matsumoto. "You two are living together, aren't you?!"
Both of their heads perked up immediately.
Heat rose in their cheeks as memories of the night a week prior to this monthly meeting poured into their thoughts. Orihime had woken up first, completely encased in Ichigo's arms. The shock of waking up in his arms caused her to suddenly look up, banging the top of her head against his chin. Ichigo, of course, woke up. With eyes scrunched together, he brought the hand resting on the swell of Orihime's back up to his chin as he rolled onto his back. Orihime immediately crawled towards Ichigo, apologizing in a hushed tone to prevent Nell from waking. Ichigo, suddenly realizing they were sleeping in the same futon, sat up while leaning back on his arms. On hands and knees, Orihime examined Ichigo's face, asking if he was alright. He backed away slightly, but soon realized that was a bad move; he could he down her sleeping shirt. He looked away. Noticing that Ichigo's face was completely red as he averted his gaze, Orihime looked down to where he was staring. She quickly sat on her feet and brought her hand to her chest. She looked downwards, her face now completely red as well. With head downcast, she slowly trailed her eyes up. Their eyes met, but they quickly looked away. Nell began to stir, and they never spoke of that morning ever again.
As they recalled that eventful morning, the two looked at each other with their faces completely flushed.
"That's a yes," Renji said as he leaned back, enjoying the show.
"N-no," they said in unison.
"Yeah right," Matsumoto said as she sat down at the table, signaling Orihime to sit next to her.
"Just look at your faces, you two are still blushing." Rukia grinned as she sat back down next to Renji. With her cheeks still a red hue, Orihime sat next to Matsumoto. She glanced back at Ichigo, who was indeed still blushing as well. They knew that they were blushing not because of what happened last week, but because of what has been occurring during the week. Whether or not the two teens would admit it, they began to sleep closer and closer every night, but they remain in their own futons.
"Yeah yeah, shut the f-" Ichigo looked Orihime before he finished his sentence. She looked worried and covered Nell's ears. "- just shut up," he said as he glared at the group. He sat between Orihime and Rukia.
"So you're living together, eh?" Rukia slapped Ichigo on the back. "So where'd the baby come from? It looks like it could be yours, but there's no way it could be." Ichigo glared at Rukia. "Why not?"
Rukia looked at the well-endowed strawberry blonde vice-captain. "Matsumoto, unbutton your shirt."
"Wha?" Orihime's eyes widened. She looked at Rukia with disbelief, and then turned her head to Matsumoto, who complied with their raven-haired friend's request. Matsumoto undid two buttons and was about to undo the third until Ichigo slammed his elbow onto the table and propped his head up. He turned his blushing face away from Matsumoto and Orihime, and scowled at Rukia and Renji.
"That's why," Renji said, grinning ear to ear.
"So there's no way you could've gotten Inoue pregnant," Rukia said as she looked at the two. "Besides, the timing is off. If Inoue really had a baby, then she would've been ready to pop while we were in Soul Society."
"You're so fun to tease, Ichigo. " Matsumoto changed the subject momentarily as she unbuttoned her shirt all the way. "Look, I'm wearing a shirt underneath!" Before Ichigo could say anything, Rukia interrupted. "So, seriously, what's with the baby?" She looked at Nell again. "Looks kind of like Nell doesn't it, except for the orange hair?" she asked Renji. He nodded. "Yeah, especially with that hat on."
"That's why we named her Nell!" Orihime interjected enthusiastically. "And doesn't the hat look cute on her?" She picked Nell up and plopped her onto the table. Nell started bouncing on her bottom, waving her arms in the air. Rukia became entranced with her cuteness. "So cute…" She reached out to hold Nell, but the baby promptly bit onto Rukia's hand.
"W-what the hell?!" Rukia tried to retract her hand, but alas, Nell's chomp was strong.
"Aiyaa. I'm sorry, Kuchiki-san!" Orihime pulled Nell into her lap and propped her up with her left arm. "She's been teething since we got her, but she only gets like this once and a while. She looks pretty cool now, now that her fangs grew in!" Orihime smiled as she showed them Nell's canine teeth. "Kurosaki-kun, can you get the-"
"Here." Ichigo already searched through Nell's bag and pulled out a teething ring. He handed it to Orihime who promptly put it into Nell's mouth. She munched onto it for a bit and then tossed it aside. Ichigo picked it up and tried to give it back to Nell. Orihime sighed. "Hmm. She always does that, but we don't have anything else to give her."
"Have you tried giving her whiskey?" Renji surprisingly asked.
"What?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Would that really work?"
"No, don't do that," Matsumoto said as she began cleaning out a bowl. She gestured Orihime to hand Nell over once she finished wiping it clean. Matsumoto expertly held the baby with one arm and stuck a clean finger into Nell's mouth. Nell began gnawing on her finger. "Ichigo, you have a rag or something?"
He nodded his head and searched through the bag.
"Orihime, get some ice and water, and put it into that bowl."
Orihime got up and did as she was told. Once Ichigo and Orihime completed their tasks, Matsumoto took the rag and dipped it in the ice water. She gave the rag to Nell, who began biting on it. "See, nothin' to it!" Matsumoto said proudly.
"Wow, how'd you know to do that?" Orihime asked curiously.
"Eh, you learn certain things here and there." Matsumoto said, shrugging her shoulders. "So anyway, what's with this thing? It's not a baby, it's a gigai. Where'd you get it from?"
"Well, it's-" Orihime began.
"- it's for a school project," a voice from behind said. They all turned their heads to see who else dropped by.
"Ishida-kun!" Orihime exclaimed. Tatsuki popped out from behind him with Sasuke in her arms. He immediately began to fidget when he saw Nell, and Nell did the same. ""Tatsuki-chan! What are you guys doing here?!" Orihime asked excitedly as she began to get up. Tatsuki signaled her to remain sitting.
"We came by to see Rukia, of course," she replied as she and Matsumoto put the babies onto the floor so they could play with each other. "But, we can't stay long."
"Eh? Why not?" Orihime pouted.
"We're gonna give Ishida's dad a heart attack." Tatsuki smirked as she waved to Rukia and Renji. "How you been?" she asked casually. Rukia grinned. "As good as a dead person gets." Ichigo looked up at Ishida who stood next to Tatsuki. "I'm surprised you're here. I thought you're not supposed to be 'associating yourself with shinigami' anymore. "
"Technically, they don't count as shinigami since they're not doing their shinigami duties because of this 'meeting.' Plus, we're not staying long, so it matters not." Ishida pushed him glasses up to the bridge of his nose with his middle finger.
"Yeah, yeah. I still say your logic is messed up."
"Whatever. The real reason I came was to find out why Urahara-san made these things in the first place." Ishida sat between Renji and Tatsuki. "Anyone know where he is?"
"Nope. When we crossed over, he was already gone." Renji said as he scratched his nose. "The two brats out there just stuck us in this room and gave us this food."
"Who're you calling a brat?!" Jinta poked his head into the room. Apparently, he and Ururu were eavesdropping the entire time. "And here I was going to tell you guys that the boss-man is back… Shoot, I told you anyway." He grunted and left when Urahara called for him. Ishida and Ichigo stood up and made their way to the door, but stopped once they heard scurrying footsteps pass their room.
"Yoruichi, I got you your milk! " They all heard Urahara call out lovingly to his long time 'friend' as he passed the room.
Undecipherable words were heard in response. Then, Urahara's hurried footsteps were heard after that. Mr. Hat-and-Clogs barged into the room, almost knocking into Ichigo. "Sorry to intrude!" he said in an ethereal tune. "I'll be taking this and this and this and… that!" He grabbed all the eggrolls, shrimp tempura, pork shu mai, and a banana (?). He turned to leave the room, but stopped dead when a voice from afar called out his name.
"KISUKE!!"
And in a mere second, Yoruichi appeared in the room. She was truly the Goddess of Flash. Yoruichi stood in front of Urahara, holding various ropes and other restraints in her hands. "Kisuke!" she called out again. The tiny smidgen of animosity towards Urahara in her tone sent shivers down everyone's spine. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she questioned him.
"Getting you food?"
"Not that, you dolt! Why the hell did you tie my hands and feet up when I was sleeping?!" she asked him angrily while snatching the banana out of his hands and dropping her restraints to the floor. Ichigo and Ishida took a seat. This could take a while…
"So I know that you wouldn't be running around like you normally do," he replied in the same light and airy tone.
"But, I need to be able to move, Kisuke: I need to get my own food; I need to stay by the bathroom at all times…"
"Yeah, but I tied you just enough so you can still do all that! Besides, I don't want you to go to Soul Society in your condition. "
"Yoruichi-san, you're sick?" Orihime interrupted.
"No, she's not sick." Urahara answered for her as he put the food back down.
"Speak for yourself. I get sick every goddamn morning!" She said with her mouth full of a half-masticated banana.
"Excuse her, she's a bit hormonal," he said whispered to the group behind his ever present white fan. "And no, Inoue-san, she's not sick…she's-" Yoruichi crossed her arms and huffed.
"I'm pregnant."
The men's faces dropped and the women gasped. "What?! How?!"
"Well, when a man and a woman love each other…" Urahara began, "or when the man needs a stress reliever because the General Commander keeps pestering him for a bunch of favors even though the man was exiled from the place he called home by the Central 46," he gasped for breath," and the woman needs a means of getting amped up for the upcoming Winter War…"
"Or all of the above." Yoruichi said as she took more food and plopped her ass down.
"Yeah, or all of the above…"
"Okay okay, we get all that, but…" They were all at a loss of words.
"But, why did you make a baby gigai?" Ishida broke the silence. He had a hunch that they were connected.
"Oh that!" Urahara sat next to Yoruichi who glared at him a little.
"I told him to keep it a secret. Enough said," she said as she began eating again.
"So let me get this straight," Ichigo couldn't fit the pieces together, "You got her pregnant, and she told you to keep it a secret. So you built a baby gigai? Why?"
Urahara laughed and Yoruichi just shook her head. "Because I wanted to see what our baby would look like, of course! I couldn't tell anyone since Soi Fong would kill me if she found out, so I made a fake baby so I could practice being a father." Only Orihime went "aww."
"But when I was testing it out, I got too excited and forgot to check if anyone was in the store when I put the modified soul and our hairs into the gigai, and there was this guy who saw and he wanted to use it for a project or something. I figured it would be good idea for some extra cash for when the baby comes. So here we all are; ironic, isn't it?"
"Yeah, real ironic, Kisuke. Well... I'm gonna take nap." Yoruichi got up and left. Urahara quickly followed before he could be questioned some more.
"H-hey!" Ichigo called after him, but let it go. "At least we got some weird ass explanation."
"Well, we got what we came here for." Ishida picked Sasuke up and looked at Tatsuki. She promptly stood up and they waved bye to everyone and left. Orihime pouted. She wanted them to stay longer.
"Right, let's get down to business first." Rukia said with a serious tone in her voice. "Ichigo, the General Commander has ordered a temporary alleviation of your shinigami representative duties."
Ichigo furrowed his brow and slammed his hand onto the table. "WHAT?!"
"Hear her out first, Ichigo." Matsumoto tried to calm him down.
"You're still a human teenager. The General Commander realizes this. So, he wishes to take off some of the burden on you."
"By what, taking away my shinigami representative status?!"
"No, you moron, keep listening," Renji said.
"He has already ordered another shinigami from the eighth squad to be stationed here. She is much more capable than that other guy. It was effective Thursday this week."
Orihime listened intently, her mouth slightly agape.
"Also, you representative badge will only go off if the hollow remains in the living world for eight minutes."
"Why eight minutes?" Orihime thought out loud.
"I dunno. Five minutes was too short, ten minutes was too long. So they chose eight I guess, and she's from the eighth squad, so there you go," Renji inputted his logic into the conversation.
"Anyways, the General Commander finds that your strength is essential. BUT, he wants you to try to live a normal life for now. BUT, he doesn't want your skills to get rusty, so from time to time you will be required to go to Soul Society to train; you too Inoue, and Sado as well."
"Eh? Why me?" Orihime pointed to herself.
"You're strong too, Inoue. You're just too nice. The General Commander has already decided that you will be stationed in the fourth squad when you go to Soul Society and train at the academy."
"Really? Wow..."
"Yup."Rukia let it sink in for a moment. "So would you guys like to meet the new shinigami?"
"Yeah, let's go." Ichigo stood up and looked down at Orihime who remained seated. "I think I'll stay here. It's really your guys' business, and I'll probably see her around the town or something." Orihime smiled as she talked.
"You sure?" Ichigo asked, still slightly apprehensive of leaving Orihime alone. She nodded her head. "I need to watch Nell anyway." Ichigo nodded his head and separated from his body.
"Watch our bodies for us, Inoue?" Rukia asked as she slipped out of her gigai. The shinigami group left, leaving Orihime alone with the baby. Orihime moved Ichigo's body and the other gigai so that they leaned against the wall, instead of lying sprawled out on the floor. Nell crawled over to her dad's body and bit down on his hand.
"Nell…"
Orihime giggled a bit, and let her daughter gnaw on Ichigo's hand. Some time passed, and she began to get antsy. Orihime picked Nell up and poked her head out of the room. Jinta and Ururu were outside sweeping the shop front. She wandered around the shop. Orihime passed a room whose door was cracked open. She peered through.
Yoruichi sat by the window, Urahara's head resting in her lap as he slept. She stared out the window as she stroked Urahara's hair. Orihime knocked on the door. She heard Yoruichi whisper 'come in,' and she quietly entered the room and sat next to Yoruichi.
"Look at this guy," she said as she roughly scratched Urahara's scruffy chin, "he comes in here saying he wants to take a nap with me, but ends up sleeping first. Do you need anything, Inoue?"
"Umm, not really. Everyone left to talk to the new shinigami stationed here, but I stayed behind." Orihime gave a soft smile. "Everyone knows what they're doing, they know where they're going in life, but I'm still here." Yoruichi watched the normally ditzy teenage girl carrying her baby through the corner of her yellow eyes. "I guess just being here is helpful too, but I wish… BAH! I shouldn't be like this! I'm sorry, Yoruichi-san." Orihime quickly got up to leave.
"Sometimes, the subtle things in life are what create the most change."
"Eh?" Orihime turned to look at Yoruichi. She was still looking out the window.
"When you went to Hueco Mundo, what happened? Did everyone act as if you never existed? No, they came to rescue you. Inoue, you may not be the strongest one, the smartest one, or the loudest one, but you are you. To your nakama, no one can take your place. You're not just 'there' to take up space or because they're used to you being 'there.' You're with them because they want you there. Unless, of course, if you don't want to be there." Yoruichi finally turned to look at Orihime. "But, if you don't, then to hell with that! Leave on your own accord, and not with someone blackmailing you."
Orihime smiled and sat back down. "Thanks, Yoruichi-san."
Yoruichi waved her gratitude off. "Don't thank me; thank the baby in my belly. It's what's making me say these sentimental, wise things." She smirked at Orihime, who smiled right back.
"So how do you feel?"
"Eh, I'm alright. I have to piss all the time, I'm hungry all the time, I get sick all the time, but other than that, I'm just plain dandy."
"Umm, Yoruichi-san, how are you pregnant? I mean, you're kinda dead."
Yoruichi laughed. "Inoue, do you know what happens to souls that die in Soul Society?" Orihime shook her head. "They are reborn into the living world. You create new souls in the living world, but you can also create new souls in the realm of the dead. So there you go: we are forever trapped in a world where you are constantly reborn, only if you die."
Silence.
Orihime needed a moment to take it all in before a characteristic "Oh" of understanding escaped her mouth.
"Yoruichi-san?" Orihime began again. She was chuck-full of questions today.
"Yes?"
"The General Commander has already granted you and Urahara-san amnesty. Why do you still remain here?" Orihime asked not quite sure if it was her place to ask such a thing. Yoruichi's ears perked up.
"I don't normally stay here, but he likes it here. That's reason enough. Usually, I move from place to place, going back and forth from this world and Soul Society. But since Kisuke likes staying here so much and now that I'm pregnant, I've decided to stay here as well. That way, the General Commander won't bug us anymore." She smirked.
"If we were to go back to Soul Society, they would probably have us fill the remaining captain positions, but we're used to doing our own thing now. So, that's all there is to it; although, even as much as he likes it here, he does want to go back someday," she said as she continued to rub Urahara's head.
"By the time that happens, maybe even I'll be a captain! Kurosaki-kun and Sado-kun too! Then there won't be anymore spots to fill!" Orihime joked. "That way you two could be happy here forever!" Yoruichi and even Urahara, who was supposedly sleeping, smiled.
"Yeah, maybe you're right."
9:00 p.m.- Orihime's Apartment
Orihime finished setting up their futons. She put Nell down in Ichigo's futon and put on a fresh pair of socks. Orihime glanced over her shoulder to make sure Ichigo wasn't there, and-
"Bloop!"
-grabbed lightly onto Nell's tiny legs.
"Squishy, squishy! Squishy, squishy!" she said as she lightly squished Nell's legs. Nell began to giggle and tried to sit up. Orihime caught her before she fell backwards, and carefully placed her back down onto Ichigo's futon. Orihime lay down on her left side, propping herself up with her arm. She put the tips of her fingers on her right hand together and brought it over Nell's face. She put her fingertips on Nell's nose, causing her to go cross-eyed, and quickly opened it in front of Nell's face.
"EXPLOSION!"
Nell laughed again as Orihime closed her hand into a fist.
"Close, o-pen, close, o-pen…"
Orihime repetitively closed and opened her hand in front of her baby's face. "She's entertained by such little things." Orihime thought to herself as Nell grabbed onto her mom's fingers. Ichigo walked into the room, rubbing his towel on his head to remove the excess water. Orihime felt his presence as he walked into her room, and looked up at him. He sat in her futon.
"What are you doing?"
"Playing with Nell." Orihime smiled as Nell continued to reach for her mom's fingers, successfully grabbing them on occasion. "Her hands are so tiny… and squishy. It's cute!"
"You have pretty tiny hands too, Inoue." Ichigo joked with a tiny smile on his face.
"My hands aren't that small." She pouted and extended them into front of Ichigo's face. "See?"
Ichigo brought his hand up to hers. "Let's compare then." He lightly placed his onto hers. The rough texture of his skin melted against her soft, delicate hands. Orihime blushed madly. She quickly withdrew her hand, and sat up with her hands in her lap.
"You're right, mine's pretty small." She laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "Umm, I already gave Nell a bath in the sink while you were taking a shower. So all we need to do is feed her again, and she should be out in a matter of minutes…" She looked up at Ichigo, who looked clueless about her reaction to their touch. "I'm going to take my shower then." Orihime quickly got up and left her room.
When she returned, the pinkish hue in her cheeks now gone, she smiled. Ichigo lay sprawled out in her futon with Nell on his chest, one hand clutching her to ensure she didn't slip off. The two appeared to be sleeping quite comfortably. Orihime quietly fixed Nell's crib as they slept soundly. As she slowly picked Nell off his chest, Ichigo woke up. He sat up in her futon, still in a bit of a daze, while Orihime put Nell into her crib. She turned around and jumped back slightly. She had not realized her was awake.
Ichigo got up and fixed the futon he had fallen asleep in and walked over to the light switch. Orihime got into her newly made futon as he flipped the switch off and crawled into the futon next to hers.
"Hey Kurosaki-kun." Orihime turned her head to look at him. He was still gazing ahead.
"Yeah?"
"What were you like when you were a baby?"
"What?"
"What were you like when you were a baby? You said you used to smile a lot."
"Well, I guess that's it really. I don't really remember anything, except…"
"Except…?"
"I remember my mom… and she was the reason I smiled." Orihime couldn't see his expression, but she could somehow tell… he was smiling.
"That's sweet," she said, bringing her covers up to her chin.
"I guess. What about you Inoue?"
"I don't remember much, really. But, according to me brother… I wasn't allowed to cry."
"What?" Ichigo finally turned his head to look at Orihime, but she turned away and looked at the ceiling.
"My mother was a whore. My father was abusive. They both were. My brother said that whenever I cried, they would hit me… until I stopped."
Ichigo was at a loss of words. He just looked at her, she had no expression of sadness or angry at all. She turned her head to face him with a smile on her face. "But, I turned out fine, right? So how was the new shinigami?" Ichigo looked away. He couldn't stand to see her smile after telling such a sad tale. "She seems fine," was all he replied. Orihime looked away as well.
The two were lost in their own thoughts.
But then they remembered something.
"… the General Commander has ordered a temporary alleviation of your shinigami representative duties."
Orihime bit her lip. "So does that mean-"
"Kurosaki-kun, are you-"
"Inoue, I think I might-"
They both stopped talking. Was he going to leave now that he has no reason to stay?
"Go ahead."
"No, you go first, Kurosaki-kun."
"Okay. Umm, I think I might… is it alright if…" He furrowed his brow. He didn't know how to say it. "The reason why I was staying here in the first place was so that Nell would be watched at all times, but now that the new shinigami is here, and she seems to be doing a pretty awesome job…"
Orihime started to get anxious.
"But, I was wondering if I could still stay here."
Or was there a new reason to stay?
A weight was lifted off of her chest. "Y-yeah. You can still stay here, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime smiled.
"Thanks, Inoue. Good night."
"Good night, Kurosaki-kun."
So Ichigo's gonna continue to live Orihime. Sweet, huh? :D It's so hard having so much dialogue going on. Blah. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I hope you liked Urahara's explanation. So cute! Sorry Tatsuki and Ishida didn't stay very long, I just didn't want to put in more dialogue. Boooooo. Hmm, this chapter kind of flew by didn't it? Oh well.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one's going to be good, I promise. Although, I'm pretty sure most of you will hate me afterwards. Hmm, and I'll try to not work on the next chapter in the wee hours of the morning. I've been staying up freakishly late just to write chapter 2 and chapter 3, so my normal 'mojo' is quite off!
Chapter 4: Parent Playtime
Ichigo and Orihime finally have a day off of parenting. Will things get hot and heavy, or wet and cold? Read the next chapter to see how the story unfolds.