Who's Your Daddy?

"Raven? Wake up, honey," Renji said, shaking her slightly. He was worried about her. She had been so hard to wake up every morning for a few weeks now, and she usually took a nap in the afternoon as well.

"Renji, please, just a little while longer," Corbeau begged, rolling over on her belly and hiding her head under the pillow.

"Are you all right? Are you sick?" he asked, moving out of the way as her wing shot out in an attempt to knock him off the bed. He had learned to watch for those wings of hers especially when trying to wake her up.

"I'm just so tired. I don't know why," she mumbled.

"Well, come on. The kids are waiting for you. It's not good for the teacher to be late for school," he said, smacking her on the behind and running from the room.

Over the past year it had fallen to Corbeau to be the school teacher and baby sitter for all of the children of the show's people. Rin was a veritable genius so he actually assisted her with teaching. Hiyori was also a lifesaver when it came to assisting with the children. Hana helped of course when he was not busy with college classes. When the show had stopped for a long break, he had taken a test to receive a high school diploma equivalency degree then went straight into college when he turned sixteen. Technology is a wonderful thing because enabled him to take his classes online which was perfect for their lifestyle. Hana seeking an education seemed to prompt everyone else to realize their children needed some type of schooling so a suitable teacher was found in the resident child magnet named Corbeau.

For a while it seemed as if fertility was in the water because so many performers and workers became pregnant at once. Everyone except Corbeau. Over a period of two months, six babies were born into their already large family. Two of those babies belonged to Kisuke and Yoruichi; they were blessed with twins! So now they suddenly had a family of five. Through Corbeau's contact with Kensei, the Sheriff had made it possible for them to legally adopt Hana and his siblings. Rangiku and her half pint lover unexpectedly found themselves to be parents as well. That was a shocker for EVERYONE as if their relationship had not been an eyebrow raiser to begin with. The other three children belonged to workers of the show. One of those workers was Ichigo. He had "fallen in love" with a girl named Orihime he had picked up when they were passing through a place. She was a nice, quiet girl; a little on the dim side but likable enough. Their poor child did not stand a chance when it came to hair color. Orihime had bright orange hair a few shades darker than Ichigo's. He had a sudden family without even really wanting one. Renji and Corbeau still hoped it would happen for them, but it was hard to keep hoping with month after month of disappointment.

"Honey, there's a doctor in town if you need to go see one. I'll take you," Renji offered when she was still not out of bed twenty minutes later.

"All right dear." She hated doctors, but she would go to make him feel better. Just not today. She finally got up and got moving so he would not make her go right now.

The children were anxious and hyperactive this morning. Probably because they had to wait for her so long in the tent that was designated as their classroom. Rin and Hiyori looked as if they were ready to run from the little monsters who were crying and hanging on to them. Corbeau picked up the twins from the play pen and suggested everyone grab their books because they were going to have school outside under one of the big oak trees. This made the children happy which was a welcome break to the overwhelmed Rin and Hiyori's ears.

Renji came to check on her at lunch and he found her sitting on the ground with her back against the tree. He smiled at the sleeping woman who had the twins lying on her chest asleep and her wings tucked around them to keep them safe. His eyes drank in the touching scene wishing desperately that they could have a child of their own. He knelt down beside her to kiss her cheek then her lips in hopes that a gentle touch would wake her up. A smile curled his lips as she moaned and moved around holding the twins tightly against her.

"Hello, sleeping beauty," he murmured when she opened her dark eyes.

"Hi, honey. Was I asleep?" Corbeau asked, looking around as if she was a little confused.

"Yeah. Are you hungry?" He pressed his hand to her forehead and cheek to check for a fever, and she felt a little warm.

"No. Not really. I feel nauseated. Can you get me a ginger ale? Maybe that will help," she muttered, taking a few deep breaths to hold back the wave of nausea.

"I'm telling Kanonji you're not making your appearance tonight. And you're going to the doctor tomorrow," he informed resolutely so she would not try to argue. He understood her reluctance to see a doctor, but it was necessary.

"No. I'll be fine. I'll just take a nap later before the show."

Stubborn woman.

Corbeau stood backstage leaning against Sajin's shoulder and stroking him behind the ears. The wolf man allowed her to have so many liberties with him it astounded everyone. She squealed when she felt his tongue on her cheek.

"Would you stop that?" she yelled, wiping off the drool with a smile on her face.

"What's wrong with you? Are you all right?" he asked, staring at her with his golden eyes. "There's something different about you. I can smell it."

"Oh?" Damn dog with that oversensitive nose. "Renji is going to take me to the doctor tomorrow. I hope I don't have the flu or something."

"No. There's something else going on with you. Do you think maybe…" He pressed his hand against her belly to hint at a baby.

"I don't know. You tell me. What do you smell, you hound?" she asked, hugging him.

"Smart ass. It's a good thing I like you so much. I'd eat your pretty face off if I didn't," he growled playfully not letting her go.

"Kids! Are you ready?" Renji asked, appearing suddenly beside them. He had grown accustomed to the flirty wolf (he was a dog after all so he could not help himself) and his halfhearted advances toward Corbeau.

"Yes, sir. We're ready," she answered, stealing a quick kiss from lips.

Halfway through their little shtick, Corbeau felt as if a bucket of hot water had been dumped on her. The feeling of nausea literally brought her to her knees while little black tadpole things swam through her vision. She was instantly drenched with sweat but felt like she was freezing.

"Angel! What is it?" Sajin asked, picking her up into his arms. He looked at Don Kanonji hoping he would say something to cover this over and end the act so the audience would not be upset by her collapse. As he carried her off the stage to her worried husband, he could hear the loud mouthed barker with the gift of gab saying something to make it sound like it was all part of the act. He was too troubled himself in this moment to care about that.

"What happened?" Renji asked, following after the massive wolf man who was swiftly walking away with his wife. "Where are you going?"

"Come on, Red, we're taking our girl to the hospital. Enough is enough."

They were sure it was not the unconscious woman that caused such a stir at the hospital. Renji and Sajin patiently waited as the initial shock, alarm, and general freaking out ensued among the hospital staff and other people at the emergency room upon their arrival.

"Are you done?" Renji asked a young nurse with a red face who approached them with a clipboard. "Can you help us?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, it's just –" She stopped talking when the object of her attention smiled at her showing all of his sharp canine teeth with the prominent fangs. She was something quite astounding and stare worthy herself at over six feet tall with short wildly messy silver hair. Her gray eyes were kind and compassionate.

"Yeah, I know what it just is," he snapped irritably. "I promise he's had all of his shots, and he doesn't bite. Me, however, I can't make that promise. If you people don't pull yourselves together and help my wife it will get ugly in here real fast," he warned, snatching the clipboard out of her hands.

"Yes, I'm so sorry," apologized the nurse with Isane Kotetsu on her nametag.

"What's going on here?" demanded a woman about a foot shorter than the nurse with black braid down her back to her waist.

"It wasn't us, it was them," Renji replied defensively, moving his arm in a wide sweeping motion to indicate everyone in the room.

"No, I mean what's going on here," she said, her big blue eyes sweeping over the unconscious woman in the big furry man's arms.

"Oh." He described what had happened on the stage and listed the symptoms his wife had been having for weeks.

The doctor gave a thoughtful grunt then motioned for the two men to follow her. Nurse Kotetsu busied herself with taking vitals such as temperature and blood pressure while the doctor poked and prodded.

"I need you two gentlemen to leave now. I'm going to run a few tests then I'll come get you," she said, hustling them out of the room.

Hours later the doctor finally came out to tell them something. They both jumped to their feet and moved toward her when she walked into the room which almost frightened her. She froze and took a deep breath as she stared at them.

"All right gentleman, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that she has a severe kidney infection and slight dehydration. The infection can be easily treated with antibiotics, and we're administering fluids by IV now," Dr. Unohana informed them before taking another deep breath. With a smile on her face she happily made the next announcement while looking straight at her husband. "Congratulations, you're going to be a father."

"Renji, that's…oh, dear," Sajin mumbled when he saw the man had fainted.

The doctor sighed deeply before she knelt down beside the man on the floor to check for a head injury.

"I'm sure he's not hurt, Doc. I've known him for a long time, and he's pretty hard headed," Sajin joked as he watched the doctor feel around on Renji's head.

"Well, you're an interesting man. I would like to give you a head to toe exam sometime," Dr. Unohana said, smiling up at him briefly before turning her attention back to the unlikely patient on the floor.

"Oh? Just to see if I'm real or if this a suit? Where is your office? I might come by and let you," he replied in a joking manner.

"I have no doubt you're real," she rejoined, sitting Renji up and leaning him against the couch until he regained consciousness. The pretty doctor stood in front of the wolf man smiling up at him pleasantly. "I'll give you my home address. I was thinking of an examination of a more intimate nature."

Sajin released a low 'woof' as he looked at the lovely doctor who now had her hand on his chest. A pitiful groan from below alerted both of them that the debilitated new father was waking up.

"Mr. Abarai, would you like to see your wife?" the doctor inquired.

"Come on," his furry friend grumbled, reaching down to pull him up the collar. "Want me to carry you?"

"Hell no, dog breath," Renji snapped furiously, blushing as red as his hair with embarrassment.

"Don't worry. I've seen fathers have worse reactions," she assured him, leading him to his wife's room.

Corbeau was laying in the bed with her eyes closed but with a big smile on her face. When the door squeaked her eyes immediately popped open, and she sat up in the bed. Her whole body was practically vibrating she was so thrilled. She slid her arms around her husband's neck almost choking him in her excitement and joy.

"Can you believe it?" she exclaimed, pressing his hand to her flat belly. It still did not seem real.

"I'm so happy. I love you, baby," he said, leaning forward to kiss her.

"I love you too, daddy."

Okay extraordinarily unlikely pairings are happening here, but it fits with the theme of the story. What could be freakier than Rangiku and Toshiro not only being together but having a baby? And Retsu and Sajin? That's one that will make you go what the fu...