Standard disclaimers apply to the fictional characters of BLEACH used in this story. They are the property of the esteemed Kubo Tite-sensei, and I have no claim over them. Please don't sue.
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"I'm afraid that the embryo could not be saved. Please make sure to rest and do not stress your body more than necessary. If you feel worse, please come back for a checkup."
With eyes as blank as the wall in front of her, Kanae stared down at the hand placed over her lower abdomen.
She should have when she sensed something abnormal about her spiritual pressure and the minuscule flickering of spiritual energy she felt every now and then for the past month and a half.
There was a knock from her door. "Kanae."
The doorknob of her bedroom door rattled as she refused to answer his call and stayed seated silently pensive on her bed. The second call was more forceful. "Kanae!"
Before she knew it, the wooden door was on the floor with black explosion marks spraying from the center. Ryuuken stepped into her room, disregarding all propriety.
Despite his calm outward demeanor, she saw that his shoulders trembled from frustration.
He demanded from above as he looked down at her from the bedside. Though she sat with her back straight, her shoulders were bent forward and her chin tilted forward. "Are you just going to stay in here and not talk to me again?"
"What else can I say?" she murmured desolately. "A thousand apologies and pleas for forgiveness cannot undo what has happened."
Ryuuken clenched his fists and turned his eyes to the wall. "That isn't what I want to hear from you."
"I know," Kanae pressed down on her abdomen, where a growing child would have been three months from today. "I'm sorry, Ryuuken-sama."
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AN: Trying to write again after a serious writer's block. Forgive me for the lateness. No one probably saw this coming.
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