Five weeks, two days, fourteen hours, twenty-three minutes… Hinamori had finally woken up from the long coma. Physically weakened, her eyes puffy from exhaustion, but with a more healthy pink tinge to her complexion that showed signs of her healing. It was the first time in weeks that Toshiro found himself within the walls of the Sereitei. Rather than spending his time waiting outside the Twelfth Division complex or in the room with Momo, he'd chosen instead to sequester himself in a cave hidden in the Southern Rukongai.

He'd tried to occupy his time with work, pushing through remaining paperwork from the battle, and leading his men in grueling training exercises; but none of it was enough to quell the dark thoughts and feelings that tormented him. The cave at least allowed him the privacy to vent his frustrations without hurting anyone. He trained for hours on end, forcing himself to remain focused on perfecting his combat rather than Hinamori, but it was futile. Everything he had ever done had been because of her. He trained hard to become a seated officer for her, became a captain so that he could protect her, he fought Aizen because of what he'd done to her; without her, he wouldn't have worked nearly as hard. Deep within the cave, furious and unable to get her out of his mind, he simply let everything go. His reiatsu released in full force as he caused a blizzard in the desolate area.

Unohana stood beside Hinamori, conducting a short exam of her condition, checking her vitals, memory and comprehension. When he'd first entered the room, the normally reserved captain had exchanged a small knowing look with him. Everyone by now was likely well aware of the unusual weather that had caused a bit of damage to the surrounding forests in the south. Toshiro gave her a small shrug, and took a position against the far back wall, giving her more than enough space to finish her exam. He wasn't quite ready yet to get close to her anyway. Leaning against the wall, he simply looked at her, taking in the simple joy that her eyes were open, she was sitting up, and speaking. She was alive. Unohana began to go into detail of the steps taken to heal her, discussing the organ regeneration, and the possible side effects she could experience, letting her know the things that were expected and the things she should be wary of.

The question Hinamori asked, answered one of the burning questions that had bothered him all these weeks. "The baby?" Her hands had unconsciously moved to cover her still small abdomen.

"Perfectly healthy as far as we can see," Unohana had answered, promising that they could do a more detailed check in a few days time. She glanced over at him and smiled, excusing herself so that Toshiro could be alone with her. He didn't move from his spot, not even after the door had shut giving them privacy. The room was completely silent as they just stayed where they were, neither moving a muscle as they both seemed to struggle with finding words.

Momo was the first to speak, her voice was soft, and breathy, "Toshiro…" Her eyes were hesitant to meet his, glancing up for only a split second before finding the white blanket more interesting to look at. "Thank you." He remained quiet for several minutes. Her reitatsu wavered slightly as she played with the edge of the blanket between her fingers. "Are you… angry at me?"

He pushed off from the wall, his hands folded in his sleeves. He crossed the room slowly, leaning his shoulder against the wall next to the head of the bed. She looked so… small even though she was still a few inches taller than him. He sighed and shook his head, "I am angry. But not at you," He said. "…Maybe a little at you," He admitted, scratching absently at the back of his neck. "You… —I was put in a difficult position when they told me you were…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't think they'd drag you into this."

He scoffed and shook his head, unable to keep the gruffness out of his voice, "They didn't have much choice."

The slight jerk of her fingers towards her stomach was barely noticeable but Toshiro saw it all the same. "Do…do you know?" She asked.

He glanced back at the shut door, certain that no one was outside listening, yet still not trusting that security. "Yes," He whispered. "I did the math."

She nodded, "You knew and yet you still—"

"—It wasn't my choice to make," He said. Toshiro watched as she covered her left hand with her right, squeezing her fingers in an old nervous habit that she never quite grew out of. She was still in the midst of healing and he didn't want to press her too much, but he had so many questions, all of them important yet there were some that he needed answers to right now. But he was afraid to ask. There was no good answer she could give that wouldn't hurt him. Toshiro took a deep breath, "Hinamori, was… was it…" He struggled to get the words out, his voice a dark whisper as he forced himself to ask what he needed to know. "Did he force himself on you?"

She clenched her hands tightly, the color fading to white while her shoulders tensed. She was quiet but gave no visual indications that the question caught her off guard. She expected it and from the set of her jaw, she'd prepared for it. "No," She said, still avoiding his eye. "And… it was only the one time." Hinamori turned her head away slightly, a subtle indication that there wasn't anything more to say on that particular matter.

Toshiro looked away as well, closing his eyes and lightly banging the back of his head against the wall. He couldn't prevent the brief flashes of images that her short statement had inspired. It had always been painful watch her be so utterly blind to the depth of his feelings for her. But to know that she had given herself willingly to not just another man, but one he despised to the core of his existence was a hot blade to his heart, twisting torturously slowly. Toshiro squeezed his eyes shut, trying to wash the images from his mind and fighting the urge to retreat back to the cave. He couldn't leave her to deal with all this alone.

He took a breath, "Did you ever consider—"

"—I did. At length. And I just… couldn't bring myself to end it," She said, lowering her voice as she continued. "He's innocent. Every soul has equal capacity for good and evil. Everything that's wrong with him right now are because of the actions taken by another. Is it really right to kill someone on the chance that they might be anything like their father?"

Toshiro didn't have an answer. He was aware enough to know that the answer of 'yes' he wanted to give was heavily influenced by his own hatred of the man. But for any other situation… he really didn't know. And it's not like his opinion matters. Momo was very clear what hers was and he'd never been able to change her mind on anything. Yet even hearing how resolute she was about the innocence of it… there was a wrinkle in her words and the timeline of events that was impossible to ignore. "The battle?" He asked. "Why'd you have to come?"

"I had to do something," She said as though it were obvious.

"That isn't it. You knew. You knew and you still came. Fought. Why?"

Hinamori was quiet for a long moment, her fingers playing with the edge of the blanket. "He wanted to kill us all," She said. "He was willing to destroy everything to get what he wanted. And I… I was afraid." Her eyes shined with unshed tears.

"We all were afraid—"

She shook her head "— It's different," Her hands wrapped protectively around her abdomen, "I wasn't just afraid of what would happen if we lost. I was afraid of what the world would be like for my baby. I needed to fight. For the world I want my child to live in."

"I see…" Toshiro let out a long, relieved breath. "So… It wasn't a death wish, then."

Hinamori's fists clenched and her shoulders tensed. "It… it isn't that I didn't think about it though," She quietly admitted. "Before I came, I… I knew I couldn't choose to kill my child but… if I died in battle, it wouldn't really be a choice then, would it?"

Before she could blink, Toshiro bent over and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to face him, their eyes leveled. "Don't even think it," He said, his anger now directed at her. "Don't you ever think that way again. If you do I'll—" The words caught in his throat. She couldn't leave him that way. She couldn't leave him. Ever.

She reached up and placed her pallid hands on his arm, squeezing gently until his grip relaxed. "I promise," She said. "It was only for a moment anyway. I… I was afraid," She admitted. "But I went there to fight. Not die."

Toshiro let his hands drop from her shoulders, "Good. That's… good." He swallowed thickly, rearranging himself to stand tall again, his hands folding in the sleeves of his kosode. "So, you're… intent on keeping it?"

Momo nodded, "Yes."

Toshiro leaned his shoulder against the wall, silence spreading between them as he evaluated how tired this line of questioning had made her. Physically she looked exactly as she had when he arrived but her shoulders were slumped and her eyes heavier. She needed rest and all his pressing questions had been answered. Everything else could be sorted later once she was on her feet again. Pushing away from the wall, he turned toward the door, deciding it was about time to check and see if his division was still in one piece with Rangiku in charge.

"Toshiro?" Her voice stopped him from walking further, his back still towards her. "I… I'm still afraid."

Her voice was soft, hesitant almost, sounding so very much like how she used to when she'd have nightmares when they were kids. Those nights, he'd always grumbled about her acting like a baby yet he still made room for her in his bed, and wrapped his arms around her, acting as her shield, protecting her from the darkness. Toshiro turned back to her and she scooted over a bit in the bed. He didn't have the power to deny her anything. Shedding his haori, he draped it over the end of the bed, and carefully eased in next to her. His arms wrapped securely around her while she laid her head on his chest. The silence between them continued with the beat of his heart the only sound either of them could hear. For Momo, it was a strong and steady beat that assured her that she was not alone. For him, it was a deafening drum beat that warned of a looming threat.

Toshiro kept his gaze locked on the ceiling. Sleep came easily for Momo. He felt her relax into him, her warm body pressed close to his and her breath coming out slow and even; comforting reminders that she was here. Still alive. It wouldn't be so easy for him to fall asleep. For weeks he'd tormented himself with the questions that she had been unable to answer and now that he had them, it left the largest most prominent issue to be dealt with. She'd said she wanted to keep it, but maybe she'd be willing to give it up. There were many places in the Rukongai that could be a good home for it. A place where it could be far away and never learn of the truth. But he'd noticed the way she touched where it grew, embracing it as though it were already there. She'd never let it go. She'd raise it even if everyone in the Sereitei hated it. And the only question he had to answer was if he would allow that to happen.

The morning had taken its sweet time to arrive, the sun only now beginning to cast an orange glow over the horizon as it begins its slow ascent. Toshiro was on his side facing Momo while she was still fast asleep, waiting for her to wake up. As expected, he hadn't gotten a moment of sleep the previous night. Alternating from staring at the ceiling to looking at her, his mind had refused to quiet as countless scenarios ran through his mind. It had taken hours for him to come up with what he determined to be a reasonable course of action. Now all he had to do, was discuss it with her, if she was up for it.

Momo stirred slightly, her fingers, splayed across his chest, danced over his kosode, holding the black fabric in a loose grip. He stared intently at her, looking for signs of her waking. Her eyes fluttered behind closed lids, and her nose gave a small twitch. A content sigh slipped past her lips and then then her eyes opened. She stared up at him blinking, refocusing as consciousness slowly returned to her. His lips quirked as she rubbed at her eyes like a small child.

"Good morning," He said quietly.

Momo gave a small stretch, pressing herself closer to him and then she smiled, "Morning… what time is it?"

"Early. The suns just starting to come up."

She groaned, "I suppose you're leaving then," She said, well aware that he liked to get an early start to his day.

She started to move away to let him get up, but he tightened his hold on her, "Not just yet," He said. "There's… one more thing we need to talk about."

"I thought we already did," Her brows furrowed slightly as she moved to sit up. Her hair was slightly messed from sleep, and she tried to tame some of the locks that were bunched and knotted.

He sat up as well, "It's not that it's… Before the battle when we… What I should've…" He growled at himself, angry that he'd rehearsed this in his head several times only for him to get tongue tied.

Momo held his hand on top of the blanket, "You don't have to say anything."

"But I do. I… I have to say it now." He'd been waiting for decades to say it, and while the situation wasn't ideal, he was determined to see it through. Toshiro took a breath, "I've wanted to tell you for a long time now. I…I don't know when it happened. Maybe it's always been there… But… I love you, Momo." His eyes were hesitant to meet hers, and unable to hold her gaze for long, darting between looking at her and where her hand was holding his, and the blanket that covered his legs. She was quiet. Too quiet. He'd messed up. Panic was quick to set in as his mind rushed to think of an escape.

But then her hand touched his face. Her fingers lightly touched his cheek, and pulled him to look at her. Their eyes were level as they stared at one another. Toshiro felt uncharacteristically vulnerable under her gaze. He'd bared his soul to her, put words to his deepest secret and while he hoped, he also feared her response. Her fingers traced along the sharp angle of his jaw, and he was frozen where he sat, watching her eyes as they followed her finger's movement, then glanced at his eyes again. Her mouth opened once, then closed again and repeated the action twice more before she closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his. Her voice was breathy, but sincere as she spoke the words he'd coveted. "I love you, too."

Unable to resist, he closed the distance between their lips, meeting hers in a kiss that he hoped showed her the depth of the love he felt for her. Momo wrapped her arm around his neck, her fingers finding their way into his hair, holding him to her as she deepened the kiss. He wanted to draw this moment out as long as possible as the pure joy he felt washed away everything else for just a second. He brought his hand up to caress her cheek, reluctantly pulling away so that he could continue with the rest of what he wanted to say. "I don't want you to do this alone," He said.

"Hm?" She gave him a curious look, and he responded by cocking his head downward. Her jaw dropped once she understood his meaning, and shook her head, "Toshiro, you don't—"

"—He'll have questions," He said. Toshiro had replayed the conversation from yesterday over and over in his head and hadn't missed her intentional use of 'he' or 'him' when referring to the child. It was difficult for him to see the growing mass as… alive; but for her, the child was and he now had to adjust to seeing 'it' as something other than a problem that needs to be solved. Toshiro took a slow, deep breath as he continued, "Someday, when he's older he'll have questions about his father," He said. "But… he won't if he already has one."

"Toshiro…"

He took her hand which had fallen from his face and into her lap while he spoke. Squeezing her fingers lightly, he squared his shoulders, letting his conviction be known. "I want to do this. Be his father," He said. "…If you'll have me." Tears welled in her eyes, and he was there instantly, holding her head gently, he brushed away the first tear that marred her cheek. "I know this is a lot," He said, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "We've never been in a relationship before, and there is so much uncharted territory for us both but… I want to make it work. We will make it work. For us," His hand shook slightly as he gently placed it over her abdomen, looking down as her hand came to cover his. "For our son."