Hello friends!

I'm back with another one for you. I hope you've been well.

Until next time!~

I knew being pregnant would make things harder but, Hajime was struggling to catch her breath during her Hakuda classes, I didn't think I would be this tired already!

She hadn't even been warming up for fifteen minutes when she started to feel the fatigue setting in. As Hajime enters her second trimester, she is grateful that she hasn't experienced many pregnancy symptoms yet. She could easily dismiss the occasional morning sickness, but her energy levels are lower when it comes to her Shinigami training. The loose Shihakusho provides good coverage, making her small bump less noticeable.

Determined to end the semester on a high note, Hajime pushed through with just one week until winter break. Unohana suggested that Hajime speak with her advisor to request the next semester off and waive her summer internship position.

Hajime, suffering from a headache, struggled to focus during her Zanjutsu class. The Zanjutsu 3 class's last evaluation involved a joint outdoor training session with the Zanjutsu 4 students. Much like their previous sessions, they will be summoning Hollow to test their strength.

Both the professor and the student's partner will evaluate their skills as part of the assessment process. The pairs had already been assigned by Gengoro in advance.

Hajime was assigned to work with Matsuoka Saki, the boy whose injuries she treated in her Kaido class recently.

"I didn't think I would see you again so soon, Kisumoto," he greeted.

"Ah, it's you, Matsuoka-Senpai. It's good to see you again! Look like we're partners today, huh? I'll make sure to do my best!" Her silver eyes sparkled with determination.

As the groups started to split up, Gengoro called for Saki's attention, motioning for him to come closer. "Matsuoka," he said, "Squad 13 needs your assistance on a mission today." Looking past him at Hajime, he remembered hearing how well she did with Squad Nine during the summer internships and suggested Saki bring her with him.

Agreeing, he told Hajime they were headed to Squad 13's Barracks.

"Eh? A mission with Squad 13?" Hajime questioned as she rubbed her temples to try and ease her headache.

Saki shared that he spent the summer interning with Squad 13 and was rewarded with a recommendation letter from Ukitake Taichou. Upperclassmen can be pulled from classes by squad leaders and members, with permission from the professors, to assist in missions as part of their curriculum. Since his internship, he has helped Squad 13 on several missions and stated that they are his preferred Squad after graduation out of the three recommendations he received.

"I see," Hajime spoke softly, "I have to make sure I don't hold you back then," she giggled.

Heading over to Squad 13's Barracks, the pair were greeted by Rukia and a few other squad members.

"Hajime?" Rukia questioned, surprised to see her, "What are you doing here?"

Hajime described how, while they were preparing for their final Zanjutsu field test, Gengoro suggested that she team up with Saki, who was assigned as her partner for the day.

"It will be good to have you," Rukia exclaimed, "Let's move out."

Today's mission, according to Rukia, is to explore the outskirts of a Rukongai district. Reports have come in about multiple Hollows causing chaos in the town, leading to the group being assigned to collect information and cleanse them if discovered.

Upon entering the lower districts of South Rukongai, a dense fog enveloped the group. In Tomeina Kiri, Hajime's memories of her previous stay suddenly rushed back to her.

"Is this the location for today's mission?" Hajime asked.

"That's right," Rukia confirmed, "Why don't we break off into pairs and meet back here? Call out if you need help. Stay safe."

Splitting up, Saki and Hajime walked through the district. Noticing now things got progressively worse since she was last here, she grew worried for the old woman she befriended.

"I wonder if Obaa-San is ok…" Hajime whispered as she observed the souls sleeping on the path.

Upon overhearing her, Saki asked if she had been here before, and she explained that when she crossed over, this was where she ended up before Renji found her. By telling him about Hiyoshi, the family she created, and her path to becoming a Shinigami, Saki felt that he now understood her more deeply.

"Do you want to look for her?" Saki suggested, "A short detour wouldn't hurt." he smiled.

"Are you sure?"

He gave her a nod and gestured for her to take the lead. As she made her way to where Obaa-San was believed to be staying, she noticed the small shed was empty. Despite asking, nobody has paid attention to where the old woman is.

Regardless of feeling defeated, the pair found hope in the possibility that the old woman's soul had been reincarnated into the World of the Living, prompting them to refocus on their mission.

Hajime thought she recognized a familiar person while examining the forest close to the river. She swiftly shunpo-ed towards the figure and discovered the elderly lady by the riverbed, separating herself from Saki.

"Obaa-San!" Hajime called out.

As Hajime got closer, the body of the woman slowly turned around. Noticing the blood spilling from her mouth and the scorpion-like tail stabbing through her chest, Hajime quickly unsheathed her Zanpakuto to try and purify the Hollow.

Hajime swiftly turned around and used her Zapakuto to block a charging scorpion tail. She attempted to quickly return to the elderly woman after cutting the tail, but unfortunately, she was too late. The woman's soul had already been absorbed by the Hollow.

"Obaa-San!" In agony, Hajime cried out as she clenched her teeth and charged at the hollow.

Before she could reach the Hollow, she barely heard Saki call out to her, "Kisumoto, behind you!"

A slow reaction led to her being slashed in the upper body by an Adjuchas' claw. Saki attempted to rush to her but was stopped by another Adjuchas.

"Now now," it spoke, "I can't have you interfering with my evolution." As the Adjuchas' sharp fin clashed with Saki's Zanpakuto, he managed to get a brief glimpse of Hajime on the ground, with slash marks on her chest.

Hajime's extended stay in Tomeina Kira and her strong spiritual presence left a lingering effect, drawing in low-level Hollow. A large number of Adjuchas have started showing up to feed on these hollows for the purpose of evolving.

If Kisumoto can handle a Vasto Lorde, an adjuchas should be easy for her. But… he observed her stabbing her Zanpakuto into the ground to support her to her feet, something's not right…

"Where are you looking?" the shark-like Adjuchas taunted as he looked behind him at Hajime. "Looks like that Shinigami won't last much longer," the Adjuchas smirked.

"Dang it," Hajime spoke as she slowly got up, "My head's still spinning from earlier."

A tall, slender Adjuchas emerged from the mist, its claws resembling long fingers. Following the attack on Hajime, he swiftly approached the Hollow that consumed the elderly woman's soul and devoured it. As he laughed maniacally, he neared his evolution and wished to offer Hajime's soul to a Hollow for a satisfying meal.

Holding her Zanpakuto tightly, Hajime rushed towards the adjuchas, only to be taken aback by its speed. The Adjuchas launched a counterattack, attacking her furiously from all angles.

Saki noticed Hajime's movements during the fight and realized she was guarding her abdomen, which reminded him of her previous fainting spell and discomfort in class.

Taking her deeper into the forest, the Adjuchas lured her towards a large hidden hollow nestled among the trees. As she attempted to concentrate on the Adjuchas, her sight became blurry, and she started seeing three of him. Despite her hopes, she fired Rikujokoro and failed to hit her target.

"How pathetic!" The Adjuchas taunted. Now prepare yourself to be mine!

I can't even fight fairly against an Adjuchas… Hajime grew frustrated, I can't be a burden here! Lost in her thoughts and losing her balance, Hajime didn't notice the hollow's claw heading towards her abdomen. In an instant, Saki appeared before her, using his body as a shield. As the claw pierced his shoulder, the hollow forced it in deeper and then removed it. A large hole of flesh was removed with blood trickling down.

"Senpai!" Hajime called out in shock. Her arm was over her abdomen despite the gash on her chest.

With narrowed eyes, he silently questioned, Kisumoto, are you...? Upon hearing the Hollow's roar, he quickly performed Bakudo #9: Horin to retrieve his Zanpakuto. He quickly slashed the mask of the Hollow, purifying it.

Angered by his failed plans, the Adjuchas swiftly attacked Saki, only to be defeated when he fired Raikouhou. The Adjuchas' cries filled the forest as his body crumbled away. Swiftly defeating the shark-like Adjuchas, Saki was relieved he made it in time.

Hajime wasted no time in using healing Kido on his wound. Still battling a headache and lightheadedness, she was having trouble transforming her reiatsu.

He held onto her wrist and gently guided her hand down, saying, "Take it easy, Kisumoto." You're injured too…" His low voice was drowning out, "As long as you're okay…" His injuries finally caught up to him and he collapsed, blood still streaming from his wound. With determination, Hajime closed her eyes and focused on stopping the blood loss. Pushing past her distractions, she used her last bit of reiatsu to stop the bleeding. Exhausting all her energy, Hajime fainted alongside him.

Noticing the drops in their reiatsu, Rukia met up with her other squad mates and rushed to where they were. They collected the duo and promptly brought them back to Seireitei to receive treatment from Squad 4.

Unohana, returning from a guest lecture, spotted the injured Shinigami being brought in and hurried inside. Unohana swiftly brought Hajime to a medical room upon seeing their condition, while Saki was rushed to undergo emergency surgery.

Unohana instructed Isane to go to Hajime's room and tend to her wounds while Unohana got ready with the sonograph. Thankfully, her injuries did not affect her abdomen and the baby's heartbeat was strong. Unohana, relieved, sighed and chastised a still-unconscious Hajime, reminding her that she had recommended her postpone her classes.

…

As Hajime woke up, she quickly realized she had ended up in Squad 4's Barracks. Startled, she quickly sat up and embraced her abdomen, only to be met by Unohana, who had just finished performing another ultrasound.

"Unohana Taichou," Hajime spoke worriedly, "the baby?"

"I've been monitoring the baby's vitals closely. Everything looks normal for now. You are extremely lucky nothing serious happened. Kisumoto-San."

Remembering how Saki shielded her with his body, she asked how he was doing. Unohana reassured her that Saki's surgery went well and he is currently resting in his room.

Frustrated and concerned, Rukia stormed into the room and finally found Hajime awake.

Excusing herself, Unohana went to check on Saki.

"What happened, Hajime?" Rukia pressed. "Two Adjuchas and a couple of low-level Hollow should have been manageable between the two of you."

Hajime sighed. She was tired of hiding her secret from her friend and decided to tell her the truth, "It's my fault, Rukia. I should have listened. I just wanted to finish the semester out."

"What are you talking about?"

Gulping, Hajime admitted, "I'm pregnant."

"What?" Of everything Rukia was prepared to hear, she wasn't expecting that, "I didn't even know you were seeing anyone…"

"I'm not." Hajime spoke, "You see…" Hajime went on the explain what happened the night of the anniversary ball after Rukia and Renji left. "I only found out about two months ago…"

Sighing and sitting beside her on the hospital bed, Rukia's voice softened, "Why didn't you tell me? You've been going through this by yourself the whole time?"

"I couldn't bring myself to admit it at first," Hajime explained, "And the two of you are so close, I couldn't risk him finding out…"

"So, you aren't going to tell Nii-Sama?"

"There's no way I could tell Kuchiki-Sama!" Hajime exclaimed, "What if word somehow gets out? I can't be the reason his reputation is tarnished. Also, he's currently expecting a child of his own with Akane. I can't interfere with that."

"Well, you don't have to do this alone," Rukia assured her, "I'll be by your side if you need anything." She said with a smile.

"You don't think I'm being selfish? Wanting to keep the baby…"

"Of course not! This just means I get to be an auntie to two little babies!" Rukia winked.

Smiling, Hajime felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders and thanked Rukia for listening.

Needing to head back to Squad 13, Rukia told Hajime she would return later with some yummy snacks. As Rukia was leaving, she saw a recuperating Saki headed her way.

"Matsuoka, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Rukia Fukutaichou," Saki gently bowed, "It looks worse than it feels."

"Nice work on yesterday's mission," she praised, "and thanks for looking out for Hajime. She wasn't quite herself yesterday."

"Of course. She was my partner." Rukia nodded in approval and made her way back to the barracks.

"Ah, Fukutaichou, just a minute," Saki suddenly called out.

"Hm? What is it?"

Saki gulped. "Kisumoto… is Kisumoto seeing anyone?"

She could see a slight blush forming on his cheeks as he tried to remain stoic. Smiling softly to herself, she explained that Hajime wasn't interested in relationships at this time, her only focus was on graduating. In a rush, Rukia said her goodbyes and headed back to Squad 13's Barracks.

Thinking back at the signs he saw, he's almost certain that Hajime is pregnant. But if she's not seeing anyone… is she all alone in this? Making his way to Hajime's door, Saki entered as she called out for him to enter.

"Senpai…" Hajime greets as she tries to get out of her bed.

Rushing over to stop her, he tells her to take it easy as she's injured too.

"Are you feeling ok?" She asked as she observed the bandages covering his injuries.

"I'm stronger than I look," he reassured her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check up on you…. And thank you."

"Thank me? For messing up?" She reprimanded herself

"Don't be so hard on yourself Kisumoto. People have off days sometimes."

"But I could have prevented this. If I had just said something, you wouldn't have gotten injured so badly"

"We're both alive. That's all that matters. In fact, I probably wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for you. I was told you managed to stop the bleeding despite your injuries. I'm just glad to see that you're alright." He said with a gentle voice.

Even though I almost got you killed?

"Thanks to you," she reminded him.

Looking at her, his gaze softened, and his low voice enveloped her, "How are you doing?"

She felt her heart jump at his tone, and she grew flustered, "I'll be fine," she said with a gentle smile.

Relishing in her smile, he thought it was dangerous to stay any longer. "I should head back to my room before Isane Fukutaichou finds me…" As he was about to leave, he looked at her and asked. "Is it ok for me to visit again tomorrow?"

"Of course," she said with a smile, "Just bring something better to eat than this terrible hospital food." She giggled.

. . .

The next day, Saki's friends dropped by to visit him and make fun of how he received such a serious wound from a low-level Hollow. Kicking them out, out of annoyance, he grabbed some of the snacks and headed to Hajime's room. As he noticed Hajime in the hallway, he walked over to her eagerly until he saw a haori reading 'Squad Six' facing him.

Byakuya, who was told by Rukia of Hajime's condition, came to visit her during his break from paperwork. As Hajime's face came closer into view, Saki realized the true meaning behind Rukia's words yesterday. It's not that she's not interested in love at this time… she already gave her heart away to someone who can't return the favor.

Not wanting to interfere, Saki dropped off the bag of snacks in front of Hajime's door and returned to his room. As he laid on the bed and sighed, he rested his arm over his forehead and stared at the cieling. Images of Hajime's different expressions flashed through his mind.

"What are you doing?" He whispered to himself, "Why can't you get her out of your mind?"

Hajime promptly returned to Kuchiki Manor after being released from Squad 4's Barracks. She's heard from Rukia that Akane has been irritable recently.

Akane refused to let Hajime bring her items to her room and demanded her presence right away. She raced to Akane's side after dropping her bag in the foyer.

Akihiko, who needed a break from Akane's recent demands, was walking to the garden when she tripped over Hajime's backpack.

Irritated by tripping over the bag, Akihiko's anger subsided when she caught sight of the ultrasound photos peeping out. With Hajime gone from view, she wasted no time in grabbing a photo and examining it closely.

"Kisumoto Hajime..." she noticed on the photo's edge, "Is she pregnant? How did someone like her even end up sleeping with someone?" While examining the photo further, she discovered the estimated conception date and her eyes widened in surprise, "Wait, this is... the exact same week as the anniversary ball? What are the odds that the both of them got pregnant-" Akihiko's thoughts were interrupted as she recalled Akane's confession of sleeping with Hiro on the night of the anniversary ball. In a hurry, Akihiko stuffed Hajime's things back in her bag and clenched the ultrasound photo tightly as she made her way to the maidservant's quarters.

If the two of them drank the elixir and Akane slept with that useless Hasegawa Hiro, who did Kuchiki-Sama leave with?

After searching frantically, Akihiko finally caught sight of Tomiko drying laundry outside. In a rush, she snatched her wrist and yanked her to the side.

"Ah, Akihiko-Sama!" She exclaimed, shocked by the suddenness of it all.

"You tell me right now. The night of the ball, did Akane and Kuchiki-Sama drink what I gave you?" Her tone was icy and her gaze sharp.

Hesitantly, Tomiko gulped and explained, "That night, I prepared two flutes of champagne with the elixir and gave it to Kuchiki-Sama and Akane-Sama like I was told but-"

"But?"

Taking a deep breath in, she admitted quickly, "Instead of taking it for themselves, Kuchiki-Sama insisted that Kisumoto-San and her guest take those drinks first! I prepared new ones right away!"

"You idiot!" She whispered loudly. Guest? That must be how Hasegawa Hiro got into the ball. Gritting her teeth, Akihiko was furious. "Did you see who Kuchiki-Sama left with that night?"

"Eh?" Tomiko questioned, still afraid of Akihiko, "If I recall correctly… When I was cleaning up the dessert table, Kisumoto-San looked like she had too much to drink, and Kuchiki-Sama escorted her back to her room."

"And did he come back soon after?"

Thinking hard, Tomiko answered, "No… The party was ending, I assumed he was stopped by leaving guests and escorted them out."

Akihiko's sudden realization left her standing in a rage. As Akihiko tightened her fists, Tomiko quickly slipped away.

That Kisumoto Hajime! If she slept with Kuchiki-Sama, then she also has a legitimate heir. But wait… if Akane's estimated conception was also the week of the ball… An image of Hiro flashed in her mind, impossible! She tried to convince herself. I have to find out the truth! If that useless Hiro got Akane pregnant, Kisumoto could claim legitimacy and we would lose everything we worked for! I can't let that happen.

Hiding the ultrasound photo in her kimono sleeve, Akihiko hurried back to Akane's side. Fighting body aches and nausea, Hajime helped massage Akane's body as she tried to get her to slowly eat some crackers.

Observing Hajime care for Akane, Akihiko narrowed her eyes and thought to herself, I will destroy you, Kisumoto Hajime.