Rukia was waiting outside of her gallery, not really caring for the fact that it was freezing cold and she's been standing there for a good thirty minutes. She was just too excited to meet the people whom she's been dieing to see this past week.
Suddenly a white van pulled in front of her and the back doors slid open.
"Okasan!"
"Mama!"
Rukia smiled as she opened her arms wide for the kids to enter her embrace. When Takeshi and Mai threw their arms around her neck, she closed her arms around them and gave them a tight squeeze.
"I missed you two so much!" she kissed their heads.
Mai giggled as she released her mother as she happily exclaimed, "I missed you too, mama!"
"Takeshi! Mai! Come back here and grab your bags or else you'll be sleeping in those same underwear for the next few days!" Isshin called out from the van with his usual, silly attitude.
While the kids went back inside the van to grab their belongings, Rukia walked to towards Isshin and bowed to him through the window. "Thank you for bringing them here, Kurosaki-san."
Isshin smiled widely. "Just call me 'otousan.' And no need to thank me. I'm just glad you and Ichigo are finally putting your family back together."
Rukia smiled back as the kids jumped out of the van and ran next to Rukia, looking up at their grandfather.
"Bye bye, ojiichan!" Mai waved.
"I'll get you a big present ojiisan!" Takeshi grinned
Isshin waved at the kids as he backed out into the street and drove back home.
Rukia took a deep breath and looked at her two kids. "So what should we do now?"
"Papa!"
"I want to go see otousan!"
The two kids simultaneously yelled and Rukia knew there was no way she'd ignore their request.
"Fine, let's go meet up with your father. Put your bags away first and then we'll go to the hospital." Rukia held open the door as the kids entered the gallery with excitement.
Rukia knew full well that in about less than an hour Ichigo would be getting out of work to get together with his family. Every night the two would meet up either in her gallery or his apartment for some…intimate bonding and Rukia was well aware of his schedule. Also, Unohana agreed to let Ichigo out early that day when she heard the kids were coming. Rukia thanked the older woman and promised to take her out for lunch some day.
After putting away their bags, Rukia made sure the kids were wearing proper clothing before grabbing her purse, locking the door, and heading to the hospital.
On the first day Rukia visited Ichigo's hospital, it took almost an hour of walking to reach the hospital. But Takeshi and Mai were so excited to see their father that they reached there in record time.
Rukia followed her kids from behind as Takeshi held onto Mai's hand, leading her into the giant building. The mother couldn't help but smile as she watched how protective the brother was of his little sister. Just like his father.
And as if on cue, Rukia and the kids looked up to see the famous orange hair standing next to the front desk, talking to the nurses.
Rukia grinned, noticing the same nurse whom she met the first time she was there. With an evil plan in mind, Rukia knelt next to her kids and whispered to them, "Why don't you two run up to your father and give him a BIG hug!"
Mai squealed with delight. Even though she did jump a lot at home, Rukia never really liked it, especially when she was near the furniture and could easily break it. So when Rukia gives her the permission to jump, Mai would grasp that opportunity before it gets taken back.
"Come on, Taki-nii!" Mai pulls her brother and soon enough the two were running across the first floor to greet their father… the 'Kurosaki' way.
Ichigo was talking to the three nurses in front of him… well, he was doing most of the talking while they were just batting their eyelashes at him. The young resident sighed as he continued explaining about his patient.
"Do you understand? The patient in room 1101 needs to take these pills before every meal."
"Hai," they replied with a singing tone.
Ichigo sighed again as he continued to look over his charts. "Well, I'd say that's about it. Is there anything else you need?"
"OTOUSAN!"
"PAPA!"
Ichigo turned around only to get jumped on by two little objects that smashed into him like two sandbags.
"OOF!" Ichigo fell onto his back, getting the air knocked out of him.
The nurses looked down with shock. "Kurosaki-sensei! Are you okay?" they asked.
Ichigo rubbed the back of his head as he looked up. At first he saw two blurry figures, but within seconds the vision focused to reveal the two smiling faces of his kids. Ichigo grinned back and wrapped his arms around them, giving them a tight hug. "What are you guys doing here?" he laughed with Takeshi and Mai also laughing in their father's embrace.
"They wanted to see you so I had no choice but to bring them."
Ichigo looked up to see Rukia standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.
"Aren't you going to get up?" she asked.
Ichigo smiled as he pulled himself up on his feet, taking the kids with him. "What's up with that look?"
Rukia raised an eyebrow and looked at her kids, ignoring his question. "I think you two can let go of your father now," she said.
Takeshi easily jumped down but Mai pouted as she continued to cling onto her father. "Mama, I want to stay with papa."
Ichigo laughed as he hugged her tightly. "Yeah, mama. Leave papa and his little princess alone."
Rukia sighed and shook her head.
Takeshi grinned. "I didn't know Mai was still a baby that she needs otousan to scare away all the monsters," he teased.
Mai pouted but stayed in Ichigo's arms. "Taki-nii is mean."
Ichigo grinned as he ruffled Takeshi's raven hair. "Stop making fun of your sister. You were way worse when you were three. Always climbing into my bed for no apparent reason in the middle of the night…"
"But I was three then and Mai's six now!" Takeshi scowled.
Rukia chuckled as she hugged her son from behind. "I hate to tell you this Takeshi, but when you were six you were still worse than Mai. Whenever I dropped you off at school, you'd cry all day until I came to pick you up. You only started to toughen up when Mai broke her arm while playing on the swings."
Ichigo laughed after seeing Takeshi's embarrassed face. "Don't take it too hard, kid. Your mother always had a thing for making life hard for us men."
Rukia glared at him for a second until she noticed that almost all the female nurses and several female doctors were looking at her.
Ichigo noticed Rukia's expression and turned around to see a sea of shocked faces.
"A-ano, Dr. Kurosaki?" a nurse finally called out.
"Yes?"
She blushed a bit (which irritated Rukia) before continuing with her question. "Ano…um, well…w-who might these people be?"
Ichigo looked at her for a second like she was crazy then shrugged his shoulders. "These two little brats here are my kids and she—" he points to Rukia, "—is their mother."
There was a loud gasp throughout the first floor and Rukia couldn't deny herself an evil grin.
Oblivious to all of this, Ichigo turned back to his family and pull them towards the elevator. "Let's go into my office. I still have a little more work to do, and after that we can go get dinner."
Mai cheered as she was set on the ground and raced Takeshi to the elevator.
Rukia walked up and placed her hand into Ichigo's.
Ichigo looked at her mischievous face for a second and chuckled. "I'm guessing I did something good to put you in that mood."
Rukia smiled and squeezes his hands tighter as they continue to follow their kids. "Yes, you did do something very good."
"Then will I get rewarded tonight?" Ichigo whispered with the same mischievous smirk.
Rukia eyed him for a second and wet her lower lip. "I don't know… maybe, if you keep up the good work."
Ichigo grins widely but doesn't respond since they now entered the elevator with their kids standing next to them. He wraps his arms around her shoulder, and Rukia notices, just as the doors were closing, almost all women looking at her with disgust, anger and utter jealously.
Oh yes, she was going to reward Ichgo BIG time tonight.
Mai sat on her mother's lap while Takeshi was sitting on his father's chair, looking at his medical books.
"Takeshi, I'm not sure I want you looking at that," Rukia calls out to her son.
Takeshi looks up and smiles. "Don't worry okasan! Otousan said it was fine."
Rukia sighs as she continued to fix Mai's pigtails that got messed up after jumping on Ichigo in the lobby. Currently she was in his office with their kids, waiting for the man himself to come back from meeting with his last patient for the night.
"Ne, Taki-nii. What are you reading?" Mai asked eagerly.
Takeshi looked over the pages and rubbed his chin. "Hmmm… Well, it says here that 'testes are located in a pouch called a 'sc—'"
Rukia quickly stood up and reached over the desk to close the book. "I REALLY don't want you reading this!"
"What's going on?" Ichigo suddenly entered the office.
"Takeshi was reading something out loud from your 'human anatomy' book," Rukia glared.
Ichigo just laughed as he walked over and ruffled Takeshi's hair. "Why are you so into reading my medical books, anyways? Planning on become a doctor like me?"
Takeshi just grinned as he jumped off the chair. "Dunno, but I like reading about new things."
"Well the book you're reading isn't something you have to worry about until after you become an adult," Rukia sneered.
Ichigo laughed again as he placed his charts on his desk and took off his white coat. "Well, I'm finally done so why don't we get out of here and do some Christmas shopping?" he asked his small family.
"Yipee!" Mai exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air. She then grabs her brother and starts ranting off about what she wanted to buy and what she wanted Santa to bring her (apparently Isshin told her that Santa Claus only gives presents to little kids so adults could only get presents if someone bought it for them… Ichigo had a hell'a tough time understanding all of this crap from his father).
While the kids weren't looking, Ichigo quickly changed out of his scrubs and into a pair of jeans and a black, button-up shirt with a thick jacket on top of it.
"Let's go," he called out as he held the door open.
Mai leads her brother out with Ichigo and Rukia closely following behind them. Going through the front desk was exciting for Rukia as Ichigo places his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest, kissing her on the top of her head. The petite woman was very much aware that this man was doing this for the sake of getting some 'booty.' And Rukia was more than happy to give it to him.
The mall in Tokyo was definitely a lot bigger than the one in Karakura. There were more stores and a lot more designer brands. Ichigo and Takeshi had to drag their feet following the two females who seemed set to killing them with all this shopping.
Ichigo swore they visited all the stores in Tokyo… at least TWICE! His feet were sore, his eyes were tired, and not to mention his wallet was a lot lighter.
"Why don't you two boys sit down for a sec while Mai and I get the last of our presents?" Rukia asked, pointing towards a small café.
"Finally a break!" Takeshi shouts, throwing his arms into the air.
Ichigo lightly chuckled as he followed his son to an empty seat in the cozy café. They didn't want to order anything big in case it spoils their dinner, so they shared a small hot chocolate which immediately brightened Takeshi's mood.
"Ne, otousan?"
"Yeah?"
Takeshi took one more sip of his hot chocolate before continuing. "How long are you going to be working here? Will you ever move back to Karakura?"
Ichigo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't really promise you anything. Your mother and I are trying to work something out but it's going to be a while before I can go back to Karakura."
"Oh," Takeshi looked down.
Noticing the depressing aura around his son, Ichigo reached over and ruffled Takeshi's hair affectionately. "Don't be so upset. Just be patient and everything is going to be fine; I promise."
Takeshi looked back up and smiled to reassure his father. Ichigo grinned back, liking the fact that his son was smiling the same big smile he used to give to his own mother when she was still alive.
"Taki-nii!" Mai ran towards her brother and grabbed his hand, "Come with me! I just got the prefect present for ojjichan and I want you to see it too!"
Without having a chance to finish the rest of his hot chocolate, Takeshi was yanked out of his seat by his six year old sister. Ichigo quickly got up and followed his kids wherever they were going. Soon he entered a shop not too far away from where the café was. Rukia was paying for something to the cashier while Takeshi eyed the suspiciously big present that was in a box.
"What is that?" Ichigo asked.
Rukia looked up and shrugged. "Mai got your father a blow-up doll of his favorite wrestler. That way he wouldn't have to jump on you or Takeshi at home."
Ichigo placed his hands on his hips and eyed the gift suspiciously, the same way his son was doing. "You sure it's a good idea to get pops this?"
"Don't know. But Mai insisted upon it and I couldn't refuse. Besides, it's not that expensive."
Ichigo reached over and grabbed the bag that was holding the box and grabbed the other bags that they had.
"So, ready for dinner?" Ichigo asked the kids.
"Hell yeah! I'm starving!" Takeshi exclaimed, Mai giggling next to him.
"Takeshi!" Rukia slammed a hard fist on top of Takeshi's head, "What have I said about cursing?"
The raven-haired boy cringed from the pain and pouted. "That I shouldn't use 'em," he muttered.
Ichigo smiled as he led his family towards the car. It was hilarious to see Rukia being violent to their son the same way she did to him. He placed the bags into the trunk and got in the car, driving everyone to a big restaurant not too far away from the mall.
They were soon seated in a large table (next to the window because Mai wanted to look outside while eating). It was starting to snow as their food arrived and everything felt good. From a few steps back one can tell it was a normal family dinner. Parents watching their kids tackle a large steak that didn't cut easily so they had to do it for them.
But upon a closer look, one would notice the parents bickering with each other about height and hair color, while the kids were talking about the new fighting techniques that they've learned from their grandfather.
Ichigo fell onto the bed and rolled onto his back, trying to catching his breath.
"That was…fucking amazing," he huffed.
Rukia smirked as she took in another deep breath. "Don't curse so loud. The kids are sleeping in the other room."
"Are you sure you should just be worried about them hearing me swear or worry about them hearing those screams of yours." Ichigo grins at her, who immediately retorts with a slap on his arm.
Ichigo pouts and Rukia chuckled as she scooted closer, laying her head onto his heaving chest.
Ichigo wrapped his protective arms around her and took in her scent from her hair. The two were silent, just enjoying each other's warmth.
"Ne, Ichigo."
"Yeah?" he responded, stifling a yawn
Rukia shifted her head to look up at him. "Have you met niisama yet?"
Ichigo looked at her and shook his head. "I've been trying to contact him but it seems he's away in business. Why?"
"Well," Rukia paused for a second, looking away, "I thought maybe it's time for him to meet the kids."
"Are you insane?" Ichigo jumped and sat up, "That crazy man is going to kill me if he finds out about this!"
"I know but we can't keep them hidden forever," she reasoned, "And who knows? Maybe he'll leave us alone after he finds out about the kids."
Ichigo shook his head, looking at her with utter disbelief. "When Byakuya finds out he's going to kill me. He still believes I've never laid a finger on you!"
"Well then that's your fault for lying," she glared.
Ichigo glared back and the two were at a standstill until they both sighed and backed away before they strangled each other.
"Rukia, we'll tell him about the kids someday but not now. I still don't know what's going through his head so I don't want to risk it."
Rukia nodded as she lied back on the bed. Ichigo soon followed, collecting her in his arms and tightening his grip around her waist.
After several moments of silence, when Ichigo was just about to fall asleep, Rukia decided to break the silence again. "Ichigo?"
"What now?" he groaned.
Rukia smirked as she snuggled closer. "Did you buy me my present yet?"
"…shit," he quietly muttered.
A/N: OMG! who forgets to buy their lover a present? If he was my lover I'd -censor- and -censor- his -censor-
Hope you liked the little bit at the end about Byakuya. this hinting what'll happen for the rest of the story. more info in two more chapters!
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