Rukia woke up that morning feeling more tired than usual. When she entered her second trimester the pregnancy took a lot of her energy. She had to use her reiatsu to keep control of the child within her womb. And with each passing day it got even more difficult.
"Is anyone there?" she breathlessly called out.
A maid slid opens the shoji doors and bowed, "Yes, can I help you Rukia-sama?"
Rukia slowly lifted one of her arms off the futon. "Can you help me up?"
Without questioning the maid quickly walked over and gently pulled Rukia up into a sitting position. Rukia smiled at the maid and said a small 'thank you.' The maid then excused herself to bring Rukia some breakfast since she wasn't allowed out of her room.
Once the maid disappeared behind the doors, Rukia sighed and leaned back against her arms.
Nine months.
She was finally in the last month of her pregnancy and it was taking a tow on her. Byakuya had to assign three more maids to take care of Rukia who was confined in her room since she entered her final trimester. Rukia wasn't too pleased about getting imprisoned in her room but Unohana insisted that too much movement wear her out too much. She was due in three weeks so it was important to stay extra careful.
Rukia looked outside the window, and saw the rising sun from afar. It was the middle of October now in the human world, but in Soul Society it always looked like spring, or at least in the Kuchiki Mansion.
Rukia tried to shift her body into a more comfortable position when a sudden pain ran across her stomach.
"Ow," she groaned. She started to rub the side of her swollen stomach to try and ease the pain as she would often times do whenever similar pains happened…but nothing was working. Rukia had to bite her lower lip to stop herself from possibly screaming as the pain intensified. She was now hissing as she leaned against her other arm.
At that point the maid returned with a tray of food, but dropped it upon seeing Rukia.
"Rukia-sama!" she ran towards the pregnant woman and knelt down, "Is something wrong?"
Rukia opened her mouth to respond but only harsh breaths came out. She squeezed her eyes shut to try and ease herself. "My…stomach—mph—hurts…AW! IT HURTS!" Rukia screamed as she fell forward and wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach.
The maid finally recovered from her shock and lifted the blanket. And sure enough there was a wet spot between her legs. "Rukia-sama, you're going into labor!" the maid shouted, looking back at the woman. But Rukia was in too much pain to even hear her.
Knowing the time had finally arrived, the maid quickly ran out the door to call Byakuya. But as soon as she slid open the door the man himself was already there.
"What's going on?" he asked with a hint of worry.
The maid pointed at Rukia. "She's going into labor!"
"WHAT?" Renji, who was standing behind Byakuya, yelled.
Even Byakuya could no longer keep a cool demeanor. "Renji! Quickly gather all the taichos and fukutaichos to the Fourth Division. I am taking Rukia there right now."
Renji nodded and after taking one last look at Rukia, he quickly shunpo'd away to follow orders.
Meantime Byakuya walked into the room and carefully picked up Rukia in his arms. She gasped, feeling more pain jolting through her body from the sudden shift.
Byakuya felt horrible for causing more pain but he didn't have a choice. Once Rukia was well secured in his grasp, he shunpo'd to the Fourth Division, being as careful as he could.
Once he arrived at the building, Unohana quickly opened the door. "I felt Rukia-san's reiatsu and got everything ready. Please follow me!"
Byakuya quickly followed the woman into the building and into one of the rooms that they had prepared several days in advance.
"Unohana-taicho, why is Rukia going into labor now? Isn't she three weeks early?"
Unohana carefully helped Rukia into a better position and answered, "Yes, but this was to be expected. Sometimes a child is born early, or…"
"Or?"
Unohana sighed as she looked at the no longer calm older brother. "The mother can no longer uphold the child's strong reiatsu and must get rid of it. But this could cause major effect to both the mother and child that might even lead to death."
Byakuya's eyes widen. He was about to speak but Unohana pushed him to the door. "Please wait outside with everyone else until the child is born. I'll have one of my subordinates quickly call everyone in once the child is out so ready yourselves for the 'concealment'," She said to everyone else who was now gathered outside Rukia's room.
Unohana walked back in with several of her subordinates, mostly the seated officers of her division. She closed the door and walked over to Rukia who was leaning off to the side, clutching her stomach as if her life depended on it.
"Rukia-san! You must stay focus if you wish to deliver this child!" she yelled.
Rukia only nodded her head but kept wincing in pain.
Unohana spread her legs apart and lifted the sheets. "Isane! Bring me more sheets! Rukia-san is already dilated and is ready to start pushing!"
"H-hai!" the fukutaicho replied as she ran around the room getting everything ready,
Unohana positioned herself in front of Rukia. "Rukia-san, I need you to stay conscious," she paused and Rukia weakly nodded, "Good. When I tell you to push, you must push with all your might. And when I tell you to breath, breath like the way I taught you last week."
Rukia nodded her head again but her breathing was getting heavier. Unohana noticed this but couldn't do anything to the soon-to-be-mother in case it brought more pain.
With Isane now stationed next to her, Unohana looked up at Rukia and nodded.
"Okay. Now, push!"
Ichigo was blankly staring at the board. His mind was wandering off to Rukia, wondering what she might be doing at the same time he was sitting there, bored out of his mind. He stifled a yawn and looked back down at his notes.
"Kurosaki," Ochi-sensei called out, "Do you now the answer?"
Ichigo stood up and annoyingly looked at his book. He opened his mouth, ready to answer when suddenly…
Rumble rumble rumble
"EARTHQUAKE!" Keigo yelled and everyone dove under their desk.
But Ichigo stayed standing and looked outside. The whole area was shaking violently but this was no ordinary earthquake. He could feel something surrounding Karakura… almost like an immense amount of reiatsu. He looked over at Uryuu who was also standing. He nodded his head and Ichigo knew right away that something wasn't right.
"Looks like this is it," Urahara quietly spoke as he snapped his fan shut.
Isshin crossed his arms over chest and nodded.
Ryuuken threw his cigarette down onto the shaking ground and stepped on it. "Seems like we were right; that child is a lot more powerful than your son when he was born."
Isshin sighed as he rested his elbow on his knees and dropped his head into his hands.
The three men were outside of Urahara's store, sipping tea when the earthquake started. Yoruichi was in her cat form, looking intently up to the sky.
"Masaki," Isshin whispered, "Please save them."
"EVERYONE IN NOW!"
Starting from Yamamoto to Ukitake, all the taichos entered Rukia's room and quickly surrounded the naked child on the bed next to where Rukia was laying. Their fukutaichos and other seated officers also followed but with more difficulty as the heavy reiatsu surrounded them.
Everyone quickly placed one hand over the other and faced it towards the crying child who was spilling out an immense amount of reiatsu.
They quickly started the incantation, focusing much of their strength into concealing the reiatsu into the child. The captains didn't want to release too much power in case it negatively affected the child, but this would mean that the 'concealment' might take longer than they wanted. Beats of sweat was falling down the seated officer's head, wincing at the immense power that was suffocating many other souls that were too weak. They had to finish this quick before it crushes everyone!
Yamamoto noticed that many were struggling so he released more of his reiatsu on the child. He heard several shinigamis gasping for breath outside of the room and he could sense several souls also suffering from miles away. Knowing it was now or never Yamamoto and everyone else poured as much reiatsu into the incantation and finally, after what seemed like hours of hell, the huge power surrounding them slowly lifted.
Byakuya looked down at the crying child and noticed that the reiatsu had been finally concealed. Everyone dropped their arms and let out a sigh of relief. Unohana quickly ordered several of her officers who were less affected by the power surge to go out and check up on anyone who might be in critical condition.
"It's a boy."
Byakuya looked at Renji who was now pointing at the child.
"It's a boy," he said again. And when Byakuya looked down at the newborn he did see the essentials that proved the child was, indeed, a boy.
Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia were now parents of a baby boy.
"UNOHANA-TAICHO!"
Everyone in the room turned their attention to Isane who was leaning down against an unconscious Rukia. "SHE'S NOT BREAHTING!"
Byakuya's eyes grew wide. He was about to step forward when Unohana stopped him and pushed him outside with the others again.
This was the second time Byakuya got shoved by a person who wasn't a noble!
…But this really wasn't the time to think about that.
"I need time alone to do this!" She reasoned and shut the door.
Renji sat down on the floor and dug his fingers into his hair. "Dammit!" he shouted at no one in particular.
Kira and Hisagi sat next to the red head and patted his shoulder. Everyone else was quiet, sympathy showing on their face.
"Ken-chan," Yachiru quietly spoke on Kenpachi's shoulder, "Is Rukia-chan going to be okay?"
Her captain only grunted and shrugged his shoulders.
Yamamoto was leaning against his cane and walked over to the window. "It looks like it's going to rain," he spoke out.
Byakuya followed his gaze to the sky and noticed dark, gray clouds making their way throughout Soul Society.
After what seemed like hours of listening to the rain, the door to Rukia's room opened. Everyone turned their attention towards the door and saw Unohana walking out with Isane supporting her. She looked exhausted.
"Unohana-taicho," Ukitake stepped forward and helped Isane support the weak captain, "What happened?"
Unohana swallowed hard and took one deep breath before speaking. "Rukia-san lost too much reiatsu while carrying the child. And right now she barely retains any of it."
Several people gasped.
"You mean…" Renji started but couldn't finish.
Unohana nodded. "Just like when she gave all her powers to Kurosaki-kun over a year ago."
"Shit," Renji hissed as he looked away.
Byakuya looked at Unohana and asked, "So what will happen to Rukia?"
At this time Ukitake and Isane sat Unohana down on a chair. The usually calm woman shook her head with a sad expression. "I did everything I could but while we were concealing the child's reiatsu Rukia-san was being suffocated by it and almost died. She was in worst condition since she was closest to the child than anyone else with weak reiatsu. Luckily I was able to help her breathe again so she is still alive. But…" Unohana paused as she closed her eyes. "She is unconscious right now and I don't know when she'll wake up."
Byakuya closed his eyes as well as he leaned his back against the wall.
"But she's out of danger now, right?" Hinamori asked.
Unohana shook her head, much to everyone's dismay. "I'm afraid not. She is still losing strength and though she is fighting, Rukia-san barely has reiatsu in her. We can only wait and hope she can regain some of her power…and pray that she loses no more."
Hinamori buried her face into her hands to stifle her cry. Hitsugaya walked up and patted her shoulder.
Renji was frantically looking around, unsure what to do but the others were looking away, also not sure what they could do to help.
Byakuya walked up to Unohana. "Where is my nephew?"
Unohana blankly stared at him for a second before looking at Isane and nodding her head. Her fukutaicho walked back inside the room and returned with a small bundle in her arms. Isane stuck her arms out to Byakuya who quickly, and carefully, grabbed the child and held him close to his chest.
The baby was still naked, only covered by the white sheets. He was no longer crying and was already clean from the birth. It was then Byakuya noticed some black hair sticking out of the baby's head… but as the baby blinked, Byakuya noticed that his eyes were dark amber like that guy.
"Renji," Byakuya called out.
"Hai," the Sixth Division fukutaicho breathed out his reply.
"Return to my mansion and bring me all the items Rukia had prepared for the child."
"Sir?" Renji questioned, confused about his orders.
Byakuya calmly looked at Renji and nodded. "We are going to the human world."
A/N: I thought it'd be longer but it actually came out to be only a few pages... still, not bad, right? hope you guys liked it.
I really wanted to focus mostly on Rukia but it kind of talked a lot more about Byakuya and how he was dealing with the birth. hmmmmm... oh well! the next chapter will be mostly about Ichigo...
The little cliffhanger is exactly what's going to happen in the next chapter. I'm already on it so hopefully I can post it sometime this week... but again, no promises!
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