4 Months Later
"Keitaro!"
"Ei!"
The five month old Kurosaki Keitaro squealed with delight when his father rushed in the door after school, picked him up out of his walker, and gave a long kiss on his chubby cheek.
"How's my big boy doing today?" Ichigo asked with a big smile.
"Okaeri oniichan!" Yuzu called out from the kitchen.
"Tadaima," Ichigo replied with his usual smirk.
He shifted Keitaro's body so that he was holding him in one arm, and closed the door. The father and son walked towards the kitchen to grab something to eat.
"Hey Yuzu, where's Karin?" Ichigo asked as he grabbed Keitaro's bottle Yuzu already prepared.
"Karin-chan is at soccer practice. I was waiting for you to come home so I can go to her," Yuzu replied, "Afterwards we're going to my friend's sleepover."
"What about pop?"
Yuzu quickly wrapped up the last of her cookies and placed it in her bag. "I think he's meeting up with Urahara-san tonight. Something about another drinking get-together."
Ichigo shook his head with disbelief. With a cookie in his mouth (which he secretly took when Yuzu wasn't looking), a bottle in one hand, and a baby in the other arm, Ichigo made his way towards the living room and sat on the couch. He started to feed Keitaro as Yuzu quickly left.
"Oi, Kurosaki."
The said teen turned around to see Uryuu walking in with Chad, Orihime and Tatsuki in tow.
"What are you guys doing here?" Ichigo asked as he helped Keitaro with his bottle.
"You forgot these books," Tatsuki dropped three textbooks next to her friend, "Seriously, these days you keep forgetting things. We're graduating this year so the least you could do is ready yourself for college entrance exams."
Ichigo shrugged. "Wa li. I'm so preoccupied with Keitaro that I just stopped caring about school."
Orihime walked up and smiled at the raven-haired baby that was still feeding on the bottle but playing with his father's gigantic finger with one of his tiny hands. "He's so cute. And already so big!"
"Yeah," Ichigo nodded with a sad smile, "I only wish Rukia was here to see him."
It suddenly became quiet. Everyone knew Ichigo was still depressed and waiting for Rukia. Though he may act all happy and smile widely at his son, whenever Ichigo was alone he would go into emo-mode and often times cry. So nobody dared mention Rukia's name incase he breaks down in front of them.
Chad finally broke the silence. "I'm sure she's going to come back any day now."
Ichigo brought back his fake-happy expression and smiled at his friends. "You're right. So there is no need to sulk, especially in front of my son."
Tatsuki nodded. "The kid really does look a lot like you… But I can see a lot of Kuchiki's traits in him as well. Like his hair color, his nose, and not to mention his attitude."
Ichigo laughed. "Yeah. This kid really knows how to drive me insane just like his mother."
The four friends stayed for another hour talking with Ichigo and playing with Keitaro. When the sun was nearly down they all decided to go.
"Anyways, have a nice weekend Ichigo!" Tatsuki waved at her friend as she followed Orihime out the door.
"Bye Kurosaki-kun!"
"See ya!" Ichigo waved back and Keitaro smiled widely at the two ladies who turned around the corner.
Chad patted Ichigo on the shoulder and then ruffled Keitaro's hair. "I'll see you later. Take care."
"Yeah, thanks man," Ichigo nodded at his big friend who walked towards the sunset (insert cowboy theme music:D)
"Kurosaki."
Ichigo turned around and smirked. "I'll see you later Qunicy."
Uryuu pushed up his glasses and walked up to Keitaro. He ruffled his hair and smiled at the giggling baby. "See you later kid." He looked up and ruffled Ichigo's orange hair as well. "See you later too, big guy."
"Bastard," Ichigo glared.
"And don't worry," Uryuu continued as he walked out, "I'm sure Kuchiki-san is recovering nicely. She'll be back before you know it."
Ichigo's eyes widen for a second and then smiled. "Yeah, I know." He watched as his last friend also disappeared.
The sun was now almost gone.
"Well Kei," Ichigo looked down at his son, "Looks like it's just you and me now."
Keitaro gave his father a toothless smile as Ichigo closed the door and walked back inside. Ichigo placed Keitaro back in his walker and went into the kitchen. "I don't know about you but I'm starving. Wonder what Yuzu made…" Ichigo opened the refrigerator and looked at the food that Yuzu left for him to eat. He pulled out a plate and looked at it.
"Ah!"
Ichigo looked down to see his squealing son looking up at him with his hands raised up high. "What? You want to eat this?" He placed the plate on the kitchen counter and lifted his son up in his arms again. "Sorry but you just had one whole bottle so no more food for you."
When Keitaro became a little over a month and a half old, he finally started to eat more normally, much to Ichigo's relief. And now he would eat baby food, though Urahara still supplies him with the formula that was to help Keitaro since he was still in a vulnerable state.
While holding Keitaro in one arm, Ichigo placed the plate in the microwave and pressed several buttons. He looked at his son and smirked. "So what should we do tonight?"
As if understanding what his father had just said, Keitaro started to make random noises. "Eh! Beh—ah! Boooo…lu!"
Ichigo looked at his son with a raised eyebrow.
What the hell? He thought.
Just then the microwave timer went off and pulled Ichigo out of his 'conversation' with his son. He pulled out the food and carefully walked over to the couch.
"Alright Keitaro," Ichigo sat down and placed Keitaro on his lap while the food on the coffee table in front of them, "Let's watch your favorite show." He turned on the T.V and turned to Chappy the Rabbit and His Adventures. For some reason Keitaro would always squeal with joy upon seeing Chappy… even though there was no way a five month old baby could understand what was happening.
Must be a natural reaction he inherited from Rukia, Ichigo smirked.
The father and son watched the show for another hour, with Keitaro squealing whenever Chappy was on the screen and Ichigo eating his dinner. When the show was over, Ichigo held Keitaro in one arm and walked back to the kitchen to put the dish into the sink. He turned around and was about to go back to the living room when he suddenly smelled something.
Ichigo looked around to solve what was giving off that foul smell, but stopped when Keitaro suddenly started to fidget around in Ichigo's arm, furiously.
With an eyebrow raised, Ichigo looked at his son and a dreaded expression spread across his face. He lifted Keitaro above his head and sniffed at his diaper.
He soon regretted it.
Ichigo lowered his son down with a scrunched up face. "Did you just take a dump?"
Keitaro only looked at his father with his hand in his mouth.
With a sigh, Ichigo walked up the stairs. "That's what you get for eating too much. Sometimes you remind me too much of your mother." Ichigo said as he looked at his son.
Ichigo walked to the bathroom and prepared another battle with a stinking diaper. Ichigo laid Keitaro on the sink's counter and slowly pulled the straps off from the sides of the diaper and pulled it down.
"Holy shi—" Ichigo stopped himself just in time before cursing in front of his son. Still, the gruesome thing in Keitaro's diaper looked like censored with censored and censored, not to mention the color... No wonder it smelled so horrible.
"Hehe."
Ichigo looked up to see a laughing baby. "What? You making fun of your old man by creating something like this?" he pointed at the content inside the diaper.
Keitaro only blinked his large, amber eyes several times. Ichigo sighed as he gently tugged the diaper off, making sure to keep the legs lifted up. Ichigo grabbed several baby wipes from the shelf and wiped Keitaro's shit-covered butt.
When Ichigo cleaned off as much as he could, he took off Keitaro's clothes and walked him over to the tub. "Okay, let's get you thoroughly clean." Ichigo turned on the faucet and allowed the water to fill up the small tub that Isshin had proudly written on the side: My Grandson's Boat.
Unlike most other babies Keitaro loved the water. He kept splashing with his tiny hands and Ichigo constantly had to use his arms to wipe off the little water-bullets.
After long, excruciating minutes of water-fun, Ichigo finally got Keitaro cleaned. As Ichigo ruffled his son's raven hair with a towel he looked around the bathroom.
"Man Keitaro, you did a fine job making this place a mess."
The young Kurosaki only giggled as his father carried his naked body to his room.
Ichigo finally got Keitaro in a new diaper and dressed in a new set of clothes. They walked back downstairs and Ichigo placed Keitaro back in his walker.
"Stay here while I go wash the dishes," he said as he kissed the top of Keitaro's head.
Keitaro only laughed as he pushed his dad away and started to pound on the doll Uryuu made for him.
Ichigo smiled as he looked at the doll.
Maybe I should let Keitaro play with Kon again…
With a laugh Ichigo walked into the kitchen and started on the dishes. It was a good thing Yuzu cleaned up before she left because Ichigo only had to wash the plate and utensils he used a few minutes ago, along with Keitaro's bottle.
While using the sponge to clean the plate, Ichigo sighs as his eyes became droopy again. Whenever Keitaro wasn't looking, Ichigo would return to his depressing state as Rukia plagued his mind. Several times he tried to reach her in Soul Society, but he stopped after the fifth try (all in one week) when Unohana came up to him. She had to explain that because of his uncontrolled and intense reiatsu it might suffocate Rukia. Apparently he wasn't the only one forbidden near her. Yamamoto granted special permission to Unohana to forbid anyone in Soul Society within several yards of her Division without her authorization. She didn't want to take the chance of someone powerful or with uncontrolled reiatsu to accidentally kill Rukia.
This thought itself made the orange head scowl even more as he stopped scrubbing. Ichigo stared intently at his hands as he thought back on the five months he raised Keitaro without Rukia. It was hell…
"Rukia…" Ichigo sighed as he closed his eyes and his lips formed into a thin line.
Kuchiki Rukia had never stopped smiling in Ichigo's head and now he became too obsessed. Since day one and even up until a few days ago Ichigo had been hallucinating about the woman he loved. Just seeing a short girl with dark hair made him think it was Rukia. He would even run after the woman, only to feel his heart ripping apart upon realizing it wasn't her.
It was becoming too painful for him.
He really didn't want to raise his son without Rukia. How will he face life when Keitaro asks him about his mother someday?
No.
Rukia will come back. So Ichigo had to patient and not lose hope.
Even though these past months have been a living hell, Ichigo did learn a lot of new things. He learned to take more responsibility and be more patient. It was a good thing too since Rukia would most likely praise him when she gets back. She had been arguing with him constantly about his inability to think before acting.
Just thinking about Rukia and all the happy times they've shared with one another made Ichigo smile a bit as he finished the dishes.
But then…
"…"
As he placed the items onto a rack to dry off, an unexpected feeling struck him. Ichigo turned off the water and stood still. Even Keitaro was quiet.
"…"
Everything was still and there was a long pause where Ichigo tried to concentrate on where this weird feeling was coming from. It felt like a small amount of reiatsu… but it was hard to detect. But that wasn't the weird thing. The thing was that this reiatsu felt familiar. Almost like…
Suddenly Ichigo heard the front door opening and closing.
"Tadaima."
Ichigo felt his body stiffen as beads of sweat started to fall down his body.
That reiatsu…
That voice…
I'm sure of it!
Ichigo ran out of the kitchen and stopped when the front door was in his view. He drew in a sharp breath as he focused his vision on a familiar figure.
A young woman pulled off her shoes as she stepped into the house. She was wearing the exact dress she was wearing when she left that it seemed like she was never been gone.
Upon seeing Ichigo staring at her, she gave him her warm smile. "Tadaima, Ichigo."
Just hearing her voice was enough to pull him out of his trance.
"RUKIA!"
Ichigo cried out as he ran towards the woman he's been dreaming of for the past fourteen months. He roughly pulled Rukia into his embrace and had a firm hold on her. Upon feeling her warmth Ichigo's throat began to choke up and tears were threatening to come out.
"I'm not dreaming am I?" Ichigo asked, "Is it really you? Are you really here?"
Rukia lightly pulled herself out of his hug and gave him a warm smile with tears in her eyes. "Baka. Can't you tell dreams from reality? Of course it's me. I'm home."
Ichigo let out the breath he didn't know he's been holding. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her back into his embrace. "Thank goodness," he whispered in her ears.
Rukia let out a small laugh as tears finally poured out from them both. "I've missed you," she whispered.
"Yeah, me too," Ichigo replied as he kissed her temple, then her forehead, her teary eyes, her cute nose, and finally, her lips.
At first he only lightly pecked her lips but the second and third peck became longer until the fourth kiss became more passionate and deeper.
"Mmph," Rukia moaned as she closed her eyes and responded to Ichigo's kisses, taking in all the pleasure the two had been missing for over a year.
"Eh!"
Rukia's eyes shot open upon hearing a small sound.
Ichigo reluctantly pulled away when Rukia stopped responding but he understood why. He grabbed her wrist and smiled at her. "Com'on," he whispered as he led her to the living room.
Rukia allowed Ichigo to lead her but she stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing a baby near the coffee table. Fresh tears swelled up in her eyes but they didn't fall down yet.
Ichigo released his hold as he walked towards the confused looking Keitaro. He pulled their son out of his walker and walked towards Rukia. "Rukia, this is our son," he said but she didn't move an inch. He smiled as he ruffled Keitaro's raven-hair. "See Kei? I told you your okasan was going to come back."
Rukia slowly and cautiously brought her arms up and towards the baby. While Ichigo slightly leaned Keitaro towards Rukia, Keitaro looked at the lady for a second before reaching over into Rukia's embrace.
Tears finally fell down as soon as Rukia felt Keitaro's tiny body.
"Keitaro," she whispered as she fell on her knees, hugging her son tightly against her body. "Keitaro," she choked through her tears.
Ichigo kneeled down next to Rukia and rubbed her back. "Hey, why are you crying when you should be happy?"
"Baka," she choked, "I'm crying because I am happy."
Ichigo only let out a small laugh as he brought his tiny family into his embrace. "And we're finally together."
A/N: Okay... I know the reunion seemed a bit rushed and.. well, awkward. But that's because I wasn't planning on including it until the next chapter. I decided to make Rukia return now because the next chapter was long enough with hella other things. So i apologize if this chapter didn't end well. It didn't really please me either... but please don't kill me for it! (begging on knees with watery eyes)
Read the final chapter to this series which'll have you guys anticpating for the sequel!
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