Rukia looked up and down her new home. "So this is where you live? I've never been here."
Ichigo nodded as he went to the back to unhook the lock and push up the back door. "It's small but there's enough room for you two. If we need to, we can extend the house and make another room for the baby."
"What a cute place," Yume smiled.
"I'm going to get your father," Rukia called out as she made her way to the front door.
But Ichigo stopped everything he was doing and rushed over to her. "Wait!" he shouted and pulled her aside just in time as the front door burst open.
"ICHIGO!" Isshin screamed as he lunged forward to grab his son. "WHERE IS MY NEW-DAUGHTER THAT YOU SAID YOU'D BRING?"
Before he could make his escape, Ichigo was being crushed into his father's chest. "Let…go…of…ME!" he screamed at the end as he pushed his father away. "Can't you stop doing that?"
"No!" Isshin pouted, "What's wrong with spreading love—ara!" he smiled brightly when he finally noticed a young woman standing next to his son. "Are you my new daughter?"
"Um," Rukia looked over at Ichigo for some help but he was too busy escaping to help. "I don't know about that…but I am moving in here—"
"MY THIRD-DAUGHTER!" Isshin screamed as he grabbed her in for a tight hug as well, "YOU FINALLY CAME TO DADDY!"
"Ara, looks like we won't have a problem living here," Yume giggled behind her hand as she walked up to them.
Isshin immediately released Rukia and bowed at the older woman. "You must be her grandmother. It is an honor to meet you," he said gently.
Yume bowed back. "I'm grateful for your hospitality. Thank you for letting us into your home at such a short notice."
"No problem at all," Isshin grinned like a child meeting his best friend, "We're more than happy to help out those in need." He looked over to see his son and newly adopted daughter getting some boxes from behind the truck.
"Your son is so sweet," Yume smiled as she watched them too.
Isshin nodded before looking at her with a sincere smile. "Is there something going on between them that I should know about?"
Yume laughed behind her hand again. "You'll find out soon."
"I see," Isshin nodded before hopping over to them. "Ichigo! Let daddy help you!"
"No!" Ichigo shouted.
"But daddy wants to help!" he pouted.
"Well I don't need it—"
"Just let your old man help before he starts a tantrum!"
Ichigo flinched at the new voice before looking up to see the purple-haired woman standing by the front door. "Yoruichi-san," he groaned.
"In the flesh," she grinned as she approached Yume and Rukia. "Konbanwa. I'm Urahara Yoruichi, a friend of Isshin." The other two women greeted back before she continued. "If this house gets too crazy for you, feel free to come to my place. My husband and I own a small store only a few blocks from here. It a place of sanctuary, especially for the twins when those two Kurosaki-idiots starts one of their stupid fights."
"We'll keep that in mind," Yume smiled.
"Ara, they're really here!" Everyone looked up to see a man approaching them, wearing a green jacket and a stripped hat while fanning himself with a plain looking fan. "The name's Urahara Kisuke" he bowed deeply, "I see you've already met my lovely wife."
"Doozo yoroshiku."
Once the formalities were all done, Urahara looked up to see Ichigo struggling to hold onto a box while trying to maintain his father at a safe distance. "Need help there, Kurosaki-kun?"
"Yeah! Kill this bastard for me, will ya?" he shouted.
"Ara, no can do," he chuckled, "I've been friends with your father a lot longer so I'm afraid I can't do that!"
"Not to mention he still owes us some money," Yoruichi grinned.
Ichigo groaned. "What did you guys bet on this time?"
"Does it matter? We already won," she laughed.
Another two hours later, Rukia and Yume were sitting in the living room with all their boxes up in the spare bedroom that they were going to share. Rukia was sitting on the couch, in between her grandmother and Ichigo, while Isshin and the twins were sitting on the ground across from them, along with the Urahara couple.
"So, um, this is Rukia," Ichigo pointed at the woman next to him before indicating to the older woman, "And she's Rukia's grandmother, Yume-san."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Yuzu smiled sweetly.
"Same here," Yume smiled back. "Your family is too kind for letting us in on such short notice."
Yoruichi tried to keep her laughter at bay. "Nice they may be, but sane they most certainly are not."
"Which you will find out very soon," Yuzu nodded. Rukia just awkwardly smiled at them while Yume just carelessly laughed.
"So," Karin looked between her new housemates, "What happened that you guys suddenly had to move in here?"
"We couldn't pay off the rent to our house," Rukia answered.
But Karin was still staring at her skeptically. "Is that all?"
Ichigo, who was drinking some tea, started to cough.
"Aha! So there is more to this!" Isshin jumped up with a wide smile. "What's going on here?"
"Looks like something happened!" Urahara said in a singing tone.
Ichigo coughed into his hand as he slumped forward. "Well, we're good friends so when I heard they were in trouble, I quickly stepped in and offered help," he said, then "And…"
"'And'?"
"Um…"
"Hmmmmmmmm?" Isshin was literally staring at him with his freaky wide eyes, trying to intimidate his son to speak.
"That is…"
"Out with it already!" Yoruichi spat.
But that triggered it.
"We're pregnant!" he finally shouted.
Rukia squeezed her eyes shut, knowing full well that any parent would start screaming and telling her to get out of their sight for ruining their son's bright future. Her fists clenched tight until it turned white as she waited for the bomb, no, the nuclear bomb to explode—
"KYAAA! MY SON IS A MAN!"
Okay, that was not the kind of bomb she was expecting.
Rukia looked up to see Isshin squealing and grinning like a child who just got what he wanted for Christmas. HE started jumping around the living room, doing a horrible-looking victory dance.
"I told you he would be happy," Ichigo whispered to her as he tried to ignore his father.
"Ara, this was unexpected," Yume laughed.
Rukia just moved her jaw up and down, unable to create any sound as she looked between her laughing grandmother and a hysteric soon-to-be-grandfather.
Karin looked at her and smirked. "What? Did you expect the old goat chin to get mad?"
Rukia looked at the dark-haired twin and stuttered, "Y-yy-yes!"
Yuzu giggled. "Hasn't oniichan ever told you we're not your typical family? This is actual good news for otousan!"
"HAHAHAHA!" Yoruichi laughed out loud as she came forward to slap Ichigo on the back. "Didn't know you had it in you, kid! We should celebrate your newfound manhood!"
"Shut up," he groaned, "I don't want to hear anymore from you guys."
"Well, you are! After all, your father just won a bet for the first time in years!" Urahara chuckled.
Ichigo felt like fainting. "On what this time?"
"Whether or not you'll be able to get laid before graduating from high school," Yoruichi grinned. "We never thought it would happen seeing how much of a crude you are—" she wasn't at all fazed when he glared at her "—but seems you've proven yourself as a man!"
"I don't want to hear this," Karin groaned.
"B-b-b-but how? Why?" Rukia continued stuttering, still extremely confused with what was happening.
"Because the old man was worried Ichi-nii was gay for a long time," Karin rolled her eyes, ignoring her brother's glare, "But then you suddenly appear, not only proving he's not gay but also carrying his child. Seriously, this is like a 'dream come true' for him," she pointed at her father with her thumb.
"Not to mention your beauty. Now he's not worried about his son repelling woman with that scowl of his," Urahara added. "Ahhh, typical Isshin."
Rukia looked back at Isshin who was now dancing in front of a huge poster.
"Masaki! Did you hear? Not only did I get us a third daughter, but she's pregnant with our not-gay son's child! Our dream has finally come true! A beautiful girl has actually decided to put up with his ugly face and his outrageous hair, and slept with him!"
"Scream louder, why don't 'ya! I don't think the whole world heard you yet!" Ichigo yelled but he didn't expect his sarcastic comment to be taken seriously.
"MASAKIIII! DID YOU HEAR? NOT ONLY DID I GET US A THIRD DAUGHTER, BUT SHE'S PREGNANT WITH OUR NOT-GAY SON'S CHILD—OW!"
"I DIDN'T MEAN LITERALLY!" Ichigo screamed.
Rukia sighed as she finally got her clothes hanging in the closet along with her grandmother's. It's been long, excruciating hours setting up their room in the Kurosaki residence. She was still finding it hard to believe she was pregnant and now living with the father.
"This is some messed up drama," she grunted to herself.
"Talking to yourself again, dear?"
Rukia turned around to see Yume entering the room after taking a shower. She smiled at the older woman. "No, I was talking to my imaginary friend, Shiruyuki. You remember her, don't you?"
Yume giggled at her granddaughter's sarcasm. "How could I forget? You've been talking to her all those years I've raised you. I never realized she came with you when you moved here?"
Rukia rolled her eyes as she tossed the now-empty box to the side. "Well, I'm going to go brush my teeth. We can go to sleep then."
"I'm turning in first," Yume announced as she snuggled into the big queen-sized bed, "I'm so exhausted. Don't wake me when you come back in."
"'kay," Rukia nodded as she left the room, turning off the lights and closing the door behind her. The twins were already asleep in their rooms while Isshin had gone out for an extra celebration with his two friends. The entire house was dark and quiet as she quickly entered the bathroom and turned on the faucet. Taking the toothbrush, she stuck it into her mouth and started to brush. She looked up, only to be greeted by a mirror that was reflecting her image back to her. Slowly, her arm stopped moving and she only continued to stare at the person in front of her, the water still running from the faucet.
Nothing seemed different about her. She looked exactly the same as when she first moved here after running away from her brother. But her motionless hand slowly came up and landed on her stomach.
There was a living being inside of her, depending on her in order to safely enter this world of hers.
"Can I really do this?" she mumbled to herself with her toothbrush still in her mouth.
With a deep sigh, Rukia yanked the brush out and rinsed her mouth with the water. After turning off the faucet, she quickly left the bathroom, not willing herself to look in the mirror again. Once she was out, she quickly shut the door behind her and leaned against it.
"I can't have second thoughts now," she grunted to herself.
"What are you doing talking to yourself out here?"
Rukia looked up to see Ichigo standing before her in front of his room. She quickly shook her head. "N-nothing!"
But Ichigo stared at her skeptically. "Whatever. Anyways, come with me," he said as he turned around to enter his room again.
"Why?" Rukia called out.
Ichigo stopped to look back at her. "I just want a second to talk to you privately without my crazy dad attacking us every second."
Rukia just stared at him. "Fine," she finally answered and followed him to his room, closing the door after she entered.
Ichigo immediately went to his desk and sat down while Rukia walked over to the closet and leaned against the sliding door. The two remained silent, not even looking at each other as the seconds continued passing.
"So," Ichigo finally started, "How's the room for you and Yume-san?"
Rukia nodded. "It's good, considering how last minute this all is."
"At least now you don't have to worry about taking care of your grandmother and the baby alone," Ichigo commented, "My family is going to help us out so you don't have to worry."
"I still can't believe how happy your father is about all this," Rukia frowned at him, "I suspected your family to hate me for being pregnant."
Ichigo scoffed. "Please, you'll find out that this isn't your normal family. Even our neighbors know how much my old man want grandchildren."
Rukia sighed as she crossed her arms under her chest. "Ichigo, you still have time to back down. Most of our stuff are still packed and at the old house. We can leave immediately—"
"Can't you drop that act now," Ichigo interrupted, "I'm not a bastard who's going to leave you to deal with this alone. I'm sorry but you're stuck with me."
Rukia stared at him in disbelief before rolling her eyes. "You Kurosaki's are unbelievable."
"Thanks," Ichigo smirked.
Rukia sighed again as she stood up straight, pushing herself off the door of the closet. "If there's nothing to talk about then I'll leave now."
"Wait a second," Ichigo quickly called out to stop her before she moved. "Actually, I need to give you this." He stood up and walked over to the closet, sliding the door open.
Rukia, who was standing less than a foot from him, lifted a thin eyebrow as she leaned forward to see what he was searching for. "What is it?" she asked.
"That stupid rabbit umbrella of yours. I forgot to return it to you last time." Ichigo grunted. "I kept it in here so no one would find it."
"I can't believe you still have that," Rukia grinned at him, "I was sure you would have thrown it away the moment you opened it."
"I was about to kill myself when I saw those disgusting things on it. I can't believe I successful got home with this," he groaned as he continued his search. "Just a second," he said as he reached behind her.
Rukia felt her breath being sucked away when Ichigo leaned down to rummage through more stuff in his closet, but this time he was literally up in her face. His natural scent of something spicy like cinnamon filled her nostrils and making her heart beat ten times faster.
"Well I think—"
When Ichigo leaned down to grab something from the lower shelf of his closet, he was abruptly stopped Rukia pressed her lips against his. His amber eyes widened into plates as he stared into her violet eyes that were slowly opening.
Rukia didn't know why she did it. If anything she was going to blame the baby and the hormones that came with it. Without realizing what she was doing, when Ichigo's face neared her, her body just moved on its own and leaned forward. And when their warm lips met, she felt her entire body tingling. Apparently she had her eyes lightly closed but after having kissing him for several seconds, her conscience came back.
Slowly, very slowly, her eyes opened to see a pair of startled amber eyes staring back at her. Realizing her mistake, Rukia's entire body stiffened as she slowly detached herself. Her lower lip started to shake as their eyes continued to stare at each other. "I-Ichigo," she gasped, "I-I'm so-sorry. I didn't mean to—"
But this time Rukia got cut off when Ichigo grabbed the back of her head and brought her forward for another kiss, but this time with both of their eyes closed. A startled gasp came from her, allowing Ichigo the chance to shove his tongue down her throat and to start a tug-a-war with her. His grip on her hair tightened as he tilted to the side to try and deepen the kiss even more.
The two weren't sure what they were doing. Ichigo's mind just snapped when she tried to apologize for something that was great. So to stop her he just kissed her. And it was the best thing he did. Somehow the two ended up on his bed as their kiss intensified and their hands roamed all over each other's body. To make things more heated, their kiss seemed to have triggered something in their memory as more flashbacks from that faithful night crashed into their minds.
The moaning.
The sweating.
The panting.
The kissing.
The screaming.
The thrusting.
And the release.
Rukia moaned out loud when Ichigo nipped his way down to her neck and her head leaned to the side by itself to allow him more access. Her hands were fisting his orange hair and his shirt as he continued to attack her with fervor, and it wasn't getting any better with all those flashbacks.
"I-Ichigo," she huffed out.
The said man immediately stopped when her strained voice entered his ears. It was just then that he noticed what he was doing and where he was doing it on. Ichigo pulled away, his chest heaving up and down in a crazy pace, and looked down to see Rukia's swollen lips. His eyes slowly made its way up her blushing face until he landed on her eyes. "S-sorry," he huffed.
Rukia took in a deep breath and slowly shook her head. "N-no, it's okay."
Ichigo gulped as he strained his body to the side, getting off of Rukia who remained on the bed to catch her breathing. He kept his eyes away until she finally sat up. "Um, that was…unexpected."
Rukia nodded. "I…I'm not sure why I did that."
"I'm not sure why I did that," he said as well, "But I guess it's your hormones acting up. You are near the end of your first term."
Again Rukia nodded as she got up from the bed. "I think I should leave now before…"
Even though she didn't finish her sentence, Ichigo knew what she was saying. "Yeah, I agree. I think it'd be best to try and avoid being…well, alone together like this. We might—I might…not be able to stop next time," he blushed.
And a blush came on Rukia's cheeks as well. "R-right." The two remained silent as they both stared off to different sides of the room. It lasted awhile before she finally continued. "Well, goodnight."
"Ah," he nodded and only listened as her light footsteps left his room. Once he heard the door being closed after her, he finally slumped back down on the bed and buried his head into his pillow. "Dammit. I wasn't planning on this," he groaned.
But suddenly a sweet smell entered him when he inhaled deeply. Looking down he realized Rukia was on this exact pillow just a few minutes ago. Another groan came from him as he glared down at the pillow. But when he got nothing in return, he gave up and allowed his nose to bury into his pillow again.
Maybe he was already falling for her.
With the buzzing of his alarm clock, Ichigo groaned as he peeked open his eyes. He blinked his heavy eyelids several times, trying to get rid of the sleep that was trying to take over him again. The alarm kept buzzing until he strained his arm to the side to slam down on the snooze button.
The red numbers glared at him and it was already making his day bad. "Fucking school," he cursed as he sat up. He started rubbing his face as he tried to get rid of all the drowsiness. When a yawn came on, he stretched his arm and looked out the window.
It was slightly cloudy, but it looked safe from the rain. "But why didn't the old man come barging in here yet?" he asked himself as he checked the time again. He tried to think of an excuse but nothing came to mind as he got out of bed to prepare for school. He was about to head to the bathroom when he stopped abruptly. The noise from beyond his door was different from any other day.
He heard Yuzu's voice first. "Ara, did you sleep well last night, Rukia-neesan?"
A new, but familiar voice suddenly answered back. "Hai, thank you so much for your concern."
"I hope the old man's snoring didn't keep you two awake." It seemed like Karin was talking now.
"No, everything was fine and dandy. Your family is so sweet for taking care of us," replied an elderly voice.
"Ne, do you want to help me with making breakfast?" Yuzu asked.
"I would like to!" she answered.
It was then he suddenly remembered what happened the day before.
Rukia was living in his house with her grandmother.
And she was pregnant.
…With his child.
Ichigo's steps fell backward, slowly distancing himself from the door where he could hear the four ladies talking to each other as their footsteps were heard heading downstairs. His heart beat was quickening along with his breathing as he fell back on his bed. Beads of sweat were dripping down his head as he tried to calm himself down.
Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant.
That word kept replaying in his mind as he remembered how his entire life had changed in less than 24 hours.
It was weird. He was totally fine yesterday but for some reason he was starting to freak out now. Because he just realized it wasn't a dream.
"ICHIGO!"
The orange head was pulled out of his thoughts when his father suddenly lunged at him. "AH!" he screamed when he fell back on his bed after getting kicked in the face. "What the fuck was that for?"
"For taking too long to wake up! And don't use such bad words now. I don't want my first grandchild to say 'fuck' for its first word!" Isshin smacked his head.
Ichigo groaned from the pain as his father jumped off of him. "Where's Rukia?" he asked.
"Downstairs helping your sister," Isshin grinned, "She's naturally a member of this family. When are you two getting married?"
Her refusal from last night came to mind. "We're not getting married. She doesn't want the baby to be an excuse for our unhappy marriage."
Isshin's face suddenly fell for a second before grinning again. "Oh, well. She's just a smarter girl than the others these days."
"What are you talking about?" Ichigo raised a brow.
"Nothing," Isshin shook his head, "I'm sure things will change once you two have another baby."
"Right—wait, what?" But Ichigo only watched as his father skipped out of his room. He stared at the empty spot that was occupied only a few seconds ago. Once he finally registered what he might have been insinuating, he glared. "Fucking bastard."
"Excuse me?"
Ichigo looked up and was shocked to see a fuming Rukia standing in his doorway. "No no no no no! I wasn't talking about you!"
But Rukia didn't lose her glare as she turned around. "Hurry up and come down. Breakfast is ready."
Ichigo could only nod back as she quickly left his room. He continued staring where she left a little longer before getting out of bed again. "It's all really happening," he sighed as he got to get ready.
After taking a quick shower, Ichigo came downstairs to be greeted by his old and new family.
"Ohayo, oniichan!" Yuzu greeted.
"Ohayo," he greeted back.
Karin, who was hanging off the back of her seat, smirked at him. "So how's the new father doing?"
Ichigo glared at her. "Shut up, Karin." He sat down next to her and quickly started eating his breakfast. "Why aren't you getting ready for school?" he asked.
Karin shrugged her shoulders as she sat down straight to eat her meal too. "I really don't have anything to else to do. Elementary school isn't a big deal as high school."
"It is when you can't even get into junior high school," he told her, "Your studies are very important."
"Stop trying to act like the parent we don't have," she scoffed at him, "And seeing how you ended up, I doubt school is a good thing."
"Bitch," he cursed at her.
"Stop cursing and start eating." Rukia suddenly came up to him and smacked his head. "We need to go to school soon."
"I'm surrounded by bitches," he mumbled under his breath as he shoved his breakfast down his throat. In record time he was standing by the front door with Rukia, who was also wearing her school uniform, just for old time sakes. "We're leaving!" he called out.
"Itterashai!" Yuzu waved at them.
Ichigo closed the door behind him as they made their way to school. "Do you know what you're going to do?" he asked, referring to her resignation.
Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just going to the main office and ask them for help. Obaachan wrote a note that she has knowledge of my predicament and allowing me to drop out of school."
Ichigo nodded as they neared the school. "I wonder how long it's going to take before everyone else finds out."
Apparently it didn't take that long. By the time Ichigo was in his class, trying to mind his own business, the three upperclassmen entered his class while wearing mischievous grins.
"Kurosaki Ichigooo," they called out together as they crawled their way towards him.
Ichigo groaned when Matsumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika appeared in front of him. "What do you three stooges want from me now?"
"Just information," Ikkaku smirked, "So how are things for you these days?"
Ichigo's orange brow went up as he stared suspiciously at the three. "What are you three getting at?" By that point everyone else in class were silently making their way towards the four, interested in what they were talking about.
"We just heard something very interesting while we were at the office," Yumichika tossed his hair back. "It was something very beautiful. But when we figured out who was the cause of it, it suddenly became quite ugly," he blanched.
Ichigo's eyes widened when he slowly realized what the three were trying to hint at. "No fucking way," he muttered.
"Oh, yes," Matsumoto grinned, "We heard Rukia's pregnant!"
"WHAT?" Everyone else in class screamed together, "PREGNANT?"
"Yup," Ikkaku snickered, "And guess who the father is?" he asked while pointing at the orange head who was slamming his head against his desk.
"WHAT?" they screeched again, as they stared down at Ichigo.
"IS THIS TRUE?" Tatsuki screamed at him as she grabbed his collar, shaking him back and forth. "YOU KNOCKED UP THE NEW GIRL?"
Everyone stood quiet, waiting for an answer. Ichigo just allowed his head to shake several more times before answering, very quietly, "Yeah…"
"NO!" guys and girls alike all screamed at the news.
"WHY NOT US?" some girls—when did students from other classes appear?—screamed in unison.
"NOT OUR TINY ANGEL!" the guys cried in despair.
When Tatsuki released her hold on him from shock, Keigo jumped onto Ichigo's back and cried into his shirt. "Why Ichigo? Why did you have to do it with my girlfriend?"
"She's not your girlfriend," Ichigo pushed Keigo off him.
"I never knew you had it in you," Rangiku snickered, "Who would have thought you could knock up Kuchiki-san in one shot?"
Ichigo groaned as everyone else around him started to snicker along with the strawberry-blonde. "Shut the hell up, Matsumoto…And why are you always in here?"
"Because my class is boring," she answered, "And there's no way I'll pass by this juicy news. So, can you give me some insight on to how you did it?"
Ichigo glared at her. "It was your stupid party that got us into this mess. Why the hell did you allow someone to spike the punch at the party?"
"'Cuz it made the party more fun," she said, "Besides, you should have controlled your hormones instead of jumping on her."
"So does that mean she's leaving school?" Orihime asked with her teary eyes. Everyone lost their perverted smile and went into deep thought.
Ichigo groaned as he leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, she's at the office right now to pull out from the school. She'll come by here once she's done," he announced and at that moment the door to the classroom burst opened.
Everyone looked up to see the main topic of their discussion suddenly standing at their door.
Rukia was standing in the doorway with a confused look on her face. "What's going on?" she asked, her head tilting to the side.
"KUCHIKI-SAAAAN!" Keigo jumped up to run towards his 'sweet angel,' but Ichigo quickly stood up and grabbed the back of his collar.
"Stay away from her, Keigo!" he shouted as he pulled his 'friend' back.
Keigo immediately looked up at Ichigo with pouting lips and watering eyes. "Ichigo, how could you do this to my sweet Kuchiki-san? Such a pure angel has been tainted by your demonic hands and now I can never get her!" he started crying.
Ichigo slapped him upside the head. "You wouldn't have gotten her even if she wasn't pregnant!"
Rukia frowned as she walked through the small crowd to where his bright hair was standing out. "You already told them I'm pregnant?"
Ichigo scratched the back of his head as he nodded. "The three stooges announced it," he pointed back at the three who were waving at her, "And they forced the confession out of me. I couldn't fight against so many of them," he then nodded to the huge group of people that were staring at them.
Rukia took in a deep breath as she mustered up her normal smile. "Hey guys. I haven't seen you guys in days. How have you been?" But nobody moved nor said anything. Instead, they slowly looked down to stare at her stomach, causing her to feel uncomfortable.
Silently, Orihime walked over and wrapped her arms around her petite friend. "How are you feeling, Kuchiki-san?" she asked.
Rukia was at first surprised by her actions but immediately hugged her friend back. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."
Orihime pulled away with a smile. "Can I touch your stomach?"
A small chuckle came from Rukia. "You won't feel anything yet but you can if you want."
With a squeal, Orihime gently placed a hand against her stomach, trying hard to feel for any movement but there was none. "How long until the stomach bump comes out?"
Rukia shrugged her shoulders and merely looked at Ichigo. He sighed as he answered, "Towards the end of her third month. So just before the second trimester."
"You sure do know your stuff," Tatsuki smirked. She walked over and placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder. "We're here for you so call us if anything happens."
Rukia smiled and nodded at her dear friend. Soon all the girls surrounded her and offered her similar words of encouragement and help. Ichigo smiled when he noticed the bright smile appearing on her face.
"So how far along are you?" Rangiku asked but everyone threw her a look. She frowned at their stare and asked, "What?"
"You should know how far along she is, dumbass," Tatsuki slapped her back, "They got pregnant during your party."
"Oh yeah," she chuckled, "I just thought the two of them might have gotten together afterwards and got knocked up then." Rangiku ignored Tatsuki who rolled her eyes, and kept her eyes on Rukia's stomach. "So how big is the baby then?"
"About this big," Rukia lifted up her hand and spread her forefinger and thumb apart an appropriate length to show her friends the size of the fetus. "And it's going to get bigger later."
"That's so small," Hinamori gasped.
"I have a picture, do you want to see?" Rukia asked and was immediately greeted by several heads nodding at her. She reached into her bag and fished around until she got what she was searching for. "Here it is," she pulled out the sonogram and laid it on top of Ichigo's desk.
Everyone crowded around the desk and frowned. "I don't get it," Mizuiro said.
"This peanut-shaped thing here is the baby," Ichigo pointed at a certain spot.
Everyone turned their heads from one side to the other, but none of them were getting it.
"It doesn't look like a baby," Keigo said.
"Because it's still the first trimester, dumbass," Ichigo wacked him over the head again, "It will take form in a couple of months." When he looked back down at the picture, he frowned then looked at Rukia. "Why didn't you show me this picture yesterday? I didn't know you had one."
Rukia looked up at him. "But I gave a copy to your father. Didn't he show it to you?"
Ichigo shook his head as he picked up the picture to get a better look. "I'm sure he already has it framed on our wall or something."
"He did take it really quickly last night."
"Wait a sec," Tatsuki jumped in, "Kurosaki-san already knows about the pregnancy?"
The two nodded at her. "And he was squealing with joy about the baby last night and early this morning," Rukia added, "I never thought he would be so happy about the pregnancy."
"I told you he's not normal," Ichigo grunted.
"Ano," Orihime frowned in thought, "How do you know how Kurosaki-san reacted yesterday and today? Did you stay over at Kurosaki-kun's house last night?"
"Kinda. I actually moved into his house with my grandmother last night," Rukia announced.
"EH?" they all shouted in shock at her sudden news.
"Are you really living with Kurosaki-kun?" Hinamori asked to clarify, "But why? Are you two getting married?"
"No, we're not getting married—it's a long story," Rukia said but before she could say anything more the bell suddenly rung, signaling that class was going to start in a few minutes. Rukia looked up and frowned at the clock. "Looks like I have to get going now. I don't want to disturb you guys during class."
"You're not going to stay one more day?" Hinamori pouted.
Rukia shook her head. "I am now officially dropped out of school. I don't know about you but I'm going to go celebrate my newfound freedom!" she grinned.
The front door slide open and the teacher walked inside. "Okay guys go back to your seats! Class is—oh, Kuchiki," Ochi-sensei was startled when she saw Rukia standing in the middle of the crowd. "I didn't know you were still here." Then she looked over to frown at the other students who were not from her class along with Matsumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika. "And why are you three here again? Class already started." Before she could say anything else her non-students disappeared out the door.
Once the door closed shut, Rukia smiled sweetly at her teacher and replied, "I was about to get going."
The older woman walked over and patted her on the shoulder. "Sorry to hear what happened to you. Can't believe it had to be Kurosaki of all people."
"Oi!" Ichigo glared at her.
Rukia laughed along with the others. "I'm fine. Thank you for having taken care of me until now," she bowed.
Ochi-sensei nodded. "No problem. If you need any woman advice then don't hesitate to contact me."
"Thank you."
"Sensei," Ichigo sighed as he stood next to Rukia, "I'm going to walk her home so can you excuse me?"
Shocked by his sudden request, Rukia stared at him. "I don't need you to walk me back. I'm fine on my own."
"Whatever midget," Ichigo ignored her as he awaited his teacher's answer.
She merely shrugged her shoulders as she walked to the front of the classroom. "I don't mind. Just get back before the next class starts."
"Got it," he said as he grabbed Rukia's arm. "Com'on, let's go."
Rukia followed him as he dragged her out the room. But before passing the door, she waved at everyone. "I'll see you guys later!"
"Bye!" Everyone replied, while Keigo was the only one crying.
Once they reached the front of the main doors, Ichigo released his hold on Rukia in order to change their shoes. "So how did it go in the office?" he asked as he pulled out his shoes from his locker.
"Not bad. But everyone was pretty shocked," she said as she slipped out of her clean, in-door shoes and slipped on her flats. But instead of putting her other pair in the locker, she shoved it into her bag, along with anything else in the locker. "I still can't believe I'm really leaving school."
Ichigo walked over and grabbed her bag to hold it for her. "What are you going to do now?" he asked.
Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I'll help around the house. And with the baby coming we're going to have to get ready for it."
As the two left the school ground, Rukia stopped before getting too far away. She turned around and took one last look at the school building. Ichigo stopped with her and waited as she absorbed everything. After a few minutes, he finally spoke up. "You ready to go?"
Rukia looked up at him and nodded with a smile. "Let's go."
Ichigo allowed her to walk past him first before following after her. The two silently walked the same way for several minutes. For Ichigo, his feet were walking on their own, while Rukia was trying to remember where to turn and where to cross.
"Ichigo, you can go now," Rukia finally broke the silence, "I know my way from here."
But Ichigo shook his head when she started to turn the corner. "That's not the right way."
Rukia stopped midstep and looked back at him. "It isn't? I thought we turned around here."
Again Ichigo shook his head as he walked up to grab her hand. "Com'on," he smiled as he led her back down the street. "You should know your way around here by now. Hasn't it been several months since you moved here?"
"Yeah, but I've been busy with so much stuff that I never really went anywhere else but home and school," she informed him as she held his hand and walked next to him, "I guess I should ask obaachan to walk around with me now."
"That would be good for the baby," Ichigo nodded, "But be careful."
Rukia smiled at him. "Stop worrying so much. You're starting to sound like an old woman."
He rolled his eyes at her. "I'm just worried about the baby, not you."
Rukia laughed as they finally turned a corner to come up to a familiar street. "Okay, I really know where to go from here."
"No you don't," he quickly interjected. But Rukia released his hand and kicked him on the shin. "Bitch!" he hissed because of the pain. "Is this how you thank me for walking you home?"
Rukia placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Well you don't have to walk with me anymore because we're only a block away!" she pointed afar where the top of the Kurosaki clinic was noticeable from where they were.
Ichigo looked at where she was pointing, though his scowl never lightened. "I'm still walking you the rest of the way," he said as he stood back straight.
"You don't have to," she tried to reason with him.
But it wasn't working. "I am going to. I just want to make sure you get home safe."
"What could possibly happen to me within one block in broad daylight?" she screeched before calming down. "You just want to skip school, huh?"
Ichigo snorted as he grabbed her hand to walk with her again. "Don't be stupid. With the baby on the way and you out of school, I need to keep up my grades so I can take care of you guys in a few years."
Rukia suddenly tensed but Ichigo continued before she could say anything.
"I'm thinking about going to medical school and following after my old man. That way we can just stay at that clinic and not worry about money. Until then my family can help us out. Once my old man retires, we can kick him out of the house."
"Ichi—"
"There are other things you can do," Ichigo kept going, ignoring her, "You can start working once the baby is old enough to go to school, but until then I won't let you lift even a finger—what?" he yelled at her when she tugged his arm back really hard for the nth time.
Rukia glared at him as they stopped. "Although I appreciate you wanting to treat me like a queen while I'm pregnant, I would like it better if you let me in on planning our future together!"
Ichigo's eyebrow went up as he stared at her. "What are you talking about?"
"I mean, you're blabbing on about how we're going to continue living together and you taking care of us with a career in medicine. It sounds nice and all but you're talking like it's all really going to happen!"
Ichigo continued staring at her before stepping in front of her. "I don't know why this is bothering you so much. Are you planning on moving out as soon as you get a job or something?"
Rukia quickly shook her head to stop him from misunderstanding. "I'm just saying we don't know what's going to happen in the future."
"…" Ichigo kept silent, not wanting to say what he really wanted to say. Are you saying you might fall in love with someone else and leave me?
"Ichigo," she sighed, "I just don't want to plan so far into the future because it feels like something bad might happen." She stepped closer to him to rest her forehead against his chest. "What do I do if something happens and we get separated?" She couldn't ask the other question in her head. What if niisama finds out and comes after you?
Ichigo didn't say anything but wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. "Rukia, I'm not really sure why you're saying all of this to me. BUT—" he raised his voice to continue when Rukia tried to interfere, "—I can promise one thing." He pulled away from her to lift up her head by her chin. He looked deeply into her eyes before leaning down to firmly press his lips against hers.
Rukia felt her breath being taken away when she felt his warm lips against her for the second time after moving in with him. But instead of pushing away, she closed her eyes and leaned up to him.
After awhile, Ichigo finally pulled away to smile down at her, still in his embrace. "I promise I'm going to take care of you and the baby. And nothing is going to keep me from you two. I'll always be there even if you don't want me to."
Rukia smiled as she hugged him back. "If you insist."
Ichigo chuckled as he held her tighter. He buried his nose into her hair and inhaled deeply. She was already becoming a necessity in his life.
But the moment was broken too soon.
"MASAKI! OUR SON IS MAN ENOUGH TO MAKE LOVE TO OUR THIRD-DAUGHTER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREETS!"
The two quickly pulled away when they heard Isshin loud voice. Ichigo looked up to see his father's head sticking out from the top window of their house, only several yards away from where they were.
"SHUT UP!" he shouted up at him but Isshin was gone in a flash. Before he knew what was coming, Ichigo was suddenly tackled down by his father.
"ICHIGO!" Isshin cried with tears falling down like waterfalls, "I'm so proud of you!"
"GET OFF ME!" Ichigo screamed as he tried to punch his father away from him, but Isshin only held on tighter as his cries got louder too.
"MASAKI! WE'RE GOING TO BE GRANDPARENTS!"
"EUGH!" Ichigo grunted in annoyance as he continued to wrestle with Isshin. He looked over to check up on the said baby and its carrier, only to notice Rukia was no longer standing where she was. He looked passed his father's shoulder to see her already standing by the front door to the clinic and waving at him.
"Have fun!" she shouted back to them before closing the door behind her.
"RUKIA!" Ichigo shouted before being crushed into his father's chest.
A/N: So, that was pretty long. But I hope you guys like it because I had fun writing it.
Someone reviewed that he/she like how I added some sweet moments in the previous chapter with them shyly but sweetly hugging each other. And I decided that it DID show how they're progressing. Here, i decided to make them progress a lot so we can see sweeter moments faster.
Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! They make me really happy!
(Don't have preview this week because I'm still working on it. Sorry).
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