Ding ding ding!
The second the bell rang, everyone started to get up for their lunch, the teacher also packing up and leaving for his much-needed break.
"That was boring," Keigo groaned as he dropped his body on the unsuspecting orange head.
"Get the hell off," Ichigo shoved him away. "But you're right about one thing: that was boring."
"Does Ichigo finally agree with me on the non-importance of school? That what we're learning is too hard and won't ever be used in the future as all the teachers says?" his eyes were literally sparkling with hope, which was making Ichigo cringe.
"No, I was just saying that I already knew everything so I was bored," he replied.
Keigo's eyes immediately watered as he wailed, "YOU'RE SUCH A NERD!"
Before Ichigo could smack him, Renji came over and did it for him. "You're too loud, dumbass."
"Renji! You're still part of my army, aren't you?" Keigo asked.
The red head groaned as the brunette continued crying on his shoulder. "Yeah…unfortunately I still am."
"Sucks to be you," Ichigo smirked as he stood up.
Renji replied with a glare. "Fuck off," he growled as he pushed Keigo off of him.
"Come on you guys!" Orihime called from the doorway of the classroom. "Let's go up to the roof and have some lunch!"
Ichigo and Renji slowly followed her while Keigo was literally skipping his way towards her. "It's such a lovely day, isn't it my beautiful goddess?" he swooned.
Orihime giggled at his antics but didn't reply as she continued walking. But Uryuu suddenly came forward and pulled Keigo away from her. "Stop that," he said to him.
"Uryuu!" Orihime excitingly exclaimed.
Keigo suddenly froze at the familiar way she called out his name. "Wait…what?"
"Wow, slow aren't you?" Renji snickered as he pushed past brunette who was frozen in his spot. He looked over at him and sighed. "They're going out," he finally said, making the connection for him.
Keigo immediately fell on his knees as he cried, "NOOOOO! First Kuchiki-san and now my beautiful Inoue?"
Ichigo groaned at his screams. "He's making it sound like he had a chance with both of them."
"Che, yeah right," Uryuu scoffed as they all continued their way to the roof.
"Are the others already waiting for us?" Renji asked.
"Yup!" Orihime grinned at him, "Tatsuki-chan already went there with everyone else to pick out our spot. More and more students are starting to eat up there too." Just as she finished the four (now that Keigo was gone and still crying his eyes out somewhere) finally arrived at the roof. And immediately they saw their friends sitting at the usual spot. "We're here!"
The others looked up and waved at them. "What took you guys?" Tatsuki asked.
"Keigo," Renji answered her, getting an understanding look from her.
But before any one of them could take a step forward, they immediately noticed something odd in the number of groups. Tatsuki was sitting the closest to them, staring at them with a frown. Ikkaku and Yumichika were already arguing about who had the better fighting technique while Chad sat between them to make sure they didn't try and act out their words. Matsumoto, who was sitting next to them, was already poking fun at Hitsugaya. A third vein was about to make its appearance if it wasn't for Hinamori who was calming him down with her sweet smile. These should have been the only people waiting for them but instead there was another person, sitting next to Hinamori, that was throwing off the picture.
"Rukia?"
The said woman looked up and smiled once she noticed who were before her. "Hey guys. You finally came."
Everyone stared dumbfounded at her but Ichigo was scowling as he stomped over to her. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he gritted his teeth.
Rukia frowned at him by his tone. "What's with that attitude? I brought you your lunch and this is how you thank me?" She held up a bento box in front of him.
Ichigo growled as he shoved her arm down. "That's not important. I thought I told you to stay home and not walk around too much alone! Or did you forget you're pregnant and is an easy target for all those scumbags out there?"
Rukia rolled her eyes at his speech, which she had already heard a thousand times since she moved in with him two months ago. "Yes Ichigo, I know the facts. But Yuzu—"
"I don't care what other people says," he interrupted her, grabbing her wrist to pull her up, "I'm walking you back home. Let's go—WHAT?" he screamed at him from annoyance and pain when she suddenly kicked his shin.
Rukia huffed as she yanked her arm free. "Don't be such a prude. It's not like something is going to happen in broad daylight."
"You don't know that, and that's something I do not want to risk," he sneered at her.
"You're just being over-protective again," Rukia glared at him.
The two were once again in a standstill, sparks flying between them as their friends watch on with interest. "I wonder if we should stop them," Hinamori voiced her opinion.
But Matsumoto just shushed her. "Don't be stupid. I want to see what they're going to do."
"But Kuchiki-san's pregnant. It's not good to be so stressed," she added.
At her words, Rukia quickly broke off the staring contest to turn back to her friends with smile. "I'm fine now, so don't worry."
"Like hell—ow!" Ichigo cringed when Rukia suddenly smacked him over the head.
"Shut up," she muttered at him, "I don't want to make them worry about me or the baby."
"And I can?" he glared back at her as he sat down next to her, a sign of defeat.
She rolled her eyes. "You worry about the stupidest things."
"I can't wait to tell your kid about your relationship," Renji suddenly interjected.
"Shut up," Ichigo scowled at him.
"Anyways, why are you really here, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime asked.
Rukia lifted the bento box again. "Yuzu-chan forgot to give Ichigo his lunch so I volunteered to bring it to him."
"Well it's a good thing you used to be a student here or else you wouldn't have known what time lunch was," Orihime excitingly exclaimed.
Rukia smiled back widely in agreement. "Oh!" she gasped as she remembered something, "Ichigo told me the good news last night. I heard you're dating Ishida now. Congratulations."
Orihime blushed as she smiled embarrassingly. "Thank you," she said, Uryuu blushing next to her as they all sat down.
From a distance they could hear Keigo screaming in disbelief.
"So how far along are you now, Kuchiki-san?" Uryuu asked.
"Three months and three weeks," Rukia announced proudly as she held up her latest ultrasound picture.
"AW!" Orihime, Hinamori and Matsumoto squealed as they crowded around her to look at the picture. "Look at how big it got!"
Tatsuki leaned over and smirked at the picture before pointedly staring at the father. "Aren't you afraid the baby might get your hair?"
Ichigo just glared at her before muttering something like 'bitch…of course I am' under his breath as he started to eat the lunch that Rukia brought.
At her comment, Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika started to laugh out loud. "I can already imagine it!" the bald one exclaimed, "The baby is going to come out with that crazy orange hair, scowling like the idiot father! HAHA—OOF!" he grunted when Ichigo threw the lid of the bento box at him, successfully shutting him up.
"Don't talk shit about my kid," the orange head flipped him off, "At least it won't grow up bald!"
Ikkaku quickly sat up to shove his head at him. "I'm not bald! I just do this to look bad ass!"
Ichigo scowled even more as he tried to push the shiny head away from him. "Keep telling yourself that."
"Why I ought a—"
"Calm down," Renji placed a hand on Ikkaku's shoulder, stopping him from throwing his punch, "It's not like you guys can stop this tragedy from repeating itself by beating the crap out of each other."
The two turned their glares at Renji as they both shouted, "Stay out of this pineapple! At least our kids won't have that gay red hair!"
A vein popped out as Renji cracked his knuckles. "Fucking bastards!" he screamed as he lunged forward at them.
While the three started their fight, Yumichika sighed as he flipped his hair back. "Ugly baboons. No need to show this much violence."
They immediately stopped to glare at him. "Don't tell me you would want your kid to have that hair?" Ikkaku practically groaned in disgust at the shiny hair.
Yumichika flipped it back one more time before shrugging his shoulders. "Why wouldn't I want that? At least my children will be born beautiful because of it."
The three looked at each other in confusion before dismissing the beauty queen to restart their fight. They immediately started to brew up a small storm of dust as fists and kicks were being thrown around. The others on the roof ignored their unusually way of showing their friendship as they continued cooing over Rukia's sonogram. Noticing that nobody was going to do anything, Chad stood up and quickly stepped in to stop the fight, like always.
"So, have you thought of names yet?" Orihime asked.
Rukia shook her head. "We're planning on pushing that off until we find out the gender."
"When do you get to find out?" Matsumoto asked.
"By the fifth month," she answered, "I'm getting really excited."
"Interesting."
Rukia, who was smiling down at her stomach, looked up to frown. "Why?" she asked.
Matsumoto shrugged her shoulders. "Because you two are taking this too casually," she said, moving her pointing-finger between Rukia and a rumpled up Ichigo who just returned to his spot next to her after his fight.
"What's wrong with that?" Ichigo frowned.
"It's just that most teens our age would be freaking out at the idea of having a kid," she started, "They would try and get rid of it or neglect the poor baby for ruining their lives. But you two…well—"
"You two actually seem excited about this baby," Uryuu finished for her, "Like as if you guys have been wanting one all along."
Everyone became quiet as they thought about this. Ichigo and Rukia were staring at their friends before slowly looking at each other. They held each other's gazes, silently asking about one another's reasons for their reaction to the baby.
After a while, Ichigo scratched the back of his head as he finally answered. "Well, I guess it's because we both decided to take full responsibility. You know, raising it right with all the love and affection any other kid would get from their parents."
"Besides," Rukia continued, "Just because other teens neglect their kid doesn't mean we have to too."
"Good answer," Chad smiled.
"I still can't believe you two are having a kid together. And I can't help but question your sanity," Hitsugaya scoffed though he was smirking, "But still; I applaud you two for making such a mature decision."
"But is there really a baby in there?" Yumichika frowned as he stared at Rukia's stomach. "I still don't see any signs of pregnancy."
"In less than a month you'll be able to start seeing it," Rukia told him as she placed her hand on her still-flat stomach.
"I can't believe you're having a baby," Orihime cooed again as she leaned down to smile at Rukia's stomach. "In a few more months a beautiful baby will be born. And you two will become parents."
Rukia nodded with a smile while Ichigo just stared at her stomach. It was true that he accepted the face that he was having a baby with Rukia…But it was still hard to believe he was really having a baby. After all, there were no signs—except Rukia's morning sickness, weird food cravings, hormones, and sonograms—that was making Ichigo feel like a real father. He's only overprotective of Rukia because he had been reminding himself of this fact every second of the day to make it feel more real.
Ding ding ding!
Everyone looked up to groan when they heard the bell ringing. "Lunch is too short," Tatsuki sighed as she closed her bento.
Rukia took Ichigo's box and started to clear up his stuff. "You guys still have ten minutes before class starts."
"You're only saying that since you don't have to go to class anymore," Renji groaned before getting a sharp jab on the ribs by Tatsuki. "Ow! What was that for?" he glared at her when she glared back at him, nodding her head to someone. Renji, while scowling, turned around only to lose color upon realizing his mistake. "Oh…um, sorry—shit."
Rukia, who had finished packing, just smiled sadly at them. "No problem."
"Nice going," Uryuu smacked Renji over the head but the red head didn't say anything back to it.
Ichigo also glared at Renji along with the rest as he stood up. He held his hand out to Rukia who grabbed it as she stood up. "Let me walk you home," he offered.
"No that's okay," she shook his head, "You have class—"
"I'm sure it's going to be fine," he interrupted as they all started to head back inside, "Besides, I'd feel a lot better if I see you returning home safely."
Rukia rolled her eyes. "Stop being so paranoid. Nothing's going to happen."
Uryuu suddenly came forward with Orihime and added his two-cents. "I think it'd be wise to follow him, Kuchiki-san. It's not safe to walk alone."
"Thank you," Ichigo smirked at Rukia much to her annoyance.
"Besides," he continued, "It will keep Kurosaki quiet during class. Who knows what he might do when he's going crazy with worry."
"Yea—Oi!" Ichigo glared at him.
"But seriously, Kuchiki-san," Orihime continued where her boyfriend left off, "It would also give the rest of us a peace at mind knowing you're safe."
Rukia sighed as they came to a stop by their classroom. "Guys, I'm going to be fine. Ichigo walked me home last time, so it's best not to keep doing this. Besides, Morita-sensei isn't nice when it comes to attendance."
Orihime was about to say something when she realized she was right. "True," she sighed in defeat.
Rukia smiled as she looked back up to Ichigo, who was scowling more than usual. "Why don't you just walk me to the lockers instead?" she suggested.
"…Fine," Ichigo groaned as he grabbed her hand and started to lead her away. Rukia looked back to wave good-bye at her friends before they turned the corner and into another hallway.
As they continued to walk, neither of them said anything. They were too busy trying to ignore the stares and whispers they were getting from other students and staffs who were in the halls. Rukia gulped as she looked up at Ichigo from the corner of her eyes only to see him ready to explode in anger. After all, the others weren't really hiding what they were thinking.
Some of the girls were glaring at Rukia, whispering "whore" and that she tied Ichigo to her by becoming pregnant. Some of the guys were giving her suggestive winks, saying how they could have given her a better time or that she was easy. And the school staff members just shook their heads at them, muttering something about how students these days can't keep 'it' in their pants.
"Ichigo," Rukia lightly pulled on his hand which she was still holding, "Do you want anything special for dinner tonight?" she asked, trying to ease up the tension.
"No," he growled, his eyebrows furrowing even further down his face.
"Oh…well then, do you want to watch a movie? I heard something really good just came out last week," she continued trying.
Ichigo turned to look at her, cutting her off with his look. "Rukia."
"Yeah?" she gulped. They suddenly stopped just before the lockers, still holding hands while looking into each other's eyes. The others were still staring and pointing at them and Rukia could see the obvious distraught in his eyes. She sighed, knowing nothing was going to keep his mind off what was happening. "Ichigo, just forget what they're—"
Her words got abruptly cut off when Ichigo grabbed the back of her head and yanked her upwards to collide with his lips. Rukia was taken aback by his uncharacteristic reaction to all the stares they were getting from other people—who gasped from the sudden public display of affection. But instead of resisting, she closed her eyes and kissed him back, inwardly rejoicing at his method of saving her.
After awhile Ichigo finally pulled away to smirk at her flustered expression. "How was that?" he asked breathlessly, making sure nobody else but Rukia could hear him.
Slightly out of breath, she nodded her head as a wide grin appeared. "I liked that. Thanks."
"Anytime midget," he smiled back as he released her. "And text me when you get home," he said more loudly.
Rukia nodded as she made her way out the school main doors, pleased to see everyone was still in shock by what just happened. Ichigo silently watched until Rukia was out of sight. But instead of bringing him relief, a ton of worry dropped onto his shoulders.
"What's up with that gloomy look?"
He turned his head to see Renji suddenly standing next to him, an arm resting on the orange head's shoulder. Ichigo rolled his shoulders back to shake him off as he looked back up to where Rukia had disappeared. "I'm just worried about her safety."
"Che, she's a strong girl," he said.
Ichigo's scowl deepened. "Yeah, but she's pregnant right now."
Renji opened his mouth to say something back, but nothing came to mind so he shut it. After a few seconds of the tense silence—which he never really fared well under—he cleared his throat to try and change the subject. "So…um, what was up with that kiss?"
"What kiss?" Ichigo asked as he finally turned around to walk back to class. He didn't even notice how everyone was literally gawking at him.
Renji snorted again. "You know what I'm talking about," he winked, "You just kissed Rukia in front of dozens of students."
Ichigo's shoulder tensed for a second. "Yeah, so?"
The red head rolled his head back in laughter. "Dude, don't get so worked up. I'm just praising you for how you stood up for your girl when those idiots—" he pointed behind them to where the other students were staring at them, "—were talking shit. It was pretty romantic."
"Shut up," Ichigo spat out, "And don't address Rukia as my girl. She's not some object that people can possess."
"But you're acting like one," Renji smirked.
"Why are you talking as if you're fine with this relationship?" he asked, coming to a halt. "Weren't you the one who liked her? Not Keigo-like like, but had a crush on her and everything when she first came here?"
The red head scratched the back of his head as he tried to think of an answer. "Yeah I did…but, well, it's different now."
"How so?"
"Dude, never go after your friend's woman, whether it's official or not," he quickly added before Ichigo could retort, "The moment you guys kissed, Rukia became off limits from your friends. Besides, it was just a small crush, no biggie. I'm totally fine with it."
But even with his reassuring grin, Ichigo still felt like he wasn't telling the truth. "Com'on man, don't lie to me. It's fine if you still—"
"Hey!" his eyebrows furrowed a bit, "I just told you that it's okay. So stop trying to worry over something that you don't have to. Instead, why don't you worry about your woman and the cargo she's carrying," he smirked, noticing the blush appearing on his friend's face, "I'm sure she would appreciate the attention more than me." Renji quickly walked away before Ichigo could retort, entering their classroom and to their group of friends.
Ichigo only glared at the back of his so-called friend as he returned to his seat. He slumped down and closed his eyes, nothing but Rukia clouding his mind. Already he was starting to wonder where she was, how fast she's walking, if she took the right turn or not, etc. Damn, he cursed inwardly, If I'm already this overprotective, what is it going to be like once the baby is born?
Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.
Ichigo was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when his phone started to vibrate in his pocket. Pulling it out, he opened his phone and placed it next to his ear without checking the caller. "Hello?" he answered, his voice a little annoyed.
"Does this make you feel better?"
Ichigo was quiet for a moment before a smile spread across his lips again. He stood up and walked over to lean against the window so nobody could hear him. "Yes, much better." He heard Rukia chuckling on the other side before he asked where she was now.
"I'm passing the snack shop. I had a craving for some ice cream so I bought one," she replied.
Ichigo groaned as he leaned his forehead against the cold window glass. "I know the doctor said it's good to eat a lot, but please tone down on the junk food. You wouldn't want to give birth to a twenty-pound baby, now would you?"
Again, Rukia laughed out loud. "You worry too much."
"I can't help it," he chuckled.
"Well in any case, do you have to stay late today?" she asked.
Ichigo waited a second as he waited for her to eat some ice cream that he could hear her licking before answering. "Nah, I don't have clean-up duty today so I can come home straight. You want me to get you anything?"
"Hmm…," she paused to think. "How about some strawberries?"
Ichigo slightly blushed, even though he knew she was referring to the fruit and not…um, well, him. "Are you serious?" he grunted, placing his warm cheek against the window.
Rukia laughed from the other side. "Why? Is there a problem?"
"I know you're doing this deliberately to make fun of me."
"You know me too well."
Ichigo sighed as he peered outside. "What are you going to do once you get home?"
"I don't know," she replied, "Probably help obaachan with cleaning and later help Yuzu with dinner."
"Please don't," he begged.
"Why not? I'm not going to get hurt—"
"No. I'm more worried that you might destroy the house," he smirked.
"Bastard," she snarled over the phone, making it easy for him to imagine her scowl.
He chuckled. "Where are you now?"
"I'm by the park now," she informed him, "I'm almost home so—just a second," her voice suddenly hardened.
Ichigo stood up straight as a creeping feeling went down his spine. Something was wrong and he could tell by the weird sounds coming from the other side of the phone. It sounded like Rukia was now talking to someone else but he could barely make out what they were saying, suggesting that she was covering the phone.
He remained completely still to try and listen to what was happening but all he got was some ruffling of clothes and incomprehensible mumbling. He was so focused that he didn't even hear the bell ringing and Morita-sensei entering the room.
"Okay class let's—Kurosaki!" he gasped when he noticed the orange head against the window. "Turn off your phone and return to your seat immediately!"
But Ichigo just ignored him as he continued listening. As the teacher went on and on about meeting the principal and going to detention, he finally heard something, but it wasn't what he was hoping for.
"HEY! LET GO OF ME!"
"Kurosaki!"
"SHIT!" Ichigo cursed as he quickly ran out of the classroom, leaving his teacher dumbfounded. He didn't stop when Morita-sensei shouted after him. He didn't even stop to change his shoes as he ran out the school. Shit, shit, shit, shit! he continued cursing in his head as he ran with all his might to the park that Rukia told him.
Nothing stopped him as he ran. No matter how many people he ended up bumping against, no matter how many times he had to cut across the busy street, he just kept running. Images of his mother, bloody and dead, kept flashing in his mind as he started to panic. Please be okay!
"Hey, don't leave," a male voice came from not too far away.
"I said let go!" a female voice this time, and it sounded strained.
Ichigo skidded to a stop when he saw Rukia in front of him. But her arm was being held by a rough looking man, possibly a senior from their school judging by the uniform he was wearing. But what was really occupying Ichigo's mind was Rukia: her face was contorted in annoyance and pain. Any exhaustion he felt from his run was quickly replaced by anger.
"Com'on, don't struggle," the student held his grip as he stroked one of her cheeks, "I know you went after Kurosaki because of his bad-ass look. But I promise I'm much better."
"I said 'no'," Rukia muttered as she started to lose her patience. For the past few minutes she's been trying to get away. But whenever she turned to leave, he would just grab her arm and yank her back harder each time. If this had happened a few months sooner, she would have had no trouble beating the crap out of this guy, but the fact that her lower abdomen was now starting to feel uncomfortable, it was keeping her still from doing anything irrational.
"Don't you like this?" he whispered against her ear.
Shit! she cursed inwardly, I should have listened to Ichigo!
The student snickered as he reached to run his fingers through her raven hair. "Now, shut up and—" his words were suddenly cut off when a hand came out of nowhere and yanked him away from the girl he was trying to seduce. "EUGH!" he grunted as he tumbled onto the ground. He winced at the sudden painful fall and glared up to see the person who got in his way. "What the fuck—" for the second time his words got cut off when he realized who was in front of him.
Once Ichigo grabbed the back of his shirt, he yanked him away with a swift pull and immediately steadied Rukia by holding her gently against his chest. He glared down at the senior and growled, "What the fuck are you doing with Rukia?"
The senior just stared up at him in shock for a few seconds before returning the glare. "Haven't you ever heard of a 'simple conversation,' Kurosaki? I was just helping out Kuchiki there."
Ichigo snorted before looking down at Rukia checking to see if she was hurt anywhere. "You okay? Want me to take you to the hospital?"
Rukia shook her head. "No, I'm fine, just a bit nerve wrecked. Just take me home. Your father can check me out."
"Okay," he nodded as he started to lead her away.
"Oi!" the senior stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder. "Don't turn your back at me! I should beat you up for what you did!"
A vein popped out as Ichigo quickly turned to deliver a hard right hook at the man in front of him. And before the senior fell down, Ichigo grabbed the front of his uniform and tossed him to the side by kicking him hard in the guts. The senior grunted as he doubled over in pain.
As soon as his knees touched the ground, Ichigo grabbed the top of his head and yanked his head up to deliver his scariest glare. "Come near her again, I promise you won't get out of this alive. Got it?" he snarled at him.
The senior quickly nodded his head before Ichigo shoved him away. He scrambled to his feet and made a run for it as Ichigo returned to Rukia, who was breathing deeply to calm herself down.
"You okay?" he asked softly as he stood in front of her, placing a hand over her cheek.
Rukia sighed as she leaned against his chest. "I was scared," she answered truthfully.
Ichigo nodded as he wrapped an arm around her. "Next time, please listen to me?"
"…I will," she sighed in defeat.
"Good." Ichigo couldn't help but smirk as he stepped back to turn his back to her. He crouched down and turned his head to look back at her. "Get on. I don't want you walking right now."
Rukia nodded as she gently wrapped her arms around his neck. Ichigo hooked his arms under each knee and started the last few blocks to the clinic. The two remained quiet, not trusting themselves to talk at the moment. Luckily he arrived at their destination quickly. Instead of going through the back door, Ichigo headed to the front where he knew his father would be.
The bell chimed as the glass door swung open.
Isshin looked up from the table with his usual smile. "WELCOME—huh?" his smile died the moment he saw his son in front of him. "Ichigo? Why aren't you at school?"
"A little help, please?" Ichigo groaned as he tilted his head to the side to show the person on his back.
Isshin gasped. "Rukia-chan! What happened?"
The young woman let out a small chuckle. "Long story."
"Which wouldn't have happened in the first place if only she had listened to me," Ichigo commented, getting a glare aimed at the back of his head.
"Well, it might be serious but let's do a quick check up just in case." Isshin quickly led them to a spare room. As Ichigo gently laid Rukia on the bed, Isshin quickly gathered all his equipment. "Ichigo, I need you to stay outside as I examine her."
"What?" Ichigo exclaimed, "How can I do that when she—"
"Ichigo," Isshin stopped him, giving him a serious look which was uncommon. Knowing he meant business, Ichigo just gulped as he nodded his head.
Rukia smiled as she grabbed his hand. "I'll be fine. Don't worry," she reassured him with her cheerful tone. Again Ichigo nodded just before heading out of the room. With one last look, he closed the door behind him and went to sit on one of the seats against the wall.
Slumping in his seat, Ichigo looked blankly in front of him, trying to calm himself after everything that just happened. Luckily it was nothing serious that could have hurt the baby, but still…
"I'm already whipped by that kid," he sighed.
Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!
Ichigo was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when his phone starting vibrating again. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed the shaking object and flipped it open. "Yeah?" he sighed.
"Ichigo! Where the hell are you?"
The orange head slightly cringed at the loud voice. "Calm down, Tatsuki. I'm at my place right now."
"Well, why are you there? Do you know how much trouble you're in!" she continued yelling.
"That's not important," he replied, "I was talking to Rukia on the phone when I heard something that freaked me out." He paused, waiting for a reply, but when there was nothing but silence, he continued his story. "When I got to her, she was being harassed by some upperclassman from our school. I beaten the shit out of that guy and brought her to my dad for a check-up, just in case."
"…WHAT THE FUCK?"
Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, my thoughts exactly."
"Who is this bastard? I'll gather the troops and kill him!"
A weird picture of his friends in military uniform popped in his mind. "No, there's no need to go that far. I think I scared him enough as it is."
"I don't care," she snarled at him, "I'm not just going to sit by and let some fucker get away with hurting my pregnant friend!"
Ichigo smirked. "Thanks for the offer. If you really want to know, it shouldn't be too hard since he looks all beaten up."
"Roger. I'll keep a look out for him. So, how is she now?" she asked, her voice starting to panic.
"I'm still waiting. But I don't think it's anything serious."
A sigh of relief came from the other side. "Well, I guess I can tell the teachers so you don't get in trouble. But you should still have your father contact the school or something."
"I know. Thanks for the help," Ichigo slightly smiled.
"No problem. We'll come by later but text me once you find out, okay?"
"Okay," he replied before hanging up the phone, knowing full well she would take care of things back at school. He remained in his seat for almost an hour, panic starting to rise in his chest as the minute hand kept ticking away. If there was nothing wrong, then why was it taking so long?
Just as his thoughts ended, the door finally opened and his father stepped out. Ichigo stood up and looked at his father who was reading his charts. "Well?" he asked.
Isshin looked up to smile at him. "Everything's fine. She's just a little stressed by what happened."
A sigh of relief came from him. "So we don't have to go to the hospital?"
Isshin shook his head. "No, she'll be fine after some rest. She's already asleep so it's okay if you go see her. Just don't wake her."
"Got it," and without waiting another second, Ichigo quickly rushed into her room. He wasn't worried about informing his father what had happened since he was sure Rukia already told him everything. And Isshin would be able to explain everything to the others, which would save Ichigo the trouble.
As soon as he sat down next to the bed, Ichigo turned his attention to the sleeping woman in front of him. She was breathing evenly, her complexion slightly back to their normal shade. Another sigh of relief came from him as he stared at her. His eyes then trailed down to her stomach where he stared at silently for several seconds. Finally, he gently placed a trembling hand on her stomach.
A small gasp escaped his lips when he felt a small bump forming at the base of her stomach. It wasn't much to give it a clear pregnant-form, but it was enough to feel the growth of the baby.
A real baby.
His baby.
Their baby.
An unbelievable amount of love and affection suddenly filled Ichigo as he steadied his hands to feel the bump more thoroughly. In here, in this tiny person, lies his one and only child. He looked up to see Rukia peacefully sleeping with a small smile on her face.
She never looked so beautiful.
"I'm going to protect you," he whispered at her before looking back at her stomach. "I'm going to protect both of you forever."
A/N: I noticed that in a few of my stories I like to write a scene where Rukia is attacked and Ichigo comes to save her. I should try a story when it goes the other way sometime...but not now. Anyways, so how was it? It came out pretty long because I added some random scenes with their friends...but I had to include them somewhere to show how much support they were getting. And I had to add a little thing with Renji because 1) I wrote a little bit about it in the sequel so I have to have in this story, and 2) to show how he values his friendships so much that it doesn't take him long to step aside and cheer for them. I think he can be a sweetheart if he wanted to be...just waiting for something like that to happen for real in the actual manga...(okay, so something similar happened but Ichigo and Rukia haven't realized their feelings yet so it's not complete!)
Anyways, thanks for reading and please review!
Preview for next chapter:
Finding out the gender
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