Leave Out All the Rest

Well, I thought I couldn\'t make it, I mean I wasn\'t sure if I could publish this chapter today, mainly because I\'m out of my country and it wasn\'t until Thursday I leanr how to connect my laptop to internet.



Anyway, this is the new chapter, I really enoy writing this one and I hope all of you enjoy the reading.





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Chapter 20



The first time she moved



Hinamori looked over the papers she had in her hand, not paying any mind to her surroundings. It was early in the morning and there wasn’t anyone in sight. Her footsteps were the only thing breaking the silence of the halls that were taking her to the office of her former Captain. It had taken some time, but she had accepted the truth about Aizen; that didn’t mean she liked it or that she no longer had Aizen in her mind and heart. He was, after all, a great man in her opinion. Whether he was good or evil.



She remembered his words and his teachings, she remembered that it was thanks to him that she realized that Toshiro liked her, really liked her, not as a sister but as a…woman. At that time she had thought it was ridiculous and that she needed to make him understand that she wasn’t interested, and that her heart was already in another place. But as always, her Captain had been wise enough to tell her that she shouldn’t let him down like that. So she didn’t and she spent time with him, and in the end she realized that if Aizen Sousuke wasn’t the man for her, maybe Shiro-chan could be a good replacement.



But that plan had been ruined by that woman and her cunning tricks to trap Shiro-chan into a situation he probably wasn’t ready for. And now, Hinamori was left to fall into oblivion.



“Wow! You don’t seem to be a morning person, eh?” Hinamori woke, startled, from her thoughts at the voice of her future Captain. Kurosaki Ichigo was looking at her with sleepy eyes, a hand scratching the back of his head and his shihakusho opened to show his chest, which made Hinamori blink for a moment before a blush formed on her face.



“K-Kurosaki-kun!! What are you doing here?” she said noticing for the first time that she was in front of the Captain’s office, where Ichigo had stepped from.



Ichigo lowered his gaze, an annoyed expression clearly visible. “Rukia is still mad at me for sending Nel with ‘uncomfortable’ questions to Byakuya. So, I was kicked out of her room.”



“I see,” was all she could say; there was a moment of silence while Ichigo looked critically at Hinamori. She was really thinking something that had her usual calm and content expression sombre and filled with annoyance.



“What’s this?” Ichigo took the papers Hinamori had in her hand and looked over them while Hinamori explained that they were the different reports she had to give in the fukutaichou’s reunion.



“But that reunion isn’t until ten!” exclaimed Ichigo.



“I know, but I wanted to make sure that I had everything in order.”



“Did you have breakfast?” Hinamori let out a simple smile and nodded her head; with an eyebrow lifted Ichigo entered the office, left the reports on the desk and dressed up. “And what did you have for breakfast?”



“A cup of tea.”



“Humph, that’s not breakfast at all, and waking up at this unholy hour for some stupid reports…”



“B-but…”



“Let’s go, I’m hungry.” Without hearing her protests Ichigo dragged Hinamori to the kitchens of the fifth division to have a proper breakfast.



For some members of the fifth division the former Ryoka and the soon to be taichou of their division was a mystery. Some of them looked over at the man with wariness in their eyes; someone that cooked and that was talking like that with Hinamori could be just another Aizen. Of course the difference would be the kind smile (from Aizen) and the scowling face (from Ichigo).



“Toshiro asked about you the other day,” commented Ichigo casually; Hinamori tensed up but kept her attention on the eggs Ichigo had made for them. Ichigo eyed the girl to see if there was any kind of reaction, it was such a pain, but she was a good person and he already felt the need to help her out. It was only right.



“I don’t know why, he has someone to make him happy. Why would he need me for?” the last part was said with bitterness and a tinge of annoyance.



“I don’t know, Rukia told me that the relationships that are forged in Rukongai are the most powerful and important ones,” said Ichigo, shrugging. “I thought you loved Toshiro enough to look past your own jealousy and notice that he is actually happy.”



Hinamori felt a tug of pain in her chest at those words, and the harsh tone Ichigo uttered them with; she was about to reply when a well-known blur of green and white appeared and launched itself against Ichigo, who fell from his chair.



“Itsygo!! How was your night?!”



“Nel, did you steal candies from Ukitake-san again?” asked Ichigo, smiling at the girl while standing up with her still attached to his chest. Nel nodded her head vigorously and Ichigo rolled his eyes.



“Want some?” she said, pulling a handful of candies from her clothes. Ichigo shook his head and Nel then turned to Hinamori, offering her the candies. The fukutaichou of the fifth division took them with a soft thank you and a gentle smile on her face before excusing herself to go to the fukutaichou’s reunion.



Ichigo watched as Hinamori walked away from the kitchens. He sighed tiredly at the situation; he didn’t understand why the girl was so mad with Toshiro and Rangiku, but at least he hoped that his words made her think over the situation a little. Ichigo looked at Nel and his thoughts went immediately to Rukia, who was probably was about to go to her first reunion as the fukutaichou of the thirteenth division. He wished she wasn’t that mad at him, because he certainly missed her last night.



“So do you want to go visit Chibi-chan?” asked Ichigo casually. Nel’s eyes lit up at the mention of that name and she jumped immediately to Ichigo’s back; the orange-haired shinigami scowled at the familiarity of that particular scene.





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Toshiro couldn’t stop blushing every time his eyes met Rangiku’s and he saw the knowing grin she was wearing. He didn’t mean to fall asleep in that position while talking to his daughter, but he had done it and the woman hadn’t stopped teasing him since that morning. His third and fourth seats tried hard to remain impassive at the teasing comments their fukutaichou made once in a while to a frowning Toshiro, who was glaring at her.



“Don’t you have to go?” he asked. Rangiku pouted slightly and their subordinates let out low snickers.



“Taichou, you’re so mean to me!” she said sobbing a little; the fourth seat took pity on their taichou and cleared his throat.



“Matsumoto-fukutaichou, it’s late and we should get going to the reunion.” Matsumoto nodded while wiping away some of her tears while Hitsugaya tried to apologize to her without looking bad in front of his subordinates.



“I…I guess I’ll see you at lunch?”



“Of course. Besides, it’s only for today and this reunion is pretty important according to what Ise-san said on that hell butterfly.”



“Okay, I’ll see you then.” And just like that Matsumoto left the place with the fourth seat following her close behind.



“Can I help you with something Nekozawa?” Hitsugaya asked the third seat once Matsumoto was gone.



“Yes, Sir. This arrived to our division early in the morning,” said Nekozawa, pulling a blue bento box out of the bag he was carrying.



Toshiro’s eyes went wide when he recognized it as the one his grandmother used to send him once in a while with his favourite food. He took the bento box and put it on the table; when he turned around he saw that his third seat was giving him a letter.



“This was in the same package.” Hitsugaya gulped slightly, his granny almost never wrote to him, and when she did was to remind him that it was time for him to go on a visit.



“Thank you, you may go now Nekozawa.”



“Yes, Sir,” said the man, bowing slightly.



Alone in his place, he took the bento box, where he knew he would find rice with the sugared natto that his granny made just right, into the kitchen, and went back to the living room to read her letter. He hadn’t thought about her in a long time, what with the war and his going on a mission to the Real World, he hadn’t had the time to even tell her about himself and Rangiku. When he was opening the letter he felt a small presence behind him, but before he could do anything a pair of small, cold hands covered his eyes and a loud voice screamed in his ear.



“Guess who, Chibi-chan!!” Startled from the scream, Toshiro jumped a little and grabbed Nel by her hands, keeping her there.



“Did you steal candies from Ukitake again, Nel?” asked Toshiro with a little annoyance.



“Yep. He has many candies!!! Yachiru-chan told me where to find them!” said Nel with a hint of pride in her voice.



“And where is that father figure of yours?” asked Toshiro while taking Nel off of him and putting her on the sofa.



“I’m here,” said Ichigo, entering Hitsugaya’s rooms, with his eyes roaming around curiously. “Wow, you got a nice place here. How did you get it?”



“It was a month after I was appointed as a Captain,” said Hitsugaya, putting his granny’s letter inside his robes. “Kyouraku and Ukitake thought it would be good for me to be out of the office and the division, so they got Central 46 and Yamamoto-soutaichou to give me this place.”



“Really? That’s good right? I mean, you got a whole compound for yourself.”



“I don’t know if it was a good thing,” said Toshiro with a scowl, “After I moved in here they were closer to me, which means that they bother me to no end every time they can.”



“If you say so, personally I wouldn’t mind a place like this,” said Ichigo, shrugging. “The farther away I can be from Byakuya…”



“Byaku-jii don’t like Itsygo,” said Nel, shaking her head.



“I wonder why,” commented Toshiro with a smirk.



“Okay, you said something about moving your things? I’m here for that,” said Ichigo. “Or you don’t want my help anymore?”



“Right, come is this way,” said Toshiro, leaving the living room and walking down a hall with a view to the small garden in the middle of his place.



The rest of the morning Toshiro and Ichigo moved the things from one room to the other. Nel was always there, helping them occasionally when she didn’t distract herself running around the compound and playing with some of Toshiro’s toys, that he obviously denied were his and he said that those were only gifts from Hinamori. Once again the white-haired taichou was surprise at how Ichigo behaved or talked. It was different and familiar in some way, and Hyorinmaru told him that he was getting attached to the boy and that he was very proud that after a hundred of years he finally had a male best friend.



Seriously, Hinamori was too girlish.



‘Maybe that’s because she is a girl.’



Yeah, maybe…but even like that, giving you a teddy bear instead of those things Zabimaru told me his owner had…you know, those action figures.





‘How is Haineko?’ asked Hitsugaya out of the blue, trying not so subtly to change the topic, and mentioning Haineko was the best way to distract his zanpakutou.



“Oh, so you were the one that kept the PS2 that Renji had,” said Ichigo, pulling out the video game console from a box that was full with video games.



“I didn’t keep it, I bought it,” said Hitsugaya, insulted that Ichigo insinuated that he kept something that wasn’t his. “As if I was going to use my shinigami powers to ‘borrow’ this, like Abarai did.”



“You guys are pretty weird…”commented Ichigo while eying some of the games. “Well, I expect you to invite me over to play, you got pretty good taste.”



There was a moment of silence in which Toshiro busied himself with some books, until with a sighed he mumbled, “Yeah, sure.”



It was weird to have someone like Kurosaki near; he was different. Not the exasperating kind like Ukitake or Kyouraku, or the patronizing ones like Hinamori or Ayagesawa and Hisagi. Kurosaki treated him as an equal, as he treated pretty much all the people he held certain semblance of respect for.



“And of course I think it would be better if you have a TV to play on.”



“Ah, that, I got Urahara to fix something nice for me. He said he would send it to me. Stop lazing around and help me with this…”said Hitsugaya looking a little uncomfortably to the highest part of the book shelf.



Ichigo smirked, “You need help to put that up there?”



“What do you think?” said Hitsugaya with a twitching eyebrow.



“Nah, Toshiro, you should be nice, right Nel?”



“Yeah, he should be nice,” said Nel giggling slightly. Hitsugaya was about to snap when Ichigo took the books and put them in the book shelf.



“You couldn’t do that without bothering me?” Ichigo shrugged and didn’t pay any mind to Hitsugaya’s bad mood.



“Nah, otherwise I would be bored.”



Nel got bored of Ichigo and Toshiro talking to each other and went to look inside in one of the boxes that were marked with big pink letters and kitties drawn all around it. She neared it, making sure that she wasn’t doing anything wrong and that could get her in trouble, and opened the box. Inside there were picture frames and some papers with some pictures here and there. Ignoring the fact that her hands were dirty and kind of sticky from a lollypop she had enjoyed earlier, she took the first picture that called her attention. She knew that man, back in Hueco Mundo he was one of the weirdest looking ones, and the woman beside him was Rangiku.



“Hey, what you got there?” Nel lifted her eyes to see Hitsugaya leaning over her; his eyes went cold at the image and Nel had the feeling that he wasn’t that pleased.



“Sorry,” she mumbled, feeling bad because she had made her Chibi-chan mad.



Toshiro didn’t say anything for a moment; his eyes were focused on the picture of Gin, who apparently was a fukutaichou at that time, and Rangiku who had her academy uniform on. He looked at Nel, who had tears in her eyes and was about ready to cry. To her surprise, Toshio put a hand on her head and smiled sweetly at her.



“Don’t need to be sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong,” he said; the girl let go of the picture and hugged him.



“Okay, Chibi-chan!”



“And, stop calling me that,” said Toshiro trying to take Nel’s dirty hands from his white haori.





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With the help of Kurosaki, and occasionally Nel, Toshiro had his new studio tidied up and the room next to his and Rangiku’s free. As he promise her, he had lunch with her and spent the rest of his afternoon with her and Nanao, both of the women talking about a party for the unborn child and who should be invited. He tried to participate but was cut off by a kiss from Rangiku, who told him that it was a party for the Shinigami Women’s Association.



He didn’t understand, but he let them be while he got to read the letter from his granny. He knew after he finished reading it that he and Rangiku needed to go over there. The old woman was dying to know what had happened to him and how he was so he decided to pay her a visit at the end of the week, when he was sure the nursery would be finished.



So, the days before Friday he spent with Rangiku and Ichigo, who was helping him paint and arrange things in the baby room.



“What are you two doing?” asked Rangiku Wednesday morning; she had seen Ichigo and Toshiro came out of the room with some green paint marks on their faces and on their clothes. Her eyes narrowed as soon as he saw both of them blushing slightly and stammering some excuse.



“Oh, nothing, just… you know… men stuff,” said Toshiro to which Ichigo rolled his eyes and Rangiku looked very amused.



“Men stuff?” she asked, and the young taichou felt slightly insulted because she had a mocking tone and her eyes were gleaming with amusement.



“Yes, you know, like you and Ise-fukutaichou were doing yesterday,” he said crossing his arms; Rangiku giggled and moved her hand to his cheek, wiping some of the fresh paint off.



“I see, then don’t let me bother you. I have to see Nanao; if I am right she took my advice and should be at Shun-kun’s place right now.”



“Just what kind of advice did you give her?” Ichigo asked, mildly interested. “You know, for her to go anywhere near her taichou’s place.” Rangiku didn’t answer but her smile grew a little before turning around.



Toshiro looked at Ichigo, who nodded and went back in the room to give Toshiro a moment alone with Rangiku. The white-haired taichou grabbed her hand and stopped her for a moment; she turned around quite surprised at his actions. He neared her, putting a hand on her tummy and smiling slightly at her.



“I’m sorry that we can’t spend the morning together.”



“It’s okay, you seem rather occupied with those ‘manly’ things you’re doing with Ichigo,” she said, the teasing tone quite noticeable in her voice; he frowned slightly at her words.



“Either way, I was thinking that maybe…dinner tonight? And a good show, maybe? I know a place, and Kuchiki-taichou recommended it to me, so maybe it isn’t that bad,” said Hitsugaya; Rangiku nodded her head and smiled happily at him.



“Sounds fun. So tonight?”



“Yes. Be careful,” he said, leaning in to kiss her on the lips and then proceed to kiss her on her tummy. “You too little princess, be careful.”



He watched satisfied as Rangiku left with a tinge of red on her cheeks. He wasn’t that worried, after all Kyouraku’s place was just beside his. The man had even made a door exclusively between his compound and Toshiro’s, much to the young taichou’s annoyance. But now, that small door that he tried to covered up over the years had its usefulness. He watched her for a moment before turning around and leaving for his division, where his Third and Fourth seats had informed him that the things he had ask for had arrived.





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“You know? Maybe we should…I just remembered that Kurosaki said that I…” he was cut off, as it was her habit, by a kiss from Rangiku. He had been really nervous and she had to wonder why; it wasn’t as if they hadn’t been to his granny’s place before.



“Are ashamed that she’ll see you with me?” she asked suddenly. Toshiro frowned and looked at her, Rangiku was trying very hard not to sound or look hurt at the mere thought.



“Of course not! That’s ridiculous. Who would be ashamed of being with you?” said Toshiro, resuming their walk. “Even if you don’t look… you know, like before. Though your…you know, they are a little bigger than…”



This time she silenced him with a slap on his head; he turned around and saw that she wasn’t amused at his attempted of a joke.



Really, we need to work those skills of yours when making jokes, you suck at doing that.



“Okay, then why are you so nervous?” Hitsugaya sighed, looking up at the blue sky before answering that question.



“I… the night I… slept with you I came here,” he said; Matsumoto raised an eyebrow in wonder but didn’t say anything. “I told her everything; she wouldn’t let me go until I did. I don’t know how happy or proud she is going to be with me when she finds out in the situation I put you in.”



They walked in silence for a moment, Rangiku looking at him once in a while thinking of what he had just said. Absentmindedly, she put a hand on her belly, thinking of the possibilities, of the ways that night could have ended or whose child she would be carrying now. The emotions this situation aroused in her were strong and wonderful, and she had so many words to describe how scared but happy she felt. Being a mother in a place where having a kid was so rare… and with a man like him.



The hug caught Hitsugaya by surprise. He barely had the time to say anything at all when he found himself being buried in the well-known breasts of his girlfriend. She had tears in her eyes and it made him worried. He was about to ask what happened when she interrupt him.



“You didn’t put me in any situation that I’m not happy to be in.”



“Uh? What are you talking about?”



“I’m happy to be like this, it feels right. So don’t worry, this is the best gift you could give me.” Toshiro nodded his head and blinked, still confused by the little outburst, though he wasn’t about to complain, he did need all the encouragement he could get.



After many stops to let Rangiku rest for a while, they finally made their way to first district of west Rukongai where Hitsugaya’s granny lived. They were about to enter the place when the door opened to reveal a shocked Hinamori.



Oh this seems quite an uncomfortable situation…



You enjoy making unnecessary comments in the middle of the most important situations, don’t you? asked Haineko, on top of Hyorinamru’s head; both of their masters were hearing their conversation though their attention was on the girl that was looking (more like glaring) at them.



“Hinamori…” started Toshiro, a voice inside the house interrupted him.



“Who is it, Momo-chan?” Toshiro’s grandmother appeared from behind the fifth division fukutaichou and didn’t look surprised to see Toshiro and Rangiku there.



“I see, where are your manners, Momo?” said the woman with a gentle, yet firm voice.



“Good afternoon, Matsumoto-fukutaichou, Hitsugaya-taichou,” said the girl, turning around to face her grandmother. Hitsugaya flinched at the cold tone of her voice and was about to say something when Hinamori spoke again. “I have to get going; today Kurosaki-kun is being officially appointed as my taichou. Thanks for the lunch, Granny.”



Without giving them a last glance she left running down the road. Toshiro stood there a little upset for the whole situation and it wasn’t until he felt Rangiku’s hand on his shoulder and the soft caress of her reiatsu that he cheered up a little.



The old woman watched as Hinamori disappeared and sighed tiredly before turning her attention to the couple before her. With renewed energy she smiled at Toshiro and Rangiku, letting them in.



“Granny, what was Hinamori doing here?” asked Toshiro.



“She needed a little space. So she came here to talk a little with this old woman.” They stood there for a moment before the woman signalled for them to sit around the table. She looked a little longer to Rangiku, an eyebrow raised but she decided to keep her comments. For now.



“Talk about what?” asked Toshiro, curious and worried at the same time.



“You should know, you can spend more time with her than me.”



“Yeah, that… we… we haven’t talked for a while.”



“Really? And why is that?” Toshiro sighed, he knew she wasn’t about to make things easy for him.



“Well, I don’t know but I think she is mad about… my situation.” Rangiku was watching as the old woman looked at Toshiro with a serious expression. He was trying very hard to look for the right words. Rangiku was amused by the whole situation; it wasn’t very often that she saw Toshiro look like a scolded child; now she understood why he had been so nervous.



“And what situation is that?” This time he glared at his grandmother and the old woman gave him a half smile.



“Now, you’re making fun of me.”



“Well, since you seemed to forget all about me during at least three months…”



“I’m sorry Granny, I didn’t mean to.”



“I know, tell me Rangiku-san, how have you been?” asked the old woman.



“I… I’m fine,” answered Rangiku, not really knowing what she should say at all.



“Granny, Rangiku and I…” he trailed off; with a serious and firm look on his face he intertwined his hand with Rangiku’s and squeezed a little. “We’ve been dating for a time now.”



“I’m glad you took my advice, but couldn’t you wait a little longer, Toshiro-chan?” asked the old woman, looking at Rangiku and then at the boy as he blushed slightly.



“Granny!” he said, slightly mortified.



“Don’t tell me you did it in one just try?” this time Rangiku laughed out loud while Toshiro banged his head to the table. He was surrounded by people that liked making fun of him.



See? I knew I liked your grandmother for a reason!



“Well, he is quite talented, and a prodigy, so you shouldn’t be surprised,” added Rangiku; Toshiro looked at her with a glare and a blush while his grandmother giggled.



“I see, I hope my grandchild is making you happy and helping you out.”



“He is, I couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend or father for my child.”



From then on the conversation was about Rangiku’s pregnancy and the relationship between her and Toshiro. It was quite enjoyable as Rangiku found out; the woman had the most amazing stories, not only about Toshiro but about any topic she could imagine. Then she made Toshiro tell her about what he did after he left his granny’s home after his last visit. Rangiku lay down with her head on Toshiro’s legs, hearing her taichou narrate the events until the end of the winter war.



“So, Momo-chan didn’t take the news of your relationship with Rangiku-san well?” asked the old woman, Toshiro shook his head. “Don’t worry, she just needs time. Do you want some tea? Anything I can offer you?”



“Tea would be fine, thank you,” said Rangiku. Toshiro nodded his head once again, but stopped when he saw his grandmother raise an eyebrow at him.



“I’ll be right back,” he said, helping Rangiku sit up.



He followed his grandmother to the kitchen, a little wary; for an old woman and someone that looked as if she was about to faint any moment, the old woman had a lot of energy. Overall, when it came to scolding or cheering Hitsugaya (and Momo) up. And he had a feeling that it was the first option. He narrowed his eyes when he saw his grandmother grab the wooden spoon she liked so much and decided to keep a safe distance from her while he helped her out.



“I’m glad for you, Toshiro,” said the old woman, looking at the boy. Hitsugaya noticed with pride that he was taller than his granny this time, though the look in her eyes didn’t make him feel that tall. “You’re a good… man. And you do have a lovely girlfriend.”



“Thank you Granny,” he said, smiling a little. “She is incredible, and I’m happy. I’m going to be a father.”



The old woman watched with amusement as the different emotions played out on Toshiro’s face; she hadn’t seen him like that for a long time. She turned around and continued making tea and preparing the dango she had in store. If she had to be honest, she was happy as well – being a grandmother again, to a girl that would certainly be cute and beautiful was an amazing thing.



He was trying out some grapes when she continued, “So, are you going to invite me to the wedding?”



The sudden question caught Toshiro by surprise. He opened his eyes and took a sharp breath in, making him choke on the grape he had put in his mouth.



No! Breathe Toshiro! Breathe!! Hitsugaya tried to ignore the desperate screams from Hyorinmaru to concentrate and try to stop the funny sounds he was making; Turning around, he saw his grandmother handing him a glass of water.



‘Okay, you can stop screaming, I’m not going to die. And calm yourself! What if Ran or Haineko listen to you?”’



“Are you okay?” she asked, the young taichou glared at her but nodded while taking a sip from the water.



“Yeah, just…I wasn’t expecting the question.”



“Obviously, but why not?” asked his grandmother. Toshiro took his time in answering the question. Clearing his throat he emptied the glass and looked at his grandmother.



“I…we haven’t talked about that,” he mumbled, a little embarrassed now that he thought about it. Truth be told, marriage was the last thing on his mind; sure he loved Rangiku more than anything in the world and he was ready to build a family with her. But marriage? Was it necessary?



“Did you at least ask her?” continued his grandmother; Toshiro shook his head, the woman narrowed her eyes.



“Why are you asking this question, Granny? We’re happy; I don’t need marriage to show her how much I love…ow!” he received a sudden hit on his hand from his granny’s wooden spoon; he glared at the object while caressing his hand.



“Why did you do that for?”



“Toshiro, marriage is important for certain people. And I dare to say that Rangiku-san is the kind that would appreciate having a wedding ring on her hand,” she said with a tender smile.



“Yeah, but… she never… said anything,” said Toshiro, not so sure now; his grandma put the teapot and the cups on a tray.



“Again, did you ask? Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this old gal is too old-fashioned and still thinks that some women would like a celebration like marriage.” Toshiro looked up and saw that she had a smile on her face while saying that. “But maybe I’m not.”



The rest of the afternoon went by without any other serious conversation like the one with his grandmother in the kitchen. When night was falling she asked them to stay the night. Toshiro was about to refuse but Rangiku convinced him that it wasn’t a bad idea; they could go back to Seireitei in the morning and he could spend more time with his granny. As soon as he said yes, his grandmother started making dinner, whatever Rangiku wanted since she was the one that needed to eat.



“You look thoughtful, what is it?” Toshiro looked at Rangiku, who was sending him a curious glance.



“Nothing. How are my two favourite girls in the world?” he said with his usual smile, leaning in to put a hand on her stomach; Rangiku giggle at his actions, enjoying the special attention he was giving her.



“We’re fine. Your grandmother is very nice; I’ve been meaning to ask her about the natto she makes.”



“Why?”



“I know how much you like it; I just thought it would be nice if I knew how to prepare it.”



A very amused smile appeared on Toshiro’s face, “But, are you sure? It means you have to follow instructions and no funny things.”



“Hey! I can cook! And follow instructions! And I don’t know what you mean by ‘funny things,’” she said.



“Sure you can,” he said, trying to keep the sarcasm in his voice at a minimum. A noise in the kitchen called their attention and Toshiro stood up. “I’m going to help Granny.”



“Need any help?”



“That would be nice. Grab that over there and bring it to the table.” Toshiro was about to move when he felt Rangiku in the door; he turned around to see her in the doorframe, a hand on her stomach and a very shocked expression on her face.



“Rangiku? Are you okay?” he said, worried.



“I…she moved.”



“What?”



Rangiku looked at Toshiro and walked towards him, grabbed his hand and placed it in the place where she had first felt their daughter move. Toshiro was a little confused, still worried that something may be wrong. He was about to voice his thoughts when something moving called his attention. It was a barely noticeable flutter that he could only sense because Rangiku’s hands were over his, pressing with force on her abdomen



He opened his eyes in surprise; looking up he noticed the goofy smile on Rangiku’s face and the tears present in her eyes.



“She-she is moving.” Rangiku nodded and he could only smile – a really big smile with his hand pressed firmly on her abdomen where their daughter seemed to still be moving.





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“Are you comfortable? Do you need another pillow? Do you want anything else?” Rangiku rolled her eyes at Toshiro.



“No, I’m fine. Really, this is just nice.”



“Really, because I can make…”



“I know you can make anything just for us. But, really, I’m okay, just come here.” Toshiro looked at her with a hesitant expression before giving in and lying beside her.



She looked at him while her hand caressed his cheek; he leaned in the touch, smiling at her while his hand went directly to her abdomen. “Is she moving?”



“No yet, thought she spent most of the dinner moving.” He kissed her softly on the lips.



“Thank you,” he mumbled.



“For what?”



“For giving me the opportunity to feel her,” Rangiku smiled and cuddled up against his arms, enjoying the feeling of safety he provided.



“You’re such a softy; cute, romantic…” she giggled when a low growl was heard coming from both Hyorinmaru and Hitsugaya. “Don’t worry, your reputation is safe; no one believes me when I tell them.”



“Good, because only you are allow to see this part of me,” he said with a smirk.



She looked up at him, and matching the smirk he was wearing, she replied, “Good, because I’ll have to hurt the woman that dares to see that part of you.” He snickered at her words. “Why don’t you tell us a story? Maybe she will start moving again if she hears your voice. From what Haineko said she seems to really like it.”





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Ichigo stood inside his new (official) office and walked around, looking at the things he would like to change and the things he would like to put in there. Behind him he could feel Hinamori moving nervously and eyeing him and Rukia, who had come with him.



“So, is there anything else I should know?” asked Ichigo.



“Well, there are certain things, but I guess we can do them tomorrow Kurosaki-taichou,” said Hinamori; Ichigo scowled at the taichou word while Rukia snorted.



“You look tired Momo. Why don’t you go to bed; don’t worry about me or Rukia, either way we were just leaving.”



“Yes, Sir.” With a final bow she left her new taichou and the fukutaichou of the thirteenth division.



“She looks kind of nervous today,” commented Rukia.



“Yeah, but I couldn’t get her to tell me what was bothering her,” said Ichigo making his way to Rukia’s side. “But I guess I’ll ask her tomorrow, maybe she’ll be more willing to say something.”



“Maybe, Kurosaki-taichou,” Ichigo glared at a smirking Rukia. “It sounds really fun calling you that. You don’t look the type.”



“What type?”



“You know? A commanding officer, a Captain, someone that holds a power that can destroy most of his enemies.”



Ichigo snorted at her words and rolled his eyes, “As if Renji or Ikkaku look that way. Or Ukitake-san.”



The kept walking down the streets of Seireitei in silence, the ceremony that day had gone… well. If they put out the incident with Byakuya, everything had gone according to plan and now Ichigo was wearing the haori of the fifth division.



He looked sideways to Rukia, who had already forgiven him, and with encouragement from his hollow and his zanpakutou he spoke up.



“So, I’ve been talking with Ukitake-san and apparently I can get my own compound or my own place,” he said. Rukia stopped walking and looked at him with hidden hurt in her eyes.



“What do you mean?” she asked.



“Well, you see I can own a place to live in. So I wouldn’t have to stay in the thirteenth any longer, and I’m not fond of the idea of living in the same room as Aizen.”



“I see.” Rukia felt sad and hurt at his words that he wanted to leave her place – their place – to go and live alone. She was about to say something to him, anything, when he kept talking, not noticing Rukia’s change of mood.



“So, he said that he was going to give me the place… and I was wondering if you would like to… live with me.”



After a tense silence, Rukia looked up at Ichigo. He was looking everywhere but at her; he felt embarrassed and a little fearful that she may say no. Rukia, for her part, was shocked; she never thought that he was going to propose that to her.



“You want me to live with you?” Ichigo nodded and Rukia frowned. “What’s wrong with my room in the thirteenth?”



“Nothing! Nothing is wrong! It’s just… I thought that maybe with Nel and all… that a place for us… Just you, Nel and me would be nice,” said Ichigo; this time he looked Rukia in the eye. “You know? Like a… like a home.”



He didn’t dare to say family, not yet at least. Rukia sighed and resumed her walk with Ichigo following close behind.



“So, you got a place?”



“Yes, it’s not as big as Byakuya’s, but, it’s okay. Either way we don’t need a huge place, it’s only us.”



“You really want to do that with me?” Rukia stopped, surprised, when Ichigo grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her around until she was facing him.



“Look, I’m not asking for marriage or anything like that; frankly I don’t think I’m ready,” he said; his voice was serious and firm and Rukia blushed slightly at the closeness. “I want to finish school first, and maybe after I gain some experience as a Captain, before I decide anything like that. But, I wouldn’t mind having you near me.”



Rukia smile happily at those words and hugged him; startled, Ichigo hugged her back with a smirk on his face. “So, will you live with me Rukia? Maybe give me the opportunity to show you that I’m serious about this? About us?”



“Idiot, do you have to ask?” she mumbled against his chest. Ichigo chuckled but didn’t say anything; he already knew the answer to that question.





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