Categories > Anime/Manga > Bleach > Memories and the Future: In Scarlet
Memories and the Future: In Scarlet
Written in response to a request/challenge. Renji finds himself being sick every morning and gradually comes to terms with the idea that flu-like symptoms don't always mean he's truly ill.
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Disclaimer: I DON’T OWN THEM! The characters are owned by Kubo Tite and the basic storyline, though used before in other fandoms, is not mine either.
Warnings: Adult situations and adult language. Possibly disturbing. Humour. Thug-life-icity. This is meant to be part serious, part funny so please bear with me.
Notes: This fic is done in response to trinity of the phoenix’s mpreg challenge on adultfanfiction.net. The pairing is officially Byakuya/Renji and there are tiny, tiny hints of Ichigo/Renji. I’m placing the setting as sometime after the end of the Soul Society arc but before the Hueco Mundo arrancar arc. Not during the filler. It’s sort of what happened during the filler arc if the filler arc ends up not connecting to the original storyline. Invisible canon. There. And the words ‘ningen-teme’ mean ‘human bastard’ or ‘fuckin’ human’. Chalk it up to Renji’s thug life in the eleventh division.
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“Oh, Kami-sama save me, get it away!”
The uncharacteristic squeal came from none other than Abarai Renji, the redhead’s arms out in front of himself as he forced his breakfast plate back into the center of the table. Both Karin and Yuzu stared at their new houseguest with wide eyes, uncertain as to why the normally food hoarding boy was pushing food away.
“A...Abarai-san? Is…something wrong with your breakfast?” The lighter haired twin asked cautiously. “I can…make you something else if you’d like...”
Somewhat sleep deprived red eyes peered at the girl before the gigai’d shinigami was on his feet, hurtling towards the bathroom and barely managing to close the door before the obvious sound of retching came from the other side. Both girls stared and blinked comically before Karin shrugged and swiped the older man’s plate, quickly polishing off his food as well as having finished her own. Smiling politely as if nothing had even happened, Yuzu went back to preparing dinner, leaving everything tightly wrapped in the refrigerator to be heated up later on.
In the bathroom, now finished his painful heaving and washing his face with a cool cloth, Renji stared at the mirror as his pale, pasty face stared back, sticking his tongue out and groaning softly as his stomach did another flip. He couldn’t remember if Urahara had told him about gigai illnesses but he honestly doubted the idea that a fake body could catch common human sicknesses. Maybe it was the former scientist’s idea of a joke, one that the pony tailed swordsman found immensely irritating.
“Goddamned Urahara. ‘S’gonna get a fuckin’ backhand next time I see him…”
He hung the rinsed out cloth back on its hook and flushed the toilet, ignoring the kitchen in favour of retreating back to Ichigo’s bedroom, his own place there assured by the elder Kurosaki when he had first arrived, the old man having felt horrible about ‘innocent little Rukia-chan’ having to go back to her family in Osaka. He had graciously accepted the redhead into his home and on the stipulation that he come to the physician with any ailment he may have, or any questions, as Isshin had put it, ‘of a private nature’. Renji had only nodded in thanks and had shut the door in the human’s face.
The sixth division fukutaichou was on a simple fact finding mission and had come alone to Karakura Town, only to wander back to the orange haired human’s home where he had been before. Things had snowballed from there and now he sat comfortably on his bed, one purchased especially for him by Isshin, and watched the amateur shinigami as he glared menacingly.
“What do you want, Renji? You can’t just sit around all day. It might be our summer holidays but don’t you have proper work to do?”
A snort. “Urusai! I finished all my work and I’m waitin’ to be called back.” He grumbled as he stretched out on the comfortable mattress. “I’ve got shit to do when I get back too. Fuckin’ paperwork. I hope Byakuya’ll help me with it.”
Ichigo chuckled and lifted his head from the writing desk where he had lazily set it down.
“Naa, Renji. What was all that commotion out in the hall earlier?”
“Oh...ano…your sister was tryin’ to feed me this mornin’. I just kinda…didn’t want anythin’. “
“Are you sick?”
Red eyes widened and the larger man nodded, reaching a hand down and rubbing his decidedly firmer belly, quirking an eyebrow at the odd sensation. Since when did it feel like that? He decided that exercise and healthier eating was in order once he returned to Soul Society.
“Yeah, kinda. I threw up.”
“Oh yuck. Thanks for sharing.”
“You asked, ningen-teme!”
“Oi, give it up, Renji! Maybe you just ate something that isn’t agreeing with you. If you’ve gotta stay here until they call you back, just stay in bed. It’ll have to pass sometime, right?”
“Aa. I guess.”
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The week passed without too much of a problem, though the Kurosaki family was slowly becoming more and more irritated with their guest’s demands and odd behaviour, various food items going missing after they had just been purchased and Renji’s sleeping habits had nearly driven Ichigo to murder.
During the third month of his stay, amongst discarded potato chip bags and emptied yogurt tubs, Renji groaned and rolled over from his side to his stomach, instantly crying out in pain and flopping back onto his side, auburn brows furrowing in sudden concern. He always slept on his stomach. It was the most comfortable and as of late, he had been so sleep deprived that what little sleep he did manage to get, in whatever position he could manage, was savoured. This was only another irritation!
“What the hell? How come I can’t- ITAI!”
He fumbled and rolled back again, having tried it a second time and again finding only pain. He sat up and found that it too required a bit of fidgeting to sit properly, bright eyes falling to his exposed belly where a noticeable bulge sat. He stared at it, poked it twice and groaned in resignation. The inevitable fate that Urahara had warned him of, had finally happened. He had let himself become lazy and after so many months of stuffing himself on human treats, his gigai had gained weight. Or so the air headed shinigami thought.
“Fuck. Now I’m gonna have to work out before it gets worse. Goddamn gigai. Fuckin’ useless is what it is…”
“Oi….Renji. Shut. Up. Your mumbling’s starting to get really annoying...”
The soon to be pony tailed shinigami only snarled slightly and hefted himself out of bed, padding to the bathroom where again, as in every morning since his first bout of it, he was physically ill, drawing the attention of the eldest Kurosaki.
Isshin stepped up to the door and knocked firmly, being unusually kind to the guest, something Ichigo noticed that the old man did with each of his former housemates, Rukia included.
“Abarai-kun? Are you all right in there? Has my brilliant son done something to you that he should be ashamed of?”
From down the hall a garbled mumble of curses came on the heels of the doctor’s vague assumption, the orange haired human angered by his father’s pathetic, yet unnaturally close to the real truth, ideas. Ichigo was of course attracted to Renji, but after finding out that the redhead was in a committed relationship with his captain, things fell apart quickly.
“Iie, Kurosaki-san. I’m just feelin’ a bit sick. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure? I think I should take a look at you. I’m a professional after all.”
“A professional pervert!!” Came the voice of the other male Kurosaki.
The bathroom door opened again and the pale shinigami stepped out, dressed in only his boxer shorts, items Ichigo had insisted fit comfortably but never seemed to fit as nicely as a fundoshi did, in Renji’s mind anyway, his hair again tied in its severe tail. He was immediately seized by the roughly shaved physician and dragged to the clinic proper, giving no argument after having seen what the elder man could do to a paving stone when jumping off of the clinic’s roof.
“You can leave your underwear on, Abarai-kun. Just get up onto that table there.”
The redhead blinked and grunting, lifted himself up onto the examination table, parting his legs slightly as the doctor returned with an ominous looking instrument and latex gloves on.
“Just lie back. I’ll only be a moment.”
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A moment turned into an hour and by the time the examination was finished, Renji was sure human doctors were sadists by nature and even though he knew most of Isshin’s weird tendencies, he was positive of the reason Ichigo was uncomfortable around him. He was a pervert. No doctor fondled another man to figure out why he had an upset stomach. Right?
But lo and behold, life had its little quirks and though Renji had been dead for quite some time, life still held a quirk just for him. According to the baffled doctor, Abarai Renji was pregnant. The ultrasounds had confirmed the presence of a fetus, as well as a well-protected area in which the child would grow. He had never seen nor heard of it happening but due to his…eccentricities, it didn’t seem to faze him as much as it did Renji.
Determined to keep it a secret from Ichigo, Renji and Isshin decided that chalking his weight and bulging tummy up to eating too much seemed like the only option. So far, the orange haired boy had believed it, especially considering the amount of empty garbage he bagged and took from his room.
The only thing the young shinigami couldn’t figure out, was how it could happen to a man. He had in mind an idea of when it had happened and what had more than likely caused it, immediately blushing and excusing himself from the elder Kurosaki’s gaze, when the man seemed curious about the pink flush creeping over Renji’s nose.
“A...ano...I gotta...um...go. Arigato, Kurosaki-san…”
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In Soul Society, despite its cool autumn temperature, Kuchiki Byakuya sat in his inner chambers writing, keeping a journal of all that went on during his lover’s stay in the living world, something Renji had requested so he wouldn’t miss out on anything interesting. In reality however, nothing interesting had even remotely happened. Seireitei was quiet and as long as Soul Society’s traitorous enemies remained silent, things would go on as they always had.
The nobleman sat back and stretched languidly, cracking his knuckles and smiling as he remembered Renji’s hatred of the grating noise, his toes popping as well as he moved to stand. It had been far too long since he last saw his lover and through a heavy sigh, he wandered to the large window and leaned on the sill. Had anyone seen him, they would have noticed the change in his demeanor, everything having become different since the start of his relationship with his fukutaichou.
The rustling of material caught his attention as he turned a somewhat bored gaze upon the small shinigami at his door, the boy’s head bowed and hands held out, offering a tightly wrapped scroll which the Kuchiki heir took eagerly. He waved a hand for the boy to leave and waited until the door was fully closed again before opening it, his heart pounding when he noticed that it was a formal letter from the living world, Urahara Kisuke’s personal seal stamped at the bottom. So, Renji wanted to correspond with him.
Dark eyes went wide as he finished the messily written note, deft hands quickly folding it and placing it in the drawer of his largest dresser, slipped in with his other well loved items that were unseen by any other shinigami to date.
The last lines of the letter are what had worried him, the candles in his room quickly snuffed as he made his way outside, barely giving an explanation to his third seat on where he was headed and how long he would be gone. He discreetly opened a gateway in the sixth division’s training room and still in shinigami form, exited the brightly lit doorway in front of the Kurosaki clinic.
Unseen by the humans that walked the tree-lined street, he jumped to the second floor of the short building, his lithe form filling the sliding window. He was immediately spotted by Ichigo who, after choking slightly on his juice, hopped up from his chair and stared.
“Byakuya? What the hell’re you doing here?”
The captain rolled his eyes slightly and slipped into the cramped but tidy room, deciding between the two beds to sit on and instantly choosing Renji’s, the scent of his lover drawing him to it, ignoring the human’s nonchalant, friendly greeting, regardless of the fact that the two men were certainly not friends.
“I received a letter from Renji which stated that he…needed my help.”
“Ohhh, so that’s where he went. You guys can only get letters to Soul Society through Urahara-san’s shop, right?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Now, where is he?”
The slamming of the clinic’s front door and the sound of Isshin greeting someone told the dark haired shinigami exactly what he needed to know, heavy thumping slowly coming up the stairs just before Ichigo’s door burst open, revealing a sweaty, obviously tired out Renji.
There wasn’t even time for words between the two lovers, the young human already aware of their relationship but he rolled his eyes as he watched them embrace, interested in the sixth squad captain’s obvious show of emotion after being such a cold bastard to him for so long.
Renji was beside himself with relief, worried that his letter had carried too thorough of an explanation and had quite possibly scared the elder man off.
“Byakuya, I’m…glad you came.” He flashed as glance at Ichigo, who rolled his eyes and groaned out loud before slipping past the hugging pair and closing the door behind him as he exited the room.
“Your letter was far too suspicious and cryptic for me to have ignored it, Renji.”
He stepped out of the redhead’s tight hug and again sat down on his bed, trying to look concerned without putting the younger shinigami on edge, secretly roiling in an inner turmoil, never having been a father before, let alone knowledgeable of the fact that a death god could even reproduce.
“Explain to me everything Kurosaki’s father told you. In detail, Renji. I need to know how this could have happened.”
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Less than ten minutes passed and though the now slightly calmer swordsman spoke in a hushed voice, Byakuya heard everything he needed to, including the reasoning behind their current situation. He blushed lightly at the mention of his part in it, realization dawning on him just before he lifted a hand and pressed his forefinger and thumb to the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slightly.
“You mean to tell me, that by taking you for the first time the night before you left, I caused this?”
“Yes! That’s what Kurosaki-san said! It’s pretty much the same as girls havin’ babies, only a little more complicated.”
“But Renji, what about the numerous times when you’ve taken me? I’m certainly not…pregnant.” It was still odd for him to say, given the circumstance.
“I dunno. I asked him that too and he said maybe I was sterile or some shit.”
“Sou ka. This is most definitely not what I had expected to happen.”
The redhead was hardly listening anymore, his head down as he stared at his belly, both hands rubbing the lightly tanned skin, giving it tiny pokes every few seconds to test its firmness. That confirmed it for him. Fat didn’t feel like that, and he had shoved second division’s Omaeda-fukutaichou enough times in the gut to know the difference.
The nobleman watched it and with a tentativeness that bordered on adorably curious, he reached a hand out and held it against the protruding area, ignoring the fact that it was a man who carried his child, having wanted one of his own ever since meeting his deceased wife so many years before.
Renji watched with a little smile but abruptly swatted the other man away and pulled his t-shirt down as the bedroom door opened again, having changed into simple human daily wear for the walk to Urahara’s shop.
“You two finished your little get together yet? I’ve gotta go to the store for Oyaji and I thought I’d tell you first Renji, that he’s on a rampage over…whatever he talked to you about earlier.”
The pony tailed death god’s eyes lit up at the prospect of more snacks and ignoring Ichigo’s warning, he turned to the side, nearly pushing his lover over to dig in the book bag he carried everywhere with him, pulling out a handful of crumpled bills and tossing them towards the younger shinigami.
“Oi, pick me up more of those…crunchy things, like I had earlier. What the hell were they? Corn balls. Something balls. Just gimme more of ‘em.”
Ichigo picked the money up and stuffed it into his pants pocket, snatching up his own wallet and house keys before turning his back and heading back out.
“Popcorn balls. You want the pink ones, ne? Fruity coloured treats for a fucking fruity pair of-“
“Urusai! Just bring ‘em back fast! I’m fuckin’ starvin’!”
The kenseikan toting captain lofted an eyebrow and blinked, curiosity painted across his delicate features.
“Popcorn balls?”
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When Ichigo returned, his first thought was that he had died on the way back from the store and had gone to secondary level of Hell, where he wasn’t tortured physically but mentally, the sight of his red haired comrade stretched out in bed wearing only a light yukata being the least of his problems.
Beside him sat the flowing form of his captain and lover, Byakuya’s hands busily patting the fullness that was Renji’s belly. Wait, what? That can’t be right.
“Ok, someone wanna tell me what the hell’s going on? First it’s Renji throwing up every morning, then it’s insane amounts of food being eaten. Now it’s a family gathering and-“ He stared at the twins, Yuzu grinning cutely back at him while Karin rolled her eyes but smirked anyway. “-are those my baby photos?”
Isshin immediately turned and brandished a picture as if it were a weapon, showing Ichigo just how thin he was and how cute his behind was after having been spanked for being naughty.
“I’m only showing our guest here how strong you were as a boy, Ichigo! Look how defiant your frown was! Look how angrily red your bottom glowed after my masterful hand worked its magic upon you!”
A swift punch to forehead had the eldest Kurosaki on his knees, still struggling to look in the album, despite Ichigo’s attempts to take it from him. Apparently, according to Byakuya’s slight shifts and then total avoidance of Karin as she stepped his way, they couldn’t see him, though Yuzu kept lowering her eyes and looking directly at the dark haired shinigami, as if she could honestly see him.
There was no mistaking Byakuya’s protectiveness of his lover either, his arms held up to shield him from any flying debris, should a proper fight actually erupt.
“Ok…I’m about ready to implode here. Will someone please tell me what the hell’s-“
“I’m pregnant, ningen-teme.”
“All right, stop with the ningen-…what?”
The now compromised shinigami sat up a bit more, aided by his lover who fluffed the pillows behind him invisibly, seemingly enjoying the attention even though it was hardly necessary so early into the pregnancy.
“Preg. Nant. As in, havin’ a baby. You know what that means, dontcha?”
Ichigo blinked and took a small step back, not entirely certain he had heard correctly.
“Having a…how the fuck did that happen?!”
Instantly, the scruffy former shinigami was on his feet, a chart procured from out of thin air, giving it a quick flip open to show a detailed diagram of a man and a woman engaged in coitus.
“You see, my brilliant son, when a man and a woman really love each other, or I guess a man and a man in this case, their powers of seduction reach their peak and they perform an act called-“
Pow, the eldest man again hit the floor, the poster falling over his head like a funeral sheet. Ichigo cracked his knuckles and watched Renji wince at the sound, he too knowing that the redhead hated it. Stepping over his prostrate father, the orange haired shinigami approached Renji, his eyes locked on the exposed skin just above the bed sheet, blinking slowly and suffering through a massive eyebrow twitch.
“You mean…there’s a baby in there? Like…the way a woman would carry one?”
“Yes, Kurosaki.” Came Byakuya’s calm voice. “It appears as if Renji and I are going to be parents.”
He blinked a final time before falling back and laughing loud enough to frighten Yuzu, who held a hand to her mouth and made as if to bolt, Karin’s hand staying her as they waited out their nii-san’s insanity.
“Parents! Do you two even know how to raise a baby?”
While being the head of the Kuchiki clan, Byakuya had had his share of children in his lap before, his cousins and lesser family members having brought them for annual gatherings and such. He was good with children because of his calm demeanor but given the fact that both men were high ranked shinigami, he figured that the servants in the Kuchiki household would be immensely busy in the coming months.
“I have servants who can take care of the baby’s needs, Kurosaki. The rest will be dealt with by Renji and myself. It cannot be as difficult as you suggest.”
Isshin nodded as if understanding the death god’s words, not telling his family that he had heard the man, for fear of giving away one of his many secrets. Though Karin stared from one person to another trying to figure out what was going on and why she was missing half of an unspoken conversation. She shrugged and left the room, leaving the madness to her more ‘gifted’ family members.
“Ok, ok. So you can take care of it. What’re you gonna name it? Is it gonna be born here or in Soul Society? Can I come visit you after it’s born?”
Renji, overwhelmed by the sudden questions, burst into tears and was immediately comforted by the sixth squad taichou, dark eyes glaring at Ichigo over the other’s shoulder, his right hand again rubbing the redhead’s belly as his left curled around heaving shoulders.
“We must find out the sex of the child before we name it, Kurosaki. I…have a few names in mind already though. And the answer is yes to your other two questions.”
“Aa. You know, it might work out. You’re just gonna have to be really loving, Byakuya. No more of that slice and dice shit when Renji gets kinda uppity-“
“Ichigo!” The snarl was unmistakably Renji’s, his tear streaked face turning to peer at the human with contempt. “That was a long time ago. We’re past that now. It was all a misunderstandin’…”
The new shinigami lifted both hands in apology and waved them as if trying to calm the emotional swordsman, not wanting to contribute to anything that would harm the baby.
“Gomen, Renji! I didn’t mean it like that!”
“I know…I just…it kinda hurt.”
“Gomen. Ano…” He held out the plastic bag he had brought back from the store and handed it to the slowly recovering shinigami.
“I got your popcorn balls. You really liked the caramel ones, right? I remember you ate all my caramel ones and left the cotton candy ones. Pink’s kinda not your style, is it?”
The young Abarai smiled and took the proffered bag, busying himself with digging in it and stuffing his cheeks with the crunchy treats, even sacrificing one to his lover, who shook his head, already smelling the sugar that made up about half of the item’s ingredient list. Shrugging, Renji ate it himself, smiling like a content child.
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To keep from angering the rest of the Gotei 13, Byakuya left Renji in the capable hands of the Kurosaki family until the eight month of his pregnancy, at which time he returned and with a tearful goodbye on the part of Isshin and Yuzu, a noncommittal wave from Karin, and a knowing smile from Ichigo, he took his lover back with him, leaving behind promises of a visit in the near future, along with the new addition to their odd little family.
The gate this time was in Urahara’s shop and the gaudy hat toting shinigami gave a brief nod and a smile as Byakuya exchanged his stylish gigai for his soul form so he could return, leaving Renji in his container for the time being. It was possible, as the shop owner had given the redhead a slip of paper to tuck underneath his robe, allowing him to pass through much the same way Ichigo and his ryoka comrades had over a year before.
“Bye bye, Kuchiki-san, Abarai-kun! Remember me when you send invitations to come visit your little bundle!”
Both men smiled and Renji laughed slightly before they disappeared into the bright light, the gates immediately closing behind them, leaving a smiling Kisuke, who went right to his desk and began counting tab orders of new shinigami merchandise, acting as if nothing had happened and that a fukutaichou had not just waddled his way through the shop in a floral patterned yukata and slippers.
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Upon Unohana-taichou’s insistence during a meeting Byakuya held with her before leaving again for the living world, the two shinigami, after reappearing in Soul Society, made their way to the fourth division’s headquarters and checked in, pleased to see the captain herself standing neatly with a polite smile on her face.
It was a shock to her, as well as more than half of the Gotei 13, when Byakuya had called a meeting and told them of the situation, deciding on honesty as opposed to simple lies and deceit, but she agreed to help because she admired the Kuchiki heir as well as his brave vice captain.
Renji was prepped for surgery, the only option to remove the growing child from him, and he cried the entire time, fussing about every little thing and finally sedated after Byakuya could handle no more of the incessant whining, the redhead’s cheeks streaked with tears and his hair mussed out of its normal tail. The elder man was reprimanded by the elegant captain as she escorted him out of the room and left him in the hall with two of her own subordinates, both of them kind girls who fretted over him entirely too much.
Unohana returned to the now closed off room and donned her medical gloves, proceeding with the operation and taking less than two hours for everything, including the restructuring of the fukutaichou’s internal organs, everything having shifted to accommodate the child. He was securely sutured and bandaged with care, then taken to the recovery room, along with the baby, whose small form lay sleeping in his arms.
The motherly woman hadn’t wanted to leave the baby with the sleeping shinigami but she knew that as soon as she told Byakuya that it was over, he would be by the other’s side soon enough.
The door to the recovery room opened and the nobleman got to his feet, nearly toppling the fussing fourth division members in his haste, dark eyes wide as he approached her and bowed slightly.
“Abarai-kun is fine, Kuchiki-san. He is resting now because of the sedative.”
“And the child?”
“Is in perfect health. He is sleeping as well.”
The regal clansman blinked suddenly which caused the woman’s face to fall slightly.
“Is something the matter, Kuchiki-san?”
“I…I have a son?”
She smiled again, taking him by the arm and walking him towards the recovery room and letting him step in first, his lover being the only patient in at the moment, which gave him immense relief. He would have hated to spend the rest of the day explaining the situation to another person.
“I will leave you alone with them until Abarai-kun wakes. He will then need to be examined a second time.”
Byakuya bowed low and when he stood again, the sweet captain couldn’t help but notice the wetness in his eyes. Was the normally cold taichou really beginning to cry?
Seeing that his tired lover was indeed sleeping, Byakuya stared down at the little bundle snuggled carefully against Renji’s shoulder, his tiny face at peace. He smiled genuinely and lifted both hands to unwrap the scarf from his neck and draped it over the table beside the bed, gingerly lifting the form of his child and placing him in the silky swaddling.
He folded the cool material over the baby’s body and hefted his slight weight into his arms, cradling him in the crook of his elbow.
Just as he sat down, the ‘mother’ of the family woke and shifted slightly, trying not to call attention to himself and succeeding as Byakuya remained ignorant of his movements, giving Renji enough time to peer over at the elder man and smile softly. He was rocking in the padded chair and had one hand lifted as he gently rubbed the baby’s cheeks and arms, everything so tiny compared to the nobleman’s large form.
With a head of the blackest hair, the baby was undeniably Kuchiki-born, but the moment his father gave his arm a little tug, he opened his eyes, staring up sleepily at the new world he had been brought into, Byakuya’s own eyes wide as he stared down at the child.
He had Renji’s eyes. A dark auburn that obviously belonged to the loudmouthed swordsman. He would be a handsome man once grown, the captain could see it already.
“You resemble us in so many ways, little one.”
Another shift of the bed sheets had the taichou’s attention as the no longer pony tailed vice captain smiled at him.
“That’s usually the way it works, Byakuya.”
“Aa, I know. It’s just…such a surprise.”
“So, what are we gonna name him?”
There was no hesitation from the elder man as he looked from the sleeping child to his lover, his left pointer finger held securely in a tiny hand.
“Tomi.”
“Tomi?”
“His name means red.”
“Byakuya, we don’t have to name him after me…I was only part of this-“
“He isn’t named entirely after you, Renji. It’s true that his name reflects the colour of your hair and the colour of his eyes, but the red also represents Hisana.”
The younger shinigami nodded in understanding and held his arms out to have the baby brought to him, smiling broadly even though his eyes welled with unshed tears. The child fidgeted again because he was moved and gave a tiny cry, starting the decent of Renji’s tears, the bright eyes of the child making the fukutaichou happier than he ever had been before.
“We’re gonna have to move in together now, you realize that dontcha?”
“The plans are already in motion, Renji. I have cleared out the largest portion of the clan’s formal home, where a nursery actually exists but hasn’t been used since my own birth.”
“Oh yeah? I can’t fuckin’ wait…” The young Abarai yawned suddenly and then noticed the cloth wrapped around the child.
“Is this your scarf?”
Byakuya nodded and tugged the material down a bit more so the baby could be seen clearly.
“I’ve worn it all these years knowing what its true purpose was and yet I was never given the chance to use it.”
Before he fell back to sleep from the remnants of the sedative, Renji have a questioning look and half heard the answer as his lover sat back down with the baby, speaking mostly to him instead of the now snoozing vice captain.
“It’s tradition for a Kuchiki heir to be swaddled in the cloth of his mother’s wedding dress, but because of the situation, I have again changed the rules. This cloth belonged to your ancestors and one day Kuchiki Tomi, you’ll give it to your own child.”
“From now on, you’ll wear the symbol of our clan’s prosperity.”
Warnings: Adult situations and adult language. Possibly disturbing. Humour. Thug-life-icity. This is meant to be part serious, part funny so please bear with me.
Notes: This fic is done in response to trinity of the phoenix’s mpreg challenge on adultfanfiction.net. The pairing is officially Byakuya/Renji and there are tiny, tiny hints of Ichigo/Renji. I’m placing the setting as sometime after the end of the Soul Society arc but before the Hueco Mundo arrancar arc. Not during the filler. It’s sort of what happened during the filler arc if the filler arc ends up not connecting to the original storyline. Invisible canon. There. And the words ‘ningen-teme’ mean ‘human bastard’ or ‘fuckin’ human’. Chalk it up to Renji’s thug life in the eleventh division.
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“Oh, Kami-sama save me, get it away!”
The uncharacteristic squeal came from none other than Abarai Renji, the redhead’s arms out in front of himself as he forced his breakfast plate back into the center of the table. Both Karin and Yuzu stared at their new houseguest with wide eyes, uncertain as to why the normally food hoarding boy was pushing food away.
“A...Abarai-san? Is…something wrong with your breakfast?” The lighter haired twin asked cautiously. “I can…make you something else if you’d like...”
Somewhat sleep deprived red eyes peered at the girl before the gigai’d shinigami was on his feet, hurtling towards the bathroom and barely managing to close the door before the obvious sound of retching came from the other side. Both girls stared and blinked comically before Karin shrugged and swiped the older man’s plate, quickly polishing off his food as well as having finished her own. Smiling politely as if nothing had even happened, Yuzu went back to preparing dinner, leaving everything tightly wrapped in the refrigerator to be heated up later on.
In the bathroom, now finished his painful heaving and washing his face with a cool cloth, Renji stared at the mirror as his pale, pasty face stared back, sticking his tongue out and groaning softly as his stomach did another flip. He couldn’t remember if Urahara had told him about gigai illnesses but he honestly doubted the idea that a fake body could catch common human sicknesses. Maybe it was the former scientist’s idea of a joke, one that the pony tailed swordsman found immensely irritating.
“Goddamned Urahara. ‘S’gonna get a fuckin’ backhand next time I see him…”
He hung the rinsed out cloth back on its hook and flushed the toilet, ignoring the kitchen in favour of retreating back to Ichigo’s bedroom, his own place there assured by the elder Kurosaki when he had first arrived, the old man having felt horrible about ‘innocent little Rukia-chan’ having to go back to her family in Osaka. He had graciously accepted the redhead into his home and on the stipulation that he come to the physician with any ailment he may have, or any questions, as Isshin had put it, ‘of a private nature’. Renji had only nodded in thanks and had shut the door in the human’s face.
The sixth division fukutaichou was on a simple fact finding mission and had come alone to Karakura Town, only to wander back to the orange haired human’s home where he had been before. Things had snowballed from there and now he sat comfortably on his bed, one purchased especially for him by Isshin, and watched the amateur shinigami as he glared menacingly.
“What do you want, Renji? You can’t just sit around all day. It might be our summer holidays but don’t you have proper work to do?”
A snort. “Urusai! I finished all my work and I’m waitin’ to be called back.” He grumbled as he stretched out on the comfortable mattress. “I’ve got shit to do when I get back too. Fuckin’ paperwork. I hope Byakuya’ll help me with it.”
Ichigo chuckled and lifted his head from the writing desk where he had lazily set it down.
“Naa, Renji. What was all that commotion out in the hall earlier?”
“Oh...ano…your sister was tryin’ to feed me this mornin’. I just kinda…didn’t want anythin’. “
“Are you sick?”
Red eyes widened and the larger man nodded, reaching a hand down and rubbing his decidedly firmer belly, quirking an eyebrow at the odd sensation. Since when did it feel like that? He decided that exercise and healthier eating was in order once he returned to Soul Society.
“Yeah, kinda. I threw up.”
“Oh yuck. Thanks for sharing.”
“You asked, ningen-teme!”
“Oi, give it up, Renji! Maybe you just ate something that isn’t agreeing with you. If you’ve gotta stay here until they call you back, just stay in bed. It’ll have to pass sometime, right?”
“Aa. I guess.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The week passed without too much of a problem, though the Kurosaki family was slowly becoming more and more irritated with their guest’s demands and odd behaviour, various food items going missing after they had just been purchased and Renji’s sleeping habits had nearly driven Ichigo to murder.
During the third month of his stay, amongst discarded potato chip bags and emptied yogurt tubs, Renji groaned and rolled over from his side to his stomach, instantly crying out in pain and flopping back onto his side, auburn brows furrowing in sudden concern. He always slept on his stomach. It was the most comfortable and as of late, he had been so sleep deprived that what little sleep he did manage to get, in whatever position he could manage, was savoured. This was only another irritation!
“What the hell? How come I can’t- ITAI!”
He fumbled and rolled back again, having tried it a second time and again finding only pain. He sat up and found that it too required a bit of fidgeting to sit properly, bright eyes falling to his exposed belly where a noticeable bulge sat. He stared at it, poked it twice and groaned in resignation. The inevitable fate that Urahara had warned him of, had finally happened. He had let himself become lazy and after so many months of stuffing himself on human treats, his gigai had gained weight. Or so the air headed shinigami thought.
“Fuck. Now I’m gonna have to work out before it gets worse. Goddamn gigai. Fuckin’ useless is what it is…”
“Oi….Renji. Shut. Up. Your mumbling’s starting to get really annoying...”
The soon to be pony tailed shinigami only snarled slightly and hefted himself out of bed, padding to the bathroom where again, as in every morning since his first bout of it, he was physically ill, drawing the attention of the eldest Kurosaki.
Isshin stepped up to the door and knocked firmly, being unusually kind to the guest, something Ichigo noticed that the old man did with each of his former housemates, Rukia included.
“Abarai-kun? Are you all right in there? Has my brilliant son done something to you that he should be ashamed of?”
From down the hall a garbled mumble of curses came on the heels of the doctor’s vague assumption, the orange haired human angered by his father’s pathetic, yet unnaturally close to the real truth, ideas. Ichigo was of course attracted to Renji, but after finding out that the redhead was in a committed relationship with his captain, things fell apart quickly.
“Iie, Kurosaki-san. I’m just feelin’ a bit sick. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure? I think I should take a look at you. I’m a professional after all.”
“A professional pervert!!” Came the voice of the other male Kurosaki.
The bathroom door opened again and the pale shinigami stepped out, dressed in only his boxer shorts, items Ichigo had insisted fit comfortably but never seemed to fit as nicely as a fundoshi did, in Renji’s mind anyway, his hair again tied in its severe tail. He was immediately seized by the roughly shaved physician and dragged to the clinic proper, giving no argument after having seen what the elder man could do to a paving stone when jumping off of the clinic’s roof.
“You can leave your underwear on, Abarai-kun. Just get up onto that table there.”
The redhead blinked and grunting, lifted himself up onto the examination table, parting his legs slightly as the doctor returned with an ominous looking instrument and latex gloves on.
“Just lie back. I’ll only be a moment.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A moment turned into an hour and by the time the examination was finished, Renji was sure human doctors were sadists by nature and even though he knew most of Isshin’s weird tendencies, he was positive of the reason Ichigo was uncomfortable around him. He was a pervert. No doctor fondled another man to figure out why he had an upset stomach. Right?
But lo and behold, life had its little quirks and though Renji had been dead for quite some time, life still held a quirk just for him. According to the baffled doctor, Abarai Renji was pregnant. The ultrasounds had confirmed the presence of a fetus, as well as a well-protected area in which the child would grow. He had never seen nor heard of it happening but due to his…eccentricities, it didn’t seem to faze him as much as it did Renji.
Determined to keep it a secret from Ichigo, Renji and Isshin decided that chalking his weight and bulging tummy up to eating too much seemed like the only option. So far, the orange haired boy had believed it, especially considering the amount of empty garbage he bagged and took from his room.
The only thing the young shinigami couldn’t figure out, was how it could happen to a man. He had in mind an idea of when it had happened and what had more than likely caused it, immediately blushing and excusing himself from the elder Kurosaki’s gaze, when the man seemed curious about the pink flush creeping over Renji’s nose.
“A...ano...I gotta...um...go. Arigato, Kurosaki-san…”
^^^^^^^^^^^^
In Soul Society, despite its cool autumn temperature, Kuchiki Byakuya sat in his inner chambers writing, keeping a journal of all that went on during his lover’s stay in the living world, something Renji had requested so he wouldn’t miss out on anything interesting. In reality however, nothing interesting had even remotely happened. Seireitei was quiet and as long as Soul Society’s traitorous enemies remained silent, things would go on as they always had.
The nobleman sat back and stretched languidly, cracking his knuckles and smiling as he remembered Renji’s hatred of the grating noise, his toes popping as well as he moved to stand. It had been far too long since he last saw his lover and through a heavy sigh, he wandered to the large window and leaned on the sill. Had anyone seen him, they would have noticed the change in his demeanor, everything having become different since the start of his relationship with his fukutaichou.
The rustling of material caught his attention as he turned a somewhat bored gaze upon the small shinigami at his door, the boy’s head bowed and hands held out, offering a tightly wrapped scroll which the Kuchiki heir took eagerly. He waved a hand for the boy to leave and waited until the door was fully closed again before opening it, his heart pounding when he noticed that it was a formal letter from the living world, Urahara Kisuke’s personal seal stamped at the bottom. So, Renji wanted to correspond with him.
Dark eyes went wide as he finished the messily written note, deft hands quickly folding it and placing it in the drawer of his largest dresser, slipped in with his other well loved items that were unseen by any other shinigami to date.
The last lines of the letter are what had worried him, the candles in his room quickly snuffed as he made his way outside, barely giving an explanation to his third seat on where he was headed and how long he would be gone. He discreetly opened a gateway in the sixth division’s training room and still in shinigami form, exited the brightly lit doorway in front of the Kurosaki clinic.
Unseen by the humans that walked the tree-lined street, he jumped to the second floor of the short building, his lithe form filling the sliding window. He was immediately spotted by Ichigo who, after choking slightly on his juice, hopped up from his chair and stared.
“Byakuya? What the hell’re you doing here?”
The captain rolled his eyes slightly and slipped into the cramped but tidy room, deciding between the two beds to sit on and instantly choosing Renji’s, the scent of his lover drawing him to it, ignoring the human’s nonchalant, friendly greeting, regardless of the fact that the two men were certainly not friends.
“I received a letter from Renji which stated that he…needed my help.”
“Ohhh, so that’s where he went. You guys can only get letters to Soul Society through Urahara-san’s shop, right?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Now, where is he?”
The slamming of the clinic’s front door and the sound of Isshin greeting someone told the dark haired shinigami exactly what he needed to know, heavy thumping slowly coming up the stairs just before Ichigo’s door burst open, revealing a sweaty, obviously tired out Renji.
There wasn’t even time for words between the two lovers, the young human already aware of their relationship but he rolled his eyes as he watched them embrace, interested in the sixth squad captain’s obvious show of emotion after being such a cold bastard to him for so long.
Renji was beside himself with relief, worried that his letter had carried too thorough of an explanation and had quite possibly scared the elder man off.
“Byakuya, I’m…glad you came.” He flashed as glance at Ichigo, who rolled his eyes and groaned out loud before slipping past the hugging pair and closing the door behind him as he exited the room.
“Your letter was far too suspicious and cryptic for me to have ignored it, Renji.”
He stepped out of the redhead’s tight hug and again sat down on his bed, trying to look concerned without putting the younger shinigami on edge, secretly roiling in an inner turmoil, never having been a father before, let alone knowledgeable of the fact that a death god could even reproduce.
“Explain to me everything Kurosaki’s father told you. In detail, Renji. I need to know how this could have happened.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Less than ten minutes passed and though the now slightly calmer swordsman spoke in a hushed voice, Byakuya heard everything he needed to, including the reasoning behind their current situation. He blushed lightly at the mention of his part in it, realization dawning on him just before he lifted a hand and pressed his forefinger and thumb to the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slightly.
“You mean to tell me, that by taking you for the first time the night before you left, I caused this?”
“Yes! That’s what Kurosaki-san said! It’s pretty much the same as girls havin’ babies, only a little more complicated.”
“But Renji, what about the numerous times when you’ve taken me? I’m certainly not…pregnant.” It was still odd for him to say, given the circumstance.
“I dunno. I asked him that too and he said maybe I was sterile or some shit.”
“Sou ka. This is most definitely not what I had expected to happen.”
The redhead was hardly listening anymore, his head down as he stared at his belly, both hands rubbing the lightly tanned skin, giving it tiny pokes every few seconds to test its firmness. That confirmed it for him. Fat didn’t feel like that, and he had shoved second division’s Omaeda-fukutaichou enough times in the gut to know the difference.
The nobleman watched it and with a tentativeness that bordered on adorably curious, he reached a hand out and held it against the protruding area, ignoring the fact that it was a man who carried his child, having wanted one of his own ever since meeting his deceased wife so many years before.
Renji watched with a little smile but abruptly swatted the other man away and pulled his t-shirt down as the bedroom door opened again, having changed into simple human daily wear for the walk to Urahara’s shop.
“You two finished your little get together yet? I’ve gotta go to the store for Oyaji and I thought I’d tell you first Renji, that he’s on a rampage over…whatever he talked to you about earlier.”
The pony tailed death god’s eyes lit up at the prospect of more snacks and ignoring Ichigo’s warning, he turned to the side, nearly pushing his lover over to dig in the book bag he carried everywhere with him, pulling out a handful of crumpled bills and tossing them towards the younger shinigami.
“Oi, pick me up more of those…crunchy things, like I had earlier. What the hell were they? Corn balls. Something balls. Just gimme more of ‘em.”
Ichigo picked the money up and stuffed it into his pants pocket, snatching up his own wallet and house keys before turning his back and heading back out.
“Popcorn balls. You want the pink ones, ne? Fruity coloured treats for a fucking fruity pair of-“
“Urusai! Just bring ‘em back fast! I’m fuckin’ starvin’!”
The kenseikan toting captain lofted an eyebrow and blinked, curiosity painted across his delicate features.
“Popcorn balls?”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
When Ichigo returned, his first thought was that he had died on the way back from the store and had gone to secondary level of Hell, where he wasn’t tortured physically but mentally, the sight of his red haired comrade stretched out in bed wearing only a light yukata being the least of his problems.
Beside him sat the flowing form of his captain and lover, Byakuya’s hands busily patting the fullness that was Renji’s belly. Wait, what? That can’t be right.
“Ok, someone wanna tell me what the hell’s going on? First it’s Renji throwing up every morning, then it’s insane amounts of food being eaten. Now it’s a family gathering and-“ He stared at the twins, Yuzu grinning cutely back at him while Karin rolled her eyes but smirked anyway. “-are those my baby photos?”
Isshin immediately turned and brandished a picture as if it were a weapon, showing Ichigo just how thin he was and how cute his behind was after having been spanked for being naughty.
“I’m only showing our guest here how strong you were as a boy, Ichigo! Look how defiant your frown was! Look how angrily red your bottom glowed after my masterful hand worked its magic upon you!”
A swift punch to forehead had the eldest Kurosaki on his knees, still struggling to look in the album, despite Ichigo’s attempts to take it from him. Apparently, according to Byakuya’s slight shifts and then total avoidance of Karin as she stepped his way, they couldn’t see him, though Yuzu kept lowering her eyes and looking directly at the dark haired shinigami, as if she could honestly see him.
There was no mistaking Byakuya’s protectiveness of his lover either, his arms held up to shield him from any flying debris, should a proper fight actually erupt.
“Ok…I’m about ready to implode here. Will someone please tell me what the hell’s-“
“I’m pregnant, ningen-teme.”
“All right, stop with the ningen-…what?”
The now compromised shinigami sat up a bit more, aided by his lover who fluffed the pillows behind him invisibly, seemingly enjoying the attention even though it was hardly necessary so early into the pregnancy.
“Preg. Nant. As in, havin’ a baby. You know what that means, dontcha?”
Ichigo blinked and took a small step back, not entirely certain he had heard correctly.
“Having a…how the fuck did that happen?!”
Instantly, the scruffy former shinigami was on his feet, a chart procured from out of thin air, giving it a quick flip open to show a detailed diagram of a man and a woman engaged in coitus.
“You see, my brilliant son, when a man and a woman really love each other, or I guess a man and a man in this case, their powers of seduction reach their peak and they perform an act called-“
Pow, the eldest man again hit the floor, the poster falling over his head like a funeral sheet. Ichigo cracked his knuckles and watched Renji wince at the sound, he too knowing that the redhead hated it. Stepping over his prostrate father, the orange haired shinigami approached Renji, his eyes locked on the exposed skin just above the bed sheet, blinking slowly and suffering through a massive eyebrow twitch.
“You mean…there’s a baby in there? Like…the way a woman would carry one?”
“Yes, Kurosaki.” Came Byakuya’s calm voice. “It appears as if Renji and I are going to be parents.”
He blinked a final time before falling back and laughing loud enough to frighten Yuzu, who held a hand to her mouth and made as if to bolt, Karin’s hand staying her as they waited out their nii-san’s insanity.
“Parents! Do you two even know how to raise a baby?”
While being the head of the Kuchiki clan, Byakuya had had his share of children in his lap before, his cousins and lesser family members having brought them for annual gatherings and such. He was good with children because of his calm demeanor but given the fact that both men were high ranked shinigami, he figured that the servants in the Kuchiki household would be immensely busy in the coming months.
“I have servants who can take care of the baby’s needs, Kurosaki. The rest will be dealt with by Renji and myself. It cannot be as difficult as you suggest.”
Isshin nodded as if understanding the death god’s words, not telling his family that he had heard the man, for fear of giving away one of his many secrets. Though Karin stared from one person to another trying to figure out what was going on and why she was missing half of an unspoken conversation. She shrugged and left the room, leaving the madness to her more ‘gifted’ family members.
“Ok, ok. So you can take care of it. What’re you gonna name it? Is it gonna be born here or in Soul Society? Can I come visit you after it’s born?”
Renji, overwhelmed by the sudden questions, burst into tears and was immediately comforted by the sixth squad taichou, dark eyes glaring at Ichigo over the other’s shoulder, his right hand again rubbing the redhead’s belly as his left curled around heaving shoulders.
“We must find out the sex of the child before we name it, Kurosaki. I…have a few names in mind already though. And the answer is yes to your other two questions.”
“Aa. You know, it might work out. You’re just gonna have to be really loving, Byakuya. No more of that slice and dice shit when Renji gets kinda uppity-“
“Ichigo!” The snarl was unmistakably Renji’s, his tear streaked face turning to peer at the human with contempt. “That was a long time ago. We’re past that now. It was all a misunderstandin’…”
The new shinigami lifted both hands in apology and waved them as if trying to calm the emotional swordsman, not wanting to contribute to anything that would harm the baby.
“Gomen, Renji! I didn’t mean it like that!”
“I know…I just…it kinda hurt.”
“Gomen. Ano…” He held out the plastic bag he had brought back from the store and handed it to the slowly recovering shinigami.
“I got your popcorn balls. You really liked the caramel ones, right? I remember you ate all my caramel ones and left the cotton candy ones. Pink’s kinda not your style, is it?”
The young Abarai smiled and took the proffered bag, busying himself with digging in it and stuffing his cheeks with the crunchy treats, even sacrificing one to his lover, who shook his head, already smelling the sugar that made up about half of the item’s ingredient list. Shrugging, Renji ate it himself, smiling like a content child.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
To keep from angering the rest of the Gotei 13, Byakuya left Renji in the capable hands of the Kurosaki family until the eight month of his pregnancy, at which time he returned and with a tearful goodbye on the part of Isshin and Yuzu, a noncommittal wave from Karin, and a knowing smile from Ichigo, he took his lover back with him, leaving behind promises of a visit in the near future, along with the new addition to their odd little family.
The gate this time was in Urahara’s shop and the gaudy hat toting shinigami gave a brief nod and a smile as Byakuya exchanged his stylish gigai for his soul form so he could return, leaving Renji in his container for the time being. It was possible, as the shop owner had given the redhead a slip of paper to tuck underneath his robe, allowing him to pass through much the same way Ichigo and his ryoka comrades had over a year before.
“Bye bye, Kuchiki-san, Abarai-kun! Remember me when you send invitations to come visit your little bundle!”
Both men smiled and Renji laughed slightly before they disappeared into the bright light, the gates immediately closing behind them, leaving a smiling Kisuke, who went right to his desk and began counting tab orders of new shinigami merchandise, acting as if nothing had happened and that a fukutaichou had not just waddled his way through the shop in a floral patterned yukata and slippers.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Upon Unohana-taichou’s insistence during a meeting Byakuya held with her before leaving again for the living world, the two shinigami, after reappearing in Soul Society, made their way to the fourth division’s headquarters and checked in, pleased to see the captain herself standing neatly with a polite smile on her face.
It was a shock to her, as well as more than half of the Gotei 13, when Byakuya had called a meeting and told them of the situation, deciding on honesty as opposed to simple lies and deceit, but she agreed to help because she admired the Kuchiki heir as well as his brave vice captain.
Renji was prepped for surgery, the only option to remove the growing child from him, and he cried the entire time, fussing about every little thing and finally sedated after Byakuya could handle no more of the incessant whining, the redhead’s cheeks streaked with tears and his hair mussed out of its normal tail. The elder man was reprimanded by the elegant captain as she escorted him out of the room and left him in the hall with two of her own subordinates, both of them kind girls who fretted over him entirely too much.
Unohana returned to the now closed off room and donned her medical gloves, proceeding with the operation and taking less than two hours for everything, including the restructuring of the fukutaichou’s internal organs, everything having shifted to accommodate the child. He was securely sutured and bandaged with care, then taken to the recovery room, along with the baby, whose small form lay sleeping in his arms.
The motherly woman hadn’t wanted to leave the baby with the sleeping shinigami but she knew that as soon as she told Byakuya that it was over, he would be by the other’s side soon enough.
The door to the recovery room opened and the nobleman got to his feet, nearly toppling the fussing fourth division members in his haste, dark eyes wide as he approached her and bowed slightly.
“Abarai-kun is fine, Kuchiki-san. He is resting now because of the sedative.”
“And the child?”
“Is in perfect health. He is sleeping as well.”
The regal clansman blinked suddenly which caused the woman’s face to fall slightly.
“Is something the matter, Kuchiki-san?”
“I…I have a son?”
She smiled again, taking him by the arm and walking him towards the recovery room and letting him step in first, his lover being the only patient in at the moment, which gave him immense relief. He would have hated to spend the rest of the day explaining the situation to another person.
“I will leave you alone with them until Abarai-kun wakes. He will then need to be examined a second time.”
Byakuya bowed low and when he stood again, the sweet captain couldn’t help but notice the wetness in his eyes. Was the normally cold taichou really beginning to cry?
Seeing that his tired lover was indeed sleeping, Byakuya stared down at the little bundle snuggled carefully against Renji’s shoulder, his tiny face at peace. He smiled genuinely and lifted both hands to unwrap the scarf from his neck and draped it over the table beside the bed, gingerly lifting the form of his child and placing him in the silky swaddling.
He folded the cool material over the baby’s body and hefted his slight weight into his arms, cradling him in the crook of his elbow.
Just as he sat down, the ‘mother’ of the family woke and shifted slightly, trying not to call attention to himself and succeeding as Byakuya remained ignorant of his movements, giving Renji enough time to peer over at the elder man and smile softly. He was rocking in the padded chair and had one hand lifted as he gently rubbed the baby’s cheeks and arms, everything so tiny compared to the nobleman’s large form.
With a head of the blackest hair, the baby was undeniably Kuchiki-born, but the moment his father gave his arm a little tug, he opened his eyes, staring up sleepily at the new world he had been brought into, Byakuya’s own eyes wide as he stared down at the child.
He had Renji’s eyes. A dark auburn that obviously belonged to the loudmouthed swordsman. He would be a handsome man once grown, the captain could see it already.
“You resemble us in so many ways, little one.”
Another shift of the bed sheets had the taichou’s attention as the no longer pony tailed vice captain smiled at him.
“That’s usually the way it works, Byakuya.”
“Aa, I know. It’s just…such a surprise.”
“So, what are we gonna name him?”
There was no hesitation from the elder man as he looked from the sleeping child to his lover, his left pointer finger held securely in a tiny hand.
“Tomi.”
“Tomi?”
“His name means red.”
“Byakuya, we don’t have to name him after me…I was only part of this-“
“He isn’t named entirely after you, Renji. It’s true that his name reflects the colour of your hair and the colour of his eyes, but the red also represents Hisana.”
The younger shinigami nodded in understanding and held his arms out to have the baby brought to him, smiling broadly even though his eyes welled with unshed tears. The child fidgeted again because he was moved and gave a tiny cry, starting the decent of Renji’s tears, the bright eyes of the child making the fukutaichou happier than he ever had been before.
“We’re gonna have to move in together now, you realize that dontcha?”
“The plans are already in motion, Renji. I have cleared out the largest portion of the clan’s formal home, where a nursery actually exists but hasn’t been used since my own birth.”
“Oh yeah? I can’t fuckin’ wait…” The young Abarai yawned suddenly and then noticed the cloth wrapped around the child.
“Is this your scarf?”
Byakuya nodded and tugged the material down a bit more so the baby could be seen clearly.
“I’ve worn it all these years knowing what its true purpose was and yet I was never given the chance to use it.”
Before he fell back to sleep from the remnants of the sedative, Renji have a questioning look and half heard the answer as his lover sat back down with the baby, speaking mostly to him instead of the now snoozing vice captain.
“It’s tradition for a Kuchiki heir to be swaddled in the cloth of his mother’s wedding dress, but because of the situation, I have again changed the rules. This cloth belonged to your ancestors and one day Kuchiki Tomi, you’ll give it to your own child.”
“From now on, you’ll wear the symbol of our clan’s prosperity.”
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