As soon as Ichika could support the weight of her own head and sit up by herself, Rukia preferred carrying her daughter on her shoulders. There were a number of reasons for this, though Renji would have had anyone believe it was just so that Ichika wouldn't feel the pain of being as short as Rukia's 144 centimeters any longer than necessary (earning him a swift kick to the shin on more than one occasion).

He wasn't wrong that it made it easier for Rukia to show off her treasure. Nearly everyone she knew was taller than her. As a result, it did make it less awkward for people to admire Ichika when they didn't have to bend down to affectionately pat the baby's head or touch her bright red hair when she wasn't strapped to her mother's chest. When she was still a newborn, Rukia used to proudly hold Ichika up high to introduce her, as though she were a grand prize to be displayed for the whole world to see.

It also left her with at least one free hand to do other things. If Rukia had Ichika sitting on her shoulders, she could do everything from sifting through paperwork to hand her subordinates some pressing document to preparing her daughter's clothes for the day. And oh, the clothes! It took Rukia a grand total of approximately ten seconds after finding out she was having a girl to realize that the possibilities for Chappy-themed merchandise for her baby were now endless. Chappy blankets! Books about Chappy! Bibs with Chappy faces! A baby mobile with hopping bunnies! Teensy hoodies with rabbit ears! If Rukia didn't have a free hand, then how else could she reach up and throw the hood over Ichika's head before showing her off to everyone?

Of course, should the need ever arise for Rukia to defend herself and her daughter from an adversary, having a hand with which to dispel a choice kidou spell was crucial. Not to mention that it only took one hand to draw Sode no Shirayuki from its sheath. Most importantly, it kept Ichika just a little further from the danger. However, she had yet to come across anything more threatening than Renji charging towards them in greeting, which was more often than not a welcomed hug.

But in that situation, Ichika being on her shoulders was even more perfect. Renji could wrap one arm around Rukia's shoulders to bring her into the embrace, and with the other hand reach for Ichika to give her a kiss on the head. Their sizes matched up perfectly. Rukia was just the right height to wrap her arms around Renji's waist, while Ichika could easily stretch out her little arms to hold on to the front of her dad's shihakushou in as big a hug as she could muster.

In those quiet moments of peace in the middle of her hectic days of being a lieutenant leading a captain-less squad as well as a new mother, Rukia firmly believed that there was no place she'd rather her daughter be.