Ayumi and Akon sat next to each other, both Squad members busy at work creating a population log for the soul society. Once it had been made known to everyone of Ayumi's rank within the division, she had been welcomed warmly. Akon and Mayuri had even gone to the lengths of giving her a station of her own, complete with her own computer right next to Akon's, even though Rin had been a bit upset about no longer being able to work with Ayumi personally he had seemed at ease with the transition.

Every morning the Captain, Lieutenant and 3rd seat, along with Nemuri, would brainstorm together for the day, coming up with a plan of action for what needed to be accomplished. It had been almost two months since the vaccine had been administered to everyone within the Seireitei, including those who had higher spiritual pressure, such as the head captain and even the reluctant captain Zaraki.

Mayuri, Akon and Ayumi had all been pleased to see that their creation had proven to be a success, so far, there had not been anymore reports of anyone falling ill. While the task of complete vaccination had been a daunting one, it had been made easier when the squad 4 division had insisted on taking on the brunt of the problem by going out into the field and administering the vaccines themselves, giving the squad 12 members enough time to keep up production.

Ayumi turned her head at the sound of footsteps entering the lab, she smiled softly when realizing it was Mayuri coming back from whatever errand had been so important to him this morning that he'd rushed off. Ayumi hadn't thought much of it, he'd been going back and forth from the lab to the registry office for almost a month now, trying to make sure that all of the records were accurate, that those who had been vaccinated also had a database on file within the office as well as on the squad 12 computer's hard drive.

Ayumi turned and noticed the way Akon seemed to stand from his chair as soon as Mayuri re-entered the room.

"I think I'll go ahead and get some lunch, Nemuri, why don't you come and join me?" Akon called out before stepping away from his station.

"Okay!" Nemuri agreed as she walked out from the back of the lab space and followed the Lieutenant out into the hallway.

Ayumi's brow furrowed as she looked up at the digital clock, it was only half past eleven, seemed a little early for the two to be hungry so soon—why do I feel like I've been set up?

Ayumi leaned back in her computer chair and stared up at Mayuri as he walked over to her. His features were hard to read, almost stoic as he lifted his hand and placed a large envelope down in front of her.

"What is this?" Ayumi asked him as she reached out for it, her confusion only intensified.

"Open it." Mayuri answered.

Ayumi stole another glance at his face as she lifted the edge and pulled out a thicker piece of white paper and noticed the scrawled penmanship on the document. Up on the top of the document the words "Certificate of Marriage" had been printed in bold black lettering.

Ayumi's jaw fell as she quickly scanned the piece of vellum she was holding in her hand. Under the header were two names printed; Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Ayumi Otsuka.

"Th-This is a marriage certification…" Ayumi whispered.

"Yes, it is, I've already signed under my name, I felt this would be the most effective way of going about this…" Mayuri replied.

Ayumi paused as she looked up at him from her sitting position, now that he'd come closer to her she could see the uncertainty hidden behind his eyes; the two of them had not been an item for very long…

"A..are you sure this is what you want?" Ayumi asked him.

Mayuri snorted.

"Would I have gone through all the trouble of filling out mountains of paperwork if I was not?" Mayuri countered seeming to be growing impatient with her hesitancy.

Ayumi smiled up at him as realization fully dawned on her—all I have to do is sign this piece of paper and I will be his wife; I will be Ayumi Kurotsuchi!

Ayumi leaned forward in her chair and reached out for the pen that laid on her desk, without any further hesitation, Ayumi laid the thick piece of vellum down on the table top and quickly signed her name under the bold print.

Mayuri allowed his body to relax as he watched the woman pick up the pen to sign the damn document. Ayumi's hesitation had not been something he had expected, but he guessed he should have, the woman still had not fully overcome her self-consciousness, but she was well on her way; the many nights spent together wrapped up inside the sheets of his bed had proven to do wonders for her self-esteem.

Mayuri smiled as he watched her stand from her chair, a full smile spread across her delicate features as she stepped around her desk and reached out for him. Mayuri allowed the woman to pull him into a tight embrace and press her lips to his; it had taken him a good deal of time and much debate on how to go about asking the woman to be his wife, he had decided the most straight forward approach would be the most effective and the most convincing.

Ayumi pulled back from their kiss, resting her forehead against his.

"Akon and Nemuri knew about this, didn't they?" Ayumi asked, now understanding their early lunch rush.

"They did. I wanted to make sure Nemuri was comfortable with the idea, it seems she is quite fond of you and she wishes to address you in a different manner." Mayuri explained.

Ayumi leaned back away from his face as she met his gaze, her brows lifted.

"What do you mean? How does she want to address me?" Ayumi asked him.

Mayuri smiled softly.

"I believe the term she used was, Mom." Mayuri answered.

Ayumi felt the sting of tears pooling in her eyes as she heard his reply; and she found it fitting for the occasion. While Mayuri had been busy being sneaky, preparing to marry her, she had visited the squad 4 medical unit the previous day, pulling Linake along with her as a support system.

"Does that mean she will be calling you Dad?" Ayumi smiled, still feeling nervous about telling Mayuri her news.

Mayuri half-laughed.

"Let's not get too carried away…" Mayuri smiled as he tightened his arms around her pulling her body against his own.

"I need to tell you something…" Ayumi fessed up, she had been trying to figure out how to tell him this morning, but he'd rushed off to the registry office.

Mayuri's brow rose as he met her gaze, he could see the signs of her being hesitant and somewhat nervous.

"What is it?" Mayuri insisted.

"I…I'm pregnant…" Ayumi whispered.

"What!? How do you know!?" Mayuri asked, his features turning serious as she felt his hands slide down her sides and cup her lower abdomen.

"I asked Captain Kotetsu to check me out." Ayumi admitted.

Mayuri's brow furrowed.

"I see. Still, I'm confused, why wouldn't you just come to me if you suspected?" Mayuri asked.

Ayumi let go of her bottom lip before she answered him.

"You've been a little preoccupied the past couple days, and I didn't want to bother you with it." Ayumi answered.

"Tch. The suspicion of you carrying my child vastly overthrows any other preoccupation." Mayuri countered, his lips thinning into a frown.

Ayumi couldn't help but smile at the way he was brooding—he still has no idea how cute he is…

"Oh well, I guess I can find it in myself to overlook this. Was Captain Kotetsu able to determine how far into the gestation period you are in?" Mayuri asked as he lifted his hand to her forearm and began to pull her over to his exam chair.

Ayumi laughed as she realized the scientist she had just married was not going to be satisfied with taking someone else's word for it, he would be conducting his own thorough investigation.

Epilogue

"Nemuri! Be careful with your sister! If you cannot hold her properly, I'm afraid I will have to take her from you!" Mayuri scolded his eldest daughter as the two of them walked down the hallway, heading for the exit of the barracks.

Mayuri stepped forward, leaning over Nemuri's shoulders, he righted the position of Nemuri's arms, showing her the proper way to cradle his new born daughter.

"Place your arm like so, and support her head." Mayuri instructed.

"Yes, Father!" Nemuri answered as she complied, allowing him to teach her the proper way to hold her little sister.

"Mayuri!? Will you please take her?" Ayumi asked as she caught up to the rest of her family.

Mayuri turned his head and smiled.

"Of course." Mayuri answered as he walked over to his wife, gently lifting his second born into his arms, making sure to be gentle with the newborn.

"Are you sure you are up for this visit? After all, you did just gave birth two days ago…" Mayuri reminded his wife.

Ayumi smiled up at him as she lifted her hand to his painted cheek.

"I've been stuck inside with the twins long enough, I think it would do me some good to see the sun." Ayumi joked as she slowly walked forward; her body still not completely healed from the intense labor the couple's twin girls had put her through.

Mayuri nodded before smiling down at the second of his newborn daughters, the couple had debated for weeks on what to name their children already knowing what to expect; they had narrowed it down and decided to name the first born, Miya, and the second born Miyo. Together the names meant; Temple of a beautiful generation.

While both girls seemed to look identical, both having the same color of hair as their father, and similar facial structure to each other, the moment Miyo had opened her eyes, Mayuri had noticed the color. The new father had been grateful for the distinction, Miya had taken after him, having golden eyes, while Miyo had her mother's green, a sure way to tell the two apart, making the job of feeding and changing much easier.

Nemuri continued forward down the hallway, smiling as she walked—A lot of changes had been made in the past ten months, waiting for the two girls to arrive, one of them being the relationship she now had with her creator, long gone were the days of her addressing the man in such a formal manner, now he was simply just, Father.

Mayuri paused, making sure his daughter was secure before lifting his right hand and raising the metal bar that secured the entrance doors. Once open, Nemuri stepped outside giving Miya her first glimpse of sunlight.

"Shield her eyes, Nemuri!" Mayuri called out.

"Yes, Father!" Nemuri replied as she adjusted her hand to comply with his instructions.

Ayumi placed her hand to Mayuri's shoulder gaining his attention.

"Try and relax a little bit today, Mayuri." Ayumi stated as she slowly exited the building, the soft rays of afternoon sunshine felt like a warm hug after being cooped up with two newborns for two days.

Mayuri sighed as he took in his wife's comment, he supposed he had been acting a bit high strung since the arrival of his children. Mayuri had wanted to decline the invitation to the party Linake and Amaya had decided to throw for them in celebration of not only Miya and Miyo's birth, but also for the five month old gem, Akio Zaraki. It seemed that the captain of squad 11 now had one of each, a boy and a girl.

Mayuri caught up with his wife rather quickly after securing the doors to the barracks and the two followed the pathway down as Nemuri walked in front proudly holding Miya. As the couple continued they were met with warm smiles by the lower ranked officers that walked by, it seemed the news that Mayuri had been married and now had a family had made him seem a bit less intimidating to others—a notion he still wasn't sure he really cared for…

Ayumi smiled wide as they arrived in the small courtyard outside of the Squad 1 barracks, it had been the only place large enough for everyone to really gather. Mayuri sighed as he scanned the scene and decided he would take his wife's advice to heart and try to relax.

Amaya Aizen turned her gaze and let out an excited squeal as she hurried over to Nemuri and took a look at the eldest of the Kurotsuchi twins.

"Oh wow! She is so cute!" Amaya crooned.

Sosuke smiled as he looked up at his wife from his seated position on the blanket.

"Linake, you gotta see this beauty!" Amaya called out to her friend.

Linake looked up from her seat on the ground and smiled fully before pushing herself up from the blanket that had been laid out.

Mayuri noticed the brute sitting down with an expression that probably matched his own—why women felt the need to get together and celebrate everything was beyond him.

Kenpachi leaned forward stealing one of the rice balls from of the many platters of food that had been prepared and handed it over to his impatient son. Takeo was able to sit upright on his own now and had almost figured out the magical ability known as walking. The boy had grown over the past ten months and Mayuri found it hard to believe he was almost three now—how time seems to fly…

Mayuri passed by the group of women and headed over to the makeshift picnic area where he was greeted by the Lieutenant of Squad 6, Renji Abarai.

"Glad you decided to come, Captain Kurotsuchi." Renji smiled.

Mayuri sighed.

"Yes, well, I am afraid I would not have been able to win that argument." Mayuri answered before allowing himself to sit.

Rukia leaned over and stole a peek at the baby girl Mayuri was holding gently against his chest, she seemed to be fast asleep in her father's arms.

"Man, it's kind of strange seeing you like this, Captain Kurotsuchi." Rukia half-laughed.

Renji shrugged at his wife's comment.

"Nah, not anymore strange than seeing Captain Zaraki with his kids…" Renji countered as he snagged a piece of fruit from a nearby tray and popped it in his mouth.

Ikkaku turned his head at the comment made by the squad 6 Lieutenant and grinned as Yumichika leaned forward sneaking a spring roll from a nearby tray.

Mayuri turned his gaze to the brute and he realized that both of them sat with their daughters tucked protectively in their arms, Mayuri could barely make out the small tufts of black hair from under the soft pink blanket Akio was swaddled in.

Just as Mayuri was beginning to regret his decision of accepting the invitation, his wife appeared by his side and smiled down at him as she slowly lowered herself down to sit next to him.

Mayuri lifted his free hand allowing her to lean on him as she made it down to the blanket.

"I remember how that felt." Rukia commented as she smiled over at Ayumi.

Ayumi met the squad 13 captain's smile with one of her own before looking over at the group of women fawning over one of her daughters, it seemed they had forgotten she had two.

"She's so pretty!" Ichika crooned as she looked down at her best friend's baby sister.

"Alright girls, let's take a seat so we can all eat." Linake instructed the teenagers.

"Alright." Ichika replied as her and Nemuri made their way over to the large blanket and sat down.

Linake paused for a moment.

"Didn't Akon and Rin accept their invitation?" Linake asked.

Ayumi smiled over at her friend before replying.

"Yes, they should both be heading this way now. I am sure Rin is trying to finish up work and Akon wanted to invite someone himself." Ayumi explained.

Linake raise her brow at the mention of Akon wanting to invite someone—had the squad 12 Lieutenant found someone?

Deciding not to over think the situation Linake took a seat next to her husband and began to hand out pairs of chopsticks for everyone to grab at the food that had been prepared. Linake turned her gaze, taking in her son's appearance, he was sitting at his father's feet with a rice ball clutched in his hands, red curry sauce smeared all over his chin and half of his right cheek.

"It was either give him one or listen to him whine, woman." Kenpachi stated.

Linake met her husband's gaze and smiled.

"I'm just surprised he's eating the curry." Linake explained before leaning forward and grabbing a rice ball for both her and Kenpachi.

Kenpachi accepted his with his hand, making sure to keep his daughter safely tucked against him as she slept.

"I am so sorry, I am late! I tried to explain to Hiyosu that I had an engagement I had been invited too." Rin sighed as he stepped forward.

The group of women all looked up and met the sweet natured squad 12 member with warm smiles, while the men just stared at him.

"It's no problem, Rin, go ahead and take a seat." Linake replied.

"Thank you." He replied before finding a free space for himself around the blanket next to Ayumi.

"Is Hiyosu being difficult again?" Mayuri asked leaning forward to meet his department heads gaze.

Rin shrugged his shoulders before he replied.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, captain."

Mayuri nodded his head before leaning back again. Ayumi noticed that Mayuri was just sitting there, not partaking in any of the food that Linake and Amaya had taken the time to cook.

Linake leaned forward, handing Rin a set of chopsticks and he smiled widely.

"Thank you, this all looks delicious! Did you and Amaya prepare everything yourselves?" Rin asked as he eyed the selections.

Amaya and Linake both smiled.

"We did." Amaya answered from her spot on the blanket.

Sosuke sat behind her with his arms wrapped around her, allowing his wife to feed him small portions of food even though he no longer required sustenance.

Ayumi lifted her hand up in front of Mayuri and it took him a second to understand the reason for her action, the woman was trying to make him eat something.

Mayuri lifted his free hand, accepting the steamed dumpling the two women had prepared and took a small bite, he had not been expecting much, but when the burst of flavors exploded he found himself eyeing the two human women—it's actually quite…good!

"I apologize for arriving late, I hope this is okay…" Akon stated as he and a young woman appeared.

Mayuri turned his gaze and half smiled when he noticed the young redhead standing next to his Lieutenant. It seemed that over the past couple months his Lieutenant had been spending a lot of his free time with the woman. Both Ayumi and Mayuri had been pleased to hear that Kameko had only suffered from minor injury's the night Grimmjow and Mayuri had saved her.

Linake smiled as she looked up at Akon and her smile only widened when she spotted the rather fetching redhead by his side.

"It's more than okay, Akon, there is plenty to go around." Linake answered.

"Thank you, Linake. Uh…this is Kameko Nomura, a friend of mine…" Akon introduced the young woman looking as awkward as he sounded about the situation.

Amaya half-laughed indicating that the title he had given the woman was most likely far from the actual truth and when Linake looked over at her friend she winked back.

"It's nice to meet you, Kameko." Linake smiled.

"Thank you, Mrs. Zaraki." The young woman spoke softly, her body language showing how uncomfortable she was feeling. Linake couldn't help but notice the red and white academy uniform she was wearing, a sure sign that the woman was new to life within the Seireitei.

Akon stepped forward deciding to take a seat next to his captain, which put Kameko right next to Rukia and it made Linake smile, if anyone could make the girl feel welcome, it would be Rukia, just like she had for Linake all those years ago.

Mayuri turned his gaze to Kameko and studied her briefly in between more bites of delectable food. While it had not come to a surprise to Mayuri that the girl would qualify for entrance into the academy, it had been quite some time since he'd last saw her and for some precarious reason it pleased the scientist to see that the young woman had put on a much healthier weight and seemed to be thriving—I may have to pay Yoruichi a visit sometime soon, see if this woman would be an asset to the 12th division.

"Hey, Rin. I have something here for you!" Linake smiled as she reached forward and lifted a domed lid off of what looked like a rather large square baking dish.

Rin turned his head as he heard his name being called, and when Linake lifted the lid on the container his eyes widened.

"Is…is that cake!?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes, it is! Sorry it took me so long!" Linake replied with a laugh.

"Oh, no, don't be. So much happened between when I asked and now. Thank you for remembering!" Rin smiled.

"Tch. Alright, I need to see what's so special about this cake stuff, cut me a slice, woman." Kenpachi demanded.

Linake nudged her husband with her shoulder gently before she leaned forward and began to cut pieces of chocolate cake for everyone.

Ayumi smiled as she watched the substitute soul reaper that had become such a good friend to her over the past year, both Linake and Amaya and proven to be very gracious and kind hearted women who Ayumi had taken too like a fish to water. As Ayumi turned her gaze and looked around her at the smiling faces of Captains, Lieutenants, substitutes, the immortal and even lower ranked officers and a student, she was left feeling rather foreign emotions for her, Ayumi felt contentment and joy.

"Is everything okay?" Mayuri asked, leaning closer to his wife.

Ayumi lifted her gaze to his and smiled fully.

"Everything's absolutely perfect." Ayumi answered before leaning forward and stealing a kiss from her husband.

Mayuri allowed her public display, pressing his lips back over hers, savoring the feeling of being kissed by his Wife—Yes, I think in this case, perfect would be an accurate description.

Well, That's it everyone, I hope that you all have enjoyed my little adventure! It was rather fun for me to write and I did enjoy the feedback I received from some of you. I'd also like to give a special thanks to HummingBird742 for giving me the constructive criticism I needed, I think I've gotten better, but I'm still far from perfect! Until next time...-L.J.-