Chapter 19: No Small Blessings

(A final note of thanks to everyone who was so patient as I worked my way through this story! You are the best. Withering Vine is now on the active list and will get an update this week. Enjoy the end of the story! :) Love, Spunky)

(Six Months Later)

Ichigo's sleepy mind registered the sound of Kisuke's voice even before he was fully awake, and he listened quietly, not wanting to move as the shopkeeper's hand rubbed his belly gently and the man spoke affectionately to his unborn child.

Looks like it's about time for you to join us, and even though I've really loved cuddling and spoiling you and Ichigo to death while you're in there, I can't wait to meet you in person for the first time. When I left Soul Society, I was pretty badly burned, not the kind of person who would make the best father, and maybe I haven't changed that much. But even though I'm a little messed up, I know what a good thing I have here. You and Ichigo are the best thing that ever happened to me. I admit it's kind of creepy that Sousuke Aizen's the reason we are able to have you. Yeah, I'll make sure I thank the guy when we catch him and throw his ass in prison, where it belongs.

Anyway, getting back to us, I can't wait until it's the three of us. The shop's almost done being rebuilt, so...yeah, as soon as it is finished, we can quit inconveniencing our buddy Byakuya and move back home. But, ah, I wouldn't expect ol' Isshin's going to be much in the way of friendly. I guess I don't blame him. I'd probably have the same reaction if someone like me was in bed with my kid. But even if it does piss him off, I'm never leaving Ichigo. You don't get chances like this...blessings like this more than once in a lifetime, so I'm hanging on to this one. I'll try to be a good dad, but if I screw it up, you've still got Ichigo. His heart's always in the right place...and I'm just glad it's with me.

I'm the luckiest bastard in the three worlds.

How in the heck did that happen?

Kisuke paused, blushing as he realized Ichigo's eyes were open and fixed on him.

"Hey, you feeling better? Did the peppermint leaves and lemon water help at all?"

"Yeah," Ichigo answered, yawning and sitting up in the bed.

He ran his fingers through the short ends of his ginger hair and stretched lazily.

"I feel better. But...how's Byakuya doing? He was pretty uncomfortable too."

"Heh," Kisuke chuckled, "He's doing fine. Captain Unohana's in with him and Renji's there too. I think we'll be getting an announcement soon."

"That's good," Ichigo said, wincing as a sharp throb of pain passed through his abdomen.

Kisuke smiled sympathetically and continued to rub the area gently.

"I think I'll have her check you again when she has a minute. Your reiatsu's fluctuating again and your abdominal wall has begun to lose cohesion."

"That's good, right?" Ichigo panted softly as another pain passed through his belly.

"Yeah, it's good," Kisuke assured him, "The abdominal wall needs to lose cohesion for the reiatsu to pass through, and your reiatsu is what's going to help push the baby's cluster out."

"Okay, so no reason to worry."

"None at all," Kisuke said bracingly, "Just relax and breathe slowly through each pain. It's just your body helping our kid come out to meet us."

"I feel kind of dizzy."

"Eh, you're just giddy from happiness, ne? You're doing fine," Kisuke assured him, slipping a hand into his.

The two men exchanged amused glances as a soft rumble went through the house.

"Ah...Kisuke, are you sure it's a good idea to do this here?" Ichigo asked nervously, "Byakuya's got better control of his power than I do and he's shaking up the place pretty hard. What happens when...?"

"Don't worry about it," the shopkeeper chuckled as another soft rumble followed the first.

"Akio?" Kisuke called, raising his voice slightly.

He smiled at the young attendant who appeared almost instantly in the doorway.

"Yes, Mr. Urahara?"

"Can you inform Captain Unohana that Ichigo's transitioning and that the abdominal wall has thinned?"

"Hai!" the youth said, flash stepping down the walkway.

"I'm that close?" Ichigo asked, paling slightly.

"Take it easy. It could still be a little bit. You're doing fine."

A sharper pain went through Ichigo's belly and his reiatsu spiked suddenly sending a shudder through the room around them.

"Oh, don't you start too," Kisuke joked, "I don't know if even a well built place like this can take both of you rattling it around like that."

"I should have gone to the fourth division," Ichigo panted as another flare of reiatsu jolted the room.

"Naw, this is much better for you...a nice comfortable bed, airy room, pretty gardens. You don't want to be in a boring hospital with plain white walls and all closed in."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Ichigo agreed, "but I feel bad wrecking Byakuya's place."

"Don't," Kisuke chuckled, "Ol' Byakuya's doing plenty of damage all on his own."

A sudden, stronger shock jolted the room and Kisuke grabbed on to the edge of the bed, his eyes darting around for a moment.

"Whew! I hope he's about done," mused the shopkeeper, "That was pretty brutal."

Ichigo's eyes widened as the sound of a baby's piqued wail floated into their room.

"Sounds like the Kuchiki heir just made an entrance," Kisuke chuckled.

A second wail joined the first and both men found themselves grinning.

"Make that the Kuchiki heirs," the shopkeeper corrected himself.

"Ugh!" Ichigo grunted, panting harder, "That would be funny if I wasn't about to do this myself."

"Ah, give Captain Unohana a minute and she'll be right here, okay? She just has to wait while the babies' bodies solidify into their soul form."

"Well, I don't know if our kid's going to wait!" the shingami substitute said insistently, indicating his now glowing abdomen.

Kisuke frowned.

"Have to always do things that hard way, don't you?" he said with mock annoyance, "Fine, then, I'll just do this myself."

"Have you ever delivered a baby before?" Ichigo objected, "You don't know what you're doing!"

"What's to know?" Kisuke laughed, "The abdominal wall thins, the reiatsu emerges. Piece of cake, right?"

"Says you! You're not the one having the baby."

"Nope," Kiuske said, smirking, "I'm the one catching the baby."

"Well, don't drop him...her...don't drop the kid, okay?"

"I won't," Kisuke assured his anxious spouse.

"Hey, is my belly supposed to be glowing like that?" Ichigo asked.

"Huh? How should I know?" Kisuke mused, "I've never delivered a kid before."

"Not funny," Ichigo snapped, swatting at his shoulder.

"Yeah, glowing is fine. Shaking the room with your reiatsu is normal. You're doing great," Kisuke assured him as the glow around his belly grew gradually brighter, "Just slow down your breathing or you'll pass out and miss the excitement."

"I'm not missing a thing," Ichigo panted.

He froze for a moment, then grunted uncomfortably as the room shook harder.

"I think you're fully transitioned."

"Where's Captain Unohana?" Ichigo complained, "What, did Byakuya have quadruplets in there or something?"

"Calm down," Kisuke cajoled him, "You're going to make the reiatsu flares stronger and break something if you don't calm down."

"S-sorry, I just...am a little nervous."

"Yeah, I know," Kisuke said bracingly, "But you're really doing great, so take it easy."

"Okay," Ichigo panted, giving the shopkeeper a relieved smile as Kisuke grabbed a cool, wet washcloth and used it to wash his spouse's sweating face.

"Do you want a pain block?" Kisuke asked, "It can sting a bit when the cluster passes through."

"Naw, I'm good," Ichigo grunted, "Just let's get this over with and have this kid already!"

"You're almost there," Kisuke coaxed him, squeezing his hand as the glow around his belly brightened sharply and began to pulsate gently.

The two men watched raptly as a dark center appeared within the heavy glow around Ichigo's exposed abdomen. Kisuke leaned forward, curving his hands carefully around the little cluster as it pressed upward and began to exit Ichigo's shaking body.

"That's right," Kisuke said softly, "Easy...I've got you."

Ichigo smiled helplessly as the cluster completed its exit and Kisuke held it gently in his arms, his eyes riveted as the reiatsu flickered and slowly resolved into the form of a tiny, naked infant. The two men were struck silent for a moment, then Kisuke smiled widely.

"We have a baby girl," he announced, setting the infant in Ichigo's trembling arms.

Ichigo stared breathlessly at the baby girl's shock of ginger hair and large, gentle grey eyes that were a mirror image of Kisuke's.

"Any ideas what you want to name her?" Kisuke asked, reaching over to tickle the baby's grasping fingers.

Ichigo considered the question quietly, looking into the little girl's bright eyes.

"Kishi," he said finally, "It means..."

"Long and happy life," Kisuke finished, smiling approvingly.

The two looked up as Renji burst through the door suddenly, a baby held securely in each of his two arms.

"Will you look at this?" he exclaimed, beaming proudly, "We got two of'em!"

He started to say more, then laughed as he spotted the girl in Ichigo's arms.

"What the hell? You couldn't wait like five minutes for Captain Unohana to get here?"

"Kisuke did a great job," Ichigo insisted

"Looks like," Renji agreed, "Oh, this little guy is Takeshi and the little red-haired girl is Akitora."

"This is Kishi," Ichigo said proudly.

"She's great, Ichigo!" Renji said enthusiastically, "I've gotta get back to Byakuya, but, ah...Captain Unohana will be here in a minute. She's just giving my husband a once over to make sure he's okay. He's fine. She just wants to be sure. We'll come back later, okay?"

"See ya," Ichigo answered, capturing his daughter's tiny hand and making it wave at the departing redhead.

"Well, that was some excitement," Kisuke sighed wearily.

"Hey," Ichigo said, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek, "thanks...for everything."

"Well, you really did all of the work. All I did was catch the baby."

"I mean it," the shinigami substitute said sincerely, "I wouldn't have any of this if not for you. Hell, I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you."

"Eh, saving you was kind of a selfish thing for me," Kisuke chuckled, "I think I've loved you from the moment I scooped you up out of the pool of blood ol' Byakuya left you in. I guess I have a soft spot for you."

He grinned at his daughter, who gurgled contentedly and blinked her large, pretty eyes.

"Got a soft spot for her too."

"You're going to be a great dad."

"You too," Kisuke said, kissing him again.

The two looked up as Captain Unohana entered the room.

"Oh my," she laughed, "It looks like someone just couldn't wait to make her entrance."

"Yeah, she's a little precocious," Kisuke laughed, "Don't know where she gets that..."

The healer examined the baby girl thoroughly, then straightened and smiled.

"Your baby is in perfect health," she announced.

"How's Byakuya?" Ichigo asked, "We saw his and Renji's twins. Is he recovering okay?"

"Captain Kuchiki is doing very well," Unohana assured them, "He had a few strong power flares."

"Yeah, we felt that," Ichigo said, shaking his head.

"We had a few of our own," Kisuke added.

"But you did a wonderful job of keeping Ichigo calm and delivering your daughter. The two of you must be very proud."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed happily.

"Akio went to warm some formula for all of the babies, so he will be in soon. You are free to be up and around as soon as you feel comfortable doing so. Please inform me if you have any dizziness or unusual pains. But you look perfectly healthy, so there should be no problems."

"Thank you, Captain Unohana," Ichigo said gratefully.

"You are both very welcome," the healer said, turning out of the room.

The two watched as she left, then Kisuke sighed wearily and crawled into the bed next to his equally exhausted spouse.

"I think I need to sleep for a week," he yawned.

"I wouldn't count on that," Ichigo chuckled, "Babies don't usually let their parents sleep very much."

"Ah well, who needs sleep anyway, right?"

"We'll take turns," Ichigo offered.

"Sounds like a plan," Kisuke answered, yawning again and cuddling up to his sleepy spouse and happily cooing daughter.

The two started to drift off, then Kisuke giggled softly.

"What?" Ichigo grunted, opening one golden brown eye.

"Who's gonna tell your dad he's a grandpa?"

Ichigo laughed.

"I think I'd better do it. After what he did to your shop when he found out you knocked me up, I don't think he'd like you making him feel like an old man too."

"You're probably right," Kisuke laughed, "All right then. You tell him. I think Kishi and I will wait here until after."

"Coward!" Ichigo teased, swatting him.

Ichigo laid the baby girl on his chest and rubbed her back gently as she sucked contentedly on her fingers and drifted off to sleep. Ichigo's eyes blinked slowly, then closed and Kisuke was left, stretched out alongside his resting mate and watching the two with happy, affectionate eyes.

It's like I was thinking before.

I've got to be the luckiest bastard alive.

And I'll do whatever it takes to keep us all that way.

I promise you that, Ichigo.