This was originally going to be a chapter in 'The adventures of Gin and Cherry', but since it was a really long one and not really part of the main lot of ideas, I decided to keep it as a separate story. It's just a little one-shot "what if..." scenario that just had to be done.

Anyway, enjoy.

"Aizen-sama! Aizen-sama!" Gin yelled out in distress as he burst through the door to the office of the fifth division. Interrupting his conversation with vice captain Hinamori, who seemed quite shocked to see the perpetually smiling man in such a horrified state.

"What is it Gin?"
"Somethin's wrong, ya gotta come quick!"
"Gin calm down"
"Please, you have to come now! Its an emergency taichou!"

He had called him '-sama', meaning that something must be really wrong. His accent had also dropped, so Gin was definitely worried.

"Very well, please excuse me" Aizen calmly and quietly dismissed himself as he followed the now shaking Ichimaru out of the office.

"Now Gin, what is wrong?"

"It – its Cherry-chan! Something is wrong with Cherry-chan!"

"Gin calm down"

"Calm down? How can I calm down?" Gin cried out again in distress, his voice shaking as he was now on the verge of tears. "Something is wrong with Cherry-chan! How can I possibly calm down?"

Aizen knew that Gin was afraid. Never before had he seen this kind of fear so obviously in him in all his days. It was really a sight to see: he wasn't smiling, he was pale as a ghost, and he was shaking and trembling so violently as he struggled to fight back the floods of tears that were forcing their way to the surface.

Aizen then grabbed his shoulders and looked at him seriously. Acting like the older brother that he was to him.

"Gin!" he reprimanded, "calm - down! And tell me what is wrong."

He was breathing so quickly. It was almost as if he was on the edge, acting like a student when faced with a menos grande. It was not pleasant. He could see the tears of worry and angst starting to fall now.

"Ta- taichou... I, I don't know what to do... Ch- Cherry's... she's..."

"Show me"

Aizen let Gin lead him into the empty third divisions office and closed the door behind them. Leading him to the corner where Cherry was lying on a large cushion, breathing rather rapidly and whimpering and shivering in pain.

"I dunno what's wrong with 'er"

Aizen took a detailed look at the straining fox and watched Gin despair as she cried out in pain again.

"Cherry-chan..." he soothed before turning to look at Aizen, wondering what on earth was going on, "What'm I supposed to do taichou?"

"I think I know what the problem is..."

"Oh God... taichou..."

Aizen knew the signs, he knew the symptoms, and he knew of the complications that were now occurring. And Gin was struggling to breathe now because of the anxiety.

"Gin, I need you to leave."

"What?" Gin stammered, his face having dropped at the very notion of being asked to leave. "No, I aint leavin 'er, you may be my taichou... but - " he sobbed, the tears of worry and fear for his little darling now staining his pale face as his trembling hand stroked Cherry's head.

"Gin, that was not a question."

"Ch- Cherry-chan..." he whimpered again, despairing in fear for the little white foxes very life now.

"Gin, she will be fine I promise you... but you need to leave..."

Gin sniffed again and reluctantly rose to leave the room, leaving Cherry in the care of Aizen's steady and capable hands.

...

He waited outside the door. Continuously pacing backwards and forwards as he waited. His heart beating like never before as he clenched his hands. He felt his gut wrench. He felt sick. Everything started to spin and that feeling of breathlessness overcame him again. Eventually, he sat and slumped himself against the wall, unable to fight back he tears any more. Cherry was seriously ill. She couldn't die, he didn't want Cherry to die. They hadn't lived together for long enough for that to happen. The more he thought about it the more he wept, the more the tears wanted to fall. If she did die then he didn't know what he would do. He was in such a terrible state now, shaking and crying and in complete fear for his pet. Feeling such fear and emotion that only a pet owner could know when one of their own was in pain. If anybody saw him now then they would disbelieve that it was in fact Gin. No longer was he smiling. No longer was he calm. He was in a state of pure emotion and fear that would bring disgrace to the name of shinigami everywhere, let alone a captain. If he could physically scream out now then he would. No matter who heard him, he would still scream.

He felt his heart jump when the door opened again and Aizen peered his head out into the hallway.

"Gin, you can come in now." he said in the calmest and quietest of voices, giving him the softest of smiles that he ever did see. One of those rare and genuine smiles that nobody else would probably ever know of. His heart started racing again in anticipation. What had happened? Was she okay?

Gin swallowed hard. Not knowing what to expect. He really hoped that Cherry was all right. He slowly and nervously followed Aizen back over to his pet in the corner of the office, still shaking slightly. But what he saw next left him speechless. It would leave him breathless.

Not only was she alive, but on the little foxes bed and lying next to his beloved Cherry were six white little moving balls of fluff. Six little newborn pups wiggling and breathing lightly next to their mother. Six new little Ichimaru's that had just entered the world.

Gin gasped when he saw them, falling to his knees with his hands covering his face as Aizen smiled paternally at the sight of them all, kneeling down next to Gin.

"Cherry-chan..." Gin smiled as he stroked her head and scratched her chin, letting her lick his hand as she lay there, looking at Gin with her puppy-like eyes.

"Well Gin, say something..."

"Taichou, they're beautiful..." he smiled, with tears still falling down his face. "They're so beautiful taichou..."

Gin smiled, happier and more relieved than he had ever been in his whole life. Full of such awe and love for them all. Smiling wider than he'd ever done in his entire life, overjoyed and weeping tears of such joy for what had just happened after all of the pain and despair and the anguish, watching over the scene of the new mother and her pups as the friend he loved like an older brother smiled at each of them. Gin wanted to hug him for what he had just done for him, finding himself doing so since he was unable to restrain himself now, still crying tears of pure joy.

"Thankyou Aizen..."