It'd been two weeks since the wedding, and we'd planned a dinner for the group. Yuzu, Karin, and Dad had gone out for dinner themselves, leaving a rowdy party of Me, Rukia, Tōshirō, Momo, Shūhei, Tori, Renji, Rangiku, and none other than Byakuya. I have to say that Byakuya being there was at first a little uncomfortable, but the man has warmed up (as much as a man like that could warm up) since Rukia's pregnancy.

Momo and Tori had just cleaned up after dinner, since I refused to let Rukia move all that much and Rangiku was, as per usual, too drunk to do work. We finally all sat down together in the living room with coffee, and tea for the pregnant ladies.

"Since we're all together, I have something I should tell you all!" Tori smiled brightly. I could guess what was coming next, but I prepared my best surprised face when the word actually got out. "I'm pregnant!"

"Is it Shūhei's?" Renji smirked.

"Of course it is, jackass!" Shūhei lunged for him but Tori caught him by the back of the shirt, jerking him back.

"How scandalous, sex before marriage!" Rangiku giggled.

"I'm still protecting her reputation, since we're engaged, too." Shūhei glared at Rangiku, threatening to get up again but Tori had a firm hand planted on him.

"Wow, you just went for everything at once, didn't you?" Tōshirō grinned.

"What can I say, I'm impatient." Shūhei shrugged and turned to Tori, kissing her cheek gently. "Plus, I had to find some way to make her stick around."

Everyone had a good laugh.

"I guess there's no point in telling our news, then," Tōshirō nudged Momo, who started to blush a bright red.

"No way, you, too, Momo?" Rukia's jaw dropped.

"What, does no one in the Soul Society use protection?" Renji muttered.

"You're just jealous you're not getting any!" I chimed, sticking my foot out just in time for Renji to lunge at me, his face meeting the bottom of my shoe.

"I'm just sad that it didn't happen sooner!" Momo giggled until she realized exactly what she had said and then went into a fluster. "I mean, so that Rukia, Tori, and I could be pregnant at the same time!"

Rukia giggled, reaching out to touch Momo's hand. "No, because then the Soul Society would fall chaos thanks to all of our crazy hormonal rages."

"Wow, that's exactly what I was thinking…" I savored my funny moment, knowing in a second that I would be getting a beat down. But it never came. I looked closer at Rukia, seeing her frozen, an almost inaudible groan grinding in her throat. "Rukia?"

"Wow." Her muscles relaxed and she sat back in her seat, taking a hold of her stomach. "I think the babies just did a somersault."

I grasped her shoulders, searching her face for signs of pain. "A bad somersault or a good somersault?"

"A weird one. Oh," she froze again, clutching her stomach. Everyone in the room was on the edge of their seats, ready to jump on Rukia at any moment. "Sorry, guys, they seem to be attacking me tonight." Rukia laughed softly, getting up out of her chair. "I just need to walk around for a second."

Before I could get up Byakuya was at her side, taking her by the arm. She'd had other moments like this, were the kids were being exceptionally brutal to her insides, so I let Byakuya walk her around the house, knowing she'd be fine. Well, thinking she was fine until she screamed, and we all turned to see the puddle at her feet.

"Rukia!" I bounded over my chair and grabbed her, helping Byakuya keep her on her feet.

"Shit," she hissed. "They're doing a lot more than somersaulting."

"Your water broke."

"No shit!" Rukia screeched, making a death grip on my arm.

"Okay, calm down, Rukia."

"Calm down? Calm down? How the hell-" Her words changed into a loud groan.

This was my time to take charge. "Momo, go get the overnight bag from the bedroom. Rangiku, grab a towel to throw over the fluid. Tōshirō, get her jacket from the closet. Renji, come here and hold her while I call the ambulance." Everyone scattered to do their assigned jobs. I got on the phone, trying to keep my head together as Rukia moaned in the background.

Finally the ambulance came, Renji, Byakuya, and I already having brought her to the bottom floor. Byakuya and I hopped into the ambulance with her, the others figuring out a way to get the hospital. "Ichigo, you idiot!"

"I know, I'm sorry." I had prepared myself to be extremely verbally abused during Rukia's labor.

"No, not about the babies!" Rukia squealed. "You forgot to call Isshin!"

"Oh, shit, dad!" I fished my cell phone out of my pocket and nervously tapped in the numbers, waiting for Dad to answer.

"What's up, Ichi?" It was Karin.

For a second I couldn't even think of what do say. "Karin, it's time!"

"The babies?"

"Yes! Hospital, now!"

"Okay, okay, meet you there!"

I hung up, stuffing the cell phone in my pocket. "Okay, Dad, Yuzu, and Karin are meeting us there."

"Okay," she groaned, clutching her stomach. "Damnit!"

"Rukia…" I leaned down to kiss her forehead, but she batted me away.

Byakuya actually laughed softly.

"Don't you laugh!" Rukia hissed at him.

"Calm down, Rukia." Byakuya went to touch her forehead, too, but she slapped that away.

"Tell them to go faster!" Rukia pointed angrily at me.

"Rukia, they're going as fast as they can."

Rukia lifted her head and grasped me by the shirt collar, shaking me. "I want the hospital NOW, and drugs NOW."

Holy shit! She's going nuts! Thankfully, Byakuya was there to loosen her grip on my collar, keeping her from strangling me. Wow, I never thought I'd start a sentence with "Thankfully, Byakuya." Anyway, it took just about forever to actually get the hospital, since Rukia spent most of her time alternating between yelling at the two of us.

Rukia seemed a little more sedate when we got to the hospital and they started carting her around in a wheelchair. Since she was just about to burst, they got her into a room quickly, getting her ready as fast as they possibly could. The calmness came to an end as soon as the doctor uttered those awful, awful words. "Mrs. Kurosaki, we'll have to skip the epidural, since your babies are coming much too fast."

"WHAT?" I was sure that Rukia was going to kill.

"Your babies are ready now; we can't wait for the epidural."

"NO!"

"Rukia, it'll go fast, you won't even notice-"

"SHUT UP, ICHIGO!"

Luckily, the doctor just kept on pushing, obviously used to this kind of reaction from women. "Rukia, it's okay." I forcefully grasped her hand, squeezing it.

"No," she moaned. "I'm going to burst!"

"And then you'll have two beautiful babies to make up for it."

"Oh, they fucking better be gorgeous."

"Okay, Mrs. Kurosaki, I want you to get ready to push."

"Just give me a minute!" Rukia screeched. "Damnit, he's so pushy."

"You should kind of be nice to the guy who going to make sure our kids come out right, Rukia."

"SHUT UP." She clutched my hand so hard I'm sure I heard at least five pops.

"Alright, Mrs. Kurosaki, it's time to start pushing." The doctor disappeared between her legs and started counting, encouraging Rukia to push. After a long moment of her staring at me, she buckled down and actually listened to the doctor. I tried to repeat words of encouragement, but she seemed a little busy moaning gutturally and accusing me.

"Here's the head." The doctor chimed in between Rukia's cursing.

"You're doing great, Rukia." Oh, god, was she crushing my hand.

"JUST GET THEM OUT!"

"One more push and baby number one will be here."

Rukia took a huge breath and squeezed as hard as she could. There was a loud, sharp cry. That was the baby that took after Rukia. The doctor pulled away, our baby in his arms. "Congratulations, you've got a healthy baby girl."

"A girl!" Rukia breathed out, obviously relieved she got at least one.

I just stood there, staring at the nurses cleaning off our daughter, listening to her cry, watching her wriggle in the nurse's arms. She was healthy.

"Alright, Mrs. Kurosaki, just one more."

"Almost done, Rukia."

"I don't know if I can do that again," she whimpered.

"You can. I know you can." I leaned down and kissed her forehead, smoothing her hair.

"Start pushing." It seemed to only take seconds for the second baby's head to crown. "One more push and you're all done."

Another cry, this one softer, more of a groan of discontent. Nope, I was wrong, that was Rukia's kid. "And a healthy baby boy!"

"One of each," I smiled at Rukia.

"Ichigo, do they look alright?"

"They look fine, beautiful. Don't worry," I kissed her on the forehead again.

"Ichi, I want to hold them."

"Give the doctor and nurses a second and you will."

"Here you are, Mrs. Kurosaki." A nurse walked to Rukia's side, our daughter in her arms. She gently laid her against Rukia's chest, the baby still wailing.

"I'll have to ask you two for names for the babies…" The doctor interrupted Rukia's moment.

"Hisana, for the girl."

"We didn't think of a boy's name, Ichi…" Rukia didn't seem worried though, since she was engrossed with Hisana.

"What about Kaien?"

"You'd… name him after Kaien-dono?"

"If you'd like that, Rukia."

"I would, but…"

"No buts, his name's Kaien."

She beamed a smile at me and I reached down, taking Hisana from her arms so that Kaien could replace her.

"If it's alright with you, Mrs. Kurosaki, we'd like to get you and the babies cleaned up and moved."

Rukia took one more moment to cuddle Kaien and then smiled at the doctor. "That's fine."

"Will you be alright without me while I go tell everyone the good news?"

Rukia nodded, resting back on the bed as a nurse took Kaien from her. I gave her one last, long kiss before making my way out of the delivery room and back to the waiting area. The site that awaited me was ridiculous. Obviously I had expected Dad, Yuzu, Karin, and everyone else from the party, but somehow Jūshirō, Urahara, Yoruichi, Ganju, and Kūkaku had been invited to the party. As soon as I walked in, the whole gang stood up, all of them rushing for me.

"Guys, calm down!" I laughed, rubbing my hands through my hair.

"How are they? Are they alright? Is Rukia alright?" Karin practically tackled me.

"They're fine. Rukia's fine. We have two, beautiful kids, a boy and a girl."

"What did you name them?" Momo chimed excitedly.

"Hisana, for the girl. Kaien for the boy." I watched as Ganju and Kūkaku's faces spread with shock. "We named this batch for the people Rukia loved the most." I smiled softly, training my eyes on the two of them.

"When can we see them?" Kūkaku quickly recovered from her shock.

"Soon as the doctor's are done with 'em."

Since the serious emotional stuff was over with, the whole room erupted into joy. "Congratulations, Ichigo!"

Dad came over to me, clutching me tightly. I had never gotten this kind of hug from him, and it almost freaked me out. "I told you, Ichigo."

"Hm?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"By picking her, you made the best decision of your life."

--

Sorry it took so long! --: I hope you liked it!