Okay, so I know it's been a long time since I've last updated. I am super sorry, I have been really busy and I sort of lost my game plan for this fic. I had it all worked out, knew exactly what I was going to do, and then forgot it all. So, bear with me.

Anyway, here's chapter 7. (Does anyone else think this story is going super slow? Ha ha, sorry, my bad. :3)

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Mina's POV:

Renji and I hadn't heard from either Rukia or Ichigo for weeks after they found out about Rukia. They didn't return our calls or text messages, they didn't come over, and they gave us no explanation. At first it sort of aggravated me, but I soon became worried.

Friday night, two and a half weeks after Ichigo had left the apartment to get back to Rukia, Renji and I were sitting on the couch, idly watching a program on the TV. It was going on nine O' clock, but I still had Rukia and Ichigo on my mind. I had been worrying over them since a few days after we last saw them and it seemed nonstop.

As we rested on the couch the sun began sinking into the horizon, the light starting to drain from the room, the walls drenched in a weak orange and deep red. A thunderstorm was expected to drift over the town in the next few hours, but the bright color of the sky, even though it was fading, made it seem like that wasn't likely.

As I stared at the wall, watching the darkness seep over the light until it was completely gone, I sighed and looked up at Renji, my face resting against the arm he had resting along the back of the couch. "We should go to Ichigo's house and check up on them," I said, not seeming to get his attention. "It's been over two weeks, I'm worried."

"Alright," he answered, finally looking back at me.

Nodding, I sat up and began to use him for support while standing. Before I had the chance to actually stand I felt his hand on my arm, stopping me.

"Not tonight, Mina. It's too late to just drop by. Tomorrow morning, okay?" he asked.

I gave him a concerned look but only nodded again, leaning back against him. I relaxed and forced myself to calm down, knowing that they would be okay when we saw them the next day. My eyelids slid shut as I started to realize how the worry had taken such a toll on me. Resting a hand against my swollen stomach, which had grown even bigger in the previous two weeks, I felt myself begin to drift to sleep. The rain had started then, pouring in sheets and slamming against the roof, the noise more comforting. I was so close to unconsciousness, but the door swinging open suddenly startled me back awake.

Sitting up, I felt Renji pull away from me before standing, his tall form heading toward the stairs quickly. He was either worried or mad, I was guessing mad. As he reached his destination he stopped and cocked an eyebrow. A moment later Rukia walked passed him, not giving him a second glance, her gaze fixed on me, worry filling her expression.

"Rukia," I said, surprised by her unexpected visit. She was drenched, her hair flat, the usual volume to it gone as it lay against her bony shoulders. Her blue dress was sticking to her thin legs and her flats were spilling out rain water all over the carpet. "Rukia, what are you doing outside at this time? Did you walk here? And you didn't even take an umbrella, you must be freezing!" I stood quickly, using a lot of effort, and headed to the bathroom before she could explain.

I quickly grabbed two towels and headed back to the living room, handing one to her and draping the other over her shaking shoulders. Without a word she started drying her hair off with the other one.

Again, I walked away from her, not giving her the chance to speak. I wobbled into the kitchen and grabbed the kettle, filling it with water and setting it on the stove. After turning the eye on and setting it to low I grabbed a few coffee mugs from the cabinet and placed some tea packets inside. "Renji, can you grab her some dry clothes?" I asked, not looking up. He headed down the hall and entered my room while Rukia just stood in the middle of the living room, drying herself off.

I glanced at her before turning my gaze back to my busy hands. "What's going on? Why haven't you or Ichigo returned our calls? We've been worried sick over you two," I stated, my voice level low.

Her voice was surprisingly weak. Although she looked like a mess, I expected Rukia to hold her head high and explain as if nothing was wrong, to be strong like she usually was. But she didn't, she wasn't. She was a mess, and it was clear in her tone and posture. "We've been...," she trailed off, avoiding looking at me while she cleared her throat, obviously on the verge of tears. "We haven't really been okay since we found out," she answered, her voice low.

"I see," I answered, not sure how to take the news. It had been weeks and they still hadn't pulled it together. Both Ichigo and Rukia were extremely strong, emotionally as well as physically. I always thought that they could handle any situation, but this seemed to be too much for both of them.

"We can't do this, Mina," she continued, her eyes now glued to my face. I finally looked back at her and held her gaze; her eyes were pleading for me to understand. "All we've done is fight about what we should do. He refuses to let me put it up for adoption, but I can't just throw something so huge as an infant into his life. Because of me," she began, stopping her self to take a steadying breathe. "Because of me, he's in the middle of my Shinigami shit! And he can barely handle being a soul reaper and a student! Let alone if he has to be a father too!" Tears flooded her eyes and ran down her face, her hands brushing a few away absently. "He's only seventeen. I've taken his social life away from him and he barely sleeps as it is. I can't add more stress to his life, I refuse to do that to him."

I stared at her, my hands freezing at her statement. My throat seemed to close up as tears stung my own eyes. "Rukia...what do you want to do about this baby?" I asked, denial building up, building a wall in my mind that kept that horrible word out of reach.

"I want an abortion, Mina," she said, her voice hushed, the wall destroyed.

My eyes grew wide. "Wh-...Rukia, you can't!"

"Yes, I can," she stated, determined. "Look, I know, it's...horrible. I don't really agree with it, but...I love Ichigo too much to not do it."

"You know what that means, don't you?" I demanded, my voice surprisingly harsh as a deep glare set on my face. "You're going to murder your own child so Ichigo will have it easier?"

"Stop, Mina," she said, hurt crossing her features.

"No! You're okay to sacrifice your own baby because you don't want to put more responsibility on Ichigo? Well, he needs to take responsibility for his actions! And the responsible thing that you could do is give it up for adoption anyway!"

"Stop it!" she exclaimed, more tears streaming down her face, but my anger was still strong.

"How could you do something so immoral to your own child? What is-"

"Shut up, Mina!" Renji's voice boomed loudly, cutting me off as he emerged from the hallway. He took his place next to Rukia and laid a hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer. She hugged onto his waist tightly as she began to cry loudly.

Directing his glare at me, Renji allowed it and continued. "What the hell's your problem?" he asked me angrily.

Returning the gesture I ignored his question and directed my glare to Rukia. "I'm sorry, Rukia. That was uncalled for. But k-uh, getting an abortion isn't going to solve anything. Do you want to live with that regret for the rest of your life?" My voice had calmed and my glare faded as she looked up at me. "I mean, imagine in about eight or nine years you and Ichigo are married and are thinking about having a baby. I can promise you that every time you talk about it or think about it, this baby is going to come to mind. Along with questions like 'What would it have been like?' or 'Who would it look like more?' Trust me, Rukia, you don't want to live with those thoughts for the rest of your life."

One of her short eyebrows rose as she listened. "How do you know so much about this? Why should I trust you?" She didn't sound rude or unbelieving, just curious and a little confused.

"My grandma had an abortion when she was young. She was dating my grandpa when it happened, but it wasn't his. She had gotten raped and thought she wouldn't be able to love the baby, so she aborted it. When she got pregnant with my mom she kept thinking about her lost child and she even had nightmares about it. She told me that it was the biggest mistake of her life and that I should never even think about it, no matter what my circumstances. So I haven't," I answered her, getting a small nod.

"So, please, Rukia. I'm sorry for what I said, but you really shouldn't do it. I know it's tough, but...you'll really regret it."

"Then what should I do? I don't think I can give it up after I've seen it." Her question was drenched in sorrow; she was pleading for someone to make the decision for her.

"Keep it," I said. "I know, you're scared. Trust me, I understand. But if you're looking for an answer, that's what my answer is. But honestly, what you need to do is talk to Ichigo. He has just as much say in this as you do, and you can't make such a huge decision without him. Okay?"

She nodded slowly and muttered a thanks. "I just...I need to lie down," she said, looking as exhausted as she claimed to be.

"I'll take you home," Renji said, lightly grabbing her arm.

"Thanks," Rukia said. "And thank you so much, Mina, for being so honest with me. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Now go on, get some rest," I answered, hugging her briefly.

"Okay," she said, about to head down the stairs.

"Get dressed first, before you get sick," I said, reminding her about the dry clothes in her hand. She nodded and headed to the bathroom.

I looked up at Renji and smiled as best as I could. "I'm sorry I was so harsh to her," I said.

He shook his head absently. "Don't worry about it," he said honestly.

I nodded and we fell silent, waiting for Rukia. A moment later she was exiting the bathroom in a pair of my sweatpants and a T-shirt. I walked to the closet in front of the stairs and pulled out an old pair of tennis shoes. Handing them to her, she slipped them on quickly and headed downstairs without another word.

"I'll be back soon," Renji said, taking a step closer to me and kissing me quickly.

"Okay, be careful driving in this rain," I answered, watching him walk away.

"Yep," he said before I heard the click of the door.

Poor Rukia..., I thought, more worried about both Ichigo and Rukia. I had quickly become happy about my situation, and all I wanted was for Rukia to feel the same way, no matter how much we might struggle. Sighing, I poured the steaming water into one of the mugs I had gotten out and sat on the couch, waiting for Renji's return.

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Okay, so. I'm really sorry this took SO long. I had a total writer's block, but only for THIS story! It was soooo frustrating! Not to mention I had no time to really write much. But I officially have a solid plot for this story again, because I forgot the first one and made a new one! :D Which I think is much better, personally! And because of this, I should be updating more frequently and more often. But again, I can't promise you anything. :3 Thanks for reading, please review!