The King's Death

Chapter 25:The Castle Grounds

I can't recall why my feet brought me here but I'm glad they did because it allowed me to witness a sight I'll cherish even when I'm an old man like my father. There my wife sat leaning against a tree laughing vibrantly as Sayuri and Ichiro sat in the garden their eyes lighting up in laughter as they played with each other chasing the cherry blossoms that danced across the garden. They jump and move through them grasping into this air and sometimes stumbling. Rukia's eyes are alight with the most amazing laughter and joy I could ever hope to witness.

As we matured through parenthood we brought in and surround our children with a group of people unlike anything the soul society has witnessed. All controversy with the former elders of our clan burned out after the children were born and we brought in the Vizards to help me in situations that I requested their input. The twins adore their Uncle Byakuya and Aunt Rangiku. They were married last month. Sayuri and Ichiro were in the wedding. They are identical copies of Rukia and me in every way yet they hold their own personalities as well.

All of the Seireitei is just enamored with my family, the royal family, including my dad and sisters. Everyone pounced on Toshiro and Karin when they got together it was shocking because almost everyone thought Toshiro liked Momo. I knew, I knew before Karin and Toshiro even did. They are only in the dating phase and in some ways they are lucky because Rukia and I never got that looking back it probably would have been much easier but we never did things properly in the first place so I guess we did alright. However, I get the feeling he'll be proposing quite soon knowing him the way I do.

"Daddy…" Sayuri shouts running at me full speed with her twin brother following behind her slowly. I lean down and gather them in my arms running around the gardens wand swinging them around laughing.

"Daddy is gonna eat you." I say sitting them down and pretending to be a dinosaur. They run form me screaming and laughing at the same time. I grab them and flip onto my back pulling them down with me. They sit on my chest and peer down at me.

"Daddy I think you lost." Ichiro says trying to be all superior but it's hard with the slight lisp he has acquired in these years. He's so much like me that it's funny sometimes.

"Oh really I think you two won daddy is tired. Daddy's going to go sit with mommy." I murmur placing a kiss on both of their foreheads and moving to Rukia's side.

"They are so much like us it's scary." Rukia says laughing brightly. I smirk and wrap my arms around her pulling her to me. Her head rests on my shoulder and she presses a kiss to my chest softly. I nod and watch as Ichiro picks up a worn showing it to his sister. She squeals and runs away talking about how nasty it is.

"I still can't wrap my head around us being parents Ruki." I murmur pressing a kiss to her hair. Her laughter wraps around me and I can hear something in it. Something just beneath the surface that she's about to tell me.

"Well you better get ready because there is going to be a baby around the castle again in about five and a half months." She says pulling up to look at me. I grin and kiss her passionately.

"That's amazing…man Rukia you can't believe how happy I am to hear that!" I say brightly. She kisses me again and then lays her head back on my chest resting her hands on her stomach.

"I'm so excited Ichigo, I can't wait t have a little baby around the house. Here's hoping it's not twins again or I will make sure we never have children again." I chuckle and hope for that as well, twins were tough work because they would wake each other up and they'd feed of each other's emotions. I do not want a repeat of that.

"Yes twins are not my favorite choice." I murmur shaking my head softly and then resting my chin on top of her head as Sayuri and Ichiro wander over to us sleep already invading their senses as it closes in on their nap time.