Double Trouble

7. Big Brothers

Shiro stared in amazement at the two little girls that were laying in his mother's arms. One black haired baby girl and one blonde haired baby girl. Pushing his glasses up onto his head, he moved closer to get a better look; like Ichigo. The black haired girl looked like their father, but was cute. "Shiro, what do you think of your sisters?" Masaki asked him.

Looking up at her, his black/gold eyes noticed how tired she looked. "Cute." He said as he pointed at the dark haired baby. He looked at the baby in her arms and flushed. "Cuter."

Ichigo nodded in agreement. "Karin's cute."

"Karin?" Masaki asked incredulously.

"Yuzu!" Shiro said pointing at the other.

Both parents sweat-dropped at their sons. It would seem they wouldn't have to worry about names for these two. "Well," Isshin said with a light laugh, "I guess we have names for them now."

Masaki chuckled as she agreed. She watched as her boys seemed raptured by their new siblings, especially Shiro. His wide eyes watched as the newborns moved in her and Isshin's arms. Every sound and movement was caught by his watchful gaze. Ichigo, on the other hand, couldn't seem to understand why the newborns weren't laughing at his silly faces. Looking up at her husband, who was watching the boys like a hawk, she couldn't help but feel immense love for her family. Never in her wildest dreams as a young teenager had she dreamt of having a family like the one she'd been gifted with. She only prayed that things continued as they were and that their happiness wouldn't be torn from them.

~~

It took three days for Masaki and the twins to come home. Though it was a short time, to two four year old boys, it was like a month or being separated from their mother. Their neighbor, an old lady that smelled like mothballs, watched over them as Isshin left to bring Masaki and the girls home.

Ichigo looked at the playroom next to their room. Over the last several months it had been transformed into a baby room. Pink walls and floors along with cribs, changing tables, toys and blankets. Shiro paused by the door entrance and looked inside with his brother. "Goatface says that we're big brothers now." Ichigo told him. "I'm not sure..."

"...how to do it?" Shiro asked. Ichigo nodded. "Same here." Shiro was glad he wasn't the only one feeling unsure about being a big brother. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't play with the babies; they were too small and fragile looking right now. "Did he say what to do?" he asked Ichigo, who shook his head no.

"Boys, lunch is ready!" their neighbour's voice called for them. Running down the stairs, the two boys came to a stop in front of the old lady who smiled warmly at them as they sat at the table.

"I can't eat." Ichigo announced to her. "I'm still thinking."

"Well think while you eat." The woman answered.

"Goatface says we're big brothers." Ichigo told her.

"Yes, I know." She said with a warmness to her voice as she chuckled at the nickname the boys warmly called their father.

"But how do we..." Ichigo began as he took a bite out of the sandwich she offered him.

"...be big brothers?" Shiro finished as he was given a sandwich as well.

"I see." The woman smiled as she thought of her own older brother who was no longer alive. "You protect your sisters from things or people who can harm them." She told the boys. "You play with them. Make sure they're happy and teach them things you think they should know."

"But-" Shiro began only to be interrupted by Ichigo.

"They're babies!" He told her, an exasperated look crossing his features.

The older woman chuckled at their dilemma. To think such things, as mundane as this seemed, were like a life or death situation for these boys. "They wont always be babies." She said with a wide grin. "I'm sure you'll both figure it out as you go."

Both boys gave a sad sigh at not being able to get a true answer from their neighbor lady. "Kids!" Masaki's voice echoed.

Almost instantly, their troubles from before seemed to vanish as both Ichigo and Shiro went to greet their family. "We're home!" Isshin's voice echoed right after their mother's. Coming down the hall, the two saw the twins and zoomed in on them. Ichigo bending down to peer at Yuzu as Shiro went on his hands and knees to look at Karin. Both girls were in their carriers and were fast asleep. The boys heard their parents talking, but ignored them as hey were now interested in their new sisters.

Suddenly Shiro smelt something and grabbed his nose. At that moment Karin woke up and began to cry. "Mama, she stinks!" he cried out causing Masaki to giggle.

"Do you want to help me?" She asked the two boys who gave her nods as their answers.

Walking up the stairs to their sister's room, they watched their mother undress and take the white diaper off of Karin. "Ew!" Shiro cried out upon seeing the dirty diaper.

"Yuck!" Ichigo cried out. Both boys covered their noses with their hands to try and block the smell.

"They don't smell that bad." Isshin states as he brought Yuzu into the room for her own changing.

"You two were much worse." Masaki told them.

Ichigo and Shiro looked at each other, made a face and ran off to get away from the smells. "Chickens!" Isshin yelled after them as Masaki laughed at him. "What?"

"I remember when you changed Shiro's diaper the first time." She laughed as she finished Karin's diaper. "I almost thought that you'd go off to find a hazmat suit to change it."

"Ugh! Now his diapers were just toxic." He groaned at the memory as he wiped Yuzu's butt and began to put a new diaper on. Masaki's laugh caused him to look at the doorway where Ichigo and Shiro were now wearing surgical masks and gloves.

"We can help now." Ichigo announced.

Masaki bent down and removed the masks as she cradled Karin with one arm. "Let's leave these in here for next time. Alright?" She asked them, gaining nods from both boys.

~~

Shiro watched as both of his sisters play on their blanket that was stretched out on the ground. They were at the park, Ichigo and him were taking turns in watching over their sisters. Their father was making faces at the now month old girls, who giggled at just about anything the idiot did. A sound of a camera shutter closing caught Shiro's attention. Looking up he saw his mother taking pictures of the first outing for the twin girls.

Standing, Shiro ran over to her and reached up towards her. "Yes Shiro?" she said as she bent down to his level.

"I wanna..." he began as he pointed at the camera. "take pictures with you Mama."

Masaki's eyes softened a bit before she began to explain how to use the small camera. Once she was certain that he could handle it, she went over to the blanket and picked up the twin girls. Ichigo ran over to his brother's side as Shiro took a picture of their mother with the girls, Goatface smiling the whole time. The next image Ichigo took after watching Shiro take a picture, the white haired boy running to join them and get his picture. Last came Isshin taking a picture as Ichigo joined them in the picture. Afterwards, the two boys dragged their father into a game of chase, which turned into roughhousing where the boys tried to take him down. By the end of the day, everyone was so exhausted.

That night as Shiro slept with Ichigo at his side, a nightmare came to him; one of many to come. This nightmare would leave many questions for the young boy and nobody to ask those questions to.