With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
Minako shook off her grasp and ran on ahead, telling her it was useless to hide. However, it wasn't like Mommy or Daddy would cheat while they played. They could go really fast and tell where her and Minako were just by thinking. But they wouldn't do that. They wouldn't play that way; it wouldn't really be playing. So, she kept to her plan. She began looking around for a good place to hide when Mommy ran by and told her that Daddy would be the "It" first. That was great, she could find a good hiding spot and then stay there so no one could find her until the game was over. Maybe. "Thanks Mommy," she called out before she began to run in a different direction. Behind a bench there was some large bushes that looked suitable. So, Asuka got down on her hands knees and crawled into the bushes before flattening out and making sure she didn't have her feet poking out (that'd be embarrassing). Now she waited.
As Toshioni stood there and listened to her, he playfully dismissed her concern that she could also use her powers if he cheated in the game. "I dunno, I'm pretty fast." He said that as playfully as he could. Then his wife set out to run and hide from him before their game began. After she left, he began counting down from ten in his head. When he reached zero he would begin to "search" for his family members. However, he would probably just walk around for a couple minutes then sneak up on one. When were as experienced a Quincy as Toshioni, you couldn't just turn off reiatsu detection. So, playing this game was kind of rough. There was a fine line between going too easy and cheating. But that was the life of a spiritually aware father.
As he began to "look for" his family, Toshioni reflected on how much he'd changed since he became a father. Becoming a teacher and getting married to Mizuki was one thing, but having twin daughters had really changed him. He wouldn't ever trade a moment of it though. Not the sleepless nights, not the hours of repetitive games, not even the constant stains on his ties when the girls were younger (seriously, always on the tie). His life had become twisted around those little girls' fingers the day that Mizuki had told him she was pregnant. And that was even before they knew they were having twins (real talk, that was a cryfest) (but that's a story for a later date).
-------------Flashback-----------------
It had been a long day. Really. Teaching five periods of art sounds like a lot of fun when you're nineteen and in college. But when you're twenty-four and living it, it might just be one of the worst things imaginable. Paint...so much paint. Just...just everywhere. What was worse was that he had to wear a shirt and tie to work every day. By now, his light blue tie was yellow, red, and white in splotches. Who the hell even used white paint? Damn those kids. As he walked into the door of his apartment, Toshioni slid his bag off his shoulder and onto the floor and prepared to collapse. But before that, he'd have to find his very special roommate (assuming she was here). It wasn't just his apartment; he lived there with his lovely wife: Sarungekki Mizuki. "Mizu-chan, I'm home," he called, pulling off his jacket and hanging it up on the rack in the kitchen. They really needed a bigger place...eventually. For now, this apartment would do while they figured something out about the whole double-life scenario. Hunting hollows in your spare time might spice up your married life, but it also meant you weren't home much.
As she heard the door open, she had just finished setting the table. She had made a fantastic dinner for the two of them! And there were reasons for that, well, a reason for that. Mizuki, wearing a white shirt and a pair of short shorts, pranced over to the doorway to find her husband there, sulking in his life, as if he wasn't sure that this was what he really wanted. She knew he did want this, he loved his art! Especially since he told her that she inspired him so much! That was one of the reasons he wanted to marry her! Granted they had a rough start when they first met, but now they were married, and still deeply in love! Even with the turmoil they had suffered in the past, they still held it together pretty well.
Wrapping her arms around Toshioni with a kiss on the cheek, she spoke to him in a light, happy voice. "Welcome home!"
She was truly happy for him to be home. Even with her hollow hunting business just taking off, she was still quiet lonely by herself. Mizuki loved spending time with Toshioni, no matter when it was. She walked over to the table and offered Toshioni a seat. "Dinner is just about done." She smiled. Her smile was bright and exuberant, just like the day he asked her to marry him, except, maybe a bit more exuberant than normal. Weird. Without missing a beat, she moved back into the kitchen and took the food out of the oven, placing it on the counter top while she finished placing the portions on each of their plates. They were having corned beef, cabbage, and baked potatoes! These were some of the things she had learned to cook from her parents, seeing as they were Irish after all.
She placed the plate in front of Toshioni's seat and one where she would sit. With that, she sat down and waited for him to join her.
(This is just the flashback for now, we can continue on the other portion in a bit)
After Toshioni declared he was home, Mizuki appeared (almost form out of nowhere). Looking at his wife for the first time in hours, he gave her the best, tired smile he could muster. She walked over to him and embraced him in a casual hug. Raising his arms to hug her back tightly, he felt her plant a kiss on his cheek and welcome him home. With a small grin, he placed small kiss on her forehead and continued to hug her for the moment. "It's always good to be home." When the hug ended, she returned to go finish dinner, but not before offering him a seat. "One second Mizu-chan. Let me get this tie off," he responded absently. The majority of his mental energy going to solve this Rubik's Cube of a knot that held his glorified noose in place. After more time than he'd liked, Toshioni finally got the (pretty much rainbow by now) tie off of his neck and he hung it up quickly.
Crossing into the kitchen, he untucked his shirt and unbuttoned the top two or three buttons. Much better, he felt less exhausted already. Sliding slowly into his chair at the dining table, he watched Mizuki take the food out of the over and begin to set portions onto the table for the two of them. He wished he'd been able to discern all the smells of the foods before he'd seen them, but that wasn't his area of expertise. His eyes were superhuman, his nose not so much. Despite this, he stretched his arms for a moment before looking at all the tasty options he had for the day. It was an Irish meal for the day, and that was fine with him. Toshioni liked corned beef.
Before eating, however, he gave a smile to his wife. "It all looks great. Thank you Mizuki. How was your day?" And with that, he began to eat slowly and engage in small talk over the food. However, not before noting that Mizuki looked a little different today. He wondered what it could be; it was too hard to place.
How was my day? Mizuki thought about it for a moment while taking her seat. She had a few things she did that day, a few places she went, and of course, a few hollows that were hunted down. A fairly normal day. She had her monthly doctors visit, which was usually a just in case kind of thing, since her back injury so long ago, she wanted to make sure it was good at any point in time. The doctor did give her some good news, but not quite what she was expecting.
"I took out a few hollows today... Had lunch, then went to see the doctor for my monthly visit.." Mizuki looked down at her food as she began to pick around it before finally taking a bite. It was difficult to give this kind of news, but how did the doctor do it so easily? Why was this so hard?!
"How do you feel about having children?" A nonchalant question, she was hoping he didn't read to far into, of course, he had a long day, and it might just fly right over his head. "Totally random I know... How was your day?" Her follow up question should cover up the first perfectly! Or at least, that's what Mizuki thought.
As Mizuki began to tell him about her day, Toshioni smiled at the consistency of it. Nine times out of ten, it was along those lines. That wasn't a problem at all for him. Truly it wasn't. In fact, he was happy about it. It was easier for him to not worry about her when he knew what she was doing. There wasn't a regular hollow that she couldn't handle. And if an Arrancar (or even Espada showed up), he would feel it. This had happened before, and it was a simple matter to get someone to cover his class while he dealt with the problem. You really couldn't trust those damned Shinigami for anything. But, that was a bit off subject. He should focus on the day she had had, not the ones he feared she'd have. "What did the doctor say about your back? Are you still in tip-top shape?" he asked with a small, worried smile.
"How do you feel about having children?"
When he heard this, Toshioni was in the middle of drinking some water. It was quite tempting to spray the water out in a stereotypical anime fashion, but Toshioni wasn't the stereotypical anime character. He swallowed the water and calmly set the glass back on the table before looking around for a moment. Frankly, he loved kids. When they weren't flinging paint everywhere, he loved his job. In a couple years, he would love to start a family and move out of this apartment. That was the big issue; there was no space right now. "Mizu-chan, I love kids. But, we don't really have space right now. We should probably move out of this apartment before we start a family." He let that settle for a second before realizing that he had made it sound like Mizuki didn't get a choice in the matter. "If you're interested in that kind of life that is. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like that's what I needed and you didn't get a choice. Your body, your decision."
Mizuki then asked him about his day. He took a few small bites before indulging her. "Well, today we painted. I think you can tell from my clothes how that went. But, some kids actually made some pretty nice stuff. I can't wait to see where they go with what they've got so far."
"Yepp! Said my back is still in great shape, and of course, told me to stop coming in so often for a checkup." Mizuki took a few more bites then listened to what Toshioni had to say about children. The idea of children at this point in their life was somewhat unheard of, but it was something that was a very real possibility. They enjoyed their, urm, adult fun time activities, at least 4 times a week! More if Toshioni wasn't tired, but this was besides the point.
Mizuki smiled and chuckled lightly. "You are completely right about that. My body my decision, but it's our wallet, which children impact heavily. Anyway.." She continued to listen to Toshioni go on about his day. It was a fairly normal day for Toshioni, or at least to Mizuki it was. Or seemed like it was, whichever you choose. Mizuki thought about the right time to tell him, but really didn't want to ruin dinner. Maybe after dinner? No, no, she couldn't wait that long! She had to tell him, it was now or never.
"So, the doctor gave me some other news too... It seems, that I'm pregnant.." Mizuki waited to see Toshioni's response.
Mizuki's back was still in great shape, which was relieving news. There were times when he agreed that she should probably stop going in every month. But, she was significantly more active than your average twenty-something woman. She fought hollows, and that was dangerous work. The likelihood of injuring it again was high, but then again, Toshioni wasn't a doctor. "That's good to hear. You can stop going for that check up if it bothers you. But, if you start developing back pain, please tell me. I worry."
To her protests that children costed money, he gave a small wave to calm that talk. The cost of a child wouldn't truly be a factor if they didn't want it to be. The two of them didn't spend that much to begin with, and they could always cut back. An art teacher didn't make a fortune, but an art teacher made enough. "We shouldn't worry about the cost. You and I can always cut back. And our savings aren't that bad off right now even. In a couple years, we'll be sitting in a pretty comfortable position if we decide to start a family," he said with a small smile.
But his hypothetical of "a few years down" was abruptly shattered with Mizuki's announcements. For a second he hesitated, but that was just a second. Immediately he made up his mind, dropping his fork and standing up so fast the chair fell to the ground. In three steps, he was around the table standing next to Mizuki. "Mizuki...I..." Then he quickly collapsed. On his knees beside her, he looked up at her with the widest eyes and the biggest smile he could muster. Then he wrapped his arms around her midsection, and gave her stomach a loose hug. After a few moments of this, he pulled back and rolled up her white t-shirt to see her rather flat stomach. Toshioni then planted a kiss where his unborn child (children!) was growing as he breathed. "Hi. Hey there. I know you don't know me yet...but I'm your dad. I...I...I just can't wait to meet you." He looked back up at Mizuki and bit his bottom lip, almost in tears. "I'm going to be a dad. We're going to be parents." He placed his hand on Mizuki's stomach lightly. "We're a family."
Mizuki shook her head. She knew with her activities, she had to have a regular check up. If not, then her back could go to hell! Which would be bad, how would she fight and hunt hollow? It was a good thing that none of her other injuries from then had come back, just her back. In all reality, it was her weakness, but that also meant she had a faster reaction when something went for it. It helped her watch her own back more carefully. "It's better that I continue to go." She smiled.
Mizuki chuckled a little. Toshioni was comforting her again, like he always did. Telling her it would be fine. Sure, they had some savings, and sure he had a current job, but they both didn't have time for kids. He worked all the time, even on the weekends, grading and what not. As for her, the hollow hunting business was always booming, so she couldn't exactly take a day off. It would disrupt the flow of things. Maybe she needed to invest in more people to work for her, sort of like an entire company! Yes, that could work... "I get what you're saying Toshi-kun, but if we start right now, cutting back and using that money for kids, will we really be able to afford them? You don't make a bunch of money, and neither do I. We have to both be able to work, and if I'm not able to, we could start losing money. I'm just trying to be realistic here."
Toshioni reacted in a strange manner. Or, strange to her anyway. It's not like the baby was formed all the way or anything. It would seem it made a little sense to her, but in either case, she watched him for a moment. Mizuki smiled softly at Toshioni. "We are a family... And we are going to be parents..." Mizuki thought about it for a moment then giggled. "I wonder how your mom would feel about this." Mizuki grinned mischievously. She knew how his mother would react, and knew it would bother Toshioni just a little.
"I get what you're saying Toshi-kun, but if we start right now, cutting back and using that money for kids, will we really be able to afford them? You don't make a bunch of money, and neither do I. We have to both be able to work, and if I'm not able to, we could start losing money. I'm just trying to be realistic here."
Toshioni knew that she had a decent point. She really did. But, at this point, Toshioni was reminded a bit of money that he had earned. A bit of money that being a Quincy had accrued for him in his youth. Shinigami bought things off hollow credit at the Urahara Shoten all the time; he could do the same. Given, the small everyday hollows gave you nothing. But, as Toshioni's eyes rested on his left hand, he remembered that he hadn't just killed off everyday hollows. He hadn't touched any of that money; he hadn't wanted it. But, now he could probably use it. Now the money could create something out of the destruction that battle had caused. Looking up at his wife, Toshioni bit his lip for a moment before he chose his words very carefully. "Well...Mizuki. We do have that money from when I was still a full time Quincy. We never touched the Hollow-credit, and Urahara Shoten will still accept it I'm sure. It's...it's probably a lot. At least, that's what the Shinigami told me. You...you apparently earn a lot of money for killing an Espada."
"We are a family... And we are going to be parents..."
After this heart-heavy talk, Toshioni stood up beside his wife. Looking down at her, he offered the widest smile he could muster. He was going to be a dad. He was going to be a dad! This was...this was beyond words. He tried to picture what the future would be like, but had no idea. He had to figure out so much before his child came. Everything was going to change. "Oh, there's so much to do now. Thankfully, we've got time. How far along are you?"
"I wonder how your mom would feel about this."
Chuckling a bit at this, Toshioni admitted that he wasn't looking forward to telling his mother about her becoming a grandmother. She'd probably nag and worry and pester them about what they needed to do. But, in all fairness, they would need a little help. He didn't know about Mizuki, but he had no idea how to raise a child. This would certainly be an...adventurous couple of months. "Yeah, let's uh...let's hold off on that until we're ready."
"Well...Mizuki. We do have that money from when I was still a full time Quincy. We never touched the Hollow-credit, and Urahara Shoten will still accept it I'm sure. It's...it's probably a lot. At least, that's what the Shinigami told me. You...you apparently earn a lot of money for killing an Espada."
This wasn't really a surprise, but at the same time, it was nice. This means that they had the money and funds to raise a child. Their little family would have it's own start, as well as it's own story, as the future laid it's path before the two. Soon, it would be three, but that was besides the point. "That's great... We should be well off then, right?"
The next question didn't catch Mizuki off guard at all. It was expected, actually. When she saw the Doctor, he wasn't specific, and he mentioned that she would have to come back in a week or two so that they could check. "Well, they said I'd have to come back next week to find out. I figured that was okay. He did mention that he thought maybe a month or two, but he wanted to double check."
Mizuki's soft smile permeated Toshioni's not so comfortable reaction to telling his mother. "We can tell her when we are ready, that's fine. I'll wait till then to tell my parents as well."