The Heat of a Demon

Chapter 12: New Parents Day 1

After a little while of getting to see Ryu, I shoo the two out to get the baby bag and snuggle my little baby. I smile over at Zaraki, earning a smile back and a kiss on my forehead as he pets Ryu. "You doin' ok?" I nod as we hear the door open. "Just what I was coming in to check on. So you are feeling ok then Kaji?" Captain Unohana steps in and stands to the side of the bed opposite Zaraki, still ignoring his existence. "A bit sore and empty feeling but otherwise nothing outside of what you said to expect." She smiles warmly at me and looks at baby Ryu. "He looks as healthy as can be. His tests all came back perfect so you two will be free to head back after tomorrow night. We want to keep the two of you here to make sure you know the basics of child care, feedings, and milestones for proper development." I nod kiss Ryu's little hand. "Will he be able to stay here with me?" "Of course! Isane is cleaning an infant crib right now to have it ready to bring in momentarily. We also have diapers and blankets for you to use. Do you have some clothes for little Ryu?" Zaraki points towards the door. "Yumichika and Ikkaku are bringing it back for us." Unohana just nods as she bows and heads towards the door. "Also, no more visitors save for those two and Yachiru if you'd like for the next week. Ryu needs to build up his immune system before seeing more people than necessary, understood." "Yes ma'am. Zaraki will take care of that for us." She nods towards me and leaves, closing the door behind her.

"Damn bitch." "Zaraki, you know there's bad blood there so just suck it up. Besides, she helped to make sure that Ryu was healthy so I would lighten up a bit if I were you." He sighs and sits back in his chair as Ryu yawns. I smile and hold him so his tummy is against my chest and his head resting on my shoulder. "Looks like little one needs a nap. How about you go check on the boys and bring the bag back so they can get the room set up for us." He sighs and stands slowly. "As long as you two are fine here." I glare at him, earning a chuckle as he heads to the door. "I miss that look from ya. Be back soon princess." He shuts the door as I shake my head and lay back against the pillows and rub Ryu's back. I try to fight back my own exhaustion but eventually fall asleep cuddling my little boy.

I jump a little hearing Ryu crying and look around with half-opened eyes. "R-ryu? Where are you baby boy?" "I've got him dear, don't worry about it." I look over and see Isane changing him in the little mobile crib and him kicking and protesting loudly, making me smile. "S-sorry, I didn't know I fell asleep." Isane smiles at me and cradles him, calming him down. "It's ok dear, you've been through a lot and deserve a bit of rest. Where did Captain Kenpachi go?" "He went to get the baby bag from the boys and order them to fix up the room for when we go home tomorrow. He should be back soon." She nods and hesitates for a minute, looking down at Ryu. "Isane?" "Are you sure Captain Kenpachi..." I give her a disappointed look and hold my hands out for Ryu. "Isane, I promise you that Zaraki loves this child with every ounce of his being and will never do anything to hurt him. I'll also be sure to teach him everything he needs to know to help take care of Ryu so please don't worry about it." She sighs and hands Ryu back to me so I can feed him. "I just worry about how small he is and just how big the Captain is." I nod and pet her arm reassuringly. "Everything will be fine and Ryu will be the most spoiled baby that has ever lived my dear." She smiles and nods as she stands. "I'll trust you since you're his mother and I know you'll take care of him." "Damn right I will. I'll see you when you come back for my check up." She bows slightly and walks out, leaving me and Ryu alone for a little while.

Almost an hour after leaving, Zaraki finally comes back with 4 giant bags and is barely able to fit through the door. I notice him freeze as I'm standing at the crib and changing Ryu. "I have to walk at some point again Zaraki, don't look so surprised." He walks up behind me and watches over my shoulder. "The most important thing I've learned already about this is to work fast and efficiently." "Looks easy enough." I scoff and smirk back at him. "Easy in theory, difficult when you're trying to control a squirming baby while keeping the mess off of both of you." I feel him peck my cheek before walking away and going through the bags. After finishing up, I hold Ryu close and walk over to Zaraki. "The hell is all of this?!" "I don't know, I just took what Yumichika gave me." I shake my head and grab a cute little onesie for Ryu. "All I need are like 4 of these and some clothes for me." He nods and starts digging through the bag in front of him while I get the outfit on Ryu.

After getting my new comfy outfit and going over some basics with Zaraki, I go into the attached bathroom and take a quick bath. I leave the door open so Zaraki felt more comfortable knowing he can quickly get me and end up just watching him cradle the tiny bundle with the look of someone holding a billion-yen crystal statue. "If you get too anxious dear he will pick up on it and may get fussy." Zaraki looks over at me in shock, causing me to laugh at him and even earn a little giggle from Ryu. "Just calm down, you're doing great." "Easy for you to say..." I tilt my head and give him a concerned look. "What do you mean?" He answers by just shaking his head and rocking slowly in his chair.

I get out, dry off, and get changed before sitting on the bed next to him and putting a hand on his arm. "Zaraki, what's bothering you?" "You've seen how everyone is acting with me, as if I'll just..." I sigh and lean on him. "They have no idea how big of a heart you have for people you love so they have no room to judge. Like Isane said, I'm his mother and I know what's best for my little boy. What's best for him right now is to get to know his daddy and spend as much time as possible. Please don't ever question your ability to take care of him." He smiles at me and nods as Ryu starts to whine. "Guess he's hungry again?" "See! You're learning already!" We both laugh as I take him and give him his 10th feeding of the day. Once he's finished and falls asleep, I carefully hand him to Zaraki to lay him in his crib and curl up under the covers myself. "I'm gonna try to sleep so just keep an eye on him for me ok?" I feel Zaraki's hand petting my side. "Sure thing princess. I've got it covered." I smile and slowly start to fall into a comfortable, deep sleep.

I wake up early the next morning to the smell of breakfast and Ryu's little giggles and squeaks. I sit up and smile over at Zaraki while he's laying on the floor with Ryu on his chest. "See, perfect father right there." He chuckles a little, making Ryu bounce some and clap his little hands together. "Got ya some food over there. Also ran out of bottles that you made for him overnight." I freeze with the food in my hand and look over at him in shock. "Y-you even fed him for me?" "Of course, why wouldn't I?" I feel myself start to tear up and start shaking my head like crazy. "You ok?" "S-sorry! I just... I'm so proud of you Zaraki!" He smiles and sits up, holding Ryu against his chest still. "My woman needed to sleep. Anything to help make it a little easier on ya." I shake my head again and nearly swallow the damn plate with my food. "Damn woman!" "WHAT?! I haven't eaten since I went into labor damnit!" He starts laughing at me and points at me while looking down at Ryu. "Looks like you got your eating habits from mommy." Ryu grabs his finger and squeezes hard, earning a slight wince from Zaraki. "Jeez kid. You sure have a tight grip." "They call that 'baby strength' Captain Kenpachi. It's good to see you bonding with your son." Captain Unohana yet again invites herself in and sits in the chair next to me. "It's nice to see you actually acknowledging my husband's existence now Captain." She gives me her typical warm smile. "Well, after seeing how he handled Ryuzo's night-time feedings and fussing I may have a little more confidence in his ability to take care of him with your support." I smile big over at Zaraki. "SEE! I told you that no one actually knows what the hell they are talking about!" He just shrugs his shoulders and lays back on the floor to play with Ryu.

For the next hour, Captain Unohana gave both of us a run down on basic child care and had us show her that we knew how to feed, change, and bathe Ryu before giving us the go ahead to go home. Zaraki packs everything himself, giving me a harsh glare if I even attempt to get off the bed, so I just lay Ryu against my thighs and play peak-a-boo with him. Once everything was taken care of, Zaraki helped me slowly get up and seemed to look between myself and a bag in his hand panicked. "Y-you can walk on your own, right?" I chuckle and put Ryuzo on my hip. "Of course you big oaf! I've been healing up quickly so I could walk today. Let's just get home please." He nods as we head back to our overly excited, imperfectly perfect family back home.