Ryouma had spent years fighting Hollows, dodging Ceros, and trading blows with Arrancars. For fuck's sake, he would regularly spar with Grimmjow, for crying out loud.
And the fights weren't even light spars—Resurreccións were used and all.
His Majesty found a way to boost Fullbringers' powers by having them absorb the power of Shinigami.
Ryouma himself had been injected with roughly fifteen Shinigami, each being a ranked officer. That kind of stuff. So his power was anything but average. He was strong, very strong. Yet in front of His Majesty, he felt like an insignificant bug.
Even he could sense the true depth of Gabriel's power, as if Gabriel was on the cusp of some greater transformation—as if he was becoming something more than a mere Hollow.
Well, to be fair, Gabriel became a Hollow after being infected by a Hell Hollow. He then fused with some of the sand of Hueco Mundo, absorbing some of the energy of the primordial Hollow that came before him.
So... in stats, Gabriel was busted.
Ryouma could at least handle being close to Gabriel.
He had faced life-or-death situations more times than he could count.
But none of that prepared him for changing a diaper.
"Okay, Aiko, be nice to Daddy."
Ryouma stared down at his baby girl, who giggled up at him with innocent malice. Her tiny legs kicked in the air, her little hands flailed, and the smell coming from the diaper? Unholy.
He took a breath. He could do this.
Step one: Remove the diaper.
He carefully undid the straps, peeling it away like a bomb technician defusing an explosive.
Big mistake.
"OH MY GOD."
His wife, watching from the doorway, burst out laughing.
Ryouma gagged, nearly falling backward. "This—this is worse than anything I've faced in Hueco Mundo."
What was this monstrosity? How could a baby shit so much?
Aiko, still grinning, decided that was the perfect moment to kick her legs.
The diaper flew.
Right onto his shirt.
Ryouma screamed.
His wife was on the floor laughing.
That day, Ryouma learned two things:
Diapers are a battlefield. His daughter was already a menace.
Fun fact: after he changed his daughter, she shitted herself again, all while making eye contact with him. As if she knew that he didn't like this.
Like a goddamn menace, she had the gall to laugh as she did it. Little gremlin.
After recovering from The Diaper Incident, Ryouma made it a point to do something special for his wife.
They hadn't had real time together in years—just stolen moments between missions, quiet nights before he had to leave again.
Not anymore.
Date #1 – The Simple Café Date
It wasn't anything fancy. Just a small café, a corner booth, and two cups of coffee.
But damn, did it feel perfect.
Ryouma held her hand over the table, rubbing his thumb over her skin. "This feels weird."
She raised an eyebrow. "What does?"
He smiled softly. "Not worrying about time. Not thinking about when I have to leave. Just... being here with you." He was getting used to it, knowingly or not, he was getting used to it.
Mentally, he knew that he was ready to lay down his life for His Majesty's kingdom because if the Hollow Empire ever fell, the hunting... would continue.
Her fingers squeezed his. "I know."
For the first time in a long time, he could just breathe.
And as he watched her smile, eyes shining with warmth, he realized something—
He was falling in love with her all over again.
He would enjoy this date like his life depended on it.
Date #2 – The Moonlit Walk
That night, with Aiko sleeping soundly at home, they took a walk by the river.
The city lights shimmered on the water, and the cool night air felt perfect.
Ryouma wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "Cold?"
She leaned into him. "Not when you're here."
His heart thudded.
After all these years, after everything they'd been through, she still had that effect on him.
He kissed the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. "I missed this."
She looked up at him, eyes soft. "You missed me?"
He laughed. "Every damn day."
And then, under the glow of the streetlights, he kissed her—slow and deep, like they had all the time in the world.
He wanted to remember this for as long as he breathed.
Date #3 – The 'Let's Be Kids Again' Arcade Trip
Ryouma had no mercy.
"That plushie is mine."
His wife smirked. "Not if I get it first."
They were deadlocked in front of a claw machine, both determined to win the biggest, fluffiest bear inside.
Ryouma cracked his knuckles. "Watch and learn."
He positioned the claw, pressed the button, and—
Missed.
His wife cackled. "Weak."
"I let you think you had a chance," he muttered.
Her turn. She positioned the claw, hit the button, and—
Won.
Ryouma watched in horror as the giant bear dropped into the prize slot.
She picked it up, grinning. "Hah! Bow before my skills."
He crossed his arms. "This is betrayal."
She hugged the bear, smug. "Maybe next time, warrior."
But then—
She handed the bear to him.
Ryouma blinked. "What?"
She smiled. "I won it for you, idiot."
His chest tightened.
He stared at her—his wife, his best friend, the mother of his child—laughing in front of him like they were still teenagers.
And he knew.
This. This was everything.
And thus, one full year of just bliss went by, uninterrupted by anyone. Lucius was doing this because he had nothing better to do.
He had stopped some Shinigami from getting close, dozens of times by now. Do they not learn or some shit?
In the months that followed, Ryouma learned how to cook breakfast without burning everything.
Granted, he could use his Fullbring for 100% more efficiency, but he wanted to learn the skill for his wifey.
He learned that Aiko loved being tossed into the air (but only when he did it).
He learned that his wife's laughter was his favorite sound in the world.
He loved this.
He loved her.
A/N, slept at like 6 pm thinking I would woke up at 10…..but.