Taking that Long Road (1/2)

The day dawned, bright and full of promises.

A soft knock on her door announced its beginning. She grinned to herself and buried her nose deeper into the covers, the excitement and craziness from last night now changing into slight nervousness.

The door to the suite opened and she smirked when she heard them whispering to themselves thinking her to still be asleep.

"Ori-hi-me! Wakey wakey, the big day is finally here!"

The bed dipped on both sides of her and she couldn't keep the giggle the bubbled up her throat when the covers were pulled off her face to reveal Rangiku and Rukia laughing at her.

"No… you guys…! I'm so hung over!"

Rangiku smirked, "We have a lot of stuff to do today, so come on, out of bed!"

Orihime lay back onto her pillows and sighed with a pout. "I don't want to get out of bed… My head is still spinning and I forbid you to be so chipper and loud this early!"

Rukia reached out to her face and pulled back a strand of her hair behind an ear, laughing. "Are you nervous?"

Nervous was understatement.

"Rukia, I have no idea what I'm going to wear, what my hair is going to look like or what I'm supposed to expect! I'm this close to panicking!"

Rukia nodded understandingly and then turned to Rangiku. "Maybe another bottle of Jack will help ease her a bit?"

Orihime grabbed a nearby pillow and whacked her over the head with it. "Rukia!"

"That's why you shouldn't worry!" Rangiku quipped cheerfully, "We're taking care of everything, trust us!"

Rukia nodded, laughing, "And about your dress, Lurichiyo should arrive any minute with it!"

That thought only aspired some apprehension in Orihime. "You're both sure you've given her my right measurements?"

Both women nodded.

"And she knows I want a modern dress, right? Not a kimono?"

"Yes, yes!" Rukia chuckled.

Somehow it all just didn't sit right anymore. "Why did I agree to this again?"

"Because Lurichiyo wanted to give the dress as a gift to you and she wouldn't hear no for an answer?"

"Oh, right."

Everyone knows that it's pointless to change Lurichiyo's mind once it's made up.

"So are you getting out of bed or what? We have a lot of work to do!" Rangiku said, "Breakfast is waiting for you downstairs in the dressing room, Yuzu, Rukia and Tatsuki made it for you."

Orihime smiled, "I am kind of hungry…"

"Then let's go," Rukia pressed on gently. "And don't worry, we've got everything figured out, trust us."

Orihime smiled uneasily, but soon relaxed when she saw the confident expression on her friends' faces. She nodded and let them pull her out of bed.

Ichigo… Ichigo…

Waking up in his interior world was always a weird experience because honestly, fighting the vertigo that came with gazing into the vast distance of his jacked up inner world always required for him to take a few moments so his other senses could catch up with his vision without his body emptying the contents of his stomach in the process.

The sound of flapping leather echoed behind him and Ichigo turned around to find the spirit of his sword standing behind him.

I presume that congratulations are in order.

Ichigo turned slowly with a smirk. "Hey Old man."

I wanted to give you my best wishes, Ichigo.

"Thank you so much…" Ichigo whispered back with a smile, though he looked more scared shitless than excited. Which Zangetsu easily picked up.

What's wrong, Ichigo?

"Ah… I'm just… maybe… Old man, what am I supposed to do? To help me calm down."

Zangetsu only stared at him, his expression blank. He then looked at the state of the inner world to contradict what his wielder just said. You seem pretty calm to me.

"I mean, it goes without saying that this is what I want. I thought it'd be easy once I'd determined for myself that this was what I wanted—"

You know how much I hate this solitary world, Ichigo. I'd give anything to have a companion in here all the time. You've found her, I know you have and therefore you know have too.

"Old man…"

What have I taught you about fear? The same applies in this situation, Ichigo. Look forward and don't let it slow you down.

Zangetsu's words always managed to give him courage and hope and he smirked thankfully at the old man, looking at the task ahead with contentment instead of trepidation. "Thank you for your words, Old man!"

Zangetsu watched him go, a minim smile on his lips.

A pair of red-brownish eyes was staring at him when he opened his eyes.

"Get the fuck off me, man," Ichigo rasped, his throat feeling so dry. He could still smell the alcohol on his own breath. "Ugh…"

Renji chuckled and sat next to Ichigo on the bed. "Planning on spending the day in bed, dude?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and pushed himself out of bed. "What are you talking about, I'm up!"

"Nervous?"

"After the bachelor party you threw me last night? No, I think I can withstand anything now."

Renji grinned and stood in turn. "Perhaps watching Kira put a bill into Hisagi underwear with his teeth three times should've been indication enough that the party was starting to get out of control."

Ichigo snorted and ran a hand over his face, feeling like a truck ran him over. Twice. "No, ya think? I mean how drunk do you have to be to mistake another guy for one of the strippers? Oh God…"

Renji watched Ichigo bend over and putting his head between his legs with an amused smirk. "Do you have any idea how much liquor you drank?"

Ichigo groaned. "I don't think I want to know, I'm feeling it. How come you're not smashed?"

"Because I am a great best man," Renji replied, helping his friend up on his feet. "Come on, go wash your teeth with deodorant or something or I don't think there will be a wedding later on today."

Ichigo smirked and playfully punched Renji's shoulder. "Thank God the wedding is in the afternoon."

Renji nodded in agreement. "You missed breakfast, but most of us did anyway. You can still be in time for lunch if you hurry. And oh yeah, Yumichika has planned for the hairdresser and the dressers to be here at 2. That's in a little less than an hour and a half."

"Tell me again why I let that freak be my weddingplanner? Didn't I say I didn't want or need one? No one listened to a word I said! This thing has been blown way out of proportion already; it's insane! Half of Soul Society is going to be here! If it wasn't for all those people coming, we wouldn't need this huge-ass castle."

Renji walked over to the many gift baskets lying on the small table at the other end of the room. "What are you going on yappin' about? All of them want to be here. Urahara created a special Senkaimon to get all of the captain level Shinigamis here safely and this castle was just the most convenient place to hold a wedding of 100+ people because it's surrounded by a private park so unknowing humans can't trespass without getting noticed immediately by the patrolling squads on the grounds. Don't be upset because of it all; most of us have been looking forward to this for a while now and it comes with the necessary security protocols and stuff like that. And uh, as the groom, you don't really have any say in this wedding anyway."

Ichigo thought about it for a moment and had to admit that, although it was very sad, it was also very true. He didn't even get to choose what he was going to wear. He just hoped that he would look as good in white as Yumichika promised he would.

Putting on his bathrobe, Ichigo then shrugged and sighed. "That aside, I still would've been more than happy with a small celebration amongst close friends." He walked past Renji on his way the bathroom. "I didn't think it'd be such of a big deal to everyone. And I most definitely did not expect to be teleported all the way to England."

Renji turned to him, his mouth filled with assorted cheese. "Well, dad's Uahaha fo ya! And sdop sayin' id's nod a big dee, you'b maid many fwiends in dis wold and ouws."

Ichigo smirked amusedly at his best man, nodding once before entering the bathroom. He couldn't deny that he felt blessed to have so many willing souls present on the biggest day of his and Orihime's life.

A small fire was burning in the hearth of the girls' dressing room. All the bridesmaids; Rukia, Rangiku and Tatsuki as well as the junior bridesmaids Yuzu and Karin and Yachiru the flower girl were all waiting in their matching violet dresses for the hairdresser to finish up on Orihime's hair.

Yachiru was twirling around and around, giggling happily in her little white princess like dress. Her bright pink hair was done up in an elegant bun and a small tiara rested on her head. A violet sash with a big bow on her back was tied around her waist to match to other girls' attire. "I've never worn something so fun before!"

"You look very pretty, Yachiru-chan," Yuzu said with a smile from her spot in one of the comfortable chairs placed near the fireplace at the other end of the room.

"You ladies all look very pretty," Rangiku said, grinning and watching them from her seat on the couch in the middle of the room. Tatsuki and Rukia were sitting on another couch across from her on the other side of the coffee table. All except for Yachiru were wearing long violet dresses; with straps for the younger girls and strapless for the older ones. Although they were all the same color, each dress was unique when it came to its style. "There won't be a guy out there today who will be able to resist you!"

Both Yuzu and Karin blushed and Yachiru giggled on, now running towards the windows to look at the decorated park surrounding the castle they were in. They were putting up the party tent in the distance.

"Tatsuki-chan, can you hand me the mirror? I'd like to see…" Orihime whispered.

Tatsuki stood from where she sat next to Rukia and gathered her long dress. "You look absolutely breathtaking, Orihime," she said as she handed her the silver mirror.

"Thank you, Tatsuki-chan," she replied with a nervous smile. She took a breath and looked at herself. Loose curls now framed her heart shaped face and fell gracefully down her back. "It's beautiful, thank you so much for your work," she said to the young, male hairdresser.

"I'm going to check on the groom's hair now," he said, "Just send someone for me when you need me to help you with your tiara and veil."

Orihime nodded, "I will, thank you."

"Wasn't Lurichiyo-dono supposed to be here with the dresses already?" Rukia asked after the hairdresser had left, looking at her watch.

"Dresses?" Orihime echoed, standing up and taking a chicken sandwich from the nearby lunch table.

Rangiku nodded, "Yeah, she said she wanted to give you a wide range of choice."

"Orihime has to choose a dress too, who knows how long that's going to take?" Tatsuki said with a worried frown. "The wedding is in less than 2 hours!"

"No need to worry, it's alright for the bride to be fashionably late," Rangiku said with reassuring smile. She walked over to Orihime and grabbed a napkin from the table to wipe the smudge of mayonnaise from the side of the bride's mouth. "And besides I don't think it will come to that."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

Rukia stood and walked to the door, opening it. "Here she is!"

"We're so sorry that we're late!"

Rukia took her in her arms and hugged her tightly. "We were beginning to worry!"

"We had some troubles with the Senkaimon; for some reason we couldn't intercept Urahara's signal and get to the right place! It took us several tries before we finally got here," Kenryû explained apologetically. Enryû stood behind him, nodding.

"At any rate, we've got the dresses!" Lurichiyo stepped in further and greeted the other women in the room cordially before turning to Orihime. "Orihime. We're so happy for you!"

Orihime kneeled in front of her and smiled. "Lurichiyo-chan, I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate you doing this for me, I—"

The younger interrupted her with a held up finger; "You're going to marry the best man there is, you have to look irresistible so he has no choice but to take you as his wife! We're all here to see that happen, and for that you need the best dress you can put your hands on!"

"Whoa, that's a lot of dresses!" Tatsuki exclaimed as Ikkaku, Renji and Chad came in after Kenryû and Enryû, all carrying three to five dresses each. Hanatarou came as last and rolled a clothes rack in from which few types of veils were hanging. All twenty-two dresses were put on the rack, all of them varying in form, shape, length and width. Enryû also produced a large, black box from underneath the pile of dresses he'd been carrying and placed it on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"How come you guys aren't dressed yet?" Rukia asked Renji and Chad. "And where is Ishida?"

"I haven't seen Ishida, but I know that unlike you women, we don't need to take hours in front of a mirror to look jaw-droppingly good," Renji replied before jumping out of the way of Rukia's fist to keep it from connecting with his crotch.

"Ishida's downstairs with Yumichika arguing about the colors in the wedding room." Ikkaku answered with a shrug. "Apparently, some of the decorations have been done wrong."

"The decorations have been done wrong?" Orihime asked a tinge of panic in her voice. It had taken her many, many months to get the color coordination right and to have Yumichika agree on them.

Not an easy feat.

Renji shook his head reassuringly, "It's just some minor details, Orihime. They'll figure it out, don't worry."

"It all looked the way you drew it," Chad added with a smile. "Beautiful."

"Yes, Orihime-san, it's really beautiful, I promise!" Hanatarou said with a nod and a grin of his own. "I have some more work downstairs, so I'll be going!" He quickly ran to the door and disappeared a moment later.

Orihime took a breath and nodded. "Ok… I trust you guys, I can't worry about that now anyway…"

"That's right!" Rangiku said with an excited giggle, clapping in her hands. "We've got some dress fitting to do!"

"And we need to go help the groom get dressed," Renji smirked.

"Because he got totally wasted last night," Chad added with a chuckle.

"Ichigo got drunk?" Tatsuki laughed.

Orihime chuckled. "When this is over, I want pictures!"

"Same goes for you gals," Ikkaku grinned. "I heard some pretty heavy stuff about the party you had in your wing of the castle last night."

"We didn't do anything special," Rukia said with a shrug, glancing over at Rangiku with a mischievous smile and then over at the three younger girls, making sure they were at a save distance.

"Nope," Rangiku agreed, "Nothing special happened. Just some girl on girl action and some heavy drinking. I'll never look at Isane the same way ever again!"

"Captain Soifon surprised me too;" Rukia said, chuckling behind her hand, "Who knew she could move like that?"

"Oh, wasn't there a pole involved?" Tatsuki chimed in.

Orihime nodded, "That and I think Nel and I took a shower together too…"

Rukia snapped her fingers, remembering. "Yeah, but you guys were being loud though!"

All men were looking suspiciously flustered by then.

"And…uh… did you happen to take pictures?" Renji asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, or perhaps put on film? You know to remember it better?" Ikkaku wondered, rubbing his nose inconspicuously.

"That's the thing," Rangiku said with a regrettable expression on her face, "I dropped the camera on the bathroom floor just as I was to take a picture of one of those yummy strippers working Rukia in the shower and it broke."

Rukia burst in laughter when Renji gave her an appalled look. "Oh yeah, definitely the best night! Rangiku, Orihime, I want I party like that too for my bachelorette party!"

"Oh Hee~eel no!" Renji protested with a shake of his head.

All of them laughed and Rukia stood to kiss Renji on his lips to calm him. "I didn't let him touch me."

Renji pouted for a moment and then kissed her back. "Alright. I didn't let those strippers touch me either, even though they desperately wanted to."

Rukia smacked him over the head. "You could've omitted that last part. I didn't want to know that."

Everyone laughed again and by then it was really time for the boys to get going.

"Ladies," Renji said and looked at the three younger girls, "and by that I mean all you ladies, look absolutely beautiful." He winked at Rukia and chuckled when she blushed furiously in her strapless dress.

"But before I go, I have message from the groom to his bride," Renji grinned and pulled a red piece of paper out of his back pocket, handing it over to Orihime.

"Is that even allowed?" Tatsuki wondered, a teasing smile on her face.

"As long as they don't see each other before the wedding, there's no harm, right?" Lurichiyo said with a nod. "So what does it say, Orihime?"

Orihime opened the small note.

I can't wait to be married to you.

I.K.

And just with that note, all of the stress she'd been feeling about this whole thing drained away and only one thing remained.

She smiled, trying to hold back her tears but failing. "Renji, do you have a pen?"

"I had a feeling you'd ask me that," he replied, taking a pen out of his chest pocket and giving it to her.

I can't wait to be married to you either.

Orihime Kurosaki.

"That suit really looks good on you, son."

Putting the final knots in his white satin ruche tie, Ichigo glanced at the reflection of his father who was standing behind him. "Thank you."

"She would've been proud of you, you know that don't you?"

Ichigo looked himself over a last time and then closed the buttons of his white tuxedo. "I know, dad," he whispered, taking the note he got back from Renji earlier from the dresser on his right. He read Orihime's answer a last time before pocketing it.

"And it goes without saying that I feel the same," Isshin continued, approaching him to place a hand on his shoulder.

Ichigo smiled at him and rolled his eyes in embarrassment.

"But you know what makes me even more proud? It's the fact that you managed to trick a gorgeous girl like Orihime into being part of our family!"

Ichigo drew his head back and head butted him. He almost expected for his old man to say something stupid, it was like an automatism with that guy. Why should he have expected anything else? Even on this day?

"It wasn't a trick, you loser!" he grumbled with an annoyed glare in his direction. "I wouldn't be marrying her if it was a trick! You better refrain from saying stuff like that again today, or I swear to God that I'll ban you from this wedding!"

"There's no need to be this harsh, Ichigo!" Isshin complained with one hand over his left eye.

Ichigo sighed and turned towards the mirror again, feeling the jitters coming up again. "I don't have time for this. Just tell me if I can count on you later."

Isshin stood up again, this time with a solemn expression on his face. "You can, son."

"Ok, thanks," he whispered, his voice cracking up a bit.

Isshin placed both his hands on his shoulders now and looked at his son in the mirror. "It's going to be fine, Ichigo."

Ichigo watched his father exit the small room then and couldn't help the small excited, yet nervous grin that grew on his lips when he glanced at his watch.

"45 minutes left."

The veil was now fixed to her tiara and every last one of the tiers draped perfectly over one and other. The chapel train of her dress matched the one attached to the veil and was laid out behind her on the floor. Her hair was falling over her naked shoulders and her hands held a bouquet made of white roses and lilies.

"You look absolutely gorgeous, Orihime. That dress looks so good on you."

Orihime smiled at Rukia who looked almost as nervous as she did. The dress was a snow white, strapless trumpet dress with a chapel train and empire waist with satin band and bow under her right breast, elongating her soft, sultry figure. It was made out of a mixture of tulle layered with patterned lace, only adding to the sensuality of the dress and the romantic of the day.

"Are you ready?"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself for the umpteenth time, Orihime nodded, unconsciously tightening her grip on Isshin's arm who was going to give her away.

"Don't be so anxious, you'll only make me more nervous; I'm supposed to look cool walking a hottie like you down the aisle!" Isshin said with a soft smile.

Orihime laughed and whispered her thanks.

They were standing right around the corner from the great doors leading to the gala room, awaiting those first notes that would announce their entry.

Orihime looked ahead of her to her friends standing in front of her; to her bridesmaids, junior bridesmaids and adorable flower girl, to the three handsome groomsmen wearing identical black tuxedos with violet vests and ruche ties and then to Ichigo's father holding her trembling, gloved right hand in the crook of his elbow.

She would remember this day for the rest of her life.

Yumichika, who was standing in front of the procession, gave them the thumbs up with tears in his eyes before going around the corner and opening the doors.

He gave Karin and Yuzu the 'ok' and off they went, each holding a bouquet of pink and purple lilies to match those held by each of the bridesmaids.

Rukia and Renji who were next exchanged a soft kiss before it was their turn to go. Tatsuki and Uryuu followed soon after and then finally Rangiku and Chad.

A few moments passed and then the music in the room changed and Yumichika gave Yachiru a sign. She began to disperse the violet and pink petals of roses on the floor gracefully and made her way around the corner and into the large room.

And then the beginning of the Bridal chorus was played and Yumichika only nodded once with his hands clasped against his chest and a proud smile on his face. "They're ready for you now."

Orihime nodded and looked up at Isshin a last time. He nodded back and they began to walk that long road down the aisle.

Everybody was there; all the captains and lieutenants from soul society, the officers they befriended over the years, the Shiba Clan, the Vizards, the Kasumiôji Clan, Urahara and his following, Yoruichi, Nell and many, many others. There were easily over a hundred present.

As he stood near the altar, waiting for the ceremony to start, Ichigo let his eyes go over the colorful crowd, feeling more and more anxious as the minutes crawled by.

When finally the doors opened and he saw his sisters walking down the pink and violet decorated aisle with big smiles on their faces, he couldn't but smirk back and grin when Karin put her thumbs up furtively before sitting herself next to Yuzu on the left end of the front row. They both looked so pretty with their hair done up in buns with dark roses in them to match their dresses.

And then Rukia and Renji came down the aisle, both glowing and smiling at those present. He wondered if they'd told Byakuya yet about their own wedding plans. Rukia looked beautiful in her dress with her hair done up in a loose, yet sophisticate hairstyle. It was obvious that Renji couldn't keep his eyes off of her. They arrived at the end of the aisle and both took their respective places on each side of the altar as maid of honor and best man; Renji left from Ichigo and Rukia right from where Orihime was going to stand.

By then Tatsuki and Uryuu were making their trip down the aisle looking surprisingly good together; Tatsuki more feminine than ever in her dress with Uryuu holding her right hand in the crook of his elbow.

Rangiku and Chad followed not too soon after; Rangiku having adopted a more toned down look with her long light blond hair done in an elegant to the side low ponytail that curled softly at the end. Sado, who never wore a tux in his life, looked amazingly good in the black-white-violet combo of his attire, holding on to Rangiku's hand in the crook of his arm like a true gentleman.

Once the bridesmaids and the groomsmen had taken their places on each side of the altar, Yachiru made her way down the aisle, throwing pink and violet petals on the floor around her from her cute little basket. Ichigo chuckled at how adorable she looked and silently laughed when he saw Kenpachi grin at her gently, looking as if she was seeing his little daughter.

And then the classical musical that had been playing quieted down and the bridal march was put on.

All the guests rose and turned to the entrance.

It was in that moment that his heart threatened to explode when he first laid his eyes on her.

Her heart was going to explode; it was beating so fast!

If it hadn't been for Isshin, she was sure that her knees would've given out on her by now. The room was gorgeously decorated, just like she'd hoped for it to be, the view on the glittering lake behind the altar was phenomenal, the light of the afternoon sun in the distance making everything bathe in a golden glow.

All eyes were fixed on her; she could feel their stares piercing through her veil. Whispers and soft gasps sounded around her and she could only hope for them to be good signs. Looking up at Isshin for reassurance, she smirked back when he winked at her, setting her at ease.

Ichigo was standing there, waiting for her, looking more handsome than ever in his all white tuxedo, seemingly glowing in the light of the sun, getting closer with every step she took.

When finally Isshin let go of her hand and she took place in front of Ichigo near the altar, all the anxiety melt away as they locked eyes and Ichigo took a step closer to remove her veil.

"You take my breath away," he whispered to her, his awe reflected in his eyes.

She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. "I love you."

The guests sat back down when the celebrant made a hand gesture and the couple joined hands, still staring at each other.

The ceremony was short, simple and yet very touching especially when the time for the vows came at hand.

"Marriage begins in the giving of words. You cannot join yourselves to one another without giving your word. And this must be an unconditional giving, for in joining yourselves to one another you join yourselves to the unknown. Marriage is not meant for happiness alone, but for the growth and enrichment of character and for the support and respect you give to one another. To this end, there must be a consecration of each to the other and of both to a purposeful and compassionate life. It is in this spirit that you have come here today.

Ichigo, Orihime, if you have prepared vows for one and other, please share them with us. Ichigo?"

Looking back at her with a soft smile, Ichigo let his heart speak for itself.

"I promise to love you, Orihime, and respect you from this point forward as your husband. As my wife, my lover, my friend and my soul mate, all I am is yours. I vow to protect you and to cherish you each and every day."

Soft gasps and muffled sniffles could be heard coming from the crowd witnessing the exchange. It only solidified the fact that this, to the both of them, was so right.

The celebrant turned to Orihime. "Orihime?"

Taking a short shaky breath, and looking him deeply in the eyes, she whispered; "I vow to honor, to love and cherish you each and every day, through all the seasons of life, the good times and the bad. I am proud and blessed to be your wife. Ichigo… I was born to love you and I always will."

The emotions were building and it was getting harder to keep the tears at bay. They could hear some of the guests clapping, but they kept focusing on each other, lost in their own little world.

"And now for the exchange of rings. The couple will now explain the significance of these bands that will unite them both in life and in their love."

Orihime turned towards Rukia and Ichigo turned towards Renji to retrieve the rings from them. Orihime gave Rukia her bouquet and turned to Ichigo who turned to her again.

"Ichigo, if you please."

Ichigo took a steadying breath and reached out for her left hand and slid the silver band over her ring finger. "With this ring, which symbolizes my love and undying devotion to you, I thee wed."

Cheer and applause rose from the crowd.

Ichigo and Orihime laughed at each other, Ichigo reaching out for her face to gently wipe away a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"Orihime?"

She sniffled and nodded, taking the ring she held between the fingers of both her hands. "With this ring, which symbolizes my love and undying devotion to you, I thee wed." She took his left hand and slid the silver band on the right finger.

More applause and encouraging cheers broke the silence.

"With these words of profound meaning, may you look back many, many years from now on this day and be able to say that "With you, I have lived the life I always wanted to live. With you, I have become the person I always longed to be.'

By the powers invested in me; it is now my greatest pleasure to announce you husband and wife.

You may kiss the bride!"

With a grin Ichigo framed her face with his hands and moved in to kiss her. Their lips connected and the crowd erupted again with acclamations.

"I now present to you; Orihime and Ichigo Kurosaki!"

They shared another kiss before turning to receive the applause from their guests. They then walked back down the aisle, showered in praise and congratulatory words and encouraging pads on their shoulders.

"Let's make a run for it!" Ichigo whispered to her, squeezing her hand excitedly.

Orihime laughed and squeezed back, gathering her dress with her other hand before breaking into a run with him passed the doors. Once they were standing in the hall, Ichigo swooped her up into his arms and kissed her again, spinning around in the momentum of their run while the doors closed behind them again.