The big day
Rukia looked at herself in the mirror. Big white dress. Big white expensive dress. Big white expensive wedding dress.
She was getting married… today, and she was utterly amazed at the fact.
She had known Ichigo for five whole years now. He had proposed marriage to her four years previously and then brother had found out. ….The word angry didn't do what emotion he had shown towards Ichigo justice.
Because he had been the incarnation of rage when he had a really had good go at trying to hack Ichigo to pieces; fortunately the battle had taken place at Urahara's Shop and after the ex-captain, Yoruichi and Tessai had managed to get him to the floor, her brother had promised not to try and kill Ichigo.
Course her brother seemed to have had no intent of ever letting Ichigo marrying her either, bur here she was, mere hours to go before she be able to call Ichigo husband.
"Rukia-chan, can I come in?" Came the familiar voice of Orihime through the door.
"Oh sure, come along in!" Rukia replied cheerfully. She could do with talking with the slightly crazy, but terribly sweet girl right now. She came through the door with a nervous, but polite smile on her face.
"So how your feeling Rukia-chan?" She asked in her gentle, but polite tones.
"Nervous and amazed to be honest Orihime" Rukia said frankly. "I never thought I be standing here."
Orihime nodded softly.
"Maybe Byakuya-san finally come to terms with the fact you and Kurosaki-kun are lovers?" She said with hopefully look on her face.
"Doubtful it be something like that…" Rukia said with a sigh. "He always though Ichigo was far too common, far too disrespectful and far too uncivilised…"
Orihime looked at her curiously, and then raised her finger.
"Well I did tell him a few months ago that Kurosaki-kun had been accepted into the local police and was helping to keep the peace." She explained. Rukia did a quick think.
"Oh I get it." Rukia spoke as she started to explain. "Ichigo being part of the system of law and order in world of living is basically enough respectability for Nii-sama to actually let me have my way without feeling he's shaming the house."
Orihime smiled brightly at Rukia. Rukia smiled just as brightly back
"Maybe they become good friends in time too!" She said in a hopefully and cheerful tone.
"Given a few centuries…" Rukia said lowly with a sigh.
Meanwhile and not too far way Ichigo was himself getting ready for his own wedding. Unfortunately he was having quiet a bit of trouble with the tie.
"Stupid tie!" He muttered to himself. "Why are they so hard to put on?"
"Oh that's easy to explain." Said the familiar voice of Byakuya from right behind Ichigo, much to Ichigo's terror. "It's to separate the civilised men from the barbaric boys."
"Bya… Byakuya!" Ichigo stammered out in fright. Byakuya sighed.
"Still not using the right honorific I see" He said quietly as he placed his hands on Ichigo's shoulders. "I suspect it's all I can ever expect you to use in private with me, but I do expect you to call me Byakuya-sama in public, especially when other nobility is about."
"Byakuya what are you doing here!" Ichigo asked nervously.
"Well first I'm here to make sure your presentable for your own wedding." He said calmly as he started doing Ichigo's tie. "But I'm also here to explain how things are going to on from here."
"Well…." Ichigo started only to be interrupted by Byakuya.
"In less than half an hour you wedding in the world of the living shall start." He said calmly. "This will finish at two thirty. By three in the afternoon you shall be in the Kuchiki Estate. By three thirty you weddings blessing ceremony shall begin under Commander-General Yamamoto-Genryūsai Shigekuni. After this short ceremony you will be expected to make talk with the senior members of the Gotei Thirteen till five in the afternoon."
He let the first barrage of information hit Ichigo.
"A six in evening you, me and Rukia shall entertain members of the upper nobility over a meal. This will last till nine in the evening. After this you will make you way to a party that is taking place in the real world, Apparently your father is arranging it, however I believe more than one or two Shinigami will be gate crashing the event, so you have been warned." Byakuya continued non stop.
"So Byakuya..." Ichigo began to speak, only to be interrupted.
"The following morning at exactly seven in the morning you shall be awoken by the servants. Till one in the afternoon you will be me, learning the long and honourable history of the Kuchiki Clan." Byakuya continued, despite Ichigo clear desire to have input on the one sided conversation.
"At this point you will return once again to the world of the living, where you father reassures me that the taxi from the airport will be ready to pick up yourself and my sister for your honeymoon in Hawaii. Upon you return from you two weeks of luxury and romance you will willingly accept my invitation to become my new Vice Captain to fill the post left by the newly promoted Captain Abarai." And with that he finally stopped.
"What happens if I don't accept the invitation?" Ichigo asked in a sarcastic tone.
"To not accept such an honour is an act of dishonour "Byakuya said sternly. "One which will dishonour Rukia by association."
There was silence a few moments as Ichigo thought about it. He didn't want to hurt Rukia…
"You got this whole marriage planned out haven't you?" Ichigo said with a resigned sigh.
"Indeed Kurosaki Ichigo." Byakuya said with what look suspiciously like a smirk. "I've also informed Commander-General Yamamoto-Genryūsai Shigekuni that Rukia will most likely be unsuitable for much field duty over the next decade or so, as it highly likely your legendary vitality extends past the battlefield."
Ichigo thought over what he said a moment and then blushed.
"You will not be causing me any more disorder Kurosaki Ichigo." Byakuya said confidently as he left the room.
"So you come alone then?" Rukia asked Orihime as Orihime helped her with Rukia's veil. Orihime was thoughtful a few moments.
"You know how much trouble it would cause if he walked in…" Orihime said with a soft sigh. "Hardly anyone believes he's a better person now and there be so many Shinigami about too."
"True true. " Rukia replied instead of nodding. "But it's a shame you not have anyone to dance with latter at any rate."
Orihime shrugged.
"I just dance with Tatsuki-chan instead!" Orihime said with a silly smile. "She's seems to be having trouble finding a boyfriend, so she be happy to dance with me." Rukia smiled at her warmly. Orihime seemed to have the amazing ability to find ways to make good out the bad. Even if the bad was a former Espada in fact…
"You're a good person you know Orihime." Rukia said with a soft smile. "I'm so glad that you know how to make your own happiness."
"Well it had been really rude for to try and steal Ichigo from you after you kissed him wouldn't it!" Orihime said extremely rapidly. Rukia blinked.
"How long you been waiting to tell me that Orihime?" Rukia asked softly.
"Since you two had your first kiss about four and a half years ago." Orihime said while blushing. "I had a crush on him at the time…."
It was an awkward silence that filled the room.
"I'm sorry for crushing your heart Orihime" Rukia said sincerely.
"Thank you for letting me meet Schiffer-kun Rukia-chan" Orihime said with a brave smile. Oh gah. Rukia silently thought. She's so dam nice, if anyone else told me they use to like Ichigo in that way they be laying on the floor with a concussion.
Rukia stood up.
"Its time." She simply said. Orihime nodded and the two of them walked of to Rukia's big day.
Meanwhile Ichigo was making his final preparations to his wedding day. He was nervous as hell. Soon he be marred to Rukia and he also be Byakuya's pawn in his little game of noble politics.
He hated the idea of being Byakuya's pawn, but Rukia was far too valuable to him for him to let her down at this stage in the game.
"You know Ichigo." Came the voice of Yoruichi from the door she was standing in. "I think I have a pretty good idea what you thinking about now."
She walked into the room proper and she was wearing a surprisingly modest dress.
"I bet little Byakuya's convinced you that you got to play by his rules if you want to be a member of the Kuchiki Clan and not screw up."
She looked at Ichigo with a mischievous grin.
"A little bee told me about your little promotion and I say take it. Course since you be the Vice Captain of the sixth division, it be your job to get things moving and interpret your Captains orders "
Ichigo grinned back at her.
"Which may lead me to do things in my style and accidently upset Byakuya?" He said as his grin grew.
"Oh these tragic things happen." she said in a mock serous tone, but added in a more sincerely serous tone after. "You will need to pay attention to other noble families, build alliances and be a mover not the moved… you understand?"
"Don't be a pawn, but don't be an idiot either." Ichigo said as he nodded seriously.
"Good!" And with that the Shihōin princess disappeared again.
Ichigo looked around the room for the last time as a single man; it was time for the groom to find his bride. A groom who was ready to face a future that surely was going to be a challenge. But of a different sort of challenge to his battles in the past.