Once again, thanks to all those who reviewed this story. It's such a huge motivation to write!
XOXOXO
The next day, Ichigo woke up to the morning sunlight streaming through the windows of his room in the 13th Squad. As the events of the previous evening slowly came to him, he let out a loud groan. He mentally beat himself at how badly his talk with Rukia had gone.
After her plea to him to be her support, he had not been able to say anything anymore, and they had quietly gone to her new office. There had been some slight awkwardness between them as they had unpacked her things, while some of her new colleagues had been hanging around. As soon as they were done with her new office, they had got back to meet the others, where she and Uryuu had disappeared for about an hour to discuss about her dresses. By the time the two had emerged, it had been night already. They all had a quick meal at a food booth, Renji joining them as well, and immediately after she had had to leave for the Kuchiki Manor.
All in all, Ichigo did not have any further opportunity to be alone with her for him to initiate another talk. Furthermore, Ichigo felt that after the fiasco of his first attempt, he had better let things cool off a little bit before broaching the subject again; he would have to tread very carefully and not let things escalate into another fight. It would only worsen my case if I get her riled up and on the defensive. How can I be credible if I only berate her and push her to a corner? he thought.
He felt like banging his head against a wall. He didn't have the faintest clue at how to tackle all this. It had sound simple enough back home when he decided to come to meet her; the plan had been to confess his love for her and see where to go from there. Being face to face with her, though, was completely something else. It was incredibly hard for him to just go and blurt out his feelings to her; it sounded so phony, even to him. Giving a sigh, he thought he had better get ready and go to look for the others, they must be awake and up by now too.
Washed and ready, he made his way towards Rukia's old office where they had planned to meet.
Renji was already there, waiting for them to show up. He had come to join them for breakfast and to take Karin for a sparring session, as he had promised her. Seeing that the two of them were alone, Ichigo saw this as the opportunity to know about Renji's opinion on the marriage.
Without beating about the bush, he asked, "Renji, how do you feel about Rukia's upcoming marriage?"
Renji looked back at him quizzically, evidently surprised by the question. "It's a great match," he said, after a short silence. "From what I've gathered, this Haruko guy is a fine man. Rukia will be well cared for. He is the most eligible bachelor at the moment among the nobles, and Rukia deserves the best. I'm very happy for her."
Ichigo stared at the young man, unable to believe that he was being so meek about all this. "But, Renji, aren't you disturbed by the fact that it is an arranged marriage?"
Renji frowned, peering closely at Ichigo, trying to decipher his purpose behind this conversation. "Ichigo, with her being a Kuchiki, it was a fact that the family would arrange her marriage into another noble. I don't find that disturbing."
The reply annoyed Ichigo. What's with all of them? he thought. Nobody seemed concerned about feelings over here. He knew that Soul society had rules which stemmed from the Feudal Japanese era, but still, he was baffled by how brainwashed even his younger- generation's friends could be. He had thought that maybe their short insertion in the modern living world would have made them a bit more rebellious towards such ancient rules, but he had apparently been wrong.
"What about your feelings for Rukia? I got the impression, at the beginning, that you had some feelings for her?" Ichigo asked, looking at the fuki-taicho straight in the eye.
Renji seemed taken aback. He recovered quickly, though, and gave a short laugh. "No, I may have been protective of her due to our closeness during our childhood. We grew up together, we looked out after each other. So yeah, I had much more than casual feelings for her," he said. "But not THOSE types of feelings which you are insinuating," he quickly specified.
Ichigo gave a mental sigh of relief at that. Renji was a good friend, and Ichigo would have felt bad to tread on his toes.
Renji was watching Ichigo intently now, an intrigued glint in his eyes. "Why are you asking all this? How do YOU feel about Rukia's marriage?" he asked suspiciously.
Ichigo was racking his brain of how best to reply to that question, when they were interrupted by the merry voice of Orihime, who was followed by Uryuu, Karin and Chad. "Ohaiyo, Kurosaki-kun! Ohaiyo, Abarai-kun!"
Phew, saved by the bell, thought Ichigo, relieved that he had been spared from replying.
Renji scowled as Ichigo evaded the question to return Orihime's greeting.
"I'm hungry!" said Karin. "Where do we eat?"
They all trooped to the squad's canteen for breakfast, courtesy of the Gotei 13 and 13th squad, as Ukitake had informed them the previous day. As they ate, Karin looked at her brother. She had not missed the slight tension between him and Rukia the previous day, so she deduced that things had not gone too well. She dearly hoped that Ichigo manage to sort things out as soon as possible. It was hard to stand by and not being able to do anything; she could not interfere, this was something that the two had to work on their own. She was there if ever her help was needed, but until then, all she could do was be a bystander.
XOXOXO
They were still in the canteen when Rukia came to join them. She declined breakfast as she had already eaten at the Kuchiki's manor. Ichigo looked at her carefully, trying to gauge her mood after the talk of yesterday. Apart from the dark circles beneath her eyes, she looked same as ever. He felt guilty, hoping that those dark circles were not the results of their argument.
Deciding to use the only way he knew how to shake her from any dark feelings, he drawled, "Oi, Midget, you look like a panda with those dark circles around your eyes."
She immediately bristled. "And you look like a grouchy bear with that scary scowl!"
"So, what's the plan?" cut in Uryuu, stopping them before this would escalade into another of their long bickering session.
"Well, before anything else, Nii-sama has invited all of you for dinner tomorrow, at the Kuchiki manor. You too, Renji," Rukia said, looking at her childhood friend. "Haruko will be there too. It will be a good opportunity to introduce him to you guys. As my close friends, I'd like you to get to meet him."
Ichigo felt an icy tingle going down his back, his mood immediately darkening. Meet the…man? he thought, clenching his jaw unconsciously.
"Ah Rukia…so have you got many opportunities to cook a romantic dinner for your fiancé?" Orihime teased.
Rukia laughed, "Oh no, things work differently here, Orihime. I've met the guy only once, and we were chaperoned by a court of people!"
"Huh?" Karin could not help being weirded by that. "Geez, Rukia-nee, this sounds so archaic! Soul Society really still lives in the ancient age, doesn't it?"
Same like I was thinking, thought Ichigo, though secretly, he was elated that Rukia had not been in any romantic dates with the guy…yet.
"So, that's settled for tomorrow evening then," Rukia was saying. "Now, we go to Rukongai to the most famous master weaver of Soul Society, Tsujishirō Kuroemon III. He's the one who usually makes the Kuchiki's fabric. I'll select the fabric which Uryuu will use to make my bridal gown. Nii-sama has already informed him about our arrival today, so he's expecting us."
The group decided to separate. Karin left with Renji for her sparring session; Chad accompanied them.
Orihime, naturally, wanted to go to Rukongai. Uryuu was excited about the prospect of meeting the famous weaver; he was eager to see what sort of fineries Soul Society could provide.
Rukia turned towards Ichigo. "What would you like to do?"
"I'll come with you guys to Rukongai," he replied after a slight hesitation.
Rukia raised her eyebrows in surprise. Usually, Ichigo would have run away from any mention of shopping! "It's not as if I have anything more exciting to do," he said defensively. "I would like to have a look around Rukongai, I always stay in Sereitei when I come to Soul Society."
Rukia could not say anything to that, and they set out.
Ichigo, indeed, was not hot about the idea of shopping. However, he did not want to miss any opportunity to be with Rukia, to try to get her in the right setting and mood to talk to her. He doubt that they would get that time during their shopping spree, but still, he wanted to spend as much time as possible with her.
Rukia and Uryuu were in deep conversation about her "shiro maku", the main ceremonial dress, then her "uchikake", the kimono which she would wear over the white bridal kimono for the wedding reception. Ichigo watched her as she talked animatedly, her violet eyes shining with excitement. He felt a tickle of fear at the thought that this could be the last time that he would be enjoying such mundane things as being dragged for shopping with her. He could not help the scowl that crept up his face at that thought. I would not let that happen, he thought ferociously.
Catching the scowl on his face, Rukia smirked. "Oi…are you sulking about this shopping spree?" she asked, looking up at him. "You could have gone with Karin and Renji, you know."
"And watch her sparring with the Pineapple head? No thanks," Ichigo drawled. "The shopping seemed lesser than the two evils!"
Rukia rolled her eyes. "Come on, admit it, you wanted to come. You love shopping…!" she teased. "Remember how you always ended coming with me to the shopping malls in Karakura?"
"Yeah, yeah, I always accepted because a midget like you would, for sure, get easily lost in the crowded malls!" Ichigo shot back.
As reply he got a hard kick in his right shin. He had not seen that coming, and he stumbled in pain. "Hey!" he yelled, "You need to outgrow this by now!"
He cursed while hopping around, waiting for the pain to subdue. Her kick is as wild as ever! he groaned.
"When you stop calling me midget, I will!" Rukia retorted.
Ichigo only mumbled under his breath.
XOXOX
Some hour later, his shin still tender from Rukia's administration, Ichigo was seated in an old shop, along with the others. Tsujishirō Kuroemon was seated across them. He was an old man, with very sharp eyes and raspy voice.
How can such an old man be weaving any thing at all? Ichigo thought, as Kuroemon was asking Rukia about Byakuya.
"Uryuu will be making my dress," Rukia told the old man as the conversation had moved off from Byakuya.
Tsujishirō Kuroemon peered at Uryuu, noting his attire. "This white suit…you must be a Quincy!" he exclaimed.
"Yes, I am," Uryuu replied, as usual the note of pride very obvious in his voice.
"Hmm…A Quincy making the bridal dress of a Shinigami…" the old man mused aloud. Uryuu felt his hackles rising at that. Was the man implying that the Quincy was working for the Shinigami?
Before he could say anything, Kuroemon continued, "This is surely the sign that time has changed drastically. You, the youth of now, are sure a sign of unity. A Quincy and a Shinigami, friends to this point." He smiled warmly at the group, and Uryuu relaxed.
"Okay, let's get to work," the old man said briskly. "I have a collection of exclusive sets of fabrics, complete with Obi and veil. My stock is in the store room at the back. We will bring the sets here so that you can make your selection in comfort." He motioned them to follow him.
Unlike the others, Ichigo was not keen of spending hours to look at fabrics. "Hey, if you don't mind, I'll have a short look around the neighborhood while you guys are at it," he announced. The others nodded and he left the shop.
When Ichigo returned back to the shop about an hour later, after having scouted the area, he found Uryuu, Orihime and the old man sitting at the low table, lots of boxes surrounding them.
"Have you guys finished?" he asked, feeling grumpy about the length of time this was taking.
"Rukia has already selected the main bridal gown and some few others, now we need to select for the uchikake – the reception kimono," Orihime said.
The store was like a real cavern of Ali Baba. There were rolls and rolls of fabric, in varying shades and hues and designs, lying around. The most exclusive fabrics sets, though, were preciously kept in boxes which were stacked in shelves rising as high as the ceiling. Each set was as beautiful as the other, the group had discovered, as they uncovered the exquisitely embroidered silks from the tissue paper folding them. It had been like opening treasure chests.
Rukia was still in the store, alone; she had spotted a box on the highest shelf, and was in the process of retrieving it. She was up the ladder which they had been using to access the higher shelves, perched on the highest rind, standing on tip toes while at the same time precariously balancing her body so as not to fall. Her hands were stretched to the maximum to enable her to reach the shelf, and she managed to slowly inch the box towards her.
"Oi, Midget, where are you?"
Rukia gave a yelp of surprise as Ichigo's sudden loud voice startled her. The box, which she had carefully managed to slide off the shelf, was shot through in the air as she jerked in surprise, freeing its contents in the action, while she simultaneously lost her footing.
"Watch out!" Ichigo shouted as he finally saw her, but it was too late.
Arms still flailing in the attempt to regain her balance, Rukia felt herself falling from her high perch, back first. She cried out and cringed as she waited for the impact.
But instead of the hard ground, she felt strong, warm arms catching her falling weight. Her impact, though, made Ichigo land down hard on his butt, his arms still holding her tightly against him. And as if to top it all, blue, green and golden thread brocade silk fabric landed in a jumbled mass on them, the contents of the box finally reaching the ground as well.
For one second, they both stayed immobile, winded from the fall, in a semi seated position with Rukia at the top. Then slowly, Ichigo became aware of their proximity, bodies and limbs tangled into each other.
"Got you!" Ichigo rasped, finding that he could not use his voice properly.
Rukia, whose head was pressed against his chest, felt the rapid drumming of his heartbeat as she laid stunned, suddenly incapable of movement. Her head was totally submerged under the mass of the silk fabric. Shaking herself out of her dazedness, she raised her head from his chest while at the same time wiggling the fabric off her face. Free of the visual confinement, she looked up to find blazing amber eyes very close to her own. Instantly, she felt her own heartbeat accelerating. Ichigo's arms impercibly tightened around her; their eyes locked.
For the time of some heartbeats, but which seemed like hours, a silence enveloped them. Ichigo was the first one to speak.
"It's the one." His voice was husky and his eyes had darkened as he watched the beautiful face with the widened, violet eyes, framed by the vibrant blue and green colors of the silk fabric.
"Huh?" Rukia squeaked, her eyes growing even wider, the violet orbs more pronounced against the fabric.
"This color suits you," he said softly.
A clatter of steps was heard, as Uryuu and Orihime rushed through the door. "What…?" Uryuu came to as stop, as he watched the scene in front of him.
Suddenly realizing their positions, Rukia quickly scrambled to her feet, shaken.
"We heard a crash," explained Orihime, "are you ok?"
"Umm…I fell down from the ladder, but I'm all right," Rukia quickly explained, then busied herself by picking up the fabric from the floor. Ichigo remained silent as he stood up.
Carrying the fabric and the box, Rukia left the room quickly.
The blue and green fabric set was packed, and after having paid for their purchases - Uryuu and Orihime bought some fabrics, too- they set back for Sereitei.
XOXOXO
When they returned to Sereitei, Karin, Chad and Renji were already at the 13th squad, waiting for them. Karin excitedly told Ichigo about her sparring match with Renji.
"Fighting here in soul society is totally something else!" she gushed. "Being surrounded by soul particles really take one's strength into another level!"
Renji smirked, still very impressed at how strong the teenage girl was. She had managed to get the upper hand of their combat, and short of going into his Bankai form, Renji had lost that match. He was a bit miffed; but knowing how hard Karin had worked for the past years, moreover having having Urahara, Yoruichi and sometimes Ichigo as teachers, and not forgetting that she had the power of Shinigami in the blood being Isshiin offspring, he realized that he should not have been surprised by powers. She was a Kurosaki, after all.
"Is this very enthusiastic, young lady the little Kurosaki-chan that I've been hearing about?" Kyouraku Shunsui, captain of the 8th division, said, looking interestingly at Karin as he and his fukitaicho, Ise Nanao, appeared.
Karin looked at the new arrivals in interest. Same as for Ukitake Taicho, she immediately took a liking to the dark long haired, flowery cloaked captain.
As they were chatting, a hell butterfly appeared.
Renji touched it to read the message."It's the commander general, he wants to meet you and Karin," he informed Ichigo.
"What for?" Ichigo wondered aloud, puzzled.
It was not unusual for the old man to want to meet him when he was in Soul Society, but it was always for briefing of missions. As there was no mission this time, Ichigo was surprised at the summons. He was not happy at the prospect of facing the old man so soon.
He was well aware about the strict rules against human and Shinigami relationship; his father had been banned from Soul Society because of this. But Ichigo had avoided thinking about the commander's reaction if ever things between him and Rukia fructified. He needed to cross that bridge first, before thinking about the consequences. When and if the time would come, he was willing to fight the whole Soul Society if needed, and bear the wrath of the old man; though he really hoped that it would not come to that. He keenly hoped that the commander would take the facts that he was half Shinigami, plus the role he played in the war against Aizen, to be more lenient.
Ichigo sighed. All this would apply if, only if, he managed to win Rukia over. Provided that Rukia shared my feelings, he thought, his heart sinking to his foot. There was no need to jump the guns so soon.
Take things stepwise, he told himself, like a mantra. 1 step at a time. Right now, stressing about the commander's wrath for something which was quite far from happening was counterproductive, he thought ruefully.
Uryuu announced that he was going to his room to start on his work, now that he had the fabrics in hands. Orihime decided to accompany him, to help him if needed. Rukia and Renji had to return to their respective office, so they both left as well, while Shunsui invited Chad over his squad for chat and a drink, much to the displeasure of his fukitaicho at the idea of her captain drinking at this hour.
Since Ichigo knew his way to the first division, he and Karin immediately shunpooed their way over there.
XOXOXO
Karin looked in awe at the commander's face as she and Ichigo stood in the large office, in front of the desk of Yamamoto Genryuusai. He does look like a thousand years old! she thought, looking at the old man's wrinkling face and weird long beard tied in a spiral pattern.
Ichigo composed his face into a bland look, knowing how perceptive the old man's stare could be and not wanting his face or eyes to give anything away.
As he greeted them, the Commander could see the slight nervousness of Karin. "Please be at ease, this is a welcoming meeting," his old voice resonated around the room. "I wanted to meet you, Kurosaki Karin, the latest addition to the Shinigami. You have been spoken very highly by Kisuke Urahara and Shihoin Yoruichi. " He looked shrewdly at Karin, seeming finally satisfied after having subjected the squirming Karin a long searching look which seemed to last for ever.
"Hmm," he said, "you do have the strength of the Kurosaki, from what I can see. And you seem to have inherited the same brash attitude as your father and your brother here."
Both Karin and Ichigo immediately scowled at that. The Commander humphed as he watched the identical scowls on the faces of the two siblings.
"I expect great achievements from you, same like your brother and your father, though. May you always choose the right path," he said quite severely, before adding in a more complacent tone, "Welcome to Soul Society; feel free to ask anything you require from my fuki-taicho."
After a few more pleasantries, Ichigo and Karin were dismissed.
After the two left, the commander got deep in thoughts. He hoped that the uneasiness he had felt since Kurosaki Ichigo had come to Soul Society was just a false warning. He may be very, very old, but he was neither senile, nor a fool. He has not forgotten a single detail about the time when that young Kurosaki had barged in Sereitei, kicked everybody's ass so to speak, broke all the rules of Soul Society, stopped the Sōkyoku and saved Kuchiki Rukia from execution, practically in front of everybody's nose. So, when it concerned Kuchiki Rukia, Yamamoto Genryuusai was VERY wary about Kurosaki Ichigo's motivations.
Thus, when he learnt that the young man was coming to Soul Society so many days early from the wedding, he had been troubled. The boy's face had given nothing away, yet he still felt uneasy. He could not put anything past these Kurosakis!
He dearly hoped that there would be no mishaps, because if really the boy had something up his sleeves, the Commander had no idea which laws would need to be applied. The Kurosaki kids were unique cases; they were half Shinigami- half humans, offspring of a Shinigami Captain, with Captain levels reiatsus of their own... There was no precedence of such case in the history of Soul Society. And furthermore, Soul Society owed their survival to the Kurosakis, both father and son. Had they not stopped Aizen when they did, Soul Society would have been doomed. The old man gave a sigh. He really hoped that there was nothing brewing up.
As Ichigo and Karin made their way back towards the 13th Squad, Ichigo was breathing a sigh of relief. That went ok, he thought. The commander had seemed to be more interested with Karin. Ichigo did feel the commander insistent look on him as well, but since nothing was said...he shrugged mentally.
By the time the two returned to the 13th squad, it was already late afternoon. Chad, who was back already, and Orihime, who had taken a break from helping Uryuu, along with Rukia, were hanging out in the terrace overlooking the 13th squad garden.
"What did the commander want?" Rukia asked, curious.
"He wanted to meet Karin mostly," replied Ichigo.
"Ah," she nodded, before standing up. "If you guys are okay with it, we can go to the 10th division," she said, "I have some papers to drop over there; Rangiku-san has been asking about you guys, she wanted to meet you. We can go to have something to eat from there."
Karin immediately perked up upon hearing that they were going to the 10th division. Though she had decided that this visit in Soul Society would be concentrated on her training and helping out Ichigo where she can, she had been wishing that she could meet Toushiro soon.
The plan was readily approved by the others, as Hitsugaya Toushiro and Matsumotto Rangiku were good friends to all of them. Orihime immediately went to fetch Uryuu.
Ichigo felt a bit frustrated, though. The day was almost over, and he had yet had the opportunity to get Rukia alone for long enough to set the proper mood to have a talk with her. He could not as well find an opening to ask her aside, he felt it would be too awkward. He finally decided the best course of action was to let things go as they were; it was better to tread safely for the time being.
XOXOXO
In the 10th squad, a snowy white eyebrow was twitching dangerously; a sign about an imminent outburst. Hitsugaya Toshiro was at the end of his wits, as he was so often when it concerned his fuki-taicho, to his utter despair.
Where could that wench woman be? the young captain was furiously wondering. He was seated at his large desk, having just finished the umpteenth reports, with another bunch in need to be completed stacked nearby. He had warned the cheery blond woman that she needed to complete her ever pending paperwork, he badly needed those reports completed by that afternoon. He had hoped, in vain, he realized now, that she would do her share of the work; at least today of all day, so that he would have had some free time to be able to meet Karin.
He had been aware of the arrival of Ichigo and the others to Soul Society, but he had barely had any free time to go and meet them. Since the previous evening, he had been taken up with a lengthy Captain meeting which lasted till very late. Then, this morning there had been a squad meeting which lasted till noon. And to top it all, when he had returned to his office with another lot of urgent reports, Matsumotto had been nowhere to be seen; she had not even touched the work of the previous meeting. As the reports were urgent, it had been left on him to do the work. Now, it was already late afternoon, and he has still not completed all of them. At this late hour, he doubted whether he would complete the work in time be able to meet Karin.
He felt bad that he had not yet been able to visit her. It was her first time in Soul Society, he would have loved to be able to personally show her around.
Karin was among the rare good friends that he had. He really enjoyed her company, she was the only person with whom he can really be his own age -though even she herself did not know this fact. Being the youngest captain in the Gotei 13, Toushiro has always had to prove himself. He has never had the luxury of being anything but the highly responsible, mature and adult Shinigami that a captain should be, so that he could be taken seriously despite his young age. But with Karin, he found that he could easily slip into a juvenile, carefree behavior. It was always nice, for the time of a soccer match most of the times, to let go of his responsibility of a captain and be the teenager that he still was somewhere very deep in his heart. At first, it had irked him terribly when Karin used to tease him whenever he would do something too teenage, but with time, though he still outwardly huffed, he in fact secretly enjoyed the freedom of being carefree.
They were good friends, so naturally he had wanted to spend some times with her while she was here in Soul Society; but he would never let that crazy fukitaicho of his know that he had been wanting to meet Karin, because Matsumotto, in her romantic craze and matchmaking europium, would make her own twisted interpretation of this fact. He shuddered at the thought of what she could do. She would no doubt yell on the roofs that he wanted to meet Karin, and would surely tease him mercilessly for the rest of his days.
The sound of opening doors jerked him from his thoughts.
"Matsumotto!" he growled, his voice menacing with upcoming repercussions for the fukitaicho, "Where have you been since the morning?" he barked.
"Taichoooooo! Still with that paperwork?" came the sing song reply of Matsumotto Rangiku, ignoring her Captain's question. "Surely you would have finished them by now? You must hurry up, they will be here soon now," she rattled on.
Toushiro's eyebrow shot up again, eyes flashing and a vein pulsing angrily on his temple. "What do you mean? Who are 'they'?" he growled. "And YOU were supposed to be doing all these work, not ME!" His irritation was obvious.
"Taichooooooo! I forgot to tell you, I asked Rukia to bring our Karakura friends over for a drink," the blond curvy Shinigami said, adopting an innocent look. "They should be here any minute now!"
Toushiro ire dropped for a second and his eyes widened with surprise. Maybe I WILL get to meet Karin after all, he thought, very pleased at the prospect. He realized that Matsumotto was looking at him keenly, a smile hovering around her mouth.
"I'm sure you would like to meet Karin chan, err?" she winked.
Glaring at her with all the anger he could muster, the young Captain pushed a bunch of files towards her. "I've saved you this bunch to finish," was all he said as reply, in a tone forbidding any argument.
Rangiku pouted, but she readily sat down to do the work. She knew she should not push her captain's buttons further. Her young taichoo did complete almost all of the work, so it was the least she could do, she thought with a dramatic sigh.
Half an hour later, Rukia and the group arrived at the 10th squad.
"Yo, Toushiro. How are you?" Ichigo was the first one to greet the young captain as the group entered the office.
A vein popped out on Toushiro's forehead. "It's Hitsugaya's taicho for you, Kurosaki!" he growled in annoyance.
"Yeah, sure, Toushiro," Ichigo smirked at the riled up Captain.
Karin followed Ichigo inside. As always, she could not help the inner rush of breath as her eyes met the startling image of Hitsugaya Toushiro. He always managed to make her lose her inner composure, though she was sure to NEVER show it. She covertly, quickly skimmed her eyes over him: the pure white hair which seemed to defy gravity as they stood up in spikes, those unusual teal colored wide eyes, the serious and deep expression that he usually bore, the handsome features of his face…
The past years had brought a huge change in Hitsugaya Toushiro's appearance. He was no longer the short boy that he had been, he had grown by at least 1 foot. Adolescence major growth spurt has taken it's toll on him, though it took 7 years in his case, where for a human boy it would have taken much less time. He could now boast to be able to look down on more of his colleagues, though admittedly mostly female, compared to how previously EVERYBODY seemed to have been looking down at him - except maybe Yachiru of the 11th squad.
"Hi Toushiro!" Karin greeted, grinning at him easily, making sure that none of her inner thoughts reflected on her face.
"Hey Karin!" Toushiro greeted back, walking towards her. Though Toushiro did not openly smile-he nearly never did that anyway- his eyes did light up in welcome and pleasure at seeing his friend.
"Oi !" the irritated voice of Ichigo cut in, "How come SHE does not get the Hitsugaya- taichooooo lecture?"
Toushiro glared at the orange head Substitute Shinigami in annoyance, but could not come up with a proper retort.
Karin quickly spoke up, "Ichi-nii, we are mainly soccer buddies. Surely you don't expect me to call him 'Hitsugaya Taichooooo' while we are running after a soccer ball?"
Rangiku's eyes gleamed as she followed the conversation, but she had the sense not to tease her Captain right then, not with Ichigo present. She would enjoy doing that later, she thought gleefully. "Hello Karin-chan! It's so nice to see you here, in Soul Society!" she said instead, beaming instead.
"Nice to see you too, Rangiku-san!" Karin smiled back; she had always liked the cheery fukitaicho.
"Orihime! Great, to see you too!" Rangiku squealed as Orihime found herself hugged against the older girl. "I've heard that you and Ishida-san are engaged! Congratulations to both of you!" Rangiku turned towards Uryuu. Orihime dutifully showed her the engagement ring.
While the others were chatting, Karin had a quick look around the office. It was a pleasant feeling to be where Toushiro spent most of his time. She felt awed seeing him in his own territory and within the setting of the formal atmosphere of the office. In fact, she felt quite intimidated with this new Toushiro, who, in his white Haori and in this formal environment, looked every inch like a captain of Gotei 13. He sure was a far cry from the soccer buddy she is more used to, back in the living world. It put him into a different perspective from the teenage boy that she had become used to, the one who she always took the opportunity to tease.
At the urge of Rangiku and Toushiro, the group seated themselves all over in the available places, making themselves comfortable to spend a nice evening amongst friends.
They were shortly joined by Renji, who had brought Yumichika and Ikakku with him.
"We heard that there was a party here!" Ikkaku exclaimed gleefully, as he greeted the group. "So, Ichigo, when can we have a sparring match?"
Ichigo inwardly groaned. He could never understand the fervor of the 11th squad for sparring.
"Since Taicho has heard about you being here, he is excitedly looking for you. You better watch out for him!" added Ikkaku, making Ichigo groan even louder.
Every time Ichigo came to Soul Society, he had to be on the watch for the bloodthirsty Kenpachi Zaraki, the captain of the 11th squad. Despite the years, that man had still not given up on his ferocious pursue of Ichigo for a rematch of their first and only fight. As Ichigo was not crazy enough to want to fight that man ever again, it was always a hide and seek situation with the 11th Captain.
"I would like to spar with you, if you don't mind," Karin spoke up.
"Oh yes, we heard you are one of us now," chimed in Yumichika. "But are you sure you want to fight this one here?" he asked, pointing to Ikkaku. "That would surely not be a beautiful match…"
Ikkaku glared at Yumichika, while Karin laughed. She was used to the two, having met them quite a few times in Karakura during missions. "I would really like to have all the training possible while I'm here," she said.
"Any time, Karin. Just let me know when you are free!" Ikkaku replied.
"Hey, beware, this is my little sister you would be sparring with," Ichigo stepped in, the idea of Karin sparring with these crazy guys not so much to his liking.
"Ichigo, you should not worry about Karin," Renji said before Karin could berate her brother. "She is good."
"Okay, sake time!" chimed in Rangiku, as she brought her stock of sake bottles, much to Toushiro's exasperation. Ikkaku, Chad and Yumichika were the only one to take up the offer, as the others declined.
Very soon, night fell in Soul Society. Toushiro asked the group to stay over for dinner. Rangiku and Ikkaku, even though a little tipsy, were the one who went to get the food. Their meals finished, the friends were splawn randomly in the office, the atmosphere comfortably relaxed and cheerful, as the friends continued to hang out together.
Sitting opposite to Rukia, Ichigo watched her as she chatted with Orihime. In this cozy setting, among their closest friends, it was so natural and seemed so right for him to be with her. He felt a deep emotion welling up his stomach as he watched her, the girl for whom he had such strong feelings, for whom he got stronger and for whom he could go beyond his limits; yet to whom he could not find the right way and the exact words to convey his feelings. Seeing her so close, yet so out of reach, was very hard.
But he could not rush into things. Even though he had just a few days, even if it was a race against time, he had to do things correctly. He could not run the risk of jeopardizing his chance of winning her.
Rukia felt a wave of nostalgia washed over her, as she sat there, enjoying her friends' company. She watched all these people, the ones with whom she had gotten close during the recent years, thinking about all their adventures and the times that they had faced deaths together.
Would I still be able to keep the same bonds with them? she thought.
She suddenly felt the tingling sensation of being observed. Almost compelled to turn her head, she looked around and met warm hazel eyes watching her. She felt unexplainably flustered, as Ichigo watched her, his expression unreadable. That was the moment when usually, she would have smiled or quirk an eyebrow questioningly at him, or just simply turned her head away casually. But right then, she felt frozen to the spot. She found that she could not pull her eyes away from those intense eyes. Her brain screamed at her to break the gaze, but her body would not react; the eye lock lengthened. She felt a heat creeping up her face, before pulling a final will power, she managed to drag her eyes away.
What was that? she thought, shaken to the core and her heart drumming against her chest. It had been like earlier, in the fabric shop, where her body had felt incapable of obeying her brain. Why am I breaking NOW? she thought frantically. Why was she feeling so sensitive to Ichigo? I must be having what they called pre-wedding jitters, she thought, for her senses to be so much on the overdrive. And what was it with Ichigo? She had no plausible explanation for his unusual behavior.
Ichigo watched, almost mesmerized, the blush that crept up Rukia's face after their eye lock. His senses reacted to the sight, he felt a responding heat creeping up his face. In the past, he had always worked hard on not being too obvious when he would look at her. He had always stolen looks at her, he had never done it so openly. But now he had nothing to lose, practically. The time to hide is past behind, he thought, shaken.
The loud laugh of Rangiku jerked him from his musings. The moment passed, his mind got back with his friends again.
At about 9, a hell butterfly flew in the office and fluttered around Renji. Reading the message, Renji stood up. "I've got to go, it's Taichoo. He is asking me to meet him at the Kuchiki manor to discuss some things."
"This late?" Ichigo wondered aloud.
"Unlike in the living world, the Gotei 13 does not have any formal working hours," smirked Renji.
Rukia immediately stood up as well. "I'll come with you. I have some things to do at home as well. Sorry guys, I'll call it a night too," she said. "I'll see you all tomorrow."
Ichigo watched helplessly as Rukia and Renji left. But all in all, he was not too stumped. Even if he had not managed to talk to her yet, he was at least sure that there was none of the tension of yesterday left between them. He hoped the next day would be more fruitful. After Renji and Rukia left, the rest all decided to call it a night too, and they parted.