Orihime Kurosaki turned her head as she heard a knock at the front door echoing down the narrow hallway. Ichigo's brow rose as he braced himself to stand from his chair.
"Were you expecting someone to stop by?" Ichigo asked his wife as he stood.
"No. Not that I remember." Orihime answered as she followed her husband down the hall.
Ichigo leaned his frame into the front door taking a peek out onto the front walkway then chuckled before he stepped back and pulled the front door open.
"Hey, Ichigo." Rukia greeted her friend.
"Hey yourself. What brings you ladies over to this side? Something going on?" Ichigo asked.
"We've come to steal your wife for a couple hours." Rukia smirked.
Ichigo's brow furrowed in confusion as Orihime giggled behind her husband. Ichigo moved to the side allowing Orihime to walk forward.
"I guess they're here for you." Ichigo smiled.
"Good morning, Linake, Amaya….It's really nice to see you all again!" Orihime smiled warmly.
"So how about it, Orihime, you have time to come out with us?" Rukia asked.
"I would love too, but, what are we going out for?" Orihime asked.
"Shopping for a wedding dress." Amaya replied with a smirk.
"Wait, what? Who's getting married?" Ichigo demanded.
"Well, technically their already married to the laws of the soul society, but, they've been granted a ceremony by the head captain." Rukia explained.
Ichigo's brow lifted as he stared down at his friend. Orihime's smile widened as her gaze scanned the faces of the three women on the doorstep; out of the three of them, Rukia was already married so that left either Linake or Amaya.
"Kenpachi told me to give you a message, Ichigo." Linake smiled.
Ichigo's lips parted as he met Linake's gaze.
"Tell that bastard he better show up for my wedding!" Linake mocked her husband.
"Oh, wow! I am so happy for you!" Orihime gushed as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Linake's shoulders pulling her into a warm hug.
Ichigo stood in the doorway like a deer caught in headlights, his shock more than apparent on his features.
Rukia laughed as she heard the low croaking sound coming from Ichigo.
"I told you his reaction would be priceless!" Rukia teased as she looked over at Linake.
Orihime pulled back from the 4th seat of squad 11 and laughed at her husband's reaction to the news. Ichigo managed to let out a half-laugh as he lifted his hand and ran it through his orange hair.
"S…so, when is the ceremony?" Ichigo asked, his voice sounding a little higher in pitch than usual.
"Kenpachi and I decided it would be in two days, I'm sorry it's such short notice." Linake answered.
"Oh, this is so amazing! I…I can't wait to help you pick out a dress!" Orihime beamed with excitement as she clasped her hands together in front of her chest.
"Two days? So that's this Saturday. I guess I'll make arrangements to close the clinic early on Friday then." Ichigo stated.
"Oh, we're being rude, Ichigo! Let them come inside while I call Yuzu to come and babysit Kazui for us!" Orihime demanded before turning on her heel and skipping down the hallway towards the kitchen where the phone was.
Ichigo shook his head as he chuckled. The three women quickly slipped off their shoes before walking inside the narrow hallway.
"Aunt Rukia!" Kazui yelled as he came thundering around the corner of the house with his wild orange hair sticking up in all different directions.
"Hey there, champ!" Rukia greeted the small child as she reached out for him and hauled him up into her arms for a tight hug.
Linake found herself smiling as she watched the pair and her mind couldn't help but revert back to the conversation she and Kenpachi had the other night while sitting on top of Sokyoku Hill—I'd love to give Kenpachi a son one day!
Ichigo reached out placing his hand on Linake's shoulder bringing her back from her inner thoughts. Linake turned her head meeting Ichigo's gaze.
"Congratulations, Linake." Ichigo smiled.
Linake met his smile with one of her own before she replied.
"Thank you."
You wanna run that by me again?" Kensei Muguruma stated, his brown gaze narrowing at the squad 11 captain.
Kenpachi tilted his head as he grinned.
"I didn't stutter…" Kenpachi countered.
"Since when do you take the side of traitors?" Kensei pressed.
Kenpachi chuckled before he tipped back the shot of Sake he still held in his hand—looks like someone might want a fight…
"Who says I'm takin' sides? I ain't sayin' you don't have the right to be pissed off, but let's cut the bullshit. Aizen's been let out and he's with Amaya now." Kenpachi countered.
"Tch, so what, now that he's with that woman we're all just supposed to let it go, is that what you're saying?" Kensei growled.
"Awful long time to be holding such a grudge." Kenpachi stated.
"Don't give me that shit, you'd have one too if you would have been around to be experimented on." Kensei countered.
Kenpachi let out a low laugh.
"What the hell is there to bitch about, Muguruma? You're alive ain't ya?" Kenpachi retorted.
"Captain Zaraki…" Shinji spoke up.
"What!? You gonna put in your two cents now too?" Kenpachi barked.
Shinji sighed as he stood up from his seat.
"Let's go, Kensei." Shinji demanded.
"No. I'm not done!" Kensei snapped.
"Yeah, I think you are done! It's about time you all stop playin' the victim, its gettin' old." Kenpachi growled.
"You son of a bitch…" Kensei spat.
Kenpachi tilted his head, his one uncovered eye gleaming as he stared down the squad 9 captain.
"Alright, I think this has gone far enough…." Iba stated as he stepped in front of Kensei attempting to bring the tension in the room down a notch before things got out of hand.
"You sit there and tell us to let go like it's nothing. We're not the only ones who have a problem with this! What about Hinamori, you forget what he did to her!?" Kensei spat.
Kenpachi let out a low growl as he stood to his feet and faced the Squad 9 captain.
"Like I said, I'm not stickin' up for what Aizen did in the past, I'm talkin' about the immortal whose been locked up in the Muken for over fourteen years. The one who helped save our asses when those Quincy fucks showed up." Kenpachi countered.
"It makes no difference, one good deed doesn't take everything away!" Kensei retorted.
"Tch. Good deed? That was his choice, whether you wanna acknowledge that or not is on you. Think about it; he could've kept his ass in that that chair and watched our world burn, hell, he could have sided with those fucks." Kenpachi growled.
Kenpachi watched as the squad 9 captain averted his gaze, his jaw clinched in apparent anger.
"Another thing, you wanna bring up other people? You might wanna pay attention to them first. Out of all of you; Hinamori is the only one who at least doesn't treat Amaya like shit. You're all going around carryin' such a fucking chip on your shoulders you can't see past your own bullshit, it's pathetic." Kenpachi continued.
Kensei stood with his fits clinched at his sides as he heard the squad 11 captain's last comment. Kenpachi shook his head as he looked around the room at the other men—so much for a celebration. Kenpachi turned his body back to the table and picked up another filled ochoko from the tray and tipped it back.
"Thanks for the Sake, Abarai." Kenpachi stated before he made his way to the door.
Muguruma wasn't anywhere near Kenpachi's level, no, fighting him wouldn't be much fun at all, but there was one man in the soul society who could give the squad 11 captain a nice rush—and lucky for me, the bastard can't die!
Ichgio let out a groan as Orihime pulled him by the forearm down the sidewalk; how the hell he had been strung along on this trip he had no idea; but here he was, surrounded by four women about to be shopping for a wedding dress.
"I know a place that's not too far from here that has some pretty dresses, I bought my wedding dress there." Orihime smiled.
"Oh, okay. That would be a good place to start then." Linake replied.
"Did you have an idea on what style you're looking for?" Orihime asked.
Linake paused, still not sure about whether she should take Rukia's earlier advice and go bold or keep it simple.
"I know I don't want white…" Linake answered.
Orihime giggled before she replied.
"Yeah, I'm sure with Captain Zaraki it's a bit late for that..." Orihime joked.
Linake laughed, taking the comment as the joke it was meant to be.
"I don't think that was very nice, Orihime…" Ichigo countered.
"Oh please, we all know it would be a contradiction for Linake to wear white, Captain Zaraki can't seem to keep his hands to himself these days…" Rukia interjected.
Ichigo let out a choking sound at the mere thought of Kenpachi being intimate with Linake—at least she looks happy.
"Well, as far as style goes, I think you would look amazing in a halter top." Orihime continued.
Linake pondered the option for a second, if she chose a halter style it would tie at the back of her neck and leave her back exposed the way Rukia had suggested...
"If you think it would look okay, I'll try that style on." Linake offered.
"I'm going to pick one out for you to try on when we get there!" Rukia stated.
Linake chuckled as she shook her head.
"Just make sure there's enough fabric to cover my vital parts." Linake joked.
"I think you should pick something in light purple or green, it would go well with your hair, Linake." Amaya offered.
Linake smiled over at her best friend, even though she still felt a bit of sadness about their earlier conversation.
"Or maybe something in a light cream color? Or is that too close to white?" Orihime asked.
Linake scrunched her nose as she replied.
"Too close." She answered.
"Well, you could always wear black…" Amaya smiled.
"Oh, my! That would be a statement." Orihime giggled.
Ichigo let out another groan as he had no other choice but to listen to the women banter over what color the dress should be—I guess I'm in for a long afternoon!
"What are you groaning about over there, Ichigo?" Rukia asked.
"I can tell you now, the color of the dress won't matter to Kenpachi…" Ichigo sighed.
Linake glanced over at Ichigo as his statement made her wonder.
"He wouldn't care about the style either, would he?" Linake asked him.
Ichigo shrugged his shoulders before he replied.
"Honestly? Not really. It's different for men, as long as you're happy with what you pick, Kenpachi will be happy." Ichigo answered.
Linake nodded feeling a little bit more relieved to have a man's opinion on the subject; Kenpachi was rather easy to please when she really thought about it; that was one reason why she had opted for something simple at first, but when it came to her husband's personality he was all spit and fire, the "go big or go home" type—so that's what I'll do, I'll go bold!
"This is the place here." Orihime pointed to her left.
The five of them all paused on the sidewalk looking through the display window. Linake felt her stomach tighten and fill with a wave of unexpected excitement as she looked at the dresses.
"You should be excited, this is a big step!" Amaya whispered.
Linake smiled as she reached out and took Amaya's hand in hers and squeezed lightly before she walked forward.
"Alright ladies, and gentlemen, we're not leaving this shop until I find the perfect dress!" Linake stated.
Sosuke Aizen scowled up at the squad 11 captain from his seated position. It hadn't been more than twenty minutes since he'd left the gathering at the restaurant and now the man of the hour was standing above him challenging him to a brawl.
"I'm afraid I don't understand, what brought this on?" Aizen asked, wondering if somehow he had managed to anger the squad 11 captain recently.
"We both need to blow off some steam, you can't die and I'm probably the only one you won't be able to kill, you up for it?" Kenpachi grinned.
"Ah, I see." Sosuke replied.
Kenpachi watched the immortal man stand from the wooden porch of the squad 2 barracks and smile back at him.
"I accept your challenge; I just hope our women will understand our actions." Sosuke chuckled.
Kenpachi laughed.
"Probably not, but they're not here to stop us..." Kenpachi retorted.
"Good afternoon! Can I help you find something?" A dark haired woman smiled as she stepped from behind the counter of the shop Linake and her friends had just entered.
"Yes, we are in search for a wedding dress." Rukia replied with a smile.
"Oh, that's lovely! Congratulations. Is this the groom?" The woman smiled as she looked over at Ichigo.
Ichigo made a harsh choking sound as he looked over at Orihime.
"No, unfortunately the groom was not able to come along, work related." Rukia answered.
"Oh, okay then. So, which one of you ladies is the bride to be?" The woman continued.
Linake stepped forward allowing the grip she had on Amaya's hand to fall. The associate smiled over at Linake warmly as she stepped closer to her.
"It looks like I would have no problem finding a wide selection in your size. Do you have any ideas on what style you are looking for?" The woman asked.
"I would like to try something in a halter style first." Linake answered, deciding to take both Orihime and Rukia's advice.
"Excellent choice, I think that would be very flattering for your figure." The woman replied.
"Um…I actually don't want to wear the traditional white, do you have anything in color?" Linake asked.
The Associate paused briefly as if to think about it, then smiled.
"I do have some in color, they are intended to be bridesmaid's gowns, but I do have a couple with more embellishments that may work." The woman explained.
"If you'll follow me to the back I will take you to the dressing room." The woman continued before turning away.
"Thank you." Linake replied as she stepped forward, the three women not far behind her.
Ichigo sighed as he looked around the shop, once again wondering how and why he had gotten dragged along for this, it wasn't like he was going to be of much help just standing there.
"Ichigo?" he heard his name being called.
"What's up, Amaya?" he asked.
"Kenpachi asked me to do something else for Linake, but he doesn't want her to know." Amaya revealed.
Ichigo's brow rose in curiosity.
"Why wouldn't he want her to know about it?" Ichigo replied.
Amaya smiled softly.
"I stopped by the squad 11 barracks the other day when Linake was taking a nap and Kenpachi asked me to try and find a way to buy Linake a ring." Amaya explained.
Ichigo sighed as realization donned on him, somehow in the time it took for his sister to show up in order to babysit Kazui, Amaya had asked Orihime to drag Ichigo along for this secret mission.
"I think I see the reason why I was drug out here…" Ichigo half-laughed.
"Linake will notice if I'm gone for too long; I…I hope you don't mind!" Amaya stated.
"Not at all, I hope you know what you want me to buy, I'm not very good at this kind of thing." Ichigo admitted.
Amaya smiled.
"Linake likes Emeralds, the only thing you need to ask for is an Emerland Princess Cut, its square and it's her favorite shape. If you find something that looks very unique, buy it in a size seven." Amaya whispered as she tucked her hand into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a nugget of gold the size of a dime.
Ichigo let out another strangled choking sound as he accepted the nugget of precious metal.
"That should be more than enough to pay for it, I would think it would exchange for over five thousand." Amaya whispered.
Ichigo sighed as he tightened his hand around the nugget of gold; he had been told by Rukia that Linake had come across a lot of it when out exploring with Kenpachi in certain areas of the rukon district. Kenpachi hadn't known what the big deal was, thinking it was just a rock, but after Linake had explained it's value in the human world, many of the lower ranked soul reapers had been using it like a currency in order to live while stationed in the human world for the past couple months.
"Alright, I think I saw a Jewelry store a couple blocks back, I'll start there." Ichigo smiled.
Amaya met his smile with one of her own before she thanked him and hurried to the back of the building, yelling out to Linake that she'd had to use the restroom.
Ichigo tucked his hand into the pocket of his jeans before turning on his heel and pushing the shops door open—you're one lucky bastard, Kenpachi, but from the looks of it, you already know that!
"The captain's not answering the door, so I don't think he came back to the barracks." Ikkaku growled as he looked over at Renji and Iba.
Both Renji and Yumichika sighed as they stood in front of the squad 11 training room's entrance. The four men had left the restaurant only a couple minutes after Kenpachi intending to find him and celebrate on their own, but it was like he had vanished.
"Anywhere you can think of him going?" Iba asked.
"I'm not sure, the Captain and Linake spend so much time exploring around together there's really no telling." Ikkaku explained.
The four men stood in silence pondering where the man would have gone to blow off some steam. Normally when Kenpachi had gotten bored or needed to vent he would head out and chop down a couple trees, but he hadn't done that in months; not since Linake showed up…
Ikkaku cursed as he felt the ground under his feet start to quake.
"What the hell is that!?" Renji asked as he turned his head to look around.
"That's the Captain's spiritual pressure!" Ikkaku replied.
"His spiritual pressure? There wasn't an alarm, we would have heard it!" Iba countered.
"No, he's not fighting hollows, this is something else…it feels like the Captain's taken off his eye patch!" Ikkaku explained right before taking off in a mad dash in the direction of his Captain's released energy, the three other men right behind him.