Omiai Kekkon
I don't own Bleach, If I did there would've been way more Ichigo in the latest chapter
Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed. Sorry for the wait, I meant to update a couple of days ago.
Chapter 10:
"Ukitake!"
The captain of the 13th was lying down with an ice pack on his forehead.
"I'm fine" the captain assured his lieutenant. "It's just a mild fever."
Ukitake patted the spot next to him, so Rukia sat there.
"I heard everything went well in the world of the living" he commented.
"Yes. The fullbringers were stopped. Ichigo got his powers back. There were only minor injuries on our part. All in all it was a successful mission" Rukia said.
"I see" Ukitake said. "Did you catch up with your human friends?"
Three years ago the thought of a shinigami having human friends was preposterous. Now, well it was still something rare but there was something different about Ichigo and his set of friends. Were they really Rukia's friends? She had considered them all friends at one point, and they her. Just because a couple years went by didn't mean things automatically changed.
"I saw Inoue-san and Sado-kun. They're the same as ever. Ishida too, although he said he didn't want to be involved in shinigami shenanigans, he's always saying that" Rukia replied. "Karakura town seems to be safe in their hands. Although I bet we're still sending someone there."
"Of course. Ichigo might have his powers back but they're all still human. Technically Urahara doesn't work for us so we can't expect him to purify all the hollows he comes across. We sent in Zennosake-san, he'll probably stay for a short while before we send someone else."
Rukia nodded. She knew she wouldn't be the one sent. She had her duties now, it wasn't like she could run off to the world of the living, any old time she pleased.
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Ichigo wasn't sure how they'd respond. It wasn't every day that he just walked into Seireitei and demand something. He supposed technically he could enter whenever he wanted, the badge allows him access, he just never felt the need. Of course it wasn't like he was coming here just to hang out. He had a request, well more a demand. He didn't know what he'd do if they say no. Fighting them all again wouldn't be fun, he did just get his powers back less than twenty-four hours ago. As Ichigo tried to remember which way to he go he prayed that he wouldn't run into Kenpachi. The last thing he needed was to be in another life of death battle.
When Ichigo got to the first, all the captains were there except for Ukitake and Kurotsuchi. Naturally they were surprised. Ichigo was surprised to see the Vizards. He seemed to remember them saying they hated shinigami yet here they were, in the high ranks of Gotei 13.
When he stated his purpose he was only met with a minimal amount of resistance. He mentioned he'd keep the badge as well. He knew it from the beginning that they were watching him using the badge. It wasn't exactly like they had a reason to trust him when they gave it to him. He did take out two captains, four lieutenants, destroyed an irreplaceable historic landmark, destroyed numerous buildings and landscapes, plus take out a bunch of lower leveled shinigami as well. He wouldn't have trusted himself if he were in the Captain Commander's position either.
"Very well, you shall take the body back to the world of the living. If you'll give us twenty minutes."
"Sure" Ichigo said.
"Since it looks like you're going to be here for a while, we might as well spar" Kenpachi said.
"Sorry, no can do, I have to meet…Renji. Yeah, I have to meet Renji!" Ichigo said as he shunpo'd away.
Kenpachi snickered as Ichigo ran away.
Ichigo ran through seireitei with no particular destination in mind. Truthfully speaking he was quite sure he was lost. He didn't care if he was lost as long as it meant he didn't have to fight Kenpachi again.
Ichigo looked around him.
This was odd. There were no weird walls, or anything resembling a barrack at all. That when he realized he was probably on some noble's property. He hoped it wasn't Byakuya's. Ichigo had a feeling the man would be pretty touchy about intruders on his property.
Thinking of Byakuya automatically made Ichigo's mind shift to Rukia. She starred in his dreams, yet again tonight. Unlike before she came in clear. She had a smile on her face and was sporting her new haircut. She was standing in the show holding her hand out telling him that they had a job to do. So naturally dream Ichigo took her hand. They didn't go slay hollows like he thought, in fact they just stood there holding hands until he woke up.
Ichigo sensed out Rukia's reiatsu and then headed her way. She wasn't very far.
"Rukia!"
Rukia wasn't paying attention to much of anything so she hadn't felt Ichigo's reiatsu when he entered soul society. Naturally she recognized the sound of his voice and turned around to see him running towards her.
"Ichigo! What are you doing here?" she asked shocked.
"I came to get Ginjo" Ichigo said.
Rukia nodded. She should have known he'd do that. It was such a typical Ichigo move.
"Oh, are you lost?"
Ichigo shook his head.
"No, I've already talked to the captains. I'm here because I wanted to see you" he said.
Rukia didn't know why but she wanted to blush.
"I was just about to get something to eat, do you want to come with me?" Rukia asked.
The word date floated through Ichigo's head, but he dismissed it immediately.
"Sure," he replied, "What exactly do you guys eat in soul society?"
"The same stuff you eat in the living world" Rukia said.
"Eh, you sure? You didn't even know what a juice box was when you—"
Rukia punched him in the arm effectively shutting him up.
"I see you're still violent" Ichigo said rubbing his arm dramatically.
Rukia adapted a smile and her fake accent, "I'm not violent."
Ichigo shivered, "You shouldn't talk like that, it's creepy." Ichigo dodged another punch.
The two walked together in a comfortable silence.
"Oh, you're a lieutenant now, congrats" Ichigo said noticing her new badge.
"You're just now realizing? You're slow" Rukia said.
"Well I didn't notice it last night because I was too shocked to actually be seeing you. I didn't know if I'd ever see you again."
"Baka, of course we were going to meet again" Rukia said. "Even if you didn't get your powers back I knew that we'd met again someday." Rukia had to stop herself from finishing her thought. She was going to say it was almost like they were connected. Everything she did seem to lead back to Ichigo and vice versa.
Ichigo shrugged "Probably. If I got old and died I'd still be sent here."
"Knowing you, you'd probably die young protecting some girl from a bad guy" Rukia said quietly.
Ichigo looked pensive as he thought that over. "I suppose. I have a knack for saving people."
"Don't say it like that!" Rukia scolded. "You wouldn't be Kurosaki Ichigo if you didn't protect everyone you could. I wouldn't be alive if you hadn't so don't be all depressive and moody."
"I'm not moody" Ichigo said automatically.
The two of them had stopped walking and they were facing each other.
"I….The past two years have been hard. I haven't been able to protect anyone. A lot of times I asked myself what was the point? Doing normal human things, just seemed…I don't know, fake I guess."
Rukia gently touched Ichigo's arm. "Hey, relax, you don't have to be so serious." Honestly she wasn't used to it. She and Ichigo had a sort of relationship where they never needed to be too serious. Everything could be turned into a joke with them. She didn't know what to do with serious.
Ignoring her request, Ichigo caressed Rukia's face causing her to blush.
"You're always saving me" he said.
It wasn't true, Rukia wanted to deny. She hadn't done anything this time, it was all Urahara and Captain Commander; she just wielded the sword. Before she could even see it coming Ichigo leaned down and kissed her.
His lips sought hers with a urgency she was unused to. It felt like a fire had entered her body and was flowing through her veins. She couldn't concentrate, couldn't think. It was so hot. She let out a small gasp as he pulled her closer. His tongue entered her mouth and began to do things Rukia didn't even think were possible. She gripped his shoulders tightly wanting more. Her toes began to curl and Ichigo's own gasp made her shiver. What the hell was happening to her?
A loud cough could be heard.
They broke apart and Rukia was surprised to see Akira standing there with one eyebrow raised. Rukia moved as far away from Ichigo as she possibly could.
"Akira, I…." had no idea what to say. She could hardly believe she made out with Ichigo let alone got caught by her husband.
"Who are you?" Ichigo asked.
"I should be asking you that" Akira said, "but I think I already know who you are. My name is Yukimura Akira. And that's my wife you were kissing, Kurosaki Ichigo."
Ichigo blinked. "Did you say wife? Rukia?"
Rukia practically came to her senses. "Ah, yes. Akira this is Ichigo; Ichigo, Akira." She couldn't look at either of them so she looked at the ground instead. "I'm sorry, I forgot we were supposed to be meeting up for lunch. I was just about to take Ichigo—" she broke off knowing nothing she said could help her situation. Oh she was so screwed, she thought that there could be nothing worse than being turned into a plushie and then this happened.
"I should be heading back" Ichigo said. "I'll be seeing you Rukia. Yukimura…it was interesting meeting you."
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"Oh, you're back" Rina said as Renji entered his flat.
"I've been back for a while. Sorry, I'm just now stopping by" Renji said.
"You were busy doing shinigami things" Rina stated.
Before he left to the world of the living Renji took Rina to his place and told her to make herself at home. He wasn't worried anyone would bother her, Seireitei isn't like Rukongai at all. He hadn't thought about her being bored though.
"I hope you weren't bored" Renji said.
"No, not really," Rina blushed. "I um…I found some of your books and read them to pass time. I hope you don't mind."
Renji scratched his head. He didn't remember ever buying any books.
"What books?" he said harsher than he intended and noticed when she flinched. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you….I don't remember owning any books. Which ones did you read?"
It took a second but Rina responded.
"These" she pulled out a stack of books.
Renji raised an eyebrow, these were his old books from the academy. He was surprised he still had them.
"Oh, these are the academy books. You'll get your own set when you join. I wonder if they update their books. I haven't seen these in at least fifty years."
Rina dropped her jaw. "Fifty years? You don't look a day over eighteen. Surely you're exaggerating."
Renji smiled at the compliment. "We age differently in soul society. Fifty years is nothing, you'll see one day."
Rina thought about it for a second. "So those old people I've seen they're like thousands of years old?"
In Inzuri, probably not, no one lives that long without spiritual pressure and if they had it they'd go to seireitei. "No, they possibly died old. When we get over here we look like we did when we died and we slowly age. There are some people who are that old like old man Yamamoto, but it's rare."
"How old were you when you died? Do you remember?"
Renji shrugged. "Three or four, I don't remember. The older we get the less of our human memories we remember. I never really thought about my previous life much."
Rina didn't know why she felt like she could trust Renji. With her past she shouldn't be trusting anyone. Maybe it was because for the first time in a long time someone was being nice to her. Past experiences taught her that no one was nice without a purpose. She wondered what his reason was.
Maybe she was just waiting for him to crack and show his true colors. Maybe she should leave before that happens. She could always go to that academy place he told her about.
AN: Okay here's the thing, I thought Ginjo was dead. He looked pretty dead to me, and when Ichi comes to claim his body that's like a confirmation of death, right? Why else would he be claiming a 'body' instead of you know a really injured living person. But then *sorry for spoilers if you aren't caught up in the manga* we see Ginjo or someone who has similar hair and build to him later. I mean if they were going to have anyone come back from the dead it should have be GIN! He deserves to have his happily ever after with Rangiku.
