This chapter is dedicated to BeBraveBeLion who, while not guessing everything, did guess enough of what I'm doing in this chapter that I'm counting it. Also, to those who wanted/were sure Orihime and Ulquiorra meeting again...
There's mention of a poly-ship here, just a slight mention, and you can ignore it if that's not your cup of tea, but I'm not going to change it.
We're almost at the end of this arc, then just one more to go before the end of the fic...
If anyone would like to know more about all the things that I'd planned but didn't find where to put them like some of the back-stories for our realta, Orihime's other past life, and the Thousand Year War (I'd planned a few idea, but when things got out of control I decided it was easier to do away with it entirely, still, the ideas remain in my head and I'd be willing to share them with anyone who's interested).
You can still make your guesses about what's coming, both in the end of this arc, and in the last arc. All I can offer are virtual cookies and a dedicatory, hope it'll be enough. See ya around, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 45. Golden Judgment
"I REJECT!" Orihime screamed, hands in front of her, the tips of her fingers forming a triangle.
The orange shield materialized in front of the teen-aged girl just in time to block a Cero aimed at her front, at the same time a second figure dashed to her back, firing an attack of his own to block a second opponent.
It had begun easily enough, at least considering where she was and how she'd ended up there. At first Orihime hadn't been planning on getting quite so involved in the fight against the Togabito, fearing that in doing so she might give herself away. The last thing she wanted was to give the nakama something else to worry about, they needed to focus on Yuzu. And then she saw him, the Togabito with the tentacles, go for Rukia… It wasn't that the petite shinigami couldn't have handled him just fine, she was strong, so very strong… but if she had to fight, then she wouldn't be able to stay with Ichigo, and Orihime just knew those two needed to stick together. Things just tended to go better when they did. So the auburn-haired girl wordlessly called on Tsubaki and used it to cut off the Togabito's tentacles before they could reach Rukia.
"So you want to fight, huh, little girl?" The Togabito mocked her. "Lets fight then."
Orihime exhaled. It wasn't that she wanted to… but she knew it was necessary.
In the end she focused so much on her fight, that she didn't notice when Renji and his togabito ended crossing into the next level of hell mid-fight, or when Uryuu finished his own enemy and went after the others. She had just finished her own enemy, afterwards saying a prayer under her breath (she so hated killing, even beings already condemned to eternal damnation…) when she felt it: the cero aimed at her back.
There was no time for Orihime to turn, not even to call on any of her Rikka, all she could do was brace herself… but the cero never hit her, because in the fraction of a second before the attack could make contact she was gone, carried bridal-style in a pair of arms she knew even before she saw her savior's face:
"Ulquiorra-kun…" She breathed out, a mix of joy and the deepest grief underlying the word.
"What the hell are you doing here onna?" Ulquiorra demanded gruffly. "There's nothing you could have possibly done, in this or any life, to deserve damnation."
Orihime couldn't help herself, she slapped him. She'd been missing him so much, and the first thing he said was that?! Then again, the first thing she did was slap him… That made her throw her arms around his neck in an embrace…
"Hime-sama…" Ulquiorra murmured quietly. "Why are you here?"
"Some of the togabito are trying to escape, they kidnapped Yuzu-chan to try and force Ichigo into helping them." Orihime explained succinctly. "I volunteered to join the group coming to rescue Yuzu-chan. We got separated when the togabito attacked. And then you found me…"
"I thought Hell had managed to conjure a new torture, there was no way Hime-sama could be here… But I had to check it out, if it was really… I had to protect Hime-sama…"
"I wish you'd call me by my name…"
They were interrupted as another cero was fired in their direction. Ulquiorra, still in Resurreccion form, turned to face the attack, but Orihime was faster. As a single thought was enough to create a Shiten Koushun, returning the attack to its sender.
"Not again." She told Ulquiorra authoritatively. "I'm not standing in the sidelines this time while you fight for our lives. We fight together."
"As you wish, Hime-san…"
It was the closest he'd ever come to her real name, and enough to make Orihime smile wide as she jumped into the air, yukata flapping around her as if under an invisible wind, calling all her Shun Shun Rikka at the same time, golden-orange light enveloping her as the whole of her power surged. And so they began fighting, side by side… or more like back to back. They stood together like they never had before, on either lifetime, the very way Orihime (Amekimi) deep down always wished they would…
xXx
While Uryuu and Renji had been of the opinion that Ichigo and Rukia should go back to normal right away, in the end Rukia's more sensible reasoning had prevailed and they were keeping the Kushanada's 'gift' at least until they left Hell. As it happened, it wasn't just armor, or the ability to call on the chains of Hell that Ichigo had displayed when damning Kokuto all over again, but both Ichigo and Rukia could pick up on things the way the Kushanada did. Like how they sensed the similarity their current power had with the sentinels'. They could also tell that Uryuu and Renji did not belong in Hell, and had some kind of protection, which explained why the huge guardians of that dimension hadn't attacked them. They could also track down Orihime in a similar manner. And they could tell she wasn't alone.
They found her some levels up, though still at least one from where they'd split to fight the togabito. There was a bright flash of light, the echo of power almost making them fall off the air they'd been standing on (that had been complicated, as none of them had been sure how to get back to the Gates exactly, until they realized that even if they used their abilities, the Kushanada didn't attack them; it was about then that Renji and Uryuu decided that it might not be such a bad idea for Ichigo and Rukia to keep their new add-ons for a while longer).
When the smoke cleared Rukia was the first to realize that Orihime wasn't alone. Also, she had changed. Instead of the simple yukata she'd been wearing before she was wearing an elaborate, layered kimono with long trailing sleeves and a wide obi that made it look almost as if she had wings on her back, more to the fact, Orihime was actually floating in that moment, her sandaled feet not touching the ground, or anything at all. Even her hair pins seemed to have changed, half hidden as they were beneath the scarf she still wore, they looked bigger and more beautiful than before, and when put together with the kimono they seemed more like maezashi kanzashi than the simple hair pins they'd been before.
Ichigo for his part, focused more on the individual at Orihime's side, huge bat-like wings open in a pose that was, without a doubt, protective.
"Kuso!" Renji cursed when he noticed the 'dead' Espada. "Howl..."
Ichigo placed a hand over his before he could call on his shikai, stopping him.
"Why…" The redhead began, confused.
"It wouldn't be right to attack one who's an ally, who so diligently protected one of our own." Ichigo explained evenly. "Isn't that so?"
"Hai." Orihime nodded once.
Renji didn't seem convinced, but even he had to remember Ulquiorra fighting Aizen. And Orihime's desperate wail after his loss (that was one thing no Nakama would ever be able to forget, no matter how hard they might wish to).
"Are you alright, Orihime-chan?" Rukia inquired, worriedly.
"Fine, thanks to Ulquiorra-kun." Orihime answered with a nod, then proceeded to explain how several of Aizen's former subordinates had found her, and Ulquiorra had helped her fight them.
"Arigatou." Ichigo bowed his head respectfully at Ulquiorra.
It surprised everyone, except for Rukia, but then again, she knew his heart like no one else did. She knew that Ichigo would never judge others by their past actions, even his own enemies he'd be willing to see as allies, as long as he had a reason to. It didn't even matter that Ulquiorra had as good as killed him once. That he'd been the one to kidnap Orihime in the first place. All that mattered was that he'd aided one of their nakama, he'd been one of those to protect Orihime during her time in Hueco Mundo, nevermind going against Aizen, and dying for her. That was more than enough for Ichigo to see him as a potential ally.
"Where's Yuzu-chan?" Orihime noticed right then that Ichigo's sister wasn't with them.
It was then Ichigo's turn to explain what had happened. About Kokuto's betrayal, his true plan, how Ichigo almost died (again) but was saved by Shiro. Renji sending him and Yuzu back to Karakura with a kidou.
"Which reminds me," Ichigo interjected, turning to the redhead. "the next time you make me leave my nakama, yourself included, behind for any reason I'll beat you up Renji. Do you understand me?"
"Ha!" Renji scoffed.
Ichigo shunpoed to him, taking hold of the shinigami by the collar and holding him tight.
"Do not mock me." Ichigo snapped at him.
"I did what needed to be done." Renji retorted. "I'm not sorry for that."
"I'm not asking you to be sorry, I'm telling you never to do it again." Ichigo retorted, steel in his voice. "I fight to protect, always. I do not give up, and I do not run away. What you did… you forced me to do something I never would have of my own free will. You took away my will, and ignored who and what I am. Why? Because you thought I was losing control? Do you know me so little?"
"That cero…" Renji began.
"That was Shiro blowing off some reiatsu while he got things under control." Ichigo explained. "Kokuto's attack was so sudden and so bad… we couldn't plan the switch, we did it or we died. That means it took him a bit to balance out our energies. Shiro might be a hollow, but he's not a monster. You made him, made us, abandon our heart… that's an unforgivable crime. You cannot do that again Renji, never again."
Ichigo wasn't trying to be cruel, or to give ultimatums. Shiro was a hollow, which meant he was all about instinct. Unless they knew for sure Renji would never do something like that again, Shiro would never trust Renji again. And they couldn't have that, it wasn't feasible, not with their lifestyle. Aizen would return one day, and the Nakama would most likely have to fight, and Ichigo had to be able to trust all his nakama, with all of him…
"I won't." Renji's voice was low and formal, seemingly realizing the seriousness of the situation.
Ichigo nodded, just as serious, then turned to Orihime and finished the retelling of their story.
"Break… Hell's chains… could you do that?" There was no way Orihime could have hidden the hope underlying every word, nor did she even try.
"I could, but Orihime, it's not that simple." Ichigo was dead honest, even as he tried to keep it simple. "What the togabito wanted me to do was use mine and Shiro's powers together (not that they knew that was what was needed, but still), that would break the chains, but they were marked. The next time they died they'd have ended back here anyway… and so would I have as well. By breaking the chains that way I'd have been effectively damning myself." He shook his head. "Right now Rukia and I have some of the power of the Kushanada. And with it we could allow him out of hell, but he'd still be bound. Because he still needs to pay for his crimes; he could do so out of Hell, that much is in our power to grant, but he'd need a… keeper. A warden, for lack of a better word."
"A warden?" Orihime didn't understand.
"He was damned for a reason." Rukia sought to clarify. "Heinous crimes he committed. Which you might or might not know about." She raised her hand before Orihime could interrupt. "I'm not asking you to judge him… but if he's going to leave Hell, he cannot be entirely free, as that wouldn't be fair either. He'd have to be bound in some way, limited, at least until Hell's Will decides he's thoroughly paid for his crimes which we have no idea when it'll be exactly."
"And who'd be this warden exactly?" Ulquiorra asked, eyes narrowed. "You?"
"No, it cannot be us." Ichigo shook his head. "We can conduct the ceremony, but we cannot be your wardens. It has to be someone else. Someone who's willing to stand for you and, this is the most important part: If you ever commit a terrible crime again, you will be going straight back to Hell… and so will your warden."
That was the most dangerous part of all. Because whoever stood up for him would be making themselves responsible for him, and then it'd be the both of them…
"I'll do it." Orihime announced calmly.
Orihime wasn't stupid, she'd never been. Even back during her life as Amekimi. She might have turned a blind eye to a great many things, but that didn't mean she didn't know they happened. It was just… easier, to pretend, sometimes. She knew that Ulquiorra wasn't a saint, but she never expected him to be, and she loved him for who he was, the good and the bad and everything in between. She loved him, the human, the hollow, all of him.
So she'd stand by him, she'd vouch for him. She knew that whatever the future might hold in store for them, Ulquiorra wouldn't leave her again. She was sure of that much.
Ichigo wasn't quite sure what it was he was doing exactly. As with the explanation before, he was just following the instincts this new power gave him. So he stepped closer to Ulquiorra, raised his left arm, the one covered most in the golden armor of the Kushanada, and placed it over the former Cuarta's head, the base of his palm on the other male's forehead, and he let Hell's power course through him…
For a moment it was like he was drowning. There was so much. So many memories, so many deaths, so many feelings… and then he felt one touch: Rukia's. Her dainty hand on his much bigger one, the hands that had no armor; their fingers were soon entwined. And just like that, he was no longer alone, the current was still there, as terrible as before, but he had an anchor, he had something, someone to hold onto. And then it all became clear, and the both of them could see it all: soldiers, rebels, civilians… a blind girl, young, she was an innocent, she wanted nothing more than to live her life, except her mere existence was also a risk to her, his princess… spies, rebel soldiers, human traffickers, so many dead, for reasons good and bad both. There were never any regrets, how could there be when he did it all for her?
And yet, he wasn't unfeeling, and he wasn't a sociopath. He knew that what he did could be seen as bad. He was aware that while many of those he'd killed deserved to die, not all did. Especially that girl, the handmaiden, she'd been an innocent, but she'd known the princess existed, and that couldn't be allowed, it was too risky. In the end Ulquiorra's only regret was leaving his princess. It was that regret, the belief that he'd failed in that, his 'sacred duty', the one thing he'd fought and lived for since he was a child, that had made him into a hollow.
Rukia for her part had followed her instincts and placed her armored hand on Orihime before lacing the fingers of her free hand with Ichigo's free one. The four of them became connected like that. As they bore witness to each and every one of Ulquiorra's crimes, as Orihime shed tears for every life lost in her name. It was the true burden of what they were doing. If she was going to stand for him, she was going to have to bear the burden of his crimes, and for that, she first had to know them all… And she had to hold on, if she let go before the end… it'd all be for nothing.
But Orihime didn't let go. While she never stopped crying, feeling terrible for all the pain and the death, she still never let go. And eventually it all came to an end: Ulquiorra's truest regret: failing her… the connection snapped into place then.
Orihime said nothing, she just followed her instincts and offered a hand to Ulquiorra, he took it.
To Uryuu and Renji, everything seemed to happen in seconds. Ichigo standing there, one hand on Ulquiorra's head, his other entwined with Rukia, whose own free hand was on Orihime, at the very base of her neck, just above her chest (her heart). Orihime's eyes were closed but she was crying, tears falling steadily, seemingly in an endless rain down her cheeks. And then she moved, extending a hand as if in some sort of trance. She didn't see where she was moving, but didn't seem to need to. Ulquiorra still found her hand and then they were connected as well. For a beat nothing seemed to happen, and then there was a blinding flash of golden light that began with Ichigo and Rukia, and then went from them to the other two.
From one moment to the next the light was gone, and the four opened their eyes again. Ichigo and Rukia remained unchanged, they even had the golden armor still. Ulquiorra and Orihime for their part had a new accessory on them: a black steel cuff, thinner than the ones Kokuto had had on his own wrists, but just as durable. They also each had a kanji engraved: Orihime's read 'warden', while Ulquiorra's said 'penitent'.
"Just what the hell was all that?" Renji demanded, not understanding anything.
"Ulquiorra is technically still damned, though he will be able to leave Hell, with Orihime as his custodian." Uryuu said simply.
"Oh… Yamamoto-soutaichou is just gonna love this…" Renji groaned.
xXx
Yamamoto wasn't surprised at all, or if he was, he didn't act like it. And really, after the situation with Gin, Grimmjow, and the revelation that Ichigo was like the Visored (not exactly like them, but since most shinigami were having enough trouble changing their old views to see those with hollow powers as more than just monsters, it was perhaps easier to group Ichigo with them than to try and explain the differences); and no one aside from the Nakama and Byakuya knew about Rukia's own status just yet (though the old man was clever enough that Ichigo wouldn't be surprised if he suspected already).
Kotori, Tessai and a bunch of shinigami, most of them members of the Kidou Corps were in a circular formation around the Gates of Hell when the group got there. Uryuu and Renji crossed out first, stumbling a bit as the differences in the concentration of reiatsu in the air made them lose focus briefly. They recovered soon enough though and found their 'footing' in the air again. Orihime and Ulquiorra were the next to come out, both of them powering down so as not to alarm the shinigami too much. There was no doubt that most of them recognized Ulquiorra anyway, and those that didn't… Grimmjow's shout from the nearby rooftop said enough.
Rukia and Ichigo were the last to cross, letting go of their own new powers as they did. Those that were paying enough attention noticed how some kind of golden reishi separated from them, before floating towards the holes in the Gates, which repaired on their own before vanishing altogether. It was over. And behind them, the sun was rising…
"Nagaken-dono…" Yamamoto called.
"Nagaken?" Renji and Uryuu asked in unison as they turned to Ichigo.
"I revealed my heritage before going back." Ichigo said simply.
Renji blinked, but Rukia and Uryuu, who understood politics better, realized what Ichigo wasn't saying. He'd revealed himself, and likely Rukia as well, in order to make his second incursion into Hell a matter of the Noble Houses; which in turn kept the Gotei from trying to stop him, and him from fighting them on it. They knew Ichigo hadn't intended on revealing things for some time yet, probably not until he'd finished college, but needs must. They'd adapt, they always did.
As if on some kind of silent signal, Karin shunpoed to their side right then, offering Ichigo the small parcel that had been along with his symbols of nobility. He opened the parcel and then handed Rukia a blue obi (this one made of wind-flower silk, rather than the normal silk her first sash was made of), and a set of armbands made of Damascus steel. They weren't as wide or long as Ichigo's, but still, fit well with Rukia. What no one could have missed was that they didn't look quite as old…
"Traditionally the Lady of the Nagaken Clan would wear a heavy Ougi kanzashi with the mon of the Nagaken Clan, along with a pendant like the one Karin wears as retainer of the clan." Ichigo explained. "But you're not just my wife, not just the Lady of a Clan. You're Rukia, you're a shinigami, a warrior… and I thought that needed to be shown, so with Karin's help I had those armbands commissioned, they're similar enough to the ones I wear, and have been added to our records. From now on, if the wife of a Nagaken Clan Head is a shinigami, and wishes so, she will wear those armbands instead of the kanzashi of old."
Rukia blinked quickly several times to clear the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Did Ichigo realize how romantic his actions were? The fact that he'd just turned the traditions of one of the oldest Noble Clans in Seireitei on their heads… for her. It was just like him. Like how he'd insisted she summon her zanpakutou before he even proposed to her that day in the Kuchiki Estate… the day it all began for the two of them… or no, not began, because a love like the one they shared, the love of a perfect match, of soulmates, was infinite, and as such it had neither an ending nor a beginning.
"Yamamoto-soutaichou." Ichigo nodded his head at him. "I presume a verbal report can be given later. I'd like to make sure my nakama have recovered from their fights against the Togabito, and that Yuzu isn't suffering any ill-effects from her time in Hell."
"Their accounts of those events will also be part of the report." Yamamoto ordered.
"Of course." Ichigo nodded evenly.
While it did still irk him whenever the old man acted like he expected obedience from Ichigo and his nakama, the shinketsu shinigami did realize that, with the kind of conversation they had ahead of them, some good will on his part wouldn't go amiss. Rukia's hand still in his also helped. They were back on ground level, finally, not far from the clinic and Ichigo was almost itching to get there, to see his family, but first he'd a duty to fulfill.
"The Arrancar will also be expected to move to Soul Society, and stay there." Yamamoto stated. "I imagine the Nagaken are still willing to house them."
"We are." Ichigo said without hesitation.
He wasn't even surprised. From the moment he'd seen Grimmjow outside of his gigai, and with the mess with Hell, he'd known the old man would say that. He hadn't liked Grimmjow staying in Karakura from the start, so of course he'd take the first opportunity to get him out of the Human World. Really, it was fortunate enough that he wasn't blaming Grimmjow for losing his gigai. Also, considering the time that had passed since the beginning of the mess, chances were the rescue crews had already found the 'dead body', it would be too much of a hassle to erase the memories of everyone who'd have seen it by now. Still, he worried about how Orihime might react, especially because there was no doubt that if Yamamoto was taking the opportunity to get Grimmjow away, he certainly wouldn't let Ulquiorra stay…
"I understand." Orihime nodded. "We will all be leaving today."
"What?!" They were all yelling, though Tatsuki's voice was the loudest.
Ichigo hadn't even noticed when his missing nakama arrived from wherever they'd spent the night (his home, as he'd later find out). All the same, he was happy to see that Chad was back to full health, Isane standing beside him, smiling. Tatsuki and Keeva too looked much better, as dis Yuzu, with Hanatarou beside her.
"Oh Tatsuki-chan…" Orihime murmured, pain lacing her best friend's name.
"You cannot go, Hime…" Tatsuki was at a loss for words.
"I cannot stay Tatsuki-chan… I…" Orihime hesitated, playing with the edges of her scarf before finally pulling sharply on it and letting it fall to the ground.
Orihime's hair cascaded down her back. The first thing Ichigo noticed was that it looked longer than it had been, to her her mid-thighs at the very least. The second was that while the lower half was the same auburn it had always been, from the middle up it darkened until being completely black at her roots. Even absentminded as Ichigo could be at times, he was quite sure Orihime's hair hadn't been black the morning before in school…
"No…" Tatsuki gasped, seemingly the first to reach the right conclusion.
Or the second, it was clear by Uryuu's own expression that he knew it too, but he didn't say anything, just closed his eyes and lowered his head in an almost defeated posture.
To drive the point home Orihime raised a hand to her neckline, pulling on it just enough to reveal a chain attached just above her breasts… a broken chain.
"Oh…" Rukia exhaled, turning to Grimmjow: "A building falling on your head…"
"It was my apartment building." Orihime confirmed. "I used my Rikka to hold it up as long as possible, for everyone else to get out but well… I wasn't at my best, and my power ran out. Grimmjow-kun refused to leave me, with the gigai he couldn't use sonido and while he tried to cover me with his own body… you will remember my new apartment is on the second floor, and it was a four-floor building…
New apartment, because she'd had to move after her time in Hueco Mundo, to one with a second bedroom, for Grimmjow. A building that had apparently been hit by a stray attack during the latest fight. Orihime was dead…
Tatsuki let out a wordless sob as she threw herself at Orihime, hugging her tightly.
"It's okay Tatsuki-chan, it's okay…" Orihime comforted her. "You know, death is not the end…"
"No, it's not." The martial artist knew that better than many.
The two girls kept embracing for a few seconds longer, before letting go. And really, it was only a see you later, not a true goodbye, and they both knew it.
"So… how are we doing this?" Orihime asked, turning to look at Ichigo and Rukia.
"Konso is probably a bad idea." Rukia mumbled, mostly to herself. "No way of knowing how it might affect the bond between you and Ulquiorra."
Ichigo simply approached Orihime and brushed a single finger over one of her Rikka pins; which, like the elegant kimono, had gone back to the pins they'd been before her transformation.
"Ichigo…" Orihime murmured, feeling the power activate.
"Be at peace Orihime." Ichigo murmured. "Reject your grief, your pain, and anything that might bind you to this world."
Even though he himself didn't fully understand what he was doing, Ichigo just followed his instincts as he bent his head and placed a short, quick kiss on Orihime's brow. There was a small but bright flash of white light, and the chain on Orihime's chest dissolved; not like on those about to become hollow, but like it had never been there.
To one side Yamamoto opened one eye, silently pondering what had just happened, before dismissing it as yet another anomaly connected to the Nakama. The girl had such odd powers…
Behind and to one side of him, Toushirou's eyes opened wide in shock, however, before he could say a thing Karin's hand was covering his mouth. He turned to her immediately, ice blue eyes meeting ashen gray ones as the genius realized his partner knew… Karin just shook her head. So much had been revealed already, but for some truths the time hadn't yet come. Not yet…
xXx
The meeting with Yamamoto seemed to take forever, but the man wasn't satisfied until he was sure he knew everything concerning Ichigo's hollow side and, as it turned out, Rukia's as well. He'd already been aware of their marriage, and had suspected them to be soulmates; even his nobility he'd been half sure of, only the existence of their hollow sides surprised him. Though, as he realized, it explained why Shinji and the other Visored had been so quick to trust him and the Nakama; more than that, it explained how the two groups had ever met.
"You lied to us, young one." Yamamoto said at the end. "From the very beginning of our acquaintance you've lied about the extent of your powers and abilities. How can we trust you?"
Ichigo could have said he hadn't lied, just omitted a part (a very small part) of the truth; but he knew it wasn't the time to be glib, so he was honest instead:
"Karin said it best, you've seen the way your own men look at the Visored, we all have." Ichigo explained. "It doesn't matter how many times you tell them they're allies, that they're the good guys, some will never stop seeing them, judging them, by the hollow in them. Seeing as possible threats, as potential enemies. How do you think those same shinigami would have reacted if they had known the truth about Shiro from the start? It was hard enough to get rid of the epithet of ryoka!" He shook his head. "And tell me one thing, Soutaichou, honestly, if you had known from the start about Shiro, would you have ever considered forming an alliance? Back when all you knew was that I was the leader of a bunch of humans with power, with enough contacts to get into Seireitei unnoticed, and enough power to challenge even captain-level shinigami? Would you have given the slightest amount of trust to us Nakama, or would you have just seen us as a bother? As possible future enemies?"
Yamamoto exhaled, they both knew the truth already.
"We knew, almost from the start, that one day we'd have to confront Aizen and his allies." Ichigo explained seriously. "We also realized we couldn't afford fighting a war on two fronts. It just wasn't feasible."
"We hoped one day that would change." Rukia added quietly.
It was only a half lie. Truth was they had never really planned for that, because while they always knew that if they ever needed their hollow powers to win a fight, to protect their own they'd use the power and deal with the consequences later, they never really believed there would come a time when they might reveal that truth about them without something forcing their hand.
"It appears there's still much we, as shinigami, do not know." Yamamoto said thoughtfully.
"There is much we, as humans, as spirits, whatever we might each be, do not know." Ichigo offered. "But that's okay, we can learn."
And learn they would.
xXx
That evening Rukia found Ichigo standing on the small veranda connected to their bedroom in the Nagaken estate. Despite their diminishing numbers, the Nagaken had never stopped being seen as one of the Great Noble Families of Soul Society. As such, they had a huge property in one of the Seireitei, as well as some smaller homes in several Districts of Rukongai. The main estate wasn't as big as the Kuchiki one, but then again, even in their best times, their numbers had never been as great as the Kuchikis. Even then, they did have several buildings in their property, along with a couple of dojos and other areas. Rukia and Ichigo lived in the main house, a private wing housing their quarters, while another held the guest rooms for all their nakama, and a third the servants' quarters. Kasumi had had her own set of rooms in the main-house, but insisted on moving to one of the smaller houses (little more than a cottage) after the Nakama's first arrival to Soul Society.
Upon returning to the estate after the meeting with Yamamoto and the oldest shinigami taichou (Unohana Retsu, Ukitake Juushirou and Kyouraku Shunsui), Ichigo and Rukia lead Orihime, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow to one of the houses that had been empty until recently. It had been aired out and new linens put in place.
"Are you sure this isn't too much?" Orihime asked, worried.
"You're more than just our friend, Orihime." Rukia put into words what Ichigo couldn't. "You're nakama, you're family. This is your home as much as it's ours."
"And since the other two seem to have become a package deal with you…" Ichigo drawled.
Grimmjow let out a wordless cry of rage, while Ulquiorra only hnned, though it was clear that he was pleased to be taken in consideration, as well as his bond with Orihime.
"There's something else I've been thinking about." Ichigo stated, surprising even Rukia. "I'd like you to consider being adopted into the Clan."
Orihime blinked, mouth dropping open in surprise.
"Ichigo…" Rukia murmured.
"Unlike Homura and Shizuku you wouldn't be our children, of course not, that'd be ridiculous." Ichigo scoffed. "But you'd be considered part of the Clan, a branch house if you will. That'd give you a better status, here in Soul Society, as well as protection. You have much of it already now Orihime, as a Nakama, but those two are a different matter. While Yama-jii might have promised they'd be left alone, that they're officially considered as Nakama as well, it will take some time for most shinigami to see beyond the broken masks on them."
"Thank you, we'd be honored." Orihime agreed after considering it for a few seconds.
The Nagaken Elders had nothing to say about it. On the one hand, they'd already learned that their new Clan Head wouldn't be waiting for their approval, or anything at all, and if they wanted to retain any amount of influence it was better if they worked with him. And more importantly, the adoption had just added three powerful individuals to their clan, which meant that their Clan was rising in power once again. Also, having more Nakama bearing the Nagaken name, especially someone as powerful as Orihime was even better. They didn't even have anything against the two arrancar (mostly because they'd never been shinigami, and thus had no previous experience against hollows); though they'd heard that they too were quite powerful, among the best even. In their heads that only mattered because it meant more powerful Nagaken in the coming generations.
After dinner, Ichigo had a hard time falling asleep, and in the end he left the bed he shared with his wife (they'd been sharing a bed for months, but it was entirely platonic; they hadn't been ready for sex, and later on they decided to wait until getting married again so it might be all the more special).
"Ichigo…" Rukia murmured.
She wasn't sure what else to say, but knew the young man enough to understand that asking him if anything was wrong was likely to make him clamp up. It was better to just wait for him to open up to her. And he would, if there was one person Ichigo didn't mind being vulnerable with, it was her; Rukia knew how huge that was with someone like Ichigo, and she valued that trust. So she waited. It didn't take long.
Ichigo turn around in place, placing his arms around Rukia's waist and pressing her slightly against his chest. Just enough to feel her petite body against his own bigger form, feel her heart beating in time with his, their reiatsu mingling… Rukia raised her head, watching him in silence, waiting for him to speak:
"Marry me Rukia…" Ichigo whispered quietly.
"Baka, I'm already married to you." Her smile took the bite out of the insult. "And if you're talking about the human wedding, that'll be in the summer."
"I know, but I don't want to wait anymore." Ichigo replied. "I'm tired Rukia. Tired of having to check who I'm with to know what I can call you. I want to be able to call you my wife, no matter where we are, or who we are with, all the time. I want the world… all worlds, to know I'm damned lucky that you agreed to be marry me. And more than that… I want us to have that chance, the chance to say vows that are our own, and mean them, to have a real wedding, and not just an arrangement between our clans."
"Oh Ichigo… you know our marriage is more than just an arrangement, right?"
"I know but… I'm not sure I can explain it right. I want to stand before you, with your people and mine as witnesses, and declare I love you, you Rukia, not for being an adopted noble, or a shinigami… those are part of what you are, but not who you are. I want to marry you for you…"
Rukia blinked, it was so rare for Ichigo to be so verbose, she knew he had trouble finding the right words sometimes. He'd only really said 'I love you' twice in all the time they'd been together, but she treasured each time dearly. Just like she treasured the times when he'd read aloud from his book of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. She knew when he reached a part that was meant just for her, because his tone of voice changed, became deeper, warmer. And in doing so he'd found a dozen different ways of telling her he loved her when his own words failed him.
"I want to marry you too." Rukia agreed quietly.
"Then, will you?" Ichigo pressed. "Marry me? Not in four months, but sooner?"
"How much sooner? Are you sure it can be done?" Didn't a wedding take a lot of planning?
"Two weeks." Ichigo answered. "We graduate high-school next week, then we have two weeks before we start college. If we marry then we'll still have a few days to ourselves before the move to Tokyo. As for the preparations: Uryuu has been working on your wedding dress since you approved his design, he told me yesterday that it's finished. We'd already decided we didn't want a big production of things. Just us, our closest families and nakama, and that's it. Oyaji will be paying for the catering, at his insistence, and Yuzu insisted on doing the cake. We would just need to find a venue but it cannot be that hard…"
"Then yes Ichigo, I'll marry you in two weeks."
Byakuya was probably going to have an apoplexy… then again, as far as he was concerned, they were already married, so…
"Ichigo, I'd like to invite Ukitake-taichou." Rukia said thoughtfully. "I know that technically he isn't my captain anymore, but he was for a long time, and he was always there for me…"
"You don't need to explain anything Rukia, I understand." Ichigo assured her. "And I suppose if we're inviting him we'll need to invite Kyouraku as well, since they're partners and all."
"Ah… yes, and Ise-fukutaichou as well."
Ichigo blinked, head cocked to a side.
"It's complicated." Rukia admitted with a small shrug. "From what I know, Ukitake-taichou and Kyouraku-taichou have been best friends since they were at the Academy together. For many years they were just friends. Then Kyouraku fell in love with a shinigami woman and they married. I don't know what her name was, only that they were very much in love and when she died, some four hundred years ago or so Kyouraku-taichou went off the deep end. Ukitake-taichou was the only one who could reach him, who kept him from getting himself killed in the aftermath and then… well… some say they'd always been in love, deep down, others that the closeness as Ukitake-taichou helped his widowed friend recovered eventually transformed into love. However it happened, eventually they came to be together."
Ichigo nodded, while he couldn't begin to imagine ever loving someone else if he were to ever lose Rukia (and just the mere thought of losing her was so painful as to almost make him flinch, and in the back of his head Shiro howled his denial), he wasn't the kind to judge.
"Doesn't explain how Ise-san figures in all this." He commented, until suddenly something occurred to him; except, it couldn't be, could it? "The universe isn't that insane, is it?"
"You tell me." Rukia smiled at him. "It's not like it's a unique case, is it?"
No, it wasn't, and he'd seen it already first hand: with Tatsuki and Renji, Karin and Toushirou, and more recently, with Orihime and Ulquiorra (and Grimmjow and Sui-Feng, but that woman wasn't budging, she still wanted nothing to do with the former Sexta Espada... yet).
"How did they handle it?" Ichigo couldn't help but ask.
"That, no one really knows." Rukia admitted. "Well, I think Kaien knew, he's the one who told me all this, after I accidentally walked in on Kyouraku-taichou kissing Ukitake-taichou, after having seen the way he always flirted with Ise-fukutaichou… apparently, while Ise-san doesn't really remember her past life, Kyouraku-taichou managed to make her fall in love with him all over again, and she loved him enough to be willing to share him with Ukitake-taichou. So the three of them are sort of together and have been at least for as long as I've been a shinigami."
"Sounds a bit odd if you ask me, but it's their life." Ichigo shrugged.
"Well, just don't go getting any ideas, I'm not sharing you with anyone!" Rukia warned him.
"Nor could I ever share you." Ichigo reassured her. "So that's the three of them, your brother, Renji, Toushirou, Rangiku-san, probably Gin-san, oyaji and our nakama."
"And the Visored and Fullbringers." Rukia reminded him. "And your tou-san might want to invite Urahara and Yoruichi."
Ichigo nodded, agreeing they were good points. So it was probably not going to be quite as intimate as he'd have preferred, but still not a big event either, they wouldn't even be fifty people in all. They could be ready in two weeks.
"Lets go to bed." Rukia murmured after a while. "I'm exhausted."
He was too, so Ichigo didn't say a thing as he followed his petite wife inside, as they took off the robes they'd pulled on when walking onto the veranda, in the pale moonlight something that looked like tattoos in the inside of their left wrists became visible: golden skulls. They'd noticed them when they had first taken off their tekkou, just before bathing. They had no idea what it meant, and had already decided not to mention them to anyone. Chances were they were caused by the powers the Kushanada granted them while in Hell. And if there was more to them than that they'd worry about it when the time came.
xXx
Much as he might never admit it out-loud, truth was Byakuya wasn't really surprised when he got the wedding invitation from a bemused Renji a couple of days later. It was handmade, simple but elegant, with remarkable calligraphy. Attached to it there had been a note in Rukia's handwriting explaining the ceremony would be simple, no more than fifty guests in all, and would be taking place in the underground cavern beneath Urahara's old shouten. Renji opened his mouth to ask his captain what he was thinking exactly, when they were unexpectedly interrupted:
"Taichou!" It was Juno Masai, their third seat. "Kuchiki-taichou! We found her!"
"You found her?" Byakuya sought to confirm.
"Yes sir." Juno nodded, wide smile on her face.
"Found her?" Renji repeated, confused. "Found who? Or what?"
"A wedding present." Byakuya said simply before signaling for Masai to lead the way. "I'll go with Juno-sanseki, Renji, you're in charge in the meantime."
"Yes sir!" Renji replied automatically.
Byakuya left with Juno, leaving Renji to handle the paperwork and whatever might come up for the time being. The redhead had no idea what his captain might be planning exactly. It was clear though, that he was, indeed, planning something. Whether it was good or bad, he'd no idea. Though, he supposed, he'd be finding out in less than two weeks.
