Day of Rangiku's wedding

Yoruichi was already at the hotel getting ready with the bridal party. She asked Tessai to drive Kisuke to the venue and one of her assistants to help him get ready. She had just finished helping Rangiku get ready and stepped back to admire her work.

"You look beautiful, Rangiku. Gin's a lucky guy," said Yoruichi, smiling proudly.

"Thank you, Yoruichi. I'm so excited to meet your boyfriend! He must be something."

Yoruichi snorted. "He sure is."

Kisuke arrived at the venue. Though it was outside, luckily the weather that day was perfect— sunny but not too hot or cold. He fidgeted with his tie and headed to the reception. The receptionist looked up at him. "Your name?"

"Urahara Kisuke."

"Ahh! You're Yoruichi's—"

"Kisuke!" Yoruichi greeted him with a grin on her face. "He's with me, Lisa."

"I know, I was about to let him in," Lisa said with a sigh. "Go ahead, Urahara-san."

He smiled at the receptionist and quickly walked over to where Yoruichi was. This time, her hair was down and a little wavy. She was wearing a baby blue bridesmaid dress with straps. Though much more modest than the dress he first saw her in, she looked remarkably breathtaking.

"Hey, you look amazing," he said, giving her a charming smile.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she teased, straightening his tie and looping an arm around his. "I'm going to introduce you to some people. Try your best to act natural."

Her eyes scanned the room as if looking for someone. "Ah, there's the bride and groom! I have to warn you— though Rangiku's really nice, Gin's a little creepy."

He raised an eyebrow at that but made no comment. While they headed towards the couple, he could feel many eyes on him and Yoruichi.

Well, this is nerve-wracking. Act natural, he repeated like a mantra in his head.

Rangiku waved to them. "Yoruichi! Is this him?"

"Yup, he's the one," she said with a grin.

Suddenly, Kisuke felt a pair of arms wrap around him and a bosom in his face as Rangiku launched herself towards him.

"I'm so glad you're here! Yoruichi's been soo lonely lately."

"Oi, what are you saying Rangiku," Yoruichi said, her grin turning into a scowl.

She finally let him go and when he glanced towards Gin, the man was smiling like he wanted to kill him. He shuddered.

"I'm uh, glad to be here. It's nice to meet you, Rangiku-san and Gin-san," he said, reaching a hand out to shake Gin's.

"It's nice to meet ya Kisuke," replied Gin, shaking his hand with a death grip. Oh, he definitely hates me.

"Hey Rangiku, I really appreciate you fitting Kisuke in so last minute. Is it okay if he joins us at the afterparty tonight?" asked Yoruichi.

"Of course! The more the merrier."

Kisuke shot a questioning look at Yoruichi but she simply ignored him. "Ok, I'm going to introduce him to Kuukaku, see ya later," she said to the pair.

"Byeee Yoruichi!"

Kisuke glanced at Yoruichi. "So, what's this about an afterparty?"

"The bridesmaids and the groomsmen are going to celebrate tonight after the wedding. Think of it as a bachelor and bachelorette party. Rangiku and Gin aren't going on their honeymoon till tomorrow."

"You didn't mention this before," he groaned.

"Do you have work tomorrow?"

"No..."

"Then stop being such a pansy, you need some fun in your life."

Before he could reply, a short, black-haired girl with pigtails came running toward Yoruichi.

"Yoruichi-sama!"

"Soifon! How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Yoruichi?" Yoruichi scowled jokingly at the tiny girl.

"I-I couldn't possibly." She looked at Kisuke and frowned. "Yoruichi-sama is this—?"

"Yeah, this is Kisuke." said Yoruichi, smiling.

Soifon glared daggers at him and grabbed on to Yoruichi. "Yoruichi-sama, I need you to look over something regarding the hotel rooms."

"Huh? Right now?"

"It's urgent."

Yoruichi glanced towards Kisuke and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, I need to check on something real quick."

He looked back at her with a pleading look that said 'please don't leave me' before she was dragged away by Soifon. Great, just great. He sighed and walked over to the bar, feeling like he needed something to drink. He had just sat down when someone sat down right beside him.

"That's a face I haven't seen before."

Beside him was a blonde fellow with some scarily perfect straight bangs and teeth.

"I'm Shinji, nice to meet ya. You must be Yoruichi's man," he said, reaching out for a handshake.

"I'm Kisuke, nice to meet you too. How did you know?" Kisuke shook the man's hand.

"You matched the description she gave me. Messy, blonde-haired man. Hunches quite a bit and looks nervous all the time."

Is that what she thought of him? He pouted.

Shinji snorted when he saw the look on his face. "I mean she's dating ya, so she must like something about you. She hasn't seriously dated anyone since that poor kid died."

He swallowed. "Kaien."

"Yeah, him. He was a real nice guy. Out of all the rich brats out there, he and Yoruichi were the easiest to talk to. They didn't have their heads up their asses like the rest of them."

Kisuke looked surprised. "Oh, you're not...?"

"From money? Hell no. I did end up marrying someone relatively wealthy though," he scratched his head. "Though she's a sweetie." He paused. "Yer not exactly rich either."

"Far from it," replied Kisuke.

"That's going to be tough. At least you're a professor. You got the brains."

Kisuke was about to ask him what he meant by that when Yoruichi came back.

"Shinji!" Yoruichi beamed and gave Shinji a half-hug.

"Yo, Yoruichi. I was just introducing myself to yer man here. Yer right, he does look like a sad dog."

Kisuke looked embarrassed while Yoruichi burst into laughter. "He's adorable, isn't he?" she said, slinging an arm around Kisuke's shoulder.

"Oh, definitely," he joined her and they both laughed their asses off.

Kisuke scowled at the both of them. "Funny."

Yoruichi cupped his chin with her hand and gave him a soft smile, causing his scowl to soften.

She turned to Shinji. "We're going to get something to eat. See you later Shinji."

"See ya later, lovebirds," said Shinji, waving goodbye to them.

"A sad dog, huh?"

"Still mopey about it?"

"A little."

"Would a kiss make it better?" His eyes widened. "Just kidding. Come on, I'm hungry."

"Shouldn't you make room for dinner later?"

"I'm just going to have a snack," she said, dragging him to a table filled with various delicacies where she proceeded to stuff a few macarons in her mouth to his disbelief. "Kisuke, you see that badass bitch over there with the black hair and prosthetic arm?"

"Yeah?"

"That's my best friend, Kuukaku." She moved closer to him and whispered in his ear, "She knows our relationship is fake, by the way."

"What!?"

She shrugged. "I couldn't hide it from her. She can keep a secret though, don't worry. Hey Kuukaku, over here!" she called her.

Kuukaku turned around and grinned, heading towards them. "Yoruichi! And you're Kisuke huh?"

Kisuke bowed. "That's me. It's a pleasure to meet you Kuukaku-san."

"Man, a polite one? That's not like you, Yoruichi."

"Shh, that's one of his charms."

"Whatever. It's time for the ceremony, let's go," replied Kuukaku.

They sat near the front, along with Soifon, Kuukaku, and a few others he hadn't met yet. Whenever he made eye contact with Soifon she would glare at him. She was probably murdering him in his head. Just what is her deal with me?

Rangiku walked down the aisle holding on to her father's arm. The woman was beautiful, there was no doubt about it. Gin had dropped his characteristically creepy smile for one that was genuinely warm.

While the couple gave their vows, his eyes drifted to Yoruichi. She looked happy for them but at the same time, there was a trace of sadness in her smile. He realized that she was thinking of Kaien. He reached out to hold her hand and she looked at him in surprise but didn't make an attempt to move her hand. Their hands stayed like that for the rest of the ceremony.

After the ceremony was over, it was picture time. He watched as Yoruichi got up to take bridesmaid pictures, his eyes on her the entire time. She caught him looking at her and winked. He coughed and averted his gaze in embarrassment. When it came time for the groomsmen's pictures he remained seated because technically, he wasn't a groomsman. He had just met Rangiku and Gin.

However, Shinji came up to him and dragged him to the front. "You're a part of us now, come on idiot."

Rangiku agreed and Gin just gave him a curt nod. Kisuke looked back at Yoruichi and she smiled at him with a nod. He smiled back at her and took some pictures, including one where Shinji put an 'L' behind his head, which made Yoruichi laugh.

Finally, it was dinner time. He watched in amusement, resting his hand under his chin as Yoruichi stuffed down a chicken breast before taking a big sip of wine.

"I can't believe you managed to find a man who doesn't complain about the way you eat," Kuukaku teased.

"Shuddup, Kuukaku," Yoruichi grumbled, her mouth still full of food.

Kuukaku smirked. "Just saying."

Then came a series of toasts, the first dance with the newly-married couple, cake cutting, and then it was time for the garter toss. The whole crowd cheered as Gin took off the garter on Rangiku's leg with his teeth and threw it into the crowd.

Somehow, it landed in Kisuke's hands.

Everyone's jaw dropped. It was silent except for the sound of gasps and 'oh my gods'. He looked back at Yoruichi but the expression on her face was unreadable. What should I do? What reaction should I have?

He just gave an awkward smile and headed back to the table, leaving the garter on the ground. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Sorry, I didn't mean to. It kind of just landed on me."

She just shook her head. "It's fine."

He sensed the tenseness in her voice.

"So... that was interesting. Let's move on to the bouquet toss. Ladies gather up!" said Rangiku.

As the unmarried women started gathering on the floor, Yoruichi got up and wandered off, away from the venue.

Kisuke was confused. Was she mad at him? He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to face Kuukaku.

"You're wondering why she suddenly turned into an expressionless bitch right?"

"After I caught the garter, she just felt so... off. Did I piss her off?"

She sighed. "Nah, it's cause of Kaien. Before they got officially engaged, he caught the garter too."

Ah, shit.

She continued. "That's why everyone was in disbelief. What a coincidence, right? Listen Kisuke, even though your relationship is fake, I haven't seen her this happy in a long time. Hurry up and go after her! If you hurt her, I'll kill you, chop off your dick, and hang your naked corpse up for the world to see."

He swallowed. What a scary woman. Still, he was glad for what she told him. He hurried towards the direction he saw Yoruichi go in. She was sitting down by the riverbank, her arms crossed above her knees.

Kisuke took a deep breath and slowly walked towards her. "Hey."

She turned to look at him. "...Hey."

"Is it okay if I sit here?"

She just nodded. He sat down next to her. "I have an idea of why you ran off now."

"Kuukaku told you," she accused.

"Yeah, she did. You could've told me instead of running off, you know."

She was quiet, and then she spoke, "You're right. That was immature of me, sorry."

He was not expecting that. Now what? I look like the bad guy now.

They both jumped in surprise when an announcement came from the speakers, "Open dance floor time! Let's go everybody woooo!"

Kisuke stood up and offered his hand to Yoruichi. "Will you dance with me, Yoruichi?"

"Yeah," she said, with a soft smile, and took his hand.

They headed back to the floor where everyone was dancing, most of them drunk.

She tilted her head, amusement written in her features. "I didn't take you for a dancer."

"I'm a pretty bad one, to be honest. One of my few weaknesses."

"Come on," she said, laughing and dragging him onto the dance floor.

He tried to follow along with the music and with her but his movements were no match for hers. She moved with ease and elegance and he had the grace of an elephant. At this rate, he wasn't sure if he could continue dancing for longer— continue making a fool of himself, but the way she grinned at him made him stay for more.

After a few dances, she realized he wasn't lying, he really was a terrible dancer. "Do you have two left feet or something?" she joked.

"I'm trying, I swear," he grumbled.

"Ok guys! It's time for some mushy slow dancing! Prepare yourselves," announced the DJ.

Yoruichi chuckled. "Well, slow dancing is easier. Just follow my lead."

She guided his hands to her waist and proceeded to place her hands on his shoulders. Though he asked her to dance earlier, he had to force himself to relax now that their bodies were pressed closely against each other and her face was only inches away from his. They started to move around slowly and eventually, his body started to move in tandem with hers as she guided him.

"Good, just like that," she said approvingly, glancing up at him with a wide smile on her face.

Kisuke felt his breath hitch and his head spin when she looked up at him. She was beautiful— intoxicating even. His eyes wandered to her lips and for a second, he thought about kissing her. He was worried he would scare her off though. Plus, she would be forced to kiss him back unless she wanted people to be suspicious. Before he considered kissing her anyways, the song had ended and the DJ switched to a party song.

Who hired this DJ... way to ruin the mood.

"Kisuke," she said, irritated.

"Huh?" Crap, he spaced out.

"I asked you how do you feel after that?

"What?" Was she asking...

She let out a frustrated sigh. "What are you thinking about! I asked how do you feel after that dance? Do you feel like you're a better dancer now?"

Oh. "Yeah, only because I had a great teacher," he said with a smirk.

That earned a smile from her. "I'm kind of tired, let's go back. I need to reserve some energy for the afterparty tonight."

It was past midnight as they headed back to the hotel. Kisuke and Yoruichi arrived at their suite and Yoruichi opened the door.

Kisuke scanned the room. It was large, much larger than any hotel room he had stayed in before. He realized he was only in the living room and there was a room attached that was just as large. In the other room, there was a king-sized bed with a sofa bed in front of it and a 70-inch flat-screen TV. There was also a hot tub and a bar. All this for one night. His face was in disbelief.

She chuckled at his reaction. "Don't bother complaining about the price. I didn't pay a single yen. Just think of it as a perk for being associated with the heiress of Japan's largest hotel chain."

"There's only one bed?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"It'd be too suspicious if I asked for two."

"Right," he mumbled.

"We have some time before we separate into our groups to celebrate. I'm going to take a shower and change. I suggest you do too. You should try the hot tub."

"Maybe I will," he replied with a chuckle.

She went into the bathroom but a few moments later, she called out to him, "Kisuke, can you come here?"

"Something the matter?"

"Can you help me unzip?"

"Oh y-yeah."

His body felt tense as he unzipped her dress. He tried his best to keep his face cool and his hands steady.

She gave him a small smirk. "Thanks."

"Anything for my lady," he joked, giving her a curt bow.

Kisuke caught her rolling her eyes as he left the bathroom. He decided to check out the balcony to get some fresh air and calm himself down. He stood there, arms crossed above the railing, and admired the view. Sometime later after finishing her shower and changing, Yoruichi decided to join him. "It's a nice view, isn't it?" said Yoruichi from behind him.

"It's beautiful," he said, turning to look at her. She had changed into a black halter top and a jean skirt, along with a pair of sandals.

She averted her gaze when their eyes met and moved to stand beside him. "I know it was uncomfortable at times, but did you have fun?"

"Besides the death glares from Gin and Soifon, yeah, I did actually. Your friends are really nice."

"Hey, I warned you about Gin. And as for Soifon... I'm not really sure why she hates you. I'm glad you had fun though. You and Shinji seemed to get along nicely."

"Mhm. I guess we had a bit in common."

"The fact that you both don't come from money?"

"That's definitely one of them."

"You know, I admire his wife, Momo. Everyone thought she was crazy for marrying Shinji. When they first started dating, he had about six piercings and tattoos everywhere. Plus, he was jobless. Her parents were ballistic."

"How did she convince her parents to let them marry him then?"

"She was never able to. To this day, they don't talk but..."

"But?"

"She and Shinji look happier than ever," she said, with a hint of a jealous undertone.

There was a silence between them and Kisuke watched as stray locks of her hair blew in the wind and the moon shined down on her face. He felt his stomach do a flip. When she felt his gaze, she turned to look at him and their eyes locked onto each other; steel grey ones on her bright gold ones. He closed the gap between them and leaned down to kiss her, softly but firmly. Her eyes fluttered closed and she kissed him back for just a second before pushing him away gently.

"...Don't do that," she murmured.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have. I got a little carried away in the moment."

"You apologize too much, you know."

He almost uttered another apology but stopped himself.

"I'm... going to join Rangiku and the other girls. You still have some time, so go get washed up. Enjoy yourself tonight okay? Don't worry, Shinji will be there to keep you company," she smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'll try." He managed a weak smile and watched as she left, a small sigh escaping his lips.