"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeeease?"

"No."

"Come onnnnnnnnnnn."

"No."

"It's my wedding."

Hisana peered over the top of her large tortoiseshell glasses at her sister, eyebrow raised. "It's my professional reputation." She was sat on a perching stool, pruning the roots of her bonsai wisteria, ready for repotting.

Rukia was hovering beside the potting bench, clasping a number of bridal magazines. She huffed. "Why are you so boring?"

"Did you want my help or not?"

Rukia scuffed her toe against the wooden bench leg, causing sprinkles of compost to flutter down. "Yes," she mumbled moodily. Since when had her pushover older sister grown a backbone?

Sensing her younger sister's despondent mood, Hisana tried to mollify her. "Look, I'm not saying you can't have your dream dress, I'm just saying that I won't be making it." Rukia turned her back on her. "What about Ishida-san? He's much better at these sorts of things than I am."

Rukia sniffed and shot her sister a filthy look that screamed "Liar!"

Nearly a minute of silence passed between the two before Rukia quietly admitted, "He won't do it, either."

"Oh, so what? I'm the back-up plan?" Hisana shrieked in mock outrage.

"Only because I knew you'd say no!" Rukia whipped round defensively, only to find her sister watching and smiling softly at her, her chin resting on her hand, compost smeared across her cheek. It was always so hard to stay mad at Hisana for anything more than three seconds, which in itself was infuriating.

"Come here," Hisana threw her arms open wide as she summoned her sister for a hug.

Sighing heavily, Rukia shuffled over begrudgingly and allowed Hisana to stroke her hair whilst she buried her face in the crook of her neck. "You think I'm stupid."

"What?" Hisana looked at her incredulously. "No, darling, I know you're stupid," she said, nudging Rukia in the ribs with her elbow.

Aghast, Rukia gave her a look akin to a wounded puppy. Hisana chuckled and sighed, "Look, if it makes you feel any better, Renji's even more stupid. Imagine being that good looking and choosing to lump it all in with you for the rest of his life!"

Rather than riling her up as was intended, her baby sister just looked more miserable and depressed than ever. "Oh, Rukia. Darling, whatever is the matter? You know I'm only teasing." Hisana frowned, concerned. "Is this really about the dress?" She stopped short, a dreadful thought suddenly occurring to her. "You're not getting cold feet, are you? Darling, you don't have to do this now. You can wait a couple of years; wait until you've finished training."

Rukia regarded her frostily, "You'd like that, wouldn't you? 'Oh look, Rukia's done something stupid again, and now she regrets it.'"

Hisana set her glasses aside and got to her feet, "Okay, first of all I have never said anything like that to or about you, ever. Nor would I. Secondly, what on earth's brought all this on?"

Rukia shrugged half-heartedly at her and began picking at her nails. "I don't know… Do… do you think we're too young?"

Hisana cupped her younger sister's cheek with her hand, wiping away the tear that threatened to fall. "I think that you're young, yes. And if it was anybody else, I'd have my reservations. But it isn't. It's you and it's Renji. Together. You'll be just fine. It's what you do. You barrel into things, hell for leather, without any real consideration of the consequences, and somehow, against all odds, you both come out on top and smelling of roses. Why? Because it's you, and it's Renji, and you're together. Always."

Rukia sniffed and smiled weakly, "Really?"

"Really." Hisana grabbed at one of the discarded magazines and started flicking through the pages. "Besides, being young just means that you have more time to keeping popping out demon childebeests. I'm thoroughly looking forward to playing to the role of the hideous, stingy maiden aunt with atrocious fashion sense and nineteen cats. I've been practising, can't you tell?"

Rukia snorted, "What? For the last twenty three years?" Hisana pointedly started scratching the spot just above her left ear with her middle finger in response.

Rukia pulled herself up onto the potting bench, sitting cross-legged. "I just don't want to end up like Nel, you know? Married, pregnant, divorced and back together again all in the same year? I can't be dealing with that kind of drama."

Hisana blinked and seemingly stalled, unable to compute what her sister had said. "Okay, just to be clear, Nel is a lovely girl, truly, but are you really comparing Renji to Nnoitra Gilga? Because if so, for the love all of things sacred, Rukia, do not tell Renji that. That really is grounds for divorce."

Rukia laughed, as she peered across the page that had drawn her sister's attention. "No lilies."

"Hmm?"

"No lilies; we're getting married, not buried."

"Ahh. Actually, I was thinking about how long the shoot went on for before the pollen stained the dress. Should have removed the stamens first…"

Rukia scrunched up her nose and began waving her hand in front of Hisana's face, "Err, hello? Can I have my sister back please? Not the florist?"

"What? I'm just saying an expensive designer dress is practically a magnet for lily pollen."

"Meh, it would be an improvement."

"You don't like it?"

"It's too frilly."

Hisana looked between the model on the page and her haughty sister. "That's too frilly? I thought you wanted a Labyrinth ball gown?"

"Well, that's not frilly, is it? It's more… poofy." She made a dramatic explosive motion with her arms to show just how poofy the dress was. "Plus, I don't like the… what colour would you say that is?"

"Salmon pink?"

"Yeah, that. I don't want to look like a sushi roll."

"Aww." Hisana pouted before reaching up to pinch her sister's cheeks, "But you'd make such a cute little makizushi!"

Rukia swatted her away and glared at her. "I hate you. Really."

"What was that, my little onigiri?"

Hisana may be quick, but Rukia was quicker and she deftly evaded the incoming attack of cheek smooshing. "Remind me why I'm here again."

"Because I'm your favourite sister."

"You're my only sister."

"Yeah, and?"

"I don't know why I bother."

"Because you want me to make your dream Labyrinth wedding a reality."

Rukia brightened considerably. "You'll do it?"

"No," Hisana flat out refused.

"Why not?" Rukia huffed.

"Because you're too short."

"What? I'm the same height as you!"

"Exactly!" Hisana reasoned. "I know precisely how short you are."

"Jennifer Connelly isn't tall."

"She's taller than you. Quite a bit taller than you."

"So?"

"Rukia, have you seen the size of those sleeves? Each one is bigger than your entire torso! I'm fairly certain that Renji would quite like to see his bride on his wedding day, not just some giant satin meringue."

Rukia slouched and grunted at her sister.

"Not to mention the fact that I'm not sure you'd be able to move without collapsing under the weight of it."

"Renji can carry me. He enjoys a workout."

"I don't think that's the sort of workout he's looking forward to on his wedding night."

Rukia was suddenly overcome with an extraordinary and uncharacteristic girlishness, biting at her lip and giggling. She was almost unrecognisable. "He came home in his uniform last week."

Hisana raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What was that? A belated birthday present?"

Rukia grinned suggestively. "He has just got his second stripe. I'd say he's earned a bonus or three."

"You two are disgusting, you know that?"

"Pfft. You're only jealous."

"What? Of you? Why would I be jealous of you? Just because you're marrying one delicious hunk of a fireman. Please."

"He is delicious, isn't he?" Rukia leant forward conspiratorially and whispered, "Hey, the other night, he actually-."

Hisana held up a hand. "Stop right there. I don't want to know."

Rukia raised her hands, "I'm just sayin' you should try it."

Hisana looked at her sceptically, "I'm good, thanks."

"I could introduce you to some of Renji's friends."

Hisana shook her head frantically and began making a slicing motion at her throat, her face one of sheer horror. "I've seen Renji's friends, and no. Nope. Noooooo."

"Oh come on, they're not all bad!"

"Iba-san?"

Rukia made to argue before thinking better of it.

"The strutting peacock?"

Rukia clasped her fingers together and pursed her lips.

"Madarame?"

"Okay, okay, okay. I get the point. You don't need to list them all; we'll be here all day. " She picked at some fallen foliage before perking up, "Ooh! What about Izuru? He's…" Rukia trailed off at her sister's expression before continuing diplomatically, "… not my type, either." She shuffled and allowed her legs to hang down before kicking her feet absentmindedly. "I just worry about you, that's all."

"Me? What on earth for?"

"You're always working, and when you're not working you never come out. You're just holed up in here thinking about work. It can't be good for you."

"What are you talking about? I'm fine."

"Hisana, when I walked in this morning you were singing to a piece of broccoli."

"So? He was a happy little broccoli! He looked just like… a… mini tree. Don't look at me like that!"

"Fricking hell, it's worse than I thought," Rukia mumbled to herself. Her sister had gone completely doolally.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, sister," Rukia said airily, "Carry on."

Hisana harrumphed and glanced at her sibling. "Don't pull that face, you look just like Mother. You sound like her, too."

"Yes, well, she was a very wise woman," Rukia retorted smartly, ignoring Hisana's spluttering snort of laughter. Rukia continued fiddling with the stray leaves, pulling them to pieces, as she slipped back into a more contemplative mood. "What would Mum think?"

"Of?"

"Us. Renji. The wedding."

Hisana reached over to stay her sister's hands. "She'd be delighted. You know she loved Renji; he was always her favourite child." She cupped Rukia's cheek in her hand, "As for you, missus, you're going to be a police officer. She couldn't be prouder." She stood and kissed her sister on the nose. "I know I can't," she uttered quietly.

Rukia grinned as Hisana turned away and began marching up and down the greenhouse.

"I'd be the perpetual disappointment, of course, facing the impending doom of unending spinsterhood. 'Why aren't you married, Hisana? Where are my grandchildren? Soon you'll be too old to find a decent husband. No one likes an aging virgin.' You know how she was. Old school."

Rukia cackled at her sister's impression of a nagging old crone. She could clearly remember her Mum harping on at Hisana and her apparent disinterest in the 'suitable candidates' she'd bring home under one guise or another. It got to the stage where her sister would reject them purely on principle. She wasn't sure she'd grown out of the habit. "And what about Dad? What would he say?"

"Hmm…" Hisana tapped her chin in thought. "Well, I think Renji won him over once he realised that he could reach the good stuff on the top shelf at the liquor store, so he'd be happy."

Rukia knew all of this, of course, but sometimes it was just nice to hear it despite the bittersweet twinge it caused. "You don't think they'd think we're too young?"

"Ha!" Hisana barked. "Even if they did, I don't think Mr and Mrs Teenage-Shotgun-Wedding could say anything. Seriously, Rukia, you're already three years old than Mum was when she was giving birth to me." Hisana paused, frowning. "Rukia… has someone said something to you?"

Rukia's gaze dropped to her feet as she mumbled, "No… it's just…" She sighed tiredly before finally admitting, "Remember the old man who lives below us? Barragan, or whatever his name is. He was bothering Renji again. And then I came home and made matters worse because 'no silly little girl should ever be allowed to wear that uniform' or whatever and then just started reeling off a list of what he thought was wrong with us, and… yeah."

Hisana stared at her blankly. "Barragan?" Suddenly her lip curled in disgust as she recalled who he was, "Eurgh. Since when did you start listening to that old goat?"

Rukia shrugged, "I don't know, it's just… Something he said really rattled Renji, and I don't know what it was because he won't tell me, but it's just… upsetting, y'know?"

"Yeah, well, just wait until his got screaming babies to contend with, then he'll have something to moan about."

Rukia blew a raspberry, "I'm not chaining myself to the cooker just yet, thank you. I'd like Renji to myself for a few more years yet. At least until we've made good use of my handcuffs-."

"WOAH-kayyyy!" Hisana hastily made for the door, hands over her ears.

"Oh my God, you're such a prude!" Rukia rolled her eyes so much she worried they might fall out.

"LA LA LA LA LAAA!"

Rukia grabbed the pile of magazines and scrambled after her, "Oh, come onnnnnnnnn." Honestly. "Come back! I need to talk to you about cake!"