A/N: Can we strike gold twice? Here's another chapter. The ending is near. I got this chapter done so soon, there's only three people to thank for reviews: Assault Godzilla, MugestuIchigo, and Speed Reader.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Bleach characters, manga, anime, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Tite Kubo et al.
Consequences of War
Picking Up the Pieces
Ichigo came to the second time around while Orihime was using her flower spirits to heal him. The concussion was gone, as was the incessant headache. "Inoue, save your strength."
"Oh, but we must get you better right away, Kurosaki-kun! We can't have the groom lying unconscious."
"Excuse me?"
"The ceremony is in a few hours, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime was smiling brightly, but he could tell it was strained.
"Whoa, wait a minute. Are you telling me that that idiot father of mine actually managed to throw together a wedding in a few hours?"
"Fool, you've been unconscious for a day and a half. What part of not moving too much didn't you understand?" Rukia walked into the room, giving Orihime's arm a squeeze in gratitude. "You also seem to forget the ingenuity of the SWA. Your father only had to ask for help and every female, plus Ayasegawa, leapt at the opportunity to shove us down the aisle without asking whether we were ready or not. Add the ready agreement of my elders, and it's a done deal."
Ichigo sat up slowly, Shun'o and Ayame fluttering around his head briefly before going back to their dormant state. "What reason did your insufferable elders give for the rush? There are far more important things to do right now than get married. It's not as if there's any need to rush things, given our ages."
Rukia sighed and glanced at Orihime out of the corner of her eye. "They want an heir post haste. Your father stupidly assured them it wouldn't be an issue."
Orihime made a sound of distress, and the engaged pair could only sympathize. "Maybe I should…"
"No, Inoue, it's okay. This isn't how I wanted you to find out. I'm sorry my big mouth old man caused you pain. I meant to talk to you myself after I could move but…"
"It's okay, Kurosaki-kun, you don't have to explain. You and Kuchiki-san have always been close. It's not really surprising. I wish you all the happiness in the world."
"Thank you, but our nuptials shouldn't be happening right now. There are still people unaccounted for and others still hanging on for dear life. Not to mention the absolute mess everything must be outside. We should be helping our friends and family piece their lives back together and having services for the fallen."
"We knew you would feel that way," a new voice and the others turned to find Rangiku standing in the doorway, bruised, and bandaged. "Your opinions are hereby rejected. This wedding, which some of us are surprised took so long to happen, is just what we need."
"Rangiku-san…"
The blonde came closer and sat on the edge of his bed. Not sparing a glance for the other females in the room, the lieutenant hugged Ichigo, careful not to smother him. "You tend to grow on people, kiddo. I'm glad you're alive."
"Thanks. I'm glad you're alive too." He allowed her to ruffle his hair, knowing she really did care about him. "Wait, what do you mean some of you are surprised it took so long?"
"Your father was my captain. I know how his mind works."
"You mean how it doesn't work."
"That too. Bets have been going around about how long it would take you to propose to Kuchiki here. Too bad a war got in the way of finding out. Your father was sure that you'd drop to one knee before you graduated high school."
"What an idiot. Byakuya would never have let me…" Ichigo flinched, meeting Rukia's suddenly sad orbs. "He should have been here for this."
"We cannot bring back the dead, Ichigo. We can only move forward. It will not be easy, but those who have left us would want us to find joy where we can. Even if it means getting married before we expected. I would not want to be without anyone who is still with us. Perhaps this is our best chance. Our lives will be incredibly busy from now on."
"I suppose I must bow to a higher authority," Ichigo sighed and yelped at Rangiku's sudden hug.
"I thought you'd be used to that by now," the busty blonde chuckled. "Well, let's get you dressed, Lady Kuchiki. We'll let the guys take care of our daiko." Rangiku rose and started pulling Rukia out of the room. "You too, Orihime. Can't have anyone looking anything less than their best. Thankfully, my home was left untouched. I have plenty of kimonos to choose from."
"Oh, yes, I'm coming," the healer chirped and made to follow the others.
"Orihime," Ichigo said, using her first name hesitantly. She turned to him, a strange light in her eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you. You should have heard about this from me."
"I know." She gave him a soft smile and then jogged out of the room to catch up to the others. A shadow moved in the hall, and it wasn't long before Ishida entered.
"You're a fool," the Quincy intoned.
"Thought we'd already established that. It'll take time, but she'll heal. I hope you can be patient a little while longer."
"Without question," Ichigo's cousin stated.
"Good, because she deserves her prince, turned king; and you deserve the woman whose hand led you out of the darkness." Ishida blushed at that, wondering when Ichigo had become so insightful.
"You're still a fool."
"Aa." Rising, Ichigo stretched and made his way to the bathroom. "So, now that I'm apparently getting married despite being underage, because this is Soul Society and things like that happen, what 'guys' are supposed to help me get dressed?"
Ishida grinned sadistically and revealed the stack of clothing his cousin hadn't noticed. "Why, only your most trusted friends and family, of course. Ganju is slowly making his way here with something from the Shiba family, and Chad should be here momentarily after he gets dressed. In the meantime, I would suggest bathing most thoroughly. I would not want my hard work to be ruined by an unbathed body." Light glinted off his glasses as Ichigo turned to look at him. On top of the clothing stack sat a small box, one the daiko recognized as a sewing kit.
"How did you even find the time?"
"Unlike some, I have not been idle these past days. My 'Antithesis' has come in handy." The Quincy's grin held as Ichigo slumped.
"Fine, but if you stick me with even one needle or pin…"
"I assure you; I am far too skilled for that." Ishida chuckled and sat down to wait. Taking off his glasses, the student council president tipped his head back and sighed. While Ichigo had been unconscious, he had been on edge. The captains and ruling council hadn't come to a decision on what they wanted to do with him or the few Sternritter that remained but without his friends completely able to come to his aid, he'd felt vulnerable. He'd also been worried. His powers had changed and grown, making it almost impossible for him to get seriously hurt. There had been a few incidents that had required the use of his "Antithesis," leading to a great deal of scolding by Hanatorou. There were a lot of Shinigami who did not like the fact that he was wandering around unsupervised.
"Yo," a new voice said, its obnoxious tone letting him know exactly who had come into the room. "Where's the groom?" Ganju asked, plopping down on the unmade bed.
"Showering. Hopefully with enough soap to remove the stench of teenage boy and sweaty warrior off of him. Did you get the crest?"
"Right here. Sis said it should go on his left, as he's part of the branch family."
"As she wishes." They sat in silence for the few minutes it took to sew the patch on, tiny stiches making sure the symbol of the Shiba clan was securely attached onto Ichigo's wedding kimono.
Chad arrived shortly after that; his own clothing having been replaced with something more formal. Briefly glancing at the bathroom door, he found the only other chair in the room and took a seat. The three friends waited patiently for the hero to return, knowing things were not as festive as they should have been. Outside the small confines of a mostly whole Fourth, rubble still littered the ground and people still searched for lost loved ones.
Ichigo opened the door to the bathroom, a towel around his waist because he'd forgotten to ask for the fundoshi he knew was somewhere in the pile of clothing Ishida had had. "Forgot something," he mumbled, seeing their faces. "You're looking like I feel."
"Too much time to think," Ganju murmured. "It's a mess out there."
"Yeah, I know. After the ceremony, I'm going to talk to the captains. They must have a clean-up plan. Maybe I can make some suggestions about how we do things like this in the Living World that'll make it easier here. Soul Society doesn't have the same equipment, but I bet Urahara and Kurotsuchi could come up with some machines that'll speed things along. It might make people feel a little better too."
"Speaking of Urahara, he and his cohorts will live. I even heard that Shihoin-san was yelling at your father for planning your wedding behind your back." Chad helped Ichigo put on his inner robe after Ichigo's return from the bathroom, Ishida hemming the bottom of it to fit correctly. They took things slowly as there was no real need to rush. With Rangiku in charge of dressing the women, preparations were likely to take hours.
When the daiko was finally dressed, he stood there and felt out of place. "Say, where is Zangetsu? I can feel them, but I don't see my blades."
"Your dad has them. He got some scabbards for them, but they've refused to go dormant. They're probably responding to your unease." Ishida stretched his senses and sighed. "Here he comes now. Prepare yourself."
"My beautiful boy! Daddy is so proud. You have caught quite the catch." Isshin grinned, showing a large amount of teeth. Zangetsu's blades were slung over one shoulder while Engetsu was tucked securely in his obi along with two empty sheaths.
"Hand them over," Ichigo ordered, his hand out for his Zanpakutou. Once they were in his possession again, the itching feeling he'd been getting eased up. "Zangetsu, if you wish to remain as you are, that's up to you, but I can't guarantee you won't start to rust if you get rained on. The sheaths will prevent water from damaging your blades. Plus, we're headed to a wedding. It's bad form to bring weapons to a shrine or temple; and I can't imagine what Shirayuki-san will think if you show up like this."
To everyone's amazement the two blades became dormant instantly. Raising a brow, Ichigo carefully slid them into the correct sized sheath and tucked them into his obi. With a few more tugs on his hair, he faced his friends and family and gestured towards the open door. "Let's go."
"Do you think it was the rain suggestion or the Shirayuki suggestion?" Ganju asked.
"Zangetsu is an extension of Kurosaki, so I would say that it was the suggestion of how Sode no Shirayuki would react that did the trick," Ishida commented back. From all he had heard, a Shinigami always had to will the Zanpakutou to shrink into it's dormant state. Ichigo's willingness to allow Zangetsu to remain free must mean that the sword spirits were more willing to "obey" when the occasion called for a less obvious show of strength.
"Interesting," Isshin murmured, his "crazy father" routine on the back burner for once. "Much has changed."
The four men entered the front courtyard of the Relief Station and came to a sudden halt. Ichigo bit back a curse at all the destruction. "Oyaji…"
"Piece by piece, my son. For now, let us bring a little joy to the grief. There is much to be done, but let's bring a little sunlight into the dreary day, yes?" Others joined them in the courtyard, in varying states of health and dress. Tentative smiles hovered around mouths and the Shinigami daiko could only sigh in acceptance.
"Yeah, I suppose. Anyone know how long the female half is going to take?"
Isshin cackled and slapped Ichigo on the back. "As long as they want, my boy, as long as they want."
"What an insult, Uncle. Perhaps I should remind you that this rush job was all your idea?" Kūkaku pinched Isshin's arm, a frown on her face. Yoruichi sat in a wheelchair next to her, a ball of kido hovering in her hand.
"Unlike some who like to use all the hot water, the women are far closer to being ready than you would assume. They will meet us at the shrine." Yoruichi dispersed the energy ball and smiled at her student. "Nice to see you up and about, Ichigo."
"You too, Yoruichi-san." He touched her arm gently, careful not to squeeze. For the first time since he'd met her, she looked frail. Whatever she had gone up against had taken a toll on her.
"Thank you. What was this I heard about you not wanting to marry Kuchiki?"
"It's not that I didn't want to marry Rukia, it's that we weren't ready. We wanted things here to be better. Maybe wait until I'm an actual adult…" he groused, eyeing his dad.
"Pssh. Nobles marry young all the time."
The teens looked at Yoruichi and before Ishida could stop him, Ichigo asked, "Then why aren't you married to Urahara yet?"
Several of the courtyard's occupants burst out laughing while some began backing away as they saw her reiatsu become visible. Before she could retaliate, Yoruichi began coughing and slumped in her conveyance. "Hit him for me, Kūkaku," she ordered, her voice weak.
"Nah, we'll let it rest for now. Let him stew a bit and wonder when you'll sneak up on him and get back at him for his impudence."
"Guess that'll do," the former stealth squad commander agreed.
Ichigo gulped loudly, knowing his old teacher would wait and plot to her heart's content. "And on that note…"
They made their way through ruined streets, uprooted trees and destroyed gardens making Ichigo's heart heavy. On his visits to the Fourth, he'd seen how they'd taken such care with the landscaping and hoped that wherever Unohana's soul was, she'd be at ease knowing her people would one day get them back to their former glory.
The shrine being used for the occasion was actually nearer the First, than the Fourth. Paper flowers had been created using origami to decorate with and chairs in every shape and form had been gathered so that people could sit to watch the nuptials. Normally only family would have been allowed to attend but this was meant to bring joy to a society that had been torn apart so allowances were being made.
"Onii-chan!" Yuzu cried and ran to her brother, regardless of the fact that she was nearly running people over. Tears streaked down her face, and she hugged him with all her might upon reaching him.
"Yuzu," he breathed, returning the gesture. "How?"
"It seems it didn't take as long as they thought to repair the Senkaimon. Karin-chan is here too, along with Arisawa-san, Asano, and Kojima," Ishida informed. He had the breath knocked out of him when Yuzu turned her affection on him, and he could only stand there patting her on the back while she soaked his kimono.
"I'm sorry, Uryuu-niichan, but Daddy told us that you were family, and I just couldn't help myself."
"We are distant cousins," the archer allowed. He hadn't found the time to ask just how distant or close but figured at this point it didn't matter. Blood didn't always make family, but they'd been through enough together for it not to matter.
"Enough tears, my dear. Go find a seat," Isshin ordered softly. Karin hadn't approached and he could tell she was watching things with a wary eye. Unlike her sister who was just relieved her brother was okay, Karin had enough power to sense the lingering malevolency in the air. It made her on edge and the oldest Kurosaki couldn't blame her. It made him on edge too.
"What about me?" Ganju asked. "I'm a cousin too."
"She's never met you," Ichigo explained.
"We'll just have to change that," Kukaku said.
"Yeah," he replied softly. There was a lot of things they'd have to change.
Piece by piece.