Ichigo would be the first to admit that when Byakuya and Rukia had both cornered her at home and told her of the imminent omiai, she'd thrown a mighty impressive punch to her adoptive older brother's stomach and tried to run.
She'd been attempting to slip out one of the bedroom windows when she'd been caught by Rukia's husband and had her hands zip-tied behind her back. After that, she'd sat on her couch for the better part of thirty minutes being lectured on her duties as an heiress to the noble Kuchiki-Kurosaki-Shiba families.
She'd glared and growled in annoyance the whole time. Already knowing her damned duties to the families. But didn't bother pointing out that her duties had sort of half ended when she'd retired from her Soul Reaper work after the Winter War had taken place.
She'd lived most of her life already under the weight of her duties. Her duties as a daughter, an older sister, a friend, a Soul Reaper and soldier who had trained in Heaven's own palace and met the god of creation.
She wanted a chance to live her life without any duties for once, dammit! At this point the expectations of others were going to kill her!
Or crush her will to live completely.
Idiots. She thought darkly as Byakuya finally finished lecturing her and sent Rukia into her bedroom to grab a few things to make her 'prettier'. She visibly bristled at his not-so-subtle jab at her for not wearing makeup or other feminine things because he made her sound like she was a bridge troll without it.
She was tempted to give him her most feral smile and ask him to bend down and tell her if she had human bones stuck in her teeth just so that she could try biting him. But he seemed to know what was going through her mind because he merely sighed and called her 'demon girl' underneath his breath in exasperation before shooting her a small, fond smile and then walking away to go and help Rukia.
Leaving her alone with Renji to stand guard and make sure that she didn't attempt to run away again. She waited until the older man was out of sight- and earshot before blurting out in a miffed tone.
"You know that I'm going to hurt you for this, don't you Renji?"
The red headed man merely let his shoulders slump a bit where he stood and reached out his arm once he rolled his shirt sleeve up and held his arm out so that it was just in her reach.
"Go ahead and get it over with. Just try not to leave a bloody mess. You know Rukia will freak out."
She did know. But she also knew that she was part Hollow, and she was miffed at the moment.
And while she may not leave poor Renji a bloody mess missing part of his forearm- she was still going to leave some nice teeth marks on him that would probably bruise and hurt a bit.
But whatever. Fair was fair.
She opened her mouth as wide as she could, feeling her small fangs lengthen a bit before she clamped down on Renji's flesh and began to gnaw on it. Making the man squeak and squirm in place until Byakuya and Rukia finally returned to save him.
After that everything seemed to just...blur together to her.
First, they shoved her into a pretty kimono.
She hadn't even known that she even owned a kimono! She'd certainly never bought one before. Much less one that was a fetching pastel green color that matched her eyes, with white and soft pink cherry blossoms on it. But there she was...wearing one with a look of utter disbelief etched onto her face as Rukia quickly brushed and styled her reddish-blond hair.
Which she hadn't been allowed to touch, at all, because she just might ruin the lovely, intricate braid that her friend had puller her hair into.
After that, her face had been made up. Not much, mind you.
She was the sort of woman who had enough natural beauty were a small touch was more than enough to have her beating men off with a stick. So, the only makeup that had been used on her was lip gloss, some eyeshadow, and a small bit of blush.
Then she'd been forced into some slippers.
She literally sneered at the very sight of the incredibly girly looking silk slippers presented to her. They matched her kimono. Gross. And then once that was done, she was escorted out the door by her friends.
After that, she was shoved into the back of a black limo and driven to a restaurant several blocks away where she and Byakuya were both dropped off with a fond farewell from Rukia while she and Renji escaped.
Leaving her alone with Byakuya while she plotted each of their untimely demises as she was dragged into the building to meet her future husband.
Kurama had just arrived at the restaurant a moment ago and was quickly ushered to the back where the omiai was taking place by the hostess when he heard her voice. He knew her voice from memory after speaking with her earlier. So, he knew with one hundred percent certainty that it was Miss Kurosaki speaking and not just someone with a similar voice.
He took a moment to look around for her but couldn't find her at any of the tables in the front of the restaurant. Which meant that she had to be in one of the private booths in the back. Which was expected of someone meeting a stranger for an arranged marriage.
And thanks to his demon hearing- he was allowed to shamelessly eavesdrop on her as he walked towards the booth that he'd been directed too.
He should have been alarmed to hear her sweet voice say, "I'm going to kill you for this." But he wasn't. Though the utter amount of menace in her tone was somewhat alarming to him though.
"You will not," A deep masculine voice said in a somewhat chiding tone before then saying, "I'm only doing this for your own good, demon girl." Kurama almost froze up where he was outside of the door to the private booth. His hand poised over the wooden handle without touching it as he frowned.
Demon girl? He couldn't help but wonder if the two words were used in reference to Miss Kurosaki's temperament or something else entirely. After all, calling someone 'demon' in any fashion was hardly a term of endearment to use in a nickname. Especially one for a young woman.
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me by my name?" She asked in an exasperated tone.
"I'll never stop calling you that. It's the only affectionate name that I have for you."
"Call me by my name, Byakuya. Do it or else I'll kill you." She threatened before tacking on. "Besides having some poor guy walk in here to meet me while I'm trying to hide your dead body is a less than stellar way to make an impression on a possible life mate."
"Perhaps," Byakuya replied. "But imagine all the ways you could drive the poor man crazy."
"Ruling someone with fear-" She started to say only to be cut off by an amused sounding.
"Insanity, Demon Girl. You rule with insanity. I've seen it for myself first-hand."
He heard a sudden, "Stop laughing!" Followed by something being kicked or hit as she quickly said, "Fear is no way to earn someone's respect or devotion." From between clenched teeth. She was sounding incredibly frustrated with her companion. There was silence for a moment before a muffled masculine chuckle sounded.
It was at this moment that he chose to make his entrance.
"Please, pardon the intrusion." He said as he opened the door wide enough for the two to see him. The first thing he did upon stepping into the room was glance at Ichigo. Honestly, she was easy to find with the unique way that she looked. But in her new outfit- a kimono from the looks of it- with her hair styled and wearing makeup...
His mouth suddenly went dry. He couldn't help it.
She just looked so otherworldly and beautiful to him. So much so that he nearly tripped over his own feet as her companion rose from his seat and walked over to shake his hand and introduce himself.
He turned his attention away from her long enough to shake the man's hand and introduce himself to them both. Her companion was the head of the Kuchiki family if he wasn't mistaken. He'd heard the man's name around here and there at business meetings on occasion.
And the man wasn't nearly as surprised by him and his appearance as Miss Kurosaki seemed to be considering her silence. But then he couldn't really blame the poor woman any.
Between having an omiai dropped on her all of a sudden, and being obviously forced to attend, and his sudden appearance in her life again- she must be feeling terribly overwhelmed.
"Please have a seat Mr. Minimoto." Byakuya said politely as he waved a hand to indicate that he was to take the seat across from the woman.
Kurama smiled at him and nodded as he quickly moved to do as the man bid while Miss Kurosaki finally seemed to find her tongue again as the man as he slipped out of the room but didn't close the door before saying, "I'll be leaving the two of you alone to get to know one another. Please, Minimoto-san make sure that she drinks some of the sake that I've ordered for you both. If she is able to walk out of here on her own, I have a sneaky suspicion that my home just may suffer a terrible accident."
Miss Kurosaki didn't miss a beat as she growled out. "I'll kill you Byakuya."
"I'll have the guards alerted to your threat on my life, Ichigo."
"I'll beat the hell out of them if they get in my way." She warned as Kurama made himself comfortable and simply watched, partially because her threats were entertaining to him as well as informative.
"Then it's a good thing that I'll have Kenpachi, and Ikkaku on standby then, isn't it?" Byakuya said with a smile.
Miss Kurosaki hissed at the man like a feral cat and then proceeded to grab one of the sake bottles and throw it at his head at the exact moment that he closed the door. The bottle hit with hard wood and shattered as the woman finally shouted, "I'll kill those bastards too Byakuya! Don't you dare think that I won't!"
She fell silent then, she shoulders slumping a little bit as they both heard the faintest sound of the man's retreating laughter.