Chapter Thirty Five:

The Council of Elders was located inside a vast chamber on the outer rim of the Kuchiki Estate, not too far from the family shrine and yet far enough away to provide them with a magnanimous privacy. The chamber itself was a large traditional looking minka house, the walls appeared to be mostly fusuma, heavier than shōji and far more opaque; Ichigo could see a few small verandas around the sides of the building, giving way to small tranquil gardens.

Upon being guided inside, the distinctive smell of tatami flooring hit his senses and Ichigo was reminded, not for the first time, of how traditional the Kuchiki family was. As they were shown down the winding hallways towards a centralised chamber which seemed to be situated down a flight of stairs, he caught sight of several elevated, ornamental alcoves, used to display various scrolls and busts, many of whom were depicted with the family kenseikan somehow splayed in their hair, he realised with a jolt he was seeing the likenesses of the previous household leaders.

"Intimidating, isn't it?" Byakuya said under his breath.

"A little. These are your predecessors?" He asked.

"Yes," there was a small nod, "From the very first Clan leader up until my grandfather, Ginrei. The busts are only displayed after the death of the previous leader."

Ichigo hummed at the information before frowning, "What about your father?"

Byakuya glanced down at him in surprise, seemingly not having expected the question, "My father, Sōjun, was killed in action. He did not live to become a Clan leader."

"I... I'm sorry, I didn't know." The strawberry muttered, sighing softly, "That must have been hard."

"Not really." He said, looking ahead, "Surprisingly, I dealt with it rather well. Although, I always was a little colder afterwards."

Norio lead them down the staircase into the underground chamber, and Ichigo was promptly reminded of a court room as he laid eyes on the spiral of seats which ran around the room in a descending ring, giving way to a flat level of wooden flooring which was apparently where he and Byakuya were expected to stand.

Ichigo watched with a faint glare as Norio slipped into the Head Elder's chair which was directly in front of them, but elevated enough to give him meaning to the air of superiority he clearly enjoyed so much.

Flinching in surprise as Byakuya grasped his hand tightly, fingers entwining boldly, he glanced at his lover and saw a distinctive twinkle in his eyes, one which he could only describe as rebellious, it forced a smirk to twitch its way onto his lips as he looked back up at the Head Elder.

"Do you know why you have been asked to come here, Byakuya-sama?" Norio asked, sitting back smugly in his seat, hands crossed over his lap.

"Yes." The heir responded with a chill in his voice, "You find my choice of lover distasteful."

"Correct. The Council has ruled that you will cease your interactions with this commoner besides what is required through your work, although it is worth noting that we are already checking open positions in other Divisions to remove him from his current one as we speak." The Head Elder could barely contain his glee as he spoke, knowing his words would hit the mark, "We are also in the midst of conversing with the other noble clans, as it is high time you remarried. This time to a noble of equal standing."

"Excuse me?" Byakuya's voice couldn't have been calmer, or more deadly, "I didn't realise you had the authority to meddle in the affairs of my Division, nor to force marriage upon me. I categorically refuse."

Ichigo glanced at the nobleman beside him, he could almost feel the anger rolling off his shoulders in rippling waves. He held his tongue for the time being, waiting to hear from Shiro before he made any attempt to interrupt the current argument occurring over his head.

"I'm afraid you cannot refuse. It has been decided by the Council, and on this, our word is final." Norio snorted, sitting forwards slowly, "Unless you can provide us with a good enough reason as to why we should not move to prevent any further dalliances between the two of you?"

"Aside from the obvious point that it is far beyond your pay grade to tamper in such matters?" Steel eyes were narrowed to mere slits by this point.

"You have forced out hand with such actions. We will not allow the Kuchiki line to become dirtied by common blood. We risked it once with Hisana, and thankfully she died before she was able to conceive a child-"

"Thankfully?!" There was barely an inch of control left as Byakuya clenched Ichigo's hand so tightly his knuckles whitened.

"I'm back. Hit 'em like a brick shit house, Aibou." Shiro's voice was a welcome one within his head and Ichigo had to fight not to smirk, this was going to be fun.

"At what point did this stop being about me being a man, and start being about my 'common' blood?" Ichigo asked suddenly, raising an eyebrow, "I was under the impression your main qualm was my gender."

Norio's face contorted into an expression of disgust and disappointment, "On the contrary, due to the superior talent nobility possess in the manipulation and control of reiatsu, a way was 'conceived' to allow homosexual couples to create an heir for their Clan. There have been very few instances of that happening, however."

"I wonder why." Byakuya hissed.

Humming softly at the information, Ichigo shrugged, "I will not cease any 'further dalliances' with Byakuya, and I fear you have no authority to make that happen."

"Ichigo..." Byakuya's voice was a quiet warning.

"Have you listened to nothing that has been said, Dog?" The Head Elder snarled, standing up sharply and slamming his hands on the desk in front of him, "We will not have another one of your kind in this family."

Scoffing, he released Byakuya's hand and took a few measured steps forward, stopping only when he was right in front of Norio's podium, he looked up at him with a a cocky smirk, "I have listened to everything you have said. And now, you will listen to me instead. I have a friend just outside, I suggest you let her in, she's are rather impatient."

Norio paused, and almost immediately his face seemed to pale as he sensed the reiatsu lingering on the other side of the door, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face, "What is the meaning of this?"

"I distinctively remember Byakuya saying that you're vastly skilled at sensing reiatsu. It should be fairly obvious, for a man of your distinction, to understand the meaning behind this. Why don't you allow my guest to come and clear up any... Confusion for you." Ichigo tilted his head slightly, allowing his own degree of smugness to creep out.

Teeth clenched, the Head Elder nodded to the guards by the doors, and with a low creek they were opened, allowing Ichigo's visitor access to the chambers. The strawberry turned on the spot as he watched Kūkaku descend the stairs with her mixture of elegance and arrogance, she flashed a wink at Byakuya before standing beside Ichigo.

"Yo, Kūkaku. Thanks for coming."

"Like I'd miss out on something as juicy as this, little cousin Ichi." She smiled widely, slinging her wooden arm around his shoulders, "Got into a pickle with the prigs I see?"

"C-Cousin?" Norio breathed, eyes widening slightly.

"Cousin." Ichigo confirmed, folding his arms, "Sorry for any... Confusion, Norio. But, ah, you see my name wasn't originally Kurosaki. It's Shiba. I must have forgotten to mention it, so sorry."

Byakuya stared at them, wondering at what point Ichigo had discovered his heritage and why he hadn't mentioned it sooner. Certainly there had been a lot going on but they had spent long enough talking that the younger man would have had chance to speak of it. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride as he saw Ichigo stepping into the role of being the person he was meant to be, rather than the person he had been crafted to be.

"I'm assuming I was summoned to support his claims," Kūkaku mused, shrugging slightly, "Ichigo's father was my uncle, Isshin Shiba! Not only that, but my uncle was the true Clan leader at the time of his death. I suggest you start apologising for calling him a Dog, because all this time... You've been talking to someone far more superior than yourself!"

"Wait, what?" Ichigo stared at her, "Did you conveniently forget to mention that when I saw you last?"

"Must have... Slipped my mind." She grinned wickedly at him.

Norio was fuming, it was clear for anyone to see, he clenched his fists and glowered down at the three nobles, "Very well. If you are indeed so intent upon forcing your way into this family, Kurosaki, then a part of this family you shall become. Marry him."

"What?" Ichigo almost squeaked.

"Marry Byakuya Kuchiki, and bring a union between the Kuchiki family, and the Shiba family. Or are you all talk, and no action?" The Head Elder seemed smug again.

"You have no right to demand such a thing!" Byakuya snapped, stalking forward to stand beside his lover.

"I am demanding nothing, if the boy cares for you as he seems to, then he will have no problem with accepting such terms. Will he?" There was a coy smirk there now.

Ichigo clenched his jaw tightly, scowling up at the Head Elder, "If marriage will finally silence you on the matter, then I accept."

"What?" Byakuya and Norio said at the same time.


"What are you playing at?" Byakuya demanded in a growl as he shut the door to his private quarters, in the Division, behind them, "Marriage?!"

Ichigo wandered off into the small kitchen to make a snack, "Do I detect something which suggests you find that idea of marrying me... Unattractive?"

The Taichou spluttered and followed him, "That is not what I am saying. But are you really ready for this? It is an awful lot of pressure, a lot of work, and a lot of commitment! I didn't want this for you! You've been through so much and you're only just coming out the other side. This should have been a private discussion between the two of us... Somewhere down the line."

"So you had given some thought to the idea?" He mused.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ichigo, of course I have!" He frowned, leaning against the door frame, "You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save my sisters' life, and my life. You proclaimed to love me despite having previously said you believed yourself incapable of such feelings. How could I not hope for the best?"

Ichigo's fingers hovered over his plate at his words and frowned faintly, "Hope for the best? Is that really what you think this is? So far all I've heard is your concerns for my well being while you seem to give no thought to your own."

"What do you mean?"

"I was a traitor. I threatened to kill you. I would have killed you, and anyone else who got in the way of what Aizen wanted." He glanced over at him, "But you never gave up on me. For some reason, some unexplainable reason, you decided I was worth saving despite everything I had done. Even when you discovered the depths of the damage done to me you persisted."

Byakuya approached slowly, sliding a hand up his spine and resting it in the soft tufts of hair at the nape of his neck, "What are you getting at, Ichigo?"

Sighing deeply, he turned and encircled the noble's waist with his arms, "My point is that... While it may be rushed, and not at all what we were expecting... This is without a doubt the best I could have have hoped for."

His expression softened instantly and he leaned in, capturing his lips with his own, "I do not care for your past, I do not care for how damaged you may be. You are the love of my life, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"As you are mine, Byakuya Kuchiki." Cheeks flushing faintly as he returned the kiss, grip tightening as he allowed himself to be pulled closer.

Parting after a long moment, Byakuya brushed one of his cheeks with the pad of his thumb, "So... When did you meet Kūkaku?"

"The day Norio came to the mansion and I went for a walk. My legs carried me to her home." He admitted, "I meant to tell you but... With everything going on it just slipped my mind. Although, I had no idea that I was... The rightful head of the family."

"Indeed... I thought she would have told you when you met her."

"You knew?" Ichigo made a face of disbelief.

The raven haired noble cleared his throat and shifted his weight, "I... Became privy to your birthright when I visited your Inner World. I am aware I should have told you but... Somehow it seemed like something you should discover on your own."

The strawberry hummed slightly at his answer, giving a small one shoulder shrug, "I'm not mad. You're right, it was something I had to find out."

Byakuya smiled gratefully at his understanding before he pulled back sharply, appraising him for a long moment, "By the Soul King, what am I doing? My grandfather would be disgraced if he saw me right now."

"What do you mean?" He blinked.

"He was a traditionalist, in every sense of the word." The noble swiped his tongue across his lips before hastily lowering himself onto one knee, "Allow me to do this officially, rather than the moment being garnered by an interfering busy body."

Eyes widening slightly, Ichigo felt his face heat up as his hand was taken by the raven haired man, "Oh, well... If it pleases you..."

A small chuckle escaped Byakuya before he spoke again, "You are the love of my life, Ichigo Kurosaki. So I ask you now, will you do me the greatest honour and consent to be my husband?"

Smiling almost shyly, the strawberry haired noble nodded, "I most certainly will."

The sound of the door slamming open made both men look around as Rukia and Renji burst into her brother's private quarters, the woman's eyes widening as she took in the scene before her, "What the fuck is going on?!"


Leaning against the stone banister encapsulating the veranda leading from the King's Suite, Sōsuke Aizen glowered at the never ending darkness of Hueco Mundo with a calculated narrowing of his eyes, jaw set firmly as his teeth clenched to an almost painful extent. His mouth sealed into an even tighter line as he sensed movement behind him.

"Gin." His voice was sharp.

"How did ya know it was me, Aizen Taichou?" The silver haired fox grinned widely as he came to stand beside him, "I never can get the drop on ya. Even when yer mad."

"What do you want, Gin?" The brunet sighed, in no mood for his accomplice's teasing.

"I wondered if you'd heard the news yet, from Soul Society?"

"News?" He glanced around at him, "If it is anything short of Yamamoto dying, I'm not interested."

Gin seemed to pout momentarily, leaning in closer and opening his eyes just a fraction, "Not even if it is to do with a very temptin' berry?"

Straightening abruptly, Aizen faced him, frowning at the amusement splayed so openly on that fox like face, "There is news about Ichigo?"

"Ya mean apart from him havin' butchered one of the Espada without any assistance? Oh yes, there's news."

Yammy's death had been a surprise to everyone, increased only by Ulquiorra's report that Ichigo had managed to slaughter him single handedly with only slight assistance from his Inner Hollow. It was clear to Aizen, at least, how much his favourite experiment had continued to grow despite their differences and it gave him hope. Yammy had yet to be replaced.

"What have you heard?" He asked.

"There is to be a weddin'." Gin lifted a hand to his mouth to hide his amusement, "A noble weddin' of all things. The joining of the Kuchiki family and the Shiba family. Looks to me like Ichi-Berry has been makin' some headway in rememberin' his past."

If his sudden swing towards anger showed, Gin didn't flinch, but Aizen felt it roll over him like a blackened storm at his announcement, "If this is some ill conceived joke, Gin..."

"No, no... Look I have the report here." It was presented as the silver haired Shinigami's grin only widened, "What are ya gonna do, Aizen Taichou?"

Chocolate eyes swept the document swiftly, mood darkening further at the truth of the news Gin had delivered, "Summon Ulquiorra... And tell him to bring someone of his choice."