Chapter One Hundred and One:
Ichigo groaned, rolling onto his back with one arm draped dramatically over his eyes as he groped for the annoying World of the Living alarm clock which was blaring so noisily in his ears. On his third attempt he managed to slap the off button and was graced with a moment of silence, ears still ringing from the annoying wake up call.
"Good morning, Ichigo!"
The strawberry blocked Shiro's drop kick instinctively as it came close to his head and without too much care, grasped the albino's ankle and flung him across the room. Ever since Muken, the albino had been determined to spend more and more time outside of their Inner World, exploring the life he was allowed to live. Ichigo was happy for him, although silently concerned for his welfare, at the same time it appeared that Shiro's new form of entertainment was to imitate some of Isshin's old wake up routines. Idiot.
Yawning widely as he sat up, feeling the bed covers slide away from him, he looked around blearily and checked the clock, squinting through the sleep still lingering in his eyes. Stretching, he clambered free of the bed and grabbed a bathrobe from the nearby chair, stepping over the crumpled albino as he strode towards the bathroom without too much thought. He needed a shower if he was going to deal with the rest of his day's chores.
Scrubbing his hair clean as the sluice of water washed the night sweat from his skin, Ichigo sighed softly as he considered all his tasks for the day. Byakuya's list of errands was flawless, if not slightly obsessive. He was sympathetic of course, after so much time apart and all the worry of never seeing each other again, Ichigo also wanted their wedding to go well and reflect excellently upon both their Clans.
It had only been six weeks, although slightly closer to two months, since his Shinigami powers had been restored. During that time, he'd seen to it that any missing touches were completed in the Shiba Estate, ensuring his Division began running smoothly and comfortably. The Shiba Estate was his Division now. The Espada, the Visored, they were able to live there and work there. They were happy.
Out of the Visored Taichou, only Love and Kensei had opted not to return to their former positions. It seemed their days of responsibility were done, they were both content to sit back and follow a new leader, and offer their wisdom whenever he needed it. Shinji had returned to Division Five; Rose had returned to Division Three. At present, Division Eight remained untouched and empty in the wake of Kyōraku's move to Division One. They were still awaiting the official inaugurations of the new Taichou, they were due to take place about three weeks after the wedding.
Thinking back to the night he'd visited Aizen, the celebration in the Kuchiki mansion afterwards, he found himself smiling. Both Ichigo and Byakuya had soon realised they couldn't stand their engagement stretching out any longer, so they'd set a date. They'd missed the Springtime they'd originally planned on, but they both agreed that it was better late than never.
Climbing out of the shower, Ichigo dried off and pulled his bathrobe on as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, he made short work of brushing his teeth and then turned his attention to taming his wild locks of waist length orange hair. Mind wandering back to the list of errands he had to fulfil, he brought himself back to the reason he, and by extension Shiro, were currently staying in the Ishida's house.
According to his fiancé, during one of their visits to Karakura town he'd been privileged to sample some of Orihime's baking skills, and as such they'd decided to ask her to make their wedding cake. Ichigo had accepted the task of checking how the designs were going as his visit would coincide with delivering the invitations to his World of the Living friends.
"Good morning Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime's voice called out from the kitchen as he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in casual Human clothes, "Breakfast's cooking!"
Orihime's cooking skills meant that breakfast was sure to be a tasty event. He hurried into the kitchen, waving silently to Chad as he squeezed between the large man and Ishida at the breakfast bar.
"Morning." He murmured to everyone, grabbing a glass of water as it was offered.
"I thought we'd eat breakfast and then I'll show you the cake, Kurosaki-kun, if that's alright with you?" The burnt orange haired woman smiled, serving food onto their plates.
"Sounds good, thanks 'Hime." Ichigo returned her grin.
"How are the preparations going?" Ishida asked, barely looking up from his newspaper, "I imagine Byakuya-san is a slave driver."
"He's been very calm actually," the strawberry rolled his eyes, "Everything's going alright. There's only a few more details to get sorted. Final kimono fittings, ensuring the cake is almost ready for transport, retrieving the invitations to check you're all coming. Then there's the decorations at the mansion, the catering, the seating arrangements for the ceremony, the after party..."
The Quincy gave a rare chuckle, "You're getting married in two days, and you still have all that to do?"
"Don't remind me." Ichigo dropped his head into his hands and groaned, "Between our Taichou duties, Clan duties and social duties we've been struggling to get everything done. At this point, I don't think we'd have made it even this far without Rukia, Renji and the Espada pulling out all the stops to help."
"It will be fine," Orihime smiled, "It's a big event, two noble Clans coming together. Not as easy as just a normal Human wedding. Besides, you have friends who will help!"
"True." He sighed deeply, thanking her for the food as he tucked in along side his two friends.
Orihime ate with them in silence, Ichigo's only disappointment about his visit was that he was going to miss out on seeing Kaida and Hotaru, apparently they were on a school trip and were out of town. Although, he'd been assured they would be back in time to travel to Seireitei for the wedding itself.
When everyone had finished their breakfast, Shiro took care of washing up the plates once he'd successfully navigated his way downstairs, while Orihime produced the five tier cake from the store. The moment Ichigo saw it his breath was taken away by his friend's talent, of course he'd seen her at work during his stay with the family but this wedding cake was beyond anything he had seen her create so far.
It stood at least two feet high, decorated with elegant white icing which was blemished only by a spattering of small silver balls pressed in precise placement. And winding from the bottom, up across each layer and stretching towards the very top of the cake was an elaborate gumpaste cherry blossom tree, with branches so thin and fragile he was amazed that it seemed to stand together so firmly. Each branch was decorated with clusters of pink and orange sugar blossom flowers and a smaller number of pale green leafage.
"Oh 'Hime it is beautiful." He breathed, chin cupped in both hands as he stared at it in awe, "It's... Perfect."
"It's not quite finished yet! I have a few final details I want to add as a special surprise, so you're not allowed to see them, Kurosaki-kun!" She beamed at him, "Do you like the blossoms? I remember you mentioned they were a symbol of Byakuya-san's family."
He spluttered, sitting back as he looked up at her, "I love them! The pink, the orange like you're binding us together. Where did you even get that idea from?"
"The flower from the memorial garden, you remember we tried to pull it up because it had died?" Orihime tilted her head to the side as she carefully readjusted some petals.
"Yeah, the one Shiro and I made."
"Well, I went to water the garden like normal and I saw it... It's blooming again Kurosaki-kun! I'm sure its because your powers were restored, and it's such a beautiful shade of orange. I wanted to try and recreate it on the cake." She grinned.
Ichigo blinked in surprise, "It's flowering again?" He received a nod in return and felt a small smile touch his lips, "I'm glad."
"Are you entirely happy with the cake? Is there any changes you want made?"
"Changes?! Don't be ridiculous, it's perfect!" He got to his feet and slid out from between Chad and Ishida, dashing around the breakfast bar to hug her, "It really is perfect, thank you so much! I'm confident now that I can tick the cake off the list of things left to do."
"Here's another you can tick off." Ishida got to his feet and grabbed some paper from the counter near the door, "I gathered the invitations for you yesterday, everyone's coming. Keigo, Tatsuki, Mizuiro, Sado, Orihime, myself and the children will all be attending. And to take the weight off you, Yoruichi-san has already agreed to allow us all to use the Reishi Henkan-Ki stored at Urahara's place."
He could have slumped there and then in his gratitude as he accepted the signed invitations, "Thank you. Holy shit this will save me so much time. So will you guys be transporting the cake with you when you come?"
"Yes, Kurosaki-kun! We've arranged to head to Soul Society late tomorrow evening so we can set the cake in position and ensure the final touches are perfect, everyone else will be coming with us as well." Orihime said softly.
"Excellent, excellent. I'll make sure there's rooms ready for you at the Shiba Estate. I'm sure Nelliel will be over the moon to meet Kaida and Hotaru, she's practically a big kid herself." He chuckled, rubbing his chin in thought.
"What will you do now?" Chad asked in his usual near silent way.
"Well, I'm confident that the cake is sorted, and I've got the invitations I guess I can head back and finish preparations in Seireitei. Honestly, I'd expected things to take a little longer or I wouldn't have taken up your spare room... Or let Shiro out for so long." Ichigo mused, watching as his Hollow finished putting the cutlery away.
"Oh please don't worry about that, it's always lovely to see you! And it's always lovely to see Shiro-kun!" Orihime clapped her hands together happily.
"Great to see ya too 'Hime! Glad we could put the whole... Threatenin' to rip yer arm off thing behind us." The albino's grin was wide, but empty of malice.
Ichigo felt a tugging at his lips. Shiro's smiles were always empty of malice these days.
He hadn't spoken to the albino about their meeting with Aizen since the night it had happened, he occasionally felt tugs of stress from the albino but... When Shiro decided to talk, he would listen. He was simply content to watch over him, ensuring that there were no changes to his behaviour that suggested he was spiralling into old ways. But strangely, Shiro seemed more pleasant and warm than ever before. Still crazy and wild at the best of times, but no longer cold and cruel.
A short time later, Ichigo said his goodbyes and Shiro returned to their Inner World, invitations stowed in his pocket as he made his way to Urahara's store. The blond was still in Seireitei, having left Yoruichi in charge due to her sickness bug. He nudged the door open and headed inside, he could smell ginger in the air and assumed the woman was eating something to settle her stomach.
"Yoruichi-san!" He called, "I'm just here to use the Senkaimon! Don't get up, you need your rest!"
He heard an unintelligible grumble in response as he slipped down into the basement, sliding down the ladder until his feet hit the sand. He'd travelled to the World of the Living through the Reishi Henkan-Ki Kurotsuchi had designed for his personal use, if there was a matter of emergency he'd use a normal Senkaimon but for a casual trip like this one being able to use his own Human body was a bonus.
Urahara's Reishi Henkan-Ki was already active and alive, waiting for him to use it to get back to Seireitei, and without too much thought he jumped through, eager to get back and finish whatever preparations were left.
The trip was short, and he soon found himself taking measured strides towards the Kuchiki Estate. The noise and bustle from within was audible even at a distance, mostly thanks to the number of Kuchiki relatives that had flooded out of the woodwork within the last week. Ichigo sighed softly at the thought of how many sets of grey or blue eyes stared at him whenever he was in close proximity. Apparently, everyone was very happy about the union of the two Clans, but he still seemed to garner a lot of attention. If not for his appearance, for his history.
Aizen was right about one thing, at least for the foreseeable, people would remember what he'd done. Good, and bad. He found himself glancing towards Division One thoughtfully, snorting under his breath as he put the brunet Shinigami out of his mind and hurried into the Estate grounds.
As he stepped into the entrance hall, his eyebrows disappeared into his hair as he looked at the buzzing confusion of attendants in what was normally a calm and tranquil setting. In the middle of a chaos he spotted Rukia, almost dwarfed by everyone around her, she still cut an imposing figure with her voice alone.
"Good morning Ichigo! I'm glad you got back- DON'T STRETCH THE BUNTING, I WANT IT DRAPING ELEGANTLY!" She looked ready to murder someone, rolling her eyes at the attendants as they tried to hang the delicate ruffles of decorative satins and silks, "By the Soul King I wish there was enough of me to do all of these decorations alone, at least I would be able to do it as I want to- MIND THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK, IT IS AN HEIRLOOM! I'm so sorry Ichigo, this is a nightmare. Did you get everything sorted in Karakura?"
Chuckling, the strawberry haired Shinigami nodded, "Everything's sorted on that end. Ishida collected the invitations for me, everyone's coming!"
"Excellent!" Rukia let out a huff, "Come on, let's leave them to it for a bit. I can fix whatever they mess up when I get back. I'm under orders from Nii-sama to get your kimono fitting sorted out. And I'm not sure I can cope with much more of this stress."
"You're gonna have to, your wedding is next." He grinned wickedly as she shuddered.
"Don't remind me. Hopefully I can get away with a slightly smaller affair considering Renji isn't nobility and I'm adopted. I don't think I've ever been so grateful for that fact before." The demure woman ran her fingers through her black bob of hair before grabbing his hand and dragging him from the mansion, "Come on!"
The memory of Renji's proposal stilled burned in Ichigo's mind. It had been only days after his return to Seireitei.
He yawned loudly as he perched in his usual spot at the dining table, watching as Byakuya finished his breakfast opposite him. He met the nobleman's look with a smile and stretched contentedly.
"What do you have planned for today?" Ichigo asked.
"Not much, thankfully. Most of my own errands are fairly simple, I will be able to conclude my business without too much trouble. So I am free for today." Byakuya replied casually, "Why?"
"Well..." He slid his foot up the inside of the nobleman's leg in a not so subtle action, "I was wondering if you had anymore fantasies you wanted to share with me? After all, you said yourself that we've barely had anytime when we first got together."
"Ah, I wondered if you'd go down that route." Steel eyes lit up with heat, "I'm sure I can spare at least a few hours to... Experiment."
Ichigo had been half out of his chair and into Byakuya's lap with the dining room door had crashed open to reveal Renji's flustered form. Red hair half slicked to his face. He'd clearly been using Shunpo.
"Honestly, I thought your days of carrying Yamamoto half way around Seireitei were over when he died." The strawberry mocked, sitting back down.
"Ha-fucking-ha." The redhead growled out, eyes fixing on his former Taichou with a determination Ichigo had rarely seen.
"Your ability to make a loud and obscene entrance remains as prominent as always, Renji." Byakuya was looking at some documents lazily, "Have I done something terrible to earn your ire?"
"Kuchiki Taichou... I mean..." Renji silenced himself and sucked in a breath, "Byakuya-sama! I must talk to you urgently. I know we have... Unofficially had this conversation before, but now feels like the right time to confirm things."
"What on Earth is he talking about?" Ichigo quirked an eyebrow, watching as Byakuya's expression changed almost immediately.
"With your blessing, Byakuya-sama... I wish to ask for Rukia's hand in marriage!"
"What the..." Rukia was standing right behind him in the entrance hall, "R-Renji?!"
Ichigo cackled at the memory, drawing Rukia's ire. He allowed himself to be dragged through the streets, he took the time to greet people as they passed, offering a wave or a smile when someone shouted out to him. He was used to the attention is hair brought him, but ever since returning to Soul Society it wasn't his hair that made him stand out anymore. Everyone knew his face, his reiatsu, his power because of what he'd done. Everyone looked up to him. It was a strange feeling, to see people treating him how he'd seen them treat Aizen before the man's betrayal had been revealed. The treacherous Shinigami had always been popular with everyone for his mock kindness. At the very least Ichigo could be confident that his own warmth was genuine.
He found himself whisked into the tailor shop before long, his mind having wandered along the journey. The sunrise haired Taichou couldn't help but hope he hadn't seemed rude if Rukia had tried talking to him, but she seemed content, so perhaps his daydream had gone unnoticed.
A faint scent of Byakuya's reiatsu clung to the air like a mist, it was fading but still strong enough to suggest that his betrothed had not long left the store himself, probably after the final alterations to his own wedding attire. The thought made Ichigo smile, while they were sticking to tradition in some sense and had no idea what the other was going to be wearing he had been able to sneak at least a small bit of information from his lover.
Apparently, Sōjun's wedding kimono had been pulled down from storage after Byakuya decided to wear it, some additions and edits had been made to allow a more personal touch, but aside from that Ichigo had no idea what it looked like.
Before he could so much as speak, Ichigo found himself bundled into one of the changing rooms with the tailor and was swiftly stripped down to his underwear. Sighing as he was forced to tie his hair up out of the way before they could begin, he allowed himself to be drowned in the multilayered fabric of his kimono.
Unlike the traditional black grooms usually wore for weddings, Ichigo had opted for a subtle ivory shade of material. In no way was he suggesting he was a bride, and he'd thoroughly battered Grimmjow for suggesting as much, but almost everything he'd ever done was a break away from tradition. He didn't see why his wedding should be any different. He also liked the idea that if Byakuya was to wear black and he was to wear some shade of white... It made them seem like the Shinigami and Espada they really were. Two sides of a coin. United.
The Shiba Clan emblem had been embroidered on the back of the material in black and gold silks, standing out vibrantly against the creamy texture of cottons and satins currently chaffing against his skin. Initially, he'd asked the tailor to make some kind of special accommodation for his sword sheaths, he didn't want them ruining the cut and folds of the fabric, but the tailor had swiftly informed him that it wouldn't be necessary. Both he and Byakuya would elect a sword bearer to partake in the ceremony, as they were both warriors of a sort.
Allowing his mind to wander as the tailor dealt with the final adjustments, Ichigo considered the fact he had yet to ask anyone to be his sword bearer. Byakuya had snagged Renji almost immediately and the redhead had been honoured to accept. The strawberry was a little envious and his mind had initially drifted towards asking Rukia, before a sharp probing interruption reminded him that the bearer had to be a man.
"Stupid tradition." He'd said at the time, swiftly discovering that this was one tradition he couldn't break.
Sighing softly as he stared at himself in the mirror, the young man clicked his tongue against his teeth. He had several friends he could turn to, he was more than aware of that. But somehow it just felt impossible to make up his mind. Ichigo felt his reiatsu buzz softly around him as his stress levels rose, shoulders slumping slightly as he felt the start of a headache. How women enjoyed or got excited over such stressful occasions he'd never understand. All he felt was stress, stress and more stress.
Ichigo's ears pricked as he heard Rukia's voice from outside the room, "What are you doing here Grimmjow? I didn't expect to see you in this part of town."
"Well this is where ya go to get a new outfit, ain't it?" Came the gruff, almost statement like reply, "Unless you expect me to go to this weddin' in my birthday suit that is."
"I can think of a handful of people who wouldn't mind seeing that." Rukia's unabashed response made Grimmjow choke.
"I can believe it!" That was Urahara's amused tones, "And before you ask, Kuchiki-san, I too am here for a new outfit. According to your dear brother this is the best place in Soul Society."
"And the most expensive." Ichigo muttered under his breath, yelping as the tailor stabbed him none to gently with a pin for his cheek.
"You are all done, Kurosaki Taichou." The tailor sighed, helping him remove the garment again, "I shall have this ready by tomorrow evening, please have someone pick it up before closing time."
"Thanks." He murmured, yanking on his uniform before he hastily stumbled out of the changing room.
"Ah and here is the man himself." The blond grinned widely at him, "I thought that was the reiatsu of the tempestuous Division Fourteen Taichou I could sense."
"Yo." He groaned, rubbing his face restlessly.
"How was the fitting?" Rukia asked.
"Fine, fine. All sorted. Just gotta have someone pick it up tomorrow evening." The strawberry muttered.
"What have you got left to do?" Grimmjow asked curiously, leaning against the wall as Urahara allowed himself to be kidnapped by the tailor first.
"Too much." Seemed like a sarcastic answer, but it was an honest one, "Catering for the reception, seating arrangements for the ceremony and the reception, finishing the decorations at the Shiba Estate as well as the Kuchiki Estate, finding a sword bearer..."
"Damn, left things to the last minute huh?" The Sexta tutted before flashing a toothy grin, "Surely it can't be too bad though, I'd place a bet that the soon-to-be Division Eight Taichou here has been bossing everyone around, right?"
"Grimmjow!" Rukia hissed, "Not everyone knows yet! I don't want to risk it reaching Nii-sama's ears until it's confirmed!"
"Come on," Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Your Bankai is beautiful, powerful and unique. Kyōraku would be a fool not to accept Ukitake's recommendation."
"Well... Be that as it may... I... Oh you're both insufferable!" She pouted.
Blue eyes twinkled in amusement before Grimmjow raised his eyebrows, "Meant to say, Shiba Estate's finished, Harribel is a right task master when she wants to be. And Nelliel's done about half of the caterin'. She told me to tell you if I saw you."
Laughing softly in relief, the strawberry stuffed his hands in his pockets, "So... I guess it's just the seating arrangements and the sword bearer left then... That's not so bad."
"What about Abarai?" Grimmjow asked.
"Byakuya stole him." He huffed.
"Starrk?"
"Can't trust him to actually get out of bed on time." He said honestly.
"Kyōraku? He's got a soft spot for you."
"He's offered to perform the ceremony." The strawberry hummed.
"Ukitake?" Rukia offered.
"He's been kinda sickly again recently, I don't wanna stress him out..." He scratched his head.
"Come on you've got a shit ton of friends, just fuckin' pick one!" The Sexta Espada exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation.
"It's not that easy!" He spluttered back, groaning heavily, "It's a massively important part of the ceremony, I don't want to dump it on them two days before it happens. Hisagi and Iba are going to be doing the music with Chad when he arrives, Kira is a nervous wreck in front of crowds and Kenpachi would probably try to turn it into a fight!"
"Mm fair point on the last one, he still hasn't forgiven me for Sôkyoku. It would probably take all of Urahara's talents to restrain him, he's just as invested in making sure the wedding goes without a hitch, ya know?"
Ichigo stared suddenly, mouth hanging open as he felt the overwhelming urge to slap himself rise, "I'm so dumb."
"No arguments from me." Rukia whispered.
"Nor me." Grimmjow agreed.
Smile slowly spreading across his lips, Ichigo dropped his hands to his sides and let out a breath, "Urahara-san..." He breathed, looking towards the changing rooms slowly.
"My ears are burning, Kurosaki-san." The blond's voice floating out to meet him.
"You heard everything?" He asked.
"Of course."
"Would you... Be my sword bearer?" Ichigo paused, "I'm not using you as a last resort or anything, I haven't known who to ask. Renji's my oldest friend, but he agreed to carry for Byakuya. And... I mean... You're my Godfather, right?"
"You don't need to explain, Kurosaki-san." Urahara sounded like he was smiling, "It would be my genuine pleasure to be your sword bearer."
Ichigo broke into a smile, feeling the weight lift off his shoulders immediately, "Thank you! I can't even... I have no idea... It means a lot."
"I know. To me too." There was a small pause, "I was your father's best man when he married Masaki."
The strawberry swallowed hard, his expression softening at the thought, "Then, it means even more to me now. Thank you, Urahara-san."
"Sounds like a plan." Rukia grinned, grabbing Ichigo's sleeve, "And in the meantime, we need to get you ready for your stag do!"
"My what?!"
"Because you and Nii-sama have the same circle of friends you're having a joint celebration! He should already be waiting at the venue with some of the guests. So come on, let's get you ready!" She grinned, "Unless you want to explain to him why you're late?"
Groaning in protest as he was half dragged from the tailors, Ichigo found himself smiling sheepishly in spite of it all. In less than two days Rukia would be his sister-in-law, and a few months down the line Renji would be his brother-in-law. His family was growing. How could he not be content with that?
By the time they reached the bar in Rukongai which had hosted his engagement party, Ichigo was laughing at Rukia's rambled rants about how he had better take care of her brother. Like it was even in question.
