The healers arrived, and with them the Emperor himself, this time fully dressed in black robes and with his beard in much better condition. By that time Ichigo had set Rukia on another futon and Gin was lying on a third; the musicians, servants, and 'princes' from Aizen's underground world were leaning against the wardrobes and walls. Aizen's body was lying under a sheet.
"Kurosaki Ichigo," Emperor Yamamoto's voice intoned, and Ichigo scrambled to his feet to bow. "Who are all these people in my palace?"
"Ah," Ichigo said, and looked around. "Your Imperial Highness. When Aizen died, the cavern in which he had created his false palace collapsed. These are the musicians and servants who worked there," he said, and gestured at the uniformed men and women clustered along one wall.
"And these men, and one of the wounded you see here, are the surviving men who were the princesses' dance partners." Ichigo scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Gin, who was wounded, struck the killing blow against Aizen," he added.
Yamamoto grumbled under his breath and looked over the room. "And tell me why I should not have these men who led my daughters astray executed?"
Coyote, who was resting against one wall with Jinta and Menis beside him, opened one eye and glared at the Emperor. Rangiku stepped in front of all three of them and pointed out, ""He called them all princes. Surely they must come from somewhere, you can't just execute another country's royalty! And some of them are children."
"And they were under Aizen's spell too," Tatsuki spoke up. She exchanged a look with Grimmjow. "Most of them. Tousen and Nnoitra weren't, and they're dead."
The Emperor grumbled again under his breath. "Examine and then burn the traitor's body," he ordered one of the healers, who bowed low in response. "I will decide these…princes' fates later. The musicians and servants are free to go." There was more bowing as he left, and Ichigo fell back beside Rukia as the healers spread out among the injured. One, a young man with a somewhat hangdog expression, knelt by Rukia's side.
"Are you injured, your Highness?" he asked. "Oh – I'm Yamada Hanatarō." His voice held a note of nervousness as he spoke.
Rukia just smiled gently as she said, "Thank you, Hanatarō. I was thrown while we were underground, but I think I'm alright."
Ichigo scowled as he sat back down next to her. "You were knocked unconscious, and something from that ball hit you when it broke. I'm worried you might have a concussion."
Rukia scoffed, but her hand crept into his and she allowed Hanatarō to check her for anything more serious than bumps and bruises. The young healer's hands glowed faintly as he assessed her and checked her eyes, the back of her head, and – with Ichigo shielding her from view as much as he could – her back.
"You'll have a lot of bruising along your back by tomorrow, your Highness, and you've pulled several muscles, but you don't have any signs of a concussion or more serious injury. What was it that hit her Highness?" he asked Ichigo.
"Hn. Some kind of blue light. The ball was collecting energy from the princesses. It's what sent Rukia flying – she broke it and some kind of power backlash threw her through the air."
Hanatarō pursed his lips and rested his hand lightly on the top of Rukia's head, eyes drifting shut. Around them the servants from the underground palace chattered and the princes settled in to wait. The other healer was examining Gin while Rangiku sat by his side.
Eventually, Hanatarō opened his eyes again. "Well, as far as I can tell, nothing else is wrong with her Highness. It might have just been energy returning to her. Were any of the other princesses affected?"
"Hn. Not as far as I could tell," Ichigo denied as he squeezed Rukia's hand gently.
Hanatarō shook his head. "You should report anything out of the ordinary, Highness, but I think you'll be fine after some rest." He rose from his knees to join the other healer and treat the wounded guard.
Gin and the wounded guard's cases were more severe, and after a few minutes of consultation the healers summoned servants with stretchers and, patients in tow, left for the palace infirmary. Rangiku hurried after them, heedless of the armor she still wore.
Muguruma sent his guards back to the barracks and a fresh group arrived a few minutes later, taking up posts around the room. "I think what we all need is some rest," he began – and didn't finish, because the sound of running feet echoed through the open door. He barely managed to get out of the way before the younger princesses ran in. Isane and Kiyone threw themselves at Tatsuki and Sui-Feng, while Yachiru and Ururu threw themselves down beside Rukia.
"Gently," Ichigo ordered when they grabbed her. He looked up at Nemu gratefully when she bribed both girls into keeping their voices down with a piece of candy.
Orihime was last, and the room went quiet as Ulquiorra straightened up from his place against the wall. She flung herself at him, and his arms came up around her more slowly, as though he was shy of the audience around him. They didn't kiss, but when the embrace ended their hands were clasped, and even Grimmjow smiled at them before he caught Ichigo looking at him and scowled.
A while later, servants arrived with tray upon tray of food. There was enough rice to feed a small army, and so many eggs that Yachiru wondered aloud if the chickens had any left. There was seared fish as well, pots and pots of tea, and enough bowls, mugs, and cutlery for a state dinner. The somewhat unlikely companions sat down to eat and drink their fill – and there wasn't even a grain of rice left when they had finished.
They were also yawning heavily despite the tea, and when Rukia dozed off against Ichigo's shoulder he lifted her into his arms again. "I'm taking her someplace more comfortable to sleep," he told Muguruma, and the older man shrugged.
"The room I showed you isn't far. Call for a servant if you need anything for her."
Ichigo just nodded and glanced backwards. "What about the princesses?"
"Hn. They'll go back to their old rooms eventually, I'm sure. My guards will keep an eye on the princes until the Emperor decides what to do with them," Muguruma said. "Go – get some sleep."
Ichigo nodded and carried Rukia away. Fortunately, the well-appointed bedroom he'd been shown as his 'guest' quarters really weren't far away, and he set Rukia gently on the bed before shutting the door. She roused herself as he pulled her boots off.
"Here, I'll help you get your armor off," Ichigo offered, and together they unbuckled the tekko and sureate. Rukia shimmied out of the leather dō and Ichigo set them aside. She was already asleep again by the time he got his own boots and armor off. There were clean shirts around his size in the wardrobe, and he pulled one of those on before curling up next to her on the bed.
In the space between waking and sleeping, as his arm slid around her waist and she sighed and tucked herself close to him, Ichigo decided that the past few days had been the strangest of his entire life. But – he had Rukia next to him, safe, and they were engaged. Well, mostly engaged. He had to – Ichigo's eyes slid shut and he slipped into sleep.
When Rukia woke she was curled up in Ichigo's arms. She blinked and squinted against the late afternoon sunlight that streamed in through the window and turned in the other direction. Ichigo's fluttered open and he smiled at her, pulling her closer.
"How are you feeling?" he mumbled.
"Like I was flung through the air and landed on my back," Rukia admitted, and kissed the corner of his mouth. Ichigo turned his head and caught her lips, kissing her gently. "But less exhausted."
"Good." Then his eyes met hers. "Did – you mean it when you said you were willing to marry me? I don't want you to say yes just because of—" Rukia's lips covered his again, cutting off his words.
"Fool. We fit," she said firmly, and relaxed when he pulled her closer once again.
"It does feel that way," Ichigo agreed, and kissed her. "But I don't even know your favorite color, or your favorite food, or mmph—"
Rukia nipped his lower lip when she drew back again. "We can have a long engagement, and I'll tell you that I like purple, and that soft-boiled eggs are my favorite food, and that I liked the way you kissed me in the gardens, like you needed me," she murmured.
The words sent a bolt of heat through him and his arm tightened around her as he drew her closer, lips finding the pulse point beneath her jaw. "I like black and dark green," he whispered against her skin. "And spicy foods, especially spiced fish." Then he kissed his way down her neck, making her gasp. "And I'll kiss you whenever you want, because I do need you."
But there was a loud knock at the door, and they drew apart, cheeks flushed. Ichigo stood to answer it while Rukia sat up and tried to brush the wrinkles from her shirt.
"Ah – Kurosaki Ichigo, sir. The Emperor has summoned you and the Crown Princess to the throne room," a petite woman in a servant's uniform said. She bowed low when Rukia appeared behind Ichigo. "Your Highness," she murmured respectfully.
"Do we have time to freshen up and change?" Rukia asked.
"Ah – I was told that you should come right away," the woman said.
Rukia grumbled and smoothed her hair. "Well. If it can't be helped," she muttered. The young servant bit her lip, and Rukia waved a hand. "Of course we will answer my father's summons. Thank you."
With the door left open, they put their boots back on. Ichigo scrubbed his fingers through his hair in an attempt to neaten it, but gave up when Rukia laughed at him. Together they walked to the throne room, and when Ichigo's hand brushed against hers lightly she twined her fingers with his, offering him a shy smile as she did.
The throne room was crowded when they stepped through the double doors and bowed to Emperor Yamamoto. Rukia's sisters were all there, and so were the princes – the three younger men were no longer trussed up, and Gin was in a wheeled chair, though he already looked healthier.
"I am told that these men are in fact from the countries surrounding ours," Yamamoto announced. "And so I will provide an escort to any of you who wishes to return to your homeland." He looked down at Gin. "Ichimaru Gin, I am told that it was you who struck the killing blow against the traitor Aizen. You may have a boon of your choosing."
Gin looked up at Rangiku and struggled to stand. "Ah – your Imperial Highness," he said, when he was on his feet, and his eyes opened fully so that the pale blue of them shone. "I ask for your daughter Princess Rangiku's hand in marriage."
Yamamoto's eyes widened and then narrowed at him, and he swung his gaze to look at Rangiku. "Is this what you want, daughter?"
Rangiku's hand found Gin's as Rukia watched, and she smiled up at her father. "Yes, father. Very much."
Yamamoto nodded briefly and gestured for Gin to sit back down. "Very well. If Rangiku is willing, then her hand in marriage you will have, with my blessing." He turned his attention to the other princes. "And all of you?"
"We'd like to go home," the youngest, Jinta, said. "My brother and I miss our parents."
Yamamoto nodded sagely. "I am sure they miss you as well. You will sleep here tonight, and my men will provide you with an escort home in the morning."
Tesra, Findorr, Coyote, and Ggio also expressed their wishes to go home – and their former dance partners did not seem sad to see them leave.
"Your Imperial Highness," Ulquiorra said quietly. "With your permission, I would like to court your daughter, Princess Orihime."
Yamamoto's eyebrows raised, and he swung to look at Orihime, whose cheeks were flushed and eyes full of longing. "Hn," he said. "Do you not wish to go home?"
"I will return home," Ulquiorra admitted solemnly. "Home is a very small country to the east of the empire, and my people may have suffered in my absence. But I wish your permission to return and court the princess."
"Hn. Yes, I see. Yes, you may court my fourth daughter," Yamamoto agreed. The blue-haired Grimmjow was last, and he arched an eyebrow. "And you, Jaegerjaques?" he asked.
Grimmjow scrubbed a hand nervously through his hair and looked over at Tatsuki. "Ah. Princess Tatsuki and I seemed to be getting along, your Imperial Highness," he said. "I'd like to court her, if she'll have me. My principality isn't a big one, but it's part of your empire."
When Tatsuki's cheeks flushed pink, Yamamoto nodded slowly. "Yes," he said. "You may court my Tatsuki. But she is a better swordswoman than she is a dancer."
Grimmjow grinned. "I know," he said.
And Rukia swore she saw her father wink. But he wasn't quite done yet. "You may leave us," he told the princes. "I must speak with my daughters."
Grimmjow bowed briefly and the other princes followed, although Gin merely bowed his head. They filed from the throne room slowly, with Menis pushing Gin's wheeled chair ahead of him. When the doors closed behind them, Yamamoto spoke again. "My daughters. The spell upon you is broken - but many men died because of that spell, and you must make amends for your role in their deaths."
Rukia's hand squeezed Ichigo's tightly, and he gently squeezed back. "What would you have us do, father?" she asked. "Many of these men had no families – that's why they agreed to do it."
When Yamamoto was silent, Ichigo suggested, "There is the orphanage that my sister runs. Are there others like it around the city? Places that shelter people with nowhere else to go?"
Yamamoto hummed thoughtfully. "There are such places within the city," he agreed.
"And – there are many veterans of the border war," Ichigo added, voice growing stronger. "Not all of us came back whole. Some must need help." Rukia squeezed his hand again.
"You are correct, Kurosaki Ichigo. Very well." The Emperor looked upon his daughters. "Each of you must find one of these places and spend the next year giving of yourselves. You must do the work, together or alone, to atone for the cost of your dancing."
Ichigo cleared his throat, and the Emperor raised an eyebrow at him. "Your Imperial Highness," he said slowly. "Your orders had a role in this as well." Yamamoto glowered at him as he said the words, but Ichigo stood his ground, eyes meeting the Emperor's.
"And what would you have me do, Kurosaki? And do not forget that you are not yet married to my eldest daughter," the older man rumbled.
Ichigo bowed his head in acknowledgement before speaking again. "I was a soldier in your army for over a decade, Sir. I was proud to serve you, and to serve the Empire. But – I don't know what orders your generals gave, but along the border the wounded men from my company were sent west with no support. I was dismissed as battle-shocked and left to walk here from the border, alone. Will you offer your support to the men who come home with no prospects and no way to make a living?"
Yamamoto stared at him for a long time, before he nodded slowly. "Yes, I think that is a worthy use of my time," he agreed. "Your care for your fellow soldiers is admirable."
"Thank you, Sir," Ichigo said.
Yamamoto looked at his daughters again, then, and nodded shortly. "I expect reports every month on your work. And with the dancing resolved, you may all return to your own rooms. I will have your belongings brought back."
When they were dismissed from the throne room, Ichigo smiled down at Rukia and asked, "Would you like to meet Karin and my father?"
A warm feeling filled Rukia as she said, "Yes, I'd like that very much, Ichigo. And I suppose you'll be able to show your father that you've found a wife after all."
Ichigo looked up toward the ceiling. "Don't encourage him," he pleaded, and Rukia just laughed. They returned to the guest bedroom and slept again, missing dinner and staying dead to the world until the sun once again rose in the sky.
Breakfast with eleven princesses and nine princes was an even more interesting experience than dining with just her sisters. The tables were twice as crowded and twice as noisy. Gin was already walking around on his own, and he and Rangiku sat so close together that there was no space between them. Tatsuki and Grimmjow teased one another over cups of tea, and Orihime and Ulquiorra – well, Rukia hoped that Ulquiorra returned soon so that Orihime wouldn't look so very lovesick.
Not that she and Ichigo were any better than Gin and Rangiku. Ichigo's leg hooked around hers beneath the table and he piled food into her bowl. "Even your dressmaker said you weren't eating enough," he protested when Rukia tried to turn down a second egg. "You're already so small, little princess. I don't want you disappearing on me."
Rukia just scoffed, but she ate the second egg.
After breakfast, the princesses gathered at the palace gates to wave away the princes and former dance partners who had elected to go home.
"Oh, please return soon, Ulquiorra," Orihime said as her arms wrapped around him tightly. "I'll miss you every day that you're gone! I'll send letters and—" Ulquiorra kissed her and Orihime clung to him while the other princesses looked away to give them some modicum of privacy.
"I'll be back as soon as I can be assured that my home is in order," Ulquiorra said solemnly. "I will read every letter you send me." He kissed her forehead lightly. "And I will write some of my own." Then he stepped into the carriage that would take him away, and a groom closed the door.
Grimmjow just looked at Tatsuki and said, "Don't let your sword get rusty while I'm gone." But then he stole a kiss from her just before he ducked to climb into the carriage that would take him back to his home, leaving the ninth daughter of Emperor Yamamoto blushing hotly.
When the spectacle of departing princes was done, Ichigo led Rukia along the familiar path of their past walks into the city proper – but this time they turned west and walked along the stone-walled canal that cut through the city. Boats laden with trade goods and produce for market floated alongside little gondolas that provided transportation along the full length of the canal.
The houses along the canal grew more colorful and quainter as they walked, but finally they arrived at the little blue house that was the Kurosaki home. Ichigo rapped on the door using the knocker and then stood back, partially shielding Rukia from view.
"Ichigo?" she asked. But then the door opened, and a booted foot flew out, attached to the leg of a dark-haired man.
Ichigo blocked the blow and sent his father tumbling off to the side of the house. "Assaulting a palace guard is a criminal offense, old man," he drawled as Kurosaki Isshin groaned and slowly got to his feet.
"You mustn't lose your edge, my son," Isshin proclaimed, as Ichigo rolled his eyes. And then he caught sight of Rukia, standing just behind and to the side of Ichigo with a coronet on her head and a plum-colored kimono covering her form. "Who is this beautiful woman? Have you brought home a bride at last?!"
Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck nervously, but he wrapped his hand around Rukia's. "We should go inside."
"Yes! Yes, come inside, Ichigo's bride!" Isshin shouted, and ran back into the house.
Beside Ichigo, Rukia laughed softly. "He's certainly enthusiastic," she admitted, and stepped over the threshold into the modest but lovingly appointed home.
Ichigo shut the door behind them and pulled his boots off. "That's a charitable way of putting it," he grumbled under his breath, but then let Rukia use his shoulder as a balance as she pulled her own shoes from her feet. They were good, sturdy walking shoes – nothing like the dainty slippers she'd been wearing for months.
"Come, sit, and tell me when I will be getting grandchildren!" Isshin ordered. He ushered them toward low, cushioned chairs around a polished wooden table. "Karin, Yuzu!" he called.
Soft footsteps padded down the stairs and Yuzu, wearing bright green suikan and monpe, the pants hiked up to expose her calves, beamed when she saw them, and then blushed as she looked down at herself. Hurriedly, she dragged the legs of her monpe back down so that they covered her ankles. "Rukia! What are you doing here?" she called and hurried over. The two women embraced, and then Yuzu looked at her father disapprovingly. "Have you even offered them tea? No, sit, I'll make it," she admonished him before vanishing into the kitchen.
Karin was slower to arrive, and she wore charcoal-hued garb cut even more modestly than her sister's. Rukia looked up at Ichigo, who ducked his head at the sight of his younger sister, and her hand squeezed his under the table. But Karin just sat down at the table and smirked at Ichigo. "Finally listened to goat-chin and brought home a bride?" she asked.
Before Ichigo could answer, Yuzu returned with an enormous pot of tea and five cups. "It's your favorite, Ichi," she said as she sat down and poured for everyone. Steam rose from each of the cups, which were painted delicately with blue and white flowers.
"Now, introduce us to your bride, Ichigo," Isshin demanded when Rukia had taken her first sip of tea.
The expression in Ichigo's eyes softened and he smiled down at Rukia. He waited until Isshin had swallowed his tea before saying, "I'd like to introduce you to the Crown Princess Rukia, the oldest daughter of Emperor Yamamoto."
The cup dropped from Karin's hands. "The what?" she demanded, as the cup clattered to the surface of the table and hot tea spattered everywhere. She hurriedly mopped it up with a cloth napkin as she stared at her brother.
Yuzu just beamed and reached over to squeeze Rukia's free hand.
"You solved the Emperor's mystery," Isshin said solemnly as he looked between Ichigo and Rukia. "Didn't you?"
"I did," Ichigo agreed, and smiled down at Rukia. "It's kind of a strange story, and it involves an old woman who gave me a special cloak."
Ichigo's family listened with rapt attention as he and Rukia told them about the underground world and the twelve princes. It was a long story, given that Rukia's role in the tale had started long before Ichigo's, and free of interruption except for a moment when Yuzu got up to make more tea, the first pot having run dry quite some time ago.
And if they noticed when Rukia's hand slipped into Ichigo's or that sometimes he squeezed hers – to comfort or take comfort – neither his sisters nor his father said anything.
"My sisters and I will be spending the next year making amends for our role in all of this," Rukia finished quietly. "I thought – perhaps we can talk about the orphanage and what you need, Yuzu."
Yuzu nodded briefly. "Of course, Rukia! We've been shorthanded for months now, and I could really use extra hands." She glanced at Ichigo. "Will you be helping too, Ichi?"
"Ah, Ichigo doesn't have anything to make amends for," Rukia started, but his hand squeezed hers again and she looked up, eyebrow arched in question.
"I'll be accompanying Rukia whenever she comes to see you." At Rukia's look, Ichigo shrugged and asked, "What? I'm sure Renji will assign guards to each of you. I'll be yours, and there's no reason I should just stand around for hours."
"That's true. His scowling face would scare the kids if he was just standing around and keeping an eye on her highness," Karin pointed out, and just grinned at him when Ichigo turned his scowl on her.
"Just Rukia, please," the woman in question said. "We'll be family, after all." And that earned her another beaming grin from Yuzu and a kiss to the temple from Ichigo.
"And when will you actually get married?" Isshin demanded. "I'm only getting older, I want grandchildren while I'm still young enough to enjoy them!"
Ichigo scoffed. "We've only been engaged for a few hours," he pointed out. "And you're only fifty-two, goat-chin, you're not exactly old."
"We've agreed to a long engagement," Rukia explained, "since our time together hasn't exactly been…ordinary so far. It will be nice to spend time with your son when I am not spelled and forced to keep secrets from him."
The words worked a magic of their own on Isshin and Yuzu both: their eyes grew almost comically wide and Isshin nodded firmly. "Of course you must! And a royal wedding will take a long time to plan, especially one for the Emperor's eldest daughter!" Isshin exclaimed. "I was just a boy when his Imperial Highness wed for the first time. There was a state holiday, and hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to watch the Emperor and his bride walk to the temple to marry. There were parties for days in celebration of the marriage, and the Emperor and Empress made an appearance at dozens of them."
Ichigo swallowed heavily and leaned closer to Rukia. "Your father would kill me if I tried to convince you to elope, wouldn't he?" he asked quietly.
Rukia leaned her shoulder against his. "Well," she said. "I am his eldest daughter. Tatsuki could probably get away with it, but I think we're stuck."
He just sighed and brushed his lips against her temple again while his family watched. "It was worth asking."