Chapter 19
Ichigo stood there, supposedly facing the mirror in the bathroom that was connected to his room. Tadashi was furiously styling his hair into a complicated braid, all the while muttering about how ridiculous parties were and that they should be banned from existence in the Shiba household.
"Ichigo-san, when you are the clan leader, promise me that you will ban the Shiba household from ever hosting parties. Let the other clans do parties, we should just stick to sponsoring festivals in the districts and protecting the citizens." Ichigo really wished that he could look at Tadashi just to stare at him incredulously.
"Why would you think that I am going to be clan leader?" Tadashi gave a surprisingly sharp tug to Ichigo's hair. Tadashi's reiatsu jumped in surprise and confusion. Ichigo's eyebrow twitched at the stinging pain in his scalp. Then Tadashi sighed and explained it to Ichigo.
"You're an immediate candidate now that Akihiko-san has adopted you. Most of the time one of the other family members would have adopted you, but Akihiko-san insisted that it was to be him. And now that you are officially apart of the immediate family, and the oldest son of Akihiko-san, you are the heir to the clan. All of the members need to accept you for you to be the heir, but you have nothing to worry about. Everyone will love you. I'm sure of it Ichigo-san."
With a final tug to Ichigo's braided hair, Tadashi moved away from Ichigo. Running the tips of his fingers lightly over the braid, he marveled at the complexity of the braid Tadashi had given him. Tadashi came back into the bathroom and handed Ichigo a clean set of clothing to change into, then quickly retreated again giving him some privacy as he changed, but never straying to far out of hearing as Tadashi moved around in his room.
Finished changing, Ichigo stepped out of the bathroom and into his own bedroom with only Tadashi occupying it. Yuko was sleeping with her friends in their quarters. She will find him later in the day and follow him around again. She always did. And Ichigo always appreciated her constant company. Her and Tadashi's presence kept the memories at bay.
The futon had been put away. The garden door was open halfway, letting an early autumn breeze flow through the room, bringing the tangy smell of earth and the crisp smell of leaves. A few early morning birds chirped sleepily. Reminding him of what happened only two days ago.
The sunny picnic just two days ago almost seemed like a dream, but Ichigo knew that it wasn't. For the first time in a long time, he was relaxed as he sat underneath that 'visible' ancient tree, listening to the children laugh and play. Then there was a delicious lunch. The most that he had eaten at one sitting. Later he heard from Sora that he had sent the chefs into a tizzy of excitement, when they heard that he had eaten a meal prepared by them. After lunch the children played again. This time, going around the clearing and making flower crowns for everyone. Ichigo had moved out of the shade of the old tree to bask in the sun, and his reward for it was a flower crown from Katsumi, and flowers braided into his hair by Yuko and Shizuka. Both girls made wonderful braids that could rival Tadashi's, and he seemed to know it, because everyday after that Tadashi had braided his hair every morning in some new complicated way. Shocking and surprising him every time at how beautiful they felt under his fingertips.
Tadashi slipped another haori over his shoulders. Thanking Tadashi for it, both of them made their way to the kitchens in search of their early morning meal. Several times Tadashi let out almost silent yawns, that he tried to cover with his hand.
"You don't have to get up so early with me Tadashi. You can sleep longer if you want." Tadashi's smooth pace beside him, stumbled for a moment before he recovered. Ichigo pulled his arms out of his yukata sleeves to help steady him. Tadashi waved off the attempt.
"It's fine Ichigo-san. When you wake is when I should wake, and when you fall asleep is when I should fall asleep. Not before." Tadashi grumbled that last sentence out angrily, almost inaudible to Ichigo.
"Tadashi, you need your sleep. Don't stay up on my account or wake up early because of me. You can wake up at the same time as the other staff members that work during the day." Ichigo tried to reason.
"But what about the kitchen staff? Or Sora? They are awake the longest! They always act like they are fine, but they have always gotten less sleep than I did. So don't tell me to wake up with the rest of the staff." Tadashi snapped at Ichigo. His logic beating out Ichigo's concern for Tadashi's abrupt change in his sleep schedule.
"What brought this change on Tadashi? A week ago you were sleeping in and waking with the rest of the staff, and heading to bed at your usual time. Is it because I am now officially a Shiba now, and now you have to follow the proper etiquette of being my assistant. I don't want my stupid title effecting how you act around me." Ichigo spoke, his tone border lining on annoyance. Tadashi's reiatsu flared in denial. The color deepening by a few shades.
"Of course not, Ichigo-san. What the children said during the lunch in the gardens got me thinking that you really need to be constantly watched. You draw trouble to you like a moth to a flame. And today could be extremely dangerous for you." Ichigo groaned. His head falling back to stare sightlessly at the ceiling.
"Don't remind me. That party is happening today." Ichigo turned to Tadashi as they came up to the kitchen door. A spark of mischief lit in his sightless eyes, "Maybe we could sneak away before it starts and walk around the market district." Ichigo proposed. The kitchen door slammed open and a furious reiatsu enshrouded both of them.
"Absolutely not! You will attend the party thrown for you. I swear I will let Akihiko-san lock you in your room until the party starts." Sora sharply snapped in his reprimanding tone. Ichigo instinctively flinched away at the threat of imprisonment. Sora sighed and moved out of the doorway. "Now get in here the chefs have been talking non-stop, and are excited for you to test test some of the dishes that will be used today during the party."
"Yay, food!" Tadashi happily cried out as he maneuvered Ichigo into the kitchen and sat him down at the main table centered in the middle of the room. All at once there was a flurry of sounds as chefs moved to place dishes down onto the table. All of the chefs stood expectantly around the table. Ichigo gave the dishes a small rueful smile.
"You guys know I can only eat so much. I really don't want to waste food." The chefs protested the it was quite alright that he couldn't finish them, only taste and say if he liked it or not.
Ichigo sighed and gave in, asking for a set of chopsticks. The chefs giving soft cheers that he complied. So for half an hour Ichigo tasted and approved about a half dozen dishes that were going to be made for the party. The chefs that made the dishes hastily got to work prepping for the mass amount of Shibas that would be arriving less than eight hours from now. The rest of the chefs got to work making breakfast for Akihiko, his family and the rest of the staff that would shortly be waking up with the rising sun.
Tadashi was still working his way through his sixth dish. Ichigo almost got sick at the prospect of eating so much when he can only handle a few bites from each one. A murmur of good mornings ran through the line of chefs. A signal that Yuko was approaching Ichigo, and a way for him to keep track of her in the noisy kitchen. A habit adopted by the chefs when Tadashi and Sora greeted the girl every morning.
"Good morning Yuko. Did you sleep well? I expected you to sleep longer." Ichigo spoke as a hand clasped itself onto his hanging haori sleeve. He tried to imagine Yuko rubbing her eyes tiredly, and nodding her head even though she was obviously tired. Her hair in a disarray and her clothes rumpled from sleep. He held his hands out to her, and pulled her up onto his lap. The scrapping of tableware alerted Ichigo that Yuko had pulled one of the experimental dishes towards herself.
"Would you like that for breakfast?" Ichigo asked as he looked over her shoulder at where the dish might be on the table. Trying to guess what might be on the dish. Yuko gave a nod. Her hair tickling his face. Ichigo handed her a pair of chopsticks that magically appeared in his right hand. Probably Tadashi. "Alright you need to tell me if it's good or not when you are done with it okay?" Another nod was given. Ichigo looked to Sora's reiatsu that was slightly behind him and talking briskly to a chef. Almost as if sensing his quest for Sora's attention, Sora spoke rapidly to the chef, who nodded and turned away, and quickly approached Ichigo. His reiatsu inquisitive as to what Ichigo would like.
"Is there something that you need Ichigo-san?" Sora asked his attention solely focused on Ichigo.
"I was wondering when the party will be starting today." Ichigo asked. Sora's sky blue reiatsu sparked in suspicion. "Don't worry I just don't want to be late to my own party." Still slightly suspicious, Sora answered anyway.
"Everyone should be here a few hours after noon. That is when the party will start, and the celebration will end a few hours after diner. The celebration will be held in the gardens until diner. Everyone will gather in the larger dining room to eat. The clan meeting will happen after the celebration has ended and I expect that it will run late into the night. I do not know if you will be allowed to attend the meeting however. That is something that will need to be discussed with Akihiko-san." Sora relayed to him. Ichigo shook his head at how Sora always seemed to know the answer to what he really wanted to know.
"Thank you Sora." Ichigo said, noticing that Yuko had finished her meal. "Yuko that was fast. Did you like it?" There was another nod. Ichigo lifted her up and set her down on the floorboards, and stood up himself. "Alright, then why don't we go walk the gardens together. Would you like that?" Yuko leaned against him and nodded her head. Tadashi stood up with a sigh.
"Where will Ran or myself be able to find you?" Ichigo gave a moment to think before replying to Sora's question.
"We will be at the ancient tree in the clearing." With that they made their escape out the back door to the kitchen, saying goodbye to all of the chefs on their way out.
All three of them aimlessly made their way through the gardens. Tadashi as their guide, he described everything for Ichigo and Yuko. All the different colored flowers, the animals that Yuko had spotted and pointed out, and the area of the garden that they were currently in.
It was about an hour before noon when they made it to the oldest tree in the gardens. It's ancient power thrumming in excitement. Almost as if it is expecting something. Ichigo couldn't tell what though.
There they sat in the shade of the branches as the temperature rose higher and higher as the day came and the sun rose high into the sky. Ichigo had gotten so comfortable lying horizontally on the grass, with the haori pillowed under his head and beams of sunlight warming spots of skin, that he had fallen asleep. Tadashi sitting right beside his head, whistled an old gentle lullaby. Yuko had fallen asleep before him. Her head pillowed on his stomach.
Only the wind, birds and leaves making any other sound. It was like they were the last people on the planet.
Ichigo awoke to the light touch of a hand on his shoulder, his blind eyes snapping open reflexively. Tadashi withdrew his hand slowly.
"Ichigo-san, It's time for you to prepare for the party." Ichigo nodded and moved to sit up carefully and not wake up Yuko. He wrapped her up in his haori that had blades of grass stuck to it and lifted her into his arms. Her head leaning against his shoulder. Tadashi led the way back to the house and to Ichigo's room.
Ichigo placed Yuko onto the futon Tadashi had unfolded for her. The haori still wrapped tightly around her. Tadashi handed him another yukata to change into. After that Tadashi re-did Ichigo's braid, along with removing the blades of grass stuck in his long orange hair. Yuko had woken up just as Tadashi finished the braid, silently demanding that he did one for her also.
"Alright, but you have to change first. Go pick out one of your party kimonos, change, and then I'll braid your hair for you." That seemed satisfactory as not a moment later the slam of the bathroom echoed in the room. Tadashi got up and grabbed another, nicer, haori from his wardrobe and placed it around Ichigo's shoulders. Ichigo thanked him again for the braid and the haori. Tadashi waved it off, stating that it was his job to do these things. Yuko came out not a second after he finished those words. Tadashi set to work braiding her hair, when a knock came at the door.
"Come in." Ichigo called out, noticing that the reiatsu was Ran's. The door opened and Ran stood there in the doorway.
"Yuko you look so adorable, and look at that beautiful braid! It suits you perfectly." Ran turned to Ichigo, who was sitting on the floor partially facing the gardens. "And you, Ichigo-san look very handsome. You will have suitors lining up in no time." Ichigo paled at the prospect of suitors and quickly shook his head.
"No thank you on the suitors Ran. I am not interested in any romance. I don't think I ever will, to be honest." Ichigo confessed. Ran's reiatsu dropped in disappointment.
"That's too bad. Your children would be so adorable. And you are great with kids, so you would be a great father." A pang of sorrow rippled through his chest. Guilt bubbling and mixing in also. Words that others had told him. From others that he would never see from again. His breath had frozen in his throat. Ichigo struggled desperately to suppress his feelings. Another knock came at the door, allowing him to shove them down and locked them away. This time it was Sora at the door.
"Is everyone ready? We need to be in the gardens to greet all of the guests." Tadashi patted Yuko's shoulder and both of them stood up. Ichigo went to stand up and was assisted from Tadashi.
"I'm fine Tadashi. There is no reason for you to help me up." Ichigo said as he moved to take Zangetsu from the stand that Akihiko had gotten for him. The spirits had been oddly silent for a few days now and he was getting concerned that something had happened to them.
The group moved out into the gardens. Staff members stood at attention ready to serve the family members that will shortly arrive. Akihiko was talking to the head guard of the estate in hushed whispers in a far corner near the house. Shin was holding Kameko and standing beside Chiyo. There standing with the group was Hikaru, Katsumi, Akemi and Shizuka. All of them were chatting animatedly to each other.
Upon noticing Ichigo, the group of four rushed over to greet him with Shin and Chiyo following slowly behind. Shin's reiatsu hummed with nervous excited energy. Chiyo was the epitome of calm. Kameko's crazy reiatsu spiking at approaching Ichigo. Shin willingly handed Kameko over to Ichigo who happily took her. The little girl breaking out in laughter as he swooped her high up in the air. Easily surpassing seven feet.
"Hello princess. Are you ready for a party?" Ichigo asked as he brought her closer for a short eskimo kiss, making her gurgle in joy and slap her hands on his cheeks.
Holding Kameko in his arms, Ichigo talked to all six of the children. Screams at the outside walkway made them all jump in surprise. Ran jumped in and plucked kameko from his hands before retreating again. A large shifting cluster of moving colors dashed towards their little group. The high pitched excited chatter of children assaulted Ichigo's ears. Many questioned his hair color, his blade, and his eyes. Others that heard of his unique storytelling, requested that he tell them stories.
Adults trickled into the gardens in pairs of two's and three's, talking in low voices with each other. Akihiko greeted each member. Somewhere in the background, Tadashi was laughing his ass off. Ichigo curse his assistant for leaving him to fend for himself. Ran and Sora hovering nearby in case the children got out of hand.
Ichigo sat down on the grass. The children surrounding him as the original group of six leaned and laid on him. Almost as if to prevent the other children from taking their spots by Ichigo. Shin sat beside him. Yuko and Shizuka were leaning against his back with their arms dangling off his shoulders. Hikaru sat opposite of Shin beside Ichigo. Katsumi and Akemi laid across his outstretched legs.
Ichigo answered the questions first.
His hair was natural. That is his blade. He can fight with a sword. He did fight off Kameko's kidnappers. And yes he was blind. Once the questions were finished, the demand for a story grew larger. A few adults had wondered over at the prospect of a story. Their reiatsu interested yet cautious. Still not entirely sure about Ichigo.
A few parents nervously called their children, but they studiously ignored their calls in the hope of hearing a story.
"So you guys want to hear a story?" Ichigo asked the gaggle of children, and received a chorus of yeses in response. "Alright, let's see." Ichigo scratched his chin in thought and stared blankly above the children's head. "Ah-ha!" Ichigo said as he hit a closed fist onto his palm. An idea finally making it's way into his head. The children leaned in closer in excitement. ichigo do also, holding his hands up to flourish them during the story.
"Alright, let's begin. It all starts with the daughter of a lord, who ruled a city. She has her lover and her suitor…" Ichigo launched into his tale of desperate love, the king and queen of supernatural creatures, the anger of the lord, and the eventual happiness of both couples.
Enraptured by this thrilling tale, the children gasped in fright and laughed in playfulness. Others had wandered over, drawn in by the excitement.
Ichigo finished the tale and was meet with thunderous applause from the crowd that he had gathered around him. He slightly smiled and attempted to bow, but Shizuka and Yuko almost choking him put a stop to that. He shook himself in a playful way, sending all of the girls gently tumbling off. Akemi and Katsumi giggled the entire time as they were shook off. The other children joining in on the laugher. Free of the children, Ichigo tried to get up but was attacked with a squirming pile of children that seemed determined to dog pile him. The entire pile crashing down on top of Ichigo, forcing the air out of his lungs with an oomph.
Ichigo could hear Tadashi cackling in the background, having the time of his life, as Ichigo struggled to escape from the children. An elbow connected with his gut, forcing what little air he had accumulated back out.
"A little help!" Ichigo called out. Hoping someone had heard him over the giggling and laughing mass of children piled on top of him.
"Okay children, why don't you let Ichigo-san rest and talk to everyone else? I'm sure all of you are hungry. Well food is ready." Ran suggested to the children. His wonderful savior. All the children popped up at the mention of food and dashed over to the table set out in the garden.
Ichigo groaned and pulled himself up to sit from his position on the grass. Shaking his head, Ichigo dislodged blades of grass from his bright colored hair. He stood up and swayed for a moment, Tadashi instantly appearing at his side as the world tilted sideways. Being blind and experiencing vertigo was extremely sickening. Ichigo could physically feel himself pale as his world lurched.
Ichigo put a hand over his mouth to keep himself from getting sick. Tadashi had grabbed his elbow and maneuvered him to a chair a concerned staff member had brought out. Settling Ichigo into the chair, Tadashi kneeled in front of him. His hands still grasping Ichigo's elbows.
"Ichigo-san. Ichigo-san, tell me what's wrong! Are you not feeling well?" Tadashi asked softly, then turned around to shout out to the staff hovering nearby. "Go get me some water!" One of the twins dashed away to retrieve the requested item. Whispers began amongst the adults as they watched the scene. Suspicious reiatsu filled the air.
Akihiko quickly made his way over, concern leaking out in waves. Stopping in front of Ichigo, Akihiko peered down at him.
"Ichigo. Do you need to go inside and rest?" Ichigo shook his head. The churning in his stomach had ceased and the vertigo vanished.
"I'm fine." The twin came back and carefully placed the glass of water into Ichigo's hands. Thanking the twin, Ichigo took a sip of the water. The water helping to settle his stomach. Ichigo looked up and gave Akihiko a small, almost queasy smile. "I'm fine, just a little dizzy. Besides I need to talk to the guests that came to this party right?" Fiery reiatsu jolted in surprise.
"You don't have push yourself, Ichigo. Just rest. You can talk to everyone else later." Akihiko insisted. Ichigo stood up to spite Akihiko's concern. Tadashi there standing at his side, prepared for the worst.
"I really am fine Akihiko-san. Now why don't we go talk to the guests. They seem a little nervous." What he said was true, their reiatsu's swirled in confusion and nervousness. The children dashed up to him, concerned for his health. Yuko and Shizuka latched onto one side of his haori, while Akemi and Katsumi latched onto the other side. Hikaru and Shin walked in front of him.
"I told you that you can't be left alone, Ichigo-san." Hikaru stated, his voice full of concern and the smug undertone of 'I told you so'. Ichigo sighed.
"Hikaru, I'm fine. I promise." Ichigo insisted. Why did everyone believe that he needed to be coddled and protected? He was perfectly fine. Hikaru snorted in disbelief, but did not say anything else.
Making his way over to the other guests, Ichigo could feel the tension rise in the air. The more daring of the Shibas approached with a skip in their step. Almost nonchalant about the tense atmosphere.
"You must be Ichigo-san. If you fought off Kameko-san's kidnappers while you were sick, then you must be strong right. What would you say to doing a little strength competition? Does that sound interesting?" Ichigo blinked at her.
"Who the hell are you?" Tadashi curse softly behind him. The female Shiba broke out laughing. Her laughter bordering evil villain laughter or insanity. She then moved to stand beside him, slapping his shoulder sharply.
"I like you kid. Not many talk to me like that. Not even Akihiko." She seemed to grin over at Akihiko, who growled and looked away. "The name's Asami, kid. So what do you say to a friendly competition?" Ichigo put a hand on the hilt of his blade.
"I'd rather only use my blade to protect others, not just for a friendly competition." Asami hummed in interest.
"Oh… Is that what you really believe in? Interesting." Her tone then shifted to a lighter one. "Well that's a perfectly good reason to wield your blade. Welcome to the family kid. I think you'll fit in well here. Protecting others is what we do best! Besides it's our job too. Isn't that great!?" Another reiatsu stepped up, pushing their way through the crowd. This one was the color of cold steel and had immaculate control over their reiatsu. Asami's reiatsu bristled in anger at the others appearance.
"That has yet to be decided Asami-san. He will be apart of the clan when every member accepts them. However, this is a strange occurrence and has never happened before. Does he really deserve to be adopted as a possible heir to the Shiba clan? He is not even of Shiba blood."
The staff muttered angrily in the background. A few hissing loudly in anger, before being shushed by others. All of the visiting Shibas noticed the tense reiatsu of the staff, which put them on edge as well. Asami snarled.
"Stuff it Shigeru. We don't need you to preach about maintaining order and not breaking the rules. The rules of the noble clans could die in a hole. Every soul here in the Soul Society is equal, and you know that! Claiming that we are noble blood doesn't make up better. And trust me, I've meet better citizens in the districts that were better people than you!" Asami snapped at Shigeru. She had moved from beside Ichigo, and stomped over to confront Shigeru, staring right into his face, even if she happened to be a lot shorter than him. "Look around you! The staff are on edge after your blatant disrespect towards Ichigo-san. You should know those sayings, 'Blood does not make up the noble, but how good of a person they are.' and 'Good nobles earn the respect of their staff.'" A murmur of agreement spread through the Shibas. The respect of the staff was one of the most important indicators of being a good was a quality of many good Shibas. Many already began warming up to the prospect of Ichigo being one of them. Shigeru tisked and strutted away, the others easily parting and making a path for him.
Like a dam breaking, the others rushed forward to talk to Ichigo. The children huddled around him as he spoke to the others. Trying not to get swept away from him.
"Nice to meet you Ichigo-san. I hope to work with you in the future."
"Will you be attending the meeting tonight?"
"I absolutely love the color of your hair. It is so beautiful. How did you get that silver streak in your hair?"
Ichigo answered the questions that he felt comfortable with, and made conversation with most of the Shibas. With Tadashi shadowing him the entire time, always asking if he was feeling alright. And if he needed to take a break. Ichigo doggedly ignored the questions, and waved off Tadashi's concerns.
All of them were very open about their lives and respected that he did not wish to talk about his. The children would interrupt once in a while with silly tales about Ichigo and make everyone laugh as Ichigo sputtered in embarrassment.
Ichigo also interacted with the staff. Asking how they were doing and if they needed a break. All of them refused the break. And Ichigo could feel approving eyes follow his form as he moved around and talked with everyone. The six children hovering and clinging to him. Many of the Shibas laughed lightly at the collection of children around Ichigo, saying that he was great at dealing with the children and that he could babysat their own. Ichigo just smiled and patted one of their heads.
"I've got my hands full with quite a few of them. But sometimes I don't think I deserve all of their affection and attention." He told them fondly. Many of them agreeing with him on how much trouble Shiba children can get into.
"Ichigo." Akihiko called out seriously, drawing said person's attention. Noting the pensiveness in Akihiko's reiatsu, Ichigo turned back towards the children. The other Shibas respectively moved away to talk with other groups of adults, and left them to speak alone.
"Why don't you guys go play with the others for a while? I'll be okay with Akihiko-san." The children reluctantly let go, but Shin remained. Tadashi almost blending into the background, and turning partially away to give them a semblance of privacy. Akihiko approached the three of them.
"Shin is it alright if you go play with he others? I wish to speak with Ichigo alone." Akihiko asked his son. Shin gave a nod and moved towards the other kids that were hovering nervously nearby. With Shin's insistence, the kids joined the other children and proceeded to play a game of tag. Their shrieks of laughter filled the air, bringing a peaceful atmosphere to the area.
"I want you to join the meeting tonight after diner. From what I could tell many are expecting you to attend." Ichigo sighed. He wished he could run his fingers through his hair, but had to resort to scratching the back of his neck.
"Yeah, quite a few of them had asked me if I was going to go. I told them that I did not know." Akihiko nodded in understanding.
"Well I wish for you to attend tonight. There are a few things that I want you to hear at the meeting." Ichigo wanted to ask what he meant by that, but Akihiko had moved away and was goofing off with some of his older friends. All serious in his posture vaporizing like mist in the morning sun.
The call of his name from the children drew his attention. All of them begging him to play with them. The other adults looking on with reiatsu colored in amusement. Ichigo softly smiled. A breeze moving loose locks of his hair. Leaves rustling high above. And sunlight warming and melting tension from his shoulders.
"So this is home." Ichigo murmured into the wind. His constant shadow giving a glowing smile and reply in return.
"It is. Welcome home, Ichigo-san."
A shout out to:
silvershark1987: That tree will become a sanctuary for Ichigo later on in the future. Ichigo will open up more as he continues to stay with the Shiba family. Thank you for enjoying this chapter.
Loli-Hype Ichi: Thank you for the compliment. We are happy to hear that our story made you smile. We hope this one does also. And that feeling you are feeling is something you should not ignore. Trouble is a foot and waiting to strike.
Frozen in Idaho: Yes and those children will try their hardest to do so.
pikchukite: Don't worry the children while keep him in line when they can.
3ternalY0uth: We are happy to hear that you enjoyed last chapter. This is chapter is only half of the Shiba celebration and meeting, and it took us so long to type up. Well we hope you enjoy it.
Reverentwolf: Thank you for the upstanding compliment of knighting this story as Sir The Best. We shall swear on our pride and honor to continue our work as your valiant writers! Yeah Unhand will come in later chapters. And Ichigo will continue to get hurt. That's because of him being a magnet for trouble. Don't worry Ichigo will sneak out sooner or later(possibly sooner) to escape the overbearing Shibas. Thank you for enjoying our story.
Alright, thank you to everyone who reviewed, and thank you to our silent readers out there. All of your combined support encourages us to move forward. Besides we have so much fun writing this story for you guys. We couldn't possibly quit now. See you guys soon!
-The Crew
