Rukia stepped onto the pouch and removed her geta sandals. Sliding the door open, she leaned inside and looked for any signs that the guest had arrived. It was quiet and kind of eerie. Most of the survants where probably given time off for the day. An important guest was suppose to be comming and Byakuya didnt like a lot of survants moving around when guest where over.

Rukia quietly stepped inside. It was important not make any unsightly noises, which was dificult for some fo the floorboards creeked. She recited a list of rules and educate in her head several times to jog her memory. Although she had been part of the Kuchiki clan for years, she still found it difficult to rid herself of the old habits she grew up with on the street. Byakuya had said earlier that he didnt want any mistakes in from of his guest.

Nii-sama is going to kill me if I'm late thought to herself. It was already 15 minutes past noon. The guest was surly here by now.

She finally made it to the tea room. The door was closed but she could tell someone what in there. The smell of freshly poured tea leaked from the room. She quickly opened the door and made a deep bow, not bothering to look upon the guest. "Please excuse my absence."

"Hurry and sit down" The guest commanded. Rukia felt almost insulted, a guest barking orders at their host! Before she took and action she looked up and saw Shigekuni Yamamoto sitting at the table next to her brother.

"Captain of the first division." She nearly gasped and then quickly took her seat.

They sat quietly, sipping tea. No one would say anything, though thats how it usually went. The General and her brother wherent known to hold too many convesations.

Yamamoto didn't once look at Rukia. He finally cleared his throat, and began to speak in his raspy voice. He recited the words as if it came from a script of orders. " Kuchiki Rukia, sister of head-of-clan Byakuya Kuchiki, has been assigned a husband."

Her head jolted up and she looked onto the two captains. Both of their faces seemed expressionless. The old man continued. "Kuchiki Rukia will be deprived of her position in the 13th squad and continue her duties as member of the Kuchiki Clan. These are orders as announced by room 46 and will be carried out as such."

Rukia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Anger fumed in her head but it took all the strength in her to keep from yelling out at her superiors. She looked over at Byakuya, hoping that he would say something in her defense.

"Who is her husband?" Was all he said.

"The husband is Kurosaki Ichigo. He is currently in Karakura, a town that borders the west of Naruki City."

"Are you saying he's a human!" Rukia spoke out, nearly standing out of her seat. Byakuya glared and she quickly kneeled back down. Byakuya took a sip of his tea and then continued to ask questions.

"Is he human?"

"Yes, he is a live soul and with high amounts of Reiatsu. He will be useful to our needs."

"He is a commoner then." Rukia became annoyed with Byakuya's calm reaction. "There are rules against my clan with the associating with commoners."

"Yes, but there are also rules against disobeying the orders of Room 46. The Mi-ai ceremony will be in two weeks, you will meet him then." The man took one last sip of his coffee and then exited through the nearest door. Rukia was left sulking at the table.

"So I must give up my position on the 13th squad." It was more a of statement than a question. When Byakuya didn't respond, she roughly stomped her way out of the room.

Authors Notes:

Thought you would like to know: Mi-ai is an interview for a man and woman with a view to marriage, as arranged by their parents or a third party acting as a go-between.

Yea, Rukia can't be a Shinigami anymore. I'm sure they'll have her working in some way though. Can't get rid of Rukia that easy. :p I'm annoyed at how short these chapters are but at the moment there really isn't much to say until Ichigo gets in here yet.

I hope this chapter wasn't too boring. Tell me what you think and I'll try to make the chapter better. I'll probably start needing someone to help me revise the chapters if they can.

On a side note:

I cant believe how much research I'm actually putting into this! Am I that bored?

I imagine that a wedding in Soul Society would be traditional to the Japanese culture. Turns out most Japanese weddings where for political reasons anyway! And guess what! It wasn't uncommon for the husband to take the wife's name instead of the other way around. So what do you think? Should it be Ichigo Kuchiki or Rukia Kurosaki? O.o