Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop

A/N: I AM SO SORRY! I left this for too long! But I am now single. My ex-gf and I agreed that it was getting in the way of a fantastic friendship and decided to forget about it. So I've been busy for a few days. HOWEVER. As short as this chapter is, it is not unbearably short, hopefully. Hooooopefully. *crosses fingers nervously*

It's been so long since my last update that all I can do is thank everyone SO MUCH for 100 amazing reviews and even more favs and follows! You guys are The Best, seriously! Enjoy! ~Nana

Disclaimer: I keep forgetting this, so once and for all: it's not mine, boo hoo, now onto the story.

Chapter 11

More

I think that possibly maybe I'm falling for you. Yes, there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you...

"I want to marry your sister."

There was an awkward silence as Byakuya recovered from the sentence. "Pardon me?"

"I said, I want to marry Rukia," Ichigo repeated.

Byakuya was silent.

"I came here to ask your blessing," Ichigo said. "Seeing as her father is dead, I figured asking you would have to do."

Byakuya shifted in his chair, but was still silent.

Ichigo bit his lip. "Um..."

"Yes," Byakuya said finally and unexpectedly.

"What?" Ichigo blinked. He had been expecting a fight.

"I believe that you have no desire to hurt her, you merely love her," Byakuya informed him. "Therefore, because you are a kind person at heart and because I have no problem with you marrying my sister, I say yes."

"Th-thank you," Ichigo stammered as he rose.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," Byakuya said, pointing a commanding finger at Ichigo. "Do not stutter. You would not like it if I changed my mind because you were unacceptably disrespectful. Would you?"

"Yes sir," Ichigo said immediately.

"Ah... and Kurosaki."

"Yes? Sir."

"I retract my original statement. If she consents, feel free to get her pregnant."

Ichigo gave his almost-brother-in-law a surprised look.

"I have always wanted a niece or nephew to spoil," Byakuya said simply, by no means explaining anything. But it was a dismissal, so Ichigo left.

-o-o-o-

"You'll cover for me, right?" Ichigo was as nervous as he could be, much more nervous than he had been a year ago.

"Yes, moron," Renji told him, rolling his eyes.

"Stop worrying, it's all going to go great," Uryuu reassured him. "As long as you're sure about this."

"She's just so amazing," Ichigo said. "I don't have any misgivings. She's so...unique." He nodded stoically. "I'm going out."

He turned, but Renji called, "Wait!"

Ichigo spun around in surprise. Usually it was Uryuu who had to make sure everything was okay.

"Ichigo...I have to ask," Renji said. "Will you be happy living with her for the rest of her life? Would you have kids with her? Would you love her when you were both old and grey?"

Ichigo was taken aback at Renji's sudden philosophy, but he nodded firmly. "All of the above."

Renji considered this a moment, and then said, "Then good luck, man. Don't screw it up."

Ichigo gave a determined smile and left the kitchen.

-o-o-o-

"Rukia," she heard from across the room.

She looked up. Why had he shouted, rather than come over to her? He was just standing by the couches, looking a little strange. "What?"

"I love you," he called.

Rukia raised her eyebrows. She knew that, of course, but why wouldn't he just come over and say it? Where was the purpose in this? "I love you too," she shouted back, playing along with whatever game he was playing.

"I love you more," came the shout.

Rukia smiled a little. "I think it's pretty clear that I love you more."

"Fight, fight, fight," a customer chirped, and soon, as if it were a virus, the entire coffee shop was filled with the chant.

"If I didn't love you more, would I light up whenever I saw you?" Ichigo asked over the customers' shouts.

"If I didn't love you more, would I kiss you whenever I saw you?" Rukia retorted.

"If I didn't love you more, would I help you de-stress after work?"

"If I didn't love you more, would I come save you from work?"

"If I didn't love you more, would I serve you coffee with my own employee free-cup-a-day?"

"If I didn't love you more, would I say that I loved you more than I love myself?"

Ichigo smiled wide as he began the next sentence. "If I didn't love you more, would I ask you to marry me?"

The customers fell silent, drawing hushed breaths.

Rukia paused. "If I didn't love you more, would I say hell, yes?"

Black Coffee erupted with wild cheers.

-o-o-o-

Rukia was afloat, admiring not the glittering ring on her index finger but Ichigo's smile. She walked arm-in-arm with him.

"Did you ask my brother?" she said, suddenly fearing for her life.

"Yes, he even said I could get you pregnant if you wanted," Ichigo mentioned out of the blue.

Rukia whacked his arm playfully. "Not until we're married, Ichi."

-o-o-o-

"Do I have to do any of this?" Ichigo asked dumbly, staring dubiously at the pile of papers spread out over the kitchen table.

"It's mostly set-up stuff, so unless you want to pick out the bridesmaid dresses or the color theme, no," Rukia answered.

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't really good at that kind of thing anyway.

-o-o-o-

"No way!" Rangiku chirped excitedly. "And such a hottie too! You're so lucky, Rukia!"

"How're things going with you and your boyfriend?" Rukia was simultaneously writing an article on red carpet hair and picking out her own hairstyle. She didn't mention the guy's name because she couldn't remember it.

"Gin? Oh, he's a sweetheart. We've known each other for years, but we're just dating now - oh, is that your hairstyle for the wedding? Can I see?" Rangiku had pounced on Rukia's table in a second.

-o-o-o-

It might have been customary to pick five bridesmaids, but Rukia picked only three. Rangiku, her depressingly studious college roommate Nanao, and Momo, a friend from Japan. These were the three girls she trusted most. She knew Ichigo would probably only ask Renji and Uryuu to be his best men.

It came as a surprise to her when he mentioned that he'd also asked three others, people she'd never met and he hadn't seen in a while but still talked to. Chad was a hulking wrestler from Mexico. Urahara was a shopkeeper that lived somewhere in Vermont, "among the cows and maple syrup", he said proudly. And, to Rukia's intense surprise and mild horror, Hanataro Yamada, someone who'd crushed on her in grade school, had been Ichigo's long-distance friend for years. She blushed when she saw him in his tuxedo. He really hadn't gotten any taller, had he? But then, neither had Momo.

-o-o-o-

Three weeks, whispered a voice in Rukia's head that sounded suspiciously as if it was high on drugs. Two weeks. One week. Six days. Five days.

By 'four days' Rukia was practically screaming with excitement.

A/N: Personal Riot pointed out a discrepancy in the last chapter...apologies. Can I blame one last thing on the overused excuse of stress? Anyways, if you enjoyed, review please! Jessenia-chan, I'm working on your oneshot, I SWEAR! Love you all! ~Nana