A/N: I am a horrible person and I feel bad for being so damn inconsistent with updates. Please don't leave me, honey… I love you… :
Ichigo sat in the back row, left side, second seat from the aisle. It was a plain folding chair adorned with an ivory-colored bow. It looked so out of place, the piece of crap that it was, but at the same time it managed to fit in with the rest of the mix-matched chairs organized neatly in his backyard. He leaned back in his seat, causing it to groan and creak. Ichigo closed his eyes and tried to block out everything but the early September breeze on his face. But it only lasted a moment. When he opened his eyes once more, he was still in his backyard; back row, left side, second seat from the aisle.
"Hey, don't just sit around while everyone else is working," Karin nagged, nudging the back of Ichigo's chair. "If you plan on getting married tonight, I recommend you kick it into high gear." It was still hard for her to wrap her mind around it. Her brother was getting married. Yuzu thought it was absolutely romantic, but Karin knew the real reason for the surprise wedding.
She took a step back and watched her older brother rise from the chair. He was tall, with long arm and legs. His soon-to-be bride was incredibly short small and petite. They don't work, Karin thought, slightly frustrated. The way she figured, people who got married seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces, but Rukia was a fluffy cloud corner piece and Ichigo was a tree trunk piece with nubs and notches on every side.
"What are you staring at?" Ichigo asked, eyebrow cocked questioningly.
Karin shook the doubtful thoughts from her mind. "Nothing," and when an awkward silence settled on the two, she asked her own question. "Where's Rukia?"
"Doctor's appointment. Ultrasound."
Suddenly, Yuzu's head popped out from behind a bush, where she had been positioning a stereo to play soft music during the wedding. "An ultrasound?! Ooh, how exciting!" She squealed, clasping her hands together. "What do you want: a boy or a girl?"
"I want—" Ichigo didn't know what he wanted. A son would be fun to wrestle around with, but a daughter would be sweet and loving and beautiful… "I dunno."
Yuzu squealed again, this time at an impossibly higher pitch. "I just can't wait to be an auntie!"
As the sun set over Karakura Town, visitors from the Soul Society began to arrive. They came in suits and dresses, blending in with the other, more living, guests. They mingled amongst each other, enjoying the novelty of a backyard wedding. Byakuya stood off to the side, uncomfortable in his black suit. He resented the questioning looks from the other party-goers.
"Is that really Captain Kuchiki?"
"Did he actually approve of this wedding?"
"Well, he's here, isn't he?"
In the master bedroom, Rukia was perched on the edge of the bed, feeling just as uncomfortable as her older brother. Her bangs were pulled back with a bejeweled clip, making Rukia feel self-conscience about her forehead. She had hints of makeup on, but her face was otherwise bare. Beside her on the bed was her dress, still in its plastic sheath. A clock on the opposite wall ticked quietly.
Tick, tick. 5:47.
Tick, tick. 5:50
Tick, tick. 5:54.
With a sudden snap, Byakuya appeared in the room. He wore a red tie with his black suit, displaying the most color she had ever seen him wear. He regarded her large belly with grimace. "How do you plan on hiding that?"
"The dress," Rukia blurted out nervously, gesturing to the bag, the mountain of tulle compressed by the plastic cover. "When I wear it, it's kinda… poofy around my stomach."
"I see." He continued to stand in the corner, hands behind his back. "I'm supposed to escort you down the aisle. Hurry up and get dressed."
When he left the room to wait in the hallway, Rukia stripped and pulled the wedding dress over her head. The bosom clung tightly to her flat chest without straps. From there, it fountained out, drowning her small figure in lacy tulle. It wasn't exactly figure flattering, but it did a good job of hiding her very pregnant belly.
"I'm done," she whispered, peeking her head out the door. Byakuya was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, but promptly opened them and began walking down the hallway. Rukia struggled to keep up in high heels. When he reached the back door, Byakuya stuck out his arm to her, which she took tentatively.
Tick, tick. The clock chimed six times and the wedding march began to play. Byakuya opened the sliding glass door and took the first step. Rukia remained rooted to the spot, her heels sinking in the carpet. Byakuya took another step. She stepped out onto the porch with a click of her heels on the concrete patio. The wedding congregation turned around to watch her make her way down the aisle. Ichigo waited at the makeshift altar with his hands in his pockets. His pale face and wide eyes made Rukia feel even more nervous than she was before. What happened to the confidence they once had? All she felt now was the burden of responsibility.
When they reached the end of the aisle, Byakuya handed off his younger sister to Ichigo without a single word and returned to his seat in the front row. "Sorry," Rukia whispered, for no real reason but to apologize for whatever mistakes she had made and would make in the future.
Ichigo snorted and took her hands in his. "Don't be," he whispered back, although he wasn't entirely sure what she meant in the first place.
Before them, Isshin stood in the place of a minister. They would register their marriage later; for the time being, he would facilitate the wedding. He cleared his throat quite audibly before beginning. "Thank you everyone for joining us this evening. The night is young and the food is great and plentiful, so I'll try to keep this ceremony short and sweet. Sound good?" The crowded murmured approvingly. "Tonight we are gathering to witness my son, Ichigo, and my future daughter-in-law, Rukia, join together in matrimony."
With a nod from his father as his cue, Ichigo began his part. "I, Ichigo Kurosaki, promise to honor and respect my wife for as long as I live."
"I, Rukia Kuchiki," the bride's voice squeaked. No, no, louder. "Ah, sorry," she bowed her head slightly in apology. Ichigo squeezed her hands reassuringly, but his were as clammy as hers. "I, Rukia Kuchiki, promise to honor and respect my husband for as long as I live." Now that wasn't so bad, was it?
The rest of the ceremony went by quickly and without any more slip-ups. Once the rings (simple, silver bands) were exchanged, Isshin drew it all to a close. "I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!"
The congregation erupted into applause as Ichigo lowered his head to meet Rukia's lips halfway. It was a relatively chaste kiss, but while their lips were just breaths apart, Rukia whispered, "It's a girl."
She giggled as his eyes seemingly bugged out from his head and pulled him down for another kiss. It was brief moments like these, when she could ignore the unknown territory before them, forget the baby business and married business and when-did-everything-become-such-a-pain-in-the-ass business… that Rukia remembered why she fell in love with him. It wasn't immediate or voluntary by any means, but she figured some things you just had to accept as the way they were meant to be.
A/N: I am so sorry for taking forever with such a shitty chapter. I think what really held me back on this one was the whole wedding ceremony. I had a beginning and an ending, but the middle was too long and boring and I just wasn't feeling up to typing out the entire wedding spiel. Forgive me? I'll try to be better…