The Heir Apparent
Chapter 48: Freedom in the New Dawn

Ichigo tugged on his collar nervously. He'd never done this before. Hell, he wasn't even 16 yet!

'First wedding eh, Ichigo?' said Kenpachi.

It was slightly disturbing to see the man in a suit and tie. While he had combed and tied back his hair in an attempt to look respectable, the length and oiliness of said hair and the scars on his face totally undid the effect; as did the eye patch. He looked like a bouncer outside an upmarket club. Leaning next to his legs was a long thin red box. It wasn't a present; inside was his zanpakutou. All of them had theirs wrapped up in a similar way. They weren't taking any chances, not after the public crowning ceremony the Rache had interrupted.

'Yeah, I mean I've seen this in movies, but never been there,' he said.

'I never realized how uncomfortable pants are,' said Kyoraku, adjusting them over his thighs, 'How did you manage to wear them, Ichigo?' He, at least, had cleaned up nicely.

He shrugged, 'You kinda get used to it.'

'And this tie, it's ridiculous. Who thought up this fashion?'

'Some idiot in Europe I guess.' Traditional Japanese clothes were certainly more comfortable and functional in a fight.

'Why couldn't we have gone with a Shinto-style wedding again?' growled Renji. His attempts to tidy up only made him look like Kenpachi's junior colleague.

'Because the bride wanted it this way,' said Kyoraku.

'The groom didn't object either,' Urahara put in. For once he wasn't wearing either the hat or platform shoes. His hairstyle had remained though.

'I hear that this type is popular right now in Japan,' said Renji.

Ichigo shrugged 'I suppose.'*

Then the music started and the five men stood up, none could resist looking back. The bride had started her walk, flanked by her maids of honour. They had been pressed into service; neither looked too happy about it. Understandable, since they were in frilly pink dresses in front of everyone. The area around was entirely open and a good portion of Gotei thirteen and thousands of people stood in attendance. More should have come, but after what had happened during the last ceremony it would be a while before the majority of Rukongai trusted the shinigami with their safety. The pulpit had been set up; not the entire church. Rukia indicated with her head as she passed him, and Ichigo took the hint.

'Time to move,' he whispered, and they stepped out to their places.

Kurosaki Isshin stood as the minister, in a white suit. He smiled as the two approached. 'My friends, it's time for me to marry you, at last.'

Captains Shihoin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke took each other's hands.

X

The wedding and formal reception took most of the day, and by the time they got back to Seireitei everyone was pretty exhausted. Yet nobody was making excuses not to attend the after-party. After what had happened and the exhaustive last week everyone was looking forward to being able to let their hair down. Kyoraku had promised them all tomorrow as an additional leave day, so recovery time was already in place.

They were in the newly rebuilt wing of the twelfth division, which had been put up in record time but as yet hadn't been filled up with equipment. Apparently the twelfth division members had a lot of experience rebuilding their labs. While it did mean that they would be taking responsibility for all the mess, more than one shinigami roped into serving had been caught trying to spike drinks with some drug still in testing. Who knew what they would be ingesting unknowingly this evening. It certainly lent an edge to the proceedings, though whether it was one of excitement or fear was debatable.

Renji sat watching the proceedings, for once lost in thought. He wasn't a highly introspective person, but at the moment he could allow himself a bit of private; personal satisfaction. His backlog of paperwork was finished, the only other ones to have done so in time for the party were Byakuya and Yoruichi, and he'd started going through the applications for positions in his division. There were many, and they were talented.

'Here's your drink, Cap'n,' said Iba.

Renji nodded as he took it. 'Matsumoto, come and join us.'

'Coming,' said the strawberry blonde, swaying slightly as she dragged an obviously not inebriated nor amused Hitsugaya. Hinamori followed with Kira.

'Congratulations on your win,' said Kira, 'I hear they're talking about your win all over the academy.'

'Yup, I got the most recognition outta this war,' he said, puffing out his chest.

'No, you got the fourth most,' said Hitsugaya, extracting himself from Matsumoto's grasp. 'You're behind Urahara, Kyoraku and-' he scowled '-Kuchiki Rukia.'

'What about Shiba Kukkaku and Kurosaki Ichigo?' said Kira, 'They also killed Rache leaders. And my captain foiled their agents.'

'Yeah but Byakuya didn't have a big battle,' said Renji, 'Those are what impresses.'

'Kukkaku nearly died, so it was considered a near draw,' said Hitsugaya, 'And Ichigo, well, he's always doing things like that.'

The others nodded, even Hinamori.

'So serious,' said Matsumoto, draping herself over Hitsugaya's shoulders, 'Come on, the war's over, let's have some fun before its time for the next one.'

'Why don't you come over here, we can have some fun together,' said Renji.

Kira winced, but Matsumoto said, 'Get me another drink and I'll think about it.'

X

Rukia sneezed, then sniffed her drink suspiciously before taking a small sip. Satisfied, she downed it.

'Ease up, shortness,' said Ichigo, who was only on his fifth.

'Are you going soft on me?' she demanded, shaking another drink in his face. 'You better be hardcore tonight, mister.'

'Wh-whadya mean by that?' he said, the blush deepening across his cheeks.

She wasn't really sure, but said, 'Shuttup and drink.'

The last time that Rukia had been inebriated, she'd nearly kissed Ichigo. Since then they'd crossed that particular line. So what would end up nearly happening if she got drunk tonight? Whatever it was, she was sure that her brother wouldn't approve. But then again, he no longer outranked her. Even his position as head of the family over her was debatable, as she was a founding member of the Shiba clan. And now, partner to the heir apparent of Soul Society.

For the first time since coming to Gotei thirteen, there was no one who completely outranked her. Well, besides Kyoraku in military matters. And Byakuya in family matters. And Chamber 46 in judicial. Well anyways, the point was she could do whatever she wanted. Sort of. Within reason.

'Dance with me,' she said suddenly, pulling Ichigo onto the floor, uncaring that she was making him spill the sake in his hand.

'Whoa, easy there crazy girl.'

'I'm not crazy,' she said fiercely, grabbing him by the back of his hair. Then she kissed him full on the lips, pulling away before he could respond, 'Tipsy, that's all.'

'Could have fooled me,' said the orange haired teen-captain, wiping his mouth in shock, giving the crowd an awkward glance to see if anyone was watching. 'A pity that Ishida couldn't come to the wedding,' he said, nodding to where he sat, quietly talking to Orihime, Ryuuken and Isshin.

'The crowd would have stampeded if they'd known there was a Quincy among them,' she said, hating him for killing the mood, 'He's here now, isn't he?'

'Yeah, I guess.'

'So dance already!'

The music changed then to something slower, and Rukia's heart skipped a beat as his long arms wrapped around her. His body pressed firmly but gently against hers. This was something different to the formal dancing of Soul Society, or the more wild improvisation of the material world. This was closer, intimate, and altogether inappropriate; there were people all around them! And yet, she couldn't summon the will to push him away. His chin was resting on the top of her head, and it just felt right, like something she never wanted to end.

X

Byakuya watched his adoptive sister dancing as though joined at the hip to her partner, and nodded to himself. They were getting close, too close to be allowed to continue. If they did, they would likely shame both the Kuchiki family name and that of the Royal family. Drastic measures needed to be taken.

'I have a wedding to plan,' he muttered to himself.

'You do?' Kenpachi slurred next to him.

They would be notified, of course, on the day of the event when there was no wiggle room. Just the looks on their faces would make it worthwhile.

Perhaps he was slightly drunk.

Then Yoruichi called to the small crowd, and the two in question broke apart.

'We're going to be calling it a night; we have some things to do,' she said gleefully, to nervous titters from the crowd, 'So, unmarried girls, gather!'

Normally the throwing of the bridal bouquet would be done immediately after the wedding, but with it being a public affair the after party was more intimate. The high ranking Shinigami women and Orihime clustered together; Isane stuck out like a sore thumb.

Yoruichi counted down and threw the flowers high into the air, and then all hell broke loose.

Byakuya wasn't sure who pushed whom first, but the retaliation was a blast of kido that hit more than just the offender, then they instantly transformed into an all out squabble mob. Fists and kicks were thrown, wordless low-level kido spells flew in all direction. A small ball of fire exiting the group hit a decoration, setting it ablaze. Kyoraku calmly poured his drink over it. It must have been almost pure spirits, because the resulting whoosh of flame set the man's clothes alight; he ran off screaming to jump into the koi pond outside. Yachiru meanwhile started toasting a marshmallow on the new fire. As soon as it caught aflame she popped it into her mouth, and seemed none the worse for it.

'Shouldn't we do something, captain?' said Kira.

'No,' said Byakuya indifferently. It was more fun to watch. Besides, what good party was complete without a bit of mayhem?

'Meh,' said Kenpachi, plainly not interested in a fight with no chance of a fatality. He staggered off to find some more booze.

Unohana had somehow managed to extract herself, and walked off hurriedly with all the dignity she could muster with ripped clothing and scratch marks on her face. Ichigo and Renji, who had looked like they would step in initially, had by now thought better of it and were taking bets with some of the other men. Byakuya would have joined them, but he had a reputation to maintain. The bride and groom had taken the opportunity to slip away.

The bouquet meanwhile floated unnoticed to the ground.

X

It was a few days later, and Ichigo was sitting on the banks of a hill in Rukongai, overlooking what had been Ukitake's rest house. It wasn't part of what Ichigo had inherited from his predecessor, but the late captains family had yet to take it over despite the place being in the second district. They hadn't even maintained it, Kiyone and Sentaro had been coming during their off time. Only one still did.

Again he pondered the letter in his hand. Should he offer to buy it out, or just ask them to gift it to Kiyone? Offering to pay might be seen as rude if they didn't want to sell or didn't need the money. Not offering could be seen as presumptuous. He sighed and crumpled it in his hand. It was probably best to meet with them, and decide from that how to go about it. That meeting would be all kinds of awkward. He tossed the paper over his shoulder.

A hand reached out and caught it. 'Yada yara, littering Ichigo? I thought they frowned on that where you're from.'

He glanced back. 'Hey, wanna join me?'

Kyoraku sat down beside him. 'Deciding how to get through to Kiyone, eh?' he said without unfolding the note.

'Yeah.'

'Give it time.'

'Some things time doesn't heal,' said Ichigo, remembering his mother.

'It numbs the pain at least,' said Kyoraku.

The two men sat in companionable silence, Kyoraku absently chewing on a grass straw while sitting back and staring at the sky, Ichigo hugging his knees and thinking. Kyoraku started whistling softly, a tune Ichigo had never heard. The wind picked up slightly, flapping their white haoris that were the insignia of their rank, and Kyoraku's pink kimono.

'How's the paperwork going?' said Ichigo. He was nearly finished with his backlog, despite not currently having an able and competent lieutenant.

'Still a week or more of madness,' the older man replied, 'We've slowed down a bit, took the day off today, people were collapsing from overwork.'

'Ah.' Perhaps he should help out, once he had finished his work and gotten a bit of rest in.

'Did you know that Byakuya is starting to make arrangements that concern you?'

Ichigo snorted, 'Hand him some of your work, he obviously doesn't have enough to do. He's a hundred years too late to get the jump on me. There'll be complications to his plans until we're good and ready.'

'And then it will be a huge surprise of course.'

'Of course,' he said with an identical grin.

'How does Rukia-chan feel?'

'She hasn't noticed yet, taking over your old division has been a lot of work for her. I offered to help of course, but she wouldn't accept it. Crazy girl.'

'Ah well, she's proud. Good for her.'

'Changing the subject,' said Ichigo, 'Yoruichi's report came back.'

'Did I ask for another?' said Kyoraku, frowning.

'I did, as a favour. It's concerning where the Rache got their recruits from.' He handed it to Kyoraku.

As they all had suspected, nearly all of them had come from Rukongai. The further they got from Seireitei, the higher the percentages were. Fully two thirds of their numbers could be traced to districts seventy and beyond, while less than thirty had come from the material world. The conclusion was simple; by not keeping a close eye on the poorer districts they were fostering potential enemies. All they needed was a leader and a cause.

The report went further. Before, the Shinigami in Gotei 13 had always assumed that people with spiritual power from the poorer districts would gravitate towards the better ones, and ultimately to Seireitei. That was the experience of everyone currently living in Seireitei, anyway. The truth was that was a survivor's bias. Many with spiritual potential simply used it to solidify their position outside, becoming Bandit Clan Chiefs and the like. Or they wandered the land searching for fights, much like Kenpachi had. Both groups made life miserable for all others, and both were potential recruits for insurgents like the Rache.

'Makes sense,' said Kyoraku, folding the abridged document. 'I take it there's a reason you're showing me this?'

'Things have got to change, Shunsui. Rukongai is hardly heaven, but it's all most souls have got. And a lot of them can't bear it.'

'True, but what's to be done?'

'I've spoken with Renji, Rukia and Toshiro. They're all from Rukongai, so they know what it's like. Kenpachi wanted in too, but I dunno if that's a good idea,' he said with a shudder.

'So what are you going to do?'

'Isn't it obvious? We're gonna protect them. We'll divide up the territory and patrol it, set up bases and stuff.'

'I wouldn't expect anything less of you,' said the new head captain to the Heir Apparent of Soul Society. 'Need some help?'

'Just with all the political bull, I got all the manpower -and midgetpower- I need'.

'Don't let Rukia or Toshiro hear you say that,' Kyoraku smiled.

'Heh, I might. By the way, what's with the new Rache-styled hairdo?'

Kyoraku tipped his straw hat. 'The hat is to remember Mikio and Maiyuki. The kimono, my wife Shiori and in a strange way; Daiken. The star and chain is for Bismark and all the Quincys I killed so long ago.'

'You're mourning Daiken and Bismark?'

'I am. I saw Bismark's life through his own eyes before he died. He wasn't the best of men, but he did believe he was protecting his people. And then when they were lost, because of me, his thoughts turned to vengeance.' He sighed, 'Daiken was a brother to me, once. And he was right, I see that now. The Quincy situation had no possible good ending; it was always going to end with their blood or ours.'

'You don't believe that.'

'Maybe it just seems like the most probable outcome, in hindsight.'

'Daiken had your wife murdered, and tried his damnest to kill you and your allies.'

'Me or him at that point,' said Kyoraku, laying back in the grass with his arms behind his head. 'Did you know that Daiken used to paint? He never sold any of his work; he kept it all in his house or gave it to ol' Yama. He was quite brilliant, perhaps the best seireitei's ever seen. The old man used to have a piece of his in every room he used. But after what happened I'm told he burned all the ones he had, what happened those in Daiken's old home I never found out.'

Ichigo couldn't help but wonder if Hitsugaya had inherited that gift. Did talents like that follow through your rebirths? Kyoraku seemed in a strange mood. 'Are you alright, Shunsui?'

The older man smiled and said, 'Remember that poem I wrote when I was on the run from Daiken?'**

'Sorta.'

'Well, I've finally written a last part that I'm happy with.'

Ichigo frowned slightly, but took the offered paper. The first three verses were ones he knew from the man's tale about his past.

Before my sins I watch and wait
Upon a pale and silent gate
The trees whisper
The wind blows
The ducks are lined in perfect rows
I look into the morning sky, and sigh
Wondering at my fate

Through my sins rage I firmly stand
My fury tearing up the land
I am not me
I am Seth
God of darkness, pain and death
I stare into this burning dream, and scream
I care not for this fate

In my sins sight I weep and moan
Until the beasts and birds have flown
My heart still heaves
Like rivers rage
Its trapped in an invisible cage
I gaze into the evening sky, and cry
My fate's my curse, my own

The last two were new to him, the penultimate sounded like a suicide note made for directly after it had all happened. But the tone of the last verse was very different.

On my sin's wake I stand unbended
This turmoil of my life has ended
Yet no peace will console me, this I know
Though I'm afraid, I have to go
I glance into the night sky
One last time, and sigh
My sin has been amended

Past my sin at last I see,
Peace will never come to me
Through joy and grief,
this life's a mess
With those I love my times are best
I glance into this new dawn, and yawn
I truly now am free

THE END

XX

*Hurray for Western TV destroying beautiful cultural practices!
** See chapter 42, Rache means Revenge

A/N: And DONE. Sorry it took such a long time, my life got really busy. Nowdays I tell people that I work full time, I study full time, and I've got a full time girlfriend. Only the last is an exaggeration.

This has been quite a journey for me, obviously I'm not the same person I was when I started this. That said, I haven't given up my dream of being a published author. Once I'm done with my studies in 18 months I'll make a serious effort. If I do become published, and you do end up reading my book/s, you'll never know it was me. Lol. In all seriousness, look out for this word: "Nemiah".

In the next chapter I have a short explanation for why Bleach is failing/has failed. Feel free to read it if you're interested, and spread it if you enjoyed.

This was my last piece of fanfiction. Thank you for reading. Sayonara.