Disclaimer: The only kind of Bleach I own is for the laundry.
Story: When Rukia comes to Karakura, Gin tags along for supervision (and because he made some nobles angry). How will Ichigo deal with both of them, while they adjust to a surprising human that could do things she shouldn't? Especially given the odd things that keep happening around her. Fem!Ichigo AU.
Set as a genderbent AU.
Spoilers: Yes, most definitely.
Pairings: Ryuken Ishida/Ichigo, Gin/Ichigo, Urahara/Ichigo, Aizen/Ichigo, Ukitake/Ichigo, Kyouraku/Ichigo, Byakuya/Ichigo, and maybe one-sided Others/Ichigo, Grimmjow/Ichigo, Ulquirrora/Ichigo…
Warnings: My usual crap…crazy writing, some perverseness every now and then, drama, angst, wild humor, drama, romance, drama, and that kind of thing…

Bleach It Orange!
Chapter Nine: Arrangement

Ichigo stared at her phone, biting her lower lip. She hadn't expected this at all and with the others there listening in, she was close to having a panic attack. Like what the freaking hell was she going to say?

She took a deep breath to steady herself and awkwardly cleared her throat. "Ah, Ginjo-san, do you mind if I think it over and give you an answer tomorrow? I'm a bit caught off guard and would like to think about it first."

"Oh, ah, yeah of course! I know this was sudden and all. Take as long as you need! I look forward to hearing from you either way!"

His voice was cheerful, so she hoped that meant he hadn't taken her non-answer dejectedly. So after they both hung up, Ichigo pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to calm herself down, though the whispering near her was making her agitation rise.

"Guys! I can hear you!" she glowered at the gossiping group, who looked back at her blandly.

"This is a momentous occasion," Tatsuki proclaimed with a raised eyebrow. "Karakura's Sunset Princess has been asked out and may even go on a date."

Ichigo gave her an affronted look. "What? Who the hell even calls me the 'Sunset Princess'? What are you even saying, Tatsuki?"

"Your fan club does," Tatsuki snickered. "They came up with it a few days ago."

"I put my vote on it!" Orihime said proudly. "It's very pretty."

"Oooh, I would've put my vote in on it too," Rukia agreed. "You're right, Orihime; it's very pretty and suiting."

"I like it~" Gin gave a thumbs up. "It fits Ichi-hime very well! Good job, ladies."

Ichigo was very tempted to bang her head against the wall at this insanity. Why was she stuck with them for the night?

"That said, let's go back to this very momentous occasion," Tatsuki started grinning. "Our cute Sunset Princess was asked out. What're you thinking, Ichigo?"

Ignoring the new nickname, Ichigo thought about the invitation. "It's…something to think about? I still have a fiancé to consider though…"

Though Rukia and Gin knew about the fiancé and was just reminded about him, the other two hadn't had any idea and were caught off guard.

"Wait, wait –you have a fiancé?" Tatsuki gaped openly, while Orihime gasped. "Aaah, Ichi-hime, why didn't you ever tell us?"

She blinked, having not even realized that. "It was just never brought up, I suppose," she said, thinking about it. "It's an arranged marriage, since I was young. But he and I are…at least good friends and like each other well enough," though her cheeks felt suspiciously warm. "Ryuken's not a bad guy."

"Oh, his name is Ryuken? Details, Ichigo!" Tatsuki prodded eagerly.

Orihime echoed her. "Yeah, details! Who is he? What school does he attend? How'd you first meet?"

Ichigo shifted uncomfortably, more so at the interested, intense looks from the other two in attendance. Gin's frown was concerning though.

"Ryuken doesn't go to school," she informed them stiffly. "He's actually older than me…Much older, I guess," she shrugged. "He's the Director of Karakura Hospital, around middle age, I think. His humor runs dry or at least sarcastic, but he's very intelligent and devoted. We met when I was younger, after my mother had died and the arrangement was made then, I suppose. We met officially as fiancés when I was thirteen and have steadily gotten to know each other since. There is that age gap though, hence why he's insisted that it would be…okay? For me to…try dating, I guess. I don't know –I think I'd talk to him about this tomorrow morning, see what he thinks. I'm still unsure."

"At least you have open communication," Tatsuki pointed out. "That's healthy. And he doesn't seem controlling either."

"What's his last name?" Orihime asked curiously. "So we can hear what might be yours in the future?" she teased.

Ichigo rolled her eyes. "Ishida. His full name is Ryuken Ishida."

Tatsuki and Orihime stared at her, gaping mouths in shock. "Ishida?" Tatsuki questioned in disbelief. "As in Uryuu Ishida?"

That made Ichigo amused. "That's his son. He still hasn't introduced the two of us, so I've been teasing and prodding Ryuken to do so."

"You know he's in our class, right?" Tatsuki told her.

"Really?" Rukia asked, looking suspiciously eager to hear more. "Which one? Do they look alike?"

"The dark blue-haired one with glasses, quiet, sits in the back and is part of the crafts club," Tatsuki listed off. "I think he's part of Ichigo's fan club too."

At that, Ichigo's face went blank and she inwardly bemoaned her luck. That and she was going to lecture Ryuken the next time she saw him. Also, how in the hell did she miss Uryuu? She was literally in the same class apparently!

"Eh, Ichigo, you gonna talk to your fiancé tomorrow, right?" Gin asked nonchalantly. "Why don'cha invite him over sometime? Introduce him to everyone."

"Excellent idea!" Rukia was enthused. "He's an important person to you and part of your life, therefore he should definitely know your friends, Ichigo."

She eyed the female Shinigami suspiciously, but mentally shrugged off her weirdness. Gin was being weird too, but that was a more common thing, so she didn't waste her time trying to figure out what his issue was. However, Rukia and Gin's words ended up riling up the other two, who began to pester her about meeting her fiancé too and she exasperatedly waved them off.

"Okay, okay! I'll talk to him about it and maybe hold some sort of meeting or something. Satisfied?" she glowered at the others, who only ignored her and began to excitedly gossip together.

Exasperated, Ichigo grabbed some snacks and began to irritably eat. Why on earth did she know these people?

Ryuken had been caught off guard by the text from his fiancée, who had informed him that she was coming over that morning. Wondering if things were okay or if this was, wonderfully enough, just another visit from her, Ryuken headed down from his office to try to meet up with her. To his consternation, he saw that she'd been waylaid by some of his nurses, the very same ones who had been gossiping about her before.

His poor fiancée looked bemused, but thankfully her rare temper hadn't blown up yet. She didn't even look irritated yet either, so hopefully that meant a good sign. Taking a deep breath, he strode forward and interrupted his strange starry-eyed nurses from 'attacking' his fiancée.

"Ichigo," he spoke out, startling the nurses who'd been gushing over Ichigo's hair. "I apologize for being late. Let's go to my office."

The soft smile she gave him startled him but made him feel warm, wondering even more at the occasion. She excused herself from the others and headed his way, and he offered his arm while giving his nurses a raised eyebrow until they were separating from each other and scattered back to their stations, giggling all the while. Occasional glances at him and Ichigo were ignored as he led her to his office.

"Please excuse my nurses," he said blandly, inwardly sighing. "They've been fascinated with you since they first caught sight of you before and have been wondering who you were here to see."

She looked amused. "Well, now they know it's you."

Ryuken huffed. "I predict no end of questions and giggling in my future."

Ichigo broke out into a full grin that mesmerized him, and he had to mentally shake his head and refocus. "Speaking of your presence, may I ask the occasion? Not that I don't enjoy seeing you and having you just visit just because."

Here she hesitated but gave him a rueful look. "I was asked out last night. To a date. By that same guy I told you about."

Oh.

At least now he understood why she was so hesitant. Still, he hadn't expected something like this to happen so soon. He was hoping that he'd have more time before dealing with a situation like this, but he should have known that from the moment she told him about meeting and being attracted to someone, this kind of situation would pop up.

"I already know what you said to me before," Ichigo said gruffly, avoiding looking at him. "And I took it in mind and decided that yeah…I guess I'll go on that date and try to enjoy it. But since you're my fiancé, I wanted to let you know and give you the respect to know about it because you're my fiancé. And also if he turns out to be a serial killer or something, at least you know who and where I was with," she added as an afterthought, though it made him actually chuckle.

"I highly doubt that you wouldn't be capable of taking care of him on your own then," he said dryly, smirking at her in amusement. "You would have knocked him out the moment he tried something."

Ichigo gave him a small smile. "True but at least I have someone to know about these things just in case." She hesitated again, but he waited patiently for her. "But if it really does bother you and you'd rather not…Say the word and I'll reject the date."

It was tempting and he thought about it. But he cared about her and Ichigo was young and had only had him in mind 'romantically' for so long…And because he did care about her, he would be aggrieved if she grew to resent him later on because she'd felt trapped in their marriage or had fallen for someone else.

He wanted to give her a choice and a life other than him, when Ichigo's mother almost didn't have one until Masaki had forced it.

"I'm glad you thought of me and that you considered my feelings on this," he started out slowly. "However, I want to be able to give you a choice that your mother wasn't able to have, until your father came along," he admitted to her.

She actually looked taken aback and he supposed that her father hadn't actually revealed much about Misaki's former living conditions to her; he had also not elaborated much on it, aside from revealing how she'd once lived with him and his family and that they had formerly been engaged and why.

"Misaki had nowhere else to stay and the arrangement between us was a capitulation from my family," he told her. "But my family, particularly my mother, was very strict and hard on her. There was many restrictions in place and Misaki had to follow many rules under my family's roof, so long as she stayed there. When your father came, Misaki was finally freed from my family's 'prison' and was finally able to make her own choices. She chose him and lived happily with Isshin and you and the girls, up until her death. So I would like to be able to let you have your freedom in our own relationship, this time around."

Ichigo ended up grinning at him, but she was shy as she reached over and grabbed his hand. He was the one taken aback now.

"You can be really sweet, you know, Ryuken?" she laughed and he just rolled his eyes, though he did hold her hand more securely. "That said, wanna meet him? You are my fiancé, so you should see who I'm going to go on a date with. He should also know that I'm engaged and who it is, if he actually wants to go on a date with me of all people."

Thinking like that… Yes, how interesting.

"Alright," he said in amusement. "I'll go meet this man who thinks he can steal my pretty, little fiancée from me," he said teasingly.

She tossed her head back, beautiful sunset hair shaking away from her face, and laughed fully.

Ichigo was rather amused by the conversation. Not that she blamed the other man; it was strange and unfortunately unusual to be told such a thing, but…

"So, uh, you have a fiancé from an arrangement made when you were young?" Kugo asked uncertainly.

"That's right," she affirmed nonchalantly. She could see Ryuken look utterly amused and was glad she decided to make the call in front of him. She gave him a small smirk before continuing to talk into the phone. "It's just an FYI, considering you asked me out and I'm just letting you know that if you really wanted a date, there's that in mind."

Any normal person would be running –

"Okay, I totally understand. So I'm hoping that means it's still alright to take you out on a date?"

She raised her eyebrows at the same as Ryuken raised one of his, and the two of them shared a look. "Well, if you're alright with that, then I suppose so. You don't mind meeting him first, right?" she added, wondering how far she could push it with this guy.

"O-oh, of course, no problem! Is tomorrow good then?"

She glanced over to Ryuken, who nodded back. "Tomorrow sounds good. I'll text you an address later if that's okay."

"Sure thing, can't wait!"

When she hung up, Ryuken shook his head and gave her a strange look. "Honestly, he sounds like an odd man," he admitted. "I don't think it'd be a normal reaction to just accept that kind of information."

Ichigo chuckled. "I got the same reaction when I first met him. He's…unusual." Which was probably an understatement, even if she hadn't known him for longer than a single meeting. "Eventually though, since they know about you now too, my friends would like to meet you as well."

That made him blink and look startled, something not usually expressed on his face. "Well, I suppose that should be alright. It would also be rather prudent for me to introduce myself, given our relationship to each other. Will you be alright with that?"

She waved him off. "Of course, of course. I would be fine with it, but I asked since I don't know if you wanted to deal with overzealous teenagers that will most probably want to harass you over everything."

He exaggerated a put upon sigh. "Oh the joys," he said sarcastically, making her smirk.

"I'll let you know the time and place," she said as she walked over to him. She gave him a quick, shy hug that made her blush slightly, but he was quick to reciprocate into a firmer hug as he pulled her back to him.

"I look forward to it," he said as they separated. He managed a small smile for her. "To both meeting your friends and this strange man that thinks he can court you away," he allowed a teasing grin that made her cheeks fully redden.

"Geez, Ryuken," she muttered as she hurried away.

Ichigo did indeed call Ryuken over to her home the next day, thankful it was a weekend. Gin and Rukia's blatant staring, however, was as exasperating as it was slightly (slightly!) amusing.

"Cut it out, you two!" she snapped at them, as they sat on the ground gawping at Ichigo and Ryuken sitting together on the love couch.

Her sisters were no better, hiding behind the entranceway to the family room and whispering to each other like they thought Ichigo couldn't damn well see them. At least Goat Face was busy in the clinic…

Still, to be fair, Ryuken was an unusual sight at her home and the girls knew about him…but had never actually seen him in person or even talked to him before. It was just a known thing in their house and wasn't discussed between the members in the house, minus the rare times between her and Isshin. It was only between her frequent interactions with Ryuken and their acknowledgement of the arrangement (and Isshin's reluctant acknowledgement) that she was known to have a fiancé at all.

"But Ichi-hime!" Gin whined, 'eying' Ryuken with his closed eyes.

Ryuken raised an eyebrow at her, as if to question 'Ichi-hime?' Ichigo scowled at him and didn't react to him. Instead, she addressed the Soul Reaper blandly. "You two asked about my fiancé and wanted to meet him with the others. The others can meet him later on, but as he's going to meet my date in a little bit, I decided to ask him over."

"Yes, but –!" Yuzu pouted as Karin grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her behind her. Both of her sisters peered at Ryuken curiously. "You never introduced your fiancé to us," Yuzu muttered, pout growing worse. "We're your sisters!"

Ichigo inwardly sighed but figured that Yuzu was right –she probably should've had Ryuken come around long before, to at least introduce her sisters to him. Isshin already knew the man and knew and set up the arrangement with him and the Quincy Elders, but the girls hadn't a clue behind everything and nothing about Quincies and Soul Reapers. It was decided that they would turn 13 first before they'd learn about those worlds and that would come soon enough.

"Yuzu, Karin," she gentled her voice but stared directly at them. "This is Ryuken, who you knew has been my fiancé. Ryuken, these are my sisters. The light-haired one is Yuzu and the darker haired one is Karin."

She was pleased (and a little relieved) to see her sisters move away from their hiding spot and come closer to them, bowing respectfully towards Ryuken.

"Pleased to meet you," they chorused.

"And I am pleased to finally meet you two," Ryuken allowed a soft smile for Ichigo's sisters. "Your sister has told me many things about you girls."

While Yuzu giggled, Karin huffed and glanced at Ichigo with narrowed eyes that she responded to with a quirk of her lips. And then to her surprise, her two 'guests' introduced themselves as well. She was baffled though, by the fact that they were utterly formal and serious, unlike the strange and quirky ways they'd been like with her and her family.

"Fiancé of Ichigo Kurosaki, I am Rukia of the Kuchiki Clan," Rukia did a polite half-bow, straightening up with too serious an air. "I have the pleasure of making your acquaintance, Ryuken-san."

Then Gin, no longer wearing his usual wide, cheery (and sometimes creepy) grin, bowed lower than Rukia had and then straightened up as he introduced himself. "Pleased to meet you, Ryuken-san. I am Gin Ichimaru, Rukia-san's de facto guardian and friend of Ichi-hime."

Ichigo couldn't help giving him a strange look, unbalanced by how serious Gin suddenly was and how formal he'd been towards Ryuken. And what was up with that description?! Rukia's 'de facto guardian'? The hell he mean by that? At least he still couldn't let go of calling her 'Ichi-hime'…

Ryuken only paused for a moment before he smoothly continued on, nodding towards the Soul Reapers. "Pleased to meet the both of you, Kuchiki-san, Ichimaru-san. Thank you for taking care of Ichigo for me."

And she had to admit that was pretty sly, subtly inferring to their teaching and looking over her and her training as a Substitute Soul Reaper. She wanted to give him a look, but refrained from the urge, though she knew he'd just give her a rare smug look in return.

"Anyway, Ryuken, if you want to stay or come back later for dinner, you could. I'm sure the, uh, date won't be too long," Ichigo shrugged. "I can call my friends and have them meet you then too, get it all over with and done in one day," she gave a small huff.

Ryuken almost smirked, but given the company, he just gave her a bland look. "Yes, a short date," he said and the corners of his eyes crinkled like he was smiling, though she didn't get what was weird with what she said.

The doorbell rang then and she looked towards the entrance's direction. "I suppose that's him. Should I answer and let him in to meet you, or are you just going to follow me to meet him?"

"Everyone is all here," Ryuken gestured at the group, wearing the most shit-eating grin for a moment (which actually made her falter) before his face straightened out. "Why not let him in and meet us all?"

Ah hell, she had no idea that Ryuken had this kind of side to him at all. She didn't know if this was a good or bad thing!

Started 4/1/23 (1:43:40 PM)– Completed 7/9/23

A/n: Hooo, boy, it's been a real long second, y'all! I've missed this fic, especially since BLEACH has come back and all, and I've been reading fics for the fandom again~ Lately, I've been wanting to and trying really hard to get back to some of my older fics, so here's to this one getting more work done to it!

Quick Points:

1. Goodness, I really did hate the Bird episode XD It really stalled and killed my motivation for this fic. I promise I'll push through it though (and in just one chapter, 'cause I can't deal with drawing that shit out, y'all).

2. I will get to Soul Society this year, I swear XD

3. Hope people still interested in this :)