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The yelling two rooms away has been going on for nearly half an hour, and even with the doors closed Isshin and Byakuya’s voices reach into what Rukia has dubbed “operational headquarters.”
“Do you think they’ll just kill each other and let us do what we want?” Ichigo leans back against the loveseat and scrubs a hand through his hair. It’s gotten long, below his collar in the back, and it’s starting to fall into his eyes in front.
“Ichigo!” Rukia smacks his arm. “Nii-sama is the Head of the Kuchiki Clan and charged with maintaining our oldest traditions.”
“Yeah, yeah. But he and Tou-san have been arguing for a week about which shrine we’ll be marrying in. I had to stop Byakuya from using Senbonzakura on him, yesterday,” Ichigo grumbles.
The low table in front of them is filled with the finery and frippery of a wedding in process. There are fabric samples and pictures of bridal attire scattered amidst invitation choices and a guest list that has so many scribbled names it’s four pages long. “It’s very important to Nii-sama that our wedding be fitting of a member of the clan and a hero of Soul Society,” Rukia reminds him.
Ichigo just grimaces. “I’m not a hero,” he protests quietly.
Rukia’s hand finds his and their fingers twine together. “What you are is a good man, Ichigo,” she murmurs. Then she pokes him in the side with her other hand. “But you’re also my betrothed and we need to pick an invitation design from the three choices Nii-sama and your Tou-san approved.”
He groans in response, but his free hand reaches for the three “pre-approved” invitations. They look almost identical to his eyes: all three use smooth, heavy white paper and have modest floral designs embossed into them. “At least that only took one day of yelling,” Ichigo grumbles.
“I like the one with the forget-me-not pattern.” Rukia taps it with one finger.
“Yeah?” he looks it over more closely. A translucent silvery ribbon wraps around the borders, and the envelope is lined with paper of a similar hue. “Yeah, okay,” he agrees.
The shouting from the other room grows louder, and suddenly the door slides open so forcefully that it nearly cracks. “Fine! We’ll have the wedding at your shrine, but I want to pick the san san kudo set!” Isshin Kurosaki bellows.
Ichigo and Rukia stare first at each other and then at Isshin and Byakuya, the latter of whom is actually flushed with anger.
“The san san kudo set I have proposed has been part of the Kuchiki clan for six hundred years. You propose buying a set like this is some cheap Rukongai wedding?” Byakuya’s voice is quieter but more threatening.
Ichigo sighs again. “We’ve picked a wedding invitation,” he says, in a pathetic bid to try and distract them.
As expected, it doesn’t work. The men ignore him and Isshin shouts, “Of course not. I want him to use the set that Masaki and I used at our wedding!”
Byakuya stops and his hands fall to his sides. He seems to notice suddenly that they have an audience and looks at Ichigo and Rukia. “Yes, that will be acceptable.”
Rukia lets out a sigh of relief under her breath.
Ichigo just whispers, “We haven’t even started talking about the reception yet.”
Unfortunately, Byakuya overhears him. “I will host the reception here at the manor, of course,” he announces.
“It will be held at the Shiba manor, of course,” Isshin says almost at the same time.
The men glare at one another, and Ichigo and Rukia slump on the loveseat with a simultaneous groan. Fortunately, Rukia is ready for this one and she begins to tear up, crying softly as Ichigo takes her into his arms.
“Wait! Wait, don’t cry, my third daughter!” Isshin cries.
“It’s just that Nii-sama has offered to hold our reception here,” Rukia sniffles and dabs her eyes with the sleeve of Ichigo’s shihakusho. “He is my only family, and I am so – so honored.”
Faced with a crying woman and a son who is glaring at him, Isshin quickly gives in, “Of course, of course we must have the reception here. I’m sure Kuukaku will understand.”
Rukia sniffles again for good measure and then turns a brilliant smile on Isshin. “Oh, thank you! Thank you, Kurosaki-san!”
Ichigo, who knows all about Rukia’s terrible acting and for once has decided to go along with it, just kisses his wife-to-be on the forehead.
A few months later, Ichigo and Rukia walk together through the red torii gate of the shrine within the first district of North Rukongai. Rukia wears a shiromuku, although she has foregone covering her hair.
The white fabric of her furisode is woven and embroidered with white cranes, while her obi is covered in a repeating pattern of snowflakes and crescent moons. An obijime wraps around the obi to keep it in place, and a pair of crescent moons decorate it in the middle. In Rukia’s hair, in lieu of any head covering, are clear crystal kanzashi. They sparkle and gleam against the midnight silk of her hair. The white zori she wears gives her three extra inches of height.
Ichigo is her opposite, wearing a formal silk kuro montsuki kimono and striped hakama. The black haori he wears bears the emblems of the Shiba and Kurosaki families, as well as of the Gotei 13. His haori-himo is decorated with a blackened metal sun, and his hair is as tamed as he can make it.
Behind them trail Isshin and Byakuya, and Yuzu and Karin follow in pretty pastel furisode. Yuzu and Karin have been given the task of carrying Sode no Shirayuki and Zangetsu, respectively; Zangetsu has permitted himself to be sealed for the occasion and so both blades are peace-knotted with white fabric. Kuukaku and Ganju are last, both wearing formal dress.
A priest and shrine maiden meet them just beyond the gate, after the wedding party have washed their hands and mouths. They lead the way into the temple and as Ichigo and Rukia reach the doorway, they stop for just a moment, turn, and smile at one another in the sunlight. His hand finds hers, and they step forward.