I've been inspired by the movie "Made of Honor' for this story.

I do not own Bleach.

Prologue

The story is set post time skip.

It's been 7 years since the war and the defeat of Aizen. Kurosaki Ichigo, 22 years old, was still a Substitute Shinigami in his hometown, Karakura, and was much respected in Soul Society due to the major role he played in that war.

The Shinigami people still had a lot to do in Karakura town; hollows, ranging from the normal low strength ones to as powered as Achudas, still appeared frequently due to the high soul frequency of the town. Thus, Yamamoto Genryuusai, the captain commander, had to arrange for a 3 months shift system for Shinigami from Soul Society to stay in Karakura, so that there was always a Shinigami on patrol duty in the town, in addition of Ichigo being the Substitute Shinigami.

XOXOXO

Chapter 1

Kurosaki Karin, 17 years old, was looking at the now empty screen of the emergency line that video-linked Soul Society with Karakura town. Her mouth was gaping from the news she had just received, her brain hazily assimilating what she had just been told. She looked over at the man standing next to her, Kisuke Urahara, as if seeking confirmation whether she had heard correctly. The man's upper face were hidden by the brim of his hat, so she could not read his eyes, but she judged that he was surprised as well, seeing him snapping his fan open to hover it around his mouth, quirk he usually has when he was disturbed.

"Yare yare…Now, that's some interesting news," he drawled.

'Interesting' was not how Karin would describe the news. Jinta, Ururu and Tessai, the other residents of the Urahara shop, who had also been convoked for this call, seemed to find the news 'interesting' as well, though, all three of them bearing smiles on their faces.

Karin had been in the basement training grounds found under the shop, sparing with Urahara, her shishou for the past seven years, when Tessai had appeared and announced that Kuchiki Rukia was on a call from Soul Society to talk to all of them. Rukia was currently off-shift from her Shinigami duties of Karakura town, but she was supposed to start her 3 months shift during that week. It was quite unusual for Rukia to be calling, since to be able to arrange a communication via the emergency line, what with all the necessary higher levels' approval, was quite a feat in itself. So, Karin and Urahara had not wasted time to go in the communication room, found at the back of the shop, to take her call, hoping that everything was okay. Jinta and Ururu had already been in the room, where the blurred life size image of Rukia awaited them on the screen. Then, the next minutes, Karin had understood why Rukia had been granted the favor of using the communication line, when she had announced the news.

Damn, thought Karin. She was definitely not happy, as the other three were, about what she had been told. Ichi-nii….

XOXOXO

Kurosaki Ichigo was briskly walking out of the administration room of the faculty of Engineering of the University of Karakura, on that sunny Friday afternoon. He looked around, taking in the lovely structure of the buildings of the university, where he had been studying Civil and Building Engineering for the past 4 years.

I'll miss it here, he thought.

He had come to collect the 2 invites for his graduation ceremony, which was to be held in 3 weeks. Yes. The fruit of 4 years of faithful studying and hard work was there – since a week, Ichigo was officially a graduate in Bachelor of Engineering with Honors in the Civil and Building Engineering. His final year results came in a week ago, and he had done really well. His studies were completed; he was no more a student now.

Things were looking good in the career area too, since he already had some promising interviews lined up during the coming weeks; though he was still undecided about what he would do, not sure of how he would juggle his hectic Shinigami life with a full time career. He certainly was not going to give up his Shinigami duty. He had taken a too big liking to that part of his life. He cannot imagine not being a Shinigami anymore, it was in his blood, literally. But he would have to start with his career soon, he could not delay that for too long.

Oh well, I'll see how things proceed, he thought. For the immediate time, he just wanted to enjoy the feeling of being finally free from any studies.

As he walked through the campus towards the gates, he was stopped by some of his class fellows, who, same as he, had come for their invites and some last minutes administrative things. They chit-chatted a little, then, taking his leave, he continued his way, waving at some other people who knew him.

With his shocking spiky carrot colored hair, Ichigo could never go unnoticed, even here at the university. His appearance had undergone some noticeable change since his teens: he had grown a few inches taller, his face had gotten more angular, his body more muscular, and his hazel eyes showing an inner strength and maturity beyond his 22 years. He always drew attention from both males, who could sense the subtle power emanating from this young man and making them keep a respectful distance, and females, who gushed at his physique, his handsome features and the mysterious aura surrounding him. But Ichigo was oblivious to all this, his ever aloof air and his trademark scowl made it that people usually were quite wary of approaching him.

He pocketed the envelope containing the invitations in his jeans, thinking ahead about the graduation ceremony. Each graduating student had been allowed 2 invitees. As already agreed, his Dad and Rukia would be attending. Karin and Yuzu had not minded that it was Rukia who would attend, as Rukia was very dear to all the Kurosakis, and anyway it would have been difficult to choose one between his twin sisters. The time frame was correct as well, since the black haired, indigo eyed petite Shinigami was supposed to be in Karakura town any day now, for her 3 months shift of town patrol.

Kuchiki Rukia…His best friend. He had yet to tell her about the ceremony, as they have not seen each other for the last 3 months, since her last patrol shift. He was already foreseeing her excitement to attend another human event, seeing how eager she still was to learn about anything concerning the real world. Contrary to how it had been 7 years ago, when she had attended high school to be able to blend with the human life, Rukia did not attend university during her stay in real life. Instead, depending on what her duties had allowed, she had sometimes acted as help nurse to Ishiin in their private clinic, sometimes helping out with Karin's training at Urahara. For one term she even re-attended high school with Karin and Yuzu (she could still pass for some high school student, though a bit more senior this time).

He looked up at the blue sky, smirking as he thought about her, and almost expecting that midget to appear out from nowhere, as she had done many times. The seven and odd years they have known each other her have brought them very close. Close, but still bickering and arguing as ferociously as ever, his poor shins often being in the receiving end of her fury; but words could not be enough to describe their bond.

His buddy.

Though it's been since a long time now you've yearned for something more, much much more, a small part of him whispered in his mind.

As usual, he pushed that thought away. He did not know when exactly his feelings of friendship had turned into something more. He could not pinpoint when those buddy-buddy feelings had turned into love, but it had. Kurosaki Ichigo had been harboring a secret love for his best friend, Kuchiki Rukia, since quite long now. But whatever he felt for her must be kept for him alone, was his stance. He always told himself that he would NEVER do anything that would endanger his friendship with Rukia. Their bond was much too precious to him to risk jeopardizing it with something as dangerous as a wrong move on his side to profess his love, since she had never shown the remotest hint that she was interested in him romantically. A good friendship can last for ever, but an unrequited love between two friends, if confessed, could destroy a good friendship by creating awkwardness, was his strong belief. And he did not want to risk that, ever. He was be happy with what they shared. He was lucky to see her quite often, what with her coming over for three months for town patrolling quite often, and him going to soul society from time to time for missions. Beggars can't be choosers, he thought, so he appreciated whatever closeness he had with her.

But he had to admit that it was getting more and more difficult with time. There was a sort of restlessness taking over him, an ache for something more, the dissatisfaction for what he had, and the anticipation for something not quite there. He missed her so much when she was away, back in soul society. It was very hard each time when she has to leave after a shift, and it was getting even harder with time. Life had a different meaning when she was in Karakura. He felt stronger, more alive when she was around.

He sighed, pushing away his thoughts and a scowl setting in his face. He felt he was about to explode from his hidden feelings some time soon. Why did things have to be so complicated? Sometimes, he thought that dealing with Aizen had been easier than dealing with his feelings for Rukia.

He looked at his watch, and seeing that it was already 5 in the afternoon, decided it was useless to go to Urahara's place for his training with Karin. As it was the summer holidays, Ichigo had been helping Karin in her training on Fridays. But seeing the late time, he thought she must have finished by now. He decided to go home, since he did not have anything else planned. He set on his way to the tube station, enjoying the warm sun on his tanned arms, bared by the white short sleeved shirt he was wearing.

Home was still the Kurosaki residence. With his hectic schedule of university and shinigami duties, it had impossible for him to maintain part time jobs for long, so he had not been able to have a proper stable income to afford a place of his own. It had made more sense for him to continue living with his family, thus avoiding the financial and practical issues that having a separate apartment would have brought about. Furthermore, living there had its silver lining, he was guaranteed warm meals and a loving home to get back to he was done destroying hollows at the odd hours, and putting his life in the front life as often as he did. Furthermore, since there had never been a long term girlfriend yet in the picture, there had been no issue in that area.

His short story with Kyoko, one of his university classmates, 2 years ago, barely lasted long enough for him to introduce her to his family, let alone warranting the need for privacy of a place of his own. The story had started with a party, where Kyoko had shown her interest in Ichigo, and by the end of the party, the sultry atmosphere helping, they had kissed and made out. Ichigo had asked her out the next day because he wanted to give himself a chance in a relationship to get his mind off his un-admitted love for Rukia. But his double life, his constant un-availability, and his abrupt unexplained departures from several of their dates due to Shinigami duty calls, had put an abrupt end to that story.

Breaking up had not been hard, since anyway neither of them had been in love with each other. In a way, it has been a big relief for Ichigo, because the short time the relation lasted had made him realize that for him, no girl would match up to Rukia. None of his close friends had even known about that short story, let alone Rukia.

Getting in the tube, he sat down for the 20 minutes ride to home, his thoughts got back to Rukia. He frowned, thinking that the little midget was supposed to have reported in since last week. It was the first time that she had been this late for a shift. He hoped that everything was alright with her.

His mobile rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. He saw Karin's name blinking on the screen.

"Hi Karin," he said, after having flipped the phone open to accept the call.

"Hey Ichi-nii!" came back Karin's voice. "Are you coming over to Urahara's place?"

"I thought you would have finished by now?" he asked.

"Yeah, we are done, but could you still come over, please? Something cropped up," she replied back.

"Any issue?" Ichigo immediately pounced.

'Err...,' slight hesitation on Karin's part, "No, Ichi-nii, nothing top urgent, but do come over. Okay? We'll talk then. See you! Bye!" She hung up before Ichigo could say any more words.

What's with her? thought Ichigo. She sounded …strange. But she did say it was nothing to worry about, so he had no choice anyway but to wait to meet her to know what was up.

XOXOXO

Alighting from the tube station some minutes later, he made his way to Urahara's shop. He wondered about what it could be that Karin needed to tell him that she could not say over the phone, or wait until later when they would both be at home in the evening. She and Yuzu were in the final year at Karakura high, and were currently during their summer holidays. The three siblings were still as close as ever, and with the years their rapport had only strengthened. Yuzu were now aware about the Shinigami life, though unlike Karin, her reiatsu level was very low. Karin, on the other hand, had finally become a Shinigami, like him, since 3 months now.

Ichigo knew that this was bound to happen sometimes, as Karin had been a walking bait to hollows since her 11 years, with her high reiatsu level. As she grew up, her reiatsu level had grown dramatically as well, attracting even more hollows towards her. But it had taken so long for her to become a Shinigami because both Ichigo and their dad, Ishiin, had been adamantly against the idea of converting Karin to a Shinigami by the method that Urahara used for Ichigo, with the high risk of hollowfication it carried. They had not want Karin to run the slightest risk of becoming a Vizard, like Ichigo.

So, instead, for the past 7 years, Urahara and Yoruichi had train Karin in close combat techniques and Kidou arts, which Karin had become quite good at. But, being human and not being the wielder of a zampactu, the limits have been tight. Then, 3 months ago, she had been attacked by a powerful Hollow Grande, where her Kidou and hand combat techniques had not been enough. Ichigo nearly did not make it to her on time. That near death incident forced both him and Ishiin to accept that it was best for her to be turned into a Shinigami, so that she would be geared to defend herself if attacked and never be in that life-death situation again.

The good thing was that by that time, Urahara had improved the Shinigami conversion technique, which drastically reduced the risk of hollowfication; though the process was not less easy to go through. She came through the task successfully, thus acquiring her Shinigami powers and her Zanpakutou. And in the weeks which followed, her growth had been spectacular, not unlike Ichigo. She had shortly learnt her Zanpakutou's name, thus going into shikai mode. Ichigo would not be surprised if she would soon manage to go to Bankai stage.

They were Kurosakis, after all, he thought, ruefully. Having abnormally high reiatsu level was the legacy they both had from their father, Ishiin.

He reached the little shop of Urahara. As he went in, he was met with the man himself, who was in a more cheerful mood than usual.

"Ohaiyo, Kurosaki san! Come in, come in!" urged Urahara, in his happy sing song voice, merrily fanning himself. "Just in time for our celebrating toast!" he chirped, pushing Ichigo towards a low table.

Ichigo looked over at Karin. She was already seated at the table, her black mid back length hair tied in the usual ponytail which she had adopted since she had decided to grow her hair, and her svelte petite body in her usual sports pants and tops. Her expression was hard to read.

Ichigo raised his brows up questioningly. "So…What is this about?" he asked, looking from Karin to Urahara. He did not get any reply.

Urahara was enthusiastically filling the glasses that Ururu has brought. "Grab a glass everybody!' he exclaimed. "Here, take this glass, Kurosaki san," pushing a filled glass in Ichigo's hand. Then, raising his glass to the air, in his most theatric bubbly voice, announced:

"A congratulation toast in the honor of our absent friend Rukia san! Rukia san is getting MARRIED!

Ichigo almost dropped his glass at the words. It took him some full seconds to recover, and then he looked incredulously at the cheering Urahara, wondering whether he heard correctly. "What did you say?" he spluttered.

"Kuchiki Rukia is getting married, Kurosaki san," repeated Urahara, studying the young man's face. "The wedding is to be at the end of this month, in less than three weeks. She called us about an hour ago to tell us. So, I thought we should celebrate this news appropriately! It's not everyday that close friends get married!"

This must be a joke, thought Ichigo, dumbfounded. Surely this must be a joke. He darted his eyes to Karin, seeking confirmation about this being a dumb off time April's fool joke. But her silence and bleak eyes remove the delusion from him. Ichigo felt the blood draining from his face.

Rukia?... Getting married? He thought dazedly.

Feeling Urahara's intense gaze still on him, he struggled to keep a normal expression on his face, not wanting the man to know how much this news had shocked him.

Taking his lack of speech as cue, Urahara rambled on, "We have all been invited to the wedding. Rukia-san sent her sincere apologies for not being able to come to invite us in person, she said she has so much to do in a too short time, and hope for our indulgence and understanding. The wedding is to be on the last Sunday of this month, which is in, er, lets see…16 days exactly from today!"

"She was expecting that you would be here as well when she called, Ichi-nii, as you usually train with me on Fridays at this time," Karin said in a toneless voice. "She said to make sure that you come to soul society for the wedding".

The words were all a blur to Ichigo, who was feeling more stunned by each minute. He slowly put his glass down on the table, in fear that his sudden numb fingers would not be able to hold it longer.

Rukia. Getting married. End of this month, his brain repeated.

With whom? Since when had she has someone in her life? How have I never known about it? His thoughts were in a jumble in his head, trying to recall back over the past months and years. He never had the tiniest inkling that Rukia had someone in her life! And he thought they were best friends, so how come he had missed this? Or was it someone she had met during the last 3 months…But to marry at such short notice?

Was it Renji? Has Renji managed to declare his feelings and proposed to Rukia? All the possibilities were racing in his mind. At the beginning, he had suspected that maybe Abarai Renji had some feelings for Rukia, but then the more he got to know Renji, the less unlikely that suspicion became, seeing how Renji treated Rukia more like a little sister than anything else.

But who knows? Maybe Renji had been like him, hiding his real feelings for Rukia? Who else could it be? And he has not been a coward as you, he beat you to it and finally confessed his feelings to her, a sly voice echoed in his head.

He came out of his stupefied state hearing Urahara saying, "I'll have to inform Ishida-kun and Orihime-san. Rukia-san wants Ishida kun to make some dresses for her. Ah, and I also need to inform Sado-kun. Yare yare, she has entrusted me with the responsibility of inviting all these people."

"Who is it?" Ichigo managed to ask in a quasi normal voice, even though inside he was feeling anything but normal. "With whom is she getting married?"

"Her fiancé is Shotoku Haruko, heir of the Shotuku family, one of the four greatest noble family of soul society," replied Urahara. The words 'fiancé' sent a shockwave through Ichigo's mind.

"The marriage was arranged by the Kuchiki and Haruko elders, and, from what Rukia said, was finalized only last week," Urahara continued, then became thoughtful. "This union of the 2 great noble families will be a powerful alliance, securing both families political positions. This is quite a merger!"

Ichigo, though, was digesting the revelation. "Arranged marriage?" he asked, suddenly snapped from his shock, "to one of the noble family? Then it MUST be that Byakuya forcing her!" he exclaimed with force, all pretence of indifference gone. "Only Byakuya will think of coercing Rukia in such a marriage!" he continued, getting angrier by each second, but at the same time a tiny relief creeping up him as he learnt that she had not had a hidden lover that he had not been aware about.

"No, Rukia has willingly and happily agreed to this marriage," said a feminine voice.

They all turned to see Shihoin Yoruichi coming in the room. The chocolate skinned beauty dropped her lithe body in a couch, scrutinizing Ichigo with the ever devilish eyes of hers. "I met her briefly this morning. She said that she made this decision willingly on her own, and is happy with this arrangement."

Ichigo felt as if he received a punch in his stomach, as his tiny spark of relief plummeted down. Happy with this arrangement? He echoed in his head.

Yoruichi, not leaving her eyes from Ichigo, continued, "Well, this arranged marriage is not such a big surprise, anyway. Ever since she was adopted in the Kuchiki noble clan, her fate of getting an arranged marriage into another noble family was sort of sealed. It's most natural that the Kuchiki clan will look for another noble family to get Rukia married, to solidify their clan position and ensure a better political stake."

Ichigo remembered Kasumioji Rurichiyo, the princess of the Kasumioji noble clan, whom he and Rukia had helped and whose marriage had been arranged at a very young age. Rukia did explain to him the common practices of holding arranged marriages in the noble families. But he had never expected that Rukia would fall under this practice as well.

"Yoruichi-san, Rukia was adopted in that family, so surely it would have been different in her case?" he argued. "It's not as if she is a Kuchiki by birth. And don't forget that anyway, Byakuya had ignored Rukia most of her life as a Kuchiki, he never really cared for her for so long, so how can he now conveniently use her as a pawn to seal an alliance with another noble family?"

Yoruichi sighed, shaking her head.

"Ichigo, Byakuya is NOT putting a sword over Rukia's neck to force her to accept this marriage, contrary to what you'd like to believe. As a Kuchiki, Rukia is deserving of a marriage in a noble family, and by arranging such a good match for Rukia, Byakuya is in fact showing that he cares for her, that she is wholeheartedly accepted as a Kuchiki."

She paused, still looking intently at him. "In the noble circle, it is of utmost importance that you marry well. Byakuya is fulfilling his duty as a good brother and caretaker for Rukia, securing her position in the nobility; the opposite in fact would have been neglectful of him," she finished.

"That sounds so much as a caged life!" Karin whispered, disturbed by what she was hearing. The concept of arranged marriages for convenience reasons, in this era, was quite scary to her.

"Being of noble family in Soul Society is a world unlike anything you've ever known," Yoruichi told her, a hint of hardness in her voice. Being of one of the 4 greatest noble clan herself, she definitely knew about it.

A silence descended in the little room. Ichigo bowed his head, looking blankly at his tightly clenched fists on his lap, his glass untouched in front of him on the table. He felt as if his heart was being viciously squeezed. It was too much for him to take; he suddenly badly needed to get away from there, to process all this, alone. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head he saw that it was Karin, crouching beside him, her eyes warm with comfort.

"It's getting late, Ichi-nii. Let's go home," she said. "Yuzu will be waiting."

Gladly taking up the excuse, he stood up, mumbling his farewell to everybody, and both siblings set out to walk home.

XOXOXO

Walking side by side, brother and sister let the silence envelope them. Ichigo felt totally lost, deep in his own thoughts; his heart seemed to have sunk to his feet.

Rukia…Rukia getting married. He felt his stomach clench at the thought. He still had difficulty to believe it.

Karin looked sideways at him, walking slowly to match his dragging steps. She could see that the blow had been hard, just as she had expected. Though Ichigo had never admitted anything openly, the other Kurosakis knew that he had much more than mere friendship feelings for Rukia. The petite Shinigami had always stayed with the Kurosakis during her shift in the living world, so they all were very much aware about the interaction between Ichigo and her; they could clearly differentiate between the Ichigo with Rukia present and the Ichigo with Rukia absent. All of them, Karin, Yuzu and Ishiin, adored Rukia, and would have loved that she really became the 3rd daughter that Ishiin was always claiming, but they had made the decision not to interfere. It had been an agreement among them that they were never to pry into the relationship between the two.

Karin had always thought that that the time would come eventually when these 2 stubborn bakas would realize that they were made for each other…But now, she was feeling that maybe the family should have interfered and pushed these two together.

She let out a loud sigh. Stifled feelings were really hellish, she thought. She was well placed to know, with her hidden crush for someone. For a certain white haired, teal colored eyes Shinigami captain. Her heart gave the usual flutter as she thought of Hitsugaya Toushiro. It was always him who had been chosen to come for missions in the living world whenever a captain was needed. The more times they've met and the older she grew, the more she had been attracted to the handsome, serious, sometimes short tempered and irritable, young genius Shinigami Captain. And finally, she could not hide it to herself: she was forced to admit that she had a major crush on the enigmatic boy. As things would have wanted it, he was totally oblivious to that fact. And she would never dare admit her feelings to him.

At least, he always takes the time to have a soccer match with me during each visit, she thought ruefully. She wished she had the slightest confidence or talent in the art of flirting, maybe that could have set something off. But being who she was, that would be same as wishing the sun would rise in the west, she thought gloomily.

Casting her own heart story aside, she pondered on the actual situation. In her eyes, if there had ever been a couple who had everything for them to succeed, it had been Ichigo and Rukia. They are so meant to be for each other, she thought. It was inconceivable to think that now the two would probably not going to happen.

"What will you do, Ichi-nii?" she asked, breaking the silence finally.

Ichigo looked sideways at her, with dull eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Well, aren't you going to do anything about Rukia?" Karin persisted.

"Why should I do anything?" Ichigo replied dully. "We are just friends, if she is agreeable and happy with this arranged marriage, then I'm glad for her."

Karin abruptly stopped. "Ichi-nii…do you really take us to be that dumb? She is not just a friend for you! We are not blind, you know!"

Ichigo also stopped to look at her. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. He really did not know what to think right now. His emotions were in chaos, and he could not formulate any thoughts properly. Wordlessly, he resumed his walk.

Karin felt bad for pushing him so, and ran up to catch with him. "Sorry, Ichi-nii," she said in a contrite voice.

"Nah, it's ok," he replied back, knowing that Karin was concerned for him. Falling back to silence, they continued towards home.

XOXOX

"We are home," called out Karin, as they got in the Kurosaki's residence.

"Hey Karin! Hey Onii-san!" Yuzu happily called out, coming out of the kitchen, donning her usual apron. Taller than Karin, Yuzu had definitely took after their mother's pretty looks, blond hair framing her lovely face and an easy smile lighting up her face. "Dinner will be ready in one hour!" she merrily chirped.

"Hey there," Ichigo greeted back, forcing out a normal voice.

Ishiin, who was sitting on the couch reading some papers, bounced up, getting ready for one of his happy knocking move on Ichigo.

"ICHIGOOOOO!" He gripped his son's neck at the same time tackling him towards the floor. Not getting the expected response, he peered in Ichigo's face and noticed the glum look. Karin's slight shake of head alerted him that something must have happened..

"Dad!" Yuzu admonished, not immediately noticing anything amiss from her brother. "Onii-san is a grown up, graduated engineer now, you should stop bugging him like that!"

"Uh, ok, good for dinner, Yuzu…I'll be up in my room," Ichigo mumbled, and he quickly made his way up the stairs before anyone would ask any questions, badly needing to be alone. He could feel the 3 pairs of eyes on his back while climbing the stairs, but he was incapable of holding his "I'm okay" act any further in front of them.

"What happened?" Yuzu asked, her eyes concerned.

Karin told them.

"Oh!" Yuzu gasped, "I always hoped…."

"Well we all always hoped that, didn't we?" Karin said unhappily, a frown on her face.

Ishiin was silent. He let out a big sigh, looking at the picture of his lovely wife.

Getting in his room, Ichigo was greeted by Kon. The mod soul stopped midway in his usual tirade of whining when met with a lack of response from Ichigo.

'What's up?" he asked the young man, sensing that something was wrong. The long years being with Ichigo had made Kon attuned to his mood, and right now Ichigo looked totally stumped.

"Not now, Kon, please…I would like to be alone, if you don't mind."

Looking at Ichigo for some more seconds, Kon made his way towards the door. He had the sense to know that it was not the right moment to pry into what was distressing Ichigo. "Sure!" he said, waddling in his stuffed body and making his way downstairs. The other must surely know what's up, he thought. I'll ask them.

Ichigo dropped his body on his bed, staring at the ceiling with unseeing eyes, thoughts full of Rukia. His mind was still reeling with the thought of her getting married. He realized how much he had always taken her presence in his life for granted, he had been so unprepared that he could lose her like now to think of her getting married…to someone else. As he turned the fact in his mind, he felt as if he was being ripped apart. The thought of another man sharing her life, being the recipient of her love, was horribly painful.

He expelled a choked breath, his fist balled by his sides. His first instinct was urging him to dash to Soul Society right now and talk to her, find out what had prompted her to agree to this marriage, to see for himself, with his own eyes. Hell, right then he felt the need to beg her. To stop her from getting married at all. To tell her he had feelings for her, that he had loved her for a long time. So many things that he should have said since long, but which he had never dared to. There had been a few times in the past years where Ichigo had been on the brink of giving in and admitting his love for her, but then he had always got a grip on himself and backtracked. Now he felt like kicking himself for being such a coward.

But as he continued to think things over rationally, he knew that this was no game; it was huge decision she made, she must have thought this over. She was a very capable person, and if what Yoruichi said was correct, then this is a big deal for Rukia, a huge step as a Kuchiki. She had willingly agreed to this arrangement. Yoruichi was sharp enough to have spotted if Rukia was in any sort of coersion. If Yoruichi said that Rukia professed to be happy with the arrangement, then it must be that she was really happy with it. He would be a total jerk if NOW he rushed in and profess his feelings to her, on the eve of her wedding, a marriage which she has willingly agreed to, feelings that he could not confess for so many years.

Some hours later, having omitted going down for dinner, Ichigo still lay on his beds, thoughts tortured.

It was too late. The words sang ominously. He wished he could turn back time, he wished he could undo things and redo them again, he wished… He tried for the hundredth time now to imagine how life would be without Rukia, and he felt as if his heart was being viciously twisted. God, they knew what they were talking about when they said that you only realize the importance of someone after you've lost them, he thought.

It was in wee morning that sleep caught his tired mind.

XOXOXO

"I'm home," called out Ichigo, voice dejected, as he closed the door behind him in the late night. The lights were on, so he assumed that the other three were still awake.

It's been 8 days already, and he felt totally drained emotionally. The past days had been horrible. He had been racking his brains over and over again, trying to decide what to do, but he had just been going in circles. Whatever way he had tried to see things, he had come to a dead-end.

The few hollows which had been unfortunate enough to come to town during this moment had been disposed of with a rage that Ichigo had difficulty containing within him. He had spent most of the week roaming about aimless in town, as he had no classes to go to anymore, his heavy heart unconsciously taking him to his and Rukia's usual hanging out places: the mall, where she would often drag him for shopping, the movie theatre, where they had often been for movies, the park, where they would often hang out after chasing hollows, the ice cream parlor, where Rukia would always look for the biggest serving, the plush toy store where Rukia would beg for all the Chappy the Rabbit they had…

He had received some calls from Uryuu, Inoue and Chad, but he had not felt ready to talk to them yet, and had not picked up their call. They must have sensed his need for solitude, because all three of them had not persisted.

The other three Kurosakis were all in the living room, stopping their talk to greet the young man as he got in. Ichigo could see concern in their faces. Despite the fact that he had tried to hide his despair, he knew that they were aware of his state. Trying to push a smile on his lips, he returned their greeting, and with a mumbled "I've already eaten, I'll be in my room," to no one in particular, he climbed the stairs to his room.

Ishiin looked at his son as he went by them, noticing the haggard face and the bleak eyes which bore the traces of the inner turmoil that he had been trying to hide from them during the whole week.

Ok, that's enough now, the older Kurosaki thought. It's time to have a man to man talk with that baka son of mine. It was not really a path that he had wished for his son, but when it's a matter of the heart…he was well placed to know about it. He could sense that Ichigo was on the roof by his reiatsu signature, so he went up.

"So, for how long do you intend to mop around?"

Ichigo turned to look at Ishiin, who was climbing over the window-seal onto the roof. "What do you mean, dad?" he asked tonelessly, swiping his head back into the contemplation of the blinking lights of the town. He was definitely not in the mood for this.

Ishiin looked at his face as he came to stand beside him. "Surely after more than one week of self pity you've come to a decision?" he asked harshly, trying to get a reaction from the young broken man.

"There's nothing to decide," Ichigo mumbled. "She is free to marry who she wants. She has made her decision."

Letting out a sigh, "Son….if you have feelings for her, be the man you are and tell her," Ishiin said quietly. "You are not kids anymore now, so, forge ahead. What makes you hesitate?"

Ichigo remained silent at this. "I was always scared to lose her by bringing in my feelings," Ichigo whispered finally. "We are best friends. And since she did not return my feelings, any declaration of my love for her would have surely shaken that friendship. And now…how can I tell her, when she is about to get married… "

"Well, it seems that you are about to lose her anyway now," Ishiin replied, voicing out what Ichigo have been dreading the past days. "Be certain that her marriage in a noble family will not give her the same freedom as she had until now. I don't think she will come to Karakura for missions often now, if not never."

Ichigo closed his eyes in anguish. This had been his biggest fear, and Ishiin was just confirming it.

"So, if you don't do anything now, you will probably bear the regret for ever that you never confessed your feelings to her." He looked at the silently bent head of his son. "Tell her, Ichigo. Tell her how you've always felt. You owe this to both yourself and her."

"Dad, the wedding is in one week now. It's too late. Besides, how can we be? She is a Shinigami and I_" Before Ichigo could finish, he felt a hard kick on his butt, and the next instant he was flying through the air towards the edge of the roof. By an automatic reflex action, he managed to grab the roof edge and avoided the fall of 2 storeys height down below.

Recovering from his astonishment, he looked indignantly at Ishiin. "What in the hell was that for?" he yelled.

"Your sorry ass would not even have existed to be hanging down that roof if I gave in to those uncertainties years ago!" Isshin yelled back. "If you love her, go, tell her. Deal with the trivialities when they come. Don't hide behind pathetic excuses like that!"

Ichigo met his father's eyes, lost for words. Ishiin looked at him for some more seconds, then turned his back to make his way in the house. "Some things are worth fighting for, Ichigo, love being one of them. The worst that will happen is that you will return back without her, but it will not be different as it is right now, right? Don't leave any room for the regret that you did not try!" With that, he was gone.

After some shocked seconds, Ichigo jumped back smoothly to the roof. He reflected on his father's words, and wad forced to agree that his dad was right.

Yes, she is worth fighting for, he thought. Very much worth fighting for. He suddenly felt lighter, as if a big weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He had exactly 8 days left before the wedding. He needed to talk to Rukia. As soon as possible. Well, not immediately, since it was too late in the night.

"Thanks Dad!" he murmured. He felt himself being energized again. He was NOT going give up on her so easily! Eyes alive with a new resolve, he made his way in the house.

Very early the following morning, the phone was ringing in a bedroom found at the back of the shop of Kisuke Urahara. With a groan, Urahara opened one eye, sleepily looking at the time in his small bedside clock. 6 O'clock. Who could be out of his mind to be calling so early? he thought grouchingly, as he got in a sitting position…Though he did have a tiny idea who it might be. He picked up the phone, stifling a yawn before speaking.

"Moshi moshi…Urahara on the phone," he said sleepily.

"Moshi moshi, Urahara san," came Ichigo's voice.

A slow grin appeared on Urahara's mouth. He had been expecting this call. "Yes, Kurosaki san? How can I help you in this wee hour of the morning?" he asked.

"Could you please make arrangements to open a senkai gate, I need to go to Soul Society as soon as possible," came the reply.