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The Royal Palace Brides	By : c0p13r Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 9538 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own 'Bleach' and make no money from this story.

Chapter List
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ccc Human World ccc
            “Jeez, that Ichigo. I didn’t think he’d turn out to be so popular.” Tatsuki sat tightly, arms and legs folded respectively while Orihime moved about the home, organizing and packing boxes with a true excitement. Well, it couldn’t be said that she had lingering attachments to the apartments she lived in; she moved rather frequently after all. But Tatsuki, who had come to help, was still mulling over the sudden news: Orihime and Ichigo were married! And if that wasn’t enough! It was a harem-esque marriage! Ichigo was tied down to several women! Some, Orihime hadn’t even met by her own admission! “Doesn’t it bother you? That you have to share him?”
            Orihime shook her head; she still had on that look of genuine joy. “Riruka-chan is very cute and loves Kurosaki-kun…” She blushed suddenly, a hand coming to her gasping mouth. “Oh! I-I mean…!” She fidgeted and fawned, swinging side-to-side like a blushing bride on her wedding day. “Ichigo…” Still so fresh and new, tingling on her tongue to address him so intimately!
            Tatsuki sighed, knowing her friend to be overachieving in whimsy and fantasy. “Okay, okay, calm down.” She smiled a little in spite of how she felt. “As long as you’re okay with it, I guess it can’t be the worst thing. Ichigo gets hooked in crazy situations all the time. I guess he can handle this too. But, doesn’t that mean there can be more wives? I mean, more than he’s already got?”
            Orihime thought briefly on it. She hadn’t really considered him proposing to more women, though the idea didn’t really bother her. From the beginning, she had thought that a mass of women attached to Kuro-… ahem, Ichigo would result in an overwhelming victory for the women! But her musings quickly changed the imposed question to a very different interpretation. Blushing, she rounded to Tatsuki and swept up the friend’s hands in her own. Confused, Tatsuki looked up at the beaming Orihime. “Of course you could be a wife too!”
            “That’s not what I asked!!”
ccc Hueco Mundo ccc
            “It’s only in a few days, the Gate’s gonna open?”
            “It’s such a hassle! We weren’t given enough notice! How could they expect her to move…?”
            “Oh, is it too much for you? That’s fine. Whatever is needed, I can handle myself. You two would bumble and make a mess.”
            “What was that?!”
            “Say that to my face!!”
            The clamor going on inside the palace didn’t faze her; Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck just faced the long night of the Hollow World, the moon in perpetual crescent. Pesche and Dondochakka would be left behind, and they had gotten past their tears. As always, they remained loyal to a fault, swearing their oath that they would protect her state in Los Noches. “And it’s not goodbye,” she reassured them. It was just… “I’m in love.” Both her guardians and friends broke out into tears, with Pesche frequently suffering mood swings as he vowed vengeance against Ishida Uryu if he should make Nelliel-sama cry! She had to correct him, “It’s Ichigo.”
ccc Soul Society ccc
            “Ichigo’s awake?”
            Kyoraku Shunsui just nodded with a smile, and that was enough for Renji to throw his hands up and celebrate. “Alright! That lazy bum! I knew he’d pull through!”
            Next to him, Rukia eyed him skeptically. “Weren’t you the one who was worried something bad had happened to him when we got the summons?”
            As if not hearing her, Renji pumped his fists inward, leaning to the Captain Commander. “So what happens now? Is Ichigo coming down, or…?”
            “Well,” Shunsui interrupted, sighing, “it’s not that easy, him now being the Soul King. There might be some leeway in comparison to his predecessor… but we can’t expect him to come and go freely. I suppose the ones who’d be allowed to see him more frequently would be those of the Noble families.”
            Renji blinked once, the workings of his mind processing slow, before it clicked and he swung to Rukia. Kuchiki Rukia. “Rukia! That means you!”
            “And Yoruichi-san,” Rukia pointed out flatly. “The Shiba clan as well.”
            “It’s not like we can all rush up there at once,” chortled the one-eyed Captain Commander. “Otherwise, I could go up and finally share a drink with Ichigo-san. I wanted to give you the news first, being some of his closest friends, but… we also need to inform his wife.”
            “Ah! That’s right!” Rukia and Renji said in unison, facing each other and clapping a fist into their palm.
            “I’ll leave it to you. Just remember that she is still a bit emotional in the aftermath of the war,” Shunsui said droningly, waving his hand absently in dismissal before grabbing his straw hat. “After these personal meetings is the only time I can sneak away from Nanao-chan to have a nap.” He smiled slyly despite his subordinates’ disappointed looks.
            Is this really the kind of guy they wanted in charge of the Gotei Thirteen?
ccc The Royal Palace; one day before the Senkaimon reopened ccc
            “Stupid! What are you doing, showing up here so early in the morning?!”
            Ichigo was perplexed. These past few days, ever since their almost-intimate moment – he still flushed at the memory and how close they had come – Riruka seemed to have chilled from her usual fiery antagonism. She wasn’t complimenting everything like Orihime would and still had her reservations about eating Kirio’s odd style of cooking, but without provocations, she would join him on strolls or engage in conversations. She’d berate him from time to time, but he was learning of her secretive side.
            But here, at her room, she exploded at him for showing up in the morning, before she could get ready, before she even took off her glasses! He didn’t think anything about her wearing them, more surprised by the way she had her hair bunched up in rollers to give her pigtails a bounce. The red round spectacles weren’t really any issue for him, yet she dodged him, ducking down out of sight and stuffed them in a case that she had under her bed.
            And for a girl who professed cuteness and cleanliness, her room was a pretty big mess. Not that she minded; when she ate her snacks that Kirio had started to make specifically for her, or when she undressed, she let everything fall where it may, not even bothering to make her bed. “The Spider-Hag will do it for me,” she would say haughtily, as a queen should.
            “Well, we had it planned for today, uh”—Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, blushing as he realized that it was just the two of them in her room for the first time—“I just thought we’d get an early start and…”
            “And what?” She scoped him out over her shoulder, still guarded by him seeing her in her glasses. Darn it, he looks cute, her mind whined. He usually stood with such blatant confidence and toughness, but him gestating like this in front of her wasn’t so bad. If he prostrated, confessed she was the most adorable thing he’d ever laid eyes on, and swore to put on whatever cute (ridiculous) outfit she wished, she could even say he was cuddlable.
            Still, eyeing his blush, she pressed on that nerve with a sly grin, “Oh, is that how it is?” She stood up, folded her arms, and impressed herself sidelong against him; he, of course, was too stunned to really react to the provocation. “Trying to make a move on me now? You come all the way to my room”—She was hardly down the hall from his orgy-prepped room—“to see if you can persuade me? You really did turn out to be a hopeless pervert after all.”
            “It’s not like that!” he rebutted, though her suggestion did greaten the red on his face. “I-I just wanted to get with you before…”
            “Get with me? Ha!” She did her best to look mocking and not pleased by his choice of words or the very fact that he was actively looking to spend time with her. Thmp-thmp!! He was getting good at making her heart race while at the same time easing the tension. Like him, she often revisited the what-almost-happened memory of the balcony, chocolate-covered strawberries, and an intimate embrace.
            But she – like him – still had appearances to maintain! This chase, this back-and-forth, this childish flirting wasn’t over between them! He, as King, needed to know his place. She turned her back to him, daringly. She wanted him to know she wasn’t afraid to do that, and that he couldn’t command her respect. He never did anyway, but she liked to emphasize for effect.
            She walked to her wardrobe, smuggled in with her Dollhouse, and threw the doors open to express her gallery of cute, super cute, and absolutely adorable outfits. “I know what day it is and what we had planned,” she crowed back at him like it was exasperating to inform him. “So I’m going to get ready and dress.”
            A very, very deep and meaningful pause ensued…
            “And unless you have something better to do,” she went on casually, “or—gulp!—something you’d rather be a part of, you should make sure the cook and the Spider-Hag are ready.” She was trying to seem nonchalant, holding the outfit she’d already decided on. She wanted it to seem like she hadn’t given any thought to anything about today. She wanted to seem above it and drive him to make any and all efforts to impress her and get her…
            “Alright, I’ll go see about Kirio-san and Senjumaru-san,” Ichigo said with a waving hand, demolishing Riruka’s expectations. “I think they’re already waiting, though. Don’t take too long.”
            He closed the door, and Riruka plummeted to the floor under the boulder of disappointment. But given a moment of recovery, she faced the door with a furious glower and blush. “Dammit! How dense can he be!!”
            Here, she was planning to model off what she wanted to wear and get a real, intimate reaction from him.
            “Well, fine,” she said in a huff, swiping the cute outfit from the hanger and went to go change. “He’ll react in front of the cook and the Spider-Hag!”
ccc Outside the Soul King Palace ccc
            “It’s good to have you out, Ichigo-chan,” said Kirio. As he suspected – with little help from the omniscience of his Soul King powers – she and Senjumaru were already waiting. Patient as ever for their King. “The Palace is a grand place and has everything you could need, but you also shouldn’t stay cooped up in there. There needs to be room to stretch for a sapling to grow!”
            “And cramped cloth ruins the fabric,” Senjumaru added, smirking her mysterious smirk. “But the linens of your bed are hardly rumpled, Ichigo. You’ve been sleeping too peacefully.”
            “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Ichigo remarked flatly. Aside from Riruka’s animosity towards the seamstress, he couldn’t really get a bead on Senjumaru-san.
            The detached hands moved symmetrically in a gesture that could be considered an idle shrug. “Merely an observation. But Riruka’s bedsheets are always rumpled in the morning. Maybe you should try to share your peace with her already.”
            Ichigo flinched. Maybe not a bead on her, but she was brazen and forthcoming when it came to his relationships.
            Kirio interceded on his behalf. “Now, now, Senjumaru-san,” she said. “Today is a day of relaxing and healing. Let’s not get poor Ichigo-chan worked up so soon in the morning.”
            “Of course,” Senjumaru acquiesced easily, wisping across the deck leading to open, plummeting sky.
            And speaking of which… Ichigo looked left and right and up and down until he had to ask the obvious. “How are we going to get there? I don’t see any of those launchpads…” Although, thinking on it, he couldn’t imagine loading Riruka on one and blasting her through the wild blue yonder.
            “Oh, we’re not taking that travel method!” Kirio extended a hand and focused. And from her very flesh, twigs began to sprout and grow, weaving together and folding. It took some concentration – that much was evident from the look on Kirio’s broad face – but with enough reiatsu spent, she forged a rather comfortable-looking carriage; like one from a Ferris wheel without the wheel.
            Detaching from her accomplishment, she came up next to it and patted the solid wood. “This will be how we get there,” she explained.
            And no sooner had she said those words, Senjumaru went into motion. She came off the ground, levitating higher than normal, almost like a marionette lifted on its strings. Her arms fanned out like an eagle’s wings before she plunged into the sky. And remembering the density of reishi and the lack of foothold in air for Shinigami, Ichigo rushed to save her. “What are you doing?!”
            It was too late for him to do anything aside from yelling or throwing himself after her – a death sentence that would end with him nosediving into the shield around Soul Society. Despite his fear, though, Senjumaru remained aloft, speeding through the air in a line. And for a being who now had the literal weight of the worlds on his shoulders, he couldn’t make sense of it.
            Kirio came up behind him and slapped a hand down on his shoulder, laughing merrily. “Don’t worry about Senjumaru-san! She is quite adept at getting around up here! We all can! Squad Zero each has their own special traits of travel!”
            “Oh…” Ichigo was relieved seeing the far-off speck that was Senjumaru land safely on the destined plateau.
            “Now all we need is Riruka-chan to show up, and we can…”
            “I’m here~!”
            Ichigo and Kirio turned around. Her big entrance; the moment she had worked for! The design was absolutely darling! There was no way Ichigo would resist! His jaw would drop, and after a few minutes of dumb adoration, he would spew praise at how wonderful she looked! And she’d accept his praise and allow him to carry her where he will.
            “Why are you dressed like that?”
            Again, that damn boulder of disappointment! But Riruka was shocked by it rather than floored. She braced against the humiliation, simmered in rage, and then stomped her foot. “What’s that mean?! We’re spending the day in water, aren’t we?!”
            Ichigo pointed at her outfit… and the accessory that she brought with her. “But… you’re dressed like we’re going to the beach. It’s a hot spring.”
            It was true; Riruka wasn’t dressed for the right occasion. A frilled turquoise bikini top with classy matching sandals, bead bracelets, black see-through miniskirt over black bikini bottoms, hair done up on one side in two buns with a long tress ornamented with a starfish barrette, and… a penguin float ring… She was ready for fun in the sun! Not a dull day of soaking in the springs like some old man.
            “Well,” seethed Riruka in growing frustration. This wasn’t the reaction at all that she hoped to get! Dummy! Thickheaded…! Argh! She ground her teeth together. “It’s just like a hot pool then! I can wear what I want!” She tucked the large float ring up to her side to announce This is coming no matter what you say!
            Ichigo wasn’t about to try and stop her, but he remembered that Tenjiro had very unbendable rules in place at the Kirinden. Well, let’s see what happens.
            Kirio-san didn’t object to it, but then, it wasn’t her place to say what was and what wasn’t allowed in the reverent hot springs. She just clapped twice to gain attention and said, “Come now! We shouldn’t leave Senjumaru-san waiting!” The carriage opened, and she urged the two youngsters in.
            Of course, when they were all seated within the wooden carriage – Kirio taking one side all to herself because of her bulk, forcing Ichigo and Riruka side-by-side like twiddling teens – Ichigo had to wonder what the purpose of it was. “Is it going to teleport?” he asked while Riruka grumbled, “It’s so gritty in here.”
            Kirio looked pleased with Ichigo’s question, like she had been waiting for it. She pressed a palm flat on the roof of the carriage and exclaimed, “Here we go!” Unseen, she activated her reiatsu and brought their carrier to life, surging toward the edge of deck with ponderous thrusts. Ichigo tensed like at the peak of a cresting rollercoaster, but Riruka threw herself on him, clutching desperately for dear life. For her, she was imagining the unsightly gait to sprout fairy wings or zoom through the air in ephemeral flight like Fullbring! “Ichigo, stop her!” she screamed in his ear.
            The cart tilted over the edge and held for that breathtaking moment before the plunge! Without the plunge. So much anticipation and anxiety for a ride that Hanataro on a bike could outpace. And it kept the merriment going for Kirio, laughing and applauding the reaction of the two joining her on this adventure. “We could go faster if you’d like,” she said to the two disheveled passengers, “but I thought you’d like to take a leisurely pace. Besides, it seems to have put you two in a friendlier mood.”
            It was only then that Ichigo and Riruka realized their proximity; Riruka bunching up in Ichigo’s lap, her arms clinging around his neck just as securely as he embraced her, ready to protect and brace her for unexpected impact. They were close, feeling each other’s stress through their touching chests.
            “Wai-wai-wait!” Riruka scrambled off of him, aware that her cute but sparse outfit gave his hands many places to touch her. She straightened her skirt hastily, fixed her hair – the longest part of her getting ready – and sat stiffly after making the penguin float ring a partition between her and Ichigo. “Don’t get any funny ideas! Ahem! I just wasn’t expecting that is all.”
            She was always like that and wouldn’t want to be admonished or challenged; Ichigo let it drop, more interested in the cart carrying the three of them over the great span between palaces.
            “I wasn’t expecting to be able to fly up here. Last time, I almost fell.”
            “We’re not flying,” Kirio corrected him. And when he looked, he was surprised to see the weight had already fled from her body. Big, bright, busty Kirio was in front of him and Riruka – who glared at her open kimono. “As long as I keep the carriage moving with my reiatsu, we won’t fall. But the reishi density up here is so undependable, we need a tract to run on.”
            “A tract?”
            Kirio nodded with a “Mmhm! Senjumaru-san actually moved by catching the atoms of reishi in the air with her needle and thread. And by leaving a trail, we can ride that all the way to the Kiriden safely!”
            Ichigo decided that made sense or something and chose not to ask further questions and just be satisfied that it was generally addressed. “Wow,” he mused, looking up to the darker reaches of the sky. “Squad Zero sure is amazing.”
            Amazing enough to upstage her outfit, Riruka raged inwardly. Maybe she could try turning a few heads at the hot springs to get him jealous. Nothing else was working, after all, and he had been surrounded by only women – beautiful and bountiful ones, at that – for almost a week!
            Riruka gave a sneaky smirk. It was time for him to see what it was like to have some competition on vacation.
ccc Kirinden ccc
            “This ain’t no vacation hot spot. No way I’m letting that in here.”
            Just as Ichigo predicted, Tenjiro was unflinching in his rules. His toothpick bobbed while Riruka confronted him about her swimwear, saying that it was perfect for any occasion that involved water. “And this”—She waved her float ring in his face—“is coming in with me! Don’t you want people to think your hot springs are a fun place to hang out, old man?!”
            The toothpick clicked in his teeth, and he drawled, “Like I said, it ain’t a hot spot” while buxom women in bathing towels – visitors from the Pheonix Palace – walked by behind him, giggling in conversation and thanking him for the stay. He ignored them like they didn’t exist to make his point.
            But Riruka wasn’t going to let this get by with him being a hypocrite! He could be a pervert, a scammer, and a hypocrite! Whatever he was, he still had to obey his Soul King’s wife! And if she said she was going to go in with this adorable outfit, he would let her! “Ichigo planned this for us”—Her using Ichigo’s name for leverage surprised Ichigo himself—“so we’re going in!” She attempted to rush by him, but his paddle swung out in front of her, barring her path.
            “No way I’m letting some human clothes taint the waters,” he said simply. “All the chemicals you put it; it’ll ruin the springs for good. And what do you expect to do when the Quincies…?”
            “It’s no problem then.” Senjumaru appeared from behind Tenjiro, floating from the threshold of the springs. Kirio’s carriage had arrived a few minutes ago, and the three passengers disembarked with no sign of the seamstress until now. She had taken leave of her clothes and was now dressed in an appropriate towel, more customary for a visit to the hot springs. Like usual, she kept her dressings tight and her arms hidden, leaving all motions to her sewing arms.
            “No problem?” Tenjiro repeated.
            Senjumaru came up beside him, leering in the general direction of Riruka while not actually looking at her. “The moment she stepped out of the carriage, I saw so many flaws with her outfit. So thread by thread, I remade it in my own design.”
            “What?!” Riruka hadn’t felt a thing! She called the bluff and looked down at herself. Everything seemed normal… until the diamond patterns sewn into her negligée skirt had been replaced by the flower pattern of the Royal Guard insignia. “But how…?!” That was skill unmatched even by Giriko’s talents!
            “Unfortunately…”
            In swiftness baffling the eyes, Senjumaru’s hands stole the buoyancy penguin from the crook of Riruka’s elbow and maintained it from her reach when she realized the theft. “Give me Pengi-san!”
            “I could do nothing for the floating device,” Senjumaru admitted coldly, one arm preventing Riruka’s rescue of it and the others toying with the float ring. “It’ll be best served down in Soul Society.”
            Riruka’s eyes widened in horror when her Pengi-san was tossed like a Frisbee to the edge of the plateau. Once over that deck, it was all over. Her proficiency with Fullbring wasn’t up to par with the Flash Steps of regular Shinigami. She could feel her heart dropping just like Pengi-san’s spinning arch.
            “Ump! Gotcha!”
            Senjumaru looked unfazed, yet still seemed displeased; Tenjiro just tsked and clicked his toothpick, and Kirio smiled brightly. The Soul King truly was impressive to move so instantaneously to intercept the toy at such a high and atmosphere-dense altitude. Ichigo had flashed through the air on sheer instinct, chasing his wife’s possession and saving it from the edge of the Kirinden. His hangtime lasted only a moment before the reishi gravity brought him back down with a powerful thump. The soles of his feet tingled from the immense drop.
            Thmp-thmp! Thmp-thmp!! Riruka was in silent, blushing, dumbstruck awe. Did he just… For her…?
            He held it up with one hand, smiling playfully. “I got it, Riruka!”
            “S-stupid!” stammered the flustered girl, trying to find something to criticize about her savior. She was an absolute mess of puttying emotion, trying to mask the fact that she was closer to swooning than scolding. “Use both hands or you’ll drop him! And-and hold him gently or you’ll pop him with your big, clumsy hands!”
            “He is impressive, isn’t he, Riruka-chan?” Kirio said for her, nodding her approval of him.
            He is. “He’s not! I was just about to catch Pengi-san myself!”
            “You can’t pull out the soul of anything in the Royal Palace,” Tenjiro said, watching Ichigo waltz over, mumbling about how ungrateful Riruka sounded. “Not even Shinigami are supposed to move that fast here. Click. Not even one considered Lightning-Fast.”
            Ichigo rejoined the group, and while Riruka possessively took Pengi-san away from him, now guarding it with both hands, Senjumaru addressed the situation first. “I hope that your display made you proud.”
            Ichigo didn’t respond to the provocation. “Even if it’s not allowed, that’s a toy that means something to Riruka…”
            “He’s Pengi-san, not a toy,” grumbled Riruka.
            “… so do you have somewhere we can store it while we’re here?”
            Tenjiro eyed the Soul King for a moment, and then he resigned. “Whatever the King wants. Oh, and I have some peaches on hand too.”
            Ichigo flinched and gulped at the reference.
            But then the outrageously-pompadoured man gave Riruka’s form a thorough inspection, much to her dislike. “But maybe you’d be interested in salted bamboo shoots instead.”
            “What’s that supposed to mean?!” husband and wife roared in red-faced tandem.
ccc In the hot springs ccc
            It wasn’t the spot Ichigo had been in before.
            “Those are occupied,” Tenjiro had said and left it at that.
            It wasn’t the same spot, and the healing properties were diluted. No need to keep the towel on the head this time. Just relax and enjoy. When Ichigo asked what the difference was between bathing here and bathing in his own bath at the palace, Senjumaru simply answered, “Atmosphere.”
            “This is much more relaxing than being in a closed-off room, isn’t it, Ichigo-chan, Riruka-chan?” Kirio spread her arms out along the rim of the hot springs, enjoying the fresh air and hot water; the contrast of a breezy day and hot water as her supple breasts bobbed freely on the surface. She didn’t want the towel in the water, even if Tenjiro approved. It was freedom and relaxing. Senjumaru, on the other hand, kept tucked in her covering. Riruka sat closer to Kirio than anyone else. Aside from her envious bust, Kirio was currently the most tolerable person in attendance.
            And Ichigo?
            Ichigo sat on the furthest end away from the women. He had thought it’d be separated by sex! Rukia’s presence last time while the men bathed was thought to have been an emergency situation only! But when he opened the door of the dressing room and saw the wide pond with no barrier…! Well, it didn’t don on him quite as hard as buxom Kirio walking out from the adjacent room in her birthday suit. He stumbled and staggered seeing her full glory bouncing generously to the spring like there was no one to observe her. And when she invited him to join her and the two others – Riruka chewing her thumb and grumbling her hatred of these shameless Shinigami – he sanctioned himself as far away from them as possible, averting his eyes and covering them when he felt they could not be trusted.
            “Ichigo-chan, you’ll never take full advantage of the hot springs if you don’t loosen up,” Kirio advised him. “Come join us in solidarity!”
            “Maybe you should cover up then,” griped Riruka, watching the orbs bounce softly on the rippling water. She ogled for a time, and then made a different observation. “I thought you were supposed to grow big when you recover your energy anyway.” She’d feel much more comfortable next to a fat cheery woman than a curvaceous cheery woman.
            Kirio smiled at her and held up a finger. “Replenishing reiatsu is not the same as stockpiling it. I consume nutrient-rich foods, and my body expands to contain the surplus!” Hardily, she clapped a hand around Riruka’s shoulders – a motion more brutal than the fragile Fullbringer was used to – and smooshed her face into the side of her left breast. “Thank you for showing an interest in how things work up here in Squad Zero, Riruka-chan!”
            “She’d feel more secure about herself if you’d fattened up first,” Senjumaru cooed, leaning to get a good look at Riruka’s expression dropping in a hateful scowl. Her head tilted back in that haughty way to leer down her nose at the flaring human. “She’s disappointed to be the least impressive person here.”
            “No one asked you, you creepy Spider-Hag!”
            Senjumaru just grinned.
            Fed up with the jibing, Riruka stood up straight, gave one last glare at the smirking Senjumaru and confused Kirio, and then trudged briskly across the water, splashing and kicking and making all sorts of racket so that they couldn’t get that peaceful silence.
            And neither could Ichigo, but…
            She plopped down next to him, stirring him from his meditation of chastity. “Riruka?”
            She didn’t say anything. She just looked forward, frowning.
            “Uh…” He gestated awkwardly. It was so much easier talking to women who he never felt romantically inclined to. Riruka was now that incline. It mattered to him now how she thought about him, rather than acting aloof for the sake of being aloof. “Sorry about the incident with your toy.”
            “I said he’s not a toy, and to call him Pengi-san!”
            The name alone made Ichigo cringe. He would not call it by that name.
            She looked away, the tassel of hair swinging at the side of her head. “And it’s all your fault anyway.” She said it like it was a pin note; just something for him to hear and accept.
            “Me?” Ichigo’s eyebrows furrowed after the initial shock. “How was that my fault?”
            “You’re the Soul King. You need to keep your servants in check! Especially the Spider-Hag!”
            “The pond isn’t so wide that I can’t hear you,” Senjumaru announced from across the water, hardly above her normal volume.
            Riruka put up a hand to her ear. “Huh~? Did I hear a Spider-Hag-ouch!!” The needle came out of nowhere, jabbing her rear from underwater, making her leap up and clutch at the stung area.
            “My apologies,” said Senjumaru in her even tone, though there was something like the hint of a laugh. “I saw a seam I deemed unsightly and decided to fix it.”
            It was becoming a war, and Riruka was determined to win it! “Ichigo!” She turned on him and then flung a pointing finger over to Senjumaru. “Banish her! Banish her now!”
            Ichigo swallowed hard and held up his hands. “Calm down…”
            “You’d be better asking him to kiss the pained area, Riruka-sama,” Senjumaru teased, not letting up the assault.
            “That’s enough, Senjumaru-san, Riruka-chan.” Kirio’s firmer tone could pacify the moment, but by the look in Riruka’s eyes and the twinkle of mischief in Senjumaru’s, it was hardly over.
            Checking her seat for anymore stray needles, Riruka sat down and fumed for a bit. Next to her, Ichigo was tightlipped, afraid of what to say. Luckily – depending on how you looked at it – Riruka didn’t leave it up to him to break the silence. “Thanks,” she uttered stubbornly, not facing him to give him the trophy of seeing her in gratitude, “for saving Pengi-san.” She looked down for that moment, but then glanced up at him for a reaction.
            Of course, he wasn’t going to tease or berate her for it. He was just staggered that those words could come out of her mouth when she had always been so reluctant to praise him. Even her generosity with the chocolate-covered strawberries a few days ago was laced with the hard edge of her animosity. So this meant something special.
            “Ahem.” He had his own image to maintain, especially with her. “It-it was nothing,” he said lowly, now taking his turn to look away and seem nonchalant while the obviousness of his blush hinted at how warm she made him feel.
            “Hey, that’s no way to respond!” Riruka was up, snarling and pulling at his spiky hair. “I just thanked you, so you should thank me now!”
            “Ow! Who thanks someone for thanking them?!” Ichigo shot back.
            “A husband who wants to make his wife happy!” Riruka countered. “After all the generous things I’ve done, now it’s your turn!”
            “Ow! Ow!! Okay, okay, thank you!”
            Riruka stopped her assault at once. Truthfully, after so many back-and-forths with stupid Yukio, she never saw an appropriate end to verbal conflict – least of all to benefit her. But then Ichigo’s big, strong hand caught her small, dainty one on his head. “Uh!” She flinched momentarily, but held her stance. She let him – or was unable to resist him – take her hand from his hair to hold in a sincere and tender moment. His eyes were intense like he was holding his sword… yet softer than that. She gulped and waited.
            “Thank you, Riruka.”
            That barrier that they’d been hammering at both sides was starting to come down. There’d been setbacks and breaks, but they were coming together bit by bit. Ichigo had just made a serious stab at the wall, getting closer and closer to seeing her. And at that moment, she realized what that meant… She had to throw the hammer down and stop helping him. She couldn’t… She wasn’t ready…
            She yanked her hand out of his, throwing her arms over her chest and scoffing at him. “What are you doing, acting so lame?” She plopped down, but left a significant amount of space between them. Whatever emotions he was processing before, they were put on hold for this abrupt confusion. Riruka was fine letting him wallow in that state. “Now that we got that settled”—Whatever ‘that’ was—“we can just quietly enjoy this boring trip. It wouldn’t be so boring with Pengi-san, but you can’t order your servants properly.”
            Before Ichigo could address the matter of how he viewed and treated those who worked around him… “Is anything the matter, Ichigo-chan? You two suddenly seem so aggressive.”
            “Huh? No, it’s nothing, Kirio-saargh!” Ichigo spurted a severe nosebleed when he carelessly turned towards the Grain King, who took it upon herself to wade right on over and join the Soul King and his human wife. She didn’t do a thing about her modesty; her attributes swinging freely as she traveled through the thigh-deep water. Even the purple triangle of curls was on bold display, and Ichigo’s eyes had mapped all of her before taking that wallop of blood to his head.
            She cocked her head curiously to Ichigo’s behavior, not thinking at all that her nakedness had anything to do with it.
            “K-K-Kirio-san!” he blubbered, hiding his face in his hands, both to nurse his appreciative nosebleed and to contain his wandering gaze. “You can’t…! You need to…! Gah! Hee…!” He was turning hysterical, lightheaded even from the severity of the nosebleed.
            And of course, his reaction was an absolute affront to Riruka, who had been trying since this morning to get him gushing and fawning over her. “Cover up, you bimbo!” she shouted, standing up to confront the two big enemies.
            “Ichigo still isn’t used to naked women.” Senjumaru had come over without so much as a ripple on the water; she floated over the surface. She needed to be there just to admonish the King and bug the queen. “But he showed a willingness to the idea when I was getting his measurements.”
            “Hey, don’t talk about that day!” Riruka fumed. That wasn’t the Spider-Hag’s day; it was hers! Hers and Ichigo’s, on the balcony! Before it was utterly interrupted and ruined by the stacked cook!
            “Is that what this is about?” Kirio looked disappointed as she put her hands on her flared hips. “Ichigo-chan.” She sounded exasperated, looking down at the King who was dripping with perversion and trying to maintain eye contact when there were so many sights to see below. “You can’t be so bashful around your wives. We want to share intimacy with our King, after all. That’s the point of marriage.”
            “But-but,” Ichigo tried to start. Couldn’t she cover up, or Senjumaru-san put together a towel for her? “It’s just that…!” He came to a sudden halt. What Kirio-san had just said… His hands drooped for a moment, a moment of seriousness. Kirio-san and Senjumaru-san were looming over him; Riruka was poised at his side to confront them – though it was doubtful she’d actually use the fists balled up at her sides. “Wives…” His hand lifted and pointed between the two of them. “Y-you mean…”
            “Of course,” huffed Kirio, tilting her head, seeming even more upset that he just realized this revelation. “Senjumaru-san and I both have our own Palaces. We’ve abstained from our duties there to remain at the Royal Palace with you, our husband.”
            “Squad Zero has always meant to serve at the behest of the Soul King,” added Senjumaru. “When it was deemed that you would possess many wives, of course we would be the first of them. Not even Inoue Orihime was picked before us.” Her red lips told of the great pleasure she took in that fact. If they were before Orihime, that meant they were well before Riruka, who had volunteered herself after the major announcement.
            “Riruka-chan.” Kirio looked to the magenta-haired wife like a mother admonishing her child. “You didn’t let him know?”
            “I’ve dropped hints,” Senjumaru said before Riruka could speak, “but the King is a little dense.” Seeing Ichigo’s mouth gaping, she smirked. “Did you think I was merely encouraging you to make a move on your human wife when I was taking your measurements?”
            Ichigo remembered that instance, when Senjumaru told him he must be bold enough to make a move on his wives rather than let them have all the control. She was daring closer and closer to him, to the point where he thought that she meant to kiss him… or meant for him to kiss her. Had he read that moment so correctly on accident?! And only pulled away because he didn’t know that she was also a wife?!
            “He didn’t need to know,” a flustered Riruka retorted to Kirio. She drew back, now on the defensive. “He’s already been surrounded by other wives! So-so…!” So to keep his attention on me alone, I didn’t tell him! Tears were starting to well up in her eyes. The pressure on her was building. Maybe in their eyes, she’d done something wrong. But they were wrong! She could take him into her Dollhouse, and they could live there! Instead of a stupid cocoon floating in the sky! Away from everyone else!
            Ichigo stood up now. Water running down the grooves of his tough and tight body to his waist’s towel, but Riruka couldn’t afford the distraction. The hot springs had become an area of tension and distrust. He looked at her. She tightened up her lips, focused her eyes on his.
            No, don’t look at me like that…
            “Why didn’t you tell me?” It wasn’t so much that he would have felt differently; it wouldn’t have changed how he felt. But she willingly kept it from him that there were two wives that he had been utterly ignorant to and had ignored. Hard enough to process the three first announced to him; he could have started processing five!
            Riruka was buckling. He was still so handsome… but those eyes were looking at her differently now. They were betrayed. She betrayed him. That barrier… He was busting through it, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Everything would be revealed, and she’d be helpless. And so… she would turn her shame and anguish and fear into a weapon.
            “Ha!” The snooty laugh was so forced, it almost hurt to hear it. Her voice was cracking, trying to sound arrogant while on the precipice of breaking down and crying. “Does it matter? What’s two more wives? And you have even more than that!” She threw her fists back. “And you’re upset about me not telling you? How stupid are you! Stu~pid~!” She was trembling, and when Ichigo took a step towards her to try to help her or touch her or something, she stumbled back several steps. Keep him away. Don’t let him touch… Don’t let him stop this. “It doesn’t matter to me, because… because…!” She forced a smile; a sharp, heartless smile. It held only for the second before she screamed it out. “You’re not even my first, idiot!” She screamed passionately, doubling over and bracing from the volume. It echoed in the tranquility, and it effectively shook Ichigo.
            She panted. She held onto that for so long. No, Ichigo was not her first love; he wouldn’t be the first man to touch her and know her intimately. Worse yet, he wouldn’t be the second, and she said so. “You’re third,” she wheezed out, not having the strength to keep her tears in check any longer. She held up three fingers to really drive home that fact.
            Senjumaru was, as usual, unmoved while Kirio showed empathy; both for her and the Soul King. The outpour of emotion; the day had been trying for poor Riruka-chan, though Ichigo-chan was making efforts. And he – demonstrating tendencies of a romantic and, well, a virgin – would tremble at this revelation.
            “Riruka-chan…” She reached out to hold the girl’s shoulder, but Riruka dodged her.
            “So I’m not… I’m not…!” She fought for what she was going to say. Not pure? Not a virgin? Not worthy? “You-you can send me back to the human world, then!” She stormed out of the springs before she could weep and give the Spider-Hag something to jeer about, the cook something to pity her for, and Ichigo time to shame her.
            The instant she rushed by him dragged. She could smell him, feel him, she could reach out and touch him, turn her head to see him, and put her mouth to taste him and say goodbye. But she couldn’t and wouldn’t allow herself to be so desperate. She almost stopped. Almost stopped and cried out his name, just to get a response. But there was the fear.
            The door leading from the men’s changing room was thrown open with mighty fanfare and blaring music. “Good morning, hubbies and honeys~!” Oh-Etsu threw his hands up like a rockstar, dressed in only a green towel of the Squad Zero. “How’re all the Soul King chickies today?!” Eagerly, he grinned at the hot spring, expecting to find a pool filled with Soul King wives giggling and frolicking. That busty Chan-Ori and Chan-Nel were reason enough for him to scope it out when he got word that the Soul King would be visiting the Kirinden with his wives!
            All he got was Kirio and Senjumaru – two who he had tried and failed to peep on before with painful results – and the furious brush of Chan-Riru passing by him. “Huh?” He took off his specs, wondering if they were fogged or dirty. But no, he was seeing correctly. “Just Kirio and Senjumaru?”
            Mera, who was next to him, said, “Dokugamine Riruka just left.”
            Oh-Etsu slumped. “Ugh, this party is bust.”
            Mera let him wallow in his disappointment. Disappointment sobered him up. She at least could analyze the atmosphere. Kirio – by Senjumaru’s instant craft – had wisely been covered up by a manufactured towel the instant the music started to blare from Oh-Etsu’s speakers. But her eyes went to the Soul King. He was looking in her direction, but not at her. Probably looking after the departure of the Riruka wife. Wonder what happened.
ccc The Royal Palace; Riruka’s room ccc
            It wasn’t easy getting back. Tenjiro had said the only way to get back without Kirio’s cart was to be blasted there with a spring and a mallet. He seemed too pleased to do it, but she was in no mood for it. It would shatter her to pieces! So, with reluctance, he compromised. A special fluff – more of Senjumaru’s handiwork – that could surround her like a cloud. “You won’t feel any impact with this.” And before she could ask any questions, he pounded the lever and sent Riruka screaming on her way.
            A less-than-graceful landing, but at least he was right that she didn’t feel a thing in the huge ball of cotton. But no time to marvel at it and admit its cuteness – all the ball needed were eyes and a smile – she had to get to her room. She hastened there on foot, not thinking or not able to use her Fullbring.
            She had to get to her room… and pack.
            What King would want a spoiled bride, after all? She dreaded it; her past. If Orihime were there, she figured she might have been able to bury it. The buxom oaf had such an easing affect on her; frustrating her, but also making her comfortable. She was someone Riruka hoped to somehow talk to about her past and make sense of it to Ichigo without… upsetting him.
            Packing was easy. The moment Ichigo arrived to banish her, she just needed to shrink everything and be on her way for the last time.
            So she just sat at her table, lying her head on an arm and looking at nothing, sulking in solitude. She’d taken off her swimsuit and dressed in her usual one-piece skirt ad thigh-high boots. Best be ready to return to a world of brutes and idiots and predators and prey.
            “I don’t want to leave,” she admitted softly.
            She did believe she was in love before. The man was cute and charming, did things for her and bought her cute things. She was smitten and decided the best way to reciprocate was to lie with him and share herself with him. He at least made it romantic, slow and passionate, until he tore into her with a deep huff that she found beastly and brutal with the sting of losing her chastity. But when he was spent and panting beside her, she had smiled and felt that this was it. She was with the one who would pamper and love her forever.
            Sex quickly became different. It was like the first time was for her, but all times after were his. He’d embarrass her with the positions and acts. And when she’d had enough of the vulgarity, he insisted. When she continued to refuse, he smacked her to the ground. Teary-eyed, she turned a snarl on him and showed him that even a cute girl like her, with Fullbring at her command, could also be a brute.
            Tsukishima found her after that relationship. He and Ginjo had plans, and she was along for the ride. Somehow, she and the manipulator grew attached. She was more on guard than before, but he was so calm and cool that she was drawn to him merely out of physical attraction. Jackie advised her against it, and that just made her like him more. Whatever went on between them, Riruka always felt a disconnect. He liked her and maybe even respected her. But there was no future for the two of them. He died, she shed her tears for him, and accepted that she’d already moved on.
            Kurosaki Ichigo was a pure physical attraction. He was hot, in a different way than Tsukishima, and she liked that. But she was aslo more reluctant than ever to give into feelings of attraction. So she’d keep him away, berate and insult him until he broke and hated her. He showed frustration and anger at her antics – she loved it – but in the end, she saw his heart. He didn’t put up facades or flatter her, nor was he phony. In the end, he did everything to save himself, his friends, and even his enemies. Ginjo was beyond the point of reason, and only death would settle his consuming hatred. For as brief a time as it was, though she wouldn’t say it to either of their faces, she was glad to see that he and Tsukishima and even Giriko were okay in Soul Society.
            Knock-knock.
            Riruka realized that she’d drifted off in her reminiscence. And somehow, she was expecting someone to come for her. Ichigo, probably, to ban her himself. But no; she should have figured it was the Spider-Hag. She had never had a bigger smile on her face than when Riruka opened the door to her. “Follow me,” she ordered. Riruka was not queen anymore; she had to listen to the King’s wife now.
            She was taken to the same room that Orihime and the dumb Arrancar had taken the portal to their respective worlds. The portal was open again, showing a revolving image of Karakura Town; her destination.
            She swallowed hard and almost backed away, like she was facing the gallows.
            I don’t want to leave, she whimpered in her head. I don’t want to leave him. It wasn’t the Royal Palace, but the King who she wanted to stay with. Not the title or the pretense or the service and possibilities. Don’t make me leave him.
            But his glower was on her, along with some sadness. Maybe he didn’t want her to go, or maybe he was disappointed in her, but he said it all the same: “You have to go now, Riruka.”
            Riruka jumped with a start from her dream. Knock!! The knocking was real this time. No dream. This was it, the moment of judgment. She quaked, but resolved herself not to anymore. She’d be banished, but she’d have some choice words to share with Ichigo, the cook, and the Spider-Hag. She wouldn’t just be kicked out the door like trash! She’d go on the offense the moment she opened the door.
            “What is it?” she snapped.
            And just as prophesized in her dream, it was Senjumaru; it gave credit to her dream that she was about to be exiled. Except, the Spider-Hag wasn’t smiling… and was holding, in each hand, plushies of unique and – to Riruka – cute design. Made of that special cotton that she thought was so impressive before.
            “What…?”
            “Ichigo’s request” was Senjumaru’s answer, now shoving the stuffed animals at her, forcing her to accept them, wanting to get rid of them as quickly as possible. “A small start, but I’ll admit that I’m deliberately taking it slow. He said you liked dolls and… ‘cute’ things. This is all I’ll do for you for now.”
            The biggest doll was a spider! A soft shade of purple; eyes not goofy, but sleek and mysterious with a red-lipped smirk. It made Riruka hate it to think it was so adorable!
            But this unexpected and… wonderful! – she already was planning to pile them onto her bed and dive into them – present couldn’t be all of it! Not after that humiliating outburst! She couldn’t just drop them – her reflexes wouldn’t allow that – so she put them on her table and asked, “What about… Ichigo?” She trailed off nervously. After all, a present didn’t mean that she wasn’t about to have her title as wife expunged.
            “He’s in his room, last I checked. Kirio had offered to make food, but he’s refused.” Senjumaru turned to leave. “See him or don’t; I suspect he won’t make the first move.”
            “W-wait!” Riruka almost grabbed Senjumaru’s sleeve out of impulse. A good thing she hadn’t; Senjumaru had proved to her how liberal she could be with her needle. “Is that it?!”
            “I’m not here to do or say anything for you,” the Great Weaver said, hardly looking over her shoulder. “You’re free to move about the Palace at your own leisure. I have business of my own to attend to.” And with that, she was off.
            When the Spider-Hag turned a corner, Riruka felt safe exiting her room. She toddled on nervous feet, afraid that each step forward would be a wrong one. A man lied to her, another didn’t care. She should just shut herself away in her room, accept his gift, and see what he would do next.
            All the same, she was at his door. And rather than burst in with the presumption of “I’m your wife until you banish me!”, she nervously knocked. So soft… She almost didn’t want to be heard so she’d have an excuse to turn back with the feeling that she at least tried.
            He probably could’ve heard her drop a pin, he opened the door so fast. Had he actually been waiting for her? He wasn’t looking at the eyelevel of Kirio and Senjumaru; Riruka was much shorter than them. But he didn’t look upset; just surprised.
            Stupid, of course I was going to come… The fact that he could have such a look on his face… She liked him for it.
            “Riruka…”
            “Of-of course,” she hurried to seemed tough. “Who else would it be?” She invited herself in before they could have an entire conversation in the hall. He closed the door behind her to all intrusive ears. The masked servants were not as worrisome as the Spider-Hag and the cook.
            The air in his room still smelled like him. She took a moment to appreciate it. Until he said otherwise, she was still under the impression that she was to be punished in some way.
            “Is this it?”
            She looked to him and saw that he had brought Pengi-san back with him. After the scene at the hot springs, she’d forgotten all about him! But Ichigo had gone out of his way to bring it back, even after that display.
            “What you came for,” he clarified when she didn’t answer right away.
            “I told you not to hold him like that!” She took the big blue ring away from him. “And… and he’s not why I came.”
            Ichigo’s face stiffened. He expected as much, but it was drama he wasn’t entirely prepared to deal with. “Yeah,” he answered, ruffling the hair at the back of his head as a distraction. “I thought not.”
            Riruka saw his apprehension and tucked her chin. She felt likewise. It wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have today or any day in the near future. This was more or less a honeymoon. If all could have gone her way, he’d be groveling at her feet and saying that nothing in the past mattered.
            But it did matter. And she needed to know where that would take them now. “So,” she hesitated, “what now?”
            For a little while, Ichigo mulled over that question. He was thinking of what to say. He had been trying since she first confessed. It shook him, that was certain. She saw it on his face the moment the confession left her lips. Now, he couldn’t put his feelings into words. “Ahhrgh,” he groaned out loud. He looked aside with a heavy hunch. “I-I don’t like it much. I’m not good with these kinds of things.”
            Riruka snorted. “You think I am? I just… wanted you to know.” I’m sorry for weaponizing it…
            His eyes came up to her; big browns that melted her heart. His sincerity was palpable as the flavor of him lingering in the air. “Kirio-san talked to me about it. It’s a little difficult to digest…” He swung his head again, looking like an upset adolescent. He scratched fitfully at the bridge of his nose, an angry red crossing the area. “I… didn’t suspect…” He trailed off, deeming it unwise to throw around words like ‘suspect’ or mentioning ways that he might have thought better of her. Those were not accusations. As he had said, he was bad at putting these emotions to words. “Well,” he finally grumbled in jealous admittance, “I can’t say I’d get along with those guys.”
            Riruka swallowed.
            “But,” he forced himself on, wanting to be as honest with her as she had been with him, no matter her reasoning. “It’s not like you’re someone who’s… with me out of desperation, or trying to get back at them by rushing into a new relationship…”
            “I’m not!” she hurried out in desperate panic. She sounded – and looked – much more vulnerable than she ever intended. Ichigo stopped for her, staring wide-eyed and understandably shocked before that turned to a chuckle. She read his eyes; her outburst, he found… cute. She shrunk back, composed herself under a mask of vengeful indifference. “Of course I’m not,” she amended in a more composed and offended way, tagging a “Stupid” at the end for posterity’s sake.
            “And that’s what matters to me, Riruka.”
            She gasped. He approached so smoothly with such a quiet aura that she couldn’t even detect it. He was close enough now to take her hands in his; she couldn’t even find the will – or reason – to resist. His hands holding hers. His big, strong, dumb, warm hands… Tender… Her breathing was becoming heaving gasps. His smile; warmer even than the one he had given her right before battling the Quincy King. What might have been the last one! This one was better. It might have melted her if he wasn’t there holding her up.
            He should smile more. At the same time, only for her. Only for when they were alone.
            “I want you… to stay, Riruka.”
            Like a thermometer dipped in lava hot sauce, she ran red from toes to head, which burst in a cloud of passionate steam.
            Ichigo~ I love you~
            Tingling fingertips; her hands turned in his to mesh their fingers in an intimate embrace. Her body hot; his too. She could barely breathe, could think clearer with less sense. Her flush remained, contained on her cheeks now; no less blazing. Her eyelids drooped; glimmering in soft light. Her lips puckered slightly; ready to finally finish what had started over a single chocolate-covered strawberry.
            Ichigo felt it. He knew. This was it. His blood was rising. He wasn’t about to fumble this time. Her fingers brushing his tickled, and the look on her face was obvious; no denying it. He swallowed and hoped not to embarrass himself. Her body wasn’t against his; not yet. At the same time, he could feel her; heart throbbing in her chest just as his own. In response, other parts of him had come to attention; no nosebleed this time.
            He leaned in; he was going to do it. However, Riruka was impatient. No way was an unwanted, ill-timed cook going to ruin this for her. He wanted to keep her, as she was, right now and forever. She’d accept that proposal and threw herself at him, catching her arms around his neck, pulling him into a deep kiss that he wasn’t completely ready for. Slow! Slow!! But she wanted him and wouldn’t let him the chance to mess up. She was there to rid him of uncertainty, to egg him forward, to move him into action when he was tentative and needed a verbal kick in the pants to move on! She wouldn’t let him hesitate.
            She hitched a leg up on his waist, securing them together. Now. Now let the cook and Spider-Hag walk in on them, seeing her lay claim to their Soul King. Him lay claim to her. His arms around her, strong and secure. Her heat on him, her breasts against his chest, her lips devouring his. He could only try to keep up…
            And then…
            She shoved him away, and held him at arm’s length. “Wait,” she panted, slumped over and looking exhausted. Her taste lingered on his lips; it was all he could do not to run out his tongue to sample her a moment longer. What had he done wrong?
            She snapped up and held up a finger in warning. “Don’t move!” And then she ran out of the room, leaving the Soul King wondering what had just happened. He was dizzy, teetering in place, and dreading that she wasn’t coming back.
            Well, she left the door open, so that should be some indication of hope.
            Riruka hadn’t moved so fast in her life! But this was it! This was the moment! She had known it was going to come! Husband and wives – no matter how many – she would get a turn, and this was it! She had to look her cutest! First thing she checked: her legs. She ran her legs up them, and then checked under her arms. She’d done the usual beauty regiment in preparation for the hot springs, but needed to be sure. All smooth and smelling fresh! Still, a few puffs of vaguely-chocolate perfume wouldn’t hurt. Some here, a little there… And here, she thought with a shrewd blush.
            Now to dress! Her go-to for such requirements was a bra; a cutesy bra with both cups in the design of a cute bear’s face, a clasp hidden in the reaching hands of either one to make it appear that they were coming together in a hug. It was positively cute, and she couldn’t help but squeal in delight when she found it at the store; afterward, she caught herself, coughed in her fist, and behaved like she’d take it only because the store had nothing else.
            Seeing the bears holding hands, strapped to her chest, pushing her bust up and displaying alluring cleavage…! Riruka halted before she could switch into it. She stared into the eyes – Please use us, Riruka-sama, those bear eyes begged – but she decided not to. She’d wear it eventually and get all sorts of compliments from Ichigo… and maybe Orihime… if she was in the mood to share with the buxom buffoon. But right now, she needed to be subtle, sexy, contained. She apologized to the cubs and set them aside, changing instead for some negligée.
            Ichigo was a dope, she thought; not in a bad way, even if she could say it so. He was just a bit too trusting of certain people – leading him to be manipulated by Ginjo’s Xcution – and needed to see something right in the face to conceive it. So this bra would do the trick! It was near see-thru, hazing her skin just enough to leave her breasts detectable, but whet the appetite of imagination. She was proud of herself for buying it. No errand by Giriko and no online store shopping! No, she went to the city, hassled with idiot, bumbling clerks who just couldn’t comprehend her orders, dealt with annoying fellow customers whose lack of taste grated her! The bra – which was scant but durable and put complimentary emphasis in all the right places – came with a blouse that was really more of a shroud with sleeves. Even on her cute, compact size, it seemed small and unable to close around her; the whole point of the feature. It was to entrance, after all, to beckon eyes to follow the flowing motions of her arms, and to enjoy the frustrations of gingerly removing it against the instinct to shred all that held desire. No skirt with it, though she knew she could properly accessorize; that was her talent. But tonight, she wanted to flash her body to him, strike him like lightning with how little she could wear, how much she could show. The panties – thong, more appropriately – held onto her hips an inch too low; boldly showing the top of her buttocks and displaying the shape of her crotch. No way Ichigo would ignore that… or these, she added as she fluffed up her breasts. The bra did its job: cradling with support, but leaving yield for those attractive bounces.
            Slippers, she wasn’t so sure of. She wanted to strut in, heels clicking with fluff bouncing, her striking a pose against the doorway as she’d seen in movies. Men would drool, and Riruka harbored the hope that Ichigo would react the same. At the same time, as she considered her bare feet, she thought they were positively adorable – dainty and small, pedicured to gleam perfection – and decided that maybe Ichigo would like to see all of her.
            There was no helping for makeup. As ‘exposed’ as she wanted to be, she also wanted to dazzle him. They could hold off a proper ceremony for another day; one where she could look radiant and beautiful in a wedding dress while the other wives scorned her with envy. Tonight’s theme was ‘sexy’. Not whorish! She wiped away a good amount of blush that she may have been a bit too generous with. But strawberry lip balm, aptly applied, made her lips deliciously pink. She thought of how his lips tasted. It might have been from the hot springs, but it felt like a water kiss during the start of a storm: powerful, wet, electrifying. Her lips still tingled from his as she finished dabbing them off.
            She couldn’t take too long, she thought while rushing her eyeliner. Her darling Ichigo was very protective of her. If he waited, he worried, and might walk in on her and ruin his surprise!
            Stupidly, Riruka veered with her pencil, leaving a streak branching away from her plucked eyebrows.
            Darling…? Her?! Her darling?!
            She spun away from her vanity mirror, balling up and withholding a giggle of glee. She could admit it! At least to herself in her mind! He was her darling! And in time, he’d call her his darling!
            Hurrying to get back to pampering her face, she was already making plans to send away for His/Hers memorabilia.
ccc Soul King’s room ccc
            It was a while in waiting. Ichigo had done as he was asked and didn’t move from his spot; not by choice. He was pretty stunned, shellshocked by that kiss. Nel’s kisses had been sudden and adoring; Riruka’s had been… hot and heavy. His heart was still knocking against his chest, and it was a bother, but he admitted to certain other throbbing that had occurred. He should deal with it; at least shift it and make it less obvious. Had that been the reason she’d left? He hoped not. Not that he wanted to try anything like forcing himself on her, but it was a rare moment of connection and honesty between them. Riruka had tried so hard to keep him at an emotional distance, only creeping in inch by inch when he wasn’t looking. But it seemed every time he tried to reciprocate, she would skitter back further than she had approached! That near-kiss at the balcony was such a huge stride for them!
            He had to touch his heart. Thudding… His heart was against his ribs with powerful, fast thumps. He couldn’t recall a time he’d felt so elated or anxious, even when Ichimaru was bearing down on his cold truths or when he recovered his Shinigami powers. Taking a deep breath, holding it, and then breathing out, he tried to settle his nerves. If Riruka had gone for the night – for whatever reason – he supposed he might do that same. He hadn’t even thought to call on Kirio-san – a wife! he reminded himself again – for food. But he was hungry! Hungry, but not in the mood to eat. It was a frustrating paradox. Maybe he should just call on her. Force himself to take a bite of her exquisite cooking, and then he wouldn’t be able to control the eating frenzy!
            “Ahem!”
            He looked at the doorway, the source of the attention-grabbing cough, and he stumbled, legs suddenly jelly and the room tilting on its axis – for him, at least. He had not seen…! Not expected…! His hand clapped over the bottom half of his face, but his eyes remained open and broad as he took in Riruka’s appearance. Her bathing suit, though he wouldn’t allow himself to show it, was a teasing sight for his eyes; he wouldn’t be caught gawking for fear of reprimand. This outfit now absolutely demanded that he ogle, objectify, and bow to.
            Riruka was glad that he seemed far-off and distracted when she poked her head in nervously; it gave her a chance to strike that pose, catch him unawares. And with her usual standoffish demeanor, aside for a little flush accentuated with the add-on of makeup, she pulled off a rather provocative stance. No slippers or heels; her bare feet made less noise as she tiptoed, grabbing around herself before anyone – namely Spider-Hag – could see – and tease – her. Luck was with her all the way. She arched her back against the doorframe, lifted a leg high – Dammit! A cramp! Though she pulled through its sting with flying colors – for a tight angle that drew vision inward to her apex. One arm lifted and draped against her head, like she was tired and needed to be whisked off her feet as soon as possible and carried to bed. At the same time, her relaxed and indifferent face – hard to pull off when so excited and nervous – seemed that she couldn’t be bothered anyway. And, of course, she made sure to push her breasts out.
            She changed her hair too. The pigtails were cute under her hat, but the hat had to go for this sexy ensemble to work, and that meant the pigtails had to go too. She had let her hair tumble down, and while that looked good – her hair had some bounce, but it wasn’t the luscious waviness that Orihime or the busty bimbo Arrancar had – she felt it looked too flat. She did it up like she had for the hot springs, but decided that there’d be some ‘tussling’, some hair-grabbing. She folded her magenta locks up in a single, lopsided ponytail – balled up in a lion scrunchy, falling loose to hang against her shoulder. She loved the softness of her hair brushing her skin.
            Ichigo would love it too.
            The scent of strawberry and chocolate; Ichigo caught it even under his hand, even when there was the risk of nosebleed from eyeing his suddenly-provocative wife. “Riruka…” His hand fell away from his face, and she reveled in the response she was hoping to get from him. He couldn’t stop himself, scanning her from bottom to top, swallowing hardest at particular points of interest. She even saw twitches in his muscles and fingers, his eyes throbbing from staying open for so long, not blinking; not daring to, lest the image might somehow vanish.
            Her skin felt prickled in sensual response. His attention – and homage – to her was gratifying, and in a way sustaining. She decided she could work with it. She was still in control; he was weak to her. If he had made just one step to her, she had feared that the tables would turn and she’d weep for him instead.
            “You…” Ichigo’s mouth hardly worked. He could hardly function with a brain so occupied by so much of a single woman. So many points of interest, though his modesty tried to combat the urge to stare so blatantly. “You look…”
            Don’t let him compliment! Her stomach turned to a small cage for restless butterflies when he did that! She dropped her stance, but kept the theme of seductress. Strut-strut, hips rolling, thighs moving against one another, arms hanging with sweeping gestures, bust jiggling.
            Ichigo stared, seemingly turning into a thermometer himself this time; temperatures quickly rising! Every step sent him up a few hundred degrees. Wobble-wobble♥, her chest went while he went Throb-throb!
            “If I’m staying in this room tonight,” she said with forced indifference, putting on her best displeased glower, “I’m going to be comfortable.” She didn’t hesitate. She pushed her advantage and her chest against him, straightening him out, snapping him to attention. He inhaled like he was about to plunge into a deep chasm, staring deep into it and unable to look away. “And you’re going to make sure of that, right?”
            “Uh…”
            She was pleased so far with his response. Too overcome to speak… Stu~pid~ she jeered endearingly in her mind.
            Then he pointed at her face. “Your… eyebrow…” Really, there was so much for him to notice – two of the most paramount were shoved up against his sternum (they were pleasantly soft~) – but he couldn’t find his way around much thought, and he had to point out that there was a streak branching off from her right eyebrow.
            The sultry smirk deadened. The mood cracked. “Wait a minute…” She spun away and crouched, pulling the compact mirror for her bra for just an occasion. She’d been in such haste, she’d forgotten to fix that error! Dammit! She scrubbed at the line with the heel of her palm, ready to rub her skin raw to get rid of the imperfection. But her hand’s aggressiveness was stopped by Ichigo. He held her wrist, little effort needed to stay her endeavor. Gossy-eyed, she turned up to him, expecting him to be laughing or displeased with her mistake. Just a smile…
            “You look beautiful,” he honestly said.
            …
            My darling~♥
            “Ha!” Click! She closed and tossed the mirror aside and stood up. “Of course you would think that! Why wouldn’t you?” She stood up, her back to him. Discretely as she could, she tried to rub the imperfection away with a licked thumb. It faded… Good enough. She was smirking and blushing when she finally turned back to him. “Your type is always so easy to impress. I just put all this together at random.” She wouldn’t admit how much thought had gone into this process.
            “My type?” Ichigo didn’t like the implication, but it was hardly an issue when lithe Riruka shoved him backward onto the bed. The orgy-appropriate bed took his weight easily, though he felt like he was heavier than usual. Even more so when Riruka, like a playful cat, crawled on and held herself over him. Hands at the sides of his head; knees holding at his waist. She was so powerful. She subdued a Soul King on her own. He couldn’t move or speak; not unless she told him he was able.
            He breathed out her name in silent reverence.
            Her face tightened a little. There was a moment of uncertainty for her. Something that held her from commencing. She couldn’t face him, not yet, not when she needed to know. “Tell me,” she began, trying to seem like it didn’t really matter at all to her. But her stalling and her blushing belied her true feelings. “Tell me,” she started again, “that… you want me to stay.”
            “Stay?”
            “Stay here… with you.” At the Royal Palace. Or in the living world. Or anywhere in any world. Tell me you want me to stay by your side… wherever.
            Ichigo felt the gravity of her words. And it was no hard thing for him to answer. He took her chin, made her face him, and told her directly, “Please… stay with me.” He lifted his head off the bed and kissed her on her strawberry-flavored lips.
            She resumed control after that.
ccc Later, night ccc
            “Did you really tell the Spider-Hag to make me dolls?”
            “Yeah, but you should really stop calling her that.”
            “What’s she gonna do?”
            “Same thing she did at the Kirinden.”
            Riruka picked herself up from Ichigo’s arm, pouting down at him, clutching the covers to her naked body. “You need to get that Spider-Hag under control since you know she’s your wife too.”
            “So are you,” he reminded her with a smile. He was tired, too tired to make to cover himself. The activities had lasted a while, and after some breathless cuddling and even some dozing, Riruka decided to strike up some pillow talk.
            “But I’m not the one jabbing the wife who I’m jealous of with a needle,” Riruka growled, poking a finger at Ichigo’s forehead.
            He grinned a soft, tired grin with a chuckle. “Senjumaru-san said I should kiss it.”
            Suddenly embarrassed by the steer of topic, Riruka blushed and turned away. After a moment, though, she acknowledged, “Well… you did…”
            Again, Ichigo laughed and pulled his fingertips lightly down her sides. She tingled from the touches.
            “I bet she didn’t like being given the order to make the dolls.”
            He shook his head. “She said it was a waste of her talent and time…”
            Riruka smirked slyly. Take that, Spider-Hag. If there were favorites amongst his wives, she felt she had a comfortable lead among them all now. First to share his bed, first to have him, first to get gifts from him.
            With a haughty “Hmph!”, she scooted over and straddled her husband again, much to his shock.
            “Again?!
            She smirked, leaned on him, and said, “Again.”
ccc Later; Kirinden ccc
            Tenjiro avoided them as best as he could. Kazuhiro and Kazuo and other aids of his base could deal with the testy wives yet to make their appearance at the Royal Palace. Well, two of them… This was a trickier matter, as these women came as a set. The one who healed fastest – having some of the lesser injuries – proclaimed that “It’s no bother. Who cares? She’ll have to agree when she wakes up.”
            “Ooo, she’ll be so mad when she gets out of that bloody hot spring~!”
            “She’ll be maddest at you.”
            Tenjiro was rather creeped out by them. But, swishing his toothpick, maybe the other three wouldn’t be so bad. “After all, they have to be included… right?”
ccc Epilogue; morning ccc
            Kirio was surprised that they arrived to breakfast together. They walked side-by-side, quiet and looking in opposite directions, though there was a very intimate atmosphere between them. And though they thought they were being secretive and clever, a Squad Zero member could easily notice how their hands intentionally brushed against one another, Riruka’s pinky stretching out and his hooking with it. Well, Kirio thought as she shoveled a scoop of fresh steamed rice into a bowl, if they wanted to be private about it, let them! She was very happy to see them in good spirits and being so friendly.
            “I’ve been looking into what humans are more customary to for meals, Riruka-chan,” she explained, producing a plate of toast and eggs sunny-side up. “I may be able to make you feel more at home, if that’s to your liking.”
            “Whatever,” Riruka answered droningly. Kirio expected her to fall into her usual chair, cross her legs and kick her foot impatiently as she had all week. Again, she was full of surprises this morning, opting instead to not just sit on the ground, but to sit in such close proximity to Ichigo-chan! It was a positively endearing sight to see her lean into her husband, and best of all, Ichigo-chan wasn’t shy at all. “Here,” she mumbled, picking a diced strawberry from her plate and pressing it to Ichigo’s lips. She didn’t smile or anything; kept her features in check but for the knowing pink starting to glow as they both began to reminisce.
            She liked secrets… Secrets were cute…
            Between them, hidden from sight, her hand rested over his as they began to eat. He even was on good behavior, restricting himself from gorging as usual. At one point, another positively endearing sight: they both picked up a glass of juice and drank at the same time. At which point, Kirio made the announcement. “It’s good to see you both it such healthy spirits. It must be because of what day it is.”
            Ichigo peeked at her from over the glass, not yet finished.
            “The day all six of your wives arrive.”
            Together, Ichigo and Riruka dropped their drinks and spit it all out. Positively endearing.
ccc
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The Royal Palace Brides