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The Royal Palace Brides	By : c0p13r Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 9515 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own 'Bleach' and make no money from this story.

Chapter List
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            “So what’s going to happen?”
            “What do you mean?”
            Riruka leaned forward on her knees, leering at her pacing husband. They were in his room, her sitting on the bed – which they had happily and enthusiastically shared last night – and him walking back and forth nervously. “Six wives are going to be here.”
            Six… Ichigo nibbled on his thumb. Six… Did that include Riruka, Kirio-san and Senjumaru-san?
            “Hey~” droned Riruka, breaking him from his thoughts to return him to her question. “So what’s going to happen?”
            “Uh…”
            She stood up, went at him, and jabbed his sternum with a finger. “Not ‘Uh~’! You can’t start acting all weird around me again. I knew what I was getting into when I said I’d be your wife when there were already others! I might have to share you, but you’re still my husband, right?” She looked sternly at him.
            But he wasn’t intimidated. That look of hers that preyed on his insecurity, ready to tear him down if he let it to the surface. He grinned and kissed her; she kissed him back, but it wasn’t a long kiss. A kiss of gratitude. “It’ll work,” he promised her.
            “It better.” And then she started jabbing at his chest again with her finger. “But don’t get all stupid because of that big-boobed Arrancar again!”
            Ichigo flushed deeply. That wasn’t his intention, but…
            “Kurosaki Ichigo~!!” The booming voice of the Mad Monk! They hadn’t heard from him in so long! Clack-clack-clack! The mountainous man’s sandals hit the floor with each step as he intruded on the Soul King’s intimate session with his human wife. Riruka clutched onto Ichigo’s robes with both hands, both to keep him and to use him as a shield against this unsightly Shinigami. Ichibe hadn’t even bothered to knock. “It’s been so long, but you are looking well and happy! You are adjusting quickly, I hope.”
            Ichigo smiled and nodded. “Yeah, a little. Thanks, Osho-san.”
            The big, bald head swung to the other in the room. “And you. Hm! It’s Inoue Orihime!”
            “Dokugamine Riruka!” she spat at him, seething in rage at how easily he confused her for someone so different.
            “Aha! Of course!” He then hummed, stroking his beard while pondering her. Riruka waited, but not with patience.
            Jeez, hurry up and leave, you creep.
            “What are you doing here again?”
            “I’m Ichigo’s wife!” she roared more venomously now, yanking Ichigo possessively to her, him only able to plug his ear when she screamed right next to it.
            “Yes, now I remember!” Ichibe proclaimed, though neither husband nor wife knew if that was true. He just went on and asked her, “You are acclimating to living in the Royal Palace too, right? It can be quite burdensome. Ichigo-san could not have asked for a better wife for you to endure such extremes!”
            To this, Riruka felt she might be able to – someday – change her opinion on the burly monk… but his interrupting the precious few moments she had left with her darling did rub her wrong. That brief kiss could very well have turned into something more; she learned well enough last night that with the merest provocations, Ichigo could stand to attention for her on multiple occasions.
            “It’s really good to see you again, Ichigo-san,” Ichibe said again, swinging back to more business conversation. “Of course, you know why I’m here.”
            “Yeah, I think so.” Ichigo found Riruka’s hand and gave it a supportive squeeze; she squeezed back. He gulped. “Everyone’s here?”
            Ichibe more bowed than nodded. “Yes! The Garganta and the Senkaimon have both been activated, and all are accounted for. Wait! Hm, that’s not true.” His dark eyes turned up as he counted in his head. “Unless Tenjiro has arrived. He’s painstakingly been taking care of your other wives. Although that might be inaccurate too.”
            “What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Riruka in Ichigo’s stead, annoyed at how unclear Ichibe was being.
            “Well, they were considered a package deal, but…”
            Loud music!! Blaring loud!! Microphone! It had to be…
            “Good morning, Royal Palace! Feeling goo~d?! Good!”
            Ichibe looked up, less affected by the reverberating volume while Ichigo winced and Riruka plugged her ears desperately. “I should have expected. Oh-Etsu likes to make it about himself.”
            “Well, get him to stop,” Ichigo argued, bracing Riruka as she wailed about the racket.
            “I suppose it’d be best if we just go there ourselves.”
            “Then hurry up!” screeched Riruka.
ccc Throne Room ccc
            The megaphones were installed last night. Oh-Etsu snuck back and forth with every Zanpakuto that was available to assist in stealth. He didn’t want Senjumaru spoiling his fun like she always did, and luckily, he was beginning the bash before she could arrive with the otherworldly travelers.
            “You’ve all been waiting, but it’s time for the countdown! Jiro-Ten is on the way with the stragglers! So nine-eight-seven-six-five-four-three…! The greatest Zanpakuto Creator! Nimaiya Oh-Etsu is here to introduce…!!” He continued speaking into the mic even after the speakers were assassinated; Senjumaru’s needle precision was so precise that there wasn’t even a boom when she short-circuited, snipped, and punctured everything that made the speakers viable.
            She preferred her own methods, actually; her hands playing instruments in lively fanfare.
            Oh-Etsu turned on her. “Maru-Senju, how could you?! I was just about to reveal all the women who’ve come flockin’ for our Soul King.”
            “Given the ceremony,” Senjumaru countered, her band of strums, drums, and tootling still continuing, “I’d say it would be more important to reveal all in attendance the new Soul King.”
            “But everyone already knows Chan-Ichi! Don’t take the party away just because you’re one-yah!” He bowed out of the argument when Senjumaru grabbed his flexing pinky from the microphone and gave it a threatening twist.
            With him out of the way, begging her not to break it, Senjumaru’s band stopped so that she may bring all gathered to attention and watch the entryway of the Royal Throne Room. “Arriving now is the balancer of all worlds, the lynchpin of all creation, Kurosaki Ichigo, the Soul King.”
            Carefully, nervously, Ichigo made his appearance. He didn’t alter the Shinigami garb, but wearing the white haori of a Captain was a bit unique to him. Ichibe had insisted that he look grand for such a public appearance. A part of Ichigo had worried that he wasn’t just going to be facing his six – or more? – wives, but the entirety of the Shinigami realm! But no, just a throne room… with more than six women…
            “Masaki~!!”
            Ichigo was expecting much, but he wasn’t expecting the sudden tackle of his father. Isshin snatched the front of his son’s robes, bearing down on him and glaring with nostrils flaring. “Masaki~ where did I go wrong?! When did our son become such a royal delinquent?! To-to marry multiple women…! Is every man’s dream! But it is meant to be an unachievable goal! Something to always push a man forward! Ichigo, how could you…!”
            Thankfully, it wasn’t up to Ichigo to abate his unexpected dad’s outburst; Karin was there to smack him over the head and remove him from ruining the scene. “Stupid old man,” she muttered, letting Isshin drop and grab at the lump in his skull. And then she looked at her big brother. Yuzu too. The Kurosaki family together.
            “Onii-chan…”
            “Yuzu, Karin.” Ichigo was surprised but incredibly happy to see his sisters. He hadn’t had a chance since taking the role of Soul King encased in crystal. He couldn’t help himself. He flung his arms around them, pulled them into a sibling’s hug, and smiled wide with joy. He hadn’t realized it with so much happening, but they had come so close to being lost to him when Yhwach usurped the prior Soul King. “I’m so glad you’re both alright!”
            Yuzu, of course, fed off of his emotion and began sobbing. She’d only heard secondhand news about what happened to her Onii-chan, but seeing him alright…! She cried out how worried she was.
            “Jeez, you’re both such babies,” said Karin, though she herself couldn’t help spilling a few relieved tears as she held onto her brother.
            And this touching moment only upset Isshin more! Jumping up from the ground, he pointed eagerly at himself. “What about me, Ichigo?! Aren’t you glad your old man pulled through?!”
            Ichigo didn’t even open his eyes.
            Again, Isshin wailed, “Masaki~”
            “Kurosaki Isshin!”
            Isshin’s theatrics stopped when the bulk of Hyosube Ichibe came up behind him. There was a very intense moment on studying and recognition. Ichibe pulled at his beard again and again, humming in thought. “I knew of an Isshin before! But he was Isshin of the Shiba clan, and therefore had a duty to the Soul King and the Royal Palace.”
            Studying the monk for just a moment longer, Isshin turned away, folded his arms with a gruff demeanor, and said resolutely, “Never heard of him.”
            “Is that so?” Another pause. But then Ichibe patted him on the back and said, “If that’s the case, I invite you back to my own Palace! We can enjoy a toast together anyway!”
            The two older men went aside, already coming to arrangements while the younger generation mingled.
            “What were you thinking, Ichi-nii? How many brides do you even have?”
            “That’s a lot of new sisters, Karin-chan,” Yuzu reminded her, gripping excitedly at her arm and shaking, to which she just grumbled “Yeah, yeah.”
            “I don’t know myself. It wasn’t actually my idea, but…” He looked up, and his eyes honed on Orihime instantly. She was watching him, and when they made eye contact, she smiled back. Let him have this familial moment uninterrupted… Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan were so worried.
            “Hey, what about me?!” Riruka caught Ichigo’s shoulder and tugged him back from his sisters, grabbing hold of his arm and staking her claim to him. Karin, she observed and decided that she was going to be a hassle right offhand like Gina was. But to her side, Yuzu… Riruka eyed her up and down several times, hummed, and then leaned a bit more on Ichigo. “She’s kinda cute…”
            Ichigo just laughed lightly. It figured; Yuzu and Riruka would probably get along very well as sisters.
            “Hey, Ichigo! What were you thinking?! You finally trying to make an honest woman out of Orihime, and you take on multiple wives!”
            “Huh? Tatsuki?! Don’t tell me…!” Ichigo was pointing dumbly at her when she thwacked his head with her fist.
            “Don’t be stupid! Of course not!”
            “Hey, who gave you permission to hit my husband?!” snarled Riruka, pitching herself between Ichigo and the barbaric black-haired brat, never minding how viciously she swung Ichigo out of arm’s reach. “You can’t just swing your fists like a classless ape!”
            “Who’re you calling a classless ape, you prissy pest?!”
            “You! Isn’t it obvious?!”
            Riruka and Tatsuki butted heads, grinding their teeth, snarling in contempt in the other’s face. Tension crackled between them, though it was unlikely to escalate into an actual brawl. Riruka was no Chizuru, and maybe Tatsuki would behave better when all calmed down.
            “Um, Tatsuki-chan, this is Riruka-chan. She’s… she’s my new sister, and Ichigo’s…”
            Tatsuki swung around to Orihime, pointing dramatically at Riruka’s face; with how close the proximity and how angry Riruka looked, she was lucky Riruka didn’t bite at her finger. “This is who you’re going to have to put up with?! Orihime, you should stay in the human world if that’s the case!”
            “What’s that?!” Riruka fumed.
            It was a bickering that might have been love at first sight if they were more rational. She tried to hide it, but Ichigo and Orihime knew well enough that underneath her gruff exterior, Tatsuki was actually enthralled by cute things. But upon thinking on it, Ichigo might’ve deemed Riruka’s obsessions exceeded Tatsuki’s fondness. She’d be overwhelmed, and that meant competition. Never mind, Ichigo concluded, watching friend and wife go back and forth with petty insults and waving arms and stomping feet; it would have wound up like this anyway.
            Next to the stand-off, Yuzu gripped Karin nervously, wondering if their Onii-chan was going to be alright with such a fiery wife. “She’s kinda scary,” she whimpered. Anyone who’d go toe-to-toe with Tatsuki-chan could automatically be classified as a brute.
            And while Karin might not have cared for cute or fashion, she could at least respect passion. “Ichi-nii needs some of that in his daily life anyway.” She grinned slyly to herself when her irked brother said that nobody asked her.
            But beyond the squabbling of the two on one side and the cheap remarks of his sisters, Ichigo had to give pause when he saw Orihime. She had was fretting over the conflict of her friend and her sister until she felt Ichigo’s eyes on her. She looked his way, and both felt an intimate shock of relief. Something felt very right and natural when they were together. It brought warmth to his chest.
            “Hi, Orihime.”
            Her name still sounded so new and so smooth coming from him. She hiccupped with delight, dismissively hoped that Tatsuki and Riruka could get along without her interference, and showed a bubbly smile. “I missed you, Kuro-um! I-Ichigo! I’m happy to see you and Riruka-chan are doing so well together.”
            He blushed a little and rubbed his head, staring off into space as rekindled thoughts of last night returned: Riruka heaving underneath him, his feelings turning into something powerful, this morning when they woke up together, stretched, kissed and almost went back under the sheets if Riruka hadn’t complained about the wetness left in her spot.
            “Yeah,” he said, unsure if it was convenient to let another wife know that he consummated with another. And how would Orihime react anyway?
            He moved the conversation away from him and Riruka. “Is everything taken care of?”
            “Mhm! Tatsuki-chan, Sado-kun, and Ishida-kun were all very helpful,” she said, which led two of the mentioned persons to move in to let Ichigo know that it wasn’t just his family and wives having arrived.
            “You should make it up to Inoue-san, Kurosaki,” said Uryu in cold greeting. “She had to put up with a lot for your perversion of your position.”
            Of course the Quincy would be abrasive first and foremost. Ichigo growled. “It wasn’t my idea,” he professed. “And besides,” he commenced with a point just as an idea popped into mind, “this wouldn’t even have happened if you hadn’t sided with Yhwach and taken out the former Soul King!”
            Chad felt it best to remain silent on the issue that it was actually by Ichigo’s hand that his predecessor was slain.
            “Yhwach’s plot would have moved on with or without me.” Uryu fixed his glasses, though it was more of an arbitrary exercise because they hadn’t even slipped. “If you’d remember, I was instrumental in Yhwach’s defeat.”
            Ichigo wrestled with that fact. Dammit, all he did was shoot a silver-headed arrow… But that did grant the deciding reprieve of the war.
            Rather than let this eternal bickering continue – as there was enough of that over with Tatsuki and Riruka, who had devolved into a hair tug-of-war – Chad stepped forward to his best friend and lifted a hand. There was a serene and stoic smile on the giant’s shaggy face. “I’m glad you’re doing well.”
            Why’d he have to go for the handshake? Ichigo was reminded of how off-putting Chad could be outside of a fight. But, for his sake, Ichigo grit his teeth in a poor, forced smile, and accepted the handshake. “Yeah, thanks, Chad.”
            Karin snidely remarked on how corny that was. She turned away, still smiling, as Ichigo’s glare snapped to her.
            But an interesting absence was then observed by Ichigo. He looked around Chad for anyone else, but saw only the boxes that Orihime had transported to the Royal Palace from her apartment. “Didn’t Keigo or Mizuiro want to come?” he asked, thinking that they – like Tatsuki – might have been excited to see the world beyond their own.
            “Hmph.” Again, Uryu futilely adjusted his glasses. “There were complications.” Orihime laughed awkwardly and knowingly.
            “Complications?” Ichigo wondered about that. Keigo never passed up on an opportunity to hang out, especially in large gatherings like this.
            “That idiot Asano nearly had a heart attack when he heard the news.” Tatsuki had broken away from the natural conflict with Riruka – Riruka still fumed at her, but at least stayed put – to move into the old Karakura gang’s talk. “When he heard that you woke up, he was the first to say let’s go visit.” She brought from her pocket the white and blue ticket given to her, Keigo, and Mizuiro, allowing normal humans to not only pass through the Senkaimon but also receive admittance to the Royal Palace. “He wanted to use these right away…” She turned and looked at Orihime; Orihime blushed, but let Tatsuki finish. “… until he heard about your marriages.”
            Ichigo cocked an eyebrow.
            “He went into a wild frenzy after that, spewing all the same stupid complaints about how you never showed interest in any girls, and now you have your own harem.” Tatsuki shrugged with a sigh. “The best we could do was restrain him.” It was really even worse than she described. If Keigo was willing to end their friendship over Ichigo’s high grades, he was willing to kill Ichigo in jealous fury for becoming so popular with women. A momentary lapse in a pervert’s jealous judgment, but everyone agreed: best Keigo stay home for now with Mizuiro keeping watch.
            “Doesn’t seem fair,” Ichigo considered, thinking that he could subdue Keigo’s antics easily enough.
            But Tatsuki put it into better perspective. “Would you really want him leching around all your wives who are gathering for the first time?”
            “… Good point.”
            Tatsuki smiled proudly, folding her arms and tilting her nose up for speaking sense to a Soul King… whatever that was.
            “But speaking of which…” Ichigo looked left and right. Orihime and Riruka… Senjumaru-san and Kirio-san waiting on the other end of the room. Tatsuki had already said no and that her presence was merely a support. That was four. Four wives in attendance when Kirio-san had announced a confirmed six. “Weren’t there supposed to be more?”
            “Ah-ha! Chan-Ichi finally is ready for the biggest reveals!” Oh-Etsu pulled the head mic to his mouth. His voice was amplified by the mini-speaker attached to his hip. “How about we do this in style?!”
            Again, Senjumaru – less patiently than before – speared his means of flamboyancy with a needle. His spirits crushed, he fell to the floor and asked why Senjumaru would destroy all he loved.
            “Remember, Ichigo-chan! These are all ladies from very different backgrounds! To group them all together at once could be hazardous!” Kirio explained jubilantly, which actually cast doubts that this whole deal of marrying a wife from each race would actually work. Besides, Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society had already come to some sort of peace after Aizen’s defeat.
            A chamber door began to open, and Ichigo snapped to attention. He hadn’t realized that Riruka crept up to his side, frowning competitively against the opening doors while she held possessively to her husband’s arm.
            Orihime noticed their intimacy. Ichigo didn’t even flinch when Riruka-chan held him… Worried, she turned to welcome the ones walking in.
            Bickering… So much bickering… “What’s with this place?! The air’s so dense and I can barely use Sonido!” “There’s no point in using Sonido now. We’re just here for her!” “My, could you two ever show any class, even when in a palace? How barbaric.” “Huh?! What’s that?!”
            Sonido… Whoever was complaining about that didn’t have the drive of Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, who sped across the room with arms wide open, meeting Ichigo with a smile and her bust. “Ichigo~♥” She collided, sweeping him out of Riruka’s hands and keeping him all to herself.
            Her hands smooshed his face, puckering him to a fish face. “Nel?” he sputtered before the Arrancar began to shower him with affectionate kisses; lips, nose, cheeks, forehead, eyes.
            “Oh, I missed you so much!” she said through her pecks, stopping frequently and with growing passion on his lips. “I was ready to come back in a day! But I had to wait! Did you miss me too?!” She didn’t let him answer, kissing him full on the mouth, moaning and grinding her hips on his.
            “Hey-hey-hey! Back off!” raged Riruka, pulling at the turquoise hair and making Nel scream in discomfort. “Stop acting like a horny rabbit!”
            Equally enraged at the interruption of her reunion, Nel went right into Riruka’s face. It just seemed Riruka couldn’t go without getting into a quarrel with someone. “You can’t tell me what to do with my husband Ichigo!”
            “He’s my husband!” countered Riruka, not backing down though Nel had the advantage of height, experience, and power.
            The fighting might have escalated if Orihime hadn’t thrown herself in between the two to keep the peace. “Nel-san, please! Riruka-chan, she was just saying hello to Ichigo!”
            Riruka barked from around Orihime, kept at arm’s length to distance them. “So did you, but you didn’t wind up grinding him on the floor!”
            The three of them, lively as ever. Ichigo had to smile and be grateful for Orihime’s interference. Kirio-san was right. Mixing them all together was going to be explosive.
            “Now you already know Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck,” said Oh-Etsu, improvising without the grandeur of his amps, “but how about the busty beauty you see before you now? That’s right! Chan-Neli wasn’t an Arrancar pick! She volunteered for you of her own admission!” He swung his arms out in presentation. “The one and only, the buxom blonde, the tranquil shark, the empress of Hueco Mundo, Tier Halibel.”
            Ichigo looked and recognized her immediately. The woman from those dreams he had, the memories of right before he became Soul King. He remembered seeing her tattered and chained, defeated. Now, she was a glory of stoic beauty and the most piercing eyes he had ever encountered. Her outfit was rather outrageous, leading Ichigo to wonder if Urahara-san had designed for her as he had for Orihime. Her bronze breasts nearly wholly exposed – flashing the Espada ‘3’ on the inside of her right breast – as well as her entire midriff, going to dipping hakama that just barely clung to the breadth of her hips with a regal ornament serving as a front buckle. She was outfitted with a fur-lined white robe that billowed behind her.
            She addressed Ichigo with a placid stare, and Ichigo stared back in wonder.
            “Hey, get up, Kurosaki Ichigo!” barked Mila-Rose from the side. “You will stand up and bow when Halibel-sama enters a room!” The other fraccíon glowered at Ichigo’s impudence. Soul King or not, the shark empress was held in higher regard than him… at least to them.
            “That’s unnecessary, Mila-Rose,” Halibel instructed, turning to the burly Amazonian. “He’s overwhelmed enough.” She strode forward, every footstep so poised. She lived the role of a queen. Ichigo and even Riruka were in awe of her aura. Tatsuki gaped as well at her passing. She’s… beautiful.
            She stood above Ichigo for a moment, and then offered her hand to help him up. “Uh, thanks.” She hoisted him with more strength he was used to from a woman. She was someone he did not want to cross.
            She studied his face with her green eyes and in silent contemplation before she spoke; only for him. “It was not a hard choice. Duty and loyalty require sacrifice, but this is a decision made on my own.” She inclined with a slight but respectful bow. “I will never forget not only the service you have done for me and my fraccíon, but for the entirety of Hueco Mundo and the equilibrium of reality. It’s an honor to be accepted as your wife, Kurosaki Ichigo.”
            She was honestly more poised and noble than he was used to. Aside from the slick villains he was used to going up against, his side was normally goony and behaved erratically. In the face of her intense demeanor, he could think of nothing to say or do but mimic her bow and gave a respectful, “Thanks.”
            “Huh?! Is that all you’re going to say?! Halibel-sama has pledged herself to you and all you can say is ‘Thanks’?!” Apache seethed angrily, beating her fists at the ground and ready to fire off some Cero so that this ‘King’ would remember how to properly address their Queen.
            “Don’t think we’re here for you!” concurred Mila-Rose, already taking out her broadsword and pointing it threateningly at the sulking savior. “We’re here only to ensure Halibel-sama’s comfort and to make sure the rest of your harem knows who’s in charge!”
            Riruka’s eye ticked. That last statement, she had a grievance with…
            “We’re in agreement today,” Sung-Sun mused behind her sleeve, a dangerous glint flashing beneath the cloth. “This Soul King is rather impertinent. He makes the two of you seem refined.”
            “Dammit, Sung-Sun!” “He’s the enemy!”
            Halibel dismissed her fraccíon’s behavior. “They mean well and are to be trusted. Don’t let them unsettle you.”
            Ichigo was glad to hear that, again giving her his thanks, again upsetting the Tres Bestia with his impromptu speech.
            “If you got Hueco Mundo, then you need to reach into Soul Society next!” Oh-Etsu kept the event rolling as the next door began to open. Halibel stepped aside so Ichigo could see, and she too was curious who would be joining as the ambassador of the Gotei Thirteen. Ichigo had had some theories – as Kirio-san and Senjumaru-san presented themselves as the representatives of Squad Zero, separate from the rest of the Shinigami – but who had decided to wed the ryoka?
            Small forms rushed out in a hurry, and Ichigo greatest theory was true? Yet he was still surprised! “Rukia?!”
            The lieutenant of the disheveled Thirteenth Squad hustled out, carrying parcels in each hand and huffing from the effort. “The air up here is even more dense than I remember,” she said, and then looked up. She saw Ichigo. His friends, Orihime, and Halibel too, but she saw him, looking hale and healthy. She smiled a great smile. “Ichigo!”
            “Don’t tell me…!” He pointed dumbly at her. “You’re my Shinigami wife?”
            “Of course not!” she exclaimed, striking him in the face with a familiar kick to his arrogance. Plopping down after felling the Soul King, she explained her presence rather bluntly, “I’ve been given permission… for a temporary stay. Just-just to see how things are going for you!” She had rushed out that last part, emotion coloring her face. “So don’t think I’m here with any other intentions than that!”
            Ichigo, nursing his jaw, cussing at her normal aggression, turned back and then asked, “Well then, who’s the Shinigami wife?”
            “See, Nee-san?! You should have kept up! Now your big moment is spoiled!” Kiyone – the second lithe Shinigami to arrive – turned back to the dark doorway.
            And trudging out, carrying the bulk of supplies, was the silver-haired lieutenant of the Fourth Squad: Kotetsu Isane. Her eyebrows furrowed upward, a smile of contrition on her face. “Sorry, Kiyone. It’s a lot of stuff and… and I’m a bit nervous.”
            Kiyone waved frantically at the gathering of wives growing around Ichigo the Soul King. “You can’t let the others show you up! You’re the next potential to be Captain of the Fourth Squad! You need to hold yourself to a higher standard!”
            A topic Isane didn’t like to discuss just yet, for the circumstances of her likely promotion still pained her.
            Instead, she glanced ahead to look upon her designated husband. He was on his feet again and looking her over just as much as she was him. Laughing awkwardly, she set her satchel down, folded her hands at her hips, and bowed. “I know we haven’t interacted much, Kurosaki Ichigo, but… I’m pleased to be of service to you. I know it’s…” She hesitated, a look of emotional pain in her eyes that Ichigo could witness even at their distance. She shook her head, dismissing what she was going to say, and stood up with a very forced smile. “As your wife, I hope-I hope you’ll take good care of me!”
            “What kind of greeting is that for your husband? Isane, you’re much too stiff!” A harsh pat on the shoulder shoved Isane forward. Her long legs fumbled to get back under her; she managed somehow, and turned back to the woman who had snuck up from behind. Someone Ichigo was much more familiar with!
            “Rangiku-san?”
            Yep, it was her, the slacker lieutenant of the Tenth Squad, grinning and waving at the others. “Uh-huh! Good to see you, Ichigo!”
            “Rangiku-san!” cheered Orihime, rushing over to greet her longtime ally in love.
            But Ichigo was a bit starstruck by this reveal. Though Isane – who he hardly knew – was a shocker, he couldn’t have thought Rangiku-san was interested in him this way. “You don’t mean that you…oomph!”
            Rukia elbowed him in the gut. “Of course not. She just saw everyone gathering to come up here and thought it’d be fun to come see.”
            Pulling partly from Orihime’s arms, Rangiku confirmed it with a laugh, “I wanted to see your face with all these ladies around you!” She already had tears in her eyes from laughing so much, to Ichigo’s detriment. “You were so high-strung when we came to live in the human world! Now you have so many wives! Hahahaha~! And Kuchiki-san is right! I wouldn’t tie myself down when I’m still so young!” She puffed her chest, making the legendary orbs within wobble and Riruka sneer to make sure Ichigo wasn’t caught gawking. “You know me! I’d never put duty before my own happiness!” She laughed unreservedly at him and went back to cuddling with Orihime like a big sister.
            Ichigo sulked in anger while Karin and Tatsuki both agreed that Rangiku had a good point. In the meantime, Isane was dragging herself over to try to stand by Ichigo and form some sort of comradery; all while Kiyone berated her lackluster appearance, saying that her big sister needed to do something flashy so she wouldn’t be left behind.
            “And now, Chan-Ichi…” Oh-Etsu’s voice dropped, the atmosphere changing to something more serious, something more intense than any reveal yet. “I hope you are ready. You are the No. 1 lucky guy for this score.” Flashy wavy lights of red, green, and blue switched on as the normal lights went out. Where’d the fog machines come from?! And who deserved so much recognition?!
            Ichigo swallowed hard. Was there someone else? Someone he couldn’t imagine who deserved even greater fanfare than his Squad Zero wives or the empress of Hueco Mundo?!
            “You’ve waited so long! And it’s finally paid off! That’s right! With my blessing, I present to you your wife! From the ultra-magical Pheonix Palace!”
            Pheonix Palace?
            Oh-Etsu revved his voice. “The one and only…! Hiuchigashima~ Mera~ chan~!!” He directed attention to the pedestal that had appeared next to him the moment the lights went out and the dance lights came on. All congregated to that spot and found it empty. “Huh?”
            The lights switched back, Oh-Etsu’s reveal dulled when it turned out that Mera was standing plainly next to him on the other side. “I’m here,” she said flatly.
            The blade master swung to her, sobbing behind his sunglasses. “Mera-chan, how could you?! We rehearsed this! Where’s that sexy, dynamite dress you were supposed to be wearing?!”
            She was still in her usual, ripped-short kimono; barefoot and looking to have just wandered in. “That wasn’t a dress. That was lingerie, and I’m not going to wear it.”
            “Oh, Mera-chan,” Oh-Etsu wept from the floor as she walked away to meet with Ichigo.
            She stood in front of him – Kiyone whispered to Isane, “That’s what you should have done!” – and looked Ichigo in the eye. He wanted to ask it, but she was a step ahead of him. “If all races should be with the Soul King, then that includes Zanpkauto, right?”
            “Uh, right,” Ichigo admitted, though he never thought that Zangetsu and other Zanpakuto ever bothered with things like romance and marriage. “But… is this alright? Oh-Etsu-san looks…”
            “Don’t worry about him,” Mera said, but it was too late.
            “Oh, did you want another pick, Chan-Ichi? Tokie-chan and Hasuka-chan are bustier…!” The speed at which Mera could cross distances to put a foot flat on her master’s face was impressive in the Royal Palace.
            The congregation seemed to be concluded with this last unveiling, and Ichigo had to count. Six… just as Kirio-san had said. Wait, he double-checked. She said that six would be arriving! If he added Senjumaru-san and her, there were eight – he almost turned lightheaded – which meant that she was referring to six wives not including herself, Senjumaru and Riruka.
            That meant… there was at least one more to go.
            “Oh-Etsu, you’re ruining Ichigo-chan’s moment. It’s a lot to process for him, but he’s been waiting all this time.” Kirio moved around the designated announcer to get to the final door. The final wife. “Tenjiro has announced their arrival. They all seem to be in fighting form, but…”
            As if on cue, there was an explosion and the sound of thunder.
            The final door opened to emptiness, and Kirio sighed. “They seem to actually be fighting.”
            “What?!” Ichigo felt the ground shake. Something powerful was happening in the Royal Palace, and if something wasn’t done to stop it, the whole place might collapse. He didn’t expect to be running into battle so suddenly, but that didn’t stop him. He charged down the opened doors to confront the conflict, but when he turned to acknowledge the footsteps behind him, he realized some of his wives were ready for action too.
            Halibel kept pace with him, running on even grounds while Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sung-Sun quarreled behind to figure out who should get the honor of assisting her. Isane was a step behind him, clutching at her Zanpakuto, though more ready to assist medically than as a fighter. Nel hurried along with her blade at the ready, Rukia next to her. Surprisingly, Mera zipped to the front of the line, seeming pulsing through the air on her barefooted strides.
            “Jeez, what a time for this to happen,” griped Riruka who had no inclination to fight some battle against another wife until Orihime seized her wrist and pulled her toward the open doorway that their husband had run down.
            “C’mon, Riruka-chan! We have to go see if we can help!”
            “What?! Wait! Why do I have to go?!” But there was nothing for it; she was dragged along by Orihime’s persistence.
            The ones left in the room chose only to watch them go. Chad was uncertain what he should do. He looked at Uryu for an answer. “Shouldn’t we have gone to help?”
            “Nonsense,” answered Uryu. “This is a marital affair.”
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The Royal Palace Brides