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A Beneficial Arrangement	By : vbruce Category: Bleach > General Views: 3827 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. That honor goes to it's original author and creator. Making no money from writing this.

Chapter List
- 6
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- 8
To Tazzy and ChelseaPlume, thank you so much for the very nice reviews. It's good to have something so unusual in this realm be appreciated. Thanks.
*****
In the meantime, Ichigo had taken the long way around with Byakuya. Ichigo figured the noble needed some time to wind down after what seemed to have been one hell of a spar. He also thought the other man must have enjoyed himself immensely because there was still an odd little half smirk on Byakuya’s lips. That alone was enough to signal the end of the world, Ichigo thought.
“She must like you,” Ichigo commented when they’d finally entered the palace grounds proper.
“Why do you say that?” Byakuya asked. By all the gods, everything was starting to hurt now that he’d stopped. He hadn’t sparred with anyone using just Senbonzakura’s physical blade in countless ages.
“Easy. You aren’t being carted off Pack grounds on a stretcher by the Fourth,” Ichigo said with a grin before he became very serious. “She’s my aunt and I love her. So, screw her over in any way, shape or form and I’ll make sure you’re no longer recognizable as a man. Provided there’s anything left of you after she gets finished.”
Byakuya looked startled for an instant Ichigo thought but it was gone so fast he really couldn’t be sure.
“I have no intention of harming her,” Byakuya said in that ever so lofty tone he used when speaking to the particularly rude or stupid. “We’ve not even discussed anything binding so I fail to see why that particular warning was issued.”
“You might not have discussed anything binding but you did something just as much so as far as my aunt and certainly as far as the Pack are concerned.”
“What might that have been?” Byakuya asked. He really couldn’t fathom what he might have done that would have been considered binding.
“You met her on her own terms. You didn’t have to spar with her but you did anyway. You kept to Pack rules and were honorable about it. To her and the Pack, that’s more binding than any contract drawn up between families,” Ichigo said.
“I had questions,” Byakuya said. He’d had no interest in anything aside from having those questions answered. At least not initially. If he was to admit it to only himself, he would have said he had been interested in her fighting style and techniques after seeing the training she was putting her recruits through. The challenge to spar had been a golden opportunity and one he hadn’t been willing to pass up. As they had progressed it became obvious why she was the leader of her group. She had exploited every opening, pointed out painfully every weakness in stance and ability, even though he would never have admitted to having any to anyone. It had been decades since he’d fought with anyone who could have easily bested him. Something registered with that thought. She hadn’t annihilated him outright for one simple reason. She’d been teaching him. Like she might have taught some of the stronger members of her Pack. He briefly thought he should be at least mildly offended but couldn’t bring himself to be. The more he thought it over, the more he found himself very pleased with the way the fight had gone overall.
“She’ll answer as many questions as hits you made on her,” Ichigo said. He’d seen this happen before with his aunt, though as far as he knew, no one else had ever gotten to ask her anything. “Anything you want to know that I can answer?”
“Yes. But it isn’t something I have any right to ask at the moment,” Byakuya said.
“You want to know what happened to Rin, her husband,” Ichigo said. He shrugged at Byakuya’s odd look. “It made sense you’d want to know.”
“I have no right to ask,” he repeated.
“I know. But I’ll answer as best I can anyway. He was killed by a Hollow, about a year or so before Mom was. Now that I think about it, that’s really strange, the spouses of siblings killed by something so unusual within a year of each other. I liked him though. He was a good guy even if he did always have his nose stuck in a book or was fiddling with some musical instrument or another. Maybe that’s why Aunt Inari pretty much adopted Uryuu. I guess he reminds her of Rin in a lot of ways, though with Uryuu it’s like he’s her son. That and it really pisses off Ryuuken when Uryuu calls her Mom.”
“How unusual,” Byakuya murmured. “A member of Soul Society adopting a Quincy and the Quincy allowing it.”
“Yeah, guess it is kinda weird. But since she’s not exactly a Soul Reaper, Ryuuken really couldn’t object that much. Not that she or Uryuu would care either way. I think she kind of sees him as the son she and Rin never got to have.”
“I wonder why they didn’t have children?” Byakuya mused aloud. Usually, when a high ranking member of nobility or royalty married they were pressured into having children as soon as possible to continue the lines.
Ichigo shrugged. “She always says she thought they had time.”
Byakuya nodded. “Something else we share in common.”
“Yeah, I guess. Look, seriously though, if all you’re interested in is the title she carries I suggest you forget it.”
“Do I seem that heartless?” Byakuya asked.
“Frankly, yeah. I know you’re not but I also know you’ll do a hell of a lot to keep your family off your back. Not that I blame you for that.”
“I made a promise to them. I intend to keep it to the best of my ability,” Byakuya said.
“I figured. I’ll suggest one more thing though.”
“Which is?”
“If you really like her, don’t introduce her to your family until the ink is dry on all the important papers. Or you might not have certain family members.”
That startled a short, hard laugh out of Byakuya. That was certainly true. Beyond her title, his family would dislike Inari immensely, partially because she would flatly refuse to bend to their rules. They wouldn’t be able to manipulate her, certainly not threaten her with anything as she was both royalty and a superb warrior. That made him wonder why they had started pushing for the match in the first place. Then he realized that since Isshin had been gone from Soul Society for twenty years and Inari had ruled in his stead, it was likely that the only time any of his family had come into contact with her was at formal functions. She would have been presented as full royalty to them, not as the leader of the Packs. Certain masks would have been firmly in place at those times and it would have seemed to them that she was simply a figurehead until Isshin returned. Though he felt sure that she had commanded the position herself, occasionally consulting with Isshin.
They had never met before simply because he had never been required to be present at any of those functions as his duties as a Captain took him away at strange times. Considering that, other family members had been appointed to attend in his stead unless it was something he absolutely had to be there for. Though she seemed familiar to him for some odd reason. Perhaps it was seeing all the painting of her during his years as a member of the Royal Guard. But that had been before the current Guard and Pack was established and as far as he remembered they had never met then either. Things got more and more interesting, he thought.
As they entered the palace and had advanced down part of a long hallway, they were met by not only Karin but Yuzu as well.
“Got any wild idea why the old man decided we needed to do a family dinner?” Karin asked, looking from her brother to Byakuya with interest.
“No clue,” Ichigo said, shaking his head.
“I mean a FULL family dinner. Including . . . speak of the Quincy,” Karin said, looking over Ichigo’s shoulder.
Ichigo and Byakuya both turned to see Uryuu coming up the hallway toward them, Renji in tow. Hardly shocking, thought Byakuya. Where the last Quincy went, so went his Lieutenant. Gods help them all.
“What is this all about, Ichigo?” Uryuu demanded as soon as he got within earshot.
“How the hell am I supposed to know?” Ichigo asked. Then grumbled under his breath, “Miserable Quincy bastard.”
Inari’s laugh sounded from behind Yuzu and Karin. “No, the miserable Quincy bastard is at ten yards and closing fast,” she said, pointing toward the palace entrance where Ryuuken was striding down the hallway like he owned it and everything else he surveyed.
“I heard you. This from the nightmare bitch from hell,” Ryuuken snarked back.
“Yes, and I am the Alpha bitch. I take that as a high compliment coming from you. Hello, darling boy,” Inari said, moving to kiss Uryuu on the cheek as he turned it to her.
“Good evening, Mother,” Uryuu said, smiling slightly at the sour look on Ryuuken’s face. “Do you have any idea what this is all about?”
“Maybe. But I’ll let Isshin explain since it’s his show,” she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder at her brother.
“I’ll explain once we’ve had dinner,” Isshin said, herding his family by choice and chance toward their various rooms to change for dinner.
An hour later, cleaned and dressed in a very nice borrowed yukata, Byakuya followed one of the servants toward what he was informed was the family dining room. It seemed he was the third person to arrive as oddly enough Yoruichi and Kisuke were already seated at the table.
“Well, well,” Yoruichi said, leaning back to study him a little. “So, I see the rumors are true.”
“What rumors?” Byakuya asked sharply.
“That your family was trying to force you into marriage again,” she said with a shrug. It was common knowledge and the Kuchiki family had even tried to persuade her, as heir to her clan to join the families. She’d politely refused. Partially since she and Byakuya would kill one another within 24 hours if they were married.
“They’ve been trying since Hisana died,” he said.
“No doubt. But this was laced with hints of royalty and since Isshin summoned us here . . .”
“There has been nothing official said or signed at this point in time,” Byakuya said coolly.
“But you like her,” Kisuke said, looking at him with his usual inscrutable expression.
“I’ve not known her long enough to judge that.”
“Maybe. But you like what you see so far, I can tell,” Yoruichi said, studying him very much like a cat watching a goldfish in a bowl.
“That I cannot deny,” Byakuya said with a small shrug.
- 6
- 7
- 8
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A Beneficial Arrangement