The night grew dark.
The lights in the Kurosaki Residence had gone out, leaving only the dim glow of a desk lamp in Ichigo's second-floor room.
Rukia stood in the shadows of a distant street corner, quietly gazing at that warm light.
On her face was resolve, and also a trace of attachment she herself hadn't even noticed.
"...Goodbye, Ichigo." She whispered to herself, 'This was probably for the best.'
'I couldn't drag that stupid orange-head into more trouble that shouldn't have been his to begin with.'
'As for that Uchiha Sasuke...'
Just thinking about him made Rukia frown involuntarily.
'Forget it, better not to think about him.'
Rukia took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the chaotic thoughts in her heart.
She took one last look at that window, then resolutely turned and stepped decisively into the deeper darkness.
In the sky, two tall figures appeared out of thin air.
One of them, a red-haired man wearing black sunglasses, grinned as he watched Rukia's retreating figure.
"Back compatibility 113, neural binding rate 88.5. No way, she's really in a Gigai. I thought the intel from Onmitsukido might be unreliable."
"Kuchiki Rukia, found you."
…
Rukia ran through the long night, her eyes flickering as she recalled her days with Ichigo and her classmates.
A feeling of reluctance flashed briefly before being replaced by resolve.
'Since this is a place I'm destined to leave, these feelings will only become chains that bind me. Sympathy, friendship alike.'
'Troublesome things are just useless emotions for a Shinigami.'
She took a deep breath, trying to push that reluctance back into her heart, 'How shameful, Kuchiki Rukia. Have I really stayed in this world for too long after all?'
"Hey!"
Abarai Renji grinned from atop a telephone pole in front of Rukia, showing a mouthful of white teeth, his tone full of pressure.
"Rukia, seems you understand quite well."
Renji slowly stood up, drawing his Zanpakuto with one hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. He snorted coldly, "Forget it, let me put it another way. It's a good thing you stayed here long enough… it let you live a little longer, Rukia."
"Renji?"
Rukia's pupils contracted upon seeing the newcomer, "Is that you, Abarai Renji?"
Renji didn't answer. He jumped down from the pole, his Zanpakuto slamming heavily into the ground, stirring up a green light.
He slowly straightened up, a trace of disdain on his face.
"The pursuers from the Soul Society are already right behind you, and you're lost in thought. If I hadn't called out, you wouldn't have even noticed."
"Even if that's just a Gigai body, after only this short time, you've gotten far too careless."
Renji slung his Zanpakuto over his shoulder and slowly approached Rukia.
"Just say it, Rukia. Where is the person who stole your powers?"
"What are you talking about?" Rukia immediately retorted, "Even if my body is a Gigai, it doesn't mean my powers were stolen."
"It's a human," Renji stated firmly, "Otherwise, you wouldn't be making such a human-like expression."
"After you and I both came from Rukongai, you're being taken in by the Kuchiki Family. After all that effort, didn't you become an elite among Shinigami?"
"Answer me, Kuchiki Rukia. This shouldn't be the case."
Renji said with a look of disappointment, then suddenly looked behind Rukia, "Right, Captain Kuchiki."
'Captain Kuchiki...'
Those words instantly shattered all of Rukia's defenses.
Her body stiffened abruptly. She slowly turned around, her movements almost corpse-like.
The night wind seemed to grow gentle at this moment.
In the air, pink cherry blossom petals drifted in from somewhere, spinning under the cold moonlight, landing lightly on her shoulders.
Then, more cherry blossoms appeared out of thin air, like a brilliant falling snow.
Amid this silent shower of cherry blossoms, a tall figure stood quietly.
He wore the white haori symbolizing his Captain Status, its hem fluttering slightly in the night breeze.
The hairpin in his hair reflected the cold light. The silver-white scarf, like solidified moonlight, accentuated his handsome face, making him appear even more noble.
Just standing there, he was like the night and the cherry blossoms themselves… noble, aloof.
Kuchiki Byakuya.
"Byakuya... nii-sama." Rukia's voice trembled. She lowered her head, not daring to meet those eyes.
Byakuya's gaze finally shifted slowly from the waning moon.
His eyes, devoid of fluctuation, fell upon his trembling sister.
"Rukia..."
…
Meanwhile, in Kurosaki Residence, in the bathroom on the second floor.
Ichigo was using the toilet.
"That Rukia, is she not planning to come back? It's already two o'clock."
"But maybe it's for the best. I can take a break from my Shinigami side job tonight."
"Mmm... ngh..."
A suppressed, strange moaning sound suddenly came from behind the toilet, startling Ichigo. He backed away warily, not even bothering to fix his zipper.
He carefully crouched down, following the sound, his gaze finally locking onto the area behind the toilet.
A lion plushie was tightly bound with tape, struggling miserably.
Ichigo's expression was less than friendly, "Didn't you run away from home?"
Despite his words, Ichigo's hands didn't stop moving. He hauled Kon out of the bathroom.
"Whew, what a headache. Really saved me there." Kon's plush body seemed to be emitting a purple gas.
Ichigo covered his nose and said irritably, "Don't mention it."
He then grabbed a bottle of air freshener from nearby and sprayed it on Kon.
"W-what are you doing?!" Kon flailed, grabbing onto Ichigo's face, "Is this any way to treat a close friend who's endured such hardship for so long?!"
"Shut up."
Ichigo grabbed Kon's head and tossed him onto the desk, "Who's your close friend? You stink."
Ichigo wiped his hands in disgust, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the desk before suddenly freezing.
On the desk, there was a letter, yellowed under the desk lamp's glow.
Seeing Ichigo's focus, Kon immediately snapped back to attention. He struggled to sit up on the desk, his small paw pointing at the letter, his voice tearful.
"That's it, Ichigo! Nee-san... she's abandoning us!"
Ichigo's heart sank heavily. He quickly stepped forward and picked up the letter.
[Note:
I have important matters to handle, so I must return. We probably won't meet again. It wasn't long, but thank you for taking care of me. Also, please look after Kon. Remember to burn this letter after reading. If possible, please hide for a while.
…Kuchiki Rukia]
A few short lines, but they felt like a massive rock, weighing heavily on Ichigo's heart.
"That Rukia..." Ichigo's brow furrowed tightly, "What does she mean, 'won't meet again'? Where is she going?"
"Something must have happened." Kon fretted, pacing in circles, "Telling you to burn the letter, telling you to hide... something must have happened!"
"With the Soul Society... to avoid implicating us, implicating the people around her."
'Implicate...'
Ichigo's mind instantly flashed to Sasuke's cold face and his words, "Transferring Shinigami power to a human is a serious crime."
'Could it be...'
A foreboding thought rose in his heart.
"Let's go, Kon." Ichigo turned his back, his voice lowering, "Let me transform into Shinigami. We're going to bring Rukia back."
"Hello there."
A lazy voice came from outside the window, completely without warning.
Ichigo's movements halted abruptly. He turned around warily.
On the windowsill, a guy wearing a green-and-white striped bucket hat, wooden geta, and holding a cane was smiling at him.
Behind him stood a figure Ichigo knew all too well… Uchiha Sasuke, pulling a long face.
The newcomer jumped down from the windowsill, landing lightly in the room. The fan in his hand snapped open with a swish.
"It seems Kurosaki-san has run into some trouble."
Ichigo stood frozen, staring at him blankly.
"Geta-boshi..." (T/N: Urahara's nickname, which means Clogs and Hat.)
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