Yoruichi had truly wronged Kōe this time. His sudden departure was mainly because there seemed to be a situation with Byakuya on the other side. He had secretly contributed to the current situation, so he was just trying to find some psychological comfort.
Of course, his motives weren't entirely pure, but it had absolutely nothing to do with Yamamoto's questioning tomorrow. It was best not to let Yoruichi remember certain issues...
"Quickly deploy the air-purifying barrier! Captain Kuchiki needs to undergo the eighth stage of surgery immediately!"
"Brother! Brother!"
Rukia tried to step forward but was forcibly stopped by the surrounding Squad 4 members. It couldn't be helped; Captain Kuchiki's injuries were simply too severe. The wounds inflicted earlier by the Ryoka were already serious, and his forced movements afterward only worsened them. It might not be visible on the surface, but right now, all of his internal organs had sustained damage, and the Reiatsu within his body was in complete chaos. Erecting the barrier was to minimize the influence of external Reiatsu on him.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Brother Kōe..."
Kōe gently patted Rukia's head. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."
"Lord Kōe, could you please maintain the air-purifying barrier?" 3rd Seat Iemura interjected from the side. "It would be better for Captain Kuchiki if we could commit all our personnel to his treatment."
Kōe nodded. Just as he was about to take over the task of sustaining the barrier, he noticed Byakuya in the center calling his name in a faint voice. There were likely some things Byakuya had wanted to ask him for a long time.
"What do you want to know?"
Kōe leaned in and asked quietly, hearing Byakuya speak in broken fragments: "You... approaching... Ruku..."
"What was my true purpose in approaching Rukia? What is my actual attitude toward her?"
Byakuya blinked. In truth, there were many questions he wanted to ask, such as whether choosing Rukia had anything to do with Hisana, or even if Hisana's death was somehow connected to Rukia and the Hōgyoku.
But when the words reached his lips, what he wanted to know most was whether the person who had once shown Rukia care was a fake. Her past happiness absolutely could not be a lie.
"If we're talking about motives, it's definitely the Hōgyoku. Protecting it was the reason I returned to the Seireitei. However..." Kōe paused before continuing, "When Kaien asked me to teach her, I actually wished she had never come to my side. Whether it's me or Urahara, we both feel guilty for manipulating the lives of others. Rukia's trust was practically a mockery of us."
"Whether out of guilt or some other reason, neither of us wanted to betray that trust. Not because of the Hōgyoku, but because her life is my bottom line." Kōe patted Byakuya's shoulder. "Your decision to let Rukia join Squad 13 was absolutely not a mistake, Byakuya."
"There are... some things... *cough, cough!*" Before Byakuya could finish speaking, he began coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
"You really are reckless, Captain Kuchiki."
"Sister Hana? When did you get here?"
"You're just as bad." Unohana shot Kōe a glare. She had just stabilized Hitsugaya and Hinamori's injuries over at Squad 4, and now Captain Kuchiki was having complications here. Was this brat intentionally causing trouble for her?
"Aren't you going to move out of the way?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Also, go to Squad 4 and heal Shiba Miyako quickly."
"Huh? Oh!"
Looking incredibly reluctant, Kōe walked over to Yoruichi. "Accompany me to Squad 4?"
"To do what?"
"To hold Kaien back for me. I'm afraid he'll be so angry he'll try to kill me..."
"..."
Yoruichi was completely speechless. To strike at Shiba Miyako just to protect the Hōgyoku—Kōe was being a little *too* dedicated to his role. Just how were they supposed to mend their relationship with Kaien now? Just thinking about it gave her a headache.
Furthermore, looking at Rukia, who had lowered her head again, Yoruichi couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. How was Kaien going to face her next, and how would she face Kaien? This tactic of his—hurting himself just to inflict even more damage on his friends—was the work of an irredeemable bastard.
However, Kōe didn't seem to notice Yoruichi's unusual mood. If he had, it would have been a true critical hit to his soul. Those two had stirred up trouble and then dusted off their hands and walked away, leaving him alone to clean up the mess, and now she was calling *him* a bastard? If he was going down, he was dragging those two main culprits down with him.
"Even though I should explain the situation to you right here, I really need to go handle things with Kaien." Kōe could sense Rukia's guilt. "What I did to Miyako wasn't for the Hōgyoku. You don't need to feel guilty about it. If you want to know the truth, you can come find me later."
"Though, you probably won't have the time to pay attention to me for a while. Byakuya seems to have something to say to you."
Kōe and Yoruichi had been gone for some time, but Kōe's parting words still echoed in Rukia's mind.
*'Byakuya seems to have something to say to you.'*
*'Why did Brother suddenly come to save me? Is it because I actually did nothing wrong?'* Rukia's feelings toward Byakuya were incredibly complex. While she was grateful to him for adopting her into the Kuchiki clan, she was also confused. *'If I was so dispensable, why did Brother adopt me in the first place? And why did he risk his life to save me at the most critical moment?'*
*'Will Brother give me all the answers now? If he doesn't, should I ask him?'*
"Kuchiki Rukia, come here for a moment."
Finally, Rukia gripped the fabric of her clothes with both hands. In truth, she hadn't thought it through, nor was she prepared, but she had to go over. This was the closest she had ever been to her brother.
"Captain Kuchiki has something to say to you." Unohana smiled, which made Rukia feel slightly more at ease. "I won't disturb you two."
"Brother..."
"Rukia." Byakuya opened his eyes. Likewise, this was the closest he had ever been to Rukia. If he just reached out a hand, he could touch her face. "You must have asked around about why I adopted you into the Kuchiki clan, haven't you?"
"I... I've heard..." Rukia lowered her eyes. This was something she had learned from the servants of the Kuchiki clan. "Because I bore some resemblance to your wife, you showed me favor and brought me into the Kuchiki clan as your sister."
*'Is that also why Brother always looked right through me? Even though we look alike, I fall far too short compared to his wife...'*
"Yes, I did instruct the household staff to lie to you like that." Byakuya turned his head, looking directly into Rukia's eyes as he explained. "My wife's name was Kuchiki Hisana. You don't just bear some resemblance to her; you look exactly like her. Because Hisana... was actually your older sister, Rukia."
*'What? The lady of the house, whose name was practically a forbidden topic within the Kuchiki clan, was actually my sister? Then the reason Brother adopted me...'*
"So, you aren't just someone who looks like her, and you certainly aren't anyone's replacement." Byakuya shakily raised his hand and placed it over Rukia's tightly clenched fists. "From the very beginning, you were my family, Rukia."