Chapter 24
"Something terrible's happened, Lieutenant Miyako!" the two said.
"What happened?" Miyako Amamiya asked with a frown. Something that had both Third Seats worried—could it be...
"It's Rukia! The Technology Development Bureau detected her Reiatsu fluctuating in the World of the Living, and then it vanished!"
"..." Miyako Amamiya's heart tightened. It seemed Rukia had given her powers to Ichigo Kurosaki after all. And the disappearance of her Reiatsu also meant Kisuke Urahara had already given her that Gigai.
"Don't panic. What did the captain say?" Miyako Amamiya asked calmly. Now that it had happened, she needed to make plans as soon as possible.
"The captain's waiting for you in the Captain's Office to discuss what to do."
"I understand. I'll go there now."
In the Thirteenth Division Captain's Office, Ukitake was studying a report with a worried look.
"Captain, I'm here," Miyako Amamiya said, opening the door.
"Miyako, you're finally here. Take a look at this report first." Ukitake handed her the documents.
Miyako Amamiya looked over the contents.
"According to the Technology Development Bureau's readings, Rukia Kuchiki's Reiatsu began to decline sharply a month ago. It continued to weaken throughout the month until it could no longer be detected."
"Captain, have the orders to purify Hollows in Karakura Town continued to go out?"
"Yes. They're sent whenever a Hollow appears." Ukitake's expression was serious. "Miyako, are you asking...?"
"Have the Hollows been purified as usual each time?"
"That's right. Whenever a Hollow appeared, it was purified promptly."
"Then Rukia should be all right. For some reason, her Reiatsu can't be detected, but she's still able to carry out her duties," Miyako Amamiya said.
"I see..." Ukitake fell into thought. "You're right. If something had happened to Rukia, there should have been no one to purify the Hollows in Karakura Town."
"I suggest sending a Seated Officer from a nearby city to investigate Karakura Town. Ideally, they should find Rukia and ask her exactly what happened."
"...It seems that won't be necessary." Ukitake sounded helpless. "The Technology Development Bureau didn't just report this to us. They also reported it to the Stealth Force."
"The Stealth Force?"
"Yes. The Stealth Force's Fourth Division, the Search Corps, specializes in locating missing Soul Reapers. With them going, it'll probably be difficult to get approval for our request." Ukitake smiled wryly.
"Don't worry too much, Captain Ukitake. At least this shows that Rukia is safe."
"Yes, but that's not what worries me most..." Ukitake paused in thought. "Miyako, do you know about the Substitute Soul Reaper system?"
"Substitute Soul Reapers? I remember seeing records of them in the Thirteenth Division, but they were only mentioned in passing."
"A Substitute Soul Reaper is a human who doesn't belong to Soul Society or the Gotei 13, but who has Soul Reaper powers for some reason and, in the form of a Soul Reaper, helps Soul Reapers send Pluses on and destroy Hollows," Ukitake explained.
"But those regulations were only established after the first person acquired Soul Reaper powers."
"The first Substitute Soul Reaper betrayed Soul Society, though, so another provision had to be added to the regulations afterward..."
"Giving Soul Reaper powers to a human is a serious crime. That rule was issued by Central 46 because of the betrayal of the Substitute Soul Reaper Kūgo Ginjō..."
"Are you suggesting...?" Miyako Amamiya asked.
"Ah, it's all just speculation on my part. I hope Rukia hasn't really done such a thing," Ukitake said helplessly.
Hearing Ukitake's suspicion, Miyako Amamiya sighed inwardly. That fool Rukia really did do it.
Miyako Amamiya knew that, with Rukia's abilities, especially now that she had regained her Shikai, she should have been able to avoid defeat by ordinary Hollows in the World of the Living.
That meant something must have changed in the World of the Living without her knowledge, forcing Rukia to make that choice.
"Captain Ukitake, what would happen if Rukia really did give her Soul Reaper powers to a human?" Miyako Amamiya asked.
"Because of the first Substitute Soul Reaper Kūgo Ginjō's betrayal, the regulations on this matter became stricter. If Rukia really did it, the worst possible outcome might be the death penalty..."
Isn't this all thanks to Soul Society's "nobles"? Miyako Amamiya grumbled inwardly.
Hearing this, Miyako Amamiya had to make a request of Ukitake. "Captain Ukitake, if this really has happened, please allow me to investigate in the World of the Living."
"Don't worry, Miyako. It's only a suspicion. Perhaps Rukia will recover after some time," Ukitake reassured her.
Miyako Amamiya didn't answer. She simply stared at Ukitake.
"...I understand. If things really do take the worst possible turn, I'll allow you to investigate in the World of the Living." Seeing Miyako Amamiya's determination, Ukitake agreed.
Outside the Captain's Office, Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentarō Kotsubaki were waiting anxiously in the distance. When they saw Miyako Amamiya emerge, they hurried over to question her.
"Lieutenant Miyako, how did it go? Has something really happened to Rukia?"
"Yeah, how is she? Should we send a rescue team to the World of the Living?"
Miyako Amamiya reassured them. "The Hollows in Karakura Town, where Rukia is stationed, have continued to be hunted down and purified. So for now, it seems Rukia is probably still there, but for some reason, her Reiatsu can't be detected."
"Is that so...? Thank goodness." Kiyone pressed a hand to her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whew, that gave me a scare. Good thing Kuchiki's all right." Sentarō Kotsubaki wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Don't worry. If something really has gone wrong, I've already asked Captain Ukitake for permission to go to the World of the Living."
"Huh? You're going to the World of the Living yourself, Lieutenant Miyako?" Kiyone had felt relieved, but then she noticed the implication behind Miyako Amamiya's words.
"You're going yourself, Lieutenant Miyako Amamiya? Isn't that a little too serious? Don't worry, Lieutenant, I can go in your place!" Kotsubaki Kotarō took it as concern for a subordinate and volunteered.
"Sentarō, shut up!" Kiyone elbowed Sentarō Kotsubaki, unwilling to let him continue.
"Understood. We'll leave it to you, Lieutenant Miyako Amamiya!" Kiyone told Miyako Amamiya, then pulled Sentarō Kotsubaki away.
"Hey, Kiyone, why did you stop me? There's no need for the lieutenant to go on a rescue mission. I can just..." Sentarō Kotsubaki's voice grew fainter, but he kept pestering Kiyone for an answer.
Miyako Amamiya shook her head as she watched the two of them.
I need to make some preparations. Miyako Amamiya knew she probably wouldn't have to wait long before returning to the World of the Living.
The most important person... Kisuke Urahara. Miyako Amamiya knew there was no getting around this key figure on her trip to the World of the Living.
"Damn it, why is my Reiryoku recovering so slowly?" Rukia gritted her teeth as she watched Ichigo Kurosaki fight a Hollow in front of her, frustrated with the speed of her recovery.
"Even if Reiryoku is scarce in the World of the Living, it shouldn't be this bad. At this rate, it's gone every time I use a few Kidō spells."
Ever since Rukia had given her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo, she had been helping him purify the Hollows in Karakura Town.
Rukia's original plan had been to get back to work herself as soon as her Reiryoku recovered. Without her help, Ichigo couldn't take on his Soul Reaper form anyway, so Soul Society wouldn't find out.
But even now, her Reiryoku was still recovering very slowly. Whenever she used a little Kidō to help Ichigo, it was almost depleted.
"This is bad... I hope no one finds out," Rukia murmured to herself. What she didn't know was that Soul Society had already noticed something was wrong with her.
"Find out what?" Ichigo asked when he saw Rukia talking to herself after purifying the Hollow.
"No... it's nothing. You did well, Ichigo."
"Ah, Rukia, wait a second. There's something I need to tell you." Ichigo stopped her.
"What is it?"
"Let me take tomorrow off from Soul Reaper work." After saying this, Ichigo looked off in a certain direction, his expression seemingly complicated.
"Idiot, Soul Reapers don't get days off. Hollows won't wait for you to finish your vacation." Rukia refused. What if a powerful Hollow happened to appear tomorrow? Wouldn't they be finished?
"Because tomorrow is... the day my mother died," Ichigo said slowly. "Or rather, the day she was killed..."
Seeing Ichigo's expression, Rukia held back the words of refusal she had been about to say.
The next day, June 17.
Ryūken Ishida arrived at the hospital early and gazed out the window, his expression complicated.
Ye Hui, Masaki... Ryūken had naturally not forgotten this day either. Six years ago today, his wife had fallen into a coma and his friend Masaki had died, causing him immense grief.
Ryūken wanted to wait until the Kurosaki family had paid their respects before going alone to visit Masaki Kurosaki's grave and pay his own respects.
Meanwhile, Ichigo had arrived early with his family at the mountain where his mother's grave was located, ready to pay his respects to her.
But when Ichigo arrived, he spotted Rukia Kuchiki waving at him from nearby, and his expression turned to horror.
Without stopping to explain to his family, he hurried over and took Rukia somewhere deserted.
"What are you doing here?! Why did you follow me?!" Ichigo shouted at her.
"What if a Hollow appears while I'm not here?" Rukia said helplessly.
"Then couldn't you at least stay out of my family's sight?!" Ichigo said angrily.
"I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't thinking." Rukia's apology was utterly insincere.
Ichigo paid her no more attention, only telling her to stay out of his family's sight.
On the mountain, Ichigo and his family paid their respects to his mother, and before they knew it, dusk had arrived. There, Karin Kurosaki saw a girl standing at the edge of a cliff and couldn't help going over to ask her a question...
At that moment, Rukia also sensed a Hollow's presence and hurriedly took out her Denreishinki to check it, but she had to wait quite a while before an order arrived.
"Too slow, damn it." Rukia ran anxiously up the mountain and encountered Ichigo, who had come along as well.
When Ichigo reached the mountain in his Soul Reaper form, he saw that one of his sisters had been caught and the other was lying on the ground.
"Damn it..." Ichigo rushed forward, raising his blade to strike.
When Rukia saw what the Hollow looked like, she remembered Miyako Amamiya's warning and shouted, "Ichigo, be careful! It's..."
Ichigo heard nothing. All he saw was that his two sisters were in mortal danger, and all he wanted was to kill the Hollow quickly.
Ichigo severed the claw holding his sister. Seeing the familiar black-haired girl, he couldn't help demanding an answer from Grand Fisher.
"It's you! It was you, wasn't it?! The little girl standing by the riverbank six years ago! Why are you with a Hollow?!"
"Another Soul Reaper?!" Grand Fisher glared at him, but after hearing Ichigo's words, it remembered what had happened six years ago and decided to toy with him.
"You've got it all wrong, kid," the little black-haired girl Grand Fisher had taken the form of said with a smile.
"Be careful, Ichigo! She's not human. That's just a lure on its head!" Rukia hurried over and warned him.
"A lure?" Ichigo quickly turned to look at it.
"Oh? You figured it out?" The little black-haired girl's face began to crack and fall away, until it became a tentacle wearing a mask.
"Now that you've seen me, I can't let you leave."
"Ichigo, its code name is Grand Fisher. It's an extremely cunning Hollow, one of the few recorded by Soul Society. It uses the mimicking lure on its head to deceive humans with Reiryoku, then devours them. It's even driven off Soul Reapers from Soul Society." Rukia looked at Grand Fisher grimly.
Besides that, there was the abnormal Reiatsu Miyako Amamiya had once mentioned. If Grand Fisher really was capable of defeating a Soul Reaper with Shikai, they were in trouble today.
"Ichigo, it's strong. You need to be care—" Before Rukia could finish her warning, Ichigo charged forward without a word.
"Idiot! That's too reckless!" Rukia shouted, but Ichigo had no intention of listening.
From what Rukia had said, he understood that his mother had died six years ago because he had tried to save this Hollow.
Grand Fisher looked at Ichigo mockingly, not taking him seriously. Compared with the Soul Reaper it had encountered before, Ichigo was still far too weak.
The hand Grand Fisher had lost to Ichigo quickly grew back. It shot out in an instant, reaching for him.
Seeing this, Rukia immediately began chanting a Kidō spell, hoping to help Ichigo.
"Don't interfere, Rukia! This is... my fight!" Ichigo's words struck Rukia deeply, bringing back unpleasant memories.
Rukia stopped at once and simply watched Ichigo struggle against Grand Fisher.
But then she remembered some things Miyako Amamiya had told her before, and she hesitated.
Grand Fisher gradually gained the upper hand, however, and Ichigo's wounds continued to mount...
Before Rukia Kuchiki had set out, Miyako Amamiya had happened to bring up the matter of Kaien Shiba on Ribushiyama.
"Personally, though, I don't really agree with Captain Ukitake. I think your reaction back then was right. A comrade's life is more important, isn't it?" Miyako Amamiya said to Rukia.
"What did you say? Isn't fighting for one's dignity important?" Rukia asked quickly, trying to refute Miyako Amamiya.
"Then my dignity means not letting a comrade lose their life. For that, of course I couldn't stand by and watch a comrade go to their death alone," Miyako Amamiya said.
"That's... that's sophistry..." Rukia's voice grew quieter. She didn't know how to counter that.
"Then, Rukia, would you rather stand by and watch a comrade die?"
"I..." Hearing that, Rukia didn't know what to choose.
"Stop discussing whether it's about dignity or not. If you can't make a choice, leave it to your instincts. Your heart won't lie to you."