The Shinigami the Unforgiven in Bleach, Chapter 20: Leaving the Dark Forest at the Foot of Mount Taiping.
Darkness enveloped most of the area, while the stone lanterns on both sides of the foot of the mountain emitted orange light, merging into an oval-shaped halo of light.
" Rukia, be careful."
Renji Abarai had imagined what to say when they met many times, but when they actually did, he couldn't utter a single word.
He was always passively accepting fate he wasn't prepared for, sudden encounters, and then partings.
Many things I say seem to only disturb my mind and hinder my ability to fight.
Rukia smiled and punched him in the stomach, saying, "That weird face of yours doesn't seem like you at all. Or are you going to feel lonely if I leave?"
"Idiot, I wouldn't."
Renji Abarai Keiichi her in the chest in return.
Rukia glared at her and said, "Hey, where are you hitting?"
Is there any difference?
"I'll definitely kill you when I get back." A grid of angry symbols faintly appeared on Rukia's forehead.
Renji Abarai laughed, "Dream on. I've already Bankai. You can't beat me."
"You just wait."
Rukia said angrily, turned around, and strode towards the house that stood in the darkness.
" Rukia," Renji Abarai called out, his voice heavy with worry, "Don't die."
Don't worry, I'll give you a good talking to when I get back.
Rukia waved without turning around, ran into the house, and jumped onto the second-floor balcony.
Waaah.
Three tall chimneys spewed white steam, gears creaked and turned, and the house, which had been lying down, began to sway and shake, like an old man on his deathbed getting up.
The Fairy Tree Romance
" Kuchiki, you and Mr. Abarai, are you...?"
Orihime Inoue stepped forward, tapping her index fingers together with a curious expression.
She is very sensitive, and it's clear that Renji Abarai has different feelings for this person.
"Huh? What did you say?"
Rukia looked puzzled and mimicked her gesture, asking, "What does this mean?"
Orihime Inoue an eyebrow, then lowered her hand, put it behind her back, and walked inside. "There's nothing there."
"Hey, Inoue, explain yourself clearly."
Rukia followed her into the living room, then turned her head and said, " Ichigo, do you know what this means?"
"Have no idea."
Ichigo Kurosaki replied without even looking at it.
Rukia kicked him in the back, "Go to hell."
"Okay, okay, stop fooling around."
Shiraishi lay on the sofa, a relaxed and comfortable expression on his face. " Rukia, go check the route. Orihime, make me some tea. Ichigo, focus on communicating with Zangetsu."
"Chad, play a cheerful guitar piece to liven things up."
" Captain Shiraishi, you seem to be in a particularly good mood."
Rukia somewhat surprised.
"Hehe, isn't this the kind of joy we should feel when old friends meet again?"
Shiraishi didn't explain in detail to her, quietly savoring Isane's warmth, which was not only a physical liberation but, most importantly, a spiritual one.
Those years in Hueco Mundo were a closed and monotonous time, day after day, and as time went on, the things worth remembering became fewer and fewer.
This resulted in a large portion of his memories remaining from twenty years ago, causing him to re-emerge and face the changes in the outside world.
Shiraishi felt resistant, even somewhat lost, as if everyone else was moving forward while he was the only one left standing there.
Will they change?
This is what worries him the most.
He never revealed his inner worries in front of Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia, and Orihime Inoue.
Isane's reaction convinced him that time was indeed moving forward, but he had not been left behind, and he felt a weight lifted from his heart.
"That's true." Rukia smiled, thinking of Renji Abarai. She stomped on a soul trying to sneak towards Inoue, then kicked it towards the control room on the second floor. "Get out of here."
"Big sister, please be gentle with me."
The soul left two lines of tears in the air; it simply wanted to feel a little bit of sincerity in this cold world. What's wrong with that?
"No discussion." Rukia wouldn't let this lecherous doll take advantage of Orihime Inoue's gentleness.
Ichigo Kurosaki ignored the chaos caused by the spirits, sat cross-legged on the ground, and calmly communicated with Zangetsu.
Orihime Inoue hummed a song as she began to brew her homemade milk tea.
Yasutora Sado took out his guitar, his thick fingers moving nimbly as he plucked the delicate strings.
Upbeat music filled the room. He started singing an English song, his voice deep and resonant, sounding more like a man in his early thirties than a fifteen-year-old.
To the strains of guitars and songs, the massive structure, cobbled together from turrets and houses, sways as it marches into the turbid current known as destiny.
Early summer in June.
The endless Dark Forest has finally reached its end.
A towering cliff blocked the road ahead, and there was no end in sight to either side.
There is no wind here.
Rukia tilted her head back and said, "If you go up from here, you can see the outline of Silbern, which used to be the location of Seireitei."
It is also surrounded by Seireiheki of Sekki Seki.
Orihime Inoue looked up and almost fell backward, but thankfully Ichigo Kurosaki caught her from behind. "Wow, that's high! How are we going to get up there?"
"I'll throw you up there."
Shiraishi answered easily.
Yasutora Sado said in a deep voice, "The house might fall apart."
"Leave this here. We can see Silbern, which means we're not far. Unohana meet us."
Shiraishi made the decision to stop supplying Spiritual Power to this place.
With a click, the gears stopped turning, the lights went out, the house slowly settled on the ground, and the chimney stopped spewing steam.
"Oh." Orihime Inoue felt a little sentimental. She was rather nostalgic, and this house held too many memories from her recent trip.
Before she could think it through, Shiraishi grabbed the back of her collar. "Hey, wait."
She's not ready yet!
Chirp!
Shiraishi threw it upwards with force, followed by Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia, Yasutora Sado.
When it was the soul's turn, it clung tightly to his leg, trying to use its cute appearance to gain the right to ascend together.
Shiraishi looked disgusted, but still didn't throw him away. He grabbed the man's head with one hand, pushed off with his foot, and sent him flying upwards.
The darkness dissipated.
The dazzling sunlight filled people's eyes, and tears welled up instantly, forming a blurry filter.
Below lies a boundless, Dark Forest, and towering in front stands the Silbern.
Surrounded by a pure Seireiheki and concealed by Shakonmaku, the building has a Western-style layout that is not coherent.
It's not as grand as Seireitei; the only thing worth mentioning is the central Silbern.
Outside the west gate of Seireiheki, skyscrapers and traditional Japanese buildings are strangely mixed together.
Shiraishi gradually adapted, first landing ahead of time and placing his soul on the ground, then catching Rukia, Ichigo, Inoue, Chad, and the others.
"Haha, I thought I was going to fall and die."
Orihime Inoue gasped for breath, trying to calm her pounding heart.
Shiraishi seemed quite excited and said, "Let's not delay any longer, let's go."