" Rukia! Rukia!! Rukia!!!"
Under the misty drizzle, Ichigo Kurosaki collapsed to the ground, repeatedly reaching out to the white-clad girl walking towards the Senkaimon. He was filled with resentment at his own powerlessness; once again, he had failed to protect the person he wanted to protect.
"If you can't even see my sword, you've never even possessed the power to protect yourself, let alone protect others. I've already destroyed your sword; from now on, just be a law-abiding human being."
"That would be the best situation for both you and me, and of course... it's also for Rukia's good."
Dressed in black with flowing long hair, the man exuded an aristocratic aura simply by standing there motionless. Looking at Ichigo Kurosaki lying on the ground, a hint of pity flickered in his eyes—an emotion that arises involuntarily in the heart of a strong person when dealing with a weak one.
"Give Rukia back to me..."
Ichigo Kurosaki slowly crawled across the ground until he reached the nobleman's feet. He reached out and grabbed the man's trouser leg tightly, repeatedly pleading with the man to return the girl in white to him.
"Open."
The noble and elegant man looked at Ichigo Kurosaki, who was grabbing his trouser leg, and spoke calmly.
"Hahaha... I can't do it! I... I can't do it!"
Ichigo Kurosaki's lips curled slightly upwards, and bright red blood slowly oozed from his mouth. Although he was severely injured and unable to continue fighting, his eyes remained resolute; he had never given up.
"It seems you've lost your mind, and can't even hear what I'm saying. Fine... since you're already confused, let me give you a hand. I'll cut off your entire arm..."
As the nobleman spoke, he slowly drew his Zanpakuto from his waist and aimed it at Ichigo Kurosaki's wrist, which was firmly gripping his trouser leg.
"Brother, that's enough, that's enough. I'll go back with you, so please let him go."
Just as the nobleman was about to make his move, Rukia Kuchiki could no longer stand. She knelt before him and pleaded desperately.
"..."
The nobleman stared into Rukia Kuchiki's eyes, and after a moment of eye contact, he released his grip on his Zanpakuto Rukia.
" Ichigo, listen to me, let go of my hand and listen to me."
Rukia stood in front of Ichigo Kurosaki, pleading with him.
Rukia.
Ichigo softly murmured Rukia's name. Although he was delirious, he could still recognize that the woman in white standing in front of him was none other than Rukia Kuchiki.
" Ichigo, listen to me, everything will be alright, I will absolutely be alright, so please stop talking. I promise I will live well in Soul Society, so please forget about me and live a good life in the World of the Living as a pure human being, according to your original life plan."
Rukia Kuchiki gripped Ichigo Kurosaki's hand tightly, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and glistening with tears.
"Don't go, Rukia, don't go..."
Ichigo Kurosaki was already delirious. He just held Rukia Kuchiki's hand tightly, repeatedly saying "Rukia, don't go," as if even though Ichigo Kurosaki couldn't remember who he was, he still couldn't forget those six words. He could never forget them.
"Brother, please give me five minutes, my last five minutes..."
Rukia Kuchiki looked at Ichigo Kurosaki before her, her heart aching. Everything had started because of her, yet it was ending in this way. To be honest, the time she Ichigo Kurosaki in the World of the Living was one of the happiest periods of her life, so happy that even though she knew it couldn't continue, she couldn't bear to shatter this sweet dream. She kept hypnotizing herself, telling herself that in a few more days, she would resolve everything... The final outcome was obvious; clearly, she hadn't resolved her own problems.
" Rukia, never forget your last name."
The man, a nobleman named Byakuya Kuchiki, saw Rukia slumped on the ground pleading with him, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words he was about to utter. In the end, he only left Rukia with this ambiguous sentence before walking alone toward the Senkaimon.
"I understand... elder brother."
Rukia Kuchiki watched Byakuya Kuchiki's departing figure and nodded solemnly.
"Five minutes. I'll arrive in Soul Society. If Rukia in five minutes, you know what will happen."
When Byakuya Kuchiki walked up to a red-haired Soul Reaper standing in Senkaimon, he casually uttered these words. He wasn't threatening the red-haired man; he was simply stating a fact: if he didn't see Rukia in five minutes, the consequences would be severe.
" Rukia, Rukia, Rukia..."
Ichigo Kurosaki continued to mutter Rukia's name over and over again, his eyes glazed over.
" Ichigo Kurosaki, don't be afraid, I'm here with you, I'll always be here with you."
Rukia gently stroked Ichigo Kurosaki Ichigo Kurosaki's forehead and then gently placed his head on her lap...
" Rukia..."
As Ichigo Kurosaki sensed Rukia's presence around him, his tense nerves gradually relaxed, and he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
" Ichigo, when you wake up, everything will be back to normal... Farewell."
Rukia gently stroked Ichigo Kurosaki Ichigo Kurosaki's cheek, then gently placed his head on the ground. She stood up, tidied her messy hair, and tried to look a little more presentable. As a member of the Kuchiki Clan, she had to maintain basic elegance no matter what happened.
"Let's go, Lieutenant Abarai."
Rukia stood beside the red-haired Soul Reaper and spoke calmly.
" Lieutenant Abarai?"
The red-haired Soul Reaper's eyes narrowed slightly as he heard Rukia Kuchiki address him, and a pang of pain shot through his heart.
"What's wrong, Vice Captain? If we're any later, we'll be punished by our elder brother."
Rukia Kuchiki looked at the red-haired Soul Reaper named Renji Abarai and smiled gently.
" Rukia... you'll be alright, so..."
At this moment, Renji Abarai finally mustered his courage. When he saw the powerless Ichigo Kurosaki fighting with all his might for Rukia Kuchiki, even Renji Abarai was deeply moved. A man who had spent less time with Rukia than he had spent with Rukia was willing to risk his life for her. Compared to him, Rukia was cowardly and not like a man at all.
"I know, so it's okay..."
Rukia smiled faintly at Renji Abarai and stepped into the endless spatial passage Senkaimon.
"Well..."
Renji Abarai watched Rukia's retreating figure, clenched his fist, then helplessly released it, sighed, and slumped his head as he Rukia inside.
" Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun!"
"Wake up, Kurosaki-kun!"
Ichigo Kurosaki lay on the hospital bed, the woman's cries echoing in his ears.
"Who's calling out? What am I doing?... Rukia, Rukia!"
In the pitch-black space, Ichigo Kurosaki muttered to himself, his confusion and bewilderment gradually turning into determination, and finally he shouted it out loud.
Rukia!
As Ichigo Kurosaki opened his eyes and sat up in bed, he loudly called Rukia's name.
However, the moment Ichigo Kurosaki opened his eyes, the person sitting next to him was not Rukia Kuchiki, but Orihime Inoue.
" Orihime... Where's Rukia? Where is Rukia?"
Ichigo Kurosaki grabbed the hand of Orihime Inoue, who was sitting beside him and had been watching over him ever since he fainted, and spoke excitedly.
"Um, that... Kurosaki-kun..."
Orihime Inoue looked at Ichigo Kurosaki with a blush on her face, trying to organize her thoughts for a long time, but she just couldn't utter a complete sentence.
" Kurosaki, we didn't find Rukia Kuchiki at the scene where you collapsed. You were the only one there, lying there quietly, your fate unknown. Inoue-san cried a lot because of this, but thankfully you're tough, and it seems you're alright now."
Standing behind Ichigo Kurosaki and Orihime Inoue, Uryū Ishida reluctantly pushed up his glasses and explained to Orihime Inoue Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Really? I'm sorry I worried you."
"And thank you for saving me."
After hearing Uryū Ishida's words, Ichigo Kurosaki finally understood. He looked at Orihime Inoue sitting beside him with a very complicated expression. He saw Orihime Inoue red and swollen eyes and faint dark circles and knew everything.
"No, no, no, I didn't do anything. The person who saved you wasn't me, but..."
Orihime Inoue waved her hands nervously. She dared not take credit for someone else's work. She had only been taking care of Kurosaki-kun; she was not the one who actually saved Kurosaki-kun.
"It was I who saved you."
Just as Orihime Inoue was wondering how to explain to Ichigo Kurosaki, a man wearing wooden clogs, a plain cloth shirt, and a green striped hat on his head opened the door and walked up to Orihime Inoue and Ichigo Kurosaki.
"You are?! Manager Urahara?!"
When Ichigo Kurosaki saw the man with the lewd smile on his face and who always seemed mysterious, he was slightly taken aback at first, and then loudly called out the man's name.
"Long time no see, Ichigo Kurosaki-kun."
Having been tempered by the World of the Living, Kisuke Urahara has become increasingly sleazy. He has completely lost the scholarly demeanor he had in Soul Society. Now, all that remains in his mind is the word "cunning and treacherous." He doesn't even need to speak; just standing there, he gives off the impression of a shrewd businessman.
Did you save me?
After a brief moment of distraction, Ichigo Kurosaki quickly regained his composure and turned to Kisuke Urahara to ask.
"Of course, I rescued you not long after you fell."
Kisuke Urahara spoke the truth and had no intention of deceiving Ichigo Kurosaki.
"I see."
Ichigo Kurosaki understood what Kisuke Urahara meant. Since Kisuke Urahara said that he had saved Ichigo Kurosaki shortly after Ichigo collapsed, it proved that everything was under Kisuke Urahara's control. In other words, Kisuke Urahara had probably been near Ichigo and Rukia from the beginning and watched the whole show unfold.
Who are those guys?
Ichigo Kurosaki asked Kisuke Urahara.
"The Soul Reaper of the Gotei 13 "
Kisuke Urahara answered Ichigo Kurosaki's question.
How can I rescue Rukia?
Ichigo Kurosaki clenched his fist and continued to ask.
"It's simple, just defeat all the Soul Reaper of the Gotei 13."
Kisuke Urahara, obscuring half of his face and revealing his sinister eyes that gleamed with a dangerous light.
"I understand. I won't ask you that stupid question again, like how to defeat all Gotei 13. Give me power! Kisuke Urahara! Give me the power to cut through everything!"
Ignoring his injuries, Ichigo Kurosaki stood up from the bed and shouted loudly.
" Kurosaki-kun, before I prepare the trial for you to gain power, I want to ask you a question: Are you truly ready to gain power right now?"
Having witnessed the vast difference in strength between you and your enemy, do you still have the courage to grip the blade once more?
"Please answer me, Ichigo Kurosaki-kun! This concerns whether you can pass the trial, and whether you can survive it."
Kisuke Urahara at Ichigo Kurosaki with a serious and earnest expression. He needed to know Ichigo Kurosaki's true thoughts at this moment in order to decide whether to prepare a trial for Ichigo Kurosaki. If there was the slightest mistake, Ichigo Kurosaki would perish in the trial. This was a responsibility he was unwilling to bear, and one he could not afford to bear.
"Snort..."
Ichigo Kurosaki smiled after hearing Kisuke Urahara's words.
"I'll risk my life to save Rukia Kuchiki."
In Ichigo Kurosaki's mind, if Rukia Kuchiki hadn't saved him back then, he and his mother would have died long ago. So, wasn't it only natural that he risked his life to save Rukia now? He had long been prepared to sacrifice himself, and he wasn't afraid of sacrifice at all. As for the courage to wield a sword? He wasn't even afraid of death, so why would he be afraid of wielding a sword?!
"Hahaha... No wonder he's from that family, I understand now."
Kisuke Urahara spoke meaningfully, having made up his mind to grant Ichigo Kurosaki's wish and prepare a trial for Ichigo Kurosaki to become stronger.
"Wait for me, Rukia!"
"Wait until I become stronger, then I'll rescue you from Soul Society..."
Ichigo Kurosaki clenched his fists, vowing to rescue Rukia.
Inside the barracks of the Second Division in Soul Society.
"Pfft, hahaha..."
"How could you make such a basic mistake? Don't tell anyone you trained in our Second Division, Rukia- chan~"
Hahahaha...
The moment Rukia returned to Soul Society, Sōgo, under the guise of harboring criminals, used the privileges of the Second Division to protect Rukia under the pretext of apprehending her and taking her to the Nest of Maggots for observation.
Although it was called protection, it was actually just sending Rukia Kuchiki to the Second Division Captain's office so that Sōgo Shihoin could laugh at her to his heart's content.
I really want to hit him...
Rukia's face was ashen, and veins bulged on her forehead and fists. Although she was furious, she still endured it, simply because she couldn't beat Sōgo. Even in her prime, she could never defeat the person in front of her, who was called Sōgo but read as a monster, and was known as the number one boss in Soul Society.
(End of this chapter)