Last night.
After finally dealing with the aftermath of Aizen Sōsuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tōsen Kaname's betrayal, the Kuchiki clan—as one of the Four Great Noble Houses—naturally convened a full clan meeting.
As the family head, Kuchiki Byakuya attended, and so did Kuchiki Rukia.
The meeting's agenda... cough, this tone's not quite right—let's try that again.
This time, Byakuya hadn't been seriously injured by Gin's Shinso, as he hadn't blocked it for Rukia.
And during his fight with Ichigo, Ichigo merely shattered his Zanpakutō—Byakuya hadn't sustained any serious wounds.
So this clan meeting was still presided over by Kuchiki Byakuya.
When it came to the matter of the Central 46 Chambers, Rukia could barely keep up, listening in a daze without offering much input.
But then, the topic turned to something directly related to her.
One of the elders cleared his throat and looked at Byakuya.
"Cough... Clan Head, we heard that young man from the living world came to Soul Society for the young lady, is that right?"
Rukia snapped back to attention at the mention of herself.
Byakuya, not quite sure where the elder was going with this, simply nodded.
"That is indeed the case."
"We also heard that this youth from the living world is the hero who stopped the traitor Aizen Sōsuke!"
"Exactly! And not only that—he became the disciple of Squad Four's Captain Unohana Retsu, and as soon as he joined, he was promoted to Fourth Seat!"
The elders all chimed in, showering Ichigo with praise.
Strangely, it only made Byakuya and Rukia even more confused.
"What are you trying to say?" Byakuya cut straight to the point—he wasn't about to play word games with this lot.
"Well, Clan Head, since this young hero came all this way for the young lady... perhaps we should…" the elder trailed off, looking a bit sheepish.
Byakuya paused, but he understood immediately.
So he turned to Rukia and asked bluntly,
"Rukia, do you have feelings for Kurosaki Ichigo?"
That one sentence turned Rukia's face bright red—she could've boiled water on her forehead!
"I… I…" She stammered, unable to form a coherent response.
Seeing her reaction, Byakuya's brows furrowed. He had barely had time to raise his sister properly—and now some outsider was already trying to take her away?!
The elders, seeing Rukia's face, all smiled knowingly.
She hadn't denied it—that alone was a very clear answer.
These crafty old men understood the situation perfectly and didn't press Rukia any further. Instead, they turned to quietly discussing what to do next—with Byakuya, of course.
After the meeting, one of the elders, ever the schemer, came up with a brilliant idea: invite Ichigo to the Kuchiki estate as a guest. Naturally, his host would be the young lady of the house herself!
Rukia's face turned crimson again. How could she possibly tell Ichigo that the clan elders were basically trying to set them up?
And then Ichigo, noticing her flushed cheeks, asked with concern,
"Rukia, your face is really red… Don't tell me you still have some hidden injuries?"
He started walking toward her.
Seeing him approach, Rukia's eyes practically spiraled like a startled bunny, and she leapt back in a panic.
"I-I'm fine! Don't come any closer!"
Clearly, after what had been said, Rukia now felt awkward around Ichigo.
Especially considering everything he had done for her—charging into Soul Society, fighting Aizen in front of all the Shinigami, and even slashing him through the Negación…
Thinking of all that, Rukia's gaze softened.
"What's wrong? You're acting kinda weird today," Ichigo said, still totally oblivious.
Rukia took a deep breath, patted her cheeks, and calmed herself.
"I'm fine, Ichigo. Really."
Seeing her settle down, Ichigo sat back down and asked,
"So? You called me over today—what's the plan?"
Rukia looked at him, then, with newfound resolve, said,
"Ichigo… Can you come with me somewhere?"
Ichigo nodded.
For the first time, Rukia reached out and took his hand.
From that moment, their relationship took a new step forward.
...
Rukongai.
Because Shiba Kūkaku often moved around, the Shiba family resided in a remote area of Rukongai, rarely visited by others.
Rukia, hand in hand with Ichigo and carrying a somewhat heavy heart, arrived at the Shiba residence.
Kūkaku and Ganju were in the middle of maintaining the Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon. (lol for the ones that watched Gintama)
When they saw Rukia holding Ichigo's hand, Ganju shouted,
"You damned Shinigami! How dare you come to the Shiba house again?! You murdered my big brother!"
Kūkaku immediately snapped,
"Ganju! Be polite. They're our guests!"
Ganju scowled, glaring at Ichigo and Rukia before crossing his arms and turning away in a huff.
"Go on," Ichigo said to Rukia with a gentle smile.
Rukia let go of his hand, stepped forward, and gave Kūkaku and Ganju a deep bow.
"I'm sorry. I'm truly, deeply sorry. When I brought Lieutenant Kaien back… I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm truly sorry."
Her voice was filled with sincerity.
Ganju fell silent, lifting his gaze to the sky, as if searching for someone who would never return.
Kūkaku, however, responded in her usual candid tone.
"Ah, I forgive you."
Rukia blinked, stunned.
She looked up at both Kūkaku and Ganju.
"Captain Ukitake already told us the truth about Kaien's death. We know it wasn't your fault," Kūkaku said.
"We agreed—we'd forgive you if you offered a sincere apology."
Rukia stood frozen, eyes wide.
So… Captain Ukitake had told them the truth long ago.
She smiled in relief. Of course—Kaien had been Ukitake's most promising subordinate, handpicked to succeed him as captain of Squad Thirteen. How could he not explain everything to the family?
"But I still…"
Before she could finish, Kūkaku interrupted with a grin.
"Jeez, stop with the blubbering! I said it's fine, didn't I? Keep going and I'll punch you myself!"
(End of Chapter)
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