After treating both Karin and Yuzu and stabilizing their conditions, Ren took off the gloves and medical clothes he was wearing and stared at Rukia and Ichigo, who were silently watching him with many questions in their eyes.
"Your injury is not serious; just some disinfection and bandaging will be enough for it to heal," Ren said coldly as he took some cotton, put some disinfectant on it, and applied it to Rukia's wound without any warning.
"Ah!" Rukia gasped lightly from the coldness of the disinfectant before biting her lip and glaring at him with suppressed anger.
"You could have warned me first," she said with a frown, but Ren didn't respond.
He simply wrapped the bandage around her shoulder swiftly and skillfully, then tied it tightly.
"That's it," he said, turning his back to her and heading toward the sink to wash his hands. "Consider it payment for helping me treat my sisters."
"Where's that old man?" Ren asked coldly as he washed the blood off his hands and disinfected them, not sparing a single glance at Ichigo.
"I don't know," Ichigo answered slowly, eyes fixed on Ren's back. "He wasn't here when it all started. I felt his absence, but… he didn't show up even after the fight ended."
Ren finished washing his hands, then silently grabbed a paper towel and dried them before tossing it into the trash.
"Of course he wasn't," he said with a tone mixing sarcasm and bitterness. "He seems skilled at showing up when we don't need him, and disappearing when we're about to die."
"So, can you explain what's happening to me?" Ren said coldly, staring at Rukia and Ichigo.
Rukia and Ichigo exchanged looks; a slight hesitation flashed in Ichigo's eyes, while Rukia stared at Ren with a strange focus, as if trying to read what was behind his eyes.
"...This isn't something that can be simply explained," Rukia began calmly, choosing her words carefully. "The world you live in is not what you think."
"Explain," Ren said sharply, his voice like a blade — no patience, no room for ambiguity.
Rukia took a deep breath and said:
"We are Shinigami — gods of death. We protect the human world from creatures called Hollows, corrupted souls that attack humans and devour the weak souls."
"And Ichigo? Did he become a Shinigami too?" Ren asked, finally directing his gaze to his brother for the first time since entering the clinic.
"Not exactly," Rukia answered for him. "I gave him my power... temporarily. But it seems his body absorbed it fully. Something like this... has never happened before."
"So, do you have a way to fix what happened?" Ren asked, his eyes shining with a terrifying gleam as he stared at Rukia.
Since the other party claimed to be a Shinigami, she should have a way to deal with the current situation and help them conceal their existence from ordinary humans.
"I can, but I need some time to regain a bit of my spiritual power," Rukia nodded nervously, afraid of the human standing before her who was not even ten years her senior.
"How much time?" Ren asked sharply, stepping closer to her. His footsteps were calm but carried a strange pressure, making the air around them feel a bit heavier.
"Maybe... two, or three hours at most," Rukia quickly replied, feeling that his gaze was revealing more than she wanted. "My body is still unstable because of transferring power to Ichigo. I need rest and some time for my spiritual energy to stabilize."
"Alright, I'll leave it to you," Ren said, staring at Ichigo and leaving a few words as he departed, "Follow me, I want to talk to you."
"..." Ichigo stared at his sisters who were receiving treatment, their faces clearly better than before, and gave a last glance at Rukia before following Ren to the house.
_
"Do you understand what you did?" Ren asked, his tone softer and less cold as his anger and frustration had taken control of him earlier when seeing his sisters injured, but now he calmed down and thought rationally.
"I understand," Ichigo nodded, the image of Rukia risking her body for his protection and that of his two younger sisters appearing in his mind. "Honestly, I don't really understand, but I couldn't just stand by and watch that monster attack Yuzu and Karin."
"..." Ren was silent for a moment, then suddenly bent toward Ichigo, his head almost touching the table. "I'm sorry. My anger took over me earlier when I saw Karin and Yuzu injured, and I took out my frustration on you, while you were protecting the two."
"No need to apologize," Ichigo shook his head and helped Ren stand quickly. "I completely understand your anger; I would've done the same if I were in your place."
"..." Ren smiled lightly, happy to have a understanding twin, before his expression returned to seriousness. "Now, tell me everything that happened while I was gone, because I need to understand what happened."
"Alright," Ichigo nodded without hesitation and told Ren everything from when they parted at school until the moment Ren arrived home.
Ren listened silently to Ichigo's story while analyzing everything in his head. Although he wasn't the best at using his mind, he wasn't just a foolish idiot without a brain in his skull.
...
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