Unexpectedly, Kuchiki Rukia's figure looked as flat as paper from the outside, but when held in his arms, Yuta could feel the slight curve and the way her body pressed gently against him-sharp edges softened by warmth.
And she was so warm and pliant, it felt strangely comforting just holding her like that.
"... Thank you... thank you for coming with me, Yuta. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have the courage to apologize."
Kuchiki Rukia buried her face in Yuta's chest as she whispered in gratitude. Her words were faint and unstable. Wet heat reached the fabric of his robe-tears falling silently from her eyes.
"You're welcome."
Yuta reached up and brushed his fingers across her cheek. Her skin was smooth and flushed.
He watched the clear line of tears trail past her jaw-the pain she'd been holding back finally leaving her in silence. And with it, her smile returned. No longer forced or polite-it felt alive again.
Kuchiki Rukia allowed him to wipe away the tears. She leaned into his presence and held that warmth tightly. Her hands were cold-but the heat from his body grounded her completely.
They stayed in that embrace longer before she pulled back with visible hesitation-her cheeks crimson as she stepped out of his arms shyly.
Yuta saw it clearly-after apologizing, the weight on Rukia's shoulders had lifted. Her posture eased. Her eyes weren't clouded anymore; she looked lighter in every way.
As they walked together, she skipped over stones scattered along the path. It was subtle-barely noticeable-but it felt like watching someone rediscover how to move freely again.
They passed beside a slow-moving river-its surface clean and glassy, catching the sunlight without breaking its reflection.
Rukia approached it with unspoken curiosity, knelt down at the edge, rolled up her sleeves, and dipped her pale wrists into the water. The way her fingers played along its surface made faint splashes ripple outward.
"You know... you'd probably laugh at this," she said without looking up, "but you'd almost forget water really ran clear in some places. In District 78? There's nothing like this. Back then... getting to see this much water at once was already everything."
Her tone didn't carry bitterness-just memory. Distant years came back through her hands as they moved through the river's surface-small circles forming under her touch. Only around Yuta could she say things like this aloud without caution or restraint.
"Let's go," Rukia finally said as she stood up and dried her hands against her sleeves. "Water is sacred to people in Rukongai-it gives them comfort, hope. We shouldn't impose on it too long."
…
Far below the Soul Society-in the silent halls of the Central Underground Prison-a different kind of presence stirred behind reinforced walls and locked gates.
Footsteps echoed along stone flooring-methodic and even-until white-clad guards arrived at one of the deepest cells. Their uniforms covered everything but their eyes.
One of them stepped forward and unlocked the iron door with practiced motion. Light spilled into pitch-blackness but revealed no shape within the gloom-only empty space beyond the threshold.
And then he fell to one knee in reverent motion inside that darkness and said:
"I greet Tsunayashiro-sama."
Scarlet pupils opened in the dark-slitted and watchful-focused on nothing and everything at once. A presence coiled within shadows like venom crawling through veins.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada had not moved from his position-but his grin revealed teeth even through silence.
"Arasuka," he drawled, "any news?"
His words hissed low-tainted with malice that lingered behind every syllable.
"Recently... there's been news of one civilian with considerable potential," Arasuka responded, head bowed low. "His name is Yuta. He's shown spiritual pressure above captain class-his control is frighteningly refined. With just one blow-he nearly destroyed the entire dueling site."
Tokinada's mouth twisted further into amusement.
"Well done," he said softly. "We must draw this one into our noble hearts... and into our future."
"Lord Tokinada, your remaining sentence is brief," Arasuka added carefully. "Once you walk free-everything will return to your hands again."
"Good. Now go."
"Yes, Lord Tokinada."
As Arasuka stepped out and shut the heavy door behind him-the light died instantly within that cell once again.
Tokinada sat unmoving-still smiling-but now faceless in total dark.
"They dared lock me away... my own pitiful kin," he whispered aloud to no one. "When I return-I'll kill them first... bathe my name in their blood..."
…
Yuta and Kuchiki Rukia passed through the White Road Gate again and parted paths near the Shino Academy steps.
"I guess this is goodbye for today," she said gently. "I'm heading back for another mission-Division 13 keeps me busy."
"What kind of missions?"
Rukia stared up at the sky for half a second before answering.
"Mostly Hollow purification in the human world," she replied after some thought. "It's routine... but every now and then I manage paperwork in the Seireitei too. If you joined Division 13-we'd work side by side out there."
Yuta watched her silhouette retreat down the far path-and briefly considered following her into that world himself.
There were things worth learning in the human world too-especially from someone like Urahara Kisuke. The man's methods were known to be unorthodox-but effective beyond measure.
Even that cat-Yoruichi-was infamous in her own right... and if she maintained any feline traits while transformed...
It might be fun to pet her someday just to see what happened.
Besides, there were several routes to reach the Soul King Palace anyway-more than most people realized. The first involved crafting what they called the "King Key," then using Shiba Kukaku's firework cannon to fire themselves upward through Seireitei's defenses.
Shiba's clan was nearly forgotten-but their legacy was intact where it mattered: technology that broke barriers no one else could match.
Option two? Become one of Squad Zero's elites by inventing or constructing some spiritual tool capable of reshaping Soul Society itself-a feat so rare only legends matched it.
Naturally-someone like Aizen Sousuke would scoff at that idea entirely.
He wanted to kill the Soul King instead-not join him. Which only left one option in Aizen's mind: build or take the key by force.
Or simply bide your time until someone else did it first-like Yhwach-and then ride their work straight into heaven on their coattails while pretending you'd planned it from step one.
Either way-it was only a matter of time before someone cracked open those seventy-two layers of divine shielding around the Royal Palace and laid claim to what waited inside.
Yuta turned abruptly and made his way back toward Shino Academy's main square.
He had learned just about everything he needed within its walls: Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, Kido-all mastered well enough to stand among elite ranks today if he wanted.
It was time to leave school behind for good.
As he reached the courtyard-a lean figure stepped into his path holding out a small card between two fingers silently.
Hirano Sora stood calmly before him-a pitch-black credit card glinting under sunlight in his palm.
"This is from our central noble bank," Hirano said casually. "Unlimited overdraft privileges across Soul Society... black tier only."
Yuta stayed silent while watching him closely.
Hirano smiled coolly and offered it with both hands next time-as though it were no big deal at face value.
"We know money means little to you... this isn't payment," he said easily. "It's entry. Into everything else that goes beyond money."
His tone no longer carried false politeness-it shifted toward confidence instead:
"Just nod your head-and we'll show you how easy it is to place not only Soul Society-but also every realm beneath your feet."
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