"Huff... Huff...
If I run this far, at least Ichigo won't get dragged into it, right?"
Rukia panted heavily, hands resting on her knees.
Still, a tiny sliver of hope remained in her heart.
Maybe — just maybe — no one would come after her, and everything would be fine.
However, a cold voice instantly shattered that hope.
"Yo, Rukia.
Where do you think you're going?"
The moment Rukia heard that familiar voice, her blood ran cold.
"That voice...
Renji?"
Her pupils contracted sharply.
Looking up, she saw a man with long, spiky red hair, black tattoos across his forehead, grinning arrogantly at her.
And without even a word more, he suddenly drew the Zanpakutō at his waist and slashed viciously down toward her!
"BOOM!"
Smoke and dust flew —
but the slash only struck the ground in front of Rukia, blasting a large crater.
She herself remained unharmed.
"What's wrong, Rukia?
Now that you're trapped in a human body, you can't even react to a simple move like that?"
the red-haired man sneered, staring her down.
"Hmph!
I was just caught off guard!"
Rukia gritted her teeth and retorted.
"Enough, Rukia!"
Another voice rang out — elegant and aloof.
Unlike her fear when she heard Renji's voice, this time —
Rukia's heart sank into utter despair.
"Brother..."
Turning around, she saw—
A handsome, expressionless man stood there, with twin kenseikan adorning his head and a snow-white scarf draped around his neck,
gazing at her coldly.
But before Rukia could say anything more,
Renji swung his Zanpakutō at her again!
This time, Rukia wasn't so lucky —
or rather, Renji wasn't holding back as much anymore.
Though Rukia tried her best to dodge,
Renji's blade still grazed her cheek, leaving a thin cut.
At that moment —
a savior appeared!
Uryū Ishida rushed in — and immediately collapsed.
Yes, just like that — in a flash.
Watching from the sidelines, Ichigo could no longer hold back.
He had originally wanted to listen in and gather more information,
but seeing how useless Uryū was —
collapsing without even learning anything —
he couldn't stand it anymore.
Still, amidst the chaos, Rukia's sharp eyes caught a detail:
Renji was wearing a lieutenant's armband.
"Renji...
You got promoted?"
Rukia asked in shock.
"Hmph.
I'm now the lieutenant of the Sixth Division,"
Renji said, sheathing his sword proudly.
But the man standing beside him, Byakuya Kuchiki, gave no chance for further chit-chat.
"Criminal Kuchiki Rukia —
you are guilty of unlawfully participating in the forbidden research of former Twelfth Division Captain Urahara Kisuke,
leading to the loss of your spiritual powers,
and conspiring with the heinous criminal Urahara.
Multiple charges compounded.
You have greatly disappointed me,"
Byakuya said coldly.
Hearing those words, Rukia lowered her head.
She knew she couldn't currently transform back into her Shinigami form —
whether Urahara was involved or not, she had her suspicions.
But she hadn't expected the Soul Society to use this as an official crime to capture her.
Before Rukia could respond, though —
a voice she could hardly believe rang out.
"Oi, oi...
You sure like talking to yourselves, huh?"
It was Ichigo —
of course the protagonist would make a grand entrance at a time like this!
The moment Ichigo appeared beside Rukia,
Byakuya's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"This speed...
Not something a normal Shinigami should possess,"
Byakuya thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Renji hadn't even seen how Ichigo moved.
But he didn't think much of it.
After all, they had heard Ichigo had defeated a Gillians —
but to Renji, Gillians weren't exactly difficult to kill.
Glaring at Ichigo, Renji asked,
"And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
Ichigo stood protectively in front of Rukia, smirking coldly.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?"
Then, turning to Rukia, he smiled and said,
"Rukia, I'm here to bring you home."
Rukia looked at him, furious.
"You idiot!
Why did you come after me?!
Didn't you see the letter I left you?!"
"Sorry, Rukia.
I shredded that thing and tossed it straight into the trash,"
Ichigo said casually — with not a shred of remorse on his face.
Clearly implying:
Next time, he'd do it again without hesitation!
"Ichigo, you're the biggest idiot in the world!"
Rukia snapped.
But clearly, their interaction had annoyed someone else.
"Oi, you punk!
Are you another one of Urahara Kisuke's accomplices?
You're the one who lured Rukia into his experiments, weren't you?"
Renji growled, trying to pin even more blame on Ichigo.
"What the hell are you babbling about?
I don't understand a single word!"
Ichigo replied, activating his classic protagonist-level 'D-for-Denial' technique at critical moments.
Rukia grew even more anxious.
Gripping Ichigo's sleeve tightly, she whispered,
"Ichigo, please, you have to run!
They're elite Shinigami — a captain and a lieutenant!
You can't fight them!"
Ichigo, however, smiled gently.
"Don't worry.
I'll be fine.
After all, I'm a noble.
The laws of the Soul Society don't apply to me,"
he joked lightly.
Rukia forced a tiny smile —
but it looked worse than if she had cried.
"Sorry, Rukia,"
Ichigo said firmly.
"No matter what you say,
I'm not letting them take you away!"
"You idiot!
You'll die!"
Rukia cried out.
By this time, Byakuya also spoke.
"Unknown Shinigami.
If you are not involved, stand aside.
I will pardon your disrespectful actions."
Clearly, Byakuya was handling things strictly by the book —
unlike Renji, who immediately tried to brand Ichigo as a co-conspirator.
"Sorry!
But I'm not letting you take Rukia away!"
Ichigo refused without hesitation.
"Captain!
Allow me to deal with him!
After that, we'll bring Rukia back,"
Renji said urgently.
Seeing how suspicious Rukia and this unknown Shinigami were acting together,
Renji decided it was best to finish things quickly.
Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment and said calmly,
"Make it quick, Renji."
"Hmph.
Of course!"
Renji sneered confidently.
(End of Chapter)
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