"The verdict is hereby delivered!"
In the heart of the Seireitei, the Central 46—the judicial apex of the Soul Society—had convened in the newly rebuilt Underground Assembly. This day marked the trial of the mastermind behind the great rebellion.
Former Captain of Squad 5, Sosuke Aizen.
The crimes were unprecedented: treason against the Soul Society, forbidden soul experimentation, and most notably, the massacre of the previous Council. The sentence handed down would be carved into the history of the three worlds as a testament to the Soul Society's resolve.
"The prisoner is sentenced to twenty thousand years in the eighth level of the Great Underground Prison—Muken!"
A cheer erupted from the gallery. The forty sages and six judges allowed themselves triumphant smiles, feeling their long-held ambition finally realized. Among them sat a small figure in the first seat of the sages—Nayura Amakado. She stared at the prisoner in stony silence.
Sosuke Aizen stood before them with an air of arrogant indifference that defied his status as a defendant.
"Ah... forgive me," Aizen said, his eyes narrowed as if looking at something far in the distance. "Something rather interesting caught my attention. I'm afraid I missed your little noise."
"How dare you!"
The room erupted. Aizen's implication that the Council was beneath his notice was a match thrown into a powder keg. He lazily added more fuel to the fire.
"Tell me, is your little social gathering over?"
The assembly fell silent for a heartbeat before exploding into a cacophony of rage. These high-ranking nobles, losing all sense of decorum, screamed insults at the man in the center. Aizen didn't even bother with his usual mocking smile. He spoke in a cold, detached voice, as if watching a particularly poorly written play.
"I see. A group of backup performers, not even fit to be actors, delivering a 'verdict' to me..."
"—It's a bit farcical, don't you think?"
Nayura felt the blood rush to her head. "Apologize before my father's grave!" she shouted, standing up. But her voice was drowned out by the sheer volume of the adults' vitriol.
"Silence, you traitor!"
"You only act this way because you're immortal!"
"Cover his eyes and mouth! Silence him at once!!"
"Twenty thousand years isn't enough! Make it twenty-five thousand!!"
***
After the trial, Nayura left the assembly hall with long, angry strides. Having been appointed to the new Central 46 only a month ago, the responsibilities of being the Head of the Amakado family were a heavy burden for her young shoulders.
Her late father had been kind to her, but he hadn't been a good noble. The respect she had for him had shattered when she found records of his corruption during the transition of power. Now that she knew the Central 46 she once admired was merely a stage for petty self-preservation, the poor girl felt nothing but disgust for the world of politics.
"You should not let your heart be troubled, Head Librarian."
A familiar voice called out from behind her. Nayura spun around to see a middle-aged sage who had helped her significantly during her appointment.
"Lord Kanunogi..."
"Hehe, it has been some time. My son and Lady Rurichiyo have been worried about you. I couldn't let you leave without seeing your face."
"Rurichiyo..." Nayura softened. Rurichiyo Kasumioji was a friend her own age, and Kanunogi's son was Rurichiyo's fiancé. Through that connection, she owed this man a debt of gratitude for his guidance.
After ten minutes of pleasantries, Kanunogi grew serious.
"Tell me, Head Librarian. I'm excusing myself from this afternoon's meeting. Will you be attending?"
Nayura frowned. "I heard things are becoming... complicated."
She was referring to the sudden cancellation of another trial—the interrogation of a certain female Soul Reaper who had been intimately involved with Sosuke Aizen.
Kanunogi sighed and gave her a stern look. "As a friend of your family, I must advise you to stay away from this matter."
"But—"
"Nayura," he interrupted firmly. "You are now the head of the Amakado family. Every word you speak carries weight. Attending that meeting is equivalent to challenging the decision of the higher powers."
"..."
"I lost my brother to Aizen's faction as well. I have my own grievances. But a noble who defies a Royal Mandate is no noble at all. Do not forget that."
He offered a sad, comforting smile and bowed before departing. Nayura watched him go with a conflicted heart.
Kanunogi meant well, but he was missing the point. She wasn't mourning a family member. She was simply irritated by the massive gap between her ideals and the reality of the Seireitei. A sage was supposed to be a model for all Soul Reapers. To Nayura, this rebellion was a revolution triggered by the failures of the Central 46 itself.
She decided that the matter couldn't end with just "Aizen's crimes." She needed to understand the true foundation of the world's order so that a second Aizen would never be born.
"Old man," she said to the servant waiting for her. "Send a messenger to the main house of the Tsunayashiro family."
"My Lady?"
"It's a request for cooperation. Knowing those information-gatherers, they're likely already moving."
She climbed into her carriage and thought. Aizen had said "something interesting" had happened. Nayura only knew of one event that fit the bill.
I won't defy the mandate, she told herself. I'm just investigating a precedent.
Why was the Royal Guard—Squad Zero—protecting Momo Hinamori?
***
Seireitei, Squad 1 Barracks.
Toshiro Hitsugaya walked down the long corridor toward the gate, his dark emotions manifesting as a heavy aura of spiritual pressure.
"Captain, please stop intimidating the other squads," Rangiku Matsumoto's voice reached him.
Toshiro tried to calm down, but his frustration remained. The source was the Captains' meeting he had just left.
The Head Captain had recently led eight Captains to Hueco Mundo to track down the remnants of the Arrancar army. They had intended to bring the Hollow forces under control to maintain the balance of souls. Instead, they had found a nightmare that far exceeded their expectations.
"The Arrancars have been fully resurrected!?"
"Yes. It seems the power of the Hogyoku was used to prepare for their revival in advance."
Toshiro, who hadn't participated in the Hueco Mundo mission, had been stunned. He had feared they would come to take Momo back, but the situation was far more complex.
According to Mayuri Kurotsuchi's hypothesis, Momo Hinamori's Hogyoku had developed its own will and was now leading the Arrancars. This Hogyoku possessed an intellect and ambition equal to a human's and had taken Aizen's place as their leader. Furthermore, they had established a base in a Valley of Screams outside the three realms and had somehow brokered a treaty with Squad Zero.
Part of that treaty was the absolute acquittal of Momo Hinamori.
"I've checked the data," Mayuri had said. "The mass death of Arrancars had narrowed the gap between the Soul Society and the World of the Living. Squad Zero likely encouraged their revival to stabilize the realms. I don't know whose idea it was, but the outcome is the same."
The theory was that the new "Hogyoku Will" had moved the Arrancars to the Valley of Screams to use them as leverage against Squad Zero. If that much spiritual mass vanished from Hueco Mundo, the balance would shift. As long as Squad Zero could maintain the balance by simply letting one girl go free, they would agree to it in a heartbeat. If she betrayed them, they could simply kill her and drag the Arrancars back to the desert.
"Hinamori's acquittal was likely just their way of saying 'hello,'" Mayuri concluded. "By forcing a concession from Squad Zero, they've established themselves as a global power. That fact alone is diplomatically crucial."
Therefore, any attack on the "Valley Faction" by the Gotei 13 would be a violation of the higher mandate. The Arrancars had achieved their goal of ending the war.
The meeting had ended with the Head Captain's decision to withdraw. But every Captain left with a simmering resentment. On paper, it was a Gotei 13 victory. The traitor was captured, the "dead" enemies were alive (preventing soul imbalance), and the new enemy leader was technically cooperative. But after witnessing the Arrancars' "victory parade," no one felt like a winner.
Toshiro knew this resentment would eventually fall on Momo. People would question her loyalty and her connection to the new enemy. Some would want to interrogate her for information.
But most of all, Toshiro hated himself. He hated the tiny, childish part of his heart that felt a sense of superiority—the part that whispered that he was the only one who could protect her now that she was alone.
***
Seireitei, Squad 4 Barracks.
In a corner of the vast grounds sat the Special Treatment Ward. It was a facility for patients with unique circumstances—plagues, mental contamination, or political sensitivity.
Outside the gate, heavily guarded by Squad 5 and Squad 10, the messengers of the Central 46 and the Gotei 13 were engaged in a constant shouting match.
"Matsumoto, go shut them up. I can't work with all that noise."
Toshiro sat at a desk in the patient's room, filling out paperwork while his Lieutenant lounged on the sofa.
"Aww, Captain! Dealing with grumpy nobles isn't a job for a Lieutenant!"
"If you don't like it, you can handle these transfer requests instead—"
"I'm going! I'm going!"
Rangiku bolted from the room. Toshiro let out a sigh. Despite her occasional bouts of melancholy, she seemed much brighter lately. He suspected she had found some closure regarding Gin Ichimaru. Although her official report stated she had "clashed with and killed the dying Gin in the Rukon District," Toshiro chose to look the other way.
He knew Rangiku was also indulging him. Winning the joint-guard mission with Squad 5 had been a purely selfish move on Toshiro's part.
Left alone, the boy walked toward the occupant of the bed.
"Momo..."
Lying there was his "Sleeping Beauty"—the childhood friend he had risked his life to reclaim.
It had been nearly a week since the nightmare ended. Captain Unohana's direct treatment had healed every one of Momo's physical wounds. But she remained unconscious. Unohana said it was due to extreme mental exhaustion—a wound on her very soul.
Toshiro took her small, pale hand. He remembered her confession on the brink of death.
I thought this might happen.
He wondered how much despair she had felt when she reached out to him for help, only to have her hope betrayed by his own blade.
Squish. The memory of the sensation—of his sword piercing her chest—made his hand shake. It was a nightmare he would never forget.
He knew he could never apologize enough. But he also knew that Momo... she would probably just forgive him.
Even as she lay dying in his arms, she had looked at him with those hollow eyes and managed a smile. "I'm sorry. I love you," she had said. She had tried to comfort him. She had tried to make it a "good memory" so he wouldn't carry the burden of her fate.
Stupid Momo, he thought. Only you would think of your little brother at a time like that.
"You idiot..." Toshiro whispered. His voice was thin and wet. "You think a smile like that makes it easier? You think that makes it a good memory?"
The floodgates in his heart were beginning to crack. The feelings he had suppressed were rushing toward the surface.
"What do you mean, 'I'm sorry'? What do you mean, 'You have to live'?"
He couldn't stop the emotions from overflowing.
"Stop it... stop..." He tried to force his mouth shut.
And yet.
"What do you mean... 'I love you'?"
He couldn't hold it back anymore.
He hadn't wanted to hear those words then. Not when she was covered in blood, with her life-fire fading. Not as her final words.
I love you.
He had felt that way for so long.
"—That's my line, you idiot!"
His raspy, scream-like voice dissolved into the quiet of the room, as if painting the world in a new color.
"You don't know anything! You never... you never once looked at how I felt!"
Once he started, he couldn't stop. His vision blurred, and his grip on her hand tightened.
"Stupid Momo... just because you're older, you think you can act all cool? You think you can keep treating me like a kid!?"
The girl in the bed seemed to shimmer through his tears.
"I... I wanted to...!"
He had been reminded of it over and over. Every time he reached out to save her, he failed. He only reclaimed her because Ichigo Kurosaki had kicked him into gear. No matter how much he tried to grow, no matter how much he tried to protect her, he was always the unreliable little brother. He was the "child to be protected," just as Aizen had said.
"But... look at me..."
Just for now.
"You can't say it if you're sleeping..."
Now, while I'm by your side and protecting you more than anyone else.
"—Let me be the one... to say 'I love you.'"
"—I'm a man who wants to protect you as a woman... not as a brother."
***
Silence returned to the room.
Toshiro slumped his shoulders, exhausted after venting years of frustration. He felt a wave of shame and self-loathing at his pathetic, one-sided confession to a sleeping woman.
I haven't grown an inch since that winter moonlit night. He let out a sigh at his own cowardice and wiped his eyes. He looked up, wanting to glare at her "idiot face" one last time.
"Huh...?"
He was looking directly into a pair of wide, amber eyes.
Momo Hinamori was staring at him, her eyes shimmering with tears.
"..."
"..."
For a second, all sound vanished from the world.
Then, time itself seemed to stop.
Finally, as the reality sank in, Toshiro's face went through several colors of the rainbow.
"HI! HI-NA! MO! HI-NA-NA-NA-NA!!?"
"Wait... ah... what? I... why am I... alive? And... Shiro... you... you said... 'love'... wait, what?"
Total chaos shattered the silence of the room.
Toshiro was a mess of emotions: the shame of being heard, the shock of her awakening, and pure joy. Momo was confused by the miracle of her resurrection and the sudden, passionate declaration of love from her "little brother."
The panic reached its peak. As Momo mumbled, "But Shiro is just a child," and "What do you mean, 'love'?" Toshiro lost his mind. He decided to try and erase the whole thing by grabbing the blanket she was hiding behind.
"HINAMORI!"
"Kyaa!?"
"It was an illusion! All of it! A dream! Forget everything, Momo!"
"Wait! Shiro, you're too close—!"
"You just woke up and you're seeing things! Stop listening!!"
"No! Stop! Too close! Are you gonna kiss—"
Pushed back onto the bed, the blushing girl let out a tiny squeak like a mouse and went limp.
"Wait... what? Hey, Momo? Momo!? HINAMORIIII!!"
He shook her shoulders, but there was no response. Seeing her with steam practically rising from her head and her eyes spinning, Toshiro realized he had been a bit too rough.
"I'm sorry! I... okay, Squad 4! Wait here, Momo, I'm getting help!"
Unable to handle his own embarrassment and the string of blunders, the Captain forgot he had an emergency communication device. He decided to flee the scene and dump the whole situation onto Unohana until they both calmed down.
He used a Flash Step to escape the room and headed for the Captain's office.
"..."
As he walked, the confusion on his face slowly melted away. What was left was a pure, radiant flush of joy.
He pictured her face—that same "idiot" look, but now with a new layer of bashful awareness. Toshiro, who had been conscious of her since the day he saved her from a Hollow at the Academy, couldn't miss the shift in her feelings toward him.
"...!!"
He couldn't keep his face straight. The corners of his mouth refused to come down.
I took a long way around, didn't I?
"Stupid Momo... making me work so hard..."
The excitement was overflowing from his body. Feeling light as a feather, the boy skipped along the porch of the barracks. The clear blue sky of late autumn and the cold wind felt beautiful and refreshing.
He had reclaimed her.
She had woken up.
She was finally aware of him.
Finally, the daily life he had always wanted—the life where she was by his side—was beginning.
"Get ready, Momo...!"
There were still mountains of problems: the "Valley Faction" led by the Hogyoku, the secret deal with Squad Zero, the whispers of betrayal. None of it would be easy.
But Toshiro wouldn't run.
He would get stronger. He would become a man worthy of her. He would protect her, and he would make her look at him more and more.
One day, he would truly win her heart and her smile.
With that new resolve, the boy in love—Toshiro Hitsugaya—raised a fist toward the sky.
GRIN.
***
"—That is your mission."
Karakura Town. Under a madder-red sky, a petite girl stood by the gate of Karakura First High School. She was strikingly beautiful, yet she seemed to exist outside the notice of the people passing by.
She was a Soul Reaper. Rukia Kuchiki had remained in this town past her assigned period for a specific mission.
"But... but that would break Ichigo's heart..."
"I know, Rukia. But this is an order from the Head Captain. He believes that returning to his life as a normal human is the greatest happiness Ichigo can have."
"..."
Rukia couldn't argue with her superior's pained voice. She tucked her communication device into her coat. Through her time with the hero Ichigo Kurosaki, she had grown accustomed to this human clothing, but she knew she would never wear it again once this job was done.
She deeply regretted the coming farewell.
"What are you doing, Rukia?"
A man's voice called her name. She turned her "Jito-eye" gaze toward her partner, who had kept her waiting.
"You're late, Ichigo. School's been out for ages."
"I had to do makeup work for the classes I skipped. Why are you still here anyway? I heard things were pretty messy back in the Soul Society."
Rukia flinched at the accurate observation but quickly recovered. "I'm on vacation, you fool." She let out a sigh, thinking about Orihime's future romantic struggles with such a dense boy.
"Anyway," Rukia said, getting back to the point. "I hear you've been reckless again."
"Reckless? What are you talking about?"
"Hollow hunting! I told you to stop! Honestly...!"
She couldn't help but raise her voice. This boy had fought a war of myths just last week, securing victory for the forces of order. But the price had been his power. The spiritual energy that had once transcended the realms was now lower than that of an unseated officer.
And even that tiny remnant was fading.
"I couldn't help it. I was the closest one to that Hollow."
"That isn't—!"
"Oh, stop nagging."
"Nagging!?"
Rukia stomped her feet, frustrated by his lack of concern for himself. She could have lectured him for an hour. But her irritation vanished when she saw the soft smile on his face as he looked out at the town.
"I told you before... why I fight."
"..."
His words tightened her chest. Their relationship had begun when she gave him her power to save his family. She had twisted his destiny. She felt a guilt she could never repay, yet Ichigo only felt gratitude.
He had thanked her for giving him the power to protect his family and his friends when he had been helpless to save his mother.
"I want to protect everyone."
Even after all the battles that had nearly destroyed his life, he still held onto that "childish" dream. Rukia was overwhelmed by his unwavering conviction.
Perhaps that was why she let her guard down.
Beep!
Her communication device rang. Rukia snapped back to reality, but by then, Ichigo had already moved. A Hollow had appeared in the town.
"The spiritual pressure... it's close!"
"Wait! Ichigo, stop!"
Ichigo pressed his Substitute Badge to his chest, ejecting his soul from his body. Rukia caught his empty physical form, her feet frozen.
"Ichigo..."
She could only watch the back of her partner as he raced away—a boy with fading power who could no longer even use Flash Step.
***
He was fighting.
Ichigo was struggling against a common, nameless Hollow. His strikes were shallow, and a single counter-attack sent him flying like a ball. He crawled back to his sword and stood up, charging again and again.
Against a piece of trash that the old Ichigo could have erased with a glance.
Rukia watched his pathetic, noble struggle, fighting back the tears prickling her eyes.
Look, world. Look at the true form of the hero who saved you.
No matter how many times he broke, no matter how much power he lost—as long as he had a blade in his hand, Ichigo Kurosaki would stand up. How noble. How brave.
"GRAAAAAA!"
"Gah! Damn... it!"
The Hollow's tail struck him, and Ichigo couldn't react in time. Rukia desperately held herself back from interfering, praying for his victory.
If anyone calls him pathetic, let them step forward.
If anyone mocks him, let them step forward.
She would never forgive them. She would hunt them to the ends of the earth. No one would be allowed to defile his pride as long as Rukia Kuchiki drew breath.
"UAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"
Ichigo evaded a kick by a hair's breadth, slipped through the Hollow's legs, and took its back. He leaped into the air and split the creature's skull with a single strike.
Rukia's chest swelled with a pride that brought tears to her eyes.
You idiot... for all your memory loss, you still remember how to do that.
Ichigo collapsed onto the ground, spread-eagle. Rukia wiped her eyes and ran to him before he could notice.
"You're late, Rukia. I already finished it."
"Be quiet. You should show more respect to the kind soul who carried your empty body all this way."
"Yeah... thanks."
Ichigo laughed, a clear, refreshing sound. Ignoring the stabbing pain in her chest, Rukia smiled and began to heal his wounds.
His meager spiritual pressure was fully restored in less than five seconds. To put the meaning into words would have been inelegant.
The girl stayed there until the sun went down, staring at the face of her partner as he slept peacefully in her lap.
***
"I see..."
I thought it would be soon.
The next morning, after a sudden seizure, Ichigo Kurosaki woke up in his bed. Rukia, Chad, Orihime, and Uryu were all there to tell him the truth.
"Can I go outside?" he asked.
The weight of his friends' sorrow was heavy. Ichigo scratched his head and got out of bed. He walked out of the Kurosaki Clinic in his ordinary sandals and looked around.
He couldn't feel them anymore. The ghosts that had been part of his life since before he could remember were gone.
And...
"Ichigo..."
Rukia stood beside him, her presence growing thinner by the second.
So my power really is vanishing.
He found himself alone on the path in front of his house with Rukia. Whether Orihime and the others had planned it or not, the scene felt like a mirror of their first meeting.
"Goodbye, Ichigo."
"Yeah. Looks like it."
She wore a clear, bright smile. Ichigo didn't know what his own face looked like.
"Heh."
Rukia laughed. "What's with that gloomy face?"
"What?"
"Even if you can't see me anymore, I'll still be able to see you, you know!"
"Hah! What the hell is that supposed to mean? That doesn't make me feel better at all."
"Oh?"
"And I don't have a gloomy face."
They traded insults, a familiar dance to hide the pain. They faced each other, then both looked down as the words ran out.
"..."
"..."
The hem of Rukia's robes began to dissolve into dust.
The time had come.
"Hey... tell everyone..."
Ichigo scrambled for words, desperate to look away from the massive, crushing farewell.
"Tell everyone... thanks for everything."
"I will."
He could only see her down to her chest now.
And then... her final breath brushed against his ear, filled with a million unspoken feelings.
"See ya, Rukia..."
And so, the heroic tale of Ichigo Kurosaki came to a quiet end.
***
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