Battle! Ten Days and Ten Nights
Shiba Kūkaku dressed in the outfit she'd worn when she first met him—a bright red short top with a swirling pattern across her midriff, and a long beige skirt slit for ease of movement. It was a sharp, striking summer look.
To shield herself from the sun, she threw a light beige cape over her shoulders. For once, she even touched her lips with a faint rouge. Her long black hair, usually tied up flamboyantly, was neatly combed down.
From West District 1, she walked toward West District 10. The cliffside was familiar. Kūkaku released her reiatsu and knocked.
The rock face trembled and slid aside. But the cool air that flowed out carried a sour, foul odor, making her pinch her nose and step back.
Inside, the cave was cluttered—bones, fruit peels, piles of garbage left untouched. A large safe stood in the center.
Shiraishi sat slouched, his eyes bloodshot, dark circles under them, stubble shadowing his chin. He looked less like a warrior and more like a worn-out vagrant.
"You're here," he said simply, not surprised.
Kūkaku frowned, stepping closer. "You look terrible. What happened?"
Shiraishi rubbed his face, sighing. "It's been a mess. I coaxed Mugen for four days before she finally dropped her tsundere act. Learned the Shikai language, then started Bankai training. Including today, it's been seven days. I've been stuck wandering her inner world, failing over and over. This is the result."
Kūkaku pursed her lips. She couldn't follow the details of Zanpakutō training, but one thing burned in her chest. "So while I was captured, you never once thought about my safety?"
Too exhausted to argue, Shiraishi muttered, "Zaraki Sōya wasn't gone either."
"And if he wasn't there?"
"How could he not be?"
Her temper flared. She planted her fists on her hips, olive-green eyes blazing. "Forget that. Take out all this trash!"
"…Huh?" Shiraishi blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change of topic.
"Don't just stand there!" she snapped. "This place is filthier than a pigsty! How can you even live like this?"
"I think it's fine…" he muttered. Training had left him no time for cleaning. As long as the garbage wasn't his bed, he hadn't cared.
"Don't make me punch you on a happy day like this."
Her fists cracked as she clenched them.
"…Alright." He gave in immediately and began hauling out the garbage.
Kūkaku joined him, holding her breath against the stench. Outside, the trash piled high like a small hill.
Shiraishi stared, wiping sweat off his brow. "I didn't think it was that much…"
Kūkaku ignored him, raising her palm and chanting:
> "O King! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, all things in the universe!
Scorch and chaos, roll south across the sea, advance!
Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"
A blazing orb of fire spun into existence, swelling large before exploding across the pile.
Boom!
The garbage vanished in flame and smoke. A foul stench filled the air, forcing them both to retreat against the cliff wall, pinching their noses.
A cool breeze drifted out of the cave. Kūkaku glanced back, eyes widening. "Where did you get that cold lantern?"
"Oh, that? Bought it off the Kawakami family. Cost me a hundred thousand kan," Shiraishi replied casually.
It resembled Seireitei's air-conditioners, the kind only the Technology Development Bureau made. For a wanted man to own one was unthinkable. But with Muken fugitives shaking the balance of Soul Society, even the Kawakami family preferred to trade with Shiraishi for his protection.
"You really are living comfortably," Kūkaku muttered, rinsing her hands in the pool.
"It's nothing special. What about you? What's next?"
She hesitated. Before arriving, she thought she would ask easily. But now, her chest tightened. Would he even remember the promise? Should she remind him?
Her reflection trembled in the water. She clenched her fists, then stood, lowering her head.
"I have something to say."
"What?" Shiraishi looked up, but her face was hidden by the shadow of her chest leaning over him.
"Three hundred and sixty-eight times," Kūkaku said at last, voice steady but trembling beneath.
Shiraishi frowned. "What?"
"That's how many times I thought of you in the underground cell. Over and over, I imagined you rescuing me. I don't even know what emotion drove me. Was it despair? Or was it… love? I've never felt this before. I don't understand it. The only thing I know for sure—"
Her cloak fell from her shoulders. Her cheeks flushed, her olive-green eyes misted, her lips faintly red.
"—is that I want to fulfill the promise we made back then. Whether it's three days and three nights or one day and one night, I'll stay with you until the end."
Shiraishi stared at her. The fatigue vanished, replaced by heat coursing through his veins.
"Who do you think I am?" he said, voice rising.
"I'll do it for ten days and ten nights!"
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