Smack!
Rangiku slapped Gin Ichimaru across the face.
She pressed her lips together, tears welling in her eyes. Resentment and worry were written all over her face, while the hand she had struck him with trembled slightly—a sign that her own heart ached from it.
"I'm sorry," Gin Ichimaru said softly.
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Why did you do all those things with Aizen?" Rangiku questioned through gritted teeth.
Gin Ichimaru looked at Tsunayoshi somewhat strangely. He had assumed that since Tsunayoshi had brought him back, he would have told Rangiku everything about him. He had not expected Rangiku to still know nothing.
"What are you looking at? Don't tell me you need me to mediate between the two of you too?" Tsunayoshi asked in return.
Then he advised, "Hurry up and do what you came to do first. Chōjirō Sasakibe should already be on his way."
There was no way Yamamoto did not know Tsunayoshi and the others had appeared in the Seireitei. He might already have sent someone to invite them to Squad One.
"Yes!"
Gin Ichimaru nodded heavily and opened the jar sealing the Soul King's fingertip.
"Rangiku, don't relax. Don't resist."
Gin Ichimaru's words left Rangiku utterly confused. Before she could question him, she discovered that the jar he had opened contained an aura extremely familiar to her.
What was that?
A soul?
Why was it pointed?
While Rangiku was still stunned, Gin Ichimaru moved with lightning speed and pushed the Soul King's fingertip into Rangiku's brow with one finger.
There was not the slightest obstruction.
That had originally been a part of Rangiku's own soul.
A warmth welled up in her heart. Rangiku felt her mind grow heavy, but there was no discomfort in her body. It was as though some defect had been made whole.
A streak of light flew in through the window and landed on Rangiku's Zanpakutō. The restoration of her soul also affected Haineko. She had been drinking happily, but instinctively returned to the main body of the Zanpakutō.
Rangiku's eyelids grew heavy, and her body softened. She needed a little time to grow accustomed once again to the state of having a complete soul.
But Rangiku resisted it.
She was afraid.
Afraid that if she closed her eyes, Gin Ichimaru would once again disappear from before her.
After finally seeing him again, how could she possibly let him leave just like that?
"Rest well. Everything will be fine."
Gin Ichimaru's comfort and embrace became the final straw that overwhelmed Rangiku's reason. Rangiku could no longer resist her body's instincts and sank deeply into the warmth that belonged to her.
Gin Ichimaru held Rangiku in his arms and carefully looked at her sleeping face.
He wanted to imprint that face deeply in his mind.
Who knew when the next time they met would be?
After several breaths, Gin Ichimaru exhaled deeply.
He had already prepared himself to face everything.
Having fulfilled his wish, he had nothing left to fear.
Gin Ichimaru carried Rangiku in a princess carry and placed her flat on the sofa. Then he said, "Sawada Tsunayoshi, let's go. To Squad One."
"Don't make me sound like a prison escort, all right? Have you made up your mind? Before the people from Squad One arrive, you still have time."
"Compared to being arrested, turning myself in should give a better impression, right?" Gin Ichimaru said, rarely making a joke.
"Then let's go. Squad One."
Since the person involved had already made his decision, Tsunayoshi naturally had no objections.
Squad Ten's office was left with only Rangiku once more.
On her sleeve, a short strand of pale-purple hair clung there—the proof that Gin Ichimaru had come.
At Squad One, Tsunayoshi, the story's narrator, felt his mouth go dry and very naturally poured himself more tea.
"I did not expect that someone from that year's expeditionary force would still be alive," Yamamoto said, his gaze first falling on Ashido.
"I am ashamed to say that in order to survive, my body has been tainted by a great deal of Hollow Reiatsu."
Ashido expressed his guilt with a dogeza posture.
"That was necessary for your survival. There is no need to dwell on it. Over these past two hundred years, you can also be considered to have spread Soul Society's prestige in Hueco Mundo," Yamamoto said.
After accepting the Visored, Yamamoto no longer held quite as much prejudice toward Hollow power.
"Thank you very much for your understanding."
"What are your plans from now on? Return to Squad Eleven? Or something else?" Yamamoto asked.
He would not allow such a powerful combatant to drift freely.
"I hear that the current captain of Squad Eleven is also an exceptionally strong warrior. I will not go disturb him."
Nearly all the squad members from Ashido's generation had died in Hueco Mundo. He no longer held much attachment to Squad Eleven.
"In that case, how about listening to this old man's arrangement?"
Yamamoto opened his eyes and said, "You possess considerable insight into controlling Hollow power. Like Sawada Tsunayoshi, how about serving as an instructor? You will mainly teach Shinigami how to control Hollow power, and your salary will be listed under the name of the Judgment Bureau."
After purging most of the disobedient nobles, the Gotei Thirteen's finances had also grown abundant. Maintaining a dedicated instructor for Hirako and the other Visored would take no effort for the Gotei Thirteen.
As for the Judgment Bureau, it was a newly established institution of the Gotei Thirteen. It belonged to the Gotei Thirteen and was primarily responsible for judging various criminals. The authority to execute criminals, however, remained in the hands of Squad One.
Yamamoto's arrangement completely struck Ashido's weak point. Having just returned to Soul Society, he happened to need a decent salary to support his life. This job was something Ashido was good at, and it would not be especially busy.
After briefly thinking it over, Ashido replied, "I understand, Captain-Commander Yamamoto."
From the moment he addressed Yamamoto as Captain-Commander, Ashido officially returned to the Gotei Thirteen.
"Next is your matter, Gin Ichimaru!"
Yamamoto had the same habit as many others: troublesome matters were left for later.
"Criminal Gin Ichimaru awaits judgment."
Gin Ichimaru's attitude was extremely sincere. From the moment he stepped into Squad One, he had never imagined he would be able to leave unscathed.
Although it sounded nice on the surface to say that Gin Ichimaru had been an undercover agent at Aizen's side, the reality was that the Seireitei had never issued Gin Ichimaru any order to act as an undercover operative.
Furthermore, while serving Aizen, Gin Ichimaru had committed more than a few acts of harming souls and using Shinigami in experiments.
That was why Gin Ichimaru called himself a criminal.
No matter what, Yamamoto had to punish Gin Ichimaru in order to appease the Shinigami who had suffered persecution.
"Your many crimes alone are enough to have you imprisoned in the Central Great Underground Prison. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
Gin Ichimaru had never thought of struggling. Whether he had been willing or not, those crimes were crimes he had committed. That was the truth.
This attitude made Yamamoto regard him a little more highly. The act of going undercover for love slightly moved Yamamoto's lonely heart, which had endured a thousand years. When handling Gin Ichimaru, Yamamoto loosened his tone.
"Thank your Zanpakutō ability."
The moment Yamamoto spoke, it meant he had softened his handling of Gin Ichimaru.
"Considering the possibility that the Quincy may invade the Seireitei, the imprisonment of former Squad Three Captain Gin Ichimaru in the Central Great Underground Prison will be temporarily postponed."
"All punishment concerning Gin Ichimaru will be settled after the battle against the Quincy."
"Before that, Gin Ichimaru must hand over his Zanpakutō and accept round-the-clock, twenty-four-hour supervision. The person responsible for preserving his Zanpakutō and supervising him will be Squad Ten Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto!"
Gin Ichimaru suddenly raised his head.
He could hardly believe what he had just heard.
Was this really punishment?
Or was it a reward?
"Do not celebrate too early. During the period of supervision, if you dare commit even the slightest error, the Gotei Thirteen's first target will be to kill Rangiku Matsumoto!"
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes and stared at Gin Ichimaru. Vast killing intent pressed down upon Gin Ichimaru.
"Do you understand?"
As though completely unaffected, Gin Ichimaru immediately bowed respectfully and said, "I am willing to die for the Gotei Thirteen!"
Yamamoto nodded inwardly.
Gin Ichimaru truly deserved to be called a genius. If he could not even withstand Yamamoto's killing intent, then Yamamoto would have lowered his assessment of Gin Ichimaru by one rank.
While Gin Ichimaru accepted his handling, the side door of the room opened. Genshirō Okikiba handed over two documents. Yamamoto glanced at them briefly, then stamped them with Squad One's chrysanthemum seal.
"Go. Do not waste your talents and strength."
Yamamoto handed the two documents to Ashido and Gin Ichimaru respectively.
Talent and strength were what Yamamoto valued most. With powerful enemies approaching, as long as one possessed sufficient strength, he could make exceptions.
At the entrance of Squad One, Tsunayoshi and Gin Ichimaru parted ways.
Tsunayoshi was taking Ashido to the Judgment Bureau managed by Love Aikawa. As for Gin Ichimaru, he would go accept supervision on his own.
Bakudō Number Twenty-Six: Kyokkō was cast over his body.
Although the Seireitei had already lifted Gin Ichimaru's wanted status at the same time the documents were issued, Gin Ichimaru still chose to cloak himself in Kyokkō, which could block sight, in order to reduce unnecessary trouble.
At Squad Ten, because the Soul King's fingertip had originally belonged to her, the fusion did not last long. Rangiku slowly woke up.
She vaguely remembered that before she passed out, she had seen Gin Ichimaru's figure. Right, there had also been Sawada Tsunayoshi and a stranger.
The entire room was empty, as though nothing had happened at all.
Rangiku's eyes swept across the furnishings in the room and finally landed on the two cups of tea on the table.
Her pupils contracted slightly.
This was the same as the scene in her memory.
Sawada Tsunayoshi had truly fulfilled his promise.
He had brought Gin Ichimaru back!
But where was Gin Ichimaru now?
Rangiku somewhat panickedly got down from the sofa and began constantly searching the room for traces that Gin Ichimaru had existed there.
As she raised her hand, she noticed the short strand of pale-purple hair left on her sleeve.
Rangiku's heart trembled without warning.
Gin Ichimaru really had come back.
But why had he left again?
The only explanation she could think of was that Gin Ichimaru had been arrested.
Only this explanation could account for Gin Ichimaru appearing in Soul Society together with Sawada Tsunayoshi, meeting her briefly, and then leaving in a hurry.
Sawada Tsunayoshi was the executor who had arrested Gin Ichimaru and brought him back to Soul Society.
Gin still remembered her after all, didn't he?
Even after being arrested, he still wanted to see her one last time.
Didn't that prove Gin Ichimaru had never forgotten the bond they shared in Rukongai?
The coldness he showed when they met in the Seireitei had always been an act.
He still remembered her!
Once this thought cleared in her mind, an absurd idea appeared in Rangiku's head.
She wanted to see Gin Ichimaru.
Whether she was punished by the Seireitei or lost her position as lieutenant, none of it mattered.
Right now, Rangiku only wanted to see that bastard Gin Ichimaru one more time. She wanted to properly question him about why he had been so cold all these years, like some heartless scumbag.
She wanted...
She wanted to stay by his side.
Thanks to the wartime reform system within the squads, there were no squad duties to bind her. Rangiku could cast aside her position as lieutenant without burden. In any case, it was just signing and stamping documents. Anyone could replace her.
With that thought, Rangiku hurriedly rushed toward the door.
However, just as she took one step, the office door was pushed open.
What entered her sight was the person she had been thinking about day and night.
The same smile.
The same gentleness.
"Rangiku, I'm back. As a man bearing guilt. From now on, please take good—"
Rangiku had no mind to listen to anything Gin Ichimaru was saying.
Seeing the documents and Zanpakutō Gin Ichimaru handed over, a fragrant breeze swept past.
She threw herself into Gin Ichimaru's arms.
"Welcome back. I missed you so much..."
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