"Save This For Kuchiki"
by Nathan J Xaxson
First Tale in the Kuchiki Salvation Trilogy

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or its characters.

Rating: T (13+) - mild language, emotional themes

Summary: After the Winter War, Rukia is forced to confront her near-death experience in Hueco Mundo. (IchiRuki, UkitaKiyone)

Status: This chapter is the entire first story in the Kuchiki Salvation Trilogy. This trilogy follows manga canon until the end of chapter 395, "The Burnout Inferno 3", but assumes a different series of events afterwards. For the most part, most details after that point are irrelevant for this story.

Update: Just some minor edits and cleanup, nothing significant. I needed to change the triple-asterisk section breaks because the site started filtering them out.

Author's notes are at the bottom, which provide targeted questions for feedback - so please read, review, and recommend! The rest of the trilogy only gets better, so check out those, too! Cheers!
-njx

Black sun and white moon -
gravity pulls them closer,
but it can be cold.

-:-

"Six weeks! What the hell!"

"I don't know either, Ichigo." Rukia looked at the letter, signed by Captain Ukitake, that had ordered her to return to Soul Society as soon as possible.

"Nee-san! I won't be able to live without you!" Kon shouted, crying, diving towards her.

"SHUT UP!" they both yelled, Ichigo punching him in the face mid-dive. Fortunately, the result was that Kon flew out the open window.

Rukia was admittedly baffled. She had been expecting to eventually receive a letter asking her to return to Soul Society - she wouldn't be allowed to stay in the real world forever. It had been a few months after the great Winter War, and since she knew the area so well, she (and Ichigo) had been tasked with making sure that Karakura town awakened properly, and that any dormant hollows were handled. After a few months of making sure things returned to normal, it only made sense that she would be asked to return back to her squad.

Personally, she was not eager to get a new assignment; she even hoped (against all odds) that it would never come. Rukia was perfectly content to remain in the real world; living in Ichigo's house, sharing Yuzu's clothes, going to school with Ichigo and Inoue. Compared to Nii-sama's mansion in Soul Society, it was a bit tight sleeping in the twins' room, but her routine had become comfortable; and it was convenient. Between Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, and Ichigo, Rukia never even needed to draw her sword; which was fine with her. Besides, it was an unspoken understanding between Rukia and Ichigo that neither of them could withstand the thought of being permanently separated. Admittedly, Rukia believed that Captain Ukitake knew better than to consider such a thing, especially after all that they had been through. Surviving Hueco Mundo and the Winter War had been tough for everyone; and Rukia's captain was a wise man who believed that only good morale would help get everyone through the aftermath - but there was probably only so much he could do. If Nii-sama asked Ukitake to order Rukia home, he would have little choice.

This notice, however, did not seem like a new assignment. It was an order for her to immediately return to Soul Society for six weeks - alone. Ichigo had been ordered to remain in the real world until he would receive a follow-up order to come to Soul Society as well, which would be delivered in about six weeks by one of the 13th Squad's two third seats, Kotsubaki Sentaro. Afterwards, the two would return to Karakura with new orders. She wasn't sure what would require six weeks in Soul Society - or why Ichigo wasn't allowed to accompany her - but orders were orders; and as orders go, this was much better than Rukia ever would have expected. At least she and Ichigo would be able to return to the comfort of the Kurosaki home.

Ichigo interrupted her contemplation. "You know it's gonna feel empty around here," he sighed. After a moment, he added, "What will I tell Yuzu?"

Karin knew everything there was to know about Ichigo, Rukia, and their shinigami shenanigans; and his father was a goofy idiot. Ichigo could even tell him that Rukia was some sort of noble psychopomp, and his father would cry, shrug his shoulders and tell him he hopes his third daughter comes back soon. Yuzu, on the other hand, was another story altogether. She looked up to Rukia. Ichigo didn't dwell on it too much, but he knew that Yuzu needed her just to make it through the day sometimes. Being the mother of the household despite being only eleven years old, Yuzu couldn't look to her tomboy sister Karin for comfort, nor their wacky dad for guidance. Before Rukia started staying with them, Yuzu held on to Ichigo's inner calm, and since he became a shinigami, there was little for Yuzu to lean on since he hadn't been around. Ever since Rukia came, Yuzu was able to heal from the effects of the Winter War, even though she didn't even really understand what had happened. Ichigo knew that Rukia understood how important she was to Yuzu - it was why whenever he went off to go deal with hollows lately, Rukia stayed home so she could have much-needed one-on-one time with Yuzu. As much as Ichigo missed having Rukia fight by his side, he was relieved - both for Rukia's safety, and for the sake of his sister's well-being.

"I don't know, Ichigo, but you'll think of something. I don't know what's going on, but I'll find out." She popped the soul candy into her mouth. Ichigo groaned - Chappy drove him absolutely batty - but Rukia knew better than to leave her with him for that long. "Chappy, go to Urahara Shoten and stay there until I return," she commanded.

"Pyon, pyon! No pwoblem, Wukia!" Chappy waved goodbye in a sickeningly sweet fashion and hopped out the window, and to no one's surprise, Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks. I couldn't imagine spending six weeks with that... that thing."

Rukia folded her arms and gave a trademark smirk. "Yeah, I know," she said, and then morphed her smirk into a more genuine smile. "I'll see you soon, Ichigo."

Like they so often did, they had a brief wordless conversation. Ichigo was the first to speak. "I'll miss you, you know."

Rukia smiled softly. They both understood what didn't need to be said. In an extremely rare gesture of physical affection, Rukia put her hand on his arm for a brief moment, then turned, opened a Senkai gate, and left.

Ichigo sighed, resigned to the situation. Now he had to go figure out how he would explain this to Yuzu.

-:-

Rukia was both surprised and dismayed. "Captain, I don't understand. Surely Kotetsu-san or Kotsubaki-san are more appropriate candidates for the position."

Ukitake had expected this possible response. "Kuchiki, as much as Kotetsu-kun and Kotsubaki-kun are capable members of my squad, they don't have the real-world experience that you do. Neither of them contributed to our victory in the Winter War they way you did." Ukitake neglected to mention that, in varying degrees, both of his third seats were still likely dealing with the aftereffects of the war.

Rukia found the notion that she had somehow helped in the Winter War fiasco a bit distasteful. "Captain, I appreciate the offer, but I don't know that I can accept," she said, bowing solemnly, never forgetting formalities for even the most candid conversations. "I am not worthy enough to take the place of Kaien-dono."

Ukitake frowned. He had suspected that Kuchiki was still trying to cope with her role in the loss of her vice captain, and how subsequent battle with the 9th espada must have affected her; but he didn't want to deal with that particular issue at the moment. Despite his knowledge of these events, he chose to be more tactical; instead trying to discover and dismiss any of the more trivial objections she might have. He started this strategy by playing naive and pretending to misinterpret her. "I understand how you must feel. It is quite unusual for an unseated officer to be promoted directly to vice captain, but these are extraordinary circumstances. The Gotei 13 needs strong leadership if we're ever going to move past Aizen's betrayal. I can think of no one better for this position."

Rukia was reluctant. "Thank you for your kind praise, Captain, but I don't know that I possess the skill expected of a vice captain."

Ukitake laughed. That was certainly not an objection he had expected. "You are being overly modest, Kuchiki. You're one of the only shinigami to walk into Hueco Mundo and return alive. You and Kurosaki are the only shinigami below the rank of captain who have defeated an Espada, and you are the only one to have done it without bankai. As much as I acknowledge the abilities of Kotetsu-kun, Kotsubaki-kun, and the other vice captains, I doubt any of them could accomplish such a feat."

Rukia looked down at her feet, sullen and embarrassed. "I... I don't believe that's true, Captain."

"Kuchiki, the upper echelon of the Gotei 13 is not just about strength of the sword. It is also about strength of character, a quality that you have in great abundance." Ukitake could tell Kuchiki was hiding her real objections from him, and she was deliberately cutting off avenues for him to press his case. He decided he might need a few of these conversations to convince her, and reacted accordingly. "Please consider the offer - the promotion ceremony is in six weeks, so you have plenty of time to make a decision."

Rukia was careful not to answer in the affirmative. "Captain, is there a particular reason that Ichigo was not allowed to come to Soul Society? I-"

"--would have wanted to discuss the idea with him, I'm sure," Ukitake interrupted. "The truth is that I want you to make this decision on your own, Kuchiki. I am far from oblivious to the..." searching for the right word, "...situation, and I know that this is not a simple choice to make - but you need to decide this by yourself, so that you never doubt your decision in the future."

"But after I decide, can't I just return to-"

"Kuchiki, I don't want you to rush into this. Allowing you to return to Karakura before the promotion ceremony would give you a reason to reach a quick decision without truly thinking it through," he argued. "And, in addition to that, I think it would be best for you to spend even a small amount of time apart." He instantly regretted saying this as he saw Rukia withdrawing at his poor choice of words, so he quickly added with a twinkle in his smile, "After all, they say absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Rukia's expression shifted. She never would have expected him to be supportive their... whatever kind of thing it was. Nii-sama certainly didn't seem to approve of her spending so much time with Ichigo, so this was a pleasant surprise that caught her a bit off guard. Reorganizing her thoughts, she opened her mouth to protest further, but Ukitake interjected before she could continue. "Just think about it, okay? I'm asking you not as your captain, but as someone who truly thinks this is the right thing for you to do."

Rukia understood that Ukitake wouldn't take no for an answer, at least not today. Hesitant to look her captain in the eye, Rukia closed her eyes and bowed slowly. "Hai, Ukitake Taicho," and reverently departed from his quarters.

-:-

Kiyone was furious. She and Kotsubaki had been standing guard outside her captain's office and couldn't help but listen in on their conversation. Kuchiki was actually going to consider taking the vice-captain's position? Didn't she understand that Captain Ukitake was only offering her the role in deference to her brother? Surely Kuchiki could never believe that she was worthy of the position. Kiyone hadn't been fighting her way up the ranks just to lose out to nepotism. Kiyone was sure that Ukitake would have no other reason to bypass her for the position, seeing as how close she already was to the captain.

Kiyone was stirred from her thoughts when Rukia opened the door. Rukia glanced at Kiyone, gave a weak smile, and headed off.

That vice captain's badge is mine, Kiyone thought. She's not going to take it away from me - I'll give her a piece of my mind, she'll see!

Kiyone decided to follow Rukia away from the captain's quarters, so she could confront Rukia outside of the captain's earshot. She gestured to Sentaro that she would be back momentarily, and after he nodded glumly, she quietly followed after Kuchiki as she headed towards the 6th division barracks.

-:-

Rukia was torn. In situations like these, she would normally consult with Ichigo. Unfortunately, right now that wasn't an option, so she decided to find Renji; perhaps talking to him would help her figure out how she would handle the situation. He wasn't Ichigo, but Rukia had to admit that Renji may have very well been his brother. Their personalities were nearly identical.

She headed towards his quarters - vice captains had their own room in the division barracks - but found him standing outside with three other lieutenants: Kira-san, Hinamori-san, and Matsumoto-san. They appeared to be celebrating with some of Matsumoto-san's stashed sake. Rukia decided that it wasn't the time to interrupt the revelry and switched directions, but Renji saw her out of the corner of his eye and called her over before she could leave unnoticed.

"Hey Rukia, c'mon over here! Welcome back!" he shouted. Rukia was uncomfortable - she didn't feel like being social - but meekly walked over so as not to appear rude to her childhood friend. She didn't particularly like sake - when she ate at the Kuchiki estate, she preferred red wine as her drink of choice - but regardless, she wasn't in the mood to celebrate at all.

"It's great to see you again," Renji smiled. "We're celebrating the promotions - my first act as the 9th division will be to invite you for lunch, Vice Captain Kuchiki," he teased, and then laughed at the idea that, considering his current captain, he would ever hold a higher rank than a Kuchiki.

Rukia, however, was not amused. An uncomfortable pang shot through her chest when Renji referred to her by Kaien-dono's rank, and her face fell. "It's a bit early to call me that," she mumbled meekly.

Renji was taken aback. "Rukia, are you okay?" he asked with genuine concern, although he was just a bit too drunk for it to come across as tactful in front of the others.

Dejected and feeling out of place, Rukia concluded that it may not have been wise to believe she could talk things through with him. As much as he was just like Ichigo, she knew that he just wouldn't be able to understand. "I'm fine, thanks," she replied, lacking even the slightest hint of conviction. "Congratulations on your promotion, Renji. Please excuse me, I'm sure Nii-sama is waiting to see me," and set off from the group in a hurried pace towards the Kuchiki estate.

"What's up with her?" Renji asked, puzzled.

"No clue," Kira said, even more drunk than Renji was. He had done a lot of drinking since the Winter War had ended.

Hinamori, who had managed to politely hold the sake without drinking much, let out a sigh of concern. "I've never seen her like that before."

Matsumoto excused herself. "I don't know, either, but I'm going to go find out." She handed her sake to Hinamori, knowing that there wouldn't be any left if the other two got their grubby hands on it, and followed after Rukia. After a few minutes, Matsumoto caught up with her in a relatively quiet street of the Sereitei.

"Rukia-chan, what's with the sad face?" Matsumoto asked, grabbing Rukia's attention with a hand on her shoulder.

Rukia turned to find Matsumoto-san behind her. She was no longer in the mood to talk about Ukitake's offer at all. All she wanted to do was go back to her house and sleep away her depression, if it was even possible. "Nothing, Matsumoto-san. I'm just tired."

"C'mon, darling; call me Rangiku," she chuckled. Rukia always had the Kuchiki formality-thing down pat. "I'm sorry Renji spoiled your surprise. A little too much sake, I guess, and his restraint just gets thrown out the window," she teased. Matsumoto hoped that if she kept the tone light and casual, Rukia might open up and tell her what was going on.

"Please don't talk about the promotion. I don't even want it," Rukia replied with a sigh. There was something about Matsumoto that made it impossible to hide anything from her. Sometimes, Rukia thought Matsumoto walked around like that not to impress the men, but merely because her open uniform exposed her heart into the wide open air. It's hard not to do the same when someone like that asks you a question, she thought.

"What do you mean? Is it because you would see Kurosaki less often?"

Rukia chuckled. "No, I know where his heart lies. Ichigo wouldn't think twice; he would tell me to take the position." Rukia's smile faded immediately as she came back to her own feelings on the subject. She didn't want to continue discussing it, but something about Matsumoto's gaze made her explain. "I just don't know that I deserve it."

"Oh, c'mon, darling. You're Kuchiki the Espada Slayer," Matsumoto chided. "Of course you deserve the position!"

Rukia couldn't take it anymore. She exploded at Matsumoto, bursting into fierce, angry tears and yelling at the top of her lungs. "STOP IT!"

Matsumoto was visibly startled. She hadn't expected such a fierce response. "What-"

"DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN, MATSUMOTO!" Rukia shouted in her face. "I will never forget that badge of shame! Don't ever mention it again!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Matsumoto asked, mystified.

Rukia regained her composure enough to stop yelling, but the tears wouldn't stop. She was so angry she could barely breathe. "My entire life, I have never done anything worthy of such honor."

Despite Matsumoto's sake-infused buzz, she realized that Rukia needed to let it all out. She stood patiently with a soft expression on her face and put her arms on her shoulders. "It's okay, you can tell me. We'll keep this between us girls."

Rukia averted her eyes, ashamed. "In the Shinou Academy, it was clear that my swordsmanship would never get me anywhere. In the Gotei 13, my kido was merely average." Matsumoto wasn't sure where Rukia was going with this, but she knew better than to interrupt. "I never even graduated. Once Nii-sama adopted me into the family, I was immediately accepted into the Gotei 13 - a year early. When Nii-sama asked me what seat I had earned, I was ashamed to tell him that I was only an unseated officer. Nii-sama wouldn't even look at me. Then, on my first assignment to the real world, I was nearly killed by a hollow. If it wasn't for the fact that I stumbled across Ichigo, I would have died."

Matsumoto debated asking her what this had to do with the current situation, but Rukia began sobbing. "The Nueva Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie, had taken over Kaien-dono's body and memories, and I was forced to kill Kaien-dono all over again."

Matsumoto already knew the story, although she had previously heard it with a completely different spin - that Rukia overcame the espada's taunts and pushed past her painful memories. It dawned upon her now that what may have actually happened was not quite as rosy. Nonetheless, she was still confused - maybe it was the sake, but she was entirely unsure of what that had to do with Rukia's history or rank.

Rukia clutched tightly on to Matsumoto's arms. Rangiku knew she was going to have marks, but she ignored the pain for the moment as Rukia continued. "In the middle of that fight, Rangiku," she bawled, "I gave up. I couldn't do it - I couldn't kill Kaien-dono again. That espada stabbed me through the chest with Kaien-dono's zanpakutou because I gave up. I only survived by pure luck. Thinking I was long dead, the espada left himself wide open, and with some mental clarity that came to me in my last moments, I was able to defeat him with an unexpected lethal strike."

"The one thing that I had," Rukia continued, "the one thing that gave me any pride as a shinigami - my resolve - was gone." Rukia was heaving in tears, and in anger at herself burst out again into Rangiku's face. "I GAVE UP!" she screamed. "In the heart of battle, I gave up. My sword is dull, my kido is dark, and my resolve is fleeting." Rukia fell to her knees, clutching on to Matsumoto's pants and crying. Matsumoto kneeled down to comfort her, but Rukia continued heaving, tears streaming down her face. "I can never become a vice captain, Matsumoto, because since the very beginning, I have been a failure as a shinigami," she choked. "Did you know that since I left Hueco Mundo, I have not been able to draw my own sword? I can't even talk to it anymore. I'm a disgrace, Matsumoto. I don't even deserve the Kuchiki name."

Matsumoto's eyes had widened. What a torturous thing to hide for so long. Matsumoto was floored - Kuchiki Rukia was the epitome of a strong-willed, resolute woman. For her to give up in the middle of a fight probably broke her spirit into pieces - Rangiku could imagine nothing more painful for the woman whose entire dignity seemed to be built on iron will. What incredible pain that must have been, and how excruciating it must have been for Rukia to try and bury it for so long. To think that this was only now surfacing for the first time practically blew Rangiku's mind and broke her heart. Rangiku held Rukia tightly, completely at a loss for words. Rukia just cried and cried, never stopping, nearly hyperventilating until she began to crumple into a weak ball of sorrow and gloom.

Matsumoto tried to muster a response. "Rukia-chan, you're not the only one who's been hurt inside. Aizen's betrayal has hurt all of us. Kira-kun, Hinamori-kun, Hisagi-kun - all of them have struggled with their captains' betrayals. Even Renji confided to us that he felt useless in Hueco Mundo; having failed to defeat any of his opponents. Everyone's trying to deal with the events, and you're no different."

Rukia, embarrassed with her outburst, tried to regain her composure; but said nothing. Matsumoto had no idea what to do next, but stayed there with her, knowing that for now it was all she could do.

-:-

Kiyone could hardly believe her luck. After reporting Kuchiki's entire outburst to Ukitake, he had sent her to go bring Kuchiki back to the captain. Kiyone was positive that the captain would rescind his offer, and with no choice left, would finally offer the 13th vice captain badge to Kiyone. Then she could be by his side all the time alone, without that annoying Kotsubaki having an excuse to get in the way.

With shunpo, Kiyone easily made it back, and Vice Captain Matsumoto was helping Kuchiki up from her knees. Kuchiki's face was red and blotchy from crying, and her eyes were sad and tired. Kiyone smirked. She could break this Kuchiki waif in half with one strike if she wanted to.

"Hey, Kuchiki," she said, trying to hide the snarl she wished she could use. "Captain Ukitake wants to see you." The petite, tar-haired shinigami smoothed out her uniform, nodded, and started to walk in the direction of the 13th captain's pavilion.

Matsumoto gave Kiyone a look. Kiyone stared her down. With a look of disdain, Matsumoto turned around and headed off to the 10th division barracks. Kiyone smiled, satisfied. No one was going to get between her and her captain, not big boobs and especially not fancy names.

-:-

"Yes, captain?" Rukia stammered. She was horribly embarrassed. Quite frankly, she was a mess. It took every last bit of strength she had to try and maintain proper composure in front of her commanding officer, and it was hard given how her red eyes must have made her look.

"Follow me," Ukitake said, voice compassionate but firm. Rukia had no idea what he was thinking, but at least felt a vague sense that she was not going to be punished for her confession.

-:-

After an hour or so, they arrived. Mount Koifushi, the forest-laded mountain range just on the outside of the 3rd district of West Rukongai, was a place of very cherished memories, but at the same time, it dredged up a lot of pain. Rukia had not returned to this place since she had last trained here with Kaien-dono, but it was still as beautiful and inspiring as the first time she had been there.

Unable to restrain herself any longer, Rukia broke the silence. "Excuse me, Captain, if I may ask you - why did we come here?" A sharp pain in her throat partially stifled the question.

"Kuchiki, the last time you were here was when you trained with Lieutenant Shiba, correct?"

"Hai," she confirmed quietly.

"And so you have now returned here to continue your training," Ukitake stated kindly. Rukia did not misinterpret him - she knew it was an order. "Kuchiki, you were always a fast learner. Whatever your doubts are, I know for a fact that you are much greater than you believe yourself to be." She did not seem convinced, so he tried his last-resort tactic. "If Kurosaki were here, you know that he would only tell you this: if you believe you are weak, then you must grow stronger until you can no longer deceive yourself."

Rukia's gaze fell. Ichigo would never let her get away with wallowing in pity. After all, she never let him do that, either.

Ukitake was quick to realize that this line of reasoning had gotten her attention. It was time to go all-or-nothing. "Let me tell you something to give you a different perspective, Kuchiki. Abarai-kun always remarked how proud he was when he finally surpassed you in the academy. Before then, wasn't it true that you were the more talented one?"

Rukia thought hard. "It's... possible, I guess," she stuttered meekly, not sure what the captain was implying.

Ukitake smiled. "That's because around the time you were accepted into the academy, you unknowingly received the Hougyoku,"

Rukia's eyes opened wide in shock. "What!" she asked. She had never known when this had happened. Urahara had refused to tell her the details, but she had long assumed that he had stashed it away in her soul when she bought a gigai from him.

"That story is long and complicated, and it is not really my place to tell it to you - but the truth is that since that moment, the overwhelming part of your spiritual force had been used to prevent the Hougyoku from merging with your soul and destroying you."

Rukia was floored and flabbergasted. She wasn't sure if she was in denial, or if she didn't think it mattered, or if she just went deaf. Whatever it was, she could not believe what she was hearing. The implications of believing it were just too overwhelming. "You mean..."

"That's right, Kuchiki. The Hougyoku was severely inhibiting your ability to leverage any of your reiatsu." Knowing that she would be quick to deny it, he quickly moved to support his point. "This was evident after it was removed - your powers and strength began to return and recover at a remarkable pace - by the time you had entered Hueco Mundo only four months later, you had already developed a new ability with your shikai, the very one you used to overcome the espada."

Rukia began to turn these thoughts around in her mind. The revelation had turned her upside down. She always knew that she could improve her skills with training, but if what Captain Ukitake said was true, it implied that she had been handicapped during the overwhelming majority of her career as a shinigami.

She was still processing this news when Ukitake continued. "You will soon find, Kuchiki, that you are more than worthy of the vice captain's seat. But I'm sure that you won't believe me unless you see it with your own eyes. As your captain, it is ultimately my responsibility to make sure that you are prepared for your new role, and so I find it fit to train you in the same manner that General Yamamoto trained me when he first recommended me for a vice captain's seat."

Rukia swallowed. She wasn't sure what that would entail, but she clearly understood that it would be arduous.

"Your training will begin tomorrow. Every day, from eight in the morning until two in the afternoon, you will practice one-on-one swordsmanship. I will arrange a teacher for you, who will also bring you food for lunch. At three, you will train kido with Hinamori-kun until seven in the evening. She will also bring you dinner. Afterwards, I will accompany you at eight in the evening, and for three hours I will help you converse with your zanpakutou and discuss the day's events with you. Following so far?" Rukia nodded, eyes widening in astonishment. "At eleven in the night, you will then begin your shunpo training. You are to flash step to every station checkpoint in the Rukongai. Whatever time you have left over can be used to sleep and eat breakfast."

Rukia was stunned. "Every checkpoint? There are three-hundred and sixty checkpoints, sir!"

"Yes," Ukitake confirmed, stifling a chuckle. For some reason, he found her constant formality funny. "You will eat and sleep here, and you will not return to the Sereitei until the day before the promotion ceremony."

"But what about Nii-sama?"

"I have already spoken with Kuchiki Taicho. The matter is settled." Ukitake was being firmer with her than he would have liked, but he knew she needed it from him right now. "You've had a turbulent day, Kuchiki. I have brought some food for you - I suggest you eat now and rest. I assure you that you won't sleep much once your training begins."

I could be the most powerful shinigami in the Gotei 13, Rukia thought, but if I give up, I'm not worth anything. And if I give up on this training, I will never be able to look Ichigo in the eyes ever again. Rukia finally began to feel her fortitude resurface. With that, she began to settle down from her emotional upheaval as it dawned upon her that Ukitake had just given her the only thing in the world that could have helped her: a chance to prove to herself that she was not - and never had been - a failure. Rukia, with overflowing gratitude welling within her, bowed deeply to her captain. "Arigato gozai mashi ta, Ukitake Taicho."

Ukitake chuckled. "Thank me after the training," he laughed, and in a flash of shunpo, Rukia was alone. She ate hungrily, as she was weak from the crying and the long walk; and fell asleep quickly as the sun set over the warm, grassy knoll.

-:-

Having vented all of the burdens she had been carrying the day before, Rukia awoke the next morning feeling surprisingly well rested, despite having slept outside in the grass. She finished what she had remaining in the pouch Captain Ukitake had left for her, and sat peacefully, listening to the breeze and the quiet sounds of the forest animals. Her ease was disturbed when a bundle was thrown next to her, clunking loudly. Rukia turned around and was immediately demoralized.

Standing before her was 7th squad captain, Komamura Saijin. At 9'4" and 664 lbs, Captain Komamura was literally twice as tall as she was, and nine times her weight. Even if she stabbed him with all her strength, Komamura would probably feel like he was stung by a mosquito.

"Good morning, Kuchiki-kun. I am very honored that Ukitake-san asked me to train you."

"Uh, th-th-thank you f-f-for a-a-agreeing, K-K-Komamura T-t-taicho," Rukia stammered. Oh my dear heavens I am so going to die, she thought.

Komamura laughed deeply, a bellowing laugh that shook Rukia's bones. "No need to be worried, Kuchiki-kun. We'll take this slowly. Open the bundle."

Rukia did as told, and unwrapped several wooden swords along with some stone cuffs. She very quickly reasoned that there were multiple swords in the event that one would break - something she envisioned would be likely with Komamura's strength - but she didn't recognize the stone cuffs.

"Included are two bracelets and two anklets made of sekki-seki. Put them on. These will prevent you from using kido or shunpo while we practice. They will also help build your physical strength."

Rukia clamped them onto her wrists and ankles, and they were much heavier than they had looked. She had no idea how she was going to fight like this - it felt like she was carrying an elephant on each of her limbs.

Komamura motioned for her to hand out the wooden swords. He then chuckled, and while she struggled against the weights to comply with his instruction, added, "I would ask you if you are ready to begin, Kuchiki-kun, but based on the look on your face, I am sure that if you told me the truth you would answer 'no', so I will simply tell you to strike at any moment. Good luck," he smiled gently.

Rukia nodded. Oh well, if I'm going to die, at least I won't die a coward. She charged.

-:-

Six hours later, Komamura helped Rukia take off the sekki-seki restraints, mostly because she couldn't move. Rukia had never felt more badly battered and bruised in her entire life. She ached all over. Her muscles were sore with an ache that felt like something had buried its way inside and was chewing her up from the inside out. Despite this, she knew Komamura had barely put any real force into his swings. If he had, she would have broken every rib, arm, and leg by now.

Black-and-blue all over but grateful to be free of the excess weight, she continued gasping for air when Komamura handed her a small parcel of food and a skin of water. She gulped down the water as fast as she could muster, which unfortunately was not so much.

Komamura smiled. "Today was a very good first day, Kuchiki-kun. I look forward to tomorrow." Rukia began to speak, but he interrupted her. "No need to say anything, Kuchiki-kun. Save your energy, your day has only begun." He smiled softly. Despite his intimidating appearance and fierce, ruthless style of combat, the 7th division captain was a gentle individual who cared very much for those around him. "I must be going."

Rukia nodded as he left. She had been slammed in the gut and chest so many times that it hurt to talk. She was not quite nauseous, but was in so much pain that the thought of eating seemed impossible. She forced herself to eat a few bites and then allowed herself to instantaneously fall unconscious, hoping to rest before meeting with Hinamori-san.

-:-

Hinamori woke up Rukia with a zap of lightning to her toes. "C'mon, Kuchiki-chan. As much as I would want to, Captain Ukitake won't let me take it easy on you. Hitsugaya Taicho would make fun of me, too; so let's get moving."

Rukia jumped up as her body jerked from the shock. "Sorry!" she gasped, and then groaned. She was still in a ridiculous amount of pain.

Hinamori helped her stand, in the process confirming that Rukia had no broken bones. When she was satisfied that Rukia was basically still intact, she cast Bakudo #1: Restrain. Rukia's hands were immediately locked into place behind her back in a very uncomfortable fashion.

Before Rukia could ask what was going on, Hinamori began explaining. "We're going to start by practicing motionless kido. I'm going to fire small spells at you, and you have to cast Bakudo #8: Repulse to block them, all without using your hands. If you can do that, we can graduate to more intense attacks and you can try blocking with Bakudo #39: Arc Shield. If we're lucky, we'll graduate to Bakudo #81: Severing Void. Got it? Alright, let's go!"

-:-

Four hours later, Rukia's arms were finally released. They were sore, but that was the least of it. Rukia's face was singed black, some of her hair had been burnt off, and her uniform was full of holes. About halfway through, she had gotten the hang of it a bit and was able to at least create a small shield with only verbal commands, but it was generally too small to be effective. Towards the end she was able to expand it enough to block a few Hado #4: White Lightning spells, but the Hado #31: Shot of Red Fire spells that Hinamori fired simply overwhelmed it, and the fire slammed into and then over the edges of her shield, blasting Rukia even when she could block it.

Still, unlike her training in the morning, Rukia at least felt a sense of accomplishment. Hinamori-san was firm but very patient, and her style of repetitive teaching, while boring, made it easier to see tangible improvement. As Rukia rubbed her wrists gingerly (quite possibly the only part of her body that didn't feel like it had been roasted), Hinamori-san handed her some dinner.

"You did great, Kuchiki-chan," Hinamori offered, sitting down beside her and bringing out a meal of her own. "I bet tomorrow, you'll do better."

Rukia smiled with a hunk of food in her mouth. She was starving, and ate like a fierce wolf. It was honestly a bit embarrassing, but she couldn't help it. Hinamori didn't seem to care, though; she gave her a bright, cheerful smile. The two ate in quiet for a while, until Hinamori had finished and got up to return.

"See you tomorrow! Say hi to Captain Ukitake for me."

Rukia nodded, and the moment Hinamori-san vanished in a flash of shunpo, Rukia collapsed into a catnap until her captain would arrive.

-:-

Rukia awoke to the sound of her captain prodding her foot with a walking stick. "Tough day at the office, eh, Kuchiki?" he chided.

She smiled with a groan, wincing as she sat up. When her grogginess faded and she realized she was sitting in front of her captain, she immediately righted herself. "Please excuse my appearance, Captain!"

Ukitake waved his hand in dismissal. "At ease, Kuchiki. Come, take out your sword." Rukia hesitantly complied. Ukitake already knew that this was not going to be an easy training session for either of them.

Rukia stared at the blade with quivering eyes. So many emotions were welling within her - guilt, remorse, disappointment - but most of all, fear. It had been the first time she had removed Sode no Shirayuki from its scabbard since she left Hueco Mundo, and she already knew that her sword was very, very angry with her. Even holding it in her hands, she could feel a dark, brooding aura emanating from the weapon. The hilt was burning hot, searing into her flesh, but she dared not disrespect her blade by dropping it; she grit her teeth as she could feel her palms blister. She was terrified - if this was only in response to drawing her katana, she feared what Sode no Shirayuki would do when she tried to mindlink to her zanpakutou.

Delicately, Rukia sat on her knees as she had grown accustomed, laying Sode no Shirayuki immediately in front of her, so that the dull back edge of the blade carefully touched her knees, returning her hands to her lap. Rukia could feel her katana radiating disgust at her, and then it was dead quiet; as though it had said all it wanted to say and was finished with Rukia for the day.

As much as Rukia would have liked to turn and run in the other direction - both from shame as well as the fear of the impending mindlink - she knew she was going to have to make amends to Sode no Shirayuki, and there was no way to do that without enduring whatever rebuke the infuriated zanpakutou had for her.

Ukitake could see that they would need to take this slowly, and sat down cross-legged in front of her. He opted to break the ice before launching into a pep talk. If she was going to be his vice captain, he needed to build rapport with her enough so that she would feel comfortable around him. Getting to that point would take time, but small banter was the best path to opening Kuchiki up to him. "I see you've had a busy first day."

Rukia nodded. She was too sore to do much else.

He quickly came to the conclusion that after her first day, it was probably unwise to assume she had the strength to engage in small talk; so he continued straight into the lesson. Ukitake knew that she had heard this before from Shiba Kaien, but he thought it appropriate to reiterate it again. "There are two kinds of strength, Kuchiki. There is the strength that one wields with their hands, and then there is the strength within the heart. A zanpakutou is the very essence of this dichotomy. It has its own will, its own strength, and we must subdue it so that we can wield it with us rather than compete with it in battle."

"Hai," Rukia confirmed, and went back to being silent.

Ukitake had hoped for more give-and-take than that, but he understood that Rukia was likely too frightened of what was to come to feel like engaging with him. He had hoped that a bit of back-and-forth would have loosened her up and given her a bit more confidence, but it appeared that this wasn't likely to happen at this point. Unsure of how to conclude, he added, "It is essential that you build on your inner strength, for without that, your physical strength will mean nothing." Ukitake sat up a bit straighter. The pep talk was over - it was time. "Proceed," he ordered gently.

Rukia closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to clear her mind. It was not easy - she was almost nauseous with anxiety, and her heart was thumping so hard she thought she would bleed through her chest. She needed to calm down - there was no way she was going to be able to achieve any kind of control over her zanpakutou if she didn't even have control over herself. She forced herself to recall relaxing memories to settle her nerves, such as sitting on the roof under the moon with Ichigo, letting the wind pass silently between them. She remembered the odd, silent bond that she and Nii-sama shared the year that it snowed on the anniversary of Hisana's death, and the two of them were standing quietly on the porch overlooking the garden - one of the rare moments when Rukia actually felt like she was his sister. When her anxiety had settled enough that she was no longer trembling, she reached out to put her hand on the crossguard. This was the way that she found most successful when she last did this training with Kaien-dono many years ago.

She had expected the mindlink to sting a bit - but when she touched it, a torrent of agonizing nightmares flooded into her brain, physically shocking her with stinging, roaring pain throughout her entire body. Horrible memories and images of her worst fears were instantly jammed into her consciousness, but even worse was the guilt. The remorse was worse than the pain. The pain was indescribable, the intensity so inconceivable that she thought her entire body would explode - but the remorse enveloped her, and her entire body felt as though it was being dragged into the earth, into the coward's grave, where she could never show her face to the sunlight again. It was though her entire reason for living was crushed, her spirit crumbled, her heart grabbed by an invisible force, yanked out and ground into dust.

It had been less than half a second when Rukia sharply recoiled her hand, but she felt as though she had been laboriously tortured for centuries. Tears welled in her eyes, and she instantly buried her face in her hands. Oh, what have I done? she lamented. She ignored her own blade. She broke her promise - her promise that with that sword, she would protect those around her. How could she protect anyone if she never drew her weapon? How could she have forgotten the promise that she and Ichigo made to each other - that they would swear to die for each other if that's what it took? How could she ever return to his house without being able to defend him from whatever might come to hurt him? She had rationalized back then that he could take care of himself, and that was true - but that was not the promise she made to him. Their bond was deep and strong because of that promise, that oath as comrades - and she had betrayed him, the one person in Rukia's life that made her feel like her life was still worth living.

Ukitake could see that Rukia was struggling to sort out the complex emotions that he knew would be a part of this evening. Of course, he could not see what Rukia saw, but he knew what was happening. He had seen many of his disciples struggle with their zanpakutou this way. Kotetsu-kun, for instance, had intense struggles with her zanpakutou at first - as close as she was to her sister Isane, Kiyone was intensely envious of her - her supermodel-like height, her rank as vice captain, her close bond with her captain, Unohana Retsu - and Kiyone's zanpakutou had punished her for putting her envy above her own flesh and blood.

At first, it had been hard for him to get through to Kotetsu-kun. She was an iron-willed, stubborn, hot-headed kid who was trying to escape from the shadow of her older sister, and she had insisted on doing everything alone. When Shiba Kaien died, though, Kiyone had no one left to confide in, and in the end, poured out her heart to her captain. It was then that he discovered how she hated herself for being so jealous while her sister was so selfless; and it took many, many sessions until she finally managed to separate out her ambitions from her resentment. After that, she had excelled; and with new drive, worked her way up to earn the 13th squad's third seat. Considering how young she was, this was a significant accomplishment. Kiyone was not known as a prodigy, but only because most people saw her immature spats with Kotsubaki, rather than have an opportunity to see her fight hollows or lead a platoon with commanding efficiency.

Kotsubaki had an even harder struggle, as fighting his addiction to sake had been one of the harder things he had to coach a shinigami through; but he, too, managed to overcome his immense struggle. After a while, he rightfully earned a co-seat with Kotetsu-kun, a long-time comrade. Now, of course, the two of them fought like children; but the bickering was inconsequential compared to the daily raging battles they fought within. It was now Rukia who was engaging in her own struggle, and he was glad he finally had the opportunity to help his subordinate who had long been hard to pry open.

Gently, Ukitake reached out and touched his fingers to the back of Rukia's hand, which was still hovering in the air after she had pulled it away. "This may hurt more than both of your previous training sessions combined, Rukia-san. But you know that you will need to bear it in order to move forward," he said, using her personal name and formal suffix to reaffirm his confidence in her.

Rukia gulped. Her captain's touch was reassuring, but her heart-wrenching shame of ignoring her zanpakutou for so long felt like it would devour her. She was petrified - as much as she wanted to, she could not bear to touch her katana again. Sode no Shirayuki reminded her of how she had wanted to swear off being a shinigami, how she felt that she was more suited to be a regular human in high school, where she could be measured by her perfect scores on math tests rather than her weak, flimsy reiatsu. Sode no Shirayuki punished her for losing her resolve against Aaroniero, for being so stupid as to let Grimmjaw punch a hole in her chest, for allowing herself to resign herself to death while her own brother stood by. Every single mistake, every foolish decision, every time she had ever resigned to anything - every weakness Rukia had ever had - had been shoved in Rukia's face. It was like her own soul despised itself. She trembled, trying to find the willpower to reach out to touch the sword once more, but she hesitated.

Tentatively and carefully, Ukitake gently pushed Rukia's hand back down to touch the crossguard once again. He did not try to imagine what Rukia may have been seeing, but he could tell it was not pleasant just by looking at her. Rukia was grimacing, and eventually bit her lip so hard that blood began to trickle out. Wet, salty tears dripped off her dark lashes and down her face, and her entire body was shaking in a violent seizure. Whatever Sode no Shirayuki was doing, it was retaliating against her with much more force than he had ever seen - even compared to Kotsubaki-kun.

It was not long until Rukia's restraint broke, and she screamed, yanking her hand away. She started sobbing and gnashing her teeth. Ukitake tried to breathe slowly, but he coughed a few times trying to maintain his composure. He began to empathize with Rukia's agony - whatever demons she had inside, they were strong and relentless. It was obvious to him that each of these nightly sessions would be a long and painful process - possibly even torturous - and moved his hand to Rukia's shoulder in an attempt to help her calm down. "Kuchiki," he whispered. "Do not forget. Your sword is only a manifestation of your own soul. It can only punish you as long as you punish yourself."

Crying, her voice cracking amid the tears, she moaned, "But it hurts... it hurts so much...." Her normally alto-pitched voice squeaked out like a mouse. It sounded as though someone had stuck a knife in her heart and had only begun to slowly twist it around.

"Of course it does," Ukitake answered softly. "That is the pain you refuse to let go of. Of all the things you need to overcome, this is the most important - you need to let go of your worries, fears, and doubts. The only reason we must endure pain is so that we can overcome it - so that we can determine what we need to do to move on. After all, Rukia-san, how would you have found the strength to avenge Lieutenant Shiba if you were not pained to see his body desecrated by an espada's filth?"

Rukia glanced up at her captain - he had hit a nerve, and he knew it, too. When she looked up into his eyes, though, rather than feel indignation at his mention of that incident, she felt.... understood. Those eyes were looking into her soul; like a father who was nurturing a beloved daughter through a harrowing experience. Given the past two days' events, it was surprisingly reassuring. This captain of hers had made it important enough to him to help her, to guide her, to heal her. He was doing everything in his power to help her find her way.

For the first time since she entered Hueco Mundo, Rukia's iron will surged through her body. Sode no Shirayuki, you will not deter me, she thought as she reached for her sword; this time grabbing the entire crossguard with brazen force.

-:-

Rukia had a full nine hours to shunpo across the entire Rukongai, but despite this, she barely made it in time the next morning, flashing in right as Captain Komamura had arrived. She was completely out of breath, and her reiatsu was completely drained. She was so exhausted that she could barely move, and when Komamura handed her the bundle, she fell over onto her bottom.

"I'm truly sorry, Kuchiki-kun, but Ukitake-san told me I was not supposed to take it easy on you. I know you're out of breath, but it is time to begin."

Rukia stood up quickly. It hurt like a monster, but she ignored the pain. "Hai, Komamura Taicho." She snapped on the bracelets and anklets quickly, suddenly remembering how heavy they were, and picked up a wooden sword. Without hesitating, she got into a stance, and praying she wouldn't break any bones today, charged.

-:-

A week had gone by, and Ukitake was very pleased with Kuchiki's progress. Of course, he had to bring her a new shihakusho after the first week - her old uniform was tattered and torn and practically falling off. He knew how important her modesty was to her, so he made sure that the new uniform they brought was a bit more durable than her last one, so that it wouldn't fall apart so easily. Ukitake knew that this one would also get destroyed, but that was inconsequential. The important part was that Kuchiki was doing better.

Komamura-san had reported that Kuchiki was at least able to move around while fighting in the sekki-seki restraints. She was still getting badly smacked around, but that was expected. It would take a few weeks before she would be able to build enough physical strength to fight properly under the added weight, and then it would take additional time before she could withstand even a single blow from the 7th division captain. Komamura-san had also noted that she was actually sitting and eating breakfast when he arrived yesterday, indicating that she was finishing her last shunpo run with a bit of time to rest and eat.

Meanwhile, Hinamori-kun was glad to inform him that Kuchiki was doing particularly well in the kido training. This did not completely surprise him; as he suspected that she likely possessed equal aptitude for kido as Hinamori-kun. After a week, Kuchiki had already mastered the verbal-only Bakudo defense spells - even #81, which was the one thing he did not expect her to be able to do even with her hands accessible - and they would be moving on to the opposite form of kido training, where Kuchiki would be unable to speak but would be allowed the use of her hands. Ukitake was particularly impressed with Hinamori's ability to teach these abilities - there were very few, even amongst the captains, who could perform high-level kido without verbal commands. Wordless kido was an extremely advanced skill, and for Kuchiki to be starting on that in only her second week of training was remarkable.

His biggest surprise, though, was his evening sessions with Kuchiki. Every night, he could see intense, tangible progress. Whatever had happened to her during that week's interactions with her zanpakutou, Kuchiki seemed to have new resolve. She no longer laid Sode no Shirayuki in front of her; instead, she drove it into the ground between her knees, with one hand on the hilt and her other palm across the back edge of the blade. It appeared as though Rukia was successfully able to enter the mindlink to begin mental combat sessions with her zanpakutou, although he was pretty sure she was getting badly trounced in those mental spars most of the time. Nonetheless, just tonight, before she rose to do her shunpo run, she proudly released her shikai with a loud but dignified "Mai, Sode no Shirayuki!"; something that had apparently escaped her since she began ignoring her sword.

He could tell third seat Kotetsu-kun, however, was regressing. His Kiyone-chan was not acting normal. It was obvious to him that she was jealous; she had always fought with Kotsubaki-kun for his favor and attention. Whereas Kotsubaki had recently mellowed, though - it was likely he had come to the conclusion that he could never displace someone from the Kuchiki clan, no matter how hard he tried - Kotetsu-kun grew even more short-tempered than normal. Kotetsu Kiyone was usually sociable, but lately she had been brooding and in her own world.

Ukitake understood Kotetsu-kun's jealousy quite well. After the Winter War, his tuberculosis had worsened; having strained himself during the battles. Kotetsu-kun was upset that she hadn't been able to assist him, even though he had ordered her to stay back in Soul Society. It wasn't that he didn't think highly of her abilities - Kotetsu-kun was a much more fierce and fearsome fighter than most knew. She had trained extensively to fight in the Winter War, and despite her youth, she was hardy. He had considered calling her to the front lines, but out of deference to her sister Isane, he chose not to. Isane had asked Ukitake to keep Kiyone out of the battle - Kiyone was still young, she argued; and if she wasn't obligated to be on the front lines, she should stay back home. If only the upper echelon of the Gotei 13 were expected to fight, than there was no reason to risk her life for naught, even if she was strong.

Kotetsu-kun had been deeply distressed that he had been hurt in the fighting, and for the past four months, she had tended to him. In the past, she and Kotsubaki had always fought for his attention, but when it came to dressing his wounds, helping him in the bathroom when he was throwing up, and other tasks involving close physical contact, Kotsubaki-kun felt awkward being so close within his captain's personal space. Ukitake was no fool; he knew that Kotetsu-kun took to these tasks because she fancied him, but he was sure to be clear that he was very professional, and she knew that was the scope of their relationship.

That was not to say that Ukitake didn't like Kiyone. Admittedly, he had a deep fondness for her. Although she could be a bit brash and even immature at times, she was a genuinely good person who cared deeply about others; not just him. All of her subordinate unseated officers were incredibly devoted to her because of her great interest in them as people as well as soldiers. She followed him to save Rukia from the Soukyouku, even though Soifon nearly killed her for it. Ukitake didn't have a romantic interest in her - first of all, she was still too young; and for now it just wasn't the current nature of their relationship. On top of that, his recent struggle with his illness made it difficult for him to even to consider such leisurely emotions - but he acknowledged that he relied on her in a way that he could not rely on others; nor did he want to. He had a special relationship with Kotetsu-kun, one that he had no wish to replace. Like many forms of love, it was not always easy to explain; but it's hard to say that you don't love the person who stays up with you all night as you vomit blood. Ukitake was wise enough to know that despite his lack of romantic interest in Kiyone, it would be hard for him to consider starting a relationship with anyone else at the moment.

It was one of the many reasons that he was concerned. Kotetsu-kun had always been a bit obsessive, and she worried constantly about him; but he needed to be able to dedicate the time to Kuchiki so that she, too, could grow stronger. He thought it would be a good lesson for Kotetsu-kun to help her mature a bit, and changing the dynamics of the 13th squad would help that. Still, he was concerned - but in the end, he believed it would pass, just like all of the other spats she had with her co-seat.

-:-

"Today, Kuchiki-kun," Komamura informed her, "I believe it is time that we switch to real swords."

Rukia swallowed tightly. In the three weeks that she had fought against Captain Komamura, she had not landed one real blow. Her defense and her reflexes had improved, and although she had no mirror to verify it, she could tell that her previously thin, wiry figure had grown more toned due to the weight of the sekki-seki restraints. They were no longer cumbersome, and Rukia hardly noticed them anymore. Still, even a blocked blow from the gargantuan captain sent her reeling; it took every bit of balance to keep herself from toppling over. They broke at least three swords every day now. Furthermore, Captain Komamura had only begun to show how truly fast he was. For someone so colossal, he moved with frightening speed; and although Rukia was fast, she was no match for him. After the first week, Komamura had started using real force, and since then, she was still getting broken ribs on a daily basis. Thankfully, by now Rukia had become adept at healing broken bones with kido. She had to take the bracelets off every time, but at least she could continue training.

"Hai, Komamura-sensei," reaching for her katana. Komamura had taken a great liking to her, finding her strong yet gentle character appealing. He had asked her to start calling her Komamura-san, but she refused, saying that she would not dare refer to him without proper formality. She then proposed to calling him Komamura-sensei, to which they both took an immediate liking.

By now, Rukia had realized that training with Captain Komamura and Vice Captain Hinamori was not for her benefit alone. Komamura was likely only able to dedicate three quarters of his day to training with her because he, too, needed to heal from the Winter War. Since he had been betrayed by his greatest friend, the self-conscious captain probably felt lonely. Even though he still had warm relationships with vice captains Iba and Hisagi, Rukia knew that Komamura was too self-doubting to ever have had a relationship with a woman before. She could tell that Komamura, who was actually quite a gentleman, appreciated the opportunity to engage in conversation with her, even though almost all of it revolved around swordsmanship and battle tactics.

Hinamori-san had become a dear friend over the past few weeks - when they were done training and sat down to eat, Rukia had started referring to her as Momo-chan - and it was clear that playing the role of the teacher gave Hinamori-san the confidence she needed to lead her division in the absence of a captain. Hinamori had probably suffered more than anyone because of Aizen's betrayal. Without Aizen, she was the effective leader of her squad, and although they respected her skill, behind her back they questioned her competency as a leader. In the past few weeks, though, Hinamori was able to reestablish her assertiveness, just based on her role as Rukia's mentor. From what she could deduce from her conversations with Hinamori-san, Rukia could figure out that dynamics were changing, and that Hinamori was having an easier time keeping her squad in line.

Captain Ukitake was wise to have found a solution for the three of them to heal together. In the past three weeks, the bonds she had forged with each of them were quite strong, and Rukia knew that having close allies with others amongst the Gotei 13 would be valuable for when she finally joined the ranks of the Gotei 13 leadership.

In hindsight, Rukia was surprised that she had been so reluctant to accept the vice-captain's role. Although she still didn't feel like she truly deserved it, she knew that her duty was to protect others, and being a vice captain gave her the opportunity and resources to do that. Besides, she would not be able to look Ichigo in the eye if she had refused it. No matter how much their lives would change because of her promotion, Rukia knew what Ichigo would tell her: "If we are not strong enough, then we must get stronger." It was funny; it was she who taught him that lesson long ago. Now it was her turn to live by her own creed, she thought.

"Let us begin, Kuchiki-kun. Do not hold back."

"Hai, Komamura-sensei. Mai, Sode no Shirayuki!" Rukia charged, lustrous white ribbon trailing in the air.

-:-

Kiyone was fuming. It used to be that every evening, she would present the daily report with Kotsubaki to the captain. Lately, Kotsubaki seemed to have lost interest in jockeying with her, leaving her to deal with the more prestigious third seat tasks while he handled the more mundane ones. This was fine with Kiyone, who looked forward to bringing her captain his tea and medicine every day with the report; but for the past four weeks, he was never around. A simple note said to leave the tea, medicine, and report on his desk, and that she could sleep in the 13th squad barracks.

Kiyone had been sleeping in the adjacent quarters since the Winter War, so that she could help the captain in the middle of the night. It had its own entrance to the outside, but a special door had been installed in between them so that she could help him if she needed. Since she was technically still on active duty during the night while she aided the captain, she had been ordered to sleep in full uniform. It had taken her a while to get used to falling asleep with her gloves on, but after a few sleepless nights helping Captain Ukitake, she learned to sleep no matter the circumstances.

Lately, though, she had not been needed to help him in the middle of the night, and no longer slept close by. When she asked him about it, he teased her, saying that he had recovered well because of her excellent care; did she miss being woken up five times a night to mop up the floor of his pavilion?

Her sister Isane-neechan had told her to chill out, but she was too worked up. It was two weeks before the promotion ceremony, and Captain Ukitake hadn't even spoken with her yet about a possible promotion. She was worried that the captain hadn't rescinded his offer of the badge to Kuchiki, and that she would have to make a scene.

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen that Kuchiki snob anywhere for a month. Kiyone had assumed that she went back to the real world, the typical job for unseated officers; killing hollows and sending lost plusses to Soul Society. Yet something gnawed at her. She was not going to lose her relationship with the captain to that waif of a tramp. Kiyone knew it would be many years until she grew to match her sister's height and feminine figure, but Kiyone still had beautiful golden hair; much better than Kuchiki's awful black mess that refused to stay out of her mousy face. She was much more attractive than Kuchiki was, for sure.

Wasn't she? Damn her, what is she doing with my captain?

-:-

Ichigo finally arrived in Soul Society. When Kotsubaki Sentaro finally came with the notice, he was thrilled to hear that both Renji and Rukia would be promoted, and that he had been invited to attend the ceremony. Kotsubaki had to then deliver Yoruichi-san's invitation and inform that Afro-what's-his-face Shinigami-Somebody about the changes to the 13th squad leadership. Sentaro told Ichigo that he could wait for him, but that he was welcome to go up ahead without him since Kotsubaki might be a while. Ichigo didn't wait even one second before he grabbed his Substitute Shinigami badge.

The invitation couldn't have come a moment too soon. School was tedious without her sitting next to him, doodling her lame pictures. At home, Kon was driving him absolutely bonkers, crying and screaming and whining about missing Nee-san all the time. Ichigo got so fed up with it that he decided to leave Kon in Yuzu's care, telling her that he had found Bustafa. He could hear Kon crying on the inside, which didn't give him even the tiniest bit of remorse.

After popping through Urahara's senkai gate into Soul Society, Yoruichi-san wished him goodbye; as she wanted to find Soifon. He foolishly agreed to split up with her, anxious to find Rukia, when he realized he didn't even know where to go - so he wandered through the main corridor for nearly half a day, trying to avoid the crowds that had gathered to watch him. Yeah, yeah, Hero of the Winter War and all that jazz, he thought. Where the hell is Rukia?

After practically a whole day of wandering around and getting mixed reports from Kira, Hisagi, and Matsumoto, he figured he should find Renji. He could have gone to the Kuchiki estate and asked Byakuya, but he decided against it. It would be easier to wait for Renji by his room in the barracks. At around nine in the evening, Renji returned.

"Hey, Renji, where have you been? I've been looking for Rukia, everyone said you might know where she is."

"Nice to see you, too, pal," he teased, wondering if Ichigo would have even come to say hello if he was already with her. "I was undergoing my final captain's exam. As for Rukia, I haven't seen her in about six weeks. You mean she's not with you?"

Ichigo was worried. "No, I have no idea where she is."

Renji shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it. She can handle herself. Anyway, I have to finish filing some paperwork with Captain Kuchiki, and if I don't get that done tonight, he's going to go Senbonzakura all over me. Good luck."

Ichigo sighed as Renji headed toward the 6th division's captain's pavilion. Six weeks had been an excruciatingly long time. Without her around, Ichigo just didn't feel himself. He understood why but was never really capable of articulating it. He hated to admit it, but if Ichigo didn't find her soon, he was going to lose his marbles. He turned and headed to the Kuchiki estate, now comforted that Byakuya would be somewhere else when he got there.

-:-

Rukia awoke that morning. For the first time in a long while, she felt alive. It wasn't because she had finished her shunpo run in only five hours, leaving her with a decent nap before her morning training; nor was it the realization that this was her last day.

Rukia stood up and breathed in the fresh morning air, and began eating some breakfast that she had set aside. She felt so alive because for some reason, after six weeks of the most intense training she had ever undergone, she finally began to feel Kaien-dono's spirit. It was almost as if her ability to detect reiatsu had somehow increased that morning - she could feel her former vice captain's unique aura in the air. It put her at ease. It was familiar, comfortable, and reassuring. She felt as though something that had been missing had been returned.

Komamura's arrival, always quiet despite his massive size, broke her from her silent revelry. "Good morning, Kuchiki-kun. You look well today."

"Good morning, Komamura-sensei. Yes, there is something in the air this morning.... I feel quite alive."

"Very well. Then let us begin."

Rukia took her stance. This past week had been no-holds-barred, anything-goes melee. The sekki-seki restraints had been removed, and the only rule was to find a way to remain standing. Rukia had even faced off against Komamura's bankai this week. Today, however... today was going to be different.

"Hai, Komamura-sensei," and for what she honestly hoped would be only the beginning of many more training sessions, charged.

-:-

Rukia's last day with Momo-chan was enjoyable. This week they had practiced spell chaining, a technique that Rukia was able to perform for a long time but that Hinamori had mastered to near perfection. Hinamori had long been able to cast Hado spells as high as #88 without incantations, allowing her to chain devastating attacks; Rukia's chains were often much simpler, defensive spells; but these past few days she had begun chaining Hado #54: Abolishing Flames into Hado #66: Twin Lotus of Blue Fire, Crash Down - although that particular spell chain produced weaker attacks than if she had cast either spell separately. Nonetheless, chaining such difficult spells was quite an accomplishment - but she was much more proud of her recent mastery of Bakudo #61: Six Rods of Light Prison. She had first acquired the ability to cast it with an incantation when she trained with Inoue, prior to her excursion into Hueco Mundo; but now she could easily cast it with just the name and a point of her finger.

This was a particular point of pride, as Nii-sama was famous for how he casted it with such ease. It was the first time that she felt like she might actually hold a place in the Kuchiki family. She would never rival Nii-sama's abilities - he was one of the most formidable captains in the entire history of the Gotei 13 - but she at least felt like she was worthy to stand in his shadow. For years, she felt undeserving of her entrance into the family, but now she hoped that Byakuya-niisama might finally accept her. She was admittedly skeptical, but the small glimmer of hope was enough to brighten her day.

Rukia fought with Hinamori swiftly. The two were flash-stepping all over the place, blasting spells in all directions. Hinamori's kido was stronger, but Rukia was swifter; having practiced her shunpo extensively over the past six weeks. She was not even close to the speed of Nii-sama, and she had many more years of shunpo practice before she would ever excel in that arena; but her skill was about on par with Ichigo or Renji; something that she was immensely proud of.

Hinamori fired off two Shots of Crimson Fire, but Rukia dodged one and deflected the other with a wordless flick of her hand. She fired back with a modest chain of Bakudo #30: Beak-Piercing Triple Beam coupled with a Hado #33: Blue Fire Crash Down. Hinamori chained her own Blue Fire to stop the #30, but the #33 hit her square in the shoulder. As per their practice routine, Rukia immediately ran over and worked her healing magic against Hinamori's burn. Medical kido had not been a focus of their training, but Rukia had some talent in it, so Hinamori made her practice it whenever she could.

When the training concluded, Momo-chan sat down with Rukia to share some roast boar that she had brought to celebrate. In between her ravenous consumption (which would mortify her if her brother ever saw her like this), Rukia turned to Hinamori and gave her a warm, heartfelt smile. "Momo-chan, thank you so much for everything. You've made a really great teacher. I can't even tell you how much I've learned."

Momo's smile beamed from one ear to another. "The pleasure was all mine! Make sure to tell Toshi- er, Hitsugaya Taicho; it will make him proud."

Rukia was in a talkative mood, so the two continued chatting; but Captain Ukitake arrived half an hour earlier than usual. Hinamori bid farewell and promised to celebrate with her after the ceremony.

Rukia looked up at her captain. "Before we begin, Captain, I would like to thank you for believing in me, even when I didn't."

Ukitake smiled. "You're welcome. It seems that you're now quite comfortable with the notion of being a vice captain, eh?"

"Hai, Ukitake Taicho." Rukia nodded in agreement.

"Well, I was not the only one who believed in you, Kuchiki. There's one last thing I have to show you before we begin your last training session." From within a fold in his haori, Ukitake removed the 13th division's vice captain badge, and handed it to Rukia, who gingerly took it with both hands in solemn reverence. "Kuchiki, did you ever stop to wonder why a vice captain would spend so much time training an unseated officer one-on-one?"

Rukia was put off guard by that question. Now that she thought about it, it certainly was odd. In most cases, it would be sensible to assume that the commanding officer fancied his subordinate; but the idea that Kaien-dono would even consider philandering with anyone seemed beyond ludicrous. Everyone knew Kaien-dono was a happily married man, and Rukia was not much of a comparison to his wife Miyako; who was strong, courageous, caring, and beautiful. She pondered it for a while, but nothing came to mind. "Actually, no," she replied, temporarily lapsing into a more informal tone.

"Lieutenant Shiba knew that you had skipped your last year at academy. He knew that this put you at a disadvantage, and so he took it upon himself to make sure that you received the necessary training to help you catch up with the rest of the group."

Rukia grinned. That was certainly Kaien-dono; he had always been an extraordinary superior officer who cared deeply about his subordinates. Her memories of him, already fond, enveloped her in a layer of warmth. She knew she could no longer express her gratitude to him, but she whispered a quiet "Thank you, Kaien-dono," because she felt obligated.

"But that was only why he started the one-on-one training, Kuchiki," Ukitake continued, to her surprise. "Shiba Kaien strongly believed that you held great potential, more so than anyone else in the entire division. In the few short years that you were in the Gotei 13 with him, he saw you learn two different shikai abilities. For individuals to develop at this rate is unusual - most unseated officers are not even capable of shikai. In fact, he asked me several times to promote you to a seated position, citing your superb character; but as I'm sure you know by now, Byakuya-san refused to allow it."

Rukia cast her eyes away and nodded quietly. She was fairly conflicted regarding Nii-sama's historical interference in her ranks within the Gotei 13. On the one hand, he meant well; on the other hand, it was overbearing and had caused her more pain than actual battles ever would have.

Ukitake put his hand on Rukia's shoulder. "Turn over the badge and read the back, Kuchiki."

Rukia slowly turned over the badge and saw a rough inscription. Despite the fact that it was basically scratched into the metal, she still recognized it as Kaien-dono's handwriting. When she read it, she could not help but begin to feel the tears well in her eyes. She read it over and over:

"Save This For Kuchiki"

Ukitake gave her a moment to dwell on it. He could see that she was clearly happy; or perhaps even relieved. "Kuchiki, I believe it is time to meditate once more."

Rukia drew her katana and wordlessly released Sode no Shirayuki directly as she drew it from the scabbard. She thrust it into the ground, and gazed past the captain at the white-haired woman in the moon-colored kimono that her captain could not see. Sode no Shirayuki, always stoic, gave her a nearly imperceptible nod. Rukia sat down, legs tucked underneath and knees against each flat side of the blade. She reverently laid the badge in her lap, inscription side up, and pressed the ribbon of her sword over the letters. She looked at her materialized Sode no Shirayuki once more, and then closed her eyes, opening the mindlink for the last time in the hills where her vice captain's aura resided.

-:-

Rukia!

A thunderous quake of reiatsu blasted past Ichigo as he walked to the Kuchiki estate. He was already anxious that he had not yet found her, but now he was truly worried. Over to his left, he could see an intense, shining column of light rising from somewhere in the West Rukongai to the sky, shining brighter than the sun.

Hold on, Rukia! I'm coming!

-:-

Kiyone nearly fell over onto her captain's desk when the shockwave passed. She didn't know what happened, but she had felt Captain Ukitake's reiatsu flare momentarily in response.

The captain is under attack!

Firing her shunpo on all cylinders, she darted out towards the direction of the flare.

-:-

Ichigo reached the west end of the Sereitei only to find Rukia following Captain Ukitake in through the gate. "Rukia! Are you okay?" he gasped, worried.

Rukia folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Idiot. Of course I'm okay," she huffed. "I can take care of myself, you know."

Ichigo relaxed, and his worries and troubles melted away. Apparently, she was herself. "I-" Rukia affixed him with a stare. She was signaling him not to embarrass her in front of the captain with any mushy talk. "I'm glad you're okay," he offered, smiling.

Kiyone arrived at that moment, and to her great dismay, Rukia was standing behind him, carrying the vice captain badge. Kurosaki was there, and the two of them were just standing there like buffoons. Kiyone seethed inside but kept it to herself. As she walked up to ask the captain if he was alright, she was assaulted by the worst odor she had ever experienced, ten times worse than Kotsubaki's dirty laundry that stanl up the barracks laundry room because he was too lazy to wash it on time. "Ew, Kuchiki, you really stink."

Rukia's face turned red. "Yeah, well, I was just on my way back home to take a long overdue shower," she said, managing to find a smile at Ichigo's startled expression. She was sure he couldn't imagine her going six weeks without bathing. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ichigo. Captain Ukitake has prepared a room for you in the 13th division barracks."

"Uh, okay," he said, but before he could say anything else, she flickered a smile at him, bid adieu to her captain, and walked off towards the Kuchiki mansion.

Kiyone turned to her captain. "Ukitake-sama, are you alright?"

"Of course, Kotetsu-kun," he confirmed jovially. "Just a training session, that's all." He tilted his head over to Ichigo. "Kurosaki, Kotetsu-kun will show you to your quarters. I need to meet with Captain Komamura. We're all glad you could come. Kiyone-chan, please make sure that Kurosaki has whatever he needs." Thinking that it would be best to reassure his third seat under the situation, he added, "Kiyone-chan, please let Ichigo take your private quarters, he'll be more comfortable there than he would in the public barracks," and wording it carefully so that Ichigo would not understand the implication, instructed, "You can stay in the pavilion instead." Her reaction to his suggestion was not as cheerful as he had hoped, but it disarmed her enough that he was satisfied she would not feel ignored.

"Hai, Ukitake-sama," she noted. "Kurosaki-san, please follow me."

-:-

In 183 years of her life, Rukia had never had a better shower. She had scrubbed every last inch of her skin clean of grime, a task that took four times as long as usual. Rukia was also pleasantly reminded what it was like to have a razor handy - for the first time in six weeks, she finally felt like a woman rather than a yeti. Keeping with the shedding-the-yeti theme, she clipped and then filed her nails on toes and fingers neatly, wrung her hair and combed it out, and trimmed it to its usual shoulder-length bob. As usual, no matter how hard she tried to keep her stubborn bangs out of her face, they never complied; so, as usual, she ignored them right back. She started to wrap herself in a towel, but paused to look at herself in the full length mirror of her bathroom.

Rukia was pleased with what she saw - she would never come close to rivaling Inoue's figure, but the upper body strength she had achieved in the training had provided some more contrast with her improved hips and waist, and her arms and legs were not the thin, scrawny limbs that she had always wanted to hide away under her clothes. The effect had made some impressive changes to her overall figure - she looked less like a partially developed teenager and more like the woman she had actually been for the past hundred years. Not that she was eager to show anything off now that things had improved, but she was happy with her new physique; even if she would be the only person who ever saw it.

She toweled off and put on her luxurious brushed cotton bathrobe that doubled as her pajamas. She was not one to feel a need for pampering, but it was nice to be home on the Kuchiki estate once in a while where pampering was available in great abundance. She breathed in the steamy air, savoring the warmth around her before she had to open the door to the bathroom and let the heat slip out.

Sliding the door shut behind her, she was startled to find Byakuya-niisama standing in her room. His back was to her, and he was looking out the small open window of her bedroom. Rukia was sure that respecting her privacy was not the only reason he did so. Nonetheless, she was grateful that she had opted to wear her bathrobe rather than just exit the bathroom in a towel. She collected herself and noticed a sizable white box resting on the small table that she kept in her room. "Nii-sama," she acknowledged.

"Ukitake-san spoke with me," he said, his typical stern voice reverberating in Rukia's ears.

Rukia's face fell to floor, horrified. She remembered what she had said to Matsumoto - that she didn't even feel like she deserved the Kuchiki name - and her loose lips had cost her. Nii-sama was going to kick her out of the family for being ungrateful, she was sure of it. The box was clearly there so she could pack up her things. "I am sorry, Nii-sama," Rukia apologized humbly.

Byakuya said nothing. Instead, he turned around to face her, and looked at her right in the eyes. He had never done this before, and his intense gaze paralyzed her. He gestured with his eyes towards the box, and then turned around once more, so that she could no longer see his face.

Rukia carefully approached the table. The box was made of some polished white material that she knew couldn't be plastic, but did not feel like wood or metal. Carefully, she removed the lid and gasped. Utterly stunned, she could not even believe what she was seeing; and tears began forming in her eyes as she slowly removed the contents, completely awestruck. One by one, she laid each item on the table, astonished by what Nii-sama had given her.

She fell to her knees and bowed deeply to the floor, clutching the last of the gifts - the one for her zanpakutou - close to her chest. "Arigato gozai mashi ta, Nii-sama," she uttered, stifling her tears as best she could. "I will be eternally grateful for these incredible gifts."

Before he departed, Kuchiki Byakuya turned his head so that she could barely see the edge of his face. Slowly, clearly, and deliberately, he cautioned, "It is not befitting the Pride of the Kuchiki House to bow so deeply to anyone," and without another word or even a facial expression, he left.

Complying with his implied order despite being utterly incapable of comprehending it, Rukia rose to her feet. She was so suddenly intensely overwhelmed with happiness that she began sobbing; although unlike six weeks ago, the tears were so full of joy that she began laughing at herself. Reverently, she laid out her things in preparation for tomorrow. No matter how hard she tried, the tears would not stop coming. This exchange - of glances, gifts and words - had dispelled any doubts within her. I am, yes, I am - I am a Kuchiki, she thought, and Nii-sama... I am his sister. Lying down in her soft, warm bed, she wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her bathrobe. She had not slept in a real bed since she left Ichigo's house, and after tucking herself in, quickly drifted into a deep, warm, sleep; dreaming of her time in Hueco Mundo when she taunted Rudobon after she deftly slaughtered his forces with ease, a memory that for some reason she had long forgotten.

-:-

Ichigo sat next to Yoruichi, who had joined him that morning before entering the arena. She was just as eager to see the ceremony, which despite the pomp and circumstance that would have indicated otherwise, had actually been instituted just after the Winter War. Previously, the appointment of new captains and other officers was not a particularly grand ceremony; but after the triple defection, it was decided that there needed to be a more open ceremony, with oaths and the like. Not that someone who wanted to betray the Gotei 13 would care, Yoruichi had mentioned, but at least it was a good way to boost morale and restore hope to the still-recovering shinigami who sat amongst the lower ranks. Since promotions were now public, the desired effect would be to motivate people to rededicate themselves in hopes that they could achieve glory and honor in front of their peers. The end result, desired or not, was that the whole thing was ridiculously flashy.

Due to their high esteem in the eyes of the Gotei 13, they were given premiere seating in the front row, overlooking the center of coliseum floor. Circling the edge of the floor were the Onmitsukido corps, charged with making sure no one came onto the field, and arranged in the far end of the of arena floor was a small square stage made to partially resemble the Gotei 13's Captains' Meeting Room. General Yamamoto, stationed in a high-backed chair with his vice captain, Sasakibe Chojiro, behind him on his right, faced the entrance to where the candidates would enter the arena. Along the edges of the stage stood the Gotei 13 captains, each flanked with their lieutenant next to them; with the exception of those who would enter for promotion.

A small set of stairs led down from the stage to the granite arena floor, and a wide red carpet that covered the stage extended from the stairs all the way to the arena entrance. The effect was that each candidate would have a grandiose march from the entrance to the stairs, so that all of the shinigami ranks seated in the coliseum could witness their honor.

Captains went first. Yumichika, who was ecstatic to have been offered the role of 3rd Division Captain, had already done his bit. Personally, Ichigo was not altogether surprised at this; after all, although he was a 5th seat, that was by choice. Yumichika had spent many years hiding his true abilities, and although Ichigo didn't know him too well, it didn't seem too farfetched that Yumichika had mastered bankai at some point. His longtime partner, Ikkaku, who had mastered bankai ages ago, had probably helped him. After Sasakibe had ceremoniously dressed Yumichika in his new haori (which was laced with those same freaky feathers he stuck to his face for some reason), Ayasegawa took his place between his vice captain, Kira Izuru, and Soifon's 2nd division oaf, Omaeda Marechiyo.

Renji was next to walk down, and Ichigo could hear the 6th division Shinigami cheering as Renji walked up the steps, and kneeled before Gramps. "Abarai Renji," the old man croaked, "you have been examined by the Captain's Council, and they have found that you meet all the requirements of a captain's position. Do you feel this assessment is fair and just?"

"Hai," Renji shouted, as per the ceremonious custom.

"Do you swear to honor the Gotei 13, protect the Sereitei, the Rukongai, and all souls?"

"Hai," Renji shouted again.

"Do you swear to purify the hollow so that the balance of all living things in this world and on earth may be maintained for all eternity?"

"Hai!"

"And do you promise to lead your squad with honor, dignity, and righteousness?"

"Hai, I swear by the honor of my name and the honor of my sword, I shall," he confirmed.

"Before we bear witness to this shinigami's sacred oath, does anyone challenge his resolve?"

All was silent.

"Then we have born witness to this man's resolve. Arise, 9th Division Captain, Abarai Renji, and don your haori so that all shall know your strength."

The crowd erupted into cheer as Sasakibe ceremoniously dressed Renji in his new haori. Ichigo had to admit he liked it. Renji had opted for a sleeveless haori with zigzagged black stripes along the edges, similar to his numerous tattoos, and he had opted for a uniform without sleeves so he could show off his muscular, tattooed arms. The effect made him look distinctively fearsome. It was a good look for him, Ichigo thought.

Now it was Rukia's turn, and Ichigo was anxious to see her. He peered towards the entrance of the arena where Yumichika and Renji had come from. A messenger corps soldier flashed in front of the entrance, and announced, "Candidate for the 13th Division Vice Captain seat, Kuchiki Rukia!"

Ichigo, who had been waiting for this all day, peered past Yoruichi, waiting for Rukia to come through. With great deliberation, she emerged, and Ichigo was floored.

Rukia walked slowly down the carpet, the bright noon sun directly overhead radiating her splendor as though the celestial bodies had aligned just for this occasion. Her brand new shihakusho was a rich, deep black; but unlike her previous uniform, it was tailored differently - the sleeves were slightly shorter, revealing a quarter of her forearms; and they were more narrow than her previous uniform's billowing sleeves. The standard top and pants had been replaced with a more straight-cut black dress that flourished at the bottom with a white hem near her ankles.

However, that was the least noticeable change in her appearance. A pure, gleaming white silk scarf was draped around her neck and over her shoulders, exactly in the same manner that her older brother Byakuya wore. In her hair, a simple white rectangular hairpin sat prominently against her raven hair. Rukia would later inform him that this hairpin was actually made of the polished bone of the 9th Espada's hollow mask, and that it was worth the equivalent of multiple millions of dollars in Soul Society currency. Around her waist, her previous cotton belt had been replaced with a wide, silk, pearl-colored ribbon, to match the scarf around her neck as well as the ribbon of her released Sode no Shirayuki. Tucked through the ribbon, her unreleased zanpakutou had been placed in a new scabbard made of lustrous ivory that reminded Ichigo of the surface of the moon. Platinum rivets reflected the bright sun like mirrors, and a chain of tiny pearls dangled from near the hilt, waving silently with the flow of her rhythm as she walked. The scabbard alone must have been worth a fortune, he thought.

Simply put, Rukia was stunning. Absolutely, incomprehensibly, beautifully stunning.

Ichigo could not takes his eyes off of her as Rukia - his classmate, comrade, and friend - slowly marched down the red carpet, head slightly bowed in deference to the captain's podium. She held all the grace, elegance, and dignity of a princess too humble to flaunt her title, yet who could not be allowed to forego her deserved honor. Ichigo had always been impressed with the way Rukia carried herself, but for the first time, he saw through their daily routine as high school students and focused on her role as a woman of nobility. He was not the only one - as she walked by, everyone in the crowd seemed to stand up in deference to the Grand Lady of the Kuchiki House who walked before them. Ichigo could think of no one more honored than the petite woman marching up the aisle that day, the one who captured the attention of every soul in the stadium. Anyone who saw her beauty and splendor that day would never see anything like it again in their entire lives.

"She looks a bit like Little Byakuya, doesn't she?" Yoruichi chided.

Ichigo ignored her. He couldn't compare her to Byakuya, who walked around with a pole up his rear. It was obvious that the intention was for her to present herself in the distinctive Kuchiki style, just as Byakuya did; but Rukia carried herself in an entirely different way. Her bright, intense indigo eyes and the warm smile on her face gave her an entirely different aura, one that was majestic yet not intimidating. He didn't know if it was his right to feel proud, but Ichigo couldn't help it. It had been years since he felt such a great sense of pride, not even when he himself had rescued her in Soul Society. It overwhelmed his senses; he could feel the warmth of his content soothe away all of the built-up tension, anxiety, frustration, and... and loneliness, he admitted, that he had felt over the past month and a half.

As she reached the center of the arena, the point where she would pass by him, she turned her head oh so slightly so that she could give him a... was that a playful look? He wasn't sure. By now, he thought he could read every look she had ever given him, but this one was new. He wasn't quite sure what she meant, but he offered a content smile that beamed his pride back at her. She returned her gaze forward and continued her slow walk down the aisle.

"You can close your drooling mouth now, Ichigo," Yoruichi teased him.

"I am not drooling!" he grumbled back, and she rolled her eyes at him. "I... just wish the others could have seen this," referring to Chad, Uryu, and Inoue; who had not been invited since they were not shinigami. In truth, he really felt bad for Yuzu. Yuzu would have wanted to see this. Then she wouldn't have even remembered being so heartbroken that Rukia had to leave for so long.

When Rukia reached the podium, everyone sat down. There was absolute silence as the audience was completely captivated by the honor of her presence. Rukia kneeled down in front of General Yamamoto, and he began the ceremony for the vice captain's promotion.

"Kuchiki Rukia," General Yamamoto announced, "you have been examined by your captain, and he has found that you meet all the requirements of a vice captain's position. Do you feel his assessment is fair and just?"

"Hai," Rukia responded, loud and clear.

"Do you swear to honor the Gotei 13, protect the Sereitei, the Rukongai, and all souls?"

"Hai," she confirmed again.

"Do you swear to purify the hollow so that the balance of all living things in this world and on earth may be maintained for all eternity?"

"Hai!"

"And do you promise to serve your captain and your squad with honor, dignity, and righteousness?"

"Hai, I swear by the honor of my name and the honor of my sword, I shall," she finished.

"Before we bear witness to this shinigami's sacred oath, does anyone challenge her resolve?"

Suddenly, a figure flashed into the center of the arena, halfway between the entrance and the stage. "I, third seat of Squad 13, Kotetsu Kiyone, challenge her resolve to take this oath!"

The entire arena's audience descended into a chaos of gasps, whispers, and shock as all eyes on the stage focused in on the challenger.

-:-

Ukitake was mortified. He knew Kotetsu-kun was hotheaded, but he did not believe she would do something like this. When Kotetsu-kun was bothered by something, she usually talked it over with him. Why had she not said anything to him? He glanced over at Isane, who had turned beet red in embarrassment on the other side of the stage. He saw Unohana-san whisper something to her, but he could not hear above the chaos of the crowd.

"SILENCE!" Yamiji roared, slamming his staff on the floor of the podium, and then waited for quiet before he continued. "Kotetsu Kiyone, your challenge has been acknowledged by this court, as per our sacred ceremonious customs. We shall commence when the challenge has been concluded."

Before Kiyone could say anything further, Rukia glared at her. "Rescind your challenge, Kotetsu," she said, using her most authoritative tone.

"I refuse!" Kiyone shouted back at her, drawing her sword. "How could an unseated officer be promoted directly to a vice captain? I'm the third seat, I'm more worthy of the position!"

As horrified as Ukitake was, he was at least relieved that Kiyone presented this as the basis of her challenge. He knew that wasn't her real reason, but he was relieved that she had hidden her true cause - jealousy - which could disgrace his whole division. Despite this silver lining, he knew what this would devolve into; and he was completely powerless to intercede.

On the other hand, Rukia had no patience with this nonsense. She now understood that leadership rested on iron will, on decisiveness, on calm thinking in a sea of turbulence. It was about strength of character - the strength it took to take Ichigo into the world of the shinigami, to find the resolve to enter into the hollow's den of Hueco Mundo, and the strength to fight depression and cast aside one's fears and doubts. Leadership was about having the inner strength to know that even after you tell yourself you've given up, you know it isn't true, and that you find that last bit of resolve that you never knew you had. It had taken Rukia a long time to learn this. Kaien-dono had left the badge for her - not because of her measure as a shinigami, but because he saw the real Kuchiki Rukia: who she was, and who she could become.

As much as Kiyone might one day make a fantastic leader, she had not yet learned these lessons. Rukia would be negligent in her duties to the Gotei 13, and would be spitting on Kaien-dono's memories, if she let someone so rash and immature to take on such an important role. Furthermore, now that she truly understood her actual place in the Four Houses, she could not bring shame upon her Kuchiki House by allowing someone so foolish to become a member of the Gotei 13 elite.

"Kotetsu Kiyone," Rukia stated for all to hear, using the third seat's full name the same way Nii-sama did when he wanted to intimidate his opponents. "Could you have slain the Exequias in the heart of Hueco Mundo?" Her legend of defeating the 9th Espada was well known, but this fact was not widely discussed. A collective gasp escaped from the arena. Reports from the mission to Hueco Mundo had been widely circulated, and it was widely known that the Exequias were the endless supply of arrancar that Aizen used to police his underlings. For most shinigami who had heard these tales secondhand, to have defeated even the weakest of arrancar was harder than slaying one hundred hollows; so Rukia's intimidation tactic produced the desired oohs and aahs from the crowd. "Who do you think you are that you can challenge me?" she added, restating her authority; which was much more important than the first question. There was no way the rest of her division would accept her as their vice captain if she did not give them reason to believe in her worthiness of the position.

Rukia's katana was out of its brand new sheath within half a second as Kiyone's shunpo-enabled charge was blocked, inches within her face. With swords locked, Kiyone scowled at her. "I don't believe a word of it. Abarai and Kurosaki probably spent all of their time saving you all over again," she taunted.

That comment made Rukia's blood boil, but she knew better than to let it show. Rukia smirked. "Che. You don't strike nearly as hard as Sensei does," she huffed, applying force to shove Kiyone down back the stairs onto the center of the arena. Physically, Kiyone was not much larger than she was, and after the past six weeks Rukia knew she could outmuscle her. Rukia walked down the stairs, staring Kiyone down. "Withdraw your challenge, Kotetsu Kiyone. This will end badly if you continue."

"For you, it will! Hado #31: Shot of Red Fire!"

Kiyone's fireball came at her with surprising intensity, but Rukia deflected it with a flick of her wrist, casting a wordless Bakudo #8: Repulse. She felt like flaunting, but she held back; as she knew displays of power were only a reflection of one's own self-doubts. Rukia had no need to reassure herself of her superiority to the young third seat. " Bakudo #4: Crawling Rope," she casted, catching Kiyone and immobilizing her, allowing Rukia to address Kiyone with enough authority to hopefully put her challenge to an end. "Your kido will never reach me, Kotetsu. Withdraw your challenge."

"Never!" she screamed, and began gathering reiatsu to blow open the restraints. Rukia silently regretted not using Bakudo #61 as Kiyone burst open the binding spell, something Rukia did not anticipate she was capable of. Kiyone could see this line of thinking in Rukia's eyes, and shouted darkly, "Why does everyone underestimate me just because my sister is in the 4th division!" Mid-scream, Kiyone launched into an all-out shunpo attack.

Knowing that she was dealing with an enraged opponent, Rukia played defensive for a while, waiting for an opening to emerge. Anger clouds the mind and makes one careless, she reasoned, tracing Kiyone as she flashed in and out. Somehow, though, despite Rukia's excellent defensive skills, Kiyone managed to graze the back of her arm with her blade.

"The first strike is mine, Kuchiki," Kiyone said, flashing into place ten feet in front of her. "Acknowledge my superiority and give me my position!"

Rukia grit her teeth. "It is not your position, Kotetsu. It belongs to the honor of all shinigami - and you disrespect it by calling it your own."

"Spare me the lecture, Kuchiki, I don't need to hear it from someone who didn't even graduate Shinou Academy."

Rukia didn't have time to respond as they clashed swords again. Kiyone was surprisingly strong and fierce, and although she generally wasn't as fast as Rukia was, her swordsmanship was excellent. Rukia broke up the close combat by firing a wordless Hado #4: White Lightning, which she knew Kiyone would not be able to anticipate. Kiyone was blown back, opening up ground between them and giving Rukia some breathing room. Not that she needed it, but she was still hoping she could dissuade her opponent before things got out of hand. "Kotetsu, this is foolishness. Withdraw your challenge!"

"Your promotion is foolishness, Kuchiki," she retorted. "You're only being given the position because of nepotism. If it were not for Captain Kuchiki, you would be sitting in the audience watching me receive the vice captain's badge!"

"Do not dare to impugn Nii-sama's honor," Rukia seethed, "or you will lose much more than just your dignity!"

"Is that a threat, Kuchiki? I'll show you what a real threat looks like!" she shouted. "Sting, Masticora!" Kiyone's katana/wakizashi hybrid transformed into a leather whip with a steel spike pointing off the bottom of the hilt. Rukia had never seen Kiyone's shikai before, but she had little time to analyze it as Kiyone immediately swung it at her, easily covering the long distance.

Rukia wordlessly released Sode no Shirayuki with a wave of her hand across the blade, and started slashing at the incoming lashes, but Kiyone's aim was deadly. Rukia suffered blows to each ankle and her left shoulder, and could not close the gap. She switched tactics and started casting multiple Hado #33: Blue Fire Crash Down spells, trying to distract Kiyone.

"Hah! Do you think you can beat me with that?" Kiyone shouted, deflecting each spell with a lash of her whip. "My shikai can neutralize kido! If that's all you have, Kuchiki, then you will never win!"

Kiyone suddenly heard a menacing voice behind her. "And do you honestly believe I'm not holding back?"

Damnit! Since when could an unseated officer use senka, flashing directly behind an opponent?

Rukia didn't give her time to react and planted a firm punch upwards into the back of Kiyone's head, knocking her forward nearly five feet and landing her face-first in the dirt. "Give up, Kotetsu. The child's play is over."

Kiyone got to her feet and brandished her whip. "My resolve is stronger than your sword, Kuchiki! Hado #58: Orchid Sky!"

Caught completely off guard that Kiyone could cast a level 58 kido spell without an incantation, Rukia was caught in the tunneling tornado blast, and was thrown into the air. Bits of rock and gravel bashed and battered into her everywhere, doing no real damage but definitely scuffing her up a bit. She landed on her side with a painful thud by the entrance on the far side of the stadium, but she was okay. It was clear that Kiyone was trying to put distance between them, and that as long as Rukia looked worse for wear, the pressure of everyone watching would favor Kiyone's resolve.

Rukia leaped to her feet as Kiyone lashed out again, striking her in the knee, but on the following strike Rukia deftly dodged, ignoring the stinging pain. I've endured much worse pain than this, she thought to herself as she ignored the searing discomfort. Kiyone's shikai must have some kind of aftereffect on its target, since the burning sensation she was feeling on her knee was unnaturally strong. The pain in her ankles and shoulder was equally intense.

Kiyone snarled at her. "The scorpion's sting is always laced with poison, Kuchiki, didn't you know?" Kiyone laughed maniacally as she continued her assault.

Kiyone swung again and again, but this time, Rukia applied all of her force and cleaved off the edge of the whip, and then carried her momentum into a spear-point dive that nearly pierced Kiyone through the thigh. Kiyone was quick, but not quick enough to evade completely. Rather than sever the entire leg, Sode no Shirayuki cut a gash into Kiyone's hamstring; causing her to howl in pain.

Rukia backed off for a moment, giving Kiyone a chance to realize that she couldn't fight on one leg. Kiyone was struggling to remain standing, clutching her leg to staunch the bleeding. "Back down, Kotetsu Kiyone. You have lost."

Kiyone's eyes burned with insane rage. "NEVER!" she shouted. "Listen to me, you putrid whore," she continued, "I will not let you take that badge from me! You've taken everything from me! You took Kaien-dono from me, and now you've taken Ukitake-sama from me! I will not let you have that badge! Captain Ukitake loves me! YOU WILL NEVER HAVE HIM!"

Rukia watched with pity as Kiyone's insanity unfolded. She turned her head to look at Captain Ukitake, who had closed his eyes and bowed his head, as though he, too, realized that Kiyone was descending into madness.

"Don't ignore me, Kuchiki!" Rukia's glance was returned to Kiyone as her whip lashed out and cut Rukia on the cheek. "Don't you dare ignore me, you tramp! If you think I'm done, you're sorely mistaken!"

Rukia scowled at Kiyone's stubbornness, but Kiyone regained her stance, perched on her good leg. "You will learn to fear me, Kuchiki," Kiyone grimaced. "I despise you for making me do this, because now they're going to take me away from Ukitake-sama to make me a captain," she threatened.

Rukia raised her eyebrows in surprise. No way. Impossible. Was this an empty threat, or was Kiyone turning out to be more formidable than she expected? It's inconceivable - she can't be that powerful. Kotetsu Kiyone! The bickering kid who used to get drunk with Kotsubaki all the time, before he gave it up? Third seat or not, she wasn't exactly the kind of soldier the Soutaicho relied upon to defend the front line. This had to be an empty threat - Kotetsu Kiyone, mastering....?

Before Rukia could dwell on it further, as Kiyone started swinging her whip in a wide circle above her head. "Masticora's Parade - BANKAI!" Kiyone screamed, jamming the spike at the bottom of her hilt into the ground.

The granite stone tile rumbled, and then began to crack and split as five giant lions - lions with bat wings and scorpion tails - climbed out onto the coliseum floor. Each one was a monstrous six feet tall, even when standing on four legs; and they must have weighed several tons each. Rukia was surrounded and badly outnumbered. Each one was larger than an eighteen-wheeler truck. She was sure she could stop some of them, but five enemies was a lot to face at one time. Rukia was in for trouble.

"Surrender, Kuchiki!"

"I don't surrender to anyone - not to espada, and certainly not to you!" Rukia shouted back, feeling an intensity burning in her hands. Sode no Shirayuki was responding to her - it was that extreme readiness to fight, to crush and to obliterate all that stood in her way. Rukia could no longer hold back. Her reiatsu flared a luminescent white, tinged with indigo, as she gathered strength for the battle to continue.

Quickly, she fired off Hakuren. These days, she no longer needed the long setup time of stabbing the ground; instead, she just pointed and fired while reciting the attack's name. The blast caught one of the masticores, and the two adjacent ones pounced. Rukia anticipated this, following with an immediate Tsukishiro, and the column of ice rose toward the sky. Unfortunately, she miscalculated, and only hit one of the two pouncing beasts. The other slammed into her with incredible force, knocking her loftily twenty feet into the air; and before she could hit the ground one of the other masticores swiped at her with a massive paw, hurling her into the stone wall of the arena. She landed with a thunderous crack, crumpling the wall; and slid to the floor, a thin trail of blood dripping down the wall from where her head slammed into the rock. Onmitsukido soldiers had cleared to the side, but began looking to each other, wondering if Rukia was still conscious.

Fortunately, this was not the first time in the past week she had been slammed into a stone wall. She slowly teetered to her feet, grunting and coughing blood. She could faintly hear Ichigo screaming her name, and looked up to see Yoruichi restraining him. I'm sorry, Ichigo, she thought. Some fights are to protect others, and some fights are to protect our pride. I can't let you save me this time. I need to save myself.

Without hesitation, she ran to the center of the arena. Brandishing her sword, Rukia sliced one of the three remaining masticores right in the mouth, cutting it open sideways from lips to gut. Applying her reiatsu, the force of the blow caused it to explode, but when she landed, she was swiped by one of the remaining two lion-like beasts, taking the blow in the small of her back. The force of it hurled her into the waiting jaws of the second, which was working in synchronization with its partner's tactics. Thinking quickly, Rukia pulled out her scabbard and jammed it into the beast's mouth before it could devour her, and while it struggled, she rolled out of its gaping maw, yanking her scabbard out as she tumbled onto the granite floor, gasping for breath. Rukia realized that if she didn't do something soon, Kiyone was going to kill her.

Kiyone stood proudly in the center of the arena, gazing condescendingly on her opponent. As Rukia strained to stand against the burning sensation left over from Kiyone's shikai, Kiyone folded her arms in mockery, as though she was about to end a training session by scolding her subordinate officer "Admit defeat, Kuchiki!"

Rukia's gaze turned to ice. She placed her left hand over her right elbow in the traditional form, raising her sword in order to hold it parallel to the ground. "Kotetsu Isane," she said, catching the attention of silver-haired vice captain on the podium behind her, "I'm sorry." Rukia raised her voice so that the whole arena could hear her: "Saigo no mai, nisshoku shiro."

Huh? Kiyone wondered. 'Last Dance, White Eclipse'? What the...?

"Bankai," Rukia whispered, but the entire Sereitei heard it - for no one dared to make a sound.

-:-

What kind of crazy power is this? Renji thought. As Rukia's bankai took effect, Renji started gushing reiatsu in order to resist its effects, a task that was surprisingly difficult for the new captain. He could see around him that all of the other captains were able to withstand it, but the vice captains (save for Yachiru) had no chance and would soon run out of spiritual pressure.

It wasn't like Renji wasn't used to immense power levels. Between his former captain, Kuchiki Byakuya, and his often comrade-in-arms, Kurosaki Ichigo, he was no stranger to insane blasts of reiatsu - but from Rukia, it completely surprised him. Her power level wasn't quite on par with Byakuya Taicho, but he certainly debated whether or not he himself could output this kind of power.

Rukia, what happened to you back there in Hueco Mundo? he wondered, gritting his teeth as the battle began to wear him down - and he wasn't even fighting in it.

-:-

Ukitake was astonished - first, as Kotetsu-kun's captain, he thought he knew the extent of her abilities. The fact that she had achieved bankai was surprising, but he couldn't believe she had kept it hidden from him. Even more remarkable was how powerful it was, and how much control Kiyone had over it: to keep control over the minds of five independent entities is extraordinarily difficult. He was amazed that her mental control was so strong, since she was being completely irrational.

Zaraki interrupted his musings to tease him a bit. "Ukitake, what are you doing to the women in your squad? How come you've been taking all the good ones?"

Ukitake didn't answer. He was too busy worrying about the potential implications this would have on his squad. Having a vice captain and third seat who both knew potent bankais was going to stir things up in his squad; and regardless of the outcome, he was going to have one of his two highest-ranking subordinates badly beaten. For him, it was a lose-lose situation. He looked over at his long-time colleague, Unohana Retsu, who caught his gesture and nodded back. Good, he thought. At least maybe neither of them will die.

I hope.

-:-

Ichigo looked up at Rukia over the battlefield, his reiatsu leaking everywhere. Wow, he thought. Just - wow.

-:-

For the first time this afternoon, Kiyone began to wonder if she might have underestimated Kuchiki, just as the sky began to fall dark.

The bright noon sky was darkened as the biggest moon Kiyone had ever seen blocked out the sun in a massive solar eclipse. The fact that her bankai could produce such an effect was intimidating in and of itself, but Kiyone really began doubting her situation when the moon grew larger and larger, turning its initially dark silhouette into a gleaming full moon that was so big it looked like it would swallow the entire coliseum.

As the moon's eerie white surface grew closer and closer to the stadium, Kiyone felt like she was being squeezed. Her joints began to pop as she collapsed to her hands and knees under an unknown weight, as though she had aged ten thousand years and her muscles could no longer support her bones. Straining her neck against an unknown force, she put all her effort into looking up at where Rukia had been standing, only to find her nowhere in sight. Snowflakes began appearing out of thin air, and within a few seconds a thin layer of powder was everywhere. Kiyone could feel ice crystals forming around her as the cold rapidly intensified.

Her Masticora had been completely grounded. She couldn't move any of them - the two remaining ones had crumpled into a pancake, pressed flat against the earth, and neither of them could even so much as open their mouths to roar in agony.

"Kotetsu Kiyone," she heard from that voice somewhere far up above her. "Do you still think your sword can reach me?"

-:-

Renji was still trying to come to grips with what he saw. For years, he and Rukia had been so close that they were like family, but after she had been adopted by the Kuchiki family, they had drifted apart. During their time in Hueco Mundo and the rest of the Winter War, they had somehow managed to rebuild their friendship bit by bit. The fact that Rukia never seemed to really accept her nobility made it easier for him, someone born on the outside, to reestablish their relationship.

Now, though, everything had changed. Flying over thirty feet above Kotetsu Kiyone, Rukia was flapping great white seraph's wings. His long-time comrade's black uniform had changed, radiating the pure white glow of the moon. Rukia's final stage of transformation from Rukongai orphan to shinigami nobility had taken place the moment she walked into the arena, but now - now she looked like an angel. Deep down, he knew she was the same guardian angel he met out in the Rukongai that had saved him countless times - but now, she was no longer that kind of angel.

Now she was an angel of death.

-:-

Rukia waited until Kiyone found the strength to stare up at her. When Kiyone finally did, she had nothing but bitter scorn on her face. "Kotetsu Kiyone," she began explaining, shouting loudly so that the whole arena could hear her. "My bankai repositions the moon closer and closer to the surface of the earth, multiplying the force of gravity over and over. The resulting pressure on the atmosphere is so intense that it causes any water vapor to instantaneously freeze, creating snowflakes in the air."

Kiyone groaned in agony, defiantly straining against the earth's pull, trying to stand.

"You cannot even move, Kotetsu Kiyone," Rukia spat out the words. "Withdraw your challenge!"

Kiyone's reiatsu surged as she struggled to bring herself up from her knees. She had already lost a lot of reiatsu invoking her bankai, but she couldn't back down now. "NEVER!" she shouted. "My resolve is still stronger than your sword, Kuchiki!"

"You forget, Kotetsu Kiyone," Rukia menaced, brandishing Sode no Shirayuki and reflecting the glare of the moon directly in Kiyone's eyes, "that with the added gravity, the swing of my sword will feel like the crushing weight of a mountain."

Rukia folded her wings and began to dive.

-:-

The normally composed Kotetsu Isane was absolutely frantic. Rukia's bankai was so intense she could hardly breathe. Oh my god, oh my god, ohmygod ohmygod, she panicked, Kiyone's gonna die, she's gonna die, shesgonnadie she's so going to die.

Rukia had steadily gained altitude until she dropped like a stone, her deadly white blade cocked and ready to slice as she plummeted like a hawk closing in on its prey. Isane winced when she saw Kiyone's last feeble attempt to raise the hilt of her whip to block Rukia's slash, but when Rukia's blade came down, Isane clamped her eyes shut, afraid that if she watched any longer she would never be able to get the image out of her head. Eyes clenched tight, she heard the clang of blade to steel, followed by Kiyone slamming into the granite floor of the arena with a horrifying, bone-shattering crunch. Opening her eyes in abject terror, she witnessed the gut-wrenching, nightmarish view of blood splattering everywhere. Isane could instantly feel her sister's reiatsu drop to almost nothing. Ksa! Ksa, ksa, ksa, ksa, ksa! she swore, her heart pumping painfully in her throat.

Rukia immediately released her bankai, and as soon as Isane felt the crushing weight melt away, she ran as fast as she could to the center of the arena. What she found was an absolute horror - she could tell that every bone in her sister's body had been pulverized to dust, just by looking at Kiyone-chan's limpid flesh. Isane was astounded but grateful not to reach a corpse, for when she made it to Kiyone's side, she discovered that Rukia had sealed her reiatsu from leaking and had already initiated kido for bone repair. Isane joined her, desperately trying to focus as tears streamed across her face. Please don't die, please don't, please, oh god, please....

Rukia was exhausted - maintaining her bankai took an awful lot out of her - but she put every last ounce of reiatsu she had into the healing spell. She wasn't going to be known as the vice captain who killed her most important subordinate. Captain Unohana, who had released Minazuki, came over to aid in the healing process. It took more than half an hour, but between the three of them, they were able to stabilize Kiyone enough to safely deposit her in the manta ray's mouth. It was only then that she spoke to Isane. "I'm sorry it had to come to that, Kotetsu-san - you know that I didn't want it to."

Isane was unable to speak, but nodded tearfully. Rukia had a sense that, after investing so much effort to help save Kiyone, Isane wouldn't hold it against her.

General Yamamoto raised his hands to calm the crowd, which was on edge, waiting for him to pass judgment. "We have born witness to this shinigami's resolve, that Kuchiki Rukia did not falter in the face of adversity." He looked around, in what could only have been interpreted as a hint of mockery in his voice, added, "Does anyone else wish to challenge her resolve?"

Other than Minazuki's churning stomach, not one sound could be heard in the entire coliseum.

"Very well, then. Arise, 13th Division Vice Captain, Kuchiki Rukia, and don your badge so that all shall know your strength."

The audience once again burst into cheers, applause, and whistles as Sasakibe tied the badge around Rukia's right arm. She bowed and took her place at her captain's side as Yamamoto began the promotions for the seated officer positions, most of whom Rukia did not know. There were no other pending promotions in the 13th division, but she was happy to stand on the podium at least until Yamada Hanataro would be promoted from the 4th Division's seventh seat to the sixth seat, on account of his bravery in Hueco Mundo. Somehow, against all expectations, he actually did something useful there, although Rukia wasn't aware of the details. After a few minutes of standing quietly, she leaned over to Ukitake to get his attention. "Sorry for the ruckus," she teased.

"Yeah, well, Kuchiki-kun, you and Kurosaki never seem to be able to avoid trouble, now can you?"

Rukia chuckled. She was glad Ichigo was there to see the whole thing; maybe now he would stop worrying about her so much. On a more serious note, she knew what had just happened was probably harder for her captain than it had been for her. "I hope you forgive me," she added solemnly.

Ukitake sighed. "You don't need to ask my forgiveness. It's my fault, I should have known something like this might happen."

Somehow, Rukia knew just the right thing to say. "Love is complicated, Ukitake-sama," Rukia offered. "It never resembles the naive tales one reads about in even the best of stories."

Her captain was quick to agree. "Yes," he nodded with a smile. "I guess in hindsight, Lieutenant, we are both extremely fortunate to have acquired that particular piece of wisdom."

Rukia smiled. 'Lieutenant' had a nice ring to it; she could get used to that.

-:-

Ichigo was relieved to finally be on the way back home. The pomp and circumstance had been a nice change, but he was ready to get back home to his warm bed. Rukia invoked their running gag, joking that if she didn't go back to earth, she was going to have to sleep in the closet of her Kuchiki bedroom.

Before the celebratory meal at Byakuya's house the night before, they had to wait for the Kuchiki tailors to provide Rukia with a new shihakusho, and wait for her scarf and sash (which were apparently worth a bazillion boatloads of cash) to be cleaned to pristine perfection. After that, her zanpakutou and its sheath needed to be buffed and polished. The waiting was making him crazy - they certainly weren't going to let him to shmooze with her while Rukia was forced to prance around in her underthings - but he knew that there was no way Byakuya was going to let her join the elaborate dinner in torn, bloody clothes. After practically pulling his hair out, she finally emerged; appearing as if she had never even seen a scratch. Someone must have worked some kido on her wounds, too, he thought; only to realize shortly afterwards that she was probably able to do that part herself.

Once they entered the dining hall, Ichigo was afraid to say one word other than polite niceties for fear of causing trouble - everyone was a bit touchy after today's fireworks - and he felt on edge. The food was fantastic - he would have to rethink his position on visiting Rukia's home every now and then - but he couldn't wait to get out of there. By the time the meal was over, Rukia was clearly exhausted, and Ichigo suggested she go to sleep. Before she accepted his advice, she sent out one of her seated officers to inquire about Kiyone; but when news finally came back that Kiyone was healing nicely in Minazuki's stomach, Rukia breathed a great sigh of relief, and then let out an unexpected yawn. At that point, Ichigo insisted she head off to bed, and without a word, she laid her hand his shoulder for a moment with a warm, affectionate smile, and headed off to bed.

Thankfully, they had both gotten a good night's rest. Ichigo had decided it was wise to stay out of the 13th division barracks, opting instead for an extremely comfortable guest room on the Kuchiki estate. Well rested, Rukia went to see Captain Ukitake for her new orders, and finally it was time to go home. Yoruichi had gone home the night before, so Rukia found Ichigo waiting for her by himself at the senkai gate in his typical pass-the-time pose, with his hands behind his head.

"Hey Rukia," he said as she approached, "what's these new orders that have you coming back to the real world? I've been wondering about that since I got here - I would have assumed that once you became a vice captain, you would need to stay here...?"

"Well, I'll have to return to Soul Society once a week to give my report, but they said something about this crazy captain-class substitute shinigami that seems to attract all kinds of trouble to this otherwise quiet little town called Karakura. General Yamamoto wants to make sure someone from the Gotei 13 keeps an eye on him," she said, only half-teasing.

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo grumbled. The complaint was old hat to him now. "Oi, Rukia," he stuttered, shifting his tone, "I, er, before we had to, uh, get back in our bodies, I just, uh, wanted to tell you that you..."

"Idiot, spit it out!" she grumbled, jabbing him in the ribs. His verbal drivel was driving her crazy. It felt good to jab him again, though. It was like things were back to normal.

"Oof," he muttered, recovering. "I just wanted to say that I, uh, think the new look really suits you. Really, you look... really great." Ugh, he thought. Real smooth, pal.

Ichigo expected her to huff at him, saying something typical like 'of course I look great' or some similar defensive thing she would have normally said, penning his face with a mock goatee or something. To his complete surprise, though, she was not defensive at all. Instead, she gave him that playful smirk he didn't quite understand yet. "Thanks, Ichigo. I'm glad you like it." Her tone was... receptive? Ichigo thought to himself. As if she could get any more confusing nowadays.

Without any further conversation, they went through the gate, detouring through Urahara Shoten so that Rukia could pick up Chappy. Ichigo hoped it would be a quick stop - that artificial soul drove him more crazy than Kon did - but he didn't realize how much worse it could be when they arrived and Chappy was nowhere to be found. That lunatic could be causing all kinds of bunny-flavored mayhem, Ichigo thought. "Hello? Anybody here?" he called out.

Jinta and Ururu opened the sliding door to the room where they had popped in. "Hey, welcome back," Jinta greeted, "Nice outfit, Rukia-san. You look like ol' Byakuya-chan." In a flash, Rukia pulled out a black marker and penned a mustache on Jinta's face.

"You mean you've been stashing that thing in your uniform this entire time!" Ichigo asked.

"Idiot. How else am I supposed to deal with you?" she huffed at him. Ugh, men, she thought. Turning to Ururu, she inquired, "Where's Chappy? I thought I sent her to stay here."

"She was here until yesterday, and then she mentioned something about needed to save someone named 'Bustafa', so we let her go."

Ichigo and Rukia blinked at each other in surprise, and then bolted as fast as they could go to Ichigo's house. "You mean you left Kon with Yuzu!" she yelled at him on the way.

"Do you have any idea how psycho he's been without you around? Damn straight! I couldn't stand him anymore!" he yelled back.

The window was locked with the curtains drawn, so they went in the front door and stormed up the stairs. Karin waved hello nonchalantly as they passed by in a flash, and sighed. Dumb shinigami shenanigans, she thought. Yuzu was puzzled. "Who are you waving to, Oneechan?"

Rukia and Ichigo couldn't hear the rest of the conversation as they charged into Ichigo's room.

"EEEEK!" Chappy squealed. She was straddled across Kon's lap on Ichigo's bed. They were both red-faced and very, very naked.

Rukia was utterly mortified, Ichigo was completely speechless, and both were absolutely livid. "KON!", they yelled, screaming in unison.

Kon raised his hands up in the air in a defensive gesture and sheepishly pointed to Chappy. "It was all her idea, I swear!"

Ichigo and Rukia blinked at each other in complete surprise. They had to admit, Kon didn't really have a way of getting into Ichigo's body so easily, especially since Ichigo had left it with Urahara. "Chappy, is that true?" Rukia asked.

Chappy giggled. "Of course, Wukia! S'Okay, because this is what wuvvers do, and you guys are most definitely in wuv! I learned that fwom TV, isn't that wonderful? Pyon, pyon!"

Before Rukia could muster a response, Ichigo had grabbed the back of her shikusho and was dragging her out of his room. "Ugh. C'mon," he said, slamming the door behind him.

"Ichigo, what the hell do you think you're doing? We have to-"

"What, go back in there and stop them? How do you propose to do that? Jump into our bodies? Or drag them apart while they're buck naked?" he argued. "The least awkward thing to do is leave them alone until they finish whatever it is they're doing and get dressed."

Rukia let out an exasperated sigh and slumped down in front of the door. She knew he was right. She also made a mental note to kill Urahara for giving Chappy access to a television, and then kill him again for not keeping a better eye on Ichigo's body.

Ichigo sat down next to her. He was completely unsure of what to say next, so he put his hands behind his head and yawned for no particular reason.

"Meh," Rukia harrumphed. "Love is complicated," she said, reiterating what she had said to her captain.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know," he agreed. He knew Rukia too well to misunderstand her, so he cast his typical demeanor aside and added with genuine sincerity, "I love you, too, Rukia."

Tentatively, Rukia reached out to hold his hand. It wasn't the kind of thing they did, but under the circumstances, maybe it would finally feel right. Taking his hand gently, she turned and met his puzzled look for a moment, but she broke the gaze quickly and stared off into space in front of her. Perhaps it was one of the few things that she had acquired from Nii-sama, but she couldn't just say how she really felt quite yet.

Ichigo didn't care - he already knew how she felt, anyway. He squeezed her hand to tell her she had no need to say anything. She stole another quick glance at him and smiled. Despite the fact that she just wasn't quite comfortable with everything that was happening that very moment, his warm touch felt like home; and Rukia decided that maybe it was time... hand-holding is pretty innocuous, she figured.

She recalled her meeting with Captain Ukitake that morning. Now that Captain Unohana thought Kiyone had recovered enough to leave Minazuki, she was placed in the 4th division intensive care unit. She was still unconscious, and it would take at least two months for her to recover before she could leave the ICU - but Ukitake didn't care. He refused to leave her bedside; so their meeting this morning was held next to the faintly breathing third-seat. Love really is complicated, she mused.

But in the end, Rukia concluded, no matter how complicated it is, there's nothing more promising.

With that, she leaned her head down on Ichigo's shoulder, and only then did she finally feel like she was home.

-:-

THE END

Author's notes / things to consider in a review:

- The inspiration for this story is that Rukia is my favorite character, and I was tired of her always being the proverbial damsel-in-distress. (After all, that's Orihime's role.) She's always getting saved by either Ichigo or Byakuya. I wanted to write a story where Rukia was a real badass, where she didn't need anybody to clean up after her. So this story was born out from that singular idea.

- In order to get the badass-ery down pat, Rukia needed a seriously nasty bankai. But giving Rukia a bankai at all required some serious justification; as the canonical information in Bleach provides a big power gap between Rukia and other bankai users. She needed some serious training to make it seem plausible, as well as patch up all of the emotional weaknesses that held her back. Based on this, I was able to craft an emotional construct for her that seemed both plausible to digest as well as plausible to overcome. I hope others find the story adequate in this arena - if you opt to review, I'd be very curious to hear if you feel I justified her achievement enough. That being said, from a historical standpoint, Rukia and Renji became shinigami at the same time, and Renji has bankai, so it's not inconceivable that Rukia could learn it as well.

- Once I needed to explore Rukia's emotional weaknesses, I knew I had to do something to help redefine her relationship with Byakuya, where she was never really truly filled in on his actual feelings towards his sister. This scene was very difficult to properly craft, where Byakuya was clear about his message yet avoided saying things directly; since he tends to be emotionally closed. Those of you who are Byakuya fans, if you could tell me how I did with that exchange, I would be quite appreciative.

- Rukia, having an ice/snow zanpakutou, would need to have her bankai diffrentiated from Hitsugaya's in order to justify some crazy power level, since his is supposed to be the most powerful ice zanpakutou in Soul Society. Based on that, I tried to leverage the whole 'white moon' concept that Kubo uses to clarify her role to Ichigo, and the idea of creating snowflakes as a side effect of the bankai's ability gave me a lot to play with. This allowed me to move towards the gravity-based idea, which was born out of trying to figure out how a 73-pound, 4'8" woman could land an ultra-powerful physical blow. I hope people liked my bankai idea - let me know what you think! (Super secret revelation: if you're a physics nut, you will know that Rukia's bankai is scientifically plausible. If you're a real physics nut like I am, you'll know that I'm committing a sin of omission in the previous statement. ;D)

- As noted above, I needed some way to justify a huge increase in power within a short span of time, given Rukia's history; hence the idea that Hougyoku was somehow involved. As should be clear, I deliberately avoided the whole topic of 'when and how did Rukia actually get the Hougyoku stuffed inside her'. This is because Kubo Tite himself has mentioned in an interview that this has yet to be fully revealed; hence out of a desire not to diverge too much from Bleach canon, I opted to bypass it neatly. You may feel that I should have fleshed this out more (I would be curious to hear opinions on this), but remember that I used it as a plot device to further my concepts above rather than revolve the story around that particular piece of Bleach history.

- I wanted Ichigo to be able to see Rukia's bankai, but I wanted it to be her fight. That meant I had to craft a one-on-one battle where Ichigo couldn't interfere, no matter how much he wanted to. It took a variety of different plots that had cycled through my head, each more implausible than the next, but eventually, vying for the vice-captain's badge seemed like a good basis for a plot. Once I had that down, Kiyone was an obvious choice, since her motivations would be reasonably explainable. However, justifying Kiyone as a formidable opponent was pretty hard. I think that I had enough base material to work with to present a reasonable case, especially given the fact that Ikkaku is a 3rd seat who can use bankai; and Tosen could use bankai at an even lower rank. I tried to frame it so that it fit the story. This is one area where reviews would be very helpful - did I do a good job justifying the idea that Kiyone could be a worthwhile antogonist? I sort of hoped that the reader would be underestimated until Kiyone's shikai and bankai were revealed (both of which are of my own device, as Kiyone's zanpakutou is completely unknown as of the time I wrote this).

- Speaking of Kiyone's shikai/bankai, I based my idea on the fact that her outfit looked to me like something that a lion-tamer would wear. I didn't want to make it too obvious a connection, so I used masticores instead; which in the end I think was an excellent fit. Curious to hear what others think here.

- In order to make Kiyone's motivations seem somewhat legitimate, I needed to rope Ukitake's thoughts in a lot more than I had initially expected. Ultimately, I felt good about how I portrayed him, but I know there's a lot of Ukitake fans out there, and I can't say that I got him 'just right' because I haven't really dwelled on him too much before I wrote this story; and Bleach canon gives very little historical insight as to how and why Ukitake puts up with Kiyone and Sentaro. If you're a heavy-duty Ukitake fan, feedback on how I portrayed him would be very, very appreciated.

- In the recent update, I've basically fixed the section separators and done some minor edits to fix typos, grammar issues, poor sentences, and fix some mis-identified kido spells. However, nothing major has changed.

Feedback is most appreciated - especially constructive criticism. Don't hesitate to thrash me if you think it will help me for the next time around. :) However, if you liked it, please pass it along to others so that they can enjoy it, too!

Try out the sequel: "Save Me, Kuchiki" - it only gets better!

Thanks for reading! Cheers! -njx