Warmth wrapped around Muten Natsu's body as he slowly opened his eyes. What came into view was a space strikingly similar to the underground area beneath the Urahara Shop.
He looked down. His lower body was submerged in a hot spring, the wound at his waist and abdomen visibly knitting together. Fresh granulation tissue formed at a speed the eye could follow. Soaked in the water, the new flesh looked slightly pale and tingled faintly.
"Muten," Orihime Inoue's voice rang out, bright with relief. "You're awake!"
"Mm... Orihime..." Muten Natsu turned his head and saw how exhausted she looked. She must have drained her Reiryoku healing him again. "Where is this...?"
"My secret base with Urahara." The black cat Yoruichi stood at the edge of the spring. "You were pushing it. If not for this healing hot spring, who knows how long you would've stayed unconscious."
"There wasn't time. It had to end quickly." Muten Natsu reached out and held Orihime Inoue's hand. "Thank you. That must've been hard on you."
"I'm fine..." Orihime Inoue tried to wave him off, but she clearly didn't want to pull her hand away. She ended up waving her free hand instead. "It was Yoruichi who... brought you here first."
Muten Natsu looked up seriously. "Yoruichi-san, thank you for helping me."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you."
Muten Natsu blinked. "Hm?"
"Oh, right. You still don't know who I am." The black cat's mouth curled slightly, her whiskers twitching. "Then let me show you... my true form."
Smoke billowed up, and within it, the silhouette of the black cat expanded to human size.
"Heh. Surprised?" A woman stepped out of the smoke, with long purple hair, golden eyes, and bronzed skin. "With the way I usually talk, you probably thought I was a man, didn't you?"
Resting her elbows on her knees, Yoruichi crouched by the hot spring, looking expectant. "I've been waiting for this moment, you know. I wanted to see that dumbfounded look on your face when I revealed myself. Hey! Orihime, why are you covering his eyes?!"
Orihime Inoue had both hands clamped over Muten Natsu's eyes, her face bright red. "Yoruichi-san, your clothes! Clothes!"
Cats do not wear clothes.
And since Yoruichi had just transformed from a cat, she was... rather unrestrained.
"Oh. Oops. Sorry, sorry. It's been so long since I wore anything, I completely forgot." Yoruichi quickly pulled on a tight black top and pants, then draped a yellow jacket over herself. "All right, all right. You can let go now."
Only then did Orihime Inoue slowly remove her hands.
Muten Natsu looked at Yoruichi for a long moment.
"...Wow. You actually turned into a girl."
"The way you said that was impressively halfhearted." Yoruichi shot him an annoyed look. "Now that you've seen what I really look like, you should understand why I'm thanking you."
"Hm... huh?"
"My name is Yoruichi Shihōin."
Muten Natsu immediately recalled it. "The Shihōin Clan of the Tenshi Heisōban? One of the Four Great Noble Clans?"
Orihime Inoue poked him lightly. "You helped someone from the Shihōin Clan?"
"Close." Muten Natsu replied calmly. "I killed someone from the Shihōin Clan."
Among the members of Central 46 he had executed, there had been an elder from the Shihōin Clan.
Orihime Inoue fell silent.
"I've wanted to get rid of those old fossils for a long time," Yoruichi Shihōin said, casually patting Muten Natsu on the head. "But as the twenty-second head of the family, if I made a move myself, it would've caused a mess. Luckily, you did it for me. Their deaths did more good than their entire lives ever did."
Muten Natsu frowned slightly. "Then this time..."
"I know you've got questions, but there's something more urgent." Yoruichi Shihōin cut him off. "Rukia's execution has been moved up. It's at noon today."
"Today?" Muten Natsu immediately tried to rise from the hot spring.
"Sit back down." Yoruichi Shihōin pressed him back with a foot. "Relax. Use this and you'll reach the execution grounds in no time."
She tossed him a rope-bound bone claw. "Just channel your Reiatsu into it and you can fly. In Soul Society, this is a one-of-a-kind treasure."
"As expected of the Tenshi Heisōban." Muten Natsu weighed the bone claw in his hand. "Anything else?"
"There's also the Tentōken." Yoruichi Shihōin threw over a cloak tied with cords, bearing the Shihōin Clan crest. "Put this on and you can fly as well. Also a one-of-a-kind treasure in Soul Society."
Muten Natsu stared at her.
"You've got five hours." Yoruichi Shihōin reminded him. "Recover properly. Then think through what you're going to do. I can only hold off the Captain of the Second Division for you."
...
Second Division district.
Crunch. Crunch.
With an irritated grumble, crumbs from a fried pancake scattered onto the floor.
"Ah, what a pain. This is such a pain!" Marechiyo Ōmaeda, the Lieutenant of the Second Division, grumbled around a mouthful of food. Gold chains and bracelets hung from his stout frame, his broad face puffed out as crumbs sprayed when he spoke. "Ryoka breaking in, some bloodthirsty lunatic, murder cases... that's already annoying enough. And now people are arguing about whether the execution should even happen? Times like this are exactly when you need harsh punishment to scare people straight. Besides, it's a decision from above. What's there to argue about? Idiots. Right, Captain?"
Beside him stood a slender female Shinigami.
Her short hair curled slightly upward, tied into ring-shaped braids. A short blade was strapped at the small of her back. Her steps were light, her gaze sharp and cold.
Captain of the Second Division, Commander of the Executive Militia, and Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Suì-Fēng.
"What is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil... I have no interest in any of it." Suì-Fēng's voice was firm and unyielding. "All that matters to me is the duty and pride of a Captain of the Gotei 13. Anyone who stands in my way is an enemy. And enemies must die. That's all."
"Ah..." Marechiyo Ōmaeda scratched at his nose. "Is that so?"
"You as well, Ōmaeda." Suì-Fēng turned her head slightly, her tone sharp. "Do not stand on the wrong side. Remember this. If you obstruct me, you are my enemy too."
"...Understood." Marechiyo Ōmaeda stiffened. "I'll remember." He stuffed another bite of pancake into his mouth to steady himself. "It should be about time, right?"
...
"The time has come."
A household servant knelt outside the door and spoke respectfully.
"Please prepare to depart for the Sōkyoku."
"Mm." Byakuya Kuchiki responded quietly, his gaze drifting toward the pond in the courtyard.
The white stone bridge arched over the water, damp with morning dew, glinting faintly.
Once, a small figure often stood upon that bridge.
She would lean over, watching the koi glide lazily beneath the surface.
And he would watch her.
["Byakuya-sama..."]
Her voice seemed to linger in his ears.
"I'm going," Byakuya Kuchiki said softly to the empty room as he rose.
"Hisana."