Just as Rukia Kuchiki had been avoiding her own feelings, Sode no Shirayuki had also been hiding what was truly in her heart.
The meaning of the Muten Natsu flower on that hairpin was exactly what Rukia Kuchiki wanted to say to Sode no Shirayuki.
You suffered with me and endured every hardship by my side.
It was because you were there that I made it through those painful struggles and gained the strength to hold on to happiness.
So... now that I've finally grasped that happiness, please don't leave me.
Rukia Kuchiki held out her hand to Sode no Shirayuki. "Will you trust me one more time?"
I can do it now.
Let me heal your pain and free you from your sorrow.
"You haven't... changed at all!" Sode no Shirayuki raised her Zanpakutō. "Bankai, Hakka no Togame!"
The long sleeves of Sode no Shirayuki's kimono instantly turned almost transparent, as though they were made entirely of ice crystals.
The next moment, an ethereal snow-white radiance bloomed around her. Warm, iridescent light shimmered within it as a bitter chill completely engulfed Rukia Kuchiki.
Crack.
A crisp shattering sound rang out from within the freezing mist.
Something fell to the ground and shattered into even smaller fragments.
They were black...
A flash of steel cut through the air, slicing across the wrist of Sode no Shirayuki's sword hand.
Her Zanpakutō fell from her grasp.
Sode no Shirayuki stared at Rukia Kuchiki as her figure gradually emerged from the frozen haze. "Ink Fortress... You used Muten's ring."
"No. It's my ring." Frozen black ink continued flaking away in front of Rukia Kuchiki. "It's our ring."
Sode no Shirayuki raised her injured wrist and looked at the wound, from which not a single drop of blood emerged. "You intended to rely on his power from the very beginning?"
"You thought I meant to handle everything alone, and that's why you believed I hadn't changed?" Rukia Kuchiki exhaled a cloud of white mist. "I've lost Muten many times before, but this is the first time I've lost you. Losing you made me realize that even after losing so much, there are still things I can accomplish on my own. But with your help and Muten's, I can accomplish even more."
Working hard by yourself and accepting help from others had never been contradictory.
"My help?" Sode no Shirayuki lifted her gaze. "After everything that's happened, you still think I would help you?"
"You already did." Rukia Kuchiki glanced toward the streak of frost extending diagonally past her side. "Your attack didn't strike me directly. That's why I could withstand it with the power of the Ink Ring. If I'd taken Hakka no Togame head-on, even Ink Fortress wouldn't have been able to block it completely."
Something in Sode no Shirayuki's eyes seemed to melt.
"So that's why you cut my wrist instead of my chest."
"Sode no Shirayuki..." Rukia Kuchiki once again extended her hand.
Sode no Shirayuki pressed her lips together. "Do you still intend to hold on to what you said before?"
"You know me." A faint smile appeared on Rukia Kuchiki's face. "I don't give up that easily."
"Yes. I know." Sode no Shirayuki raised her hand and placed it in Rukia Kuchiki's palm. "I've always known."
Rukia Kuchiki closed her fingers around Sode no Shirayuki's hand.
Then she heard a series of faint cracks.
Fine fractures began spreading across Sode no Shirayuki's body.
"Sode no Shirayuki!" Panic immediately seized Rukia Kuchiki. She tried to hold on to Sode no Shirayuki's hand, but could only watch helplessly as her body gradually disintegrated.
"You know how fragile the body becomes during Bankai. Even the smallest injury can cause the entire body to collapse." The corners of Sode no Shirayuki's lips lifted slightly as her heartbreakingly beautiful smile began to crumble. "Rukia, don't grieve for me..."
Before Rukia Kuchiki's eyes, Sode no Shirayuki dissolved into wind and snow.
At the same time, the Zanpakutō in Rukia Kuchiki's hand snapped in two.
It felt as though a piece of her heart had been torn away. Pain surged up from deep inside her, threatening to swallow Rukia Kuchiki whole.
"Sōten Kisshun! I reject!"
Orihime Inoue hurried forward and released Shun Shun Rikka, attempting to repair Rukia Kuchiki's Zanpakutō.
"Don't be afraid." Muten Natsu supported Rukia Kuchiki's small, ice-cold body. "It can definitely be restored."
Rukia Kuchiki tried to calm herself with a deep breath, but even breathing had become difficult.
"It's all my fault..."
"Don't blame yourself so much. It only broke."
"But if I'd realized sooner... Huh?"
Rukia Kuchiki suddenly realized the voice she had just heard sounded strangely familiar.
She turned her head.
Sode no Shirayuki was standing right beside her.
"Sode no Shirayuki?! How are you... Weren't you... Huh?"
"Didn't I tell you not to be so sad?" Sode no Shirayuki rubbed Rukia Kuchiki's head. "It only broke. Given enough time to recover, it'll return to normal. Though..."
Sode no Shirayuki looked toward Orihime Inoue. A complicated emotion surfaced in her previously sorrowful eyes.
"With Orihime's help, it'll recover a little faster."
Just as Rukia Kuchiki had said, she could accomplish things without anyone else's help.
But with someone else's help, she could do even better.
Overwhelmed by the joy of regaining what she had thought she had lost, Rukia Kuchiki threw her arms around Sode no Shirayuki and refused to let go of her cold body.
"All right." Sode no Shirayuki gently patted Rukia Kuchiki's shoulder. "I've used up quite a lot of strength, so I need to rest for a while. Besides... I'm probably not the one you really want to be hugging right now."
Sode no Shirayuki's figure faded away, faint snowflakes drifting into the broken Zanpakutō.
Rukia Kuchiki finally managed to calm down.
Sode no Shirayuki's disappearance and those final words had filled her with the terrifying feeling that she was about to lose Sode no Shirayuki forever.
Now that she had calmed herself enough to sense things properly, she realized Sode no Shirayuki had simply exhausted her power and temporarily fallen asleep.
Her words, ["Don't grieve for me,"] hadn't been a farewell.
She had meant them literally.
After the fierce battle and the violent swings in her emotions, the moment Rukia Kuchiki relaxed, her legs gave out beneath her.
Muten Natsu caught her immediately, pulling her into his arms and warming her chilled body with his own.
"Muten..." Rukia Kuchiki weakly raised her head and found herself meeting Muten Natsu's gaze.
A blush immediately spread across her slightly pale face.
She'd said it...
She had just revealed everything she had kept hidden.
Rukia Kuchiki's pale fingers unconsciously hooked around Muten Natsu's collar and tightened around the fabric.
How was she supposed to face Muten from now on?
And how was she supposed to act around Orihime...?
Countless questions spun through her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to voice a single one.
"This is for the promise we made earlier."
Muten Natsu lowered his head and kissed Rukia Kuchiki's slightly parted lips.
"Mmm..."
Rukia Kuchiki's large eyes blinked several times before slowly closing.
Right.
When they had parted earlier, she had kissed Muten Natsu.
Neither of them had said anything, but it was an old promise between them.
A promise that they would return safely.
If it was only because of the promise... then it should be fine, right?
When their lips parted, Rukia Kuchiki's violet eyes were dazed and innocent. A lovely flush colored her fair cheeks, and her moist lips remained slightly parted as though she wanted to say something, yet no sound came out.
Now that she had confessed everything to Muten Natsu, Rukia Kuchiki could no longer deceive herself the way she had before.
I love you.
I want to be with you.
But just as Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue had said before, loving someone didn't necessarily mean you had to be with them.
Especially when...
Rukia Kuchiki glanced from the corner of her eye at Orihime Inoue, who was watching them.
Especially when someone was already with Muten Natsu.
Using Orihime Inoue as an excuse to be intimate with Muten Natsu had already been unfair enough.
If she ignored Orihime Inoue's relationship with Muten Natsu and simply indulged in the happiness of being with him herself, that would be going far too far.
Rukia Kuchiki tightened her grip on Muten Natsu's collar and tried to push him away.
But... she was far too weak.
So weak that the strength of her push wasn't even enough to overcome the weight of her own arm.
Instead of pushing him away, the movement looked more like a gentle tug on his collar.
So Muten Natsu lowered his head and kissed Rukia Kuchiki again.
No...
Rukia Kuchiki tried to say something, but her voice was swallowed by Muten Natsu's warm kiss.
Orihime Inoue's gaze felt almost tangible as it rested on her, making Rukia Kuchiki's body stiffen involuntarily.
The previous kiss had been for their promise.
So what was this one supposed to be?
"This is a promise for the future." Muten Natsu placed his hand over Rukia Kuchiki's. "A promise that we'll keep being together from now on."
"N-no..." Rukia Kuchiki struggled to answer. "We can't do this..."
"Huh?" Orihime Inoue leaned closer. "Why not?"
Because of you.
I can't do something that cruel to you.
Rukia Kuchiki instinctively avoided Orihime Inoue's gaze, but a moment later, she forced herself to meet her eyes directly.
"If I'm with him, then I'll be taking away some of the love he has for you. I can't do that."
"But Muten's feelings for me and his feelings for you are different. How would you be taking anything away?" Orihime Inoue tilted her head in confusion. "Rukia, why would you think that?"
That... actually makes a lot of sense.
No!
Rukia Kuchiki shook her head hard, trying to clear her thoughts.
That wasn't the point!
She abruptly glared at Muten Natsu. "What in the world have you been telling Orihime to make her think like this?!"
Muten Natsu looked completely innocent. "Actually, Orihime is more clear-headed about this than either of us."
"Hehe~" Orihime Inoue puffed herself up proudly and laughed happily.
"You're actually laughing..." Rukia Kuchiki sighed.
She refused to let Muten Natsu distract her and went straight to the heart of the matter.
"Muten Natsu, what exactly do you want?"
Hearing Rukia Kuchiki call him by his full name, Orihime Inoue immediately grew serious as well. Together, the two of them stared at Muten Natsu.
Under their combined gaze, Muten Natsu slowly spoke.
"I... never thought about it."
Rukia Kuchiki somehow found a fresh burst of strength. Her violet eyes widened at him.
"You never thought about any of this?!"
"I thought about how to become stronger. I thought about what kinds of enemies I might face. I thought about what hardships might be waiting for me. I thought about being injured, about dying, about disappearing from this world, about losing everything..."
Muten Natsu took both of their hands.
"But the one thing I never imagined was that I could ever be this happy."
Rukia Kuchiki had been about to pull her hand away.
Then she saw how naturally Orihime Inoue clasped Muten Natsu's hand.
Fine.
He could hold hers too.
As she looked into Muten Natsu's eyes, tenderness gradually entered her gaze without her realizing it.
Muten Natsu hadn't always been like this.
Back in Rukongai, for as long as Rukia Kuchiki could remember, Muten Natsu had been the leader among the children.
Unlike most of the children in Inuzuri, who survived like stray dogs, Rukia Kuchiki had never worried about what tomorrow would bring, despite how difficult their lives were.
Because Muten Natsu was there.
He was the smartest of all the children.
Smarter than the adults, even.
Unlike others who survived by hurting people, Muten Natsu had taken Rukia Kuchiki with him and improved their lives by helping others.
More companions.
More drinking water.
A better home.
A better life.
Under Muten Natsu's leadership, more and more children joined them, all working toward the happy life he had envisioned.
And their lives really did become better and better, just as he had imagined.
Then...
They all died.
After entering Seireitei, Muten Natsu no longer had the same bright confidence he once possessed.
Instead of leading everyone toward a better life, he began working hard to become a proper Shinigami and fit into the lives of those around him.
He had great power.
A stable job.
Reliable seniors.
Friends who shared his ideals.
Then...
His friends died.
His seniors died.
His job was gone.
Even Muten Natsu himself nearly died.
After struggling on the boundary between life and death countless times, he survived only after losing almost all of his power.
So when he came to the World of the Living, Muten Natsu stopped wanting anything.
He stopped thinking about anything.
He simply lived one day at a time.
He couldn't forget the past, and he no longer had the strength to imagine a future.
An imagined future was only an imagination.
Reality would only ever give people...
Reality.
"I love the life we have together, but I'm afraid to imagine our future." Muten Natsu took a deep breath, his grip on their hands tightening slightly. "I'm afraid whatever future I imagine will shatter just like all the ones before it, collapsing into something I can't accept but have no choice except to accept."
"It's because I only cared about holding on to the happiness I had in that moment that I let the two of you end up in this situation. It's all my fault. I'll spend the rest of my life making up for that mistake."
Muten Natsu's voice was unwavering.
"So I will never let go. I didn't before... and I won't in the future."
Rukia Kuchiki lightly bit her lower lip.
"Let go..."
Muten Natsu remained firm. "No."
"I said let go."
Rukia Kuchiki smacked his hand.
"You still haven't given Orihime the promised kiss from earlier."
"Oh, right!" Orihime Inoue finally realized it, only to immediately come up with what she thought was an even better idea. "You can kiss while we're holding hands!"
"Orihime, you spoil him far too much. That's going to cause serious problems later."
Rukia Kuchiki pinched Muten Natsu hard.
"And don't think this means you're off the hook. I'm not going to indulge you the way she does."
She paused.
"I'll... keep watching you from now on."