"Ah!"
The originally unconscious Renji No. 1 woke up instantly as Renji No. 2 shoved into him, even letting out a slightly pleasant moan. Then No. 3 shoved No. 2, No. 4 shoved No. 3...
Then Asakura Yoh ended up with a Renji-skewer.
"You bastard, are you ever going to stop?!"
"Disgusting! Don't get so close to me!"
"Don't shove! This is even grosser!"
The bickering Abarai Renjis failed to notice that their silence had been lifted.
Asakura Yoh placed his right hand on the reassembled Zabimaru. The rebar wrapped around his arm receded, retreating into the blade until it returned to its original form.
The arguing Renjis then merged back into a single body.
"Catch."
Asakura Yoh gripped Zabimaru's hilt and tossed it toward Kuchiki Byakuya in the sky.
Zabimaru spun rapidly through the air. Midway, Abarai Renji separated from his Zanpakuto, and both man and blade spiraled toward Byakuya together.
Though puzzled by Yoh's actions, Kuchiki Byakuya reached out and precisely caught the spinning Zabimaru. Renji, however, sailed past him like a windmill.
"Waaaaah—!!"
Just as Renji thought his face was about to become intimate with the pavement, the 'petals' of Senbonzakura converged, forming a cushion that caught him.
Byakuya examined Zabimaru until its Shikai state deactivated, yet he found no sign that it had been tampered with.
Byakuya threw the Zanpakuto down, and it pierced the ground right beside Renji.
"Take it. I do not wish to see any further disgrace brought upon the name of the Gotei 13."
"Yes... my deepest apologies, Captain Kuchiki..."
Renji sheathed his Zanpakuto and gritted his teeth as he responded. Despite his frustration, he had no ground to argue.
The hand gripping the hilt shook, but it wasn't him trembling—it was Zabimaru.
Even without entering a state of Jinzen, he understood. He wasn't the only one feeling humiliated and enraged; Zabimaru felt the same.
"Asakura Yoh, what is the meaning of this?"
Byakuya finally addressed Yoh by name instead of the generic 'human.'
He was asking why Yoh had suddenly deactivated his strange ability and even 'returned' Renji.
"If we keep fighting like this, this street will be totaled."
Yoh jerked his thumb toward the ruined street. Car alarms were blaring everywhere, and many residents had already called the police. Soon, the area would be swarming with officers and onlookers.
"As Soul Reapers, I assume you don't want to cause too much trouble for the human world?"
"Are you threatening us?"
Byakuya asked with a frown.
"Quite the opposite. I'm offering a compromise."
"A compromise?"
"Yeah. You can take Rukia, but—"
Before Yoh could finish, Ichigo's roar erupted.
"What the hell are you saying, Yoh?! Rukia is our friend! If they take her, it's over! Don't you get it?! You had the upper hand just now! Why are you compromising with them?!"
"Sigh..."
Yoh covered his ears in exasperation. Ichigo had many good qualities, but patience wasn't one of them. He never listened.
"I already said that if we keep this up, a lot of innocent people will get hurt."
"But we still can't just let them take Rukia!"
"I know, I know. That's why I'm trying to explain."
Yoh, well-acquainted with Ichigo's stubborn nature, explained patiently.
"Ichigo... Asakura Yoh is right."
Rukia said to Ichigo, her arms crossed and head bowed.
"What are you talking about, Rukia?! They're—"
"You idiot! Can't you see the situation?!"
Rukia roared at Ichigo through gritted teeth.
"Do you really think my brother is only this strong?! He hasn't even used one percent of his power!"
Byakuya's finger twitched imperceptibly.
'That might be a bit of an exaggeration...'
"Besides, do you have any idea how many Soul Reapers are in the Gotei 13?! You couldn't even beat Renji when he wasn't trying. People at his level are a dime a dozen in the Soul Society!"
Renji's mouth and eyebrows twitched violently.
'What was that?! He was a Lieutenant now, a high-ranking officer of the Gotei 13. A dime a dozen? She made him sound like a common stray dog...'
"Furthermore..."
Rukia's voice grew steady, her tone softening.
"I never belonged here to begin with..."
'That's right...'
Rukia gripped her left arm tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the turmoil in her heart.
'This is a place I was destined to leave sooner or later...'
'No matter how many bonds I form, they'll only become chains that bind me...'
'Affection, family, friendship...'
'They really are... nothing but trouble...'
'Emotions like these are unnecessary for a Soul Reaper...'
'This is for the best. No one has to die for me, and I'm just returning to the fate I was always meant for...'
'Really... this is fine...'
'So please, Ichigo... don't do anything else...'
"Rukia..."
Ichigo tried to push himself up, but he couldn't muster an ounce of strength.
"Ichigo, trust Yoh."
Masaki stopped her struggling son. If he kept going, his wounds—which had finally begun to close—would surely tear open again.
"Mom..."
Yoh nodded to Ichigo, signaling him to relax.
"Ichigo, can't you tell yet? These two aren't Rukia's enemies."
"Wha... what?"
"Didn't you hear Rukia call that guy with the weird hairpiece 'Brother'?"
Byakuya's hand instinctively drifted back to his hilt.
"Of course I heard her! That's why I'm even more pissed! What kind of brother drags his own sister back for trial?! Especially when Rukia hasn't done anything wrong!"
"That's from your perspective, isn't it? If every Soul Reaper could just hand out their powers to humans as they pleased, do you think the World of the Living would remain stable for long?"
"That..."
Yoh's question left Ichigo speechless, though his eyes still smoldered with frustration.
"Don't worry. I never said I was actually going to abandon Rukia."