Kōe Shihouin wouldn't allow himself to kill Kuchiki Rukia, and similarly, neither would Kuchiki Byakuya. In Zaraki Kenpachi's eyes, this guy's stubbornness definitely ranked in the top three within the Seireitei.
So, even if he couldn't have a proper fight with Kōe for now, he could use Byakuya for amusement. Kenpachi felt he was winning either way; this trip to Squad 6 was definitely going to be worth it.
However, it seemed something had gone wrong...
"Hey, Ichimaru! Let me go, let me go down and cut her down, cut her down!"
Ichimaru Gin didn't even look at the desperately struggling Zaraki Kenpachi he had bound up. He waved at Byakuya and Kōe in the distance and said with a smile, "Please forgive us, Captain of Squad 6. I'll be taking Kenpachi away now; after all, I don't want to make an enemy out of you!"
"Also, give my regards to your sister."
Kōe watched the disappearing Ichimaru Gin, unsure who that last sentence was directed at, but it was probably meant for him, right?
"What are you still doing here?"
Byakuya's voice came from below. Kōe poked his head down and replied, "I told you earlier, my goal is different from theirs." Then, he slid off the eaves, supporting himself on the railing below, and landed precariously in front of Byakuya. "I'm here to visit my poor little sister."
"As long as you don't give her unrealistic hope, do as you please." Byakuya turned around after speaking, but after taking just one step, he paused and added, "Don't forget your own situation, Kōe Shihouin."
Kōe watched Byakuya walk away without looking back. He had his hand raised, but he didn't know if he should say 'goodbye'. *He probably wouldn't reply, right? Saying goodbye all by myself is a bit stupid!*
After a brief internal struggle, Kōe couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride, not to mention Byakuya had almost strolled out of sight. Going to see Rukia—that was the real business at hand.
"Kōe..." Rukia hadn't expected to see Kōe so soon. Her nose stung, and a warm current was about to well up in her eyes. "Haa... Big Bro, I just fell asleep. You really came at a bad time."
Can anyone face death calmly? Perhaps some can, but Kōe felt that he certainly wasn't among them at this moment.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death were the norm, yet people still feared them like a plague, let alone being sentenced to death so inexplicably.
Suppressing her tears with various excuses, Rukia still hoped someone would save her, right? But for this kind of thing, those with the ability wouldn't do it, and those willing to do it lacked the ability. She had never been selfish; she always silently stood in others' shoes, neglecting herself in the process.
"You'll have plenty of chances to rest later. Talk with me for a bit first!"
"Hey! At a time like this, you're still mocking me!" Rukia pointed at Kōe's utterly unserious face, fuming. "And what's with those glasses? Have you finally gone blind from old age?!"
"These? They're just frames." Kōe poked his finger through the white frames on the bridge of his nose, proving there were no lenses inside. "The others at the Shin'ō Academy said my aura was too brutish, so I should wear glasses to neutralize it. Don't I look much more refined now?"
*As if it had anything to do with his aura,* Rukia silently retorted in her heart. This older brother of hers was inherently approachable, but he always did bizarre things, like teaching his students so hard they ended up in Squad 4...
Although their lives were never in danger, this highly destructive teaching method led to his fierce reputation. Even though the graduates were very grateful to him, thinking back to those blood-soaked days at the academy and associating them with Kōe's smiling face still made them involuntarily shudder.
The Shin'ō Academy had even gradually fabricated a story about him: the former Ninth Generation Kenpachi, Kōe Shihouin, nicknamed the 'Demon'. Once his killing intent was unleashed, he couldn't distinguish friend from foe, and thus he was stripped of the Kenpachi title and left at the academy to wear down his hostility.
There were many other rumors like this, which could roughly be summarized in one sentence: you could use terms like evil spirit, Asura, and so on to describe Kōe Shihouin, but you just couldn't use the word 'human'.
"You look even more like a pervert," Rukia evaluated bluntly. Then, seeing Kōe's bitter, speechless expression, she couldn't help but laugh.
Kōe nearly coughed up blood in exasperation. Couldn't she phrase it a bit more tactfully? Like, 'easygoing on the surface, but one can faintly detect the unusual turbulence within,' or something like that.
"However, I can understand now why you were so strict, Big Bro. It's better to experience some wounds early on; that way, it can save your life."
Rukia's words didn't comfort Kōe. Instead, he turned his head away and muttered to himself, as if sulking, "I don't think you're in any position to say that right now."
"I'm not comforting you, it's the truth!" Rukia waved her hand. She knew Kōe wouldn't blame her, and she changed the subject to tell him about what she had experienced in the World of the Living.
A kid with orange hair who looked exactly like Shiba Kaien, named Kurosaki Ichigo, and the friends around him: Inoue Orihime, Sado Yasutora, and Ishida Uryū.
Kōe could tell that Rukia was very envious of this kind of relationship where they bickered normally but could rely on each other at critical moments. At the same time, she also enjoyed it. Even if she didn't say it out loud, he could feel that she had subconsciously considered herself a part of their group.
"He really is like Lord Kaien. Not just his appearance, but that foolish yet reassuring feeling. If you met him, Big Bro Kōe, you'd probably appreciate him too."
"You're wrong. I've actually always found people like Kaien to be a massive headache," Kōe replied, curling his lips. His eyes darted around, and he quickly changed the subject, asking, "So Kaien and that bad-guy face basically just have different hair colors, right?"
"It seems... you're right!" Rukia mentally pictured Kaien with various hair colors and suddenly couldn't help but laugh out loud.
*Wait, no! How did Big Bro Kōe lead me astray again?!*
Rukia shook her head vigorously, clearing the bizarre faces from her mind, and continued speaking to Kōe. "I want to ask a favor of you, Big Bro Kōe."
"I'll think about it."
"Big Bro!"
"Alright!" Kōe dropped the act, raising his hands in surrender. "Tell me."
"Before I was brought back from the World of the Living, Kurosaki Ichigo was slashed by my brother. Could you help me confirm if he's safe right now?"
*Safe? Anyone else in this world might be in danger, but there's no way anything would happen to that guy!* But he couldn't say that directly to Rukia. Kōe thought for a moment and replied, "I'll ask Ukitake to look into it for me, but his health hasn't been great lately, so you'll need to wait a while."
"Thank you in advance, Big Bro, and please thank Captain Ukitake for me..." Rukia paused for a moment, ultimately deciding to voice the thought lingering in her heart. "Also, once you're able to leave the Shin'ō Academy, could you... could you help me find Lord Kaien, and let... let..."
As Rukia spoke, she slowly lowered her head and turned her back to him. She didn't want Kōe to see her in such an embarrassing state. "...let him come see me, at my grave..."
"I really, really..."
"...miss him so much."