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"It's been a while, Rukia."
The voice, gentle and oddly light in the grim silence of the prison, drifted through the still air, and with it came the appearance of a figure Rukia never expected to see standing in front of her confinement. It was Su Li, his presence so unexpected and his tone so casual that Rukia could barely find her voice as her expression twisted into one of disbelief, confusion, and hesitation, words struggling to form as she looked into a face she barely recognized anymore. He had changed—not just in appearance, but in aura, in the subtle weight of presence that hung around him like a soft mantle of quiet dominance.
She never imagined he would come to visit her, and as she struggled to process his sudden presence, memories flickered faintly in her mind, recalling the old days in the Spiritual Arts Academy when, though they had belonged to the same graduating year, they had not studied in the same class and rarely—if ever—interacted beyond superficial recognition during those chaotic training sessions, especially during the emergency drills surrounding the Menos Grande incident that had disrupted their studies thousands of years ago. There had never been friendship between them, not even passing familiarity, only distant acknowledgement.
So now, seeing him here as a captain, standing alone before her prison cell, Rukia felt an invisible weight settle across her chest as she tried to find reason behind this visit that defied logic or expectation.
"I came on behalf of Captain Ukitake," Su Li said with a faint smile that softened the otherwise grim atmosphere, his tone deliberate yet relaxed, like a man walking through an empty garden instead of standing before a condemned soul. "He's too ill to make the visit himself, and he asked me to bring his regards and apologize for not coming."
The moment Ukitake's name left his lips, Rukia's concern surged past her initial confusion, her eyes immediately narrowing with worry, her voice sharpening as she asked about her captain's condition, clearly pained by the thought of his worsening health. She spoke not out of obligation but from the deep-rooted respect and loyalty she had always held for the man who had protected her, nurtured her, and stood by her even when others remained silent.
Su Li chuckled lightly, his tone neither dismissive nor mocking but somehow reassuring, conveying the kind of quiet confidence one rarely heard from others, and he echoed Ukitake's own stubborn declaration about refusing to die despite his condition, painting the image of a man too persistent to fall simply because his body failed him. That answer, though lacking in details, gave Rukia some measure of comfort, and though her features relaxed slightly, her unease still lingered beneath the surface.
Watching her worry for someone else when she herself stood at the edge of death, Su Li's eyes gleamed faintly with something unreadable—an emotion too swift to name and too complicated to linger on—as he inwardly acknowledged the selflessness she displayed even while confined and condemned. Perhaps that was what made her different, what made her the one piece on the board that mattered beyond measure to those who knew the truth.
"She worries for others, even when caged," he thought, amused, while hiding the faint admiration in his gaze behind a carefully relaxed expression.
"She truly is the one those boys would cross worlds to protect."
Still smiling, Su Li reassured her again that Ukitake remained alive and stubborn, and with those words, some of the lines etched in her face from anxiety faded, her posture straightening as she absorbed the truth. Then, with soft steps that barely made a sound, Rukia moved forward and bowed low, her expression tinged with quiet gratitude not merely for the visit itself but for the willingness of someone like Su Li—a captain, an outsider—to come to this place in person when so many others wouldn't even speak her name aloud.
His rank made the gesture all the more meaningful, yet she couldn't help but wonder why he, of all people, would volunteer.
As if reading her thoughts, Su Li's voice dropped a note, his words quieter yet still carrying clearly across the silence between them, and he confessed that the visit wasn't only out of obligation to Ukitake, but also from his own desire to see her. That admission left Rukia puzzled, her eyes reflecting the disbelief in her heart, as she questioned what motivation he could possibly have, given how little had passed between them before.
However, before Su Li could answer directly, his expression shifted almost imperceptibly, and though his smile remained intact, his eyes sharpened, his perception instantly adjusting as his senses detected a presence moving through the corridors behind him—silent, unseen, devoid of Reiatsu, a figure gliding like smoke without form or voice. That movement, subtle as a breath, alerted him to one truth: someone was watching, someone wearing a black cloak, someone who had no business being there. Within Soul Society, only four black cloaks existed—one in his possession, and the other three under Aizen's control.
That could mean only one thing.
Aizen had sent someone—either himself, Ichimaru Gin, or Tōsen Kaname.
And that someone was here now.
"Looks like they're spying on me," Su Li thought, amused, his mouth curling faintly while his voice remained light.
Instead of revealing anything, he chose to speak in a deliberately casual tone, returning to the topic at hand as if he hadn't just registered an intruder stalking the corridor behind him.
"We might not have shared classes, but we graduated together, and that makes us classmates all the same," he said while casually monitoring the approach of the spy. "Even if we didn't speak much back then, I still thought I should come check on you."
Rukia's expression shifted again as she heard the sincerity behind his words, and she found herself touched by the unexpected consideration, especially when she recalled how few others had come to see her during these long, quiet days. Renji had been her only consistent visitor, and even those closest to her like Hinamori or Kira had stayed away. That it was Su Li who now stood before her, despite their lack of a shared past, made her chest tighten with a mix of shame and gratitude.
"I didn't expect you to come at all," she said softly, her voice laced with reluctant warmth, "and I'm sorry you had to see me like this."
Once again, Su Li gave a short laugh, but behind his expression, his thoughts remained fixated on the figure now just a few steps away behind him. The cloak concealed everything, the Reiatsu still completely muted, but he could feel the edges of its presence against his spiritual sense. It moved with careful precision, like a man trained in perfect stealth.
So, it was Tōsen Kaname.
Su Li smiled faintly.
Aizen really had sent the blind one to do surveillance.
The irony was almost too rich.
But still—Su Li played along, eyes never betraying the shift in his attention.
"You know, Rukia," he said in a louder voice, letting it carry slightly through the hallway, "the Central 46's decision isn't just cruel—it's political theater."
Rukia shook her head slowly, refusing to allow herself the comfort of anger or injustice, and instead blamed herself entirely, her voice low with defeat as she insisted that it was her sin, her burden, and her punishment to bear. Her gaze dulled again, her body visibly smaller in that moment, shrinking under the immense weight of guilt, and she whispered that she was insignificant, that no one would notice if she vanished.
Su Li leaned forward then, his expression darkening with gravity as his tone grew firmer.
"You're wrong," he said, his voice like steel beneath velvet. "You're not insignificant."
That singular statement made her freeze.
"You're important to Soul Society in ways you don't understand yet."
She blinked, clearly caught off guard by the seriousness in his voice, and her posture stiffened as she instinctively stepped closer.
Su Li, eyes glinting with calculation, leaned further in.
"You are…"
He let the moment stretch deliberately.
Behind him, the intruder crept closer, undoubtedly trying to hear every word.
Su Li's voice dipped to a near whisper, just enough to bait the spy into leaning forward for a clearer listen.
"You are…"
And then, with a sudden burst of theatrical energy, Su Li threw his arms open and shouted, "A one-in-a-million Shinigami!"
The echo bounced through the prison, and behind him came the sharp intake of breath as Tōsen flinched, his body brushing slightly against Su Li's hand just as he slipped away into shadow with a speed that would have left most captains blind. Su Li pivoted suddenly, glancing behind him with exaggerated confusion.
"Huh?! Who's there?!"
The cloaked figure vanished instantly, disappearing down the corridor like a whisper carried on the wind.
Only one person in the world moved like that without ever revealing their presence.
Tōsen Kaname.
Su Li almost laughed.
Aizen had gone and sent the blind one to spy.
His audacity really had no limits.
Rukia, meanwhile, stood still, staring in confusion at Su Li's sudden outburst, unable to detect the intruder or sense anything out of place, and from her perspective, Su Li had simply shouted into an empty hallway.
"Were you hallucinating?" she asked cautiously.
"Probably," Su Li replied with a sheepish grin, scratching his head. "Haven't been sleeping well. Maybe I'm losing it."
Though still confused, Rukia found herself thinking back to his earlier words, and despite the bizarre moment, something inside her had shifted. One in a million. He'd said it with such confidence—whether a joke or not, it had planted a small, persistent warmth inside her chest. And for the first time since her sentencing, she didn't feel entirely forgotten.
She bowed again, her movements steady and heartfelt.
"Thank you, Captain Su Li," she said sincerely. "Your words… helped. They really did."
Though a faint sorrow still rested behind her smile, there was something firmer beneath it now—resolve born of something more than resignation.
"It's a shame we never spoke before. Maybe… in another time… we could have been friends."
Su Li, watching her quietly, simply smiled, knowing she had misunderstood his meaning entirely.
"One in a million" wasn't flattery.
It was the truth.
She was the vessel for the Hōgyoku.
But that wasn't something he needed to explain.
"Don't worry, Rukia," he said at last, turning slowly toward the door, his tone impossibly certain. "You'll be fine."
And for reasons she couldn't explain, she believed him.
She had no idea who Su Li truly was—
but she knew he wasn't just anyone.
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