"Quick, quick! Captain Kuchiki is to be handled by Squad Two and Squad Three! His injuries are critical—set up a purification barrier immediately! Once the eighth stage of surgery is complete, send him straight to the Relief Station!"
Third Seat Iemura of the Fourth Division barked orders with his usual formality, yet sweat rolled down his face. Even he, who had endured countless battlefield emergencies, was shaken by the sight of so many Captains and Vice-Captains battered and barely clinging to life.
"Thank you, Hanatarō," Amamiya Miyako said with a weak smile as he sat propped up by the gentle hands of Yamada Hanatarō. Though Miyako's wounds weren't the most severe, without treatment he would have long since collapsed. The only reason he had endured this far was sheer stubborn willpower.
"D-Don't thank me, Miyako-fukutaichō," Hanatarō replied nervously, lowering his head. "If anything, it's me who owes you. You were the one who pleaded with Captain Unohana on my behalf. I would've faced punishment otherwise. Helping you now… it's only natural."
Miyako chuckled faintly. "Heh, you're too humble, Hanatarō-san. Still, I'm grateful."
The Fourth Division had been fully mobilized; the number of injured was staggering. Even Hanatarō, usually assigned to light-duty healing, was pulled into the heart of the crisis.
Not far away, Rukia stood quietly, her spiritual pressure drained but her body unharmed. She clasped her hands tightly, frustration flashing in her violet eyes. If only I had more strength… I can't help anyone like this…
"Alright! Squad Four and Squad Five, begin treating the human intruders as well," Iemura ordered, his voice tinged with reluctance. "Whatever the case, they are the Soul Society's benefactors this time."
But Inoue Orihime had already rushed forward. The moment her eyes fell on Kurosaki Ichigo's bloodied form, she gasped and sprinted to his side. "Ichigo-kun!" she cried, activating her Shun Shun Rikka without hesitation.
Shun'ō and Ayame shimmered into being, their warm light wrapping Ichigo's body. His wounds closed in an instant, the blood fading as if time itself had been reversed.
At that very moment, Captain Unohana Retsu arrived at the Sōkyoku Hill, descending gracefully on Minazuki's great manta-like form.
"Third Seat Iemura," she said softly, her serene voice commanding immediate attention, "who requires emergency treatment first?"
"Reporting, Captain! Only Captain Kuchiki and the human intruder remain in critical condition!"
"Is that so?" Unohana's gaze drifted toward Ichigo, but her eyes widened slightly.
What she saw was unlike any healing technique she had ever encountered.
Orihime's powers weren't merely mending flesh. The wounds… they were rejecting their very existence. Ichigo's body was being restored to a state as though he had never been injured at all.
Unohana's lips curved in the faintest, unreadable smile. Fascinating… So this is the girl's ability. Truly, it transcends the realm of healing. Perhaps… even the realm of reality itself.
She turned away. "It seems Kurosaki Ichigo requires no assistance from us. Let us attend to Captain Kuchiki."
Nearby, Byakuya Kuchiki stirred faintly under the steady hands of Fourth Division healers. Though his eyes remained hazy, his consciousness flickered back. Every breath was agony. His body was battered to its very limits.
If his spiritual power hadn't been so immense, even his noble endurance wouldn't have saved him.
"Ugh…" His pale lips moved. "Is… that you… Captain Unohana…?"
"Yes," Unohana said, her tone unusually stern. "You've been far too reckless, Kuchiki-taichō."
"…Call… Rukia…" His words were weak, fragmented, his voice on the verge of fading entirely.
Unohana frowned. His current state was hardly suitable for conversation, let alone personal matters. She opened her mouth to rebuke him further, yet… there was something unyielding in Byakuya's tone. Even at death's door, the Kuchiki heir's pride and resolve blazed.
With a small sigh, she relented. "Very well. I will call her."
"Yare yare… even like this, he's as stubborn as ever," Miyako muttered under his breath, watching from the side.
He had faced Byakuya as both rival and ally now, and he knew—behind that cold exterior was a man who carried burdens too heavy for one soul alone.
....
At this moment, Rukia's heart was in turmoil. Her onii-sama, Kuchiki Byakuya, had once upheld the rules so strictly that he was willing to see her executed. Yet now, he had protected her with his very life. The contradiction left Rukia shaken and unable to understand the depth of his thoughts.
"I need to tell you… something," Byakuya said at last, his voice quiet but heavy with resolve. Slowly, he spoke of the past—his wife Hisana, her final wish, the reason he had adopted Rukia into the Kuchiki family, and why he had appeared so cold and distant all these years.
"The Kuchiki Clan stands at the head of the Four Great Noble Houses," Byakuya explained, his tone laced with both helplessness and conviction. "If even the Kuchiki Family cannot abide by the law, then who else in Soul Society would honor it?"
Rukia's chest tightened at his words, understanding both his burden and his pain.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Byakuya-taichō…" Miyako's voice broke the silence as he approached, leaning on Hanatarō for support. His tone, though weary, carried a rare sharpness. "But at the same time… you did. Rules may guide us, but when those rules are twisted by the hands of the corrupt, following them blindly only brings tragedy."
Byakuya's gaze flickered toward him. He remembered the times Ukitake and even Miyako himself had urged him to look deeper, but bound by Hisana's dying wish and his own pride, he had turned away.
"Is that so…" Byakuya murmured. His eyes softened as he turned to his adopted sister. "Rukia… you have good people around you. A Captain and Vice-Captain who care for you. Comrades who would risk their lives for your sake." His lips curved faintly, the smallest shadow of a smile. "I am grateful… Ukitake, Miyako, Kurosaki Ichigo, Renji."
He paused, his strength fading. "…And I am sorry, Rukia."
With that, Byakuya's eyes closed, his body finally succumbing to his injuries.
"Onii-sama!" Rukia cried, clutching his hand tightly. Tears welled in her eyes as the truth of his actions finally sank into her heart.
The others stood in silence, the weight of Byakuya's struggle now clear to all.
If every noble of Soul Society carried such honor as Kuchiki Byakuya, Miyako thought bitterly, we wouldn't be plagued by so many rotten schemes. His thoughts drifted darkly to Tokinada Tsunayashiro and the poisonous legacy of his family.
A familiar presence approached, calm but carrying its own weight. Ishida Uryū stepped closer to Miyako, his sharp eyes fixed on him.
"Yo, Uryū," Miyako greeted with a faint smile, showing no hesitation in addressing him by name. He was used to calling Uryū's father simply "Ishida," so it felt only natural.
"Oi, don't act so familiar," Uryū frowned, pushing up his glasses. "You know why I came to see you, right?"
"Yeah, I figured," Miyako replied with a casual shrug. "After using that power, I knew exactly what you'd want to ask. But… this isn't the time or place. We'll talk later, just the two of us."
"…Fine. Where can I find you?"
Instead of answering directly, Miyako glanced at Hanatarō. "Oi, Hanatarō. Where are we heading next?"
Hanatarō blinked, realizing Miyako was using him to relay the answer. "Vice-Captain Amamiya, your injuries still haven't fully healed. The Fourth Division's General Relief Station will be the best place for further treatment."
Miyako nodded. "You heard him, Uryū. That's where I'll be. And Ichigo too—he'll need treatment after all that fighting. We can settle this there."
"…I understand," Uryū replied curtly. Adjusting his glasses once more, he turned and walked back toward Orihime and the others.
Miyako exhaled quietly. Yare yare… things are only going to get more complicated from here.
He already knew what awaited him. When he revealed his Quincy powers in the heat of battle, he had also accepted the consequences. It wasn't just Uryū who would notice. Sooner or later, the shadow of the Wandenreich would take notice as well.
And when that happened, the fragile peace of Soul Society would once again tremble.