Cold… so cold.
Rukia felt as if she had returned to that snowfield from back then—the place where she was separated from her sister.
"Hah…!"
Rukia's eyes snapped open. Sure enough, she was in a world blanketed in white—but it wasn't the snowfield from her memories.
Not far away, amid fine snow drifting down in a gentle curtain, stood a sacred-looking woman wearing a white long-furisode kimono. She had ice-blue eyes and pale lavender hair.
"Who are you?
And where… am I?"
Rukia asked in confusion.
Her last memory was still on the road to find Abarai Renji—being attacked by a group of Shinigami, then being rescued by a woman with golden eyes who felt vaguely familiar.
After that, everything went black.
And when her awareness returned again, it was now.
"Me?
You're not worthy of knowing my true name. But if you insist on calling me something… you may call me Sode no Shirayuki~"
The holy woman turned around and looked at Rukia with gentle warmth.
"Sode no Shirayuki… that's such a beautiful, tender name. It suits your appearance perfectly."
Rukia didn't sense any malice from this stunning woman, so her guard lowered naturally.
Maybe this woman—Sode no Shirayuki—was close to the golden-eyed woman who saved her?
"Aren't you curious about who I really am?"
Sode no Shirayuki reached up and lightly "plucked" a snowflake from the air, pinching it into a blooming ice flower and tucking it into Rukia's hair.
"I'm curious. But I think… if you want to tell me, you will, won't you?"
Rukia resisted at first, but after sensing Sode no Shirayuki's feelings, she accepted the "gift."
The touch was icy against her skin—
yet what seeped into her heart was a warm, steady current.
"Yes. Of course I'll tell you, Rukia… because I'm originally a part of your power.
And when, in the future, you have the chance to become a Shinigami and obtain a Zanpakuto of your own… perhaps you'll feel even closer to what I am~"
Sode no Shirayuki seemed to enjoy adorning Rukia. Seeing Rukia didn't reject her, she shaped a few more ice flowers of different forms and dotted them through Rukia's hair.
"Y-you said… part of my power? And that I'll have a chance to become a Shinigami?"
Rukia almost thought she was dreaming.
It felt too unreal.
In the exam she'd taken with Kira Izuru, she'd been eliminated—judged, like Abarai Renji, to be one of those Rukongai commoners "unqualified" to become Shinigami.
And now someone was telling her not only that she could become a Shinigami…
but that the manifestation of her power would be a woman this beautiful.
How could she not doubt herself?
"Of course. In fact, this space you're in right now—the light snow falling from the sky, everything you see—was formed through my power.
And my power… is the power you will be able to wield~"
Sode no Shirayuki took Rukia's small hand, seemingly unsatisfied with just the small touches she'd already made. She used even more reiatsu (spiritual pressure), gathering more snowflakes in the air—
as if she wanted to make Rukia a brand-new outfit.
Rukia deserves something even more beautiful.
That was Sode no Shirayuki's simplest, most honest thought.
Rukia, meanwhile, let herself be dressed like a doll, her mind half-shut down.
Staring at this space that already felt like a world of ice and snow…
Was this truly a height she could reach one day?
Could she really do all of this in the future?
"B-but then… why did you suddenly appear before me?
Why didn't you ever show yourself before?"
Rukia looked at Sode no Shirayuki and asked, still bewildered.
"If you want to ask that, then you should thank a member of the Kuchiki clan—Kuchiki Kōga. Thanks to his power, your own power was able to meet you early… in this form~"
The one who answered wasn't Sode no Shirayuki.
It was another beautiful, gentle woman who stepped out from the shadows.
"And you are…?"
Rukia swore she didn't recognize this woman either, but she recognized the clothing—an unmistakably noble style. Still, Rukia didn't understand the distinctions between noble houses well enough to tell which one she belonged to.
Fortunately, she didn't need to guess, because the woman introduced herself.
"Hello, Rukia. My name is Kabuma Sayako. You may not have heard of me, but the Kabuma clan is also one of Soul Society's Five Great Noble Houses."
Kabuma Sayako smiled at Rukia—so pure and bright that it effortlessly dismantled Rukia's remaining caution.
Kabuma Sayako-san must be a good person!
And besides, she was from one of the Five Great Noble Houses—and Rukia now counted as someone connected to the Kuchiki clan, another of the Five Great Noble Houses.
Surely the great houses helped each other.
"So Kabuma Sayako-san… were you the one who saved me?
And where am I right now?
Did you notify my sister—Kuchiki Hisana? I'm sure what happened to me would make her worry!"
Now that she felt safe, Rukia poured out all her questions and fears at once.
"Well… I think it's better if you see it yourself."
Kabuma Sayako didn't answer directly. Instead, she produced a device and handed it to Rukia—a newly developed monitoring screen designed to work alongside surveillance bacteria.
In truth, Kurotsuchi Mayuri had already been quietly putting it to use for a long time, but he'd never reported it to the Gotei 13 as official equipment.
So for most ordinary Shinigami, it was a "new" device.
For Rukia, it was even more unfamiliar.
But very quickly, Rukia's excitement was swallowed by something else.
Because inside that screen…
she saw all of Soul Society falling into chaos.
It was like the Zanpakuto manifestation rebellion from not long ago—countless Shinigami being killed or maimed by their own Zanpakuto, collapsing everywhere.
Even the so-called "great villains" of the outer districts, who normally strutted around like kings, were all—without exception—locked in desperate battles against their own "selves."
Screams, wailing, despair—
they were the cheapest emotions in Soul Society right now, because they were everywhere.
"What… is happening?"
Rukia couldn't understand.
Had that seemingly kind Shinigami captain, Higashino Shuuichi, truly gone completely insane?
Had she really misjudged him?
And what did any of this have to do with Kuchiki Kōga?
"Because of your 'death,' Rukia… and because your sister Kuchiki Hisana was attacked… and perhaps because your brother-in-law—the Kuchiki clan head—did nothing…"
Kabuma Sayako's voice stayed gentle, but her words were heavy.
"Kuchiki Kōga exploded. This is the first time he's shown all of Soul Society his true power.
If nothing else changes, then those earlier Zanpakuto manifestation incidents were likely Kuchiki Kōga's doing as well.
And the former Grand Blade-Hunting Chief, Shuuichi-kun… was just the scapegoat."
Just two short statements—
and Rukia nearly felt her head overflow.
What did she mean by… Rukia's "death"?
And Hisana… wasn't she someone who never left the Kuchiki estate? How could she have been attacked?!
The moment Rukia imagined her sister's fragile appearance, fear for her safety seized her.
And what did it mean that her brother-in-law had "done nothing"?
Why would Kuchiki Kōga do something like this?!
So many questions piled up that, for a moment, Rukia didn't even know which one to ask first.
Kabuma Sayako seemed to be quietly waiting for Rukia to start asking—
but she probably didn't expect the first thing Rukia blurted out would be—
"Then… why is my Sode no Shirayuki being so good to me?"
Sode no Shirayuki—who had been completely absorbed in dressing Rukia up, to the point that Rukia now looked like a princess—froze.
The feeling was basically:
Wasn't I already done with my scene? Why am I back on the script?!
"Pfft~"
Kabuma Sayako couldn't help laughing, and Sode no Shirayuki's face flushed red as she lowered her head in awkward embarrassment.
"Is there… something you can't say?"
Rukia clearly still hadn't processed the situation—
including the fact that Sode no Shirayuki had basically buried her face into the generous swell of her own chest.
There was a saying for this: however cool you tried to act earlier, that's how awkward you look now.
"Mm, it's not that it can't be said. It's just… the Sode no Shirayuki you see right now wasn't like this at first."
Kabuma Sayako forced herself to hold back her laughter and explained for Rukia.
"She simply got taught a proper lesson… and then she returned to her 'original' self~"
…Alright.
After hearing that, Rukia realized she probably shouldn't have asked that question.
She'd just made Sode no Shirayuki lose face too badly.
Farther away—somewhere Rukia and the others couldn't see—two men were idly clinking cups, keeping a blonde woman with big wavy hair company while she drank.
"Oho. They're talking about your contribution now, Shūsuke—want to show yourself and collect some credit?
That girl Rukia looks pretty good after being dressed up too. Saving a beauty—what a classic scene."
"Give me a break. If Satomi finds out, I'm dead."
"Then what a shame!"
"There's nothing to be ashamed about."
"Exactly. Ōko, what is it with you always trying to set Shūsuke up?
Is it because you can't beat him, so you're thinking up crooked tricks instead?"
"Rangiku-nee-san, that's way too biased in Shūsuke's favor. Do I look like that kind of guy?"
"You do!"
"…"
"Hahahahaha!"
Unlike the cheerful mood over there, Soul Society at this very moment was enduring the greatest sorrow it had seen in more than a decade.
No one could've imagined it.
Back then, even when the Lord of Hueco Mundo—Baraggan—led an army of Arrancar to invade Soul Society, it still hadn't dealt any truly devastating blow to Soul Society's overall ruling structure. At most, they'd lost some "unimportant" members of the Shiba clan—one of the Five Great Noble Houses.
But this time…
because of a single Shinigami's rebellion, in just half a day, damage great enough to shake the noble strata of Seireitei to the bone had already been inflicted.
"I knew a captain would react quickly… and I knew one would be the first to come stop me.
But I didn't expect that captain would be you, Kyōraku Shunsui."
Kuchiki Kōga held a Zanpakuto still dripping with blood as he stopped in an unremarkable Seireitei alley.
This place was near several noble residences—almost by coincidence, all of them small noble houses fiercely loyal to the Tsunayashiro clan, the kind that had followed Tsunayashiro since over a thousand years ago.
Like the relationship between the Fon clan and the Shihōin clan.
Only… among these small nobles, there wasn't a Shinigami like the current Second Division Captain, Soi Fon.
"You've already killed quite a few nobles, haven't you?
It's time to stop. Otherwise…"
Facing Kōga like this, Kyōraku Shunsui could no longer maintain his usual carefree air.
"Otherwise, you'll stand on the Tsunayashiro side and wipe out the Kuchiki clan completely, right?"
Kōga looked like he'd already predicted those words. He sneered.
"I used to wonder what the Kyōraku clan's stance really was.
Were you sincerely on our Kuchiki side? Or helping the Shihōin? Or the Shiba? Or the Tsunayashiro?
Now I understand.
Kyōraku Shunsui—you don't stand with anyone. The Kyōraku clan wants to imitate the old Kasumiooji clan and become the new Sixth Great Noble House, don't you?"
Kyōraku Shunsui's lips moved slightly, then he released a sigh so faint it was almost inaudible.
In his eyes, Kuchiki Kōga had already gone mad.
Kyōraku didn't yet know why—why Kōga hadn't been this far gone when he left earlier, but had now become like this.
But one thing was obvious:
For the current Kōga, words were useless.
"Think whatever you like.
But Kuchiki Kōga—作为 the Eighth Division Captain of the Gotei 13, I won't allow you to go any further!"
Were Tsunayashiro nobles hateful?
Of course they were.
They bullied the weak and preyed on women, committing evil freely under the banner of being one of the Five Great Noble Houses.
Kyōraku Shunsui had disliked their house for a long time—especially a certain bastard named Tokinada Tsunayashiro.
But even if Tsunayashiro had to be dealt with…
it couldn't be done like this.
As one of the few great houses with real power in Seireitei for over a thousand years, the Tsunayashiro clan's depth was something even Kyōraku couldn't fully gauge.
And more than that—Tsunayashiro was one of the founders of Soul Society itself.
If Tsunayashiro fell, what kind of upheaval would strike Soul Society?
Would it cause the Shinigami's thousand years of effort and sacrifice to collapse into nothing?
The cost was immeasurable.
Yet Kyōraku couldn't speak any of this aloud.
Because the moment he did, a "rebel" label would be slapped onto him so hard he wouldn't survive it—and even his teacher, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, would never forgive him lightly.
Originally, after finding Higashino Shuuichi—an excellent chess piece—Kyōraku could have planned slowly.
But now…
Staring at the Kuchiki Kōga before him, Kyōraku could only hope that Kōga still had even the smallest margin left.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810