On a street near Kurosaki Clinic, Kurosaki Ichigo faced the Hollow puppeteering his mother. He swallowed his grief and lifted his zanpakutō.
"You bastard. Die."
The Hollow howled in panic, trying to make Masaki speak and halt Ichigo's swing.
Then terror hit it.
It could no longer control Masaki.
The woman it had devoured appeared at Ichigo's side, hands overlapping his on the hilt, cutting with him.
"Do not worry, Ichigo. Mom is right here."
SWISH!
Steel flashed.
The vile Hollow split open.
At the same instant, a shaft of blue light streaked in and struck its back.
THUMP!
The Hollow burst into blue spirit particles and vanished.
Ichigo, lost in his mother's voice, did not notice.
At the same time, on the roof of Kurosaki Clinic, a silver-haired man in glasses, blue eyes cool behind the lenses, lowered a bow of blue light. Gray suit crisp in the night, he watched the dissolution without turning.
"You asked me to come erase that Hollow. That should violate Seireitei's rules, yes?"
Beside him, Kurosaki Isshin stood in a black shihakushō, gaze cold on the fading motes.
"I know. But that Hollow did not deserve cleansing. Oblivion was the only proper end."
When a Hollow is slain by a Soul Reaper, it is purified and returns to the cycle of souls, a pillar of the three worlds. Felled by a Quincy bow, it is erased completely.
"Good. At least you still remember Masaki."
The Quincy snorted, glanced toward the direction Tachibana Yu had gone, and said, "You should thank that human boy. Without him, you might have needed years to find this one."
Isshin nodded slightly. He would repay Yu properly.
He looked at the departing Quincy and smiled faintly. "Thank you, Ryūken."
Ishida Ryūken snorted again. With a single step he disappeared from Isshin's sight.
Isshin did not mind. Ryūken was one of the last Quincies in the living world, formidable, no weaker than Isshin in his captain days. He had also been Masaki's fiancé, until Isshin stole her heart.
After Masaki was killed by a Hollow, Ryūken blamed Isshin for failing to protect her and had not spoken to him in decades.
When Ryūken was gone, Isshin spared a quiet glance for Ichigo, then headed to Urahara Shop.
Urahara Kisuke looked mildly surprised. "Captain Kurosaki, first time you've come to me."
"I need a favor," Isshin said bluntly.
"What kind?" Urahara felt a twinge of foreboding.
Isshin pointed. "Rewrite memories over there. People saw the destruction Yu caused."
Urahara spread his sensing thread.
He saw seven or eight streets like war zones.
Dozens of houses cleaved apart.
Thousands of gigantic gouges crisscrossing the ground.
"..."
Back at Inoue Orihime's home, Kuchiki Rukia drew her zanpakutō and pressed the hilt to Inoue's brother's forehead.
White light bloomed.
Smiling, he waved farewell and faded into the glow, bound for Rukongai in the Soul Society.
"Yu-kun..." Orihime threw herself into Tachibana Yu's arms.
He stroked her hair. "It's alright. Even if your brother is in Soul Society, we will meet again someday."
Rukia shook her head nearby, assuming he was only offering comfort. Death and life are a vast divide. Once a soul goes to Soul Society, reunion is a lifetime away.
Yu thought differently. When they invaded Soul Society, perhaps the siblings could see each other again.
Soon Orihime packed, ready to move to Yu's place.
Face pink, she glanced at Yu carrying bundle after bundle and stammered, "Yu-kun, I am sorry to trouble you. You saved us and now I am making you work."
"Think nothing of it. We are classmates," Yu said with an easy smile.
Her mood dipped a little as she followed his lead.
Rukia lowered her voice at Yu's side. "Do not tell me you plan to have her share your bedroom."
"Of course not."
"But I saw your room before. There was only one bed," Rukia said.
"I was only boarding there. That is not my real home," Yu replied, giving her a strange look.
Rukia blinked. "If you have not gone back for years, your house must be falling apart."
"Not really..."
"..."
"Welcome home, Master."
Near Kurosaki Clinic, two maids in uniforms bowed at the gate of a two-story mansion as the trio arrived.
Rukia gaped, pointing at the luxurious villa. "T-this is your house?"
"Yeah. Bought it five years ago," Yu said, walking in like he owned the place, because he did. He noticed the girls still frozen at the threshold, so he took one by each hand and gently drew them inside.
"You were boarding at the Kurosakis because you had nowhere to live," Rukia muttered.
"Yu-kun, can I really live here?" Orihime whispered.
"Of course," Yu answered her first. Then he looked at Rukia, puzzled. "Why did you think I was broke?"
Rukia fell silent.
Why indeed? Because you were boarding to attend school, obviously.
"But if you have a mansion, why stay at Kurosaki Clinic?" she pressed.
Sadness crossed Yu's face. He waved it off. When he had first sought a place near the clinic, Hollows had visited three nights in a row. He had nearly snapped, and the maids had nearly snapped with him. So he moved into the clinic itself.
Seeing his expression, Rukia and Orihime's imaginations spun up a full-on drama of wealthy households and hidden sorrows. They looked at Yu with unison pity.
"I have a feeling you are both thinking something rude," Yu muttered, then showed Orihime to a lavish room.
"Inoue, you can stay here. If anything feels off, tell the maids and they will buy what you need."
Orihime stared, then flapped her hands. "No, no. It is perfect. I have never stayed in a room this fancy. Thank you, Yu-kun."
It looked like something from a movie, with a vast white bed, vanity, wardrobe, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Rukia inspected the space, satisfied, then patted Yu's shoulder. "I did not expect your place to be this nice. Perfect. Arrange a room for me too. I will live here."
Yu blinked. "You do not want to stay with Ichigo?"
Rukia's tone turned sour. "Why would I live with that guy?"