Central 46.
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni fixed his gaze on Aizen Sōsuke, who stood above him, yet let no strong reaction show on his face.
"Sages, why have you summoned me?"
"Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. Central 46 has ruled that the criminal Kuchiki Rukia is to be executed tomorrow. Go and make the arrangements at once."
"So soon?"
"Are you questioning our decision?"
"Understood."
With that, Yamamoto turned and walked out of Central 46, ignoring the angry words thrown at his back.
It was exactly the sort of reaction he was supposed to have.
Once Yamamoto had gone, a faint tremor ran through Aizen's body.
After so many years of planning, it was all finally about to come together!
Once he had the Hōgyoku that Urahara Kisuke had hidden inside Rukia's body, he could rise to a higher level of power.
Everything he had done had been in pursuit of that greater height!
...
"Central 46 has decided that Kuchiki Rukia will be executed tomorrow."
Back in the meeting room, Yamamoto announced Central 46's ruling first.
Then his gaze settled on Ichimaru Gin and Hitsugaya Tōshirō.
"Your actions were a serious violation of the Seireitei's laws, and you must answer for them. However, given that the Seireitei is under emergency lockdown, I have decided to hold off on your punishment for now. Let this serve as a warning to you both. Do not make the same mistake again."
Gin gave a faint smile and bowed to Yamamoto.
"Thank you for your mercy, Captain-Commander. I'll keep it in mind, and I won't disappoint you."
Tōshirō, though, caught something off in all this.
Why would Central 46 move up Kuchiki Rukia's execution?
Just because of the Ryoka invasion? That reason felt far too flimsy.
"Captain Hitsugaya? What are you thinking about?"
Komamura noticed that Tōshirō had drifted off and gave him a quick nudge.
"Thank you for your mercy, Captain-Commander."
Snapping back to himself, Tōshirō offered his thanks and hurried out of the meeting room.
A suspicion had taken shape in his mind, and he needed to confirm it right away.
"This meeting is dismissed."
The Captain-Commander was a little annoyed to see Tōshirō leave on his own, but he kept it off his face.
"Unohana, stay a moment."
Unohana Retsu, about to step out, paused.
"Is there something you need, Captain-Commander?"
"Come with me to the tea room. There's something I need to discuss with you in private."
...
While the captains were wrapping up their meeting, Shiba Ganju and Yamada Hanatarō had already slipped into the Senzaikyū and found Rukia.
Ganju recognized her at once as the subordinate his brother Kaien had cared for, and that only strengthened his resolve.
This time around, Kaien hadn't died by Rukia's hand.
For a subordinate his brother had valued so much, Ganju was willing to risk his life to get her out.
"You're telling me you came with Ichigo to save me? Then where is he?"
Learning that Ichigo, Orihime, and the others had broken into the Seireitei for her sake left Rukia more moved than she could put into words.
"Kurosaki-kun ran into Captain Zaraki on the way. He held Kenpachi off by himself so we could get away. We don't know how he's doing now."
Hanatarō filled Rukia in on what had happened.
"What? He fought Captain Zaraki?"
Rukia's heart sank.
Ichigo's odds looked terrible.
Zaraki Kenpachi was a monstrously strong captain. How could Ichigo possibly stand against him?
"What about Ishida, Orihime, and Chad?"
"We got split up when we broke into the Seireitei, so we don't know how they are either."
Where Hanatarō was hesitant, Ganju answered readily, explaining what had happened to their group.
"Rukia, come on, hurry. We need to move before anyone notices. If someone shows up, this gets a lot harder."
...
Rukia and the others made it out of the Senzaikyū, but just as they thought they were in the clear, they walked straight into Kuchiki Byakuya coming the other way.
At the meeting, Byakuya had learned that Rukia's execution had been moved up.
He had come to the Senzaikyū to say a last goodbye to her, never expecting to catch the three of them mid-escape.
"Nii-sama!"
The sight of him filled Rukia with a sinking sense of defeat.
Of course it wouldn't be that easy.
Why did she have to run into Byakuya at the worst possible moment?
Byakuya looked at Rukia in silence, something complicated moving behind his eyes.
Then he spoke slowly.
"Rukia, are you trying to escape?"
"You're Kuchiki Byakuya? Rukia is your wife's beloved little sister, isn't she? Is this how family treats family? Are you really going to let her die?"
Ganju couldn't make sense of it at all.
A member of the Kuchiki family had made one small mistake, so why sentence her to death?
"Who are you?"
"Shiba Ganju, of the Shiba Clan."
"So, the Shiba Clan. How did you get mixed up in this? Breaking a prisoner out is no small crime. If you leave now, I can pretend I never saw you."
"Leave? Not a chance. I already promised my cousin Ichigo I'd help him save Rukia."
"Who?"
"Shiba Ichigo!"
"You're saying Kurosaki Ichigo is your cousin?"
Byakuya went still.
If Kurosaki, or rather Shiba, Ichigo was Ganju's cousin, then didn't that make Ichigo the son of Shiba Isshin?
So why did he go by Kurosaki?
Had Byakuya known from the start that Ichigo was Isshin's son, he never would have tried to kill him in the World of the Living.
Luckily, Ichigo had survived the blow.
And if the truth had come out sooner, none of this would have spiraled so far.
If everyone involved was nobility, then the supposed crime of granting Shinigami powers to an ordinary human wouldn't hold up at all.
Byakuya realized, all at once, that he had made a terrible mistake.
But it was already too late to take any of it back.
Regret and self-reproach welled up in him, though at this point regret was worthless.
"Rukia, Central 46 has moved your execution to tomorrow. Now that the truth is out, I'll go to Central 46 at once and appeal. Whatever it takes, I will protect you."
Byakuya spoke urgently, desperate to make up for what he'd done.
"How did it come to this? They moved the date up? What are those old fools in Central 46 scheming?"
Ganju had never thought much of that lot, and it showed in his voice.
"Rukia, you need to return to the Senzaikyū right now. Escaping is a serious crime. I'll go to Central 46 and plead your case. I will save you, I promise."
Byakuya turned to the other two.
"As for you two, Hanatarō, take Ganju to the Fourth Division and turn yourselves in. Wait for word from me."
"Rukia?"
Ganju looked to her, silently asking whether Byakuya could be trusted.
Rukia was quiet for a moment, then answered.
"Ganju, Hanatarō, I trust Nii-sama. Go to the Fourth Division. I'll wait for news in the Senzaikyū."
Byakuya turned and hurried off.
He had to reach Central 46 as fast as he could and win Rukia a chance to live.
Rukia walked back toward the Senzaikyū alone, in silence.
Hanatarō, meanwhile, led Ganju off to the Fourth Division.
"Do you really think Kuchiki Byakuya can save Rukia?"
Ganju grumbled the whole way. He didn't have much faith in Byakuya.
"I, um, I don't know. But I believe Captain Kuchiki will do everything he can."
Hanatarō didn't dare speak ill of a captain behind his back, so a vague answer was the best he could manage.