Chapter 32

Stars blinked in the sky, accompanying the lonely moon.

Cold wind blew, brushing against the grass and leaves, creating a soothing rustle in the night.

Kurosaki Ichigo sighed as he leaned back and looked up. The stars and moon were beautiful, and it's a shame that the busy human life didn't stop and appreciate the night once in a while.

But it's also fine that way. They had their job, and he had his. The life he had to protect was there, and he was doing his job as a substitute Shinigami well enough.

However, his partner was no more.

"I didn't think it would be this lonely without that loud mouth of hers." He muttered to himself, chuckling wryly as his mind recalled a certain petite Shinigami with a sharp mouth, Kuchiki Rukia.

A raven-haired Shinigami that was currently awaiting her punishment in Soul Society. He didn't know what happened at all that night.

That day, after he returned from school, his brother explained everything to him, including the fight that happened. He regretted it. He was angry at himself.

When Shirou tried to save Rukia from being taken back, he was sleeping soundly in his room dreaming about protecting anyone without knowing anything. His brother was injured and he wasn't there to help him.

What a joke.

"Damn it!"

Ichigo hit the floor beneath him in frustration, his fist hurting from the hard concrete.

He didn't know why the Shinigami came, but Shirou was sure Rukia's crime wasn't as serious. His brother had always been right in everything, so he trusted him.

But what about now? He had a bad feeling about something.

The situation was different, and his brother might not always be right.

In the silent night, Ichigo gazed at the sky. He didn't know how long he was looking, but he didn't care. He didn't know what to do, only thinking about the situation and Rukia.

"Ichigo-kun!"

A voice called him.

Turning around, he saw Orihime waving at him. She held a plastic bag, seemingly just returned from shopping. 

It's already evening, and the sun had set a while ago, but the girl didn't seem to be scared of the night or going home alone. Instead, she was smiling brightly like an innocent angel.

If there was something strange, it was the fact she was able to spot him when he was in his Shinigami form. But then, he knew Inoue had somehow awakened her spiritual power.

Based on what hat and clogs told him, it was because she spent quite some time around him, whose reiatsu constantly spilling out of his body.

"Inoue." He greeted back. The orange-haired boy descended down and met his classmate, who was still smiling. "You're returning from shopping?"

"Yep!" Orihime nodded in affirmation, raising the bag in her hand. "My dinner for tonight. I am going to have a delicious bean jam filled bread for my main course, a wasabi-flavored doughnut for my appetizer, and an iced soy-sauce parfait for my dessert!"

Hearing wasabi-flavored doughnuts, Ichigo grimaced, not bothering to comment about the girl's choice of dinner.

"What about you, Ichigo-kun? Are you patrolling around the town for a Hollow?" The girl asked curiously. She looked up to his face, tilting her head slightly in curiosity.

"Yeah, something like that. There are not many of them since Menos Grande appeared, but I still have to do my job. Especially since there is no Shinigami here."

"I see." The girl nodded her head. She then smiled brightly at the orange-haired teen. "Good luck on your patrol, Ichigo-kun! I will pray for your safety. And here, take this bread. You need to eat to fight at full power!"

Ichigo's lips curled into a smile, "Thank you, Inoue."

With that, Ichigo waved goodbye and was about to leave. But then, Orihime's voice stopped him in place.

"Ichigo-kun, you know what?" She began. "The moon is really beautiful today."

Ichigo turned to look at the auburn-haired girl, whose cheek turned slightly red, in confusion, not understanding what the girl was trying to say. However, his attention was quickly diverted to the object the girl mentioned.

He looked at the full moon shining above them, its white light illuminating the dark sky. The moon was bright and mesmerizing, and it's beautiful.

As if mirroring his current situation, alone and confused. Was the path he walked right or wrong? What would happen to him in the future? Would he stay as a Shinigami and deal with these hollows forever?

Irritated, veins popped up in his head. The orange-haired boy grumbled and scratched his head.

"I don't have time to talk about the beauty of the moon. If I don't understand something, then I will just ask. That hat and clogs surely know what's going to happen to Rukia."

Ichigo jumped to the roof and quickly leaped away.

His destination was a candy shop in the town.

When he arrived at the store, he was greeted by a horrifying sight. His brother, who looked healthy earlier, was getting bandaged by Yoruichi. It extended to his whole upper body. And if that was not enough, he looked like he was suffering from some kind of internal bleeding.

"What the- Shirou!" He screamed, "What the heck happened to you?!"

Shirou looked up and noticed Ichigo's presence, he smiled weakly and waved his hand, "Ah, Ichigo. Don't worry about it, it's nothing too serious."

"Getting injured all over your body isn't serious?" He asked in exasperation.

"I will heal with time- Ouch, that hurts, Yoruichi-san."

"Heh, how about this then."

"Ouch ouch ouch! Be gentle with the patient!" He complained to the dark-skinned girl, who was now smiling mischievously.

"If you're a man, take this like one. Besides, I'm not a nurse." She replied with a smug.

Shirou rolled his eyes, but Ichigo kept looking at him worriedly before bursting into anger.

"Hey, answer me! What the heck happened- Ouch!"

A sandal hit Ichigo's head, making him stumble backward. Ichigo growled and looked at the one responsible for it. "What was that for, Hat and Clogs?"

Urahara only smirked, raising his paper fan to cover his mouth, "Well, you should ask yourself for that, Kurosaki-san. Your brother is in the middle of being healed. Don't bother him too much."

"Who's bothering?! I'm worried, damn it!"

"Well then, now that you're here let's get to the business, shall we? I have heard everything from Shirou-kun." Urahara said, cutting Ichigo's retort. "Kuchiki Rukia has been taken back to the Soul Society and is awaiting punishment. I can guarantee you she's safe, but that doesn't mean you can be at peace."

"What do you mean?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed in suspicion. The orange-haired boy didn't trust Urahara at all, especially when he had something to hide behind his fan like that. It's either that he wanted something or he had some kind of scheme.

"Well, I am not sure either. All I have is speculation, and Shirou-kun understands that pretty well. The reason why you two aren't hunted down yet by the Soul Society is that they judged you two aren't a threat for them yet, or they simply have no interest in you two." The shopkeeper replied, looking at Shirou.

The auburn-haired boy was still being bandaged by Yoruichi, but his expression had changed from his normal smile. A serious expression formed on his face.

Urahara then added with a smile, "However, that might change. The fact that they know you exist means that your identity is now exposed to them. You might be targeted next, and I believe Shirou-kun knows this possibility very well. That's why he asked me to spar with him, to train."

"I see, that makes sense." Ichigo rubbed his chin as he pondered the possibility. It's true that the Soul Society knew his existence as a Substitute Shinigami now, which meant he could be targeted in the future.

"And when needed, we might need to save Kuchiki-san." Urahara concluded.

Saving Rukia? That thought never crossed Ichigo's mind.

Shirou had said that her punishment wouldn't be too severe, and he believed him. His brother had the tendency to be right at every situation, no matter how impossible. He always believed it to be a talent of some sort.

However, the current situation made him realize that Shirou wasn't perfect.

"Let's pray that we don't need to worry about that, shall we?" Urahara clapped his hands and smiled at them.

At that moment...

"I am afraid you can't hope for that."

...a new voice spoke from the outside. Everyone turned around and saw a red-haired man with tribal eyebrows standing there, staring at them. Abarai Renji, a Shinigami who came with his Captain to take Rukia.

"What are you doing here?!"

Shirou immediately put on guard, standing up in alert. His spiritual sense was fully active, ready to be used at any moment.

On the other hand, Urahara remained unfazed by the new appearance. His eyes only showed a glimpse of interest in them. He didn't feel threatened in any way.

Ignoring that question, Abarai Renji announced shocking news.

"Rukia's punishment has been decided," he said with a heavy voice. His expression hid sorrow as he recalled the verdict.

Sighing heavily, he continued, "Her punishment is... an execution."

"Now… isn't that interesting?" Urahara muttered, smirking under the shadow of his hat.

***Chapter End***

Renji, I know you're just a tsundere, you bastard!

One thing I'd like to explore is Ichigo's relationship. I want to make it look natural, as much as I could.

I understand not everyone will like it, and I never force you to stay.

I only force you to do one thing.

Give me stones, more development is coming!