Hisana's Courage  

"Receive guests?" Hisana's face paled at Ailin's words and a flicker of panic crossed her eyes. Having grown up in the Rukongai, she was far from the delicate and innocent girl she appeared to be.

After encountering Byakuya and promising to spend their lives together, she had come to this place she could only dream of before. Yet, the more she learned about Byakuya, the heavier her heart became.

The more noble Byakuya's status, the less likely it seemed that they could be together.

In their conversations, Byakuya had mentioned that as long as they received Uncle Ailin's approval, the other elders of the Kuchiki clan wouldn't object. After all, despite not involving himself in clan affairs, Ailin's strength alone was enough to silence any dissent.

Did Uncle Ailin's words imply that he disapproved of their relationship?

Ailin stood up from the corridor and smiled. "Come, Hisana, let's go inside."

"Alright."

When Byakuya returned with some stools from elsewhere, he found Ailin and Hisana sitting inside the house.

"Uncle, what is the meaning of this?" he asked, frowning slightly. He realized he had been tricked by his uncle.

"Ah, I was just giving Hisana a lesson, letting her know that you're not as clever as you seem. In fact, sometimes you act like a fool," Ailin chuckled. "Sit down."

Byakuya sat beside Hisana, his words easing the tension she had been holding.

"Byakuya, you're a grown man now," Ailin began, tapping his fingers on the table. "I understand what you meant by bringing Hisana to see me today."

His voice turned serious as he continued, "Byakuya, Hisana, do you both understand what you'll face if you choose to marry?"

"Yes, Uncle, I do," Byakuya nodded.

"And what about Hisana? Does she know?"

Byakuya fell silent. Perhaps out of selfishness, he hadn't informed Hisana of certain things that might cause her to leave him.

"That's what I mean, Byakuya. Sometimes you overthink things and end up looking like a fool," Ailin sighed.

"Uncle Ailin, I... I know too," Hisana spoke up, her voice soft but determined.

"I know that Lord Byakuya is a nobleman from one of the Great Noble Houses of Soul Society, while I'm just an ordinary person from the Rukongai. There's a vast difference in our social status... Being with Lord Byakuya will surely face opposition from his family... It will greatly hinder Lord Byakuya's future prospects."

"Pfft..." Ailin couldn't help but laugh.

"Hisana, keep those words within these walls. Don't speak them aloud outside," he waved his hand dismissively, stopping her from continuing. "However, from what you've said, it seems Byakuya hasn't even told you about his true identity, has he?"

"True identity?" Hisana looked confused. "Isn't Lord Byakuya the head of the Kuchiki clan and the Captain of the 6th Division?"

"That's correct," Ailin nodded. "Byakuya is the head of the Kuchiki clan and the Captain of the 6th Division. Perhaps you don't fully grasp the significance of that. Let me put it this way.

The Kuchiki clan is one of the four Great Noble Houses of Soul Society. In terms of social status, only two or three individuals in all of Soul Society can compare to Byakuya.

The Gotei 13 is the strongest military force in Soul Society. Byakuya is the Captain of the 6th Division. In terms of strength, only the captains of the other twelve divisions can rival him.

Both in terms of status and power, Byakuya has reached the pinnacle of Soul Society. The opposition of his clan and his future prospects are trivial matters to him.

In short, if Byakuya truly wishes to marry you, the entire Soul Society, except for me and Haruko, has no right to interfere. Their objections would be nothing more than the barking of dogs."

"Ah..." Hisana covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with shock as she looked at Byakuya.

Having grown up in the Rukongai, she only knew that the adults in Soul Society were either nobles or powerful Shinigami. When she learned that Byakuya was the head of the Kuchiki clan and the Captain of the 6th Division, she assumed the Kuchiki clan was a minor noble house, and the 6th Division captaincy was similar to the leaders of the games they played as children in the Rukongai, perhaps with a group of Shinigami under Byakuya's command.

She never imagined that Byakuya's status was so esteemed. A sense of fear crept into Hisana's heart. Was she truly worthy of standing by the side of such a man?

"Uncle Ailin, I want to be with Hisana," Byakuya declared, sensing Hisana's unease as he held her hand tightly.

"Lord Byakuya..."

"Don't worry, Hisana. Even Uncle Ailin can't stop us."

"Heh..." Ailin almost laughed in exasperation. He had just stated that only he and Haruko had the right to object, and now Byakuya was claiming that even he couldn't stop them.

Was his nephew so eager to undermine him?

"Heh, Byakuya, is this your sense of responsibility as a man?" Ailin scoffed. "If I'm not mistaken, Hisana doesn't possess any reiatsu, does she? Byakuya, you should be well aware of the consequences of living in Soul Society without reiatsu."

Byakuya's body stiffened at Ailin's words, and his grip on Hisana's hand loosened slightly.

That's right, Hisana had no reiatsu. He recalled his aunt, whose weak reiatsu caused her soul to deteriorate even when simply staying by Uncle Ailin's side.

Hisana, with no reiatsu at all, would suffer even more under the immense spiritual pressure of Soul Society. If she remained with him, she might perish within a decade due to her weakening soul.

"But Uncle, Aunt Haruko..."

"Your aunt, at the very least, has some reiatsu," Ailin interrupted. "And do you know what I had to sacrifice to save her?"

His eyes narrowed as he looked at Byakuya. "Without going into detail, I sealed a Zanpakuto far more powerful than Ryūjin Jakka into your aunt's body to stabilize her condition."

"That level of weapon... I've only ever created one... I'm not saying this to boast about my greatness," Ailin continued, "but to let you know that I don't have a second time-anchoring Zanpakuto to save someone else!"

Byakuya was stunned by Ailin's words. In all of Soul Society, there was only one Zanpakuto known as "Ryūjin Jakka" – the Zanpakuto of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, renowned as the oldest and most powerful fire-type Zanpakuto.

Its Shikai alone could unleash flames of six thousand degrees Celsius, rivaling the surface temperature of the sun.

In Bankai, its flames reached temperatures comparable to the sun's core.

It was a Zanpakuto capable of destroying all of Soul Society simply by existing in its released state.

In Byakuya's mind, Ryūjin Jakka was the epitome of power among Zanpakuto.

But what had Uncle Ailin just said? He had created a weapon even more powerful than Ryūjin Jakka?

With Uncle Ailin's strength, Byakuya had no doubt that he was aware of Captain-Commander Yamamoto's power and the might of his Zanpakuto.

Yet, even so, Uncle Ailin claimed to have created a weapon surpassing Ryūjin Jakka.

Byakuya fell silent. It was no wonder Uncle Ailin had been invited by the Royal Guard.

Clearly, his uncle's strength had long surpassed that of Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

But that weapon was now sealed within Aunt Haruko's body, preserving her existence...

Taking a deep breath, Byakuya felt lost. What would he do if Hisana's life withered away within a mere decade because of him?

"Uncle Ailin..."

Just as Byakuya's resolve wavered, Hisana gripped his hand tightly and bowed to Ailin. "Perhaps being with Byakuya will bring hardships I can't even imagine, but please believe me, I will do my best to overcome them."

"Overcome? You say overcome?" Ailin questioned, his voice stern. "Hisana, do you understand that without reiatsu, living in Soul Society will cause your soul to gradually weaken under the immense spiritual pressure, eventually leading to your death within a few years? Even I cannot overcome such a hardship. What makes you think you can?" Ailin was blunt in his assessment of their situation.

"Being with Byakuya... will cause me to die within a few years?" Hisana's body swayed slightly, a flicker of fear in her eyes.

A few years ago, Hisana's parents had brought another child into their impoverished family – a baby girl named Rukia.

Unable to support another mouth to feed, Hisana's parents had planned to abandon Rukia.

Unwilling to let her newborn sister die from neglect, Hisana had taken Rukia and left their home, determined to raise her alone.

However, she had overestimated her capabilities. Even providing for herself was a struggle, let alone caring for a baby sister.