412 Bleach: The Cruel Punishment Of Rukia, The Past Of Rukia And Byakuya, Yoruichi Intervenes And The Truth Of Aizen.

(Karakura – Allen's House)

Byakuya's words shattered the fragile harmony that had formed. It was understandable that he would attempt to kill Allen if his life was directly tied to how long Rukia remained imprisoned. The Central 46 likely crafted this punishment to kill three birds with one stone: punish the Shinigami, eliminate the human, and avoid being too harsh on one of the Four Noble Houses.

Killing a human might be considered a crime, but for someone like Byakuya, his punishment would probably amount to nothing more than a simple reprimand.

However, the moment he voiced his intentions, the room was enveloped in an icy, raw silence.

The Chat was furious. The Dolls wanted to kill Byakuya. Even Allen, who usually controlled his emotions well, couldn't help but feel anger. He was typically permissive to a point, but a unilateral death sentence made him reevaluate his goodwill—especially given Rukia's situation.

The reason Rukia was discovered and cornered was because of her brother. If he had at least allowed her to become a lieutenant, perhaps the punishment wouldn't have been so severe. But he hadn't, and now she was going to remain imprisoned as long as Allen was alive... and as if it was a bad joke his solution to this problem was to come and kill Allen.

For a brief moment, Allen even thought that perhaps he shouldn't have shown mercy...

---

(Seireitei)

Within a tower in the Seireitei, a girl sat imprisoned. The room had only a bed and a small table; it was clean but barren.

"..."

Her eyes carried a complicated expression as she looked at the sky through a small window.

A lonely girl gazing out the window...

Her body seemed even smaller and more fragile than it should have. Chains adorned her ankles, preventing her from escaping, though they were ultimately unnecessary. Rukia was confined to a tower, retaining her powers as a lieutenant-level Shinigami. She was still strong, yet she did not attempt to escape.

'Allen will be okay?'

Rukia knew she had no right to ask for anything, but she prayed that her brother wouldn't kill Allen, or all her sacrifices would have been in vain. A faint, weak smile appeared on her face. She had been through so much in her life—from her miserable time in the Rukongai to the loss of her sister, the pressures of the Kuchiki family, the death of her lieutenant, and her failures toward her captain and her brother.

She was consumed with guilt for deceiving her brother and for breaking her oath to the Seireitei. Was there any justification for her actions?

She had thrown away her entire life. Was it worth it?

Rukia shook her head, smiling resignedly. "You'd better live a long life...Fool"

A Shinigami could live for thousands of years, while a human's lifespan typically spanned around eighty. It wasn't an eternity, but it wasn't short either.

One day, she would be free again...

"But it's such a shame... I would have liked to say goodbye... although with his power he will definitely keep his memories when he dies, right?..."

Rukia smiled as she reflected on her own optimism.

...

(Allen's House)

Allen wouldn't have blamed her for deciding to tell the truth. After all, they had only known each other for a week. They hadn't endured enough hardships together to justify her betraying the Soul Society.

Allen slammed the wall, creating a hole. He no longer cared if Byakuya discovered he wasn't a normal human, a Quincy, or something else.

It was a bitterly ironic story, a mockery of himself—a humiliating situation for someone who wandered the world with the ability to change anything.

Allen wasn't usually impulsive. He typically thought things through at least twice before acting. But at this moment, his face showed anger and self-disgust. Why hadn't he been with her? Why did he care so much about avoiding conflict?

If maintaining peaceful relations with the Soul Society meant sacrificing Rukia, then to hell with it!

"So it was true... Rukia lied."

Byakuya's words brought Allen back to reality. However, his expression remained cold and unyielding.

"I can speculate, but who told you...?"

Byakuya was silent for a moment before responding calmly, "Urahara Kisuke."

Allen narrowed his eyes. He'd expected this, but hearing it aloud made him frown.

Why?

Byakuya observed Allen's shifting emotions with tranquility—from calmness to anger, from worry to confusion.

"Allen looked emotionlessly at Byakuya, "If you already know that your sister gave me the powers of a shinigami, I guess you'll go tell everyone as soon as you can."

"..." Byakuya gazed out the window, lost in thought. "I'm not someone who regrets my decisions because I'm not in a position where I can afford that luxury..."

"Is that why you abandoned Rukia?"

Byakuya, typically expressionless, displayed anger, his gaze hardening.

Just as it seemed another fight was about to erupt, a black cat interrupted.

"Let it go, Allen. Byakki might look mature and stoic, but he's easy to provoke."

---

(The Chat)

Gwen: "I can't believe she'd break her facade at a time like this."

Felicia: "Oho, how unexpected~ I thought she'd gotten used to being a house cat~"

MJ: "Heh, look at that. The boldest woman in all of Bleach is tired of being pampered..."

Diana: "It's about time. Watching her act like a real cat was embarrassing."

Kara: "Transformations like that should be banned altogether..."

The girls' words were venomous, which wasn't surprising. Despite her initial reluctance, Yoruichi ended up eating, sleeping, and being pampered by Allen as his pet. Beyond the occasional awkward caress, she'd received far more care than an ordinary girlfriend.

Many of the girls in the Chat and the Dolls often looked down on Yoruichi with disdain whenever she purred or rubbed against Allen like a real cat.

---

Allen smiled wryly. Yoruichi's acting had become so convincing that he sometimes forgot she wasn't actually a cat. More than once, he'd caught himself watching her purr in his lap, needing to remind himself she was a 300-year-old woman.

Byakuya stared at the black cat in disbelief before frowning. "That unpleasant way of addressing me... Have you picked up a distasteful hobby, Shihoin Yoruichi?"

"Haha, don't say that. It's just a... complex situation."

Yoruichi seemed nervous, avoiding eye contact with Allen as if afraid of his reaction. Allen wanted to say many things but held back, letting Yoruichi speak.

Allen and Byakuya had been on the verge of reaching a point of no return, a confrontation where someone would die for real this time. So Yoruichi had no choice but to intervene.

...

Allen took a cup of coffee offered by 2B, who bowed and left.

Beside him, Yoruichi had reverted to her human form and put on clothes before continuing the conversation. Her usually jovial and carefree demeanor was now tense and worried, marked by not-so-subtle glances at Allen.

Byakuya, seated across from Allen, observed Yoruichi's reactions with hidden incredulity. He knew exactly what kind of person Yoruichi was, and this behavior didn't suit her.

Yoruichi's thoughts were bitter. 'Allen must be so angry, right? Yes, he must be furious! After all, I deceived him for months. He grew so attached to Kuro-chan, and now he knows it was all a lie!'

Meanwhile, Allen was equally tense, haunted by the awkward experiences he'd had with Yoruichi. 'Now how do I treat a woman who, at one point, I put a bow and a hat on to take pictures and post online?'

Yoruichi had done things that were normal for a pet but completely inappropriate for a woman, and it was all Allen's fault.

Byakuya coughed to change the atmosphere, which gave both of them a moment of relief. Yoruichi knew that she had momentarily stopped the bloodbath, but she needed to calm both men or the consequences would be devastating.

"Allen... Byakuya comes from one of the four noble families. As you must have realized after interacting with various Shinigami, Soul Society is deeply rooted in many ancient customs, mostly tied to the feudal era of this country."

Allen looked at Yoruichi with a piercing eyes but knew she was right. In ancient times, punishments like hanging and death were common, and it was not unusual for princes and nobles to kill their own families to obtain the throne.

In Central 46, many old goats still think this way, which is why punishments like executions are common in Seireitei.

Taking all that into account, it can be seen that Rukia's punishment was... lenient.

Allen squinted his eyes. "And that's why I should accept it?"

Yoruichi shrugged. She knew that for people in the modern world, many of the practices in Soul Society were unacceptable.

Byakuya gritted his teeth. "Human, don't forget that the human world only exists because of the efforts of Seireitei..."

"Heh," Allen mocked. "The fact that they do something good doesn't justify all their actions..."

Byakuya remembered hearing something similar from the mysterious Quincy. It wasn't that he hadn't considered the possibility that Allen might be that Quincy, but Allen's height, build, voice, appearance, and even the essence of his soul were all different.

Byakuya's reason told him that Allen wasn't that Quincy, but there was still suspicion in his eyes. 'Even if they're not the same person, that man could be his father or brother...'

...

Yoruichi knew this conversation wouldn't conclude without mentioning Hisana. She looked at Byakuya, who instinctively knew what she was about to say, but he didn't interrupt.

"Allen listen carefully," Yoruichi said in a more serious tone.

Rukia was adopted into the Kuchiki family, and her origins were very humble, coming from one of the poor districts of Rukongai. However, what sparked the Kuchiki family's desire to adopt her wasn't goodwill but Kuchiki Hisana, Byakuya's wife and Rukia's older blood sister.

As children, Hisana was separated from Rukia but never stopped searching for her. While Hisana was accepted into a noble family, Rukia suffered in the poor districts.

Yoruichi shook his head in resignation, "Hisana was stubborn, more so than Rukia, even more so than Bya-kun...".

Hisana had a serious illness. She needed rest, but it didn't matter; she had to find her sister.

"Bya-kun spared no expense and used his influence to search for Rukia, but Rukongai is vast; it makes sense since it must house the souls of the dead for thousands of years."

Byakuya lowered his head slightly. His wife's look of sadness and desolation never faded, despite Byakuya using every day to make her happy.

As time passed, Hisana's health worsened to the point where she could no longer get up. Byakuya promised her that he would find Rukia and take care of her.

Byakuya found Rukia when she entered the academy...

Yoruichi teased, "This Siscon (overprotective brother) used his power so Rukia couldn't ascend, because the higher a Shinigami's rank, the more dangerous their missions are."

"Wait!" Allen interrupted. "But what he did hurt her, ruined her captain's plans."

Byakuya, "A human wouldn't understand..."

Allen got upset. Of course, he understood—it was due to Byakuya's noble duty. As the leader of his family, he had responsibilities beyond just being a brother. He carried more than a thousand years of his family's history, many sacrifices, bloodshed, and responsibility.

"Calm down, Allen, this is complicated, but Byakki has his position."

Byakuya got irritated every time Yoruichi called him by a different nickname, but it was normal with that woman—she gave nicknames to everyone. She had no mercy even with the Captain Commander, whom she called "Grampa," or Unohana Yachiru/Retsu, whom she called "Ya-chan" or "Re-chan." However, there were two exceptions—one was her old friend Urahara Kisuke, and the other was this young man.

Byakuya could feel there was a strange relationship between them, one that was both ambiguous and uncomfortable, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

"Shihoin Yoruichi, I don't need you to explain this to me," Byakuya stood up from the table and looked seriously at Allen. "I... had an obligation to Soul Society, and I paid for it by handing over Rukia. I had a promise to Hisana, and I will fulfill it by freeing her... or so I thought."

Yoruichi gave Byakuya a questioning look, as that last part didn't align with the Byakuya she knew.

"Don't look at me like that, Shihoin Yoruichi... His pity..."

"Pity?"

"The tragedy of the Quincy is well known, but the hypocrisy of calling it a tragedy when it was a massacre is one of the things I dislike..."

"..."

"Yesterday, I met a Quincy who questioned the hypocrisy of my actions... but... It doesn't matter if he was right or wrong... I... I just realized that I'm here arguing with the man who stole my sister's heart... because of that pity..."

"Bya-kun..."

"That Quincy had every right to kill me, he had the power to do so... but he didn't. I never questioned the rules of Seireitei, but now I can't help but wonder if, at that moment, someone had stopped for a second before starting a massacre against the Quincy, maybe a future tragedy could have been avoided..."

Byakuya looked at Allen. "I'm bound by my family, but you... Allen Walker... how far would you be willing to go for Rukia..."

There was not the slightest doubt in Allen's response. "I will rescue her from wherever she is even if I have to destroy the Seireitei"

"...!" At that moment, Kuchiki Byakuya's eyes widened in sincere disbelief. It wasn't bragging, or exaggeration, nor words spoken out of emotion. It was a statement of intent after having his mind calm.

Byakuya closed his eyes. If it weren't for that man, he wouldn't have questioned his own ideals. And he wouldn't have even realized that there was value in the man his sister chose.

"I see... then I entrust my sister to you..."

A black butterfly flew from Byakuya to Allen—it was the Jigokuchou. With it, Allen could reach Seireitei without passing through the Dangai.

"I'd rather you help me, honestly..."

"I was seriously injured by that Quincy and won't be able to move for a while. If I did, I'd have to fight you to protect Seireitei..."

"Byakki became Tsundere..."

Allen scoffed, "I still want to hit you..."

"Save my sister first, and we'll see if you're capable..."

...

Aizen set down his tea and stood up to leave through the door. In front of the entrance, Allen was standing silently, staring at him.

"..."

"Aizen, you know who I am."

Allen made it clear with his look and aura that it was not a question but a statement.

"Of course, you're Allen Walker, a legacy relative of Kurosaki Masaki..."

"Shut up or I'll ban you for life!" Allen was furious and had no interest in being polite. "Now answer me..."

"..."

Aizen took off his glasses and combed his hair back while a smile spread across his face.

The jaws of many in the chat dropped to the floor as Aizen's image shifted from scholar to handsome villain.

"It's been a while, Allen."

"It's been a while?! That's what you say after messing up this world?!", a vein in Allen's head exploded. "Domain Expansion!"

Aizen, without losing his smile, did something that shocked everyone. He took his Zanpakuto from its hilt and released all his monstrous Reiatsu. "Bankai..."

===

A/N: 🍷🗿