#kaien-dono

[aurora-313]

Thank you for the tag @fangirlfindings !

Sorry I'm late with the tag, friend. Been a bit busy the last week or so!

Another unpublished story draft from my Shiba Ichigo AU.

"About damn time we found them... Kaien," Ichigo hails, lifting a hand in greeting as they breach the forest line into the clearing where members of the 10th and 13th have rallied. There, Rukia's spirits lifted to find her lieutenant and other members of their joint expedition had been trading words. "I found one of your strays." Stray? Rukia bristles. This irritating man is just so... ugh! He's pushy, bossy and so incredibly rude. Utterly insufferable! "Glad to see it." Kaien returns, wearing that carefree smile. "I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to our little Rukia-chan here." She bows her head respectfully. "I'm deeply sorry for any trouble I caused, Kaien-dono." "Don't sweat it, Kuchiki. It happens." Kaien returns, with that easy grin that warms Rukia up inside. She nods demurely. Then Kaien turns his attention to Ichigo, producing something from his belt. "Oh, and Ichigo? I'm not your mother. Please stop making me pick up after you." Kaien hands him back a slashed wooden badge of office and Rukia's stomach drops like a stone. The bold daffodil insignia stands out in black on the carved surface. Mortified, Rukia realises she just spent the last half an hour mouthing off at the 10th Division Lieutenant. If the ground could open up and swallow her whole right now, that'd be dandy, thanks.

Already tagged a set once so whomever wants to do it is so tagged.

[ariadnekurosaki]

⭐

Ahh, let's talk about Lessons, aka "(almost) nothing hurts and nobody dies".

Originally, chapter 3 was very, very different. It started with Rukia having dinner with the Shiba family, instead of a party, with rather a lot of banter and teasing - some of it at Kaien's expense.

“Kyou!” Masaki sighs. “Shiba men are so messy.” She slants a look at Rukia and winks. “Ichigo is an exception, of course. He takes after me that way.” “Hey!” Kaien protests. Karin and Yuzu giggle, and Kūkaku snorts. “I had to dig through five layers of paperwork to find a transfer form on your desk this morning,” Miyako says flatly. Rukia laughs. “It’s true, Kaien-dono, you do have a lot of paperwork on your desk.” “Even Kuchiki is against me!” he laments dramatically, lowering his head to Miyako’s shoulder and wrapping his arms around her, just above the growing curve of her stomach.

I decided that it was too close to the previous chapter, and after some freaking out in the IR basement, swapped in the Okuizome ceremony instead. It also served as a nice opportunity to show the stark contrast between Rukia when she's trying to be a proper noble and avoid disappointing Byakuya, and her real personality when she's not around him.

Similarly, the "confrontation" in Rukia's sickroom originally happened at the Fourth, with Ichigo chasing her spirit ribbon there, terrorizing some unfortunate squad members, and freaking out before Unohana told him to cool it.

I still have plans to write a fourth chapter in this story that addresses the unanswered questions around Masaki and Zangetsu, plus what everyone else thinks of Ichigo and Rukia's wedding, given how scandalously young they are. Will they get hitched without a hitch? Will Zangetsu and Sode no Shirayuki get up to more shenanigans? Will Renji eat his weight in fried chicken to console himself? We'll see what I come up with...

I do know, though, that there will be at least one scene where Byakuya and Kaien face off during the marriage negotiations. 🤭

[dedahblog]

Ichigo/Rukia moment in WDKALYnovel is too funny

I said in my previous post that Ichigo/Rukia didn't meet in the post canon novel but actually they did. However, their interaction was too hilarious to be taken seriously

The said scene :

***********

"This one's from me, and this is from my old man"

Sado's, Ichigo's and Isshin's gifts were given to Ren*ji.

"Even Kurosaki dono !?"

At a surprised Rukia, Ichigo said

"When Kaien died, he really wanted to cheer you up. He regretted it so much at the time. So he wish you to be the happiest a person could be"

Isshin is Shiba Kaien's uncle.

He was the captain of squad 10 around the time of Kaien's death. That his beloved nephew had passed away, it was naturally a shock, he had heard from Ukitake about the details and circumstances leading to his death, he thought that Rukia needed help the most, he visited her squad many times. However, when he saw so much pain in her face, he found it impossible to talk to her no matter what.

"I see"

Rukia thinks about herself from those days : how she ended Kaien's life, how she was closing her heart. She wanted to tell herself, "Many people care for you and keep you in their many thoughts."

*************

My version of behind the scenes

Isshin : Ichigo ! Here's my gift for Rukia chan!

Ichigo : Wait a damn minute. You regained your powers right ?

Isshin : That's right !

Ichigo : SS is aware you exist. You helped me regain my powers, came during the quincy war with Ishida's father and you were deceived by Aizen, number 1 SS traitor, right?

Isshin : Yep !

Ichigo : Then, why don't you come and give her your gift yourself ? It's not like Karin and Yuzu are too young and need to be babysitted.

Isshin : Actually, I want you to give her a present to remind her of Kaien, her previous mentor.

Ichigo : I smell something fishy. What's with that smug face ?

Isshin : Did I ever do something fishy ? Take this with you too !

...

Ichigo : So, my old man asked me to read you this letter because for some reasons he didn't want to come and he thought I should do this so :

"Rukia chan. This is your happy day. So let me remind you of your trauma trigger!!

Remember Kaien ! What a great person he was !! A guy who swore to always be by your side as long as you are in the 13th division. While those two guys standing there had to live a near death experience by a 15 year old punk to be convinced not to let you die.

I wonder who other than Kaien didn't need any external factor to be there for you ( hint he's the one who looks suspiciously like him)

Anyway, the point is I never hold you accountable for killing him. I always wanted to cheer you up for over 40 years but I couldn't find the right occasion. The same reasons I couldn't cheer you up today too.

I guess orange-haired Kaien is here to do it instead of me. hahaha just kidding"

Rukia : I am so happy !! There are people who care about me !! Kurosaki dono couldn't even wait for any other day other than my wedding day to tell me that he was okay with me killing his nephew. He's keeping me in his thoughts so much that he couldn't even care to come **sobbing**

...

Matsubara ...

Kub0 : That was awful ! Good job Matsubara san !!

Matsubara : ... You know this is the last time I'll ever write a novel for any of your manga, right ?

[uraharashouten]

the post about tessai using honorifics made me think of something. please note i am not nearly as educated on him as you guys. but i was thinking, as a kidou master, and probably THE kidou teacher back in the day(?), maybe he was quite used to training the kids of the elite? youngsters of noble clans or what not?

i know he wasn't really a teacher like ukitake or unohana would have been, since he was only the head of the kidou corps. but i believe that it wouldn't be too absurd to assume that noble families "hire" someone as professional as tessai to train their offspring kidou rather than letting them go to the shino-classes with "ordinary shinigami".

maybe this is why he's just so used to saying "-dono"

what do you think :O

So, first of  all, credit where it’s due to Dee ( @thepyrotechnicshiba , @more-than-a-kido-master), the author of the meta post to which you’re referring. I have made a post on Tessai and honorifics before, in which I also quoted Dee’s thoughts that -dono could have been Tessai’s method of egalitarianism. He addresses everyone with -dono, just as Kisuke addresses everyone with -san, just as Yoruichi uses no honorifics. In a sense, they all have their own ways of putting everyone on equal footing.

But as far as when he first began to cultivate the habit, I absolutely agree that he could have been a private tutor to noble families, and that is in fact how I believe he met Yoruichi and Kisuke. I also believe that he’s not much older than they are, so Tessai teaching them as children and adolescents would have been like hiriing a high school or college-age tutor for your children. It’s even possible they were his first students... though it’s interesting to wonder whether he’s old enough to have had Kaien and Kuukaku as students (as I imagine them a little older). In that context, him being young himself, it would have been appropriate for him to be so polite and deferential. But other than Kaien, Kuukaku, and Yorucihi.... there were no other Great Noble children of that generation, or we would know.

Just as an aside, I don’t imagine there were ever many noble or even lesser noble children around at any one time. This is a whole topic unto itself, but I’ll just say my headcanon there is that it takes a lot of reii to produce a whole new soul, and evidence would suggest that shinigami who are able to bear children tend to space them out. Look at how much younger Ganju is than Kuukaku, or  Yuushirou is than Yorucihi. But given the amount of time between the early 1600s, when I imagine he would have taught Kisuke and Yoruichi, and 1900, when canon introduces him as Kidō Corps Commander, it’s certainly possible that he could occasionally have served as private tutor to lesser noble children throughout the centuries. 

Personally, I like to believe that the -dono habit formed early, and simply stuck as an affectation..

[actuallysaiyan]

Bleach got me feeling so many things??

Kaien-dono is fucking hot!

[ninguisinferna]

'are you feeling okay?'

The tragedy which occurred in her life-- better said the actions that made her a murderer. A murderer of someone she admired so much, someone who was there for her, someone who was more of a brother than Byakuya ever could (or so it was back then), someone who stood for her, someone who made her move... Kaien-dono she slayed.

The sound of her zanpakuto cutting through the flesh... blood on her cheeks, her forehead, her hands... It haunted her for months after the event she could have never imagined to happen-- and despite that, she acted as if nothing happened, merely doing her duties during the day, giving soft smiles... But nights were spent in torment of her own- the struggle to accept she has done a right thing, the images replaying themselves over and over again as her tears rolled down her cheeks. She had no power to blubber nor whimper either. It was another sleepless night, she's supposed to be up but the body-- or the brain refused to move the tired body until a familiar face appeared...

"Captain Ukitake!"

Rukia said as she quickly got up and bowed down, changing her expression even faster.

"I'm terribly sorry, Captain Ukitake, sir! I know I'm la—"

The question struck her out of nowhere. By no means she could allow herself to be another person's burden especially not Captain Ukitake.

"You don't need to worry, Captain Ukitake! I'm absolutely okay!"

[stephanericherthanyou]

Ch251-275

Ch251: Baron’s Lecture 1st Period

i am glad for the translation note “wind as in to wind something up”

Ch252: Rebut to the Baron’s Lecture

Ch253: Don’t Call Me Nino

The pacing has gotten a little sluggish here...or maybe because i’m anticipating nel fighting...well she didn’t in this one....idr when

Ch254: Deja Chocolate Aqui (Leave the Chocolate Here)

nnnn don panini ichigo pls

“once you’ve stood at the top, you cannot forget the view” man he just wanted aizen-dono to notice him

Ch255: Don’t Breathe in the Bush

ooh uryuu is fighting cirucci first and szayel is doing his evil science. ok

Ch256: Infinite Slick

irl lol

“he remembers my name! he must be crushing on me!” pls

Ch257: The Birdhunter

ah the swordbow

Ch258: Seele Schneider

uryuu...ur monologuing....i wonder where he got that from? ryuuken and kanae do not talk that much, neither does souken....mayhaps he wanted to fill up the empty air

AND ANOTHER KUBO PANEL

Ch259: Flicker Flames

it’s just.....repetitive to have them all learn the same lesson not to hold back. maybe that’s why the pacing feels off. the fights are longer and they aren’t adding much. was kubo spinning his wheels or what.

well i see it’s a bit of a diff flavor with chad

Ch260: Right Arm of the Giant 2

part 1 was all the way back in ch39...that’s when he met up with karin in the park right?

dragula.....

Ch261: Left Arm of the Devil

These deep wounds, / are like the ocean’s depths / These crimson sins, / become colorless with death

Ch262: Unblendable

the eyelashes....

when death takes of the mask.....

i think this is around where i started following in close to? real time

Ch263: Unexpected

oooo chad’s blood

jesus aaroniero

Ch264: Don’t Say That Name Again

holy shit he’s really striking deep within her huh

oh it’s szayel!

Ch265: Bang the Bore

this chapter cover used to be my desktop background....first year of college...

“i’m glad that you repeated it as confirmation” SZAYEL PLS

le trash king!!111

Ch266: Hide Away From the Sun

Ch267: Legions of the Reglets

well damn

Ch268: You Shall Not Die

in which rukia has imposter syndrome

live your best life kubo

“what’s inside you is indeed kaien-dono’s spirit body...but kaien-dono is not in there...kaien-dono...left his heart with me...!”

Ch269: The End is Near

“I know what it means to be alone. The loneliness of being a captive, the happiness when I was saved by my nakama, and the horror of all the pain they underwent in order to save me.” RUKIAAAAA

“you talk too fuckin’ much” i wonder how much of the swearing--grimmjow’s and renji’s in particular--is from edgelord scanlators and how much was originally in there. bc wasn’t this the age of edgelord translations....

Ch270: Warning

holysht ulquiorra fucken grabbing it....

Ch271: If You Rise From The Ashes

four is death, after all

again impaled on the hand.....sexc

Ch272: Don’t Kill My Voluptue

wrow uryuu the knight in shining uh, robes

Ch273: Dog Eat Dog

so that’s the sense of justice for a violent guy like that

i was gonna link to the ‘szayel says quincy 10 hours’ on yt but they took it down :(((((((((((( anyway, this moment huh

Ch274: The Monster

orihime finally snaps good for her

well i ship renji/uryuu now

true love <3<3

Ch275: United Front 2 Red and White

OG united front was one of those ‘aizen revealing his plan’ chaps that i took no specific notes on apparently...too bad. i’ll get back to it at some point and do a compare i suppose

renji: /ties the sword around them both szayel: no thanks i’m not dtf

and after the red herring (sorta) that he was bad at kido! nice nice.

[moltenraider]

There it goes xD, thb kaien-dono is a handsome boy~

[snowbladed]

hello wonderful daughter of mine whos not my daughter but ill call u it anyway

KAIEN-DONO!!!

[moonspeakminiart]

Like to think that kaien-dono liked rukia's drawings u.u

[ariadnekurosaki]

I think Kaien would totally ship Ichiruki if he was still alive. Definitely gives him no end of teasing fodder for his favourite baby cousin and student... ("Wow. That brings back soooo many memories, don't you agree Miyako?" "Oh, definitely. They're acting just like we used to, its adorable!" "K-KAIEN-DONO!!!" "SHUT UP KAIEN!")

Oh 100%, he’d ship them like crazy and swing between teasing them and being a wingman for either Ichigo or Rukia depending on who needed it that day.

[plunnies-n-shit]

Lady of the Pier

Bleach -- GrimmIchi -- Historical AU

Grimmjow is a ronin, travelling and taking work where he can. Passing through a small town on a river in the middle of the night, he meets the most beautiful woman he's ever seen on the pier. Fire-orange hair, bright brown eyes, a broad smile and a brilliant laugh. He is fairly certain hes in love with her.

He meets with the local daimyo in the morning and it turns out theres a job for him. A dirty one that the daimyo wouldnt ask of his samurai. But he'll ask it of a ronin.

He wants a family killed. The Kurosaki's. A small branch family of a feuding noble family, inconsequential, but an annoying pain in the daimyo's side. And theres a lot of money if grimmjow pulls it off.

Isshin is out (healing people for free, which is messing the the daimyo's plans to make the people dependent on him and his lackeys for everything), but Ichigo is home with the girls.

Ichigo, who takes her father's old sword and fights grimmjow to a standstill.

Ichigo, who very well could have been a samurai if her loyalty to her family didnt outweigh her loyalty to any daimyo.

The kurosaki family has to flee, because the daimyo sent multiple people after them, andn despite his survival instinct and greater judgement, grimmjow goes with them.

Just as far as Shiba lands, he tells himself. Then he'll leave. Hes a ronin. Hes loyal to no one but himself.

They make it to the shiba lands. Grimmjow leaves once hes sure that Kaien will take care of the Kurosaki's.

But no matter how far he travels, no matter what he does to take his mind off Ichigo, he cant help but find himself turning in the direction of the Shiba estate.

A month passes before he finally breaks and goes back. For work. He didnt even check the last time he was there.

He finds the estate burned to the ground.

The local villagers were tight-lipped, but they tell grimmjow that Aizen was. Thorough.

Kaiens head hung from the broken gate of the estate for a week until they felt it safe to take him down.

Grimmjow wanders, grieving and pissed.

Through Kyoraku lands. Kuchiki. Finally, Shihōin, though the family tends to align themselves with shinobi rather than samurai.

And as it turns out, the Shihōin family is about to start some real beef with Aizen.

Grimmjow wants in. Jumps through all the hoops to get in on the deal.

And when he finally gets to meet Shihōin Yoruichi herself, who is at her side but Kurosaki Ichigo.

(Ichi-- Kurosaki-dono finds him in the garden, on the pier over the koi pond.

"Grimmjow."

"Kurosaki-do--"

"Ichigo."

Grimmjow's mouth snaps shut as he eyes Ichi-- Kurosaki-dono suspiciously. 

"Ichigo," she says. "It's my name. You should try calling me by it."

Grimmjow's fingernails dig into his palms as he kneels at Kurosaki-dono's feet, head bowed. "I. Have no right, Kurosaki-dono. I-- I left."

Kurosaki-dono sighs, sweet and frustrated in the same. Her hands are calloused and rough as they frame Grimmjow's face, coaxing him to look up at her. He grits his teeth, but can't help but turn into her touch.

"Grimmjow," Kurosaki-do-- Ichigo breathes. "You came back.")

[darisu-chan]

whatever our souls are made of (his and mine are the same), pt. 1

Hi!

Welcome to my first entry for IR Month.

This is a new collection of interconnected one-shots, that you can also find here.

Hope you like this first chapter!

See ya!

but if i know you

Prompt: once upon a dream

Summary: And she believes she would wait for him for lifetimes. Yet she’s not sure she wants to wait any longer.

But if I know you, I know what you'll do

You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream

Rukia has never been one to ponder the meaning of dreams.

 When she was a young, hungry child, she never allowed herself to daydream, much less to dilly dally in whatever nocturne vision she had had the night before. The only way for her to stay alive had been to keep both feet steady on the ground. Never looking back. Only ahead, to another day of struggle. And that’s how her life went. Day, after day, after day.

 She finds that being a Shinigami is not that different.

 From the moment she had entered Shin’ō Academy, Rukia hadn’t dared look back or stall. And when she had been adopted into the Kuchiki Clan, she had forced herself to not yearn for what she couldn’t have, and instead be grateful for all the wonderful things she now got to enjoy.

 What were dreams when you got warm food in your belly, a soft bed, clothes and a job?

 Rukia had always been pragmatic, and so, most of her days had become dull.

 Although it is true that Hollow-hunting brought some action into her life, between training, filling out paperwork, attending meetings, and the occasional get-together, decades have passed her by without much excitement. Even after becoming a lieutenant, her life hasn’t exactly been colorful. It just means she’s busier and that her responsibilities have increased.

 But there have been times, sprinkled here and there in the past four years or so, when she has felt more alive than ever before. When her days have been filled by sunlight. When she has been painted orange by more warmth than she had ever known before.

 And it has been in these moments, when Rukia has allowed herself to dream.

 Back in the Human World, back in Karakura, she has learned the true meaning of wonder.

 When she was powerless and lost in a foreign place, she had finally felt as if she were more than what she always had been. She had finally felt human. And even though such feelings had ended up burdening her, Rukia cannot help but cherish every single one of them.

 Because Shinigami have ambitions and emotions, but they don’t let themselves experience the beauty of life, as they are, by all effects and purposes, dead. So they go through their afterlife fighting, and working, and drinking, and eating, and worrying about, quite frankly, nonsense.

 And Rukia had been like that as well. Trying to become a better Shinigami, but failing in both her duties to her division and her duties to her brother. There had been only one ray of hope that had soon been extinguished by her own failings.

 But in Karakura, she had felt lighter than ever during those couple of months.

 And she had had dreams.

 Dreams about the manga she would read, the bunnies she so liked, the spirits she had encountered, the people she had met at school, and even what went down in the lessons she hadn’t been quite able to grasp. It had all been so very mundane and simple, yet wonderful at the same time.

 There had been a beauty to it, to these dreams any normal human had every day. The ordinary had seemed so rich to Rukia, in comparison to the tediousness of her dead life.

 But there had been nightmares too.

 Some humorous, like when she had dreamed she had failed an algebra quiz ─ only to find out later on that she had done so indeed.

 Others were more gruesome.

 (Mistakes from her past, rain, blood, Grand Fisher)

 She didn’t like to dwell as much on those dreams, preferring to forget about them once morning would come.

 But, most of all, she had dreamed about Ichigo.

 Rukia hadn’t stopped to think at the time what it meant to dream so often about him.

 As they had spent almost every waking hour together, it had been obvious to her he would have to appear in her dreams as well.

 It was to be expected.

 However, even when they were apart, Rukia had found herself dreaming about him.

 About his stupidly bright-colored hair, his scowl, how he would complain each time he had to fight a Hollow. How good he was with kids, particularly his younger sisters. How nice he often was to her, bringing her food, asking if she had been hurt during a tough fight, teaching her school stuff, and even lending her money.

 (How heroic he had looked when he had saved her from her execution)

 During their time apart, Rukia had figured Ichigo so often appeared in her dreams because she missed him. He was so ingrained into her life, into her soul, that she wouldn’t even be surprised if, somehow, he shared space with Sode No Shirayuki in her inner world.

 However, now she has to question this idea.

 And it’s not as if Rukia doesn’t miss him ─ she does, oh so much ─ but the nature of her dreams is much different than it used to be.

 Because, after the war, things have changed.

 In the Soul Society, in the Gotei 13, in her division, death looms everywhere she goes. Tragedy had struck in the afterlife as it had never before. They had lost so many great Shinigami, and their absence is felt even two years after the war was won. Rukia, who had to deal with the tragic death of Captain Ukitake, feels it more keenly. There is now an even greater responsibility on her shoulders. To do right by her division, by Ukitake-taichō, by Kaien-dono.

 Yet it is frustrating.

 Rukia cannot help but wish she was anywhere but the place that was supposed to be her home.

 When she’s all alone and no one is looking, she often thinks about clear skies, green grass, the breeze gently blowing on her face, the sun, shining brightly from above, warming her from inside out, as she walks the streets of a sleepy town. She envisions classrooms, the mall, the park, and a house next to a clinic. Soft dresses, delicious food cooked by young hands, lion plushies, and orange at every corner. It’s peaceful in this corner of her mind. But whenever she catches herself having such thoughts, she admonishes herself. Because the Soul Society is where she needs to be. She is a soul, and this is the place where souls live. It is time to stop pretending she is human.

 At night, when sleep takes over, it is a different story. Her treacherous thoughts make a comeback, and it is when she dreams about Ichigo again. She sees him, not broken or defeated, nor as a hero, just him, standing next to her, and smiling at her so tenderly, as he had done back at the Soul King Palace, when their blades had crossed as they had trained. And Rukia believes this is what happiness is all about. What she had been missing her whole life. The feeling of standing next to Ichigo as her equal. Side by side. Always together.

 However, her dreams are not as calming as they could be. Because each night, just as she is enjoying his presence, Ichigo will suddenly give her his back, and walk away. Far away from her reach. And before vanishing, each and every time he would look back at her only to cryptically say, “You know what to do.”

 And what the hell is that supposed to mean? Rukia thinks every single morning, upon waking up. Because she does know what needs to be done. Ichigo is a human, and thus had returned to his home, his family, and the life he had been meant to live before she had gotten in his way. And she needs to continue down her own path. Guiding her division, making nii-sama proud, fulfilling her duties, and being the best Shinigami she can be.

 They are from two different worlds and no matter what her dreams tell her, this is how things have to be. Forever apart. Meeting once in a while. Each of them moving on. Finding their own place in the universe.

 Such is the way things must be.

 The natural course of their existence.

 The unavoidable truth.

 Yet there are some things that not even destiny can stop.

 Everything finally falls into place one evening when Renji comes to pick her up at her division, claiming he needs to talk to her. Rukia is not sure what is going on, but she walks away with her friend to a secluded area, where Renji pours out his heart to her. He confesses he has loved her ever since they were children. But that when she had been adopted into the Kuchiki family, Renji hadn’t felt good enough for her, and had decided to wait until he was finally worthy of her. And now, after several battles won, after the end of the war, with both alive, he has decided it is time to make his intentions known. He wants to love her, to marry her, and even to have children with her. Whatever she wants, Renji swears he will give her.

 Rukia is stunned into silence, not knowing how exactly she can respond to such a confession. Renji, most likely fearing her refusal, tells her to sleep on it before giving him an answer. He leaves her there with the promise that, surely, in the morning everything will be clear for her.

 But when she goes back to her room, she doesn’t think about Renji. Instead, a distant memory resurfaces in her fogged mind. Suddenly she’s back in Karakura Town, to a time when the Arrancars had left them rest for at least one day, just before things had gone south. Yuzu had wanted to watch a movie that night, Rukia recalls. She had chosen a romantic film about a princess, one Karin and Ichigo hadn’t cared to watch, but had accepted out of love for their sister. And, as they had watched it, Rukia had been mesmerized by what she had seen. She still isn’t sure how humans had managed to make drawings move on a screen, but the combination of the animation’s fluid motions, the colors, the music and the voice acting had made for an unforgettable experience. Yet, the plot perhaps had been what had intrigued her the most. The story about a young girl, the same age as Ichigo, cursed to sleep for one hundred years, with the only cure being true love’s kiss. Luckily, in the film the heroic prince had defeated the witch and had kissed the princess that very night. No harm had been done and the two had lived happily ever after. But how sad it would have been if the girl had slept for a lifetime, wasting her life away, Rukia had wondered. She had told Ichigo as much later that same evening.

 “But she does, in the original story.” He had interjected. “Or at least in the version I know.”

 Rukia had been clearly surprised by this statement, so Ichigo had continued explaining. “In the story, there is no prince at the beginning. So when the princess pricks her finger, she falls asleep for a hundred years, just as the curse intended to happen. And once that period of time had passed, a prince did find her and kissed her, breaking the curse and waking her from her deep slumber.”

 “But why didn’t he appear sooner?” Rukia had questioned, clearly outraged.

 “Well, the story comes with a lesson. That it is better to wait for a hundred years for your true love than to just marry anyone else just because.” Then Ichigo had become inexplicably bashful, and as he scratched his cheek, he had told her, “but it’s just a story. Don’t think too much about it.”

 But she had.

 Rukia had often wondered since about the cursed princess.

 One hundred years is a long time for a human.

 It is more than a lifetime.

 So many things can happen during that time, and upon waking up, the world would have definitely not been the same for the princess.

 And when she slumbered, what had she dreamed about?

 “Her prince!” Yuzu had quickly answered Rukia. “She probably dreamed about her true love day after day until she finally got to meet him. So that when they met, she knew him by then!” The young girl had exclaimed, gushing about the romance in the story.

 But that answer, if lovely, was not truly satisfying.

 Because who would wait for a hundred years for a promised love? And what would one do during that time? Would you truly be happy not living as you wait for someone that may not come at all?

 And what about dreams? What do they even mean? Can they truly show you your true love? Or is that just wistful thinking?

 Would a sleeping princess dream every night about her true love?

 Would someone who is awake only be able to feel alive in dreams?

 And now, as Rukia lays awake considering this, she may have found her answer.

 There might be some truth to that story.

 Because, even though she should be thinking about Renji and his proposal, all she can think about is Ichigo. Him and his deep eyes, his ever-present scowl, his calloused hands and the way they feel against her skin. They fill every corner of her mind. She thinks about his passion, his will to protect, how he pretends he’s not as kind as he really is. How he never fools her when he’s sad and about to give up. How he believes he’s weak, ignoring that his strength goes beyond his muscles and fighting abilities. And she wonders what he’s doing right at this very moment. Perhaps he’s studying or working on a project. Maybe he’s already asleep. Or it could be he’s out, hanging out with his friends. Then, Rukia cannot help but ask herself if Ichigo ever thinks of her as much as she thinks of him.

 It is then that it clicks.

 The reason why she has been dreaming about him for as long as she has.

 And Rukia can only conclude that Ichigo is who and what she wants.

 It has always been this way.

 And, yes, she believes she would wait for him for lifetimes. Wait until his remaining human life is over. Until he can join her in the Soul Society as a true soul. And it could take eighty years or more, but that doesn’t matter to Rukia. She is willing to wait for him, no matter what.

 Yet she’s not sure she wants to wait any longer.

 Because, even if life and death should separate them, the issue is not as clear cut as others have made it seem.

 There must be a way for them to be together now.

 “You know what to do.”

 Yes.

 Rukia knows that now.

 So the next morning she wakes up with purpose, beyond doing what it is expected of her.

 She talks to Renji and explains as much as she can why she cannot accept his proposal. To his credit, her friend doesn’t get upset. He’s visibly sad but understanding at the same time. As if knowing what she is about to do, Renji simply tells her to take care of herself, and to tell Ichigo he better be good to her. Rukia can only thank him for the kindness he has always shown her, and watches him walk away, finally able to move on.

It is a bittersweet affair.

 Telling Byakuya, on the other hand, is altogether a different story. It is supposed to be more difficult than talking to Renji was, yet she soon learns that it is not, as it takes nii-sama one look at her to know what she intends to say.

 “It took you long enough, Rukia.” Is his mere reply.

 It goes without saying that his reaction leaves her flabbergasted.

 Of all people, Byakuya should be the first one to oppose her. But she forgets he is one of the few people that gets her decision.

 Nii-sama manages one soft smile at her, before talking again. “He’s waiting for you. Go. I will handle things here.”

 As astonishment becomes understanding, Rukia can only nod. She feels a tightness in her throat that she can’t unravel. She turns around and she’s almost out of the door when her brother speaks again.

 “And Rukia.”

 She turns to look at him.

 “I’m very proud of you.”

 She could’ve hugged Byakuya right then and there and cry in his arms, but she controls herself. It would make the two of them uncomfortable and, besides, there is no time left to lose. So, instead, Rukia sprints away from the Kuchiki Mansion and opens a Senkaimon to Karakura Town. As she enters, she never looks back, and when the gate opens, she finds herself directly in front of Urahara’s store, who is already waiting for her, with a knowing look on his face.

 “I had a feeling we’d have a visitor today.” The former Shinigami explains to her, as he shows her the new gigai and the set of clothes he’s carrying.

 Rukia is once again overcome with emotion, but before she can thank him, Urahara interrupts her.

 “Don’t make him wait anymore.” It is what he tells her before shooing her away.

 She doesn’t think twice and, now inside the gigai, she leaves to her destination.

 The trek to the Kurosaki household is much more peaceful than Rukia remembered. As she walks under blue skies, with the sun shining brightly from above, she feels lighter somehow. As if this is the place where she’s meant to be. And when she sees the house in the distance, she can’t help but grin.

 As she reaches the door, there is a single moment of doubt. Rukia cannot stop herself from questioning if she made the right choice or not. But as she takes a calming breath, she assures herself. Because if there is one thing in this world that Rukia knows better than she knows herself, it is Ichigo.

 And he has never failed her.

 So, with her heart leaping through her throat, she knocks the door.

 Not a second later, he is there, openly gaping at her.

 “Long time no see, Ichigo.”

 Rukia can’t help but smile.

 He looks just the same as always, if a bit out of breath.

 Then, warm arms envelope her.

  She’s made it home.