The Shinigami King grew tired of his play, so he asked an old soul to change it.
Otherwise known as what happens when an eccentric, morally questionable, teeny tiny overpowered old soul is gifted an Evil™ sword and thrown in a couple thousand years...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
December 12th, 2000
Rirī
"Human world duty?" echoed Rukia in surprise.
Rukia had truly blossomed under my tutelage. While she was not able to unlock her bankai in a year, she did achieve it in three which was still very impressive. Her reiatsu growth had exploded since I began feeding her bits of my energy into every meal I prepared for her.
She was diligent, meticulous, and completely devoted. She had Sōsuke's drive for perfection, with the deposition of Jūshirō and Shunsui combined.
Out of all of my students, she idolized me the most. It was a nice change of pace to be treated so highly. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tickled pink. When I was in Soul Society, she was almost always a step behind me. The only times she left was when she would return to the Kuchiki residence on the weekends for family training, or when I snuck away to go bother Tōshirō for attention or harass one of the other captains for shits and giggles (most Sōsuke and Genryūsai).
Rukia was an excellent lieutenant and I absolutely trusted her. If I were to compare the Rukia under my guidance to the canon Rukia, I would brag that my Rukia was ten times stronger and a hundred times more flexible to adjust to chaotic situations.
I was so dang proud of her!
"Mm-hmm. Everyone needs to go at least once," I told her. "I volunteered you. I know you won't need help, my dear."
Rukia's beaming smile in response warmed me. "Yes, I won't let you down, Captain Rirī."
"That's my girl," I said, reaching forward and gently patting her head. "It'll only be for a year since I'll need you back as my lieutenant sooner rather than later."
"Okay," said Rukia. "When do I leave?"
"The first of the new year."
"I'll get started on packing right away," she said, standing up from her desk beside me. "Um—what should I do with the paperwork?"
"I'll handle it," I reassured her. "Good luck on your mission, Ru!"
She bowed sharply in thanks before taking her leave, a spring in her step.
I had no clue when she was supposed to meet Ichigo, so sending her up on literally the first day of the year seemed like a safe bet.
(◕▾◕✿)
December 28th, 2000
I called my children into the kitchen. Sora had already returned to his apartment on campus. He said he had some drama going on with his friend group and needed to be there for New Year's. Wasn't surprising given his type of friend group.
Gremmy was the first to enter, the middle-schooler yawning and rubbing at his eyes. He always had a white hoodie on with some comfortable pants at home. I bought him a variety of hoodies over the years, but the boy was drawn to mostly white. On occasion, he'd pick something with a design over it—such as Totoro, or a cat. He was a consistent boy.
