Bleach Volume 75

Chapter 687

Ichigo stood rooted to the spot, and stared at Shunsui with wide eyes. "What?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. Renji looked between the head captain and his friend and rival in shock too. "It's like I said. We'd like for you to join the Thirteen Court Guard Squads." Shunsui repeated. "You've gotta be kidding." Renji exclaimed making everyone turn to him. "I mean, don't get me wrong sir. I have no problem with Ichigo joining us, but can you do that? He was born a human, after all." "You're right, Renji." Shunsui addressed the lieutenant. "But he's a human who was born with Soul Reaper powers." Ichigo had finally found his voice. "W-Wait a minute, what're you saying? Why're you asking me to join you?" "It isn't obvious?" the head captain asked. "You'd be a great help among our ranks. It's because of you that we're all still here, and I would really like for you to join us." Shunsui turned to look at Rukia, who had remained silent at the head captain's proposal. "And it's not just me who would thinks that..." Ichigo and Renji turned to Rukia at this, but she still wouldn't fully meet Ichigo's eye. "Rukia... you want me to join too...?" Ichigo's voice trembled. At that question, Rukia finally looked at her friend straight in the eye. "Yes..." she admitted. Her face looked rather flushed as she said that, something that Ichigo had noticed. Shunsui spoke up once again. "I don't know if you're aware or not, Ichigo..." Ichigo, Rukia and Renji turned to the head captain again. "But before we arrived to the Reiokyu, Captain Jushiro Ukitake had sacrificed his life in order to prevent the death of the Soul King from causing the worlds to collapse." Ichigo had gone numb. "Ukitake is...?" his voice trembled, to which Shunsui merely nodded. It was then that he suddenly remembered something that he saw after the Soul King had been slain. "You mean that weird shadowy eyeball came from Captain Ukitake?" "Yes. He had performed a ritual that would allow him to take over for the Soul King if he were to be killed." Shunsui explained. "But Mimihagi had still been absorbed by Yhwach, and Captain Ukitake died still." everyone could see the sadness on the head captain's face as he spoke the last sentence. Ichigo couldn't help but feel sad himself. Ukitake had been good to him, and he had gotten his Substitute Soul Reaper badge from him, even if there had been some mistrust that came along with it. Ichigo had forgiven Ukitake for that though. He once again looked at Rukia, who had been lieutenant under Ukitake, and saw her look of pain as well. She didn't break down this time though, as Jushiro Ukitake would not have wanted her to grieve for him like that "I'm sorry, Rukia." Ichigo found himself saying sadly. Rukia looked up at him saw his pained expression, and she almost lost control of her tears again. But she nodded in understanding. "Ukitake left a letter behind." Shunsui spoke again. "And in the letter he named Rukia as his successor." "You mean...?" "That's right, Rukia is now the Captain of Squad Thirteen." After Ichigo looked at Rukia in disbelief, Shunsui continued. "Because of this promotion though, Squad Thirteen is left without a lieutenant... And that's where you come in, Ichigo." Rukia turned to face Ichigo fully. Ichigo noticed that Rukia looked almost pleading when she asked. "Ichigo, I'd like you to be my lieutenant." she said seriously. Renji looked at his friend, stunned at what she had just asked. But his surprise was nothing compared to Ichigo's. Noticing this, Rukia continued. "As you know, captains have the power to appoint their lieutenants, no matter who they are. And... and I'd like you to be mine." "But what about my family?" Ichigo spoke up. "If I become your lieutenant, I would have to leave everybody I care about behind! My dad, my sisters, Orihime, Chad, Uryu, my friends from school! You're pretty much asking me to leave all of them, and I can't do that!" "You can still see them." Shunsui interrupted Ichigo's tirade. When Ichigo looked at him in confusion, the head captain elaborated. "While you, Rukia and Renji were training at Reiokyu, I paid a visit to your three friends from school." "You mean Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizurio?" "Yes. And I told them that we wouldn't know how powerful you would become when you returned from Reiokyu, and that it was a possibility that you'd be too powerful to even return to the World of the Living. The chances were very low obviously, but even a low chance is still a chance." Shunsui suddenly reached into his uniform pocket and pulled out what looked like three rectangular sheets of white paper with black stipes and the symbol of the Seireitei on them. "So just in case, I gave them these." "What're those?" Renji asked curiously. "They're called Soul Tickets." Shunsui answered. "They're special transit permits that humans from the World of the Living can use to freely enter the Soul Society. I gave one to each of your three friends, and I sent three to your father and two sisters. To put it simply, if you decide to join us Ichigo, your friends and family can use these to visit you here in the Soul Society whenever they wish." "So I can still see them...?" muttered Ichigo. Shunsui nodded. "Good news though, it seems like your power is pretty much the same as usual, so luckily for you, we aren't gonna have to force you to stay in Soul Society. However, I still think you'd be great for the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. So I'll leave the final decision up to you, Ichigo." The decision was up to him? Ichigo was able to decide if he wanted to return home or if he wanted to become a full Soul Reaper lieutenant? Ichigo had to admit that he was relieved that Shunsui took his friends into account just in case he did decide to stay. And if he was being honest with himself, he was unsure about even returning to Karakura Town. Even with his two greatest foes dead, Ichigo was unsure if he was going to be able to return to his normal life. He had gotten his Soul Reaper powers back, and yes Ichigo could still protect his home from the Hollows that would likely still attack, but he wasn't sure if he could balance life as a Substitute Soul Reaper with whatever career he decided to pursue after graduation. He found the notion of that idea extremely tedious, and it was hard enough doing that during high school. Not only that, but Ichigo still had no idea what he wanted to do after leaving school. Ms. Ikumi was good to him, but she was also stubborn, and he definately didn't want to work with her forever, and he couldn't imagine being a doctor like his dad, or working for the Kurosaki Clinic. The more he thought about it, Ichigo realized that there was only one occupation he excelled at: Being a Soul Reaper. Ichigo finally addressed Shunsui again. "Those Soul Tickets, do Orihime, Chad and Uryu have them too?" Rukia looked puzzled at the Strawberry Soul Reaper. Why would Ichigo ask that unless...? "These tickets are for them actually." replied Shunsui waving around the Soul Tickets in his hand. "You didn't think I'd leave them out of this, did you?" Ichigo began to ponder over his decision again. After about a minute, Rukia addressed him. "Ichigo." she said quietly, as if afraid of what Ichigo may decide. "It's fine if you don't wanna decide right away. Captain Kyoraku says that my Inauguration ceremony won't be held for seven days, after the Seireitei's been repaired more. You can take your time, and talk about this with Orihime and the others. I'm sure they'll want to know about-" "Alright, I'll do it!" exclaimed Ichigo curtly, interrupting Rukia.   Rukia, Renji, Kon, Shunsui, Nanao and Okikiba all stared dumbfounded at Ichigo's response. Had they heard him right? "W-Wait? What?" Rukia stuttered with wide eyes. "What, are your ears clogged?" replied a frowning Ichigo. "I said that I'll join the Soul Reapers and be your lieutenant." "W-What?! Why you, of course I heard what you said!" Rukia snapped indignanty. "I just didn't think you'd answer so quickly, much less say yes so quickly!" "Well, now that I know I can still see my friends and family if I stay here, I have no problem joining Soul Society." said Ichigo. "Ichigo. Are you sure about this?" Renji asked. Ichigo turned to his friend and rival and grinned. "Yeah. I'm sure." Rukia stared at her now lieutenant as numerous emotions ran through her. First was shock, due to still being surprised at how quick Ichigo accepted her offer. Then Rukia felt confusion, as she wondered if there were other reasons besides the one he already gave that would've made him decide so quickly. And lastly, and the most powerful emotion she felt, was one that she was only just able to hide from everybody present. Rukia felt happiness. "Well, that was simple enough. Guess that concludes this meeting." said Shunsui with a smile, tipping his hat. He stood up and extended his hand out toward their newest member. "Ichigo Kurosaki, welcome to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads." Ichigo shook hands with the head captain before Shunsui spoke again. "Now, like Rukia just told you, the Inauguration ceremonies of the new captains will be held in seven days. You're free to return home and spend your last days there until then." "Right. Guess I better go break the news to everybody then." Ichigo said. He was sure to get an earful from his father and Tatsuki about leaving them to live in the Seireitei, and it was likely that Yuzu and Orihime would cry, but his mind was made up. At least he would still be able to see his loved ones. "I'll go with you." said Rukia suddenly. "I think it's only fair for them to meet the person whose technically taking you away from them." she added the last part jokingly. "Don't be stupid. You already know my dad and sisters." Ichigo replied, but he honestly had no objections to his new captain's request. He turned back to the head captain. "Captain Kyoraku, can I give those Soul Tickets to my friends?" "Of course." Shunsui answered, handing the three tickets to Ichigo. "Renji, do you wanna come too?" Rukia offered her best friend, who shrugged. "Meh, sure. I don't have anything else to do tonight." "Hey hey, don't forget about me!" Kon exclaimed, jumping up and expecting Ichigo to carry him in his robes again, only to be caught by the head by Ichigo. "Don't even think about it, Kon!" said Ichigo in annoyance, holding the mod soul in front of his face. "You're staying here!" "What, but why?" Kon stared in surprise. "Cause I know what you're after. You're thinking that because I'm staying here, then you'll get to inherit my body in the real world. Sorry, but I'll be having my family bury it so you won't be able to run amuck as me." Kon was upset that his master had actually guessed his intentions right. "You can't do that! How're you gonna visit your old home without your body?" "We have Gigais for a reason, Kon." Rukia reminded Kon with an eyeroll. "We'll give Ichigo a proper one now that he's a true Soul Reaper." "Are we going now, or what?" came Renji's impatient voice from the doors. "Keep your pants on Renji, we're coming." Ichigo snapped back as he and Rukia followed the Squad Six lieutenant out of Shunsui's quarters. "Shut up! You're the one whose holding us up, arguing with that mod soul!" Shunsui merely chuckled as the three left his office. He sat back down and pulled out a bottle of sake as Nanao spoke up. "Captain, are you sure you should be taking a drink right now?" she said with disapproval. "You have a meeting with the ruler of Hueco Mundo tonight after all." "I'll just have a small amount Nanao, I promise." Shunsui replied before pouring sake into a cup. "I'm smart enough not to go into a peace treaty discussion between the Soul Reapers and Arrancars drunk." he then turned to Nanao while waving his glass. "C'mon, lighten up and have one with me." Nanao merely rolled her eyes at her captain's behavior. Ichigo, Rukia and Renji stepped out of the Squad One barracks and entered the courtyard. It was still sunset outside. "So where is Orihime?" Rukia asked Ichigo as they walked. "She and the others should be right outside here." answered Ichigo. "They came over here with me, but were told by that old guy to wait outside." Ichigo looked up to see three silhouettes at the courtyard's entrance. "That's probably them, right there." "And you're sure your ready to tell them this?" Renji asked calmly. "Yeah." sighed Ichigo, somewhat sadly. He made up his mind, but he was still nervous about how his friends would react to him leaving the World of the Living to join the Seireitei. Renji told them that he was going on ahead to get the Senkaimon gate set up for their departure and began running toward one of the side exits. Ichigo and Rukia walked toward the southern exit, and as they drew closer, Ichigo saw that the three silhouettes were indeed Orihime, Uryu and Chad. Orihime looked up from her sitting position at the sound of footsteps, and she smiled brightly. "Ichigo!" she exclaimed as she stood up to run over to the approaching Soul Reapers. Chad and Uryu stopped leaning against the wall and joined their redheaded friend in greeting Ichigo. "Oh, and Rukia's here too!" Ichigo grinned as best he could. "Hey Orihime. Hope you weren't waiting too long." "You were only gone twenty minutes." Chad said quietly. "It wasn't too long." "So..." Uryu began cautiously. "Is everything alright? Why did the head captain call for a meeting with you?" Rukia answered first, with her head bowed slightly. "Well, I've been named the new Captain of Squad Thirteen due to my captain's death..." Orihime, Chad and Uryu looked sad at the news. "Oh Rukia, I'm so sorry." Orihime's voice trembled. She had met Captain Ukitake when Rukia brought her to the Soul Society to train to fight the Arrancars, and he was so kind. It was sad to hear that he was gone. Rukia smiled sadly. "Thank you, Orihime." "If you don't mind me asking, whose your lieutenant gonna be?" Chad asked Rukia. "Have you chosen one yet?" At that, Ichigo's smile faded, and Rukia looked at her now lieutenant with concern. "Ichigo, you look uneasy about something." Uryu pointed out. "What's troubling you?" "Ichigo?" Orihime said quietly. Now that she noticed, Uryu was right. Ichigo did look troubled about something. He looked fine until chad had brought up Rukia's lieutenant. Why was that? Ichigo looked away from his friends sadly before he responded. "Guys... I'm gonna be Rukia's lieutenant..." Orihime, Uryu and Chad looked at each other in confusion. "What do you mean, Ichigo?" Uryu asked. Ichigo was slowly regaining his confidence after having finally began, so before he lost his nerve he told his three friends from Karakura Town everything that went on during his meeting with Shunsui. By the end of his explanation, Uryu, Orihime and Chad were stunned into silence. "They asked you to join them?" Chad finally spoke first after a moment of silence. Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, I'll be joining the Thirteen Court Guard Squads as Rukia's lieutenant." We use cookies. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and accept our Cookies (/cookies/) & Privacy (/privacy/) Policies. Accept "You mean you're gonna stay here?" Uryu muttered in disbelief. Ichigo nodded again. Orihime hadn't said anything. She was rendered speechless at what Ichigo declared. He was leaving? Ichigo was leaving? Orihime felt like her insides had disappeared. "But... But what about your family, Ichigo?" Chad protested. "What about our friends from school? And school itself?" "I'll still be able to visit. And you all can visit me." Ichigo explained as he reached into his robes and pulled out the three Soul Tickets. "Captain Kyoraku told me to give these to you." "What are they?" Uryu asked as he, Orihime and Chad each grabbed a ticket. "They'll let you come see me whenever you want." Ichigo explained. "Kyoraku went to see Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, my dad, Yuzu and Karin and gave them their own Soul Tickets too. And these ones are for you. So even though I'll be living in Soul Society now, all of you can still come see me." Uryu inspected his Soul Ticket for a moment before grinning. "So, I guess this means you'll be dropping out of school now, huh?" To Uryu, this decision didn't come as too much of a shock. He had noticed that Ichigo seemed rather lost on what he wanted to do in life after losing his Soul Reaper powers. With this, maybe Ichigo could be happy now. "Pretty much, but I'm allowed to return to Karakura Town for a week before I have to return here." Ichigo continued with a smirk. "I'll spend that time with all of you, and I'll let our teacher know that I have to drop out of school tomorrow when I go." Uryu chuckled. "What're you gonna tell them? 'I'm leaving school to kill myself so I can join a military group in the afterlife?'" Ichigo crossed his arms and glared at the Quincy. "Very funny, ya smartass." he retorted before thinking about Uryu's question more seriously. "I don't know, I'll think of something." "What're you gonna tell Keigo and Mizuiro?" Chad wondered. The big guy decided that he would support his best friend's decision to become a full Soul Reaper now that he knew that they could still see each other. At Chad's question, Ichigo frowned. "The truth, I guess. Since they and Tatsuki know what I am." Ichigo's frown became a concerned smirk. "I'm pretty sure Tatsuki's gonna try and kick my ass for leaving." At that Ichigo, Rukia, Chad and Uryu started to laugh. Ichigo then found himself smiling. He was pleasently surprised at how well his friends were taking him leaving. At least he was until he turned back to Orihime. The tender-hearted girl had been unusually quiet during the last few minutes, Ichigo noticed. He saw that her head was tilted down and she seemed to be avoiding everybody's gaze as she looked at her Soul Ticket in sadness. "O-Orihime?" Ichigo asked worriedly. Orihime put on the best face she could as her head shot up to look at her crush. "Y-Yeah?" she stuttered, making everyone look at her. "You've been really quiet." the lieutenant pointed out. "You okay?" Orihime feigned ignorance and merely laughed. "Y-Yeah, of course I am! I-I was just thinking about how Keigo's no longer gonna be greeted by yor clotheslines at school anymore! I alway thought those were funny!" she laughed, trying to lighten the mood. Ichigo raised an eyebrow before shrugging, thinking Orihime was just being her usual random self. He was the only one who thought that though. Rukia, Uryu and Chad could tell right away that Orihime was faking her cheeriness, and was clearly upset. And they knew why. Orihime was in love with Ichigo after all, and it must've been emotional for her to learn that he was going to live in the Soul Society as a full-fledged Soul Reaper, and leave Karakura Town. "Alright then..." Ichigo said calmly before telling the three. "Rukia, Renji and I are gonna head home to tell my dad and the others that I'll be leaving in a week." "We'll go too." Chad said before Ichigo waved his hand. "Nah, it's okay. I'm pretty sure Kenpachi could still use your help with cleaning up before it get's dark. Me and Rukia will handle this." We use cookies. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and accept our Cookies (/cookies/) & Privacy (/privacy/) Policies. Accept Uryu couldn't help feeling agitated at Ichigo for not noticing the pain Orihime was clearly trying to mask. Was he really that dense when it came to her? Rukia looked at Orihime with worry as well, she knew of her feelings for Ichigo, and while she felt a little jealousy over it at times, she was still her friend, and she hated seeing someone as kind as Orihime hide her sadness with a smile. Suddenly she heard Ichigo call her name and turned to look up at him. "Huh? What did you say, Ichigo?" "I said are you ready to go?" Rukia nodded. "Yes. I'm sure Renji's already gotten the gatekeeper's permission." Ichigo nodded before turning back to look at his friends. "Well, I'll see you guys later." he said before he and Rukia headed toward the side exit that Renji left through earlier. Orihime looked down as Ichigo and Rukia left. Her heart was racing, and she felt it was close to breaking. What was she going to do? Ichigo planned to live here in the Soul Society, and while they would still be able to see each other, they were going to be living in two separate worlds. Orihime wanted him to stay with her, so why hadn't she spoken up earlier? Was she that afraid of rejection? Was she such a coward? Orihime could feel tears stinging her eyes, but she held off on making any noises so that she didn't worry Uryu or Chad. It was hard though, Orihime wanted Ichigo to come home, she wanted him to stay with her. "I-I-Ichigo..." she cried mentally as she looked up to see that Ichigo and Rukia had almost left the courtyard. She hesitated only a second longer before she sprinted after the two. "Orihime!" Uryu cried out holding out his hand to try to stop her, but Orihime didn't turn around. He looked sadly to the ground. He had a sickening feeling that he knew what she was going to do... and it hurt him to realize that. Orihime continued spriniting despite Uryu's call. Her mind was made up. Ichigo and Rukia had left the courtyard already, but Orihime was fast approaching the exit. When she finally crossed into the next street, she saw that they hadn't gotten very far. Ichigo and Rukia spun around at the sound of footsteps and saw Orihime standing there panting heavily. "Orihime, what-?" Ichigo began before Orihime interrupted. "Ichigo, wait!" she exclaimed desperately. "I need to talk to you about something..." The Soul Reaper was left confused at his friend's behavior. Rukia on the other hand, could tell where this was going. "I'll be waiting at the Senkaimon gate, Ichigo." she told Ichigo quietly. Rukia decided that she would give them some privacy, and continued walking down the street as Ichigo grew even more confused as he watched Rukia leave. Orihime was curious about Rukia's decision to leave them alone for a moment before she refocused on what she needed to do before she lost her nerve. "Orihime, what's wrong?" Ichigo muttered, wondering why Orihime looked so uneasy. "Ichigo..." Orihime's voice trembled as she felt the tears returning to her eyes. "Are you... really going to leave Karakura Town to live in Soul Society?" Ichigo was really concerned now. Why did she look like she was going to cry. "Yeah..." he answered worriedly. Orihime tilted her head down as she felt like her insides had disappeared again. "I see..." she whispered before continuing more audibly. "I understand why you want to. I know how much being a Soul Reaper and wanting to protect the people you care about means to you. So I want you to know, that I support your decision one hundred percent." Orihime could feel her voice trembling worse with every word she spoke. "Ichigo... I..." Ichigo took a step forward as he became nervous at Orihime's pause. "Orihime?" It was then that Orihime's head rose up again, with tears finally in her eyes. "Ichigo, I want to stay with you!" she choked at last, rendering Ichigo speechless. Ichigo's eyes widened at what Orihime just said. She wanted to stay with him? Why? After an uncomfortable silence where the redheaed beauty waited for his response, Ichigo finally spoke. "What're you talking about, Orihime?" "If you're gonna stay here, than I want to stay with you too!" Orihime cried tearfully. "We may still be able to see each other, but it's not enough. I-I don't think I could bear being so far apart from you Ichigo if you stay here! I... I want to be where you are always." "Are you crazy, Orihime?!" Ichigo snapped. "I don't understand! Where's all of this coming from?!" Despite the situation, Orihime giggled slightly. "Maybe I am a little crazy... It's what happens when..." she whispered before cutting herself off. Her heartbeat accelerated tenfold, and her face became beat red. It was finally time. "Orihime?" Ichigo muttered, fearful of why she was acting like this. "It happens when what?" Orihime finally looked straight at Ichigo. "Craziness happens sometimes... when you're in love." Ichigo was rendered speechless once again. Even someone as clueless about love as himself understood what Orihime meant by that. She was in love with him? Orihime Inoue, the most popular and beautiful woman at Karakura High, was in love with him? Now that he thought about it though, he could remember many occasions when the two were alone and she would sometimes act strange around him, or sound extremely nervous. He didn't question any of it at first, but now he knew the reasons why Orihime would act like that. It was because of love. Orihime stood there staring at the man she loved with a tearstroked face. "I love you, Ichigo." she confessed at last. "I've been in love with you for a long time now." Ichigo blushed as he turned away from the beauty. "I see." he whispered. Orihime noticed his red face had fallen and he looked almost sad. "I'm sorry, for not noticing it until now..." The girl felt her heartrate increase again. "But, I'm sorry Orihime... I can't let you stay here... or return your feelings." Orihime's eyes widened as cracks began to form in her compassionate heart. Ichigo walked forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, causing her to look directly into his beautiful brown eyes. "Orihime. I care about you a lot." he told her sadly. "After all that's happened between us, you've become like a sister to me. You're one of my best friends, and I'll always think of you as such. But you have family that doesn't know about the experiences we go through, who also support you back home. It would devastate them if you left. It's easy for me to stay because I'm already a Soul Reaper and my dad knows that. I can't have a normal life, and I don't want you to ruin your chance for one because of me. You deserve to go home, to graduate, to work a job I know you'd enjoy and live that normal life to the fullest... and I know that when you do meet the right guy, he'll be luckiest guy in the world to have you." Orihime listened to Ichigo's words as tears poured down her face. Ichigo wiped them away with his thumbs as he continued. "I wish I could return your feelings, Orihime. But... I can't." The kind girl felt her heart shatter at those words. She had known, deep down, that that was likely the case, but that didn't stop his rejection from hurting, and Ichigo knew that he had hurt Orihime, and he hated himself for that. But it was still best to be honest. "I understand." whispered a heart-broken Orihime. "Thank you for being honest, Ichigo." Ichigo gave Orihime a hug that lasted about a minute before separating. "I gotta go now." he said sadly. "Yeah, I know." replied Orihime, smiling despite her broken heart. Ichigo smiled at her too before he took off running down the street heading for the Senkaimon. After the Soul Reaper had vanished from sight, Orihime's smile faded and was replaced with a look of pure misery as she finally let the tears cascade down her cheeks. A minute passed before she heard something behind her. She turned around to see a familiar face. "Uryu?" she whispered. Uryu stood there, looking sad as he saw Orihime's tears. He had overheard their conversation, and it pained him to see a woman he cared about so much look so heartbroken. Uryu was furious with Ichigo for hurting her, but like Ichigo had said, it was for the best to be honest. Orihime just stared at the Quincy as he looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Orihime." he whispered miserably. Orihime trembled as her emotions overwhelmed her. She turned and threw her arms around Uryu's neck and hugged him as she cried into his chest. Uryu held her tightly, stroking her head and assuring her it would be alright. They remained like that for several moments as Chad watched them from the courtyard entrance. Renji and Rukia stood by the giant Senkaimon Gate as the sun had almost fully set in the Seireitei. When Rukia had arrived without Ichigo, she told Renji that she left him to talk with Orihime in private. That was almost half an hour ago though. "Where is he?" Renji complained. "It's getting late." "Shut up, he'll be here soon." Rukia snapped, feeling agitated herself at her soon-to-be lieutenant's tardiness. Rukia hoped that this wouldn't be a common occurance when he finally begins his Soul Reaper duties. "You think he got lost on his way here?" "Wouldn't surprise me." "I heard that!" came an angry voice in the distance. Rukia and Renji looked up to see Ichigo sprinting toward them before stopping right in front of them to catch his breath. "Took you long enough." Renji said bitterly. "Shut up! I forgot how to get here!" Ichigo snapped back. "So you did get lost? You better take the time to memorize where everything is here if you plan to stay with us." Before Ichigo could retort, Rukia spoke. "Everything go alright with Orihime?" Ichigo frowned as he told her and Renji about his and Orihime's conversation. After telling them that he rejected her, Rukia stood in shock. To be honest, she hadn't expected that. But Rukia couldn't help but feel relieved. She felt bad for Orihime, but that meant there was still a chance for... Rukia shook her head roughly to banish such thoughts. She couldn't focus on that right now. "I see." was all she said before she, Ichigo and Renji turned their attention to the hundred foot high doors of the Senkaimon. "Are you ready to go?" "Yeah." Ichigo responded. Immediately the Senkaimon doors began to open, and a bright white light appeared on the other side. The Senkaimon coordinates had been entered, and Ichigo's party would disembark right outside the Kurosaki residence in Karakura Town. After about a minute the doors had fully opened, and Ichigo, Rukia and Renji dashed into the gates immediately, disappearing into the light as the Senkaimon doors closed behind them.