Bleach: Stirring Up a Storm

Rukia understood what Kōe meant. If Lord Kaien was that kind of vulnerability, Big Brother Kōe would have done the exact same thing even if she weren’t involved.

”So, is Lord Kaien that kind of person?”

Kōe nodded. ”The Shiba clan used to be a Great Noble family on par with the Kuchiki clan. However, after a severe incident, they were stripped of their noble status and relocated to the Rukongai. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but I think that incident might have had something to do with me.”

Rukia’s eyes widened as she looked at Kōe beside her. She knew this older brother figure had once given up the position of Squad 11 Captain and his own wedding, resolutely leaving the Seireitei. Could that incident be the reason he left? Just how many unknown secrets did the Seireitei still hold?

Kōe seemed oblivious to Rukia’s surprise and curiosity, or perhaps he simply didn’t want to bring up the past events that led to Kurotsuchi Mayuri being locked in the Maggot’s Nest and the Shiba clan being expelled.

”We really are experts at causing trouble for others.” Kōe sighed with self-deprecating humor before continuing, ”That was also when I met Kaien. He was just a brat back then, only about this tall? I think so. He loved acting cool just as much as he does now. What an annoying guy.”

”He was already acting cool back then?”

”Some things you’re just born with. He’s always been a highly infectious person, and his energy rubbed off on me when I was going through a phase of self-doubt.” Kōe smiled. ”The things we do might cause trouble for others, but if we stopped because of that, wouldn’t it make it seem like our original goal was just to cause chaos?”

”Then, are the things you do, Big Brother Kōe, the same as what Mr. Urahara does? Breaking the limits of a Shinigami?”

”It might look similar, but it’s actually not. I have no interest in breaking the limits of power; everything I do is just to survive.” Kōe stopped walking. After a brief pause, he looked at Rukia and continued, ”Actually, Urahara’s original intention wasn’t to break the limits of a Shinigami either. If you ask me, it was probably to explore the many possibilities of a Shinigami.”

”Possibilities?”

”It’s like a fish that can only swim in water. If it underwent some changes, could it gallop across the land? If it grew wings, could it see the entire world? It’s about taking the innate flaws of a Shinigami and giving them the ability to change, allowing them to achieve things they couldn’t before.”

Rukia tilted her head, somewhat understanding, yet seemingly not grasping it at all. In her eyes, Shinigami could already do almost anything. What kind of flaws could they possibly have?

Seeing Rukia’s confused expression, Kōe didn’t plan to explain further. ”Urahara is someone who harbors boundless curiosity about the world. Everything he does is to satisfy that uncontrollable curiosity, provided he tries his best not to cause trouble for others. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have halted his perfection of the Hōgyoku.”

”Then?”

”Why did he place the Hōgyoku inside you?” Kōe asked. Rukia didn’t answer, merely turning her head away in silence. Not many people could easily accept such an unexpected calamity falling into their laps.

”Although I haven’t asked him, I imagine Urahara was a bit panicked at the time. Why exactly did Aizen let him escape? Was it to force him to completely finish the Hōgyoku in his hands in order to save those who had already undergone Hollowfication? If I were him, I would definitely be thinking about these questions.”

The soul disappearance incident was a large-scale experiment conducted by Aizen. In fact, it could also be called an inspection of his current experimental results. But was that truly his only intention? Not necessarily.

Based on Aizen’s reaction back then, Urahara guessed that the man had already sensed the existence of the Hōgyoku. Aizen then reported him to Central 46, yet allowed Yoruichi to rescue him. Could that really just be a mistake or a moment of soft-heartedness?

Obviously not. If he wanted to snatch the Hōgyoku, that would have been the perfect opportunity for Aizen. According to Kōe’s analysis, Aizen still harbored the desire to compete with Urahara at that time. Besides, the Hōgyoku in Urahara’s possession was merely a highly completed flawed prototype.

From a profit perspective, Urahara wanting to reverse the Hollowfication of Hirako and the others by continuing to perfect the Hōgyoku in his hands was a good choice. By letting them escape temporarily, Aizen’s chances of obtaining a perfect Hōgyoku would be even greater.

Of course, the above was merely Kōe’s own speculation; to know exactly what Urahara was thinking, one would have to ask the man himself. But putting himself in Urahara’s shoes, Kōe felt he would definitely ponder these questions.

A perfect Hōgyoku might be able to reverse the Hollowfication of Hirako and the others, but what then? Could he protect the Hōgyoku himself? A flawed prototype that couldn’t be destroyed and could only be hidden—if it became a perfected version, could it still be hidden?

”Under those circumstances, hiding the Hōgyoku early on was indeed one of the best choices. But I have to admit, he was a bit panicked. If he had called me back, there might have been other ways to handle it.”

Kōe sighed. Turning his head, he found Rukia looking at him with a blank expression. It suddenly occurred to him that she probably didn’t know about the incident from a hundred years ago.

After briefly explaining the past incident to Rukia, Kōe continued, ”Sacrificing a few to protect the many—such a choice is perfectly reasonable from the perspective of the majority. But for the few who are sacrificed, it is an absolute mistake.”

”Even though Urahara isn’t here right now, I want to apologize to you on his behalf. I am truly sorry for interfering with your life so selfishly.” Kōe patted Rukia’s head. He fell silent for a moment before saying softly, ”I wonder... if we hadn’t shown up, would your life have been a bit better?”

*If the Hōgyoku didn’t exist inside my body, what would things be like?*

Over these past few days, Rukia could feel her Reiatsu noticeably increasing. She originally possessed talent no less than Renji’s; it was just that she had been continuously restricted by the Hōgyoku before.

If there were no Hōgyoku, she still would have been adopted by her older brother into the Kuchiki clan. Perhaps she still would have met Lord Kaien and grown rapidly under his guidance.

The only difference might be that she would already be a lieutenant of some squad by now. In that case, she naturally wouldn’t have met Ichigo in the World of the Living. Even if she did encounter Big Brother Kōe and the others, it might have been as enemies.

Aizen’s fight for the Hōgyoku wouldn’t have had such a huge impact on her, but she also might never have heard those words from her brother. She wouldn’t have known that she had a sister, and instead would have always viewed herself as a mere replacement for Lady Hisana...

However, Rukia thought about it. Perhaps achievements in other areas would have lessened that sorrow significantly. Being an outsider might mean fewer troubles, but being pulled into the fray had also allowed her to reap unexpected happiness.

”Just the way things are now is pretty good. I’m truly... very satisfied.”