Bleach: Awakened — Chapter 62 - I Approve of This Match

"Wow!" Where Ichigo was exasperated, Orihime was delighted. "So cool!"

"...I really don't understand your taste sometimes..." Ichigo muttered. "Come on, Orihime, it's almost ready over there. Don't keep them waiting."

"Oh, right!"

"Hold it!"

The two had just reached the door of the small building and were about to push it open when two enormous figures sprang out in front of them, both over two meters tall, arms crossed, expressions ferocious.

"Who are you people!" the one in yellow demanded. "What business do you have here?"

"Dressed pretty strangely, too," the one in white added. "And there's a Soul Reaper in there!"

"You two are...?"

"Kanehiko!"

"Ginhiko!"

"We are Lady Kukaku's guards!"

"Oh, hey." Ichigo smiled at them. "My name's Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm Kukaku Shiba's... cousin."

"Oh my—so it's Lord Ichigo."

"We truly failed to recognize a person of importance." Kanehiko looked genuinely embarrassed, standing there on the staircase. "Now that we look closely, you bear quite a resemblance to the late Lord Kaien. How has Lord Isshin been getting along in the World of the Living lately?"

"The old man's doing fine." Ichigo asked, "Has he been here before?"

"Not at all." Kanehiko thought for a moment. "About six years ago, Lady Yoruichi came and had a long conversation with Lady Kukaku. That was also when I learned Lord Isshin had settled in the World of the Living."

"Ah, is that so." Ichigo nodded. "Makes sense, crossing over from the World of the Living is still very easy to detect."

Talking as they went, the three of them made their way down the long staircase. At the bottom, a door was set into the side wall.

"Please wait just a moment, Lord Ichigo. I'll go and, "

"What are you waiting for, Kanehiko! Open the door!"

"Y-Yes!"

The door swung open, revealing the room inside. Almost no furnishings to speak of. Seated on a cushion was a woman in a short red top and a white slit skirt, a headband tied around her head. The right arm was missing most of its length, the stump wrapped in bandages. The outfit was extremely revealing, the figure beneath it shapely, and there was a kiseru clenched between the lips.

"Hey!" The woman, Kukaku Shiba, called out. "You must be Uncle Isshin's kid. Ichigo, right?"

"Yeah!" Ichigo called back. "You're Kukaku... sis, right? I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

"I see. As long as Uncle Isshin is doing well, that's what matters." After the brief pleasantries, Kukaku studied Ichigo's face and said quietly, "Just as I thought, you do look quite a bit like big brother Kaien."

"This Kaien was...?"

"The eldest of our branch." Kukaku said. "Over a decade ago, Kaien was devoured by a Hollow with a special ability in an accident, and then was killed by a Soul Reaper from the same squad."

"A Soul Reaper you know well, Rukia Kuchiki."

"Is that so..."

Ichigo opened his mouth. For a moment, nothing came out. Words of comfort felt far too late, and there was nothing wrong with what Rukia had done.

"It's fine, it was all so long ago." Kukaku waved a hand. "Besides, Rukia Kuchiki came to apologize to us just yesterday. Very late in coming, but we've forgiven her. After all, it wasn't her fault to begin with."

"I see..." Ichigo glanced back at Orihime. "Speaking of which, the reason I'm here today was specifically to bring Orihime to see you."

"Oh?" Kukaku took a drag from the pipe, exhaled slowly, and stared at Orihime for a long moment. "I'm not exactly an elder figure, but since you've gone out of your way to bring someone here..."

"I approve of this match."

"...Huh?"

"What?"

The first was stunned speechless. The second was stunned, and then a flush of red swept across Orihime's face almost instantly. Orihime's eyes spiraled into swirls and white steam rose from the top of Orihime's head, as though something had boiled over inside.

"What are you even talking about?"

"Hm?" Now it was Kukaku who looked puzzled. "You're not getting married and bringing her here to meet me?"

"Of course not!" Ichigo said, exasperated. "I'm barely 16, why would I be getting married?"

"Hmm..." Kukaku latched onto something. "So in other words, you don't actually object to marrying this girl. Is that it."

"No, don't go twisting the point like that!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Kukaku laughed loud and long at the success of the prank, and the two peaks on that chest wouldn't stop shaking. Ichigo couldn't bear to look. He turned to face the wall.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing." Kukaku glanced at Orihime. "If it's not about a marriage, then what is it?"

"To treat you, obviously." Ichigo said, matter-of-fact.

"Treat me?" Kukaku blinked, then laughed. "My body is in perfectly fine shape, there's nothing wrong with me."

"Doesn't this count?" Ichigo jerked his chin toward the missing arm. "Your right arm."

"...Don't joke around, Ichigo." Kukaku shook her head. "This arm was blown off during my training as a fireworks master. Not a single bone was left. How could it possibly, "

"Soten Kisshun, I reject!"

A golden light enveloped the stump, cutting Kukaku off mid-sentence. Kukaku could only shake her head, not wanting to say another word. Reality would speak for itself. Or would it?!

"What is this?!"

Eyes wide, Kukaku stared at the stump in disbelief. The bandages had separated and fallen away on their own the instant the light appeared, exposing the jagged wound beneath.

And then, under the light, something like shredded paper, or scattered specks of dust, began to gather, converging steadily toward the severed end.

The particles took shape. First came fragments of white bone, then blood and skin, piece by piece, the entire arm assembling itself. Before Kukaku could even react, a smooth, fair arm was simply and suddenly joined to the stump.

"What in the world... is this..."

Kukaku murmured, flexing the fingers slightly, feeling the right arm's presence for the first time in so long. The movement was small. But it was unmistakable.

The right arm had been restored.

"Well... this ability is what Urahara and the others call Event Rejection." Ichigo scratched his head. "I can't really explain it either. It's an incredibly powerful ability, Urahara said it's a power that trespasses into the domain of god."

"Simply put: any spiritual being below Third-class Reii—even if they've died, even if there's nothing left but ash—as long as Orihime was present at the scene and not too much time has passed since they became ash, Orihime can bring them back. That's the gist of it."

"It really is a power that trespasses into the domain of god." Kukaku stared blankly at Orihime and couldn't help but marvel. "How do I put it, a monster-level powerhouse finding someone with a monster-level ability... I suppose that makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"

➤ Next: World of the Living Special Operations Squad