Summer in Rukongai always left people uneasy.
Hisana held a sleeping infant in her arms.
The scorching sun overhead felt as if it might burn everything to ashes.
Dust and the smell of poverty drifted through the air. The buzzing of cicadas and the chatter of passersby seemed both far away and right beside her ears, vague yet clear at the same time.
The baby in her arms stirred, perhaps bothered by the noise, or perhaps by the heat.
Hisana gently rocked her, softly patting the thin, dirty blanket wrapped around the child, its surface covered in patches.
This was her sister.
They had died together from illness, been cremated together, received Konsō together, and arrived together in this Soul Society.
They were supposed to live here together as well.
If that were possible.
Hisana bit her lip hard as she ran desperately through the forest. Branches scraped across her cheeks, her arms, and her body, but none of it slowed her down.
Don't look back!
Don't look back.
Don't look back...
She forced herself to keep moving away. Faint cries seemed to drift from behind her, and she was terrified that if she stopped even for a moment, she would lose the courage to take another step.
Only when the sound of leaves rustling in the wind filled her ears did she finally slow.
Her chest felt as if it had been torn open. The bitterness and emptiness rushing in with the wind left a permanent hollow in her soul.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...
Hisana collapsed weakly to the ground. Raising her arms, scratched and covered in wounds, she covered her face and burst into uncontrollable sobs.
She truly had no other choice. If even the slightest hope had remained, she would never have abandoned her sister.
Whether in the World of the Living or in Soul Society, as long as her sister was by her side, loneliness and solitude always felt far away.
She had truly hoped they could remain together forever.
But they had already died together once.
Hisana did not want there to be a second time.
She had once been grateful that she possessed Reiryoku, believing it would allow her to accomplish more than others.
But her body was too frail. Even with the help of Reiryoku, she still could not handle heavy labor.
And the strain caused by using Reiryoku meant she could not survive on water alone like most others.
Hisana always told herself to endure a little longer. Once Rukia grew up, the two of them could work together, and life would slowly improve.
But for some reason, her sister remained an infant, as if cursed, unable to grow up no matter how much time passed.
Day after day went by, yet she was still an infant.
Hisana had considered asking others for help, but in a place where food was scarce, no one wanted someone like her, someone who consumed food yet had no ability to obtain more.
Only by separating from her did her sister have any chance of being taken in by someone else.
But no matter what reasons she used to convince herself, Hisana could never forgive herself for abandoning her sister.
During the five years she spent with Byakuya Kuchiki, she never stopped searching for her sister, yet she never found any trace of her.
Until one day, she heard that Retsu Unohana had brought three children back from Rukongai.
Hisana Kuchiki had planned to ask those children if they had ever seen her sister.
And then she met Rukia, who looked almost exactly like her.
The moment she saw Rukia, Hisana Kuchiki knew she was her sister.
That sense of blood connection could not possibly be mistaken.
And indeed, it was not a mistake.
"Sister?" Rukia Kuchiki, led by a squad member, came to see Hisana Kuchiki.
The two looked remarkably alike, yet their temperaments were completely different.
Because of her fragile health, Hisana Kuchiki had spent many years recuperating at home, and her frame was even more delicate than Rukia's.
"Rukia..." Hisana Kuchiki took her sister's hand, her eyes filled with tenderness. "How is Muten Natsu doing now?"
"He needs some time to recover, but there's nothing seriously wrong anymore." Rukia Kuchiki paused. "But Sister, why did you..."
"There's something I want to tell you." Hisana Kuchiki pressed her pale lips together. "When you first came to Seireitei..."
Rukia Kuchiki shook her head gently.
"That wasn't your fault back then."
She had lived in Rukongai for quite a long time and understood very well how harsh life there was.
Hisana Kuchiki gently stroked Rukia Kuchiki's hair.
"I understand what you're trying to say. But what I want to talk about... happened later."
"Later?"
"After I left you, my Reiryoku gradually began to fade, and my health kept getting worse. At first I thought it was heaven's punishment for abandoning you. Later, I learned the truth..." Hisana Kuchiki's gaze trembled slightly. "When we were together, it was always you who supplied me with strength. That was the only reason I was able to stay alive."
"Me?" Rukia Kuchiki's wide eyes filled with confusion.
"You know about Soul Sleep and Saketsu, right?"
"Yes." Rukia Kuchiki nodded. "Soul Sleep is the source that produces Reiryoku, and Saketsu acts like a propulsion system."
"My Saketsu was normal, but something was wrong with my Soul Sleep. My power was constantly being pushed out of my body uncontrollably." Hisana Kuchiki explained slowly. "Back then, when you were in my arms, you were constantly supplying me with Reiryoku. The reason you never grew up was because all your power was being used to sustain my life."
"So that means..." Rukia Kuchiki looked at her sister. "Back then, we were raising each other."
"You..." Hisana Kuchiki sighed softly. "You don't have to worry so much about my feelings."
Rukia Kuchiki continued asking, "Then later... did you find a way to cure it?"
"It was a method that absolutely couldn't be used." Hisana Kuchiki lightly bit her lower lip. "And it was also the main reason the Kuchiki Clan adopted you."
Back then, Rukia Kuchiki had always felt something was strange. If they had already reunited as sisters, there should have been no need for the Kuchiki Clan to adopt her.
"To nobles, nobles and commoners are two completely different kinds of existence. That meant... even though you were my sister, you could still be treated as someone who could be sacrificed. To prevent that from happening, the Kuchiki Clan adopted you and gave you noble status."
"Sacrificed?"
"The Kuchiki Clan intended to transplant your Soul Sleep into me." Hisana Kuchiki's delicate brows drew together slightly. "But neither I nor Byakuya Kuchiki wanted to use that method. We also instructed everyone else not to tell you."
Rukia Kuchiki opened her mouth.
"Then..."
"This is how I managed to survive." Hisana Kuchiki raised her arm, showing the plain white ring she wore. For the wife of the Kuchiki Clan, such a simple ornament seemed unusually modest.
"Muten Natsu learned about the method proposed by the Kuchiki Clan from Seinosuke Yamada. While training in the Eleventh Division, he tried again and again until he finally found a suitable Hollow. Using Hellfire, he forged a Spirit Weapon for me to replace the function of Soul Sleep. With the addition of the Shihōin Clan's Heavenly Armament maintenance techniques, I was able to survive until now."
No wonder the usually lazy Muten Natsu suddenly went to train with the Eleventh Division...
Rukia Kuchiki bit her lower lip.
You idiot. Just how many things have you secretly done for me?