Silver Grin

Silas had persuaded Rukia into taking a walk with him outside. She was still a tad nervous, claiming that she wanted to finish her homework before the last day of school. When Silas heard that, he couldn't help but be interested in just how much of a drastic change she underwent. Characters like Kon weren't around to bother her, and then there was the fact that Ichigo's family was very nonchalant about her presence.

Silas wasn't going to give her any room to think about how much of a disgrace she was as a Soul Reaper. So, outside, the two walked along the road while holding hands.

From unawares, Rukia happened to spot Uryū heading toward their direction. She whispered to Silas that they shouldn't be seen holding hands together yet. Content, Silas let go, knowing full well Uryū was going to show up anyway. It was because he, too, had sensed the presence of other Soul Reapers.

"Hey, Uryū, what brings you to this part of town?" Rukia embarrassingly waved.

"What? You mean you two didn't sense them?"

"Sense who?" Silas dumbfoundedly asked. "Are there Hollows nearby?"

Believing that Silas hadn't sensed anyone, a voice echoed from above: "My, oh my! Tonight's just full of surprises…"

The group looked up, only to see two Soul Reapers, watching them from the edge of a nearby building. Silas was surprised to see who Aizen had sent to retrieve Rukia: a man with long black hair, kept locked together by three kenseikans. Around his neck was a white scarf that clearly looked like it was woven from fine fabric. What was most apparent about his striking features was the white haori over his Soul Reaper's uniform—the standard kimono only captains from the thirteen court guard squad donned.

Yet it wasn't Byakuya who had piqued Silas's curiosity; it was the person who claimed that tonight was full of surprises: Gin Ichimaru!

Gin was also a captain. He had a skeletal appearance with unusual silver hair that was ear-length. What was unnerving about him was how he kept his eyes constantly narrowed to slits, rarely ever opening to reveal their bright sky-blue colour. There was also his wide smile—almost as if he was always mocking everyone around him.

More importantly was the device around Gin's head: large wraparound goggles that could detect people's hidden spiritual pressure. They were undoubtedly given to him by Aizen to make finding Rukia easier. At least that hadn't changed.

But to be frank, this entire scene was far different from the original one. Disregarding the setting, Uryū hadn't gone to a convenience store to make an excuse to help Rukia out. Then there were the captain's outfits. When Byakuya was present, he didn't have his captain's uniform because Tite Kubo hadn't thought of a design for it yet. So Byakuya was both drawn and animated with a regular outfit.

Above all, there was Gin's presence. It was Renji who originally came. So why had Aizen chosen to send a second captain? Silas was by no means going to attempt to fight either one of them. That was because both of them had a Bankai.

"There's no doubt about it, Captain Kuchiki. That's definitely Rukia's spiritual pressure I'm sensing inside him." Silas purposefully leaked Rukia's powers out so he could be exposed. Everything he was hearing from Gin confirmed a lot of things. His and Byakuya's personalities; their clothes; their striking resemblance to their storied counterparts—it all matched. "We came a long way from the Soul Society to collect Ms. Kuchiki."

"Kuchiki?" Uryū repeated. It was clear he had already made the connection that Byakuya and Rukia were related in some way. She confirmed this after hesitating to call him "brother". And when she looked at Silas, he was expressionless. He was thinking of how Byakuya was looking at him.

Byakuya was likely analyzing Ichigo's appearance. There existed another character that bore a striking resemblance to Ichigo. That character was a deceased Soul Reaper named Kaien Shiba, the lieutenant in Rukia's personal squadron and someone who had also helped Rukia achieve her Shikai.

"You're her older brother, right?" Silas asked. "We don't want any problems."

In a serious tone, devoid of any sincerity, Byakuya said, "The problem began the moment you stole Rukia's powers."

"Stole is a harsh word. I'd like to think of it as borrowed."

When Rukia was going to reprimand him for talking so boldly in front of two captains, her voice drowned out as he entered his inner world.

"You rang, partner?" In front of Silas was none other than Zangetsu. There was a reason he had said 'borrowed' earlier.

"Do it."

On Silas's command, Zangetsu raised its palm forward. An ethereal figure then manifested on the side of the building. It was Rukia's power in the form of her Zanpakutō, Sode no Shirayuki. She was quite beautiful, yet her image wasn't perfect. Her eyes were closed, and it was clear that she was more of a spirit than the real embodiment of a Zanpakutō.

Without making haste, Silas stretched his arm forward, causing a long blade to form in his hand. He then dashed forward and cut the ethereal being. The two looked up to see it gradually fade into the sky, out of his inner world.

By the time Silas opened his eyes, blood slowly began dripping from his mouth, prompting Rukia to stop midsentence. Everyone looked to see him cough up a large amount of blood. He covered his mouth, kneeling to the ground, but the pain of forcefully breaking off the invisible chains that bound Rukia's power to his soul was painful.

Gin smiled, asking, "Did you see that, Captain Kuchiki?"

"Yes, he severed his own saketsu and his hakusui forcefully… In a sense, he gave up being a Soul Reaper.

"Do you suppose he's trying to save her by doing that?" Gin chortled.

Silas coughed up another mouthful of blood. He was trying his best not to let out his own spiritual pressure. If he did, they wouldn't believe his act. Zangetsu, who had been made aware of his plan, was more than willing to cooperate. The only problem now lied in whether Aizen was going to have him still fight, the same thing he had indirectly made Ichigo do.

Byakuya formerly announced, "Your foolish actions won't change anything, boy... Rukia will be taken back to the Soul Society to face punishment for her crime."

As Byakuya slowly began unsheathing his sword, both Rukia and Uryū shielded Silas. Gin smiled at the scene, saying, "Oh my... You've taken a liking to him, haven't you, Ms. Kuchiki?"

"Captain Gin, I'll make this quick…"

"Stop!" Silas said, managing to compose himself. He stood up on his own. When Rukia tried to help him, he smacked her hand away, surprising her.

"Ichigo," she hesitatingly said.

"She'll go with you peacefully..." Even Uryū was surprised to suddenly hear him say that. But when Rukia heard it, her entire world had frozen in disbelief. She felt torn.

It took her some time to grasp the situation. As much as she was willing to protect him, deep down inside, she knew that living a life with him was only a dream. Silas watched as she clenched her chest. It looked as if she was about to cry, as if her heart was broken. Those feelings, however, were none of his concerns.