Twice-Told Tale

One and a half months later.

These past months bled into Karakura Town, each sunrise painting a new day for Silas. Hardly did he ever change into a Soul Reaper. On top of people like Kisuke watching him, he had to be cautious of Aizen and Uryū. Mainly Aizen.

The manifestation inside had not once tried to connect with him either. It seemed more interested in what Silas had been doing. For in that span of time, he had been covertly working with Uryū. During the day, the two would regularly attend class. But at night, Uryū was destroying Hollows for Silas.

Silas was bright enough to have told him that it would be unnecessary to be seen in class together. Believing Silas to be a genuine fellow, he trusted those words. And just like how he had fallen prey to his schemes, the rest of his classmates had also succumbed to them. They had finally accepted the idea that Ichigo Kurosaki needed space.

School felt almost quaint compared to the whirlwind of monotony he had to put up with. His grades were kept the same so as not to arouse suspicion. Of all the times that Silas could have accepted his fate and lived a normal life as Ichigo Kurosaki, he digressed.

At home, it was an entirely different tale. Karin was upset daily at Silas's behaviour. He hardly greeted the family and ate alone in his room. One day, she forced herself in his room and sat there without saying a word, simply observing him. When he didn't reciprocate, she began crying—an unusual characteristic for the tomboy. Silas neither comforted her nor showed any empathy. He instead gave her a look of disdain, prompting Karin to never bother him like that again.

She had tried to confront her father about it, but Isshin and Yuzu were in agreement with one another, believing that "Ichigo" was just going through a phase. Whether Karin accepted that answer or not, she couldn't do anything about it. Her spiritual powers were incomparable to Silas's, and the entire Kurosaki family wouldn't be able to do anything if a Hollow attacked.

On one such quiet night, a Hollow's screams tore through the silence. It kept Silas up past three in the morning. He could practically feel Zangetsu wishing to be released. Instead of dealing with it himself, he called Uryū, who was too far away to have sensed it. Uryū secured a swift kill, proving how reliable Silas was despite not showing any fighting capabilities.

While the desire to again access his Soul Reaper powers to train was tempting, he refused. Almost every day, Yoruichi would be lurking somewhere. And from his knowledge, neither she nor Kisuke were aware he had awakened his powers. He needed to keep it that way until the time was right.

There was no telling when Rukia would arrive. Perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow. Even next month. All Silas knew was that he would not become a Soul Reaper again until she showed up.

• • •

The first morning in the middle of May came. Silas looked outside to witness the sunrise. He closed his eyes, and the city sprawled in front of him. His eyes then slowly opened as he gave a slight grin on his face. For he had felt the faint hum of someone's spiritual power thrumming through the air. It came from the Soul of a little girl standing next to a flower vase, where she had died.

The night Rukia Kuchiki would finally come was fast approaching.

This was evident because of that soul—the same Soul Ichigo had encountered the night that Rukia arrived. Silas had sensed it before, but this was the first time he saw her bleeding on the forehead. During the time that Ichigo first met that Soul, she was bleeding in the same manner.

Silas was more than just prepared. The only sort of training he had done these past few months was gaining more control over his spiritual powers. Exhilaration didn't hinder his mindset. The days that had gone by had both forged and tempered his willpower. He was Silas Wren, and this was just the beginning.

• • •

School finally ended as usual. Per Silas's request, Uryū was given a day off for the night. He was like an obedient dog, always adhering to orders. The only suspicion he had was wondering how Silas knew what would happen before anyone else. But these were seldom great enough to make him question things.

Silas made sure to inform him that he would call him if he needed help. If he didn't call him, it's because the situation was being handled.

As Silas walked home, he sensed three familiar characters near that girl's Soul from this morning. They were lowly street thugs, and they had just knocked over her flower vase for the second time. He wasn't going to do anything about it, so he ignored the thugs and walked home. Only when that Soul was written to have been eaten by a Hollow tonight would he start caring.

Before Silas could even make it home, he was already content with what he was sensing. There was a Hollow nearby—the first Hollow to ever be featured in the series. More importantly, Rukia was fast approaching in its direction. He had been trying to sense her whereabouts since school but hadn't gotten a trace of her until now. And from what Silas could see in her spiritual pressure, she was exactly the same.

A short, petite girl with black hair who was truly over fifty years old. Yet she had a young complexion and a very childish attitude, fancying cute things. Her late sister, Hisana, married into the royal Kuchiki family and pleaded for her husband to adopt Rukia moments before her sickly death. Being raised as a Soul Reaper since she was a child, Rukia also carried a Zanpakutō with ice powers.

That is who she was: Rukia Kuchiki from the prestigious Kuchiki family, the same person who bestowed her powers on Ichigo in order to save his family. And this was exactly what Silas was going to have her do again.