I know I said the Shinigami weren't going to make an appearance when I put out the introduction, but allow me to explain. When I said that, I meant Rukia will be the only Shinigami that's going to be reincarnated into a new life.
Gotei 13 will play a big role in the future.
The law is reason, free from passion. Man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all.
—Aristotle
Rukia Kuchiki stood on the execution scaffold, looking down towards Captain Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. Behind him, standing in formation to prepare the Sōkyoku, were the Kido Corps.
Her brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, the captain of the 6th Division, had stoutly refused to acknowledge her since arriving at Sōkyoku Hill. Byakuya stood in a crowd consisting of the 2nd Division Captain Suì-Fēng, 2nd Division Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda, 4th Division Captain Retsu Unohana, 4th Division Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu, 8th Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, with his own Lieutenant and niece, Nanao Ise.
"It's odd so few people showed up," Suì-Fēng noted, turning slightly towards Marechiyo. "There's no surprise that squads five, eleven and twelve are missing given their casualties, and I do believe Captain Zaraki's lost what's left of his mind."
Marechiyo and Nanao hummed in reply. Shunsui barely suppressed a snort at the comment about Captain Zaraki.
"My brother..." Rukia softly addressed Byakuya, but the elder Kuchiki simply hmphed and turned away from her, showing the younger his back. That didn't offend or surprise Rukia. Even though Byakuya made it clear with his past actions and words that he would do nothing to prevent this moment from happening, she gave him a heartfelt smile. "Thank you."
"Rukia Kuchiki, before we proceed with the execution," Yamamoto begun, addressing Rukia up on the scaffold. "Do you have any last words?"
"Yes, just one, Commander Yamamoto. Please, once this is all over, let the Ryoka leave the Soul Society without anymore issues."
"Agreed. Your last request shall be honored. After the execution, I shall allow the invading Ryoka to return home unharmed." Yamamoto informed Rukia. To Rukia, his promise to let her friends go brought comfort and ease to her condemned soul, comfort that prompted her to sincerely thank the bald man in front of her. But, to the witnesses—minus one Byakuya—that overheard the exchange, it only brought ill feelings and distress. Suì-Fēng knew her head commander long enough, and well enough, to know he had no intention of letting any of them go.
Ignoring the murmuring going on, Yamamoto turned around to face the Kido Corps members that surrounded the base of the halberd. "Release the Sōkyoku!" He finally ordered in a thundering voice.
Near Sōkyoku Hill, several Shinigami observe the Sōkyoku being released as the large ropes entwining it are unbound and left to fall off the cliff, where they crash into the ground below with heavy thuds, leaving the Sōkyoku bare. As she stands on the execution stand before it, Rukia is at peace even though Byakuya has completely turned his back on her.
Suddenly, the restraints binding Rukia's arms behind her back dissipate as three medium-size cubes rise from the platform in front of Rukia, splaying her arms outward on either side and locking her legs together by hovering in front of them before ascending toward the top of the execution scaffold with her frozen in place. The only thing Rukia can do is look down at the crowd as they get smaller the higher she ascends.
Suddenly, flames flare out from the base of the Sōkyoku and wreathe themselves around the massive halberd, shocking Marechiyo. While watching the Sōkyoku ascend into the air from its hole in the ground, Suì-Fēng and Isane realize that it is changing shape, to Shunsui's surprise, and the Sōkyoku transforms into Kikōō, a massive phoenix composed entirely of flame.
As Yamamoto explains that Kikōō is the true form of the Sōkyoku and will end the execution by impaling Rukia, the younger Kuchiki closes her eyes and a single tear falls. Kikōō rears its head back and a loud, "Awhoooo!" comes from the flaming bird, and the force of the howl shook the ground below and drew an involuntary flinch out of the two lieutenants.
Kikōō charges.
The burst of flame from the collision engulfs the stand in a flaming tornado. When Kikōō made contact with Rukia, the only thing that the younger Kuchiki could do was scream. And scream she did. It held all the depth of someone being tortured—bloodcurdling, nothing, not even the torture Captain Kurotsuchi could inflict came close to what she was feeling. The Shinigami witnessing Rukia's execution carried different expressions, from horror struck (Nanao and Isane), to grief (Shunsui and Retsu), prideful indifference (Yamamoto), and finally, an expression that was torn between fulfilling ones own duty to justice and showing an emotion he absolutely refused to identify as guilt.
Elsewhere, in the Soul Society, a certain spiky, carrot top substitute Shinigami fell to his knees as the screams cut him to his core.
The screaming got louder, and louder, building up until it became a white noise. Then, as quickly as the screaming began, it stopped. Rukia opened her eyes to the deafening silence and found herself surrounded by white. She frowned at all the white. Everywhere, as far as the eye could see, nothing but a neverending expanse of white.
Was this the afterlife for Shinigami? Did Shinigami even have their own afterlife? The last thing Rukia remembered was... she remembered dying. She remembered getting hit by Kikōō, getting engulfed within the fiery flames of the phoenix, and screaming. She could recall the smell of her own flesh—a mixture of nauseating and sweet, putrid and steaky—as it burned. The pain... such indescribable pain. There weren't words.
All Rukia knew, without a shadow of doubt, was that it was an experience she never again wished to visit.
She had to be located somewhere, because Rukia was creating—mostly—coherent thoughts. Then she felt movement. Her whole body was moving of its own accord. How odd... because, now the big expanse of white was thinning, getting narrower and narrower until it resembled a long tunnel with bright whiteness at the end.
The surroundings were getting lighter. Colder. And noiser. There was so, so, much noise. Rukia couldn't hear her own self think.
A scream. There was a scream; a woman screaming and it didn't belong to Rukia. Screaming was never a good thing in her experience, so she braced herself. Rukia found herself unable to move or talk, but she could at least prepare herself mentally for what was to come.
Rukia felt herself being moved. Someone was carrying her, but that was not possible. No, it felt like her entire being was enclosed by these 'arms'. It was impossible for a normal person to be so large to hold a grown woman in such a way. Unless they were a Hollow, but that made absolutely zero sense.
"—isn't crying? Why isn't—crying?!" A woman screamed in hysteria. It was odd. She was so loud, and yet, Rukia only picked up bits and pieces of what the woman said. It had to be because she was hysterical.
"Check—air way!"
"Nothing—monitor is showing—"
"Doctor!"
Now there were so many voices talking at once! Rukia couldn't understand anyone and it was giving her a headache trying to listen so hard. The woman was still screaming and now she was being tossed around! And… something else is crying. What is that noise?
"-shhh. –ione. It's ok- shh." Rukia heard a man speak. The man sounded so calm. Probably the only sane person in this room… If she's even in a room. All she can see are blotches of gray. They look like figures, but.. Someone just crammed a couple of fingers down her throat! That is not alright!
"Wahhhhhh!" She wailed, letting as much noise and air out as possible.
"-crying! My baby's crying-" The damn woman was still screaming, but this sounded happy this time. What kind of messed up lady takes joy in another person's suffer—
.
.
.
Wait a minute! Did that woman just call her a baby?
