Alternate: Epilogue
Captain Rukia Kuchiki stands atop a telephone poll, the same one she stood on years before when it all began.
She feels so much power now, more than she's ever felt before. It surges through her body like electricity. She supposes that she's probably the most powerful Soul Reaper in existence now.
If she wanted to, she could take over Soul Society. None of them would be able to stop her.
She laughs softly at the thought. Her mind is being influenced by the Hollow that was now inside of her, but she's strong enough to resist.
"It always rains when you're sad, doesn't it?" a voice from within says.
"Yes," she answers. She takes out the Quincy poison that Kurotsuchi developed so that Ichigo wouldn't be able to enter Soul Society. She examines the vial of spiritual liquid, looking at it with some disdain.
"You have so much power…use it," the voice tells her again.
All of the captains told her that one life could be sacrificed for the good of everyone else. She fully agrees with this statement…but it was never her intention to kill Ichigo Kurosaki.
"How did you do it, anyways?" the voice asks.
"There was a residual trace of my own power still inside of Ichigo. I merely used that as a key to open the door inside of him, so that I could take you out of him and into me," she explains, as if she was talking to a small child.
It was always about power.
She opens the vial of liquid and soaks her blade with it.
She can feel the Hollow inside grow fearful. "What are you doing?"
"Ending this," she answers. She plunges her blade inside of herself, the other side protruding out of her back.
Strangely, she doesn't feel any pain as her spirit fades slowly from existence. There will be no butterfly to lead her to Soul Society, but she feels at peace knowing that Ichigo will be alive and able to finally live a normal life.
She can feel the Hollow disintegrate inside of her, and she allows herself to breathe a sigh of relief even as she's fading faster. She wonders what it will feel like when she's reduced to nothingness…she hopes it won't be cold.
Rukia blinks. She can see the faces of those long gone slowly begin to appear before her.
Kaien and Renji are there, waving to her. Her brother is there too, smiling at her. Her sister Hisana is by his side. The Quincy, along with Inoue and Chad, all wave to her.
She can see Kon jumping excitedly, his body no longer that of a stuffed animal but something along the lines of Ichigo's instead. Who knew that the stuffed animal would choose Ichigo as a basis for what he would look like in the after-after-life?
She can see the others that went before her, the ones that had died during the battle with Aizen. All of them are smiling peacefully.
Ichigo's friends all place a comforting hand on Rukia. She can actually feel them, as if they were alive. But how was this possible? They had been destroyed, and she was fading from existence as well…so how?
"Kuchiki," Ishida says softly.
"Hello," Chad greets her.
"Welcome home," Inoue says warmly, putting her arms around her in a tight embrace.
"Home?" Rukia is in disbelief. How can this be? Wasn't her soul being destroyed?
"Yes, home! You're finally here," Renji said, laughing heartily. "I missed your funny face, idiot."
Kaien laughs along with him. "It's good to see you again."
Her sister Hisana comes forward. "You can stay here, if you'd like," she hears her sister say.
"That…sounds nice," Rukia replies.
The telephone poll, where everything began and subsequently ended, is now empty.
"I'm home," she whispers, allowing herself to smile wide at all the family and friends that have assembled before her.
End