Hello! Thank you so much to all of you that have been reading this fic! The upcoming chapters were one of my favorites to write so I hope you all enjoy!

Let me know what you all are thinking! Any theories about what's going on? Any questions? (I've been told that my writing can be hard to follow at times so I try my best to go back and make sure everything is clear). I always love to hear feedback! Also, sometimes I try to do a little foreshadowing (*chef's kiss*) and symbolism (*sprinkles salt*) so I hope you've been catching that and having fun trying to figure out what it means!

I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapter :))) the themes I'm trying to express are personal and super important to me (and I know they're super important to a lot of people)

But let me shut up and let you read! Again thank you so much :') y'all make my days a little better


A few days later

Isane poked her head into Rukia's room to find her asleep. She didn't want to wake her, but she knew she had to.

"Rukia-chan," she said. "It's time to get up."

Rukia's eyes reluctantly fluttered open. She groaned and turned to face the wall. She wasn't ready to get up.

Isane smiled to herself. "Rukia-chan, I already let you sleep in more than I should have. Come on, get up."

Rukia ignored her. In response, Isane pulled the curtains wide open. The younger girl squirmed to pull the covers over her head. Rukia's reaction made Isane chuckle.

"Please, just ten more minutes," Rukia pleaded.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that."

Rukia huffed and slowly sat up. Isane's stomach began to churn. It was so easy to see that Rukia looked miserable.

"What's wrong? Is it your incision?"

Rukia shook her head. "It's nothing. I guess I'm still a bit tired."

Isane hated the feeling she was getting in her gut. It told her that Rukia was not "just tired." The lieutenants eyes drifted to Rukia's chart, which only made the feeling she had worsen. She ignored it though and smiled. "Maybe once you have some breakfast you'll start to feel a little better. For now, let's get you to the bathroom."

"I can manage on my own, Isane. You have a division to run, not to mention the Evaluations. You have better things to do than helping me walk to bathroom."

Isane shook her head. "The division will be fine without me for a couple of minutes. You are my top priority. Now, dangle your legs over the bed, slowly." Rukia did. "Do you feel dizzy or nauseous?" She shook her head. Isane helped her to stand and walked her into the bathroom. "I'll be right outside if you need anything. Try to move slowly and carefully."

Rukia nodded. "Thank you, Isane."

She gave Rukia a smile before walking out. However, once she shut the door, the lieutenant's smile disappeared. With a sigh, she grabbed Rukia's chart and looked through it.

"Are you taking any medication?"

Rukia's worried look puzzled Isane.

"It's very important that we know what medications you're taking. Captain Unohana needs to have a complete history if we want to start piecing together a diagnosis."

Rukia hesitantly spoke. "I-I'm taking a few medications. I don't remember any names though. Nii-sama would know all that. I'm sorry."

Isane tried to keep a straight face. She had been so close to showing just how shocked she was. She had no idea Rukia was taking medication, let alone what the medication was for. "That's all right, Rukia-chan. Could you tell me what they're for? We can find out names later."

Rukia hesitated. "I'm taking medication for PTSD. It's supposed to help with the imbalance of... I forget what they're called."

"Neurotransmitters?"

"Yes, that's it. The medication has a weird name. I think it starts with a P; that's all I remember. And there's one that is supposed to help me sleep. And the doctor gave me some painkillers for when I get headaches. I try not to take them very much, though, because they make me drowsy. And Nii-sama makes me take vitamins because he thinks I don't eat enough. Do you need to know about those, too? They're just gummies."

Isane had been so shocked. She had no idea that Rukia had PTSD, or even that she was going through treatment for it.

Her grip on the chart tightened. How had she missed all the signs?

Isane's train of thought was interrupted by the bathroom door opening. There, she saw Rukia slowly walking out.

"Rukia-chan!" she cried. "I told you to call when you were done!" Isane ran over to Rukia's side and helped her to her bed.

Rukia frowned. "I'm sorry, but didn't you see, Isane? I did just fine!"

"You did just fine, but you shouldn't be pushing yourself like that. You need to give your body more time to finish healing. You may feel alright, but we can't risk it."

Isane signed. Her friend was as reckless as ever. The lieutenant couldn't stay mad though.

She went to the bathroom to grab a towel. When she got back, she put the towel on Rukia's head and started drying her hair.

"Gosh, Rukia-chan," she breathed. "You don't listen to me, you leave your hair wet even though you could get a cold. What are we going to do with you?" she giggled.

Rukia stayed silent and let her friend dry her hair. Moments like these made her contemplate deeply. Was this what it felt like to have a sister? A mother? She always wondered.

A knock at the door made them both look up. Ukitake, Kiyone, and Sentaro walked in. Rukia's three superiors were beaming.

"Rukia! How are you feeling?" Kiyone asked her.

She smiled. Those three had come to visit her almost everyday since she woke up. Yet every time she saw them walk through that door, she seemed just as happy as the last time they visited. "I'm feeling alright."

Isane looked at her. "She's definitely getting stronger. However she did have a little trouble getting up today."

Ukitake looked worried. "Rukia, I know you really want to help out with the Evaluation. But I'm worried that you'll be pushing yourself too hard."

She looked at her captain with a smile. "Thank you, Captain. But I'm already sitting out today. I really want to help. Since I can't help out today with the interviews, I would really like to help in any other way I can. I'll be fine."

Her words rang in his head.

I'll be fine.

Rukia always said that. That she's fine, that there's nothing bothering her. He wondered how many times she had said those words and actually meant it. He wondered how many more times she said those words when it was a lie.

Was she really fine right now?

"Captain Ukitake?"

He blinked and shook himself back to reality. He realized that he had been staring.

He chuckled. "Sorry, Rukia. I guess I'm a little out of it because of all the extra work we've been doing."

He didn't miss her frown. Ukitake knew she must be feeling awful for not being able to help out today.

He smiled. "But don't worry about it! We're doing just fine. But we'll do much better once we finally have you back to 100 percent."

Ukitake placed his hand on top of her head. Rukia looked up at her captain with her big eyes. She wanted to be upset when he began to ruffle her hair, but she couldn't. She could never be mad at such a lovable man.

With his hand still on her head, Ukitake said, "Just focus on getting better. That's all I can ask of you."


The captain and his two third seats arrived to find their division full of life. The trainees, fresh from the Academy, were talking and looking around. The seated officers of the 13th Division were running around, making sure every last detail was ready for the interviews to begin.

Ukitake smiled. The sight of so many young and promising shinigami made him so happy. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in quite a while.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Ukitake asked. "It feels like it hasn't been this lively in ages. It's a nice change."

Kiyone and Sentaro nodded. It was like the start to a new chapter, one that didn't involve Aizen.

A woman came up to the three and bowed before them. "Captain, everything is just about ready for the interviews to begin. Officers have been assigned to their rooms and the schedule for the trainees has been posted."

"Excellent," he exclaimed. "Thank you for your hard work." He turned to his third seats. "Come one, you two. We don't want to run behind schedule."

They made their way to the room where they would be conducting their interviews.

Before they stepped into the room, Ukitake turned to look at the two third seats. "Sentaro, just a reminder. This is an interview, not an interrogation."

Kiyone burst into laughter.

Sentaro looked at his captain with his mouth wide open. "What are you talking about, Captain?" he gawked.

"I'm talking about how you made two young men cry like children last year. Or did you already forget?"

Kiyone, who had just calmed down, burst into laughter again. She rolled on the ground holding her stomach as she remembered Sentaro on top of a table yelling at the poor recruits.

Sentaro blushed.

"It's important to be patient and remain calm with the trainees. Even if you think their answers are wrong, we still need to finish asking our questions and give these young shinigami a chance."

"I understand! But, Captain, I just want to make sure that they're good enough to serve you!"

"And I'm grateful for that, Sentaro. But these shinigami have just graduated from the Academy. They still haven't experienced the real world. They may get a few answers 'wrong' and they may mess up every now and then. But it's our job as their superiors to help them get it right the next time. Just be a little more patient. All right?"

Sentaro stood up straight as a pole and saluted. Tears were streaming down his face like waterfalls. He couldn't help but be moved by his captain's compassion. "Yes, Sir!"

The captain looked at his subordinate with a smile. How was he fortunate enough to have so many dedicated subordinates?

"Good! Then I guess we're ready to begin!"


"Hello, it's nice to meet you. My name is Captain Jushiro Ukitake. This is Third Seat Sentaro Kotsubaki and Third Seat Kiyone Kotetsu. What's your name?"

"Where are you from?"

"Why did you decide to go to the Academy?"

"My name is Kiyone Kotetsu. I'm the third seat of Division 13. And this is Captain Jushiro Ukitake and Third Seat Kotsubaki. We will be conducting your interview today. What's your name?"

"What is one of your weaknesses?"

"Tell us about one of your greatest hardships and how you overcame it."

"What is your favorite memory from the Academy?"

"What is your greatest strength?"

"Why did you choose the 13th Division?"

"What do you hope to accomplish as a shinigami in the Gotei 13?"

"You're incredibly young compared to the shinigami in your class. Can you tell us about that?"

"I see you had originally applied to join the Sixth Division. Can you tell me how it is you ended up at the 13th Division instead?"

"You were recommended to join the First Division, but insisted on joining us here at the 13th. Can you tell us about that?"

"You failed the entrance exam for the Academy the first time. I see that you then retook it a few years later and passed with flying colors. Can you tell us about this?"

"What is one thing you hope to accomplish here at the 13th Division?"


After a long day, the interviews were finally over. Ukitake, Sentaro, and Kiyone were in the captain's office waiting for the other seated officers to bring their reports on the trainees they had interviewed.

As time passed, the pile on top of Ukitake's desk grew bigger and bigger. His two third seats looked at their captain once the last of the reports had been brought in.

"Where should we start, Captain?" Kiyone asked reluctantly.

A smile. "No need. We're done for the day."

The two looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"They all pass!" he explained happily.

"B-But Captain," Sentaro stuttered. "All due respect, but we haven't reviewed the interview files. How do they all pass?"

"I wanted to try something new this year. There's only one red flag that was reported, which I can take a closer look at later. And since no one else reported anything that we should be concerned with regarding any of the new trainees, we don't have anything to look over. They all pass to the next stage."

Kiyone and Sentaro just stood there looking at Ukitake with their mouths wide open. They watched as he gathered his things and made his way to the door.

"I'm going to go visit Rukia. Are you two coming along?"

The two looked at each other for a second before shrugging their shoulders and happily following after their captain.