The Nightingale

Chapter 44: Murder

Summer — x492 / September 14

— You left a red mark on my shoulder. — Rukia commented in a low voice as she saw herself in the mirror.

Rukia caressed the skin on her shoulder, where that red mark was, after adjusting her dress so that the wrinkles in her skirt were not so noticeable. Ichigo smiled and approached her slowly, fully dressed as the Commander of the Kingdom, and laid a soft kiss on that mark that moments before he had made in a fit of passion.

— I apologize, my love. I couldn't control myself. — Ichigo whispered into Rukia's ear, again placing a small kiss on her neck, grabbing her waist to draw her to him.

He heard her gasp in surprise and that made him smile.

Rukia smiled and raised a hand to place it on the back of Ichigo's neck in that movement, she closed her eyes and Ichigo smiled at the image that the mirror returned to him. He kissed Rukia's shoulder again and used that old magic to heal that red mark.

The ankh served for war, but among the art of war, there was also learning to heal oneself with it, or to heal someone; dying was not an option during battle. They were two sides of the same coin, life and death in his hands; his instructors had seen to it that he learned it while he was still a child.

— Now there is no mark of my crime. — Ichigo whispered in a husky voice and felt Rukia shudder in his arms.

Ichigo stroked the curves of Rukia's body gently, listening to her slow and deep breathing. Rukia opened her eyes and smiled when she saw the reflection of both of them in the mirror; she bit her lip slowly, teasing him to kiss her.

Ichigo didn't kiss her, he could play like that too.

They both stretched the line of desire to the unimaginable between them; just for the pleasure of seeing who succumbed to desire first.

— Why am I seeing the dangerous man in the mirror? — Rukia asked on a gasp.

— Because I'm seeing a dangerous woman in the mirror. — Ichigo replied with a smile.

Rukia smiled and tilted her head a little with the intention of kissing him and Ichigo began that kiss by playing with her, brushing her lips but not kissing her until that game was unbearable and he kissed her passionately; he drew her to him as much as possible, feeling her shudder and gasp when that kiss became impossible to hold.

— I feel it. — Rukia whispered biting her lips after that sentence.

— That's how you put me, my love. — Ichigo gently bit on Rukia's lip, playing with her. — You know perfectly what you do in me, I needed to feel you that way again.

Rukia smiled and turned in his arms to kiss him again, entangling one of her legs around Ichigo's hips, succumbing to the passion of that moment. Ichigo was about to take her to bed and make love to her again, when someone knocked on the door. He cursed in a growl on Rukia's lips and she moved away from him in such a slow way that it was torture; Ichigo could see the anger in Rukia's expression and that made him smile.

He approached her and kissed her hand gently.

— My love, at night I will kill anyone who dares to interrupt us. — Ichigo promised, looking at her without hiding all the evil intentions he had in mind to do together.

Rukia seemed to hold back from jumping on him, and just kissed him again; this time she bit his lip in a very soft way in that kiss. Ichigo could only growl, like he was a wild beast trapped inside a human form. This was a provocation from Rukia and it only made him want her more.

—

Ichigo gave her confidence and security, he made her feel that the world could be at her feet and she liked that; she liked that promise of power. Rukia was still afraid of what the Queen Mother might do or say to her, maybe she could treat her badly but she didn't care anyway.

The most powerful woman in the kingdom, that's how they referred to the Queen Mother; even Queen Masaki was afraid of her, but after thinking about it during the bath and while she was dressing, Rukia came to the conclusion that Ichigo's grandmother was not as powerful as everyone said she was.

If the Queen Mother had failed to enforce the bastards' rules with Kaien, then she had no power over the king, not so much that the king feared over the stance the queen mother would take in the battle that was brewing in the castle.

Rukia did not doubt that the Queen Mother was respected, but perhaps her power over people's lives was on the wane.

— What are you thinking about? — Ichigo asked her while they waited sitting on a bench in that garden where breakfast would be with the Queen Mother.

— In many things, none really bad. — Rukia commented making a gesture with her hand, as if to downplay what she was thinking at the time.

She didn't want to tell Ichigo what she really thought about the Queen Mother, because she didn't really know her yet and didn't want to be prejudiced before giving herself the chance to meet her. Ichigo just nodded at her answer and kissed her hand.

Rukia was glad that he didn't ask questions, she liked that he gave her space like that.

Eventually she would tell him what she was thinking, but at that moment her thoughts were only hers.

They put that topic aside and Ichigo turned the conversation to the topic of the days they would spend at the springs. Rukia was excited about visiting the springs although she was worried that there would be too many people to enjoy the place in all its beauty.

— Attention! Our Queen Mother Raiza is here! — The guard announced, hitting the ground with the base of the halberd he was holding.

Rukia stopped thinking about the springs and rose from her seat as soon as the guard announced the presence of the queen mother in the garden.

Rukia could recognize the Queen Mother, even if the Queen Mother was not wearing the diadem made of amethysts and silver that she wore on her head, Rukia could recognize her anywhere; even despite having seen her only once.

The Queen Mother was a beautiful woman despite her age; her hair was the color of copper, her skin was fair without becoming pale, and despite having had five children, she still had a body that did not appear to have undergone many changes.

Rukia had noticed all that when she met her on the wedding day, but what had really caught Rukia's attention that time was the color of the Queen Mother's eyes.

The Queen Mother's eyes were the same color as Ichigo's eyes, they were honey colored.

— Your Majesty. — Ichigo greeted as he approached the Queen Mother before kissing her hand as a gesture of respect.

— Your Majesty. — Rukia greeted as she approached and kissed the Queen Mother's hand.

The Queen Mother looked beautiful and radiant, and Rukia was taken aback to see her smile in such a joyous way. Rukia internally hoped that the Queen Mother would reject her, instead the Queen Mother stroked her and Ichigo's cheeks with that motherly gesture of someone who loved their descendants.

— My dear grandchildren, congratulations on your wedding. I must apologize to you, on the day of the celebration I was not able to spend as much time with you as I intended, but I promise I will make it up to you. — The Queen Mother spoke with a motherly smile on her lips, caressing Ichigo and Rukia's cheeks gently.

Rukia blushed and felt a great relief wash over her; her fears of the Queen Mother faded the moment she recognized her as her granddaughter.

— You don't need to apologize, Your Majesty. We know that…

— No. It is necessary that I apologize, I had a long time since I had been to Adelaar and for a moment I forgot that it was a celebration, your celebration. — The Queen Mother explained interrupting what Ichigo was saying. — I hope you know how to excuse the mistakes of an older woman.

— There is nothing to excuse, Your Majesty. — Rukia explained. — We know the situation and we know that nothing is as it should be. We understand.

— That you understand it is no excuse for not deserving happiness. Let's not talk about it now, there will be more days for that. — The Queen Mother gestured to the table for them to take a seat with her. — Now let's have breakfast that you must eat well, that I want my great-grandchildren to be strong and healthy.

The queen mother said that with a naturalness that made Rukia and Ichigo turn completely red with embarrassment.

—

The temple of the Deities of Visnia was almost as big as the temple that was in the Capital.

The Visnia temple had stained glass windows that let light in, covering the polished stone floor and some walls with colors. There were benches for the attendants to the masses, and the pillars that supported the vaulted ceiling of the temple were carved with the history of the Deities; even the interior balconies where the temple choir members stood were decorated with passages from the Book of Deities.

The history of the Deities and how they were consecrated was carved in stone.

Ichigo and Rukia arrived at the temple after that breakfast with the Queen Mother; they had gone alone, with no other company than the guard of soldiers who went with them to protect them. Ichigo had made Rukia's protection a priority for the soldiers, nothing moved without first making sure that everything was safe for her.

Rukia was right, without her the world would sink into chaotic agony, and it was something Ichigo had no intention of allowing. Not that or anything that would put Rukia in danger; to his light.

The people inside the temple bowed to them after one of the guards introduced them as they entered the temple; even the Priest bowed before them and came down from that step where he was standing. Ichigo heard the murmurs of the people as they walked to their seats, he knew that the same thing would happen as in the other cities; after mass, people could approach them and make requests.

That part of the royal family that lived in the capital was there, it was the perfect opportunity to get things to the king.

Everything was part of the illusion that they were in charge of projecting.

They would listen to the petitioners, but of all they could ask for, only one or two petitions would reach the king's ears, and they would be those petitions that were really important to the well-being of the kingdom; would be those problems that couldn't be solved by the Lord in charge of the city.

Ichigo and Rukia sat in the front seats, the closest to the statues of the Deities, and Ichigo laced his fingers with Rukia's and kissed her hand before mass began.

Ichigo didn't believe in The Deities, he believed in The Shadow; that was the religion of the sons of Vayalat, of those who had been born with that gift for war. Still, he knew the songs and the prayers, he could even speak of the goodness of the Deities with true conviction if required, but he didn't believe in them.

The Deities don't listen.

All the times that he had prayed to the Deities that his father would believe his word and not Kaien's, the Deities didn't listen to him. All the times that he prayed that his father would come find him and tell him that he missed him, the Deities didn't listen to him.

No, the Deities don't listen.

On the contrary, Rukia did believe in the Deities and he didn't try to change her mind. Maybe the Deities would listen to her, and if that gave Rukia confidence then it was fine with him.

People needed to believe in something, and the worship of the Deities was closely related to the crown, it was the bridge between royalty and commoners that they had to cement with actions like that, going to mass among common people.

At the end of the mass, the guards were in charge of making the people who were trying to approach them, form a line and advance in an orderly manner. Ichigo was sitting up, with his classic dangerous man expression, and Rukia on the contrary, had a smile and accepted the words of the people who spoke with them.

Rukia was the princess of the people, it was part of her job to listen to the people and get the information to the queen, so she had a guard write down what the petitioners said.

Ichigo applauded that action, because it gave the petitioners the impression that they were doing more than listening to them.

It would be a long morning because of the large number of people in the temple, so going to the House of Justice would be relegated to the afternoon; in the same way it was not inconvenient since the work was long and they had to give their space to each activity.

The plan was to stay a few more days in Visnia so that Rukia could see the springs. As long as they did their work, the king would be happy and would not bother them, no more than he already did with the envoy who arrived in each city where they arrived.

Ichigo looked up at the statues of the Deities and glared at them; if the Deities listened they wouldn't be going through that. It was a fleeting thought that vanished when he heard Rukia's voice and he smiled when he saw her attentive to what the petitioners were saying; this time it was a blessing that the Deities hadn't listened to him because they gave him the joy of being with Rukia.

A kiss from Rukia was worth more than a crown or a kingdom.

The number of people was starting to shrink, the petitioners were leaving after kissing Rukia's hand as a thank you, and there were fewer and fewer people left. Ichigo got up from his seat and stood next to Rukia, who was sitting on a chair that had been set up for her, he put his hand on Rukia's shoulder and felt how she held his hand gently a few moments later.

— No longer allow more people to enter the temple, we have to go to the House of Justice; we will come another day. — Ichigo spoke looking at one of the guards who was next to him to start redirecting the people who were still coming to where they were.

The guard just nodded, took two steps to the side to pass Ichigo, and collapsed on the floor for no apparent reason. Ichigo was taken aback for a moment until he saw the arrow in the guard's chest.

An arrow.

— Archer! — One of the guards yelled, pointing to one of the internal balconies inside the temple.

A second arrow flew and this time it hit the arm that had moved to protect him.

It took Ichigo seconds to take Rukia into his arms and make her lie on the floor, covering her with his body to protect her. She was confused, he could see it in her eyes, but he wasn't listening; Ichigo saw that she moved her lips but he could not hear her, his senses were all placed on the guards who were mobilizing between shouts.

A second guard fell to the floor with an arrow to his throat.

Whoever was shooting the arrows was an experienced archer, as he did not flee the moment he was discovered and was able to shoot at least two more arrows taking advantage of the confusion.

The captain of the guard began issuing orders amid the panic of the people trying to flee from the temple of the Deities. The soldiers mobilized to form a wall with the shields to protect Ichigo and Rukia from the possibility that a second archer was waiting to attack.

The people fled as did the archer, and in the temple only Ichigo, Rukia, the priest and the guards remained who did not relax from their position. When the captain of the guard was sure that there was no longer any danger inside the temple, he helped Ichigo and Rukia up from the floor.

Ichigo was worried about Rukia, but having her covered with his body, he had focused on what the guards were doing, so as he got up from the floor and was fully aware of Rukia, knowing that there was no longer any danger within the temple, Ichigo could see fear in his wife's gaze.

— What ... what happened? — Rukia was holding onto Ichigo's arm, and Ichigo could feel that Rukia was shaking, as was her voice when she spoke.

— An archer. — Ichigo replied before hugging Rukia tightly against his chest. — Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Are you hurt?

Ichigo didn't want to imagine what might have happened if an arrow had hit Rukia; he was scared, but more than scared, Ichigo was furious. Rukia hugged him tightly, he felt her shudder again and he could only cradle her in his arms silently at that moment.

Rukia's hug was the only thing keeping the anger from getting out of control.

— Rukia, talk to me. At least tell me if I hurt you. — Ichigo whispered after kissing Rukia's head.

— I'm fine, really ... you didn't hurt me; it just went really fast. — Rukia replied.

Ichigo again heard the fear in Rukia's voice and felt helpless because he didn't know how to give her security at the moment; the only thing he could do was hold her in her arms. They were in the temple of the Deities, it was supposed to be a safe place, the soldiers were supposed to check that everything was fine; Rukia's hug again prevented his fury from being unloaded with the soldiers who were still there.

— Commander, we caught the archer. We will take him to the dungeons of the House of Justice. — One of the guards reported, arriving moments after the temple of the Deities was empty; the soldiers even prevented the Priest from approaching them.

Rukia was still hugging him, trying to calm down and recover from the situation.

— Keep an eye on the archer, let no one approach him, if something happens to that man, the person responsible will receive the punishment. — He looked at one of the guards. — And keep an eye on the Priest, if he talks to someone, I want to know down to the smallest detail.

Ichigo's orders were carried out immediately; even the Priest seemed upset by the order to be watched, but Ichigo wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

Ichigo noticed Rukia's eyes as he separated from that hug, he could see the fear crystallized in the form of tears that she refused to shed, and he felt an irrational fear that ran down his spine like a whiplash; the fear that Rukia was no longer in the world. He didn't like seeing Rukia like this, so vulnerable and small in his arms; if the archer hadn't missed the shot... Ichigo didn't want to finish that thought.

— My love, I have to find out what happened. I will send you to the Palace with a guard so that you arrive safely and...

— No, I don't want to... don't take me away from you, please. — The pleading in Rukia's voice made Ichigo feel his heart clench.

He could not refuse what she asked, he did not want to get away from her leaving her so vulnerable.

Both left the temple of the Deities escorted by the guards and got into the carriage that had taken them there; Rukia was silent, something usual for Rukia when something surpassed her, and Ichigo held her in his arms without saying anything because he was thinking about that archer.

The ankh tickled his fingers.

Upon reaching the House of Justice, Ichigo got out of the carriage and helped Rukia down; the guards were more alert than usual under the premise that there could be another archer waiting for them if the first one failed, and they were escorted into the House of Justice covered by shields.

The news of the attempted assassination of the prince of the kingdom had spread as fast as gunpowder, and the first person who greeted them upon arrival was his aunt Kukaku, who looked genuinely concerned about what had happened and questioned him if they were okay.

— I'm fine, auntie. Could you keep Rukia company? I have to see that archer. — The anger inside Ichigo was reflected in his voice; he did not notice it but behind his words a very soft growl died

— Yes, of course. — His aunt accepted, stepping aside to go with Rukia who was still clinging to him.

Ichigo nodded and turned to see Rukia and make her release his arm in a gentle way; Rukia didn't resist at that moment, she only looked Ichigo in the eye, although Ichigo could see the fear in Rukia's gaze.

— My princess, it will only be a moment. My aunt will take care of you, I need to know what is going on here. — He spoke in a tone that was intended to be calm, but in those moments anger was what was hidden between his words.

— It's okay. I'll wait for you here, just don't delay. — Rukia's voice was still mixed with nervousness and fear. Ichigo wanted to stay with her, but he couldn't do it; he must find out who had sent the archer.

— I'll be back as fast as I can. — Ichigo promised, and Rukia nodded.

He gave his aunt a meaningful glance and headed for the dungeon, following one of the guards who had escorted the archer when they locked him up. In the distance he heard his aunt Kukaku giving orders to the soldiers to mount a guard at the House of Justice and to warn the Lord of Visnia that he should be there as soon as possible.

The only light that entered the dungeons of the House of Justice was through a barred window at the top of the wall; it was the only thing that connected the dungeons with the outside and the size was so small that it was impossible to escape there. The smell of humidity and human corruption filled Ichigo's nose, the guard guided him with a torch lighting the way until they reached a dungeon where there was a chained man.

The guard opened the door of the dungeon and Ichigo entered the room, focusing his gaze on that man whose hands were shackled on his head, from whose mouth was dripping blood and who had a tourniquet on his left leg that was stained red; surely one of the arrows had hit his leg and they had stopped him that way.

Ichigo was really furious and he could feel how the ankh fluttered between his fingers waiting to be released, the tattoo on his back woke up, and little by little Ichigo approached that man, who had begun to beg for his life, with a macabre smile on his face. The guard who had led him to the dungeon stayed guarding the door that had been closed giving Ichigo the privacy he needed.

— Who sent you? — Ichigo asked in a voice so hostile and dangerous that the archer fell silent and gulped. — Who sent you!

Ichigo screamed and squeezed the leg with the tourniquet making the man cry out in pain; he knew he must control himself or he was going to kill the man before he could confess anything, because the ankh in his fingers cut the man's skin like a sharp knife.

— Your Highness! I don't know anything! — The archer yelled. Ichigo could almost taste the fear and pain in the man. — Have mercy on me, Your Highness!

— Mercy? Mercy! — Ichigo yelled and his hand filled with blood that began to ooze from the tourniquet on the man's leg. — You almost killed your prince! Who are you supposed to protect with your life! To your damn commander! And do you dare ask me for mercy? Ah?

— No! No! — The man's eyes widened in panic. Ichigo tightened his leg making the man scream until he made him cry from the pain. — You weren't the target, Your Highness! You were not the target!

Ichigo relaxed his grip on the man's leg when he said that, giving the archer a breath, who was shaking uncontrollably.

— Speaks! Speak up or I swear I will make you experience the purest terror before I kill you! — Ichigo threatened and the archer, between tears and gasps, nodded.

Torture with the ankh was more effective than ordinary torture.

— The target was the princess. — The archer confessed, panting. — The king's order came to execute her for being the daughter of a traitor.

Ichigo was about to hit the archer after his first sentence, but those final words stopped him. He was surprised by that revelation, the king would not be able to have someone like that executed, not without a trial, and much less would he be able to give the order to execute a princess in that way. There must be a mistake there; Ichigo refused to believe the archer's words.

— Are you blaming the king? — Ichigo asked grabbing the man's neck, squeezing him tightly, making it difficult for him to breathe. — Did you see the king give that order?

The archer shook his head; Ichigo's hand squeezing his neck made it impossible for him to say anything, and the lack of air made him try to kick himself free, but the shackles on his ankles prevented it.

— Tell me who gave you the order to murder my wife! — Ichigo yelled and released the archer who started coughing at the need for air.

— Only the order came to me; my duty is to serve the king. I had the seal of the king and I set out to comply. — The archer said again, trying to catch his breath.

Ichigo, in a fit of fury, again tightened the leg with the tourniquet to the archer; he felt the ankh emanate from his hands making his grip hurt more than normal and the wound on the archer's leg to bleed profusely. The archer would say anything to get his life spared; even say that the king gave the order.

The archer's screams echoed off the dungeon walls; Ichigo kept asking questions but the man kept repeating the same thing over and over again.

— It's your last chance, who ordered you to kill my wife? — Ichigo asked again, noting that the man had almost completely bled out and could no longer hold his head up.

— It was the king ... it was the king. It had the seal of the king. — The archer said again, spitting blood as he tried to say the words.

Ichigo, knowing that the man was about to die without saying anything other than what he had been repeating before, did what he did best with that gift of war: he killed the archer.

The Lord of Visnia arrived moments after the archer had died; the man's corpse still hung from his wrists, hanging limp in a pool of his own blood. Ichigo was standing by the door of the dungeon, inside it, with his arms crossed silently contemplating that corpse.

— What happened here? — His uncle asked after seeing the guard who was there who seemed too shocked by something.

Ichigo stopped looking at the corpse and focused his gaze on his uncle, who was staring at him.

— He was executed for treason to the kingdom. — Ichigo replied calmly; with that calm that was dangerous and scared anyone who didn't know him. — He tried to assassinate me and my wife and blamed the king saying it was a direct order from him.

— The king would never do such a thing. — His uncle added, surprised by what he had said. — Did he tell you who sent him?

— No, not even with all the torture did he say something different. Whoever is behind this, he is moving his pieces in a very cunning way. — Ichigo paused and relaxed his posture. — He was an Adelaar archer, someone from the castle sent him.

— I will report this to the king; someone is trying to kill you and we cannot allow it. — The Lord of Visnia motioned for the soldier to lower the body.

They were all men of war, they had seen more dead than they could wish for, and they were not so uncomfortable being next to a corpse.

They were just a lot of flesh and blood, like animals.

— No. I already told you, he was an envoy from Adelaar; someone there wants me dead and I know who he is. — Ichigo looked at his uncle. — Don't report to the king, uncle; the messenger who will carry the report will be the one to report what has happened.

— The messenger? — His uncle asked uncertainly.

— The one that surely arrived together with the archer; the king sends a messenger so that the reports from the cities reach him as soon as I make them. — Ichigo could see from his uncle's expression that he was not expecting that information. — Yes, the king is keeping an eye on me.

There was a silence in that dungeon that was only broken by the sound of the chains being removed from the corpse of that archer; they stayed that way until they were alone again.

Ichigo wasn't afraid that the guards would say something about what they had talked about there, and the guard at the gate was too scared to speak about anything he had seen or heard.

— Did you torture him to death? — The Lord of Visnia asked, there was more curiosity than reproach in the tone of his voice.

— No, he bled to death. He had a leg wound from an arrow and bled to death. — Ichigo lied with overwhelming naturalness.

— Kaien was here on his honeymoon. He tried to convince me to support him in his claim to the throne when the king dies. It seems that he knows that we are not happy with the appointment of him as heir. — His uncle spoke drawing his attention from the pool of blood where the archer had been.

— And did he convince you? — Ichigo asked looking his uncle straight in the eye.

His uncle took a step back when he heard that question.

—

Rukia was scared and seeing Ichigo go down that corridor towards the dungeons made her feel insecure. The initial shock of being nearly killed hadn't passed, yet Rukia was trying to control herself at that moment even though her mind wasn't helping her. Ichigo had moved her so fast that she hadn't noticed the pain in her arms until Kukaku made her sit on one of the chairs in that office.

It was the office of the Lord of Visnia, apparently.

Ichigo's aunt gave several orders before closing the door and approaching her with a small glass of amber liquid. Rukia saw her approach, but her nerves made her fear even being around Ichigo's aunt at the moment. She needed Ichigo.

— Drink it up, it'll do you good. — Kukaku offered her the glass and Rukia just nodded before holding it; her hands were shaking and she had to use her other hand to keep the contents of the glass from spilling.

— Thanks. — Rukia whispered, convincing herself that the woman in front of her wouldn't hurt her.

Rukia looked at the contents of that glass for a moment and closed her eyes before drinking it all in one gulp. It was brandy or some kind of very old alcohol, because the sensation of the alcohol vapor through her nose made her squeeze her eyes together and cough.

Kukaku laughed before taking the glass from her in a fluid manner. Rukia was puzzled, but the sensation of the alcohol in her mouth made her forget for a moment that event and focus on the sensation in her nose and mouth.

— It's brandy. You should drink it more calmly. — Kukaku poured some more of that brandy into the glass and handed it back to Rukia. — Slowly. Small sips.

— Thanks. — Rukia took the glass but did not drink the contents, instead holding it in her hands on her lap.

The brandy made her feel warm, not the pleasant warmth of the wine she had drunk the day before; it was a more aggressive heat that made her heart pound. Her hands were no longer shaking, but they were sweating again; fear and alertness were still in her, and she was startled by any sound she couldn't immediately recognize.

Outside the House of Justice the soldiers could be heard, the captains gave the orders and they could be heard as they left.

Rukia tried to remember what had happened but in her mind there was only Ichigo's surprised expression that turned into anger; it had all happened in seconds, that what had happened inside the temple of the Deities was more like the background noise in her memory.

Rukia remembered turning her head to see what was happening from the floor, but she only saw feet that came and went in the direction of the temple exit; then she turned her head to the opposite side and saw the corpse of one of the guards, from whose mouth a trickle of blood trickled and whose eyes were open in surprise that was not erased by his death.

It was totally different knowing about deaths and murders, than being the victim of an attempted murder and seeing someone else's corpse; one move at the wrong time and she would have been the corpse. Ichigo had moved so fast to protect her that it took her a while to realize that he was her human shield; if they shot one more arrow, he would have died just to save her.

Dying to protect your loved one was a romantic idea in the novels; Ichigo was willing to die for her and the only thing Rukia could feel at that moment was terror at knowing that he could die.

Without being able to help it, she began to cry, she felt the sob form in her throat and out of her mouth; her eyes filled with tears and when she tried to cover her face, she threw the glass, spilling its contents on the floor.

— That's it. Cry, cry my little girl. — Kukaku whispered before hugging Rukia; Ichigo's aunt had sat next to her moments before. — Everything will be fine.

Rukia gave in to the hug and began to cry into the woman's chest letting all the feelings flow. They had not introduced themselves, Rukia knew that the woman was Kukaku, Ichigo's aunt, but due to all that situation the presentations had been relegated to momentary oblivion.

A muffled scream sounded in the office and Rukia felt Kukaku tense in the hug and that made Rukia separate from Ichigo's aunt wiping her own tears with the back of her hand. She felt slightly better, but she still needed Ichigo with her, she needed to feel that protection that being close to him caused her.

— Thanks. — Rukia whispered before a second scream, which surely came from the dungeons, could be heard in that office; she closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and took a deep breath.

Ichigo was surely questioning who tried to kill them.

— You do not have to thank, you are part of this family and in the family we take care of each other. — Kukaku replied, although Rukia felt her tense from those screams.

Rukia was aware that Ichigo was a murderer and that he possessed a gift that was quite dark; that gift was the cause of many deaths in Maranni and the near death of Byakuya, and yet Rukia was not scared to imagine what Ichigo might be doing to the man who tried to kill them.

— Ichigo is… — Kukaku left the sentence unfinished and Rukia noticed Ichigo's aunt's gaze on her.

Rukia guessed that Kukaku didn't know what Ichigo was capable of and that's why she was so nervous hearing those screams.

— He is going to torture him to death. — Rukia replied feeling the engagement ring throb in her hand.

The life and magic within that ring awakened at the same time Ichigo wore the ankh, and from the way the ring felt, Rukia could make out the anger flowing from Ichigo. It was something she couldn't explain; she just knew it.

— We have to stop Ichigo. — Kukaku got up and Rukia took her arm. At that moment a scream was heard even louder than the previous ones.

Kukaku flinched at that moment.

— It's too late. Ichigo won't let that man live. — Rukia was strangely calm when she said that; she felt her heart beat in time with the ring in her hand.

— Why do you say that? — Kukaku asked a little confused and a little scared.

— Because that man tried to kill me. — Rukia answered simply, aware of how her words could be interpreted.

Kukaku didn't say more and sat down in his place again; Rukia released the hold on Ichigo's aunt's arm and picked up the glass that had fallen on the floor.

The ring gradually felt calmer.

Author: Many thanks to everyone who has read and commented on this story. I'm really grateful to you. I must apologize for the absence and you deserve an explanation from me. In the last few months, my family has suffered the loss of two very dear ones; my paternal grandfather and my maternal grandfather, and I really couldn't find the inspiration to continue the chapters even though the drafts of each one are already done.

Now that the mourning has passed a bit, and after accepting the designs of destiny, I will write for you again.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy this story.

LunaticR

Next chapter: Friday

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