Three days after Tomoya had been hollowfied and Rin had lashed out at the Peacock, Adrien stood watching as his father, and the woman he now knew to be his half-sister, Nathalie were loaded into the back of a police cruiser. Grasping Adrien's shoulder, giving it a gentle but firm squeeze to assure him he wasn't alone was Therese Agreste, who now wore the peacock broach proudly on the broad strap left strap of her dress.
In their soul forms, Mamoru, Ichika, Byakuya, Sora, Tomoya, and Rin stood silently watching. From the side were Alya, Chloe, Nino and Marinette. Mari closely watched her new boyfriend's expression and body language as the car drove off with half of his family in the backseat. 'Oh Adrien, I'm so sorry,' Marinette thought to herself.
"I still can't believe it was them," Adrien almost whispered.
"We'll be alright," Therese assured her son, gently embracing her only child in a hug that left him resting his head on her shoulder like a frightened child.
"I will always be here for you now. Nothing will ever keep me from you again," Therese vowed softly to her offspring.
He smiled tenderly as he relaxed in her arms and admitted, "I'm glad you're back."
"It would be time for us to return," Byakuya stated as he opened a gate back to soul society and passed through, Tama glanced at Rin, giving her a quick wink before she followed her Captain through the passage.
Adrien tensed a bit at the sight and watched as Mamoru began to fade even to Rin's sight.
"My time here has come to an end. I must return to my own timeline," Mamoru revealed.
Rin nodded in acknowledgement, "I understand."
Mamoru gently cupped Rin's face in his hands, forcing her steel grey eyes to meet with his chocolate brown eyes.
He smiled softly at her, "No matter what you face in the coming years, remember, I will always love you. I would never intentionally hurt you. If it came down to you or me, I'd sacrifice myself for you. Always."
Rin nodded, "I'm glad I never had to make good on that promise I made years ago."
Mamoru gently chuckled and gave a small nod before his expression turned sad and serious, "Goodbye Rin. I am blessed to have had you for a time."
"I was the blessed one," Rin choked out, tears beginning to streak down her face just a second before Mamoru leaned in, ghosting his lips against hers before vanishing back to two weeks before the event that would end his life.
Rin bit her lip and hastily dried her eyes. She then realized the others had gone and turned to leave as well.
"Thank you, Rin," Adrien called to her.
Rin gained an amused expression as she let out a laugh and replied, "You fool. That's my line."
She turned to look at the blonde haired emerald eyed boy before continuing, "I felt like I had nothing left. My heart wasn't just broken, it was shattered along with my will. I didn't even recognize my won reflection. The day we met—I was taunting that hollow—drawing it towards me. I figured why should I keep living? My lifelong friend was gone, and he took a huge part of me when he died. What was left scarcely resembled the girl I knew. So I ran."
She gave a bitter chuckle as she confessed, "I ran, I hid, I disappeared. I hoped to die without anyone noticing. Then you pushed us both out of the hollow's path. You could only see a blurred outline but you weren't going to back down. In that moment – that one act—you showed me what I needed to know more than anything else. That good still exists. That even if my own world seems dark, there's still hope, as long as you seek it out.I still wasn't okay. I wanted to be alone, or I thought I did. No matter how much I pushed, you pushed back harder. You were determined, but why? You didn't know me. Eventually you took away the mask I'd grown accustomed to hiding behind, you found me in the darkest place I'd ever been. I confessed my sin to you, and still you didn't change towards me. I might've been your first friend, but I fear I wasn't much of one. You, on the other hand, were an amazing friend when I needed one the most. Thank you, Adrien—for reminding me why I became a soul reaper, and restoring my clarity."
She took a few more steps towards the open doors of the gate to soul society before advising one last thing, "Don't ever change. The world needs more people like you, Adrien Agreste."
Adrien blinked several times before he gave a slight chuckle and smiled at the exact spot where the gate to soul society closed behind Rin before vanishing from his sight.
"Alright, Rin—have it your way—but I'm still grateful too," He conceded.
~~~ 19 years later ~~~
A young man of 170 years of age frantically flash stepped across the bridge between his world and the world of the living, his hand was on the sheath of his Zanpakuto as he raced, his deep blue eyes were frantic and strands of jet black hair fell into his face as he ran. His lungs burned trying desperately to force air into them but he ignored the discomfort, pushing himself as hard as he could to make his destination in record time.
She had been in danger! He'd sensed it. They all had. Several Arrancar had surrounded her. He'd arrived on the scene with Ichika and Yoruichi to try to assist her but she'd ran to another world. He only hoped he was making the right guess in choosing this one to explore. Choosing the right world was only one part of the issue, the other was location! She could've gone to Karakura town, or another world entirely. Or he could be right and she'd be there, safe with both of them backing her up.
'Please be safe, Rin! Please,' He inwardly pleaded as he leapt through the other side, landing in the Agreste mansion, gasping loudly for breath.
"Tomoya," Marinette's voice greeted him.
"S-she here?"
Marinette's brow furrowed in confusion and realization hit him hard.
"She isn't. I have to keep looking," He stated before he opened another spirit world gate.
He was about to jump back through when he heard her panicked inquiry, "wait! What happened? Whose missing?"
"Rin. She disappeared through a spirit world gate. None of us know where she fled to—" Tomoya answered, pausing to steel himself before giving the worst news, "—we only know she was heavily injured, and she was followed."
Marinette's eyes widened while she dropped the portfolio she'd been carrying with her, its contents spilled on the floor yet remained unnoticed as the raven haired woman covered her gaping mouth with her hand in complete shock, her eyes welling up.
'No! Not Rin,' Marinette pleaded, 'please let this be a bad dream.'