Hi again!
I hope you enjoy the new chapter bc it was kinda hard to write lol a lot of lore, maybe(?
Oh and btw: I think that as the story progresses, the fic's labels and warnings will likely change; Don't worry, I'll let you know in advance at the beginning of the chapters if this happens so as not to leave anyone unprepared.
See you later!
PS: Let's see if you can find the reference to the Taylor Swift song ;)
The courtroom got filled with murmurs. Hundreds of angels observed Ichigo and Rukia, whispering to each other: "It's impossible!" "How dare she!" "What a disgrace!" The last one echoing especially in Rukia's head... "Disgrace..."
Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it might jump out of her chest. Breathing became difficult, and above all, she was afraid to lift her head and meet the only gaze that mattered to her – her brother's.
"Rukia Kuchiki! Is there anything you want to say in your defense before we decide your sentence?" The old bearded man spoke again.
Rukia knew those would be the only words she could utter before the Grand Hierophant. So she had to carefully consider what to say. But her brain had frozen; she had no idea what to say or do to improve her situation. She had committed a serious crime.
She looked to her right, where the human she had saved was standing. He seemed on the verge of a panic attack, and it made sense. It's not every day that the entire paradigm of your life changes completely; he was surely struggling to accept his new reality, one where angels existed. One where he was about to die.
She closed her eyes and gathered all the courage she had left. She was a noble angel, and she would face the consequences as such. She had to do it for her family and, moreover, for the poor guy she had dragged into this.
She slowly lifted her head, and there he was, as she feared, her brother Byakuya, with the sternest gaze she had ever seen. He and the old man observed her, waiting for her response.
So Rukia decided she would speak the truth, and nothing but the truth:
"It was an accident," she pronounced as loudly as she could. "I swear from the bottom of my heart that I did not intend to save the human; I thought I could collect his soul when he died. I never wanted to involve an innocent person in angelic affairs or, conversely, involve angels in human matters." Rukia bowed as low as she could. "From the depths of my soul, I offer the most sincere apologies!"
Silence fell. Rukia kept her head down, awaiting her sentence. However, the first to speak was the young human.
"So, you didn't want to save me? Was I really going to die from being run over?"
"I told you," she replied, smiling. "I'm an angel of death."
"No!" shouted the Hierophant. "Not anymore! And you, mortal, be silent; you have no right to speak." The old man turned to Byakuya and asked, "Do you, Byakuya Kuchiki, want to defend your sister? This is her last chance."
Byakuya never took his eyes off Rukia; up there in the balcony, he looked solemn, with his black suit, shiny wings of the same color, and a belt with pink quartz. With that solemnity, as cold as an iceberg, he left Rukia at the mercy of the tribunal: "No," was all that came out of his mouth. Just what she expected.
In other words, after all, she had dishonored the family... It was the end.
"Very well. Then I will proceed with the sentence."
A fierce, stormy wind rose, enveloping the entire place. A bad omen. And Rukia fell to her knees.
"Angel of death, Rukia Kuchiki! With the power vested in me by God, I condemn you to..."
It really was the end. Tears began to fill Rukia's eyes. She prayed to heaven for mercy because only divine intervention could save her now.
"...die at the hands of the Celestial Executioner—"
"STOP!"
The voice came from her right; she glanced sideways and saw the human, standing with a determined face.
And Rukia had faith.
Ichigo didn't know what he was doing. He didn't know where he was, who these beings were, and he certainly didn't know what was happening. The only thing he was sure of was that what he was witnessing was wrong. And he couldn't allow it, so he shouted.
His voice echoed off the walls, and after the echo, the wind ceased, and silence followed. The silence of hundreds of angels too astonished to make a comment. And after that silence, anger came.
"How dare you?!" shouted the Grand Hierophant as he struck his staff against the ground. The wind returned, with greater intensity, this time hot, very hot. In fact, Ichigo saw how flames began to engulf the old man's staff, making him doubt himself for a moment.
But he looked to his left and saw the girl. And the hope that had formed in her violet eyes. He couldn't disappoint her; her life depended on him, and besides, Ichigo was stubborn as a mule. He took a deep breath, looked straight at the Hierophant, and defended what he believed.
"What you heard, old man! I won't let them kill the one who saved my life! Whether it was a mistake or not."
The flames worsened and began to surround the entire room, whose temperature increased significantly, and Ichigo feared they might actually die from being charred, so he said (or rather shouted) to the girl:
"Hey, thanks for saving me from the accident... I'm sorry I couldn't do the same. By the way, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki!"
She seemed surprised at first, but then she smiled: "Relax, the intention is what matters, I guess... Rukia Kuchiki. A pleasure."
They shook hands, a greeting amidst the flames. Both prepared for their imminent death, but then, another voice emerged amid the chaos; a soft and sweet voice that intervened in their fate.
"Sir... I think we should give the mortal a chance, listen to what he has to say."
The one who spoke was another angel with black wings, long white hair. He had a black attire like the others, but his belt had turquoise instead of pink quartz. And immediately after, another angel joined him: brown hair, a beard; his black outfit covered with a pink mantle with flowers, and a belt with matching stones. But this one had white wings.
"He's right, old man, if you're going to condemn them anyway, at least let them make some final statements."
Ichigo thought they were kinda out of the line; if his lack of respect had upset the old man, then these two angels would drive him crazy. But he was wrong. Gradually, the flames subsided, and the old man ended up agreeing to the request of those two angels.
"Fine. I will listen to them. Only because you vouch for them." He stared at Ichigo. "Well, mortal?"
All eyes of the tribunal were on him, and the pressure gathered in his head, as if he had a noose around his neck. But he wasn't going to back down now. His life and that of his new "friend" were in his hands. He took a deep breath and continued with what he started:
"The thing is... I don't understand what kind of crime she could have committed to be sentenced to death! She saved my life; shouldn't they reward her or something? Shouldn't angels protect humanity?"
"And you're right; guardian angels have that job. Angels of death, like Miss Kuchiki, are dedicated to harvesting souls, not saving them."
Ichigo looked to his left, where the girl was. She was looking down, kneeling on the floor, completely defeated. Muttering under her breath: "It was... it was an accident."
"But she didn't do it on purpose. You would condemn someone to death... just for an accident?" Ichigo protested.
The Grand Hierophant snorted, clearly tired of the conversation. "The laws are clear: One must never directly intervene in human destiny. Your destiny, Mr. Kurosaki Ichigo, was to die that night. And if Miss Kuchiki had waited to collect your soul, you wouldn't be in this predicament now."
Now Rukia hid her face, surely trying to cover her tears. Ichigo couldn't allow them to condemn her, especially not because of him, for what should have been his destiny. So, he had an idea.
"And if I took her blame and stayed here?"
Once again, the courtroom filled with murmurs, and the Hierophant had to call for silence. Rukia raised her head, desperate to intervene.
"Ichigo! You don't have to do this; it was my mistake!"
"But it was my destiny," Ichigo smiled.
"Silence in the court!"
The sea of voices fell silent.
"I suppose we can accept your conditions. That is, of course, if Byakuya Kuchiki agrees."
Rukia's brother continued to behave impassively and without looking at her, he said, "Our clan doesn't care. She will be punished by us if the court doesn't, it is our responsibility as a noble family to uphold the law."
And Ichigo felt how rage filled his body.
"What?! Even though it was an accident?! You heartless—"
"Ichigo, don't accept it, you don't have to do it for me; I will be punished anyway. Brother, please, I beg you, cancel the deal!"
The shouts continued as two guards restrained Ichigo, who, despite the anger he felt, had accepted that he was already dead. The matter amused him, all because he didn't look both ways when crossing the street.
Thus, the old man began to pronounce the new sentence.
"Kurosaki Ichigo, in favor of the angel of death Kuchiki Rukia, your death fate will be fulfilled. You will be escorted to the beyond."
"No!" Rukia shouted. "You can't!"
The guards began to take Ichigo away, completely resigned, when suddenly, someone stood in their way: an angel with white wings. A tall man, with brown hair and glasses, wearing a white suit with a belt adorned with obsidian stones.
"Sir, I apologize for the intrusion, but I cannot allow you to do this."
"Sosuke Aizen, do you dare to defy my will?"
"More than defying, I want to offer a solution. One that can bring peace."
The court became restless again; this must be the most transgressions they had seen in centuries, Ichigo thought. The Grand Hierophant remained silent for a few minutes, deliberating, but finally agreed to let Aizen speak.
Surely, he held him in high esteem to allow him to speak after that kind of intervention.
"I'm listening."
"Miss Kuchiki made a mistake, one that, as an angel of death, is unforgivable."
Ichigo looked at the man perplexed; it was a bad way to start a defense plea.
"However, what if Miss Kuchiki was no longer an angel of death?"
Outcries from the audience echoed through the court. Who exactly was this man, and how audacious was his proposal? The Hierophant hurried to express his discontent.
"How dare you even suggest that? In millennia, there has never been an angel who switched sides." The old man turned and shouted, "Isn't that right, Kaname Tosen?"
And a black man, with sunglasses and an agate belt, quickly responded, "That is correct, sir."
But Aizen was quick to counterattack.
"That's precisely why I'm suggesting it, my lord. We cannot allow a young angel, with such potential (the exam she was taking proves it), to die due to a stroke of bad luck; it would be ridiculous." He pointed at Ichigo and Rukia. "And we certainly cannot leave unprotected a mortal who has been touched by one of ours. Or do you plan to kill him too? I must point out that his soul wouldn't be taken due to human causes; isn't that also direct intervention?"
"Be careful, Sosuke Aizen, your position as Archangel does not allow insubordination... However," the Hierophant paused, "I see what you're saying about the mortal. Accepting his destiny now would imply an unnatural death, and that is definitely unacceptable. And since he was touched by an angel, it is also dangerous for him to be left alone; he needs a guardian."
Ichigo didn't like that idea at all; he was a man who was content in solitude and had worked hard for it.
"Hey! Is no one going to ask for my opinion in all of this? I can take care of myself, I don't need—"
But his protests were completely ignored, a sign that if he didn't shut up, he would lose the deal his savior was about to make.
"And, as you well know," Aizen continued, "we don't even have enough guardian angels to cover the existing human population; it would be impossible to assign one of our team to him."
"Old man, Sosuke is right," the angel with the flower mantle confirmed.
"So, if Miss Rukia agrees, we could reassign her to guard the human she saved."
Aizen approached her, extended his hand, and helped her stand, all with a smile and a gaze so beautiful that it would have brought calm even in a hurricane. Then he signaled Ichigo to approach and urged Rukia to say something, which she did, with hope again in her violet eyes.
"I have nothing against the reassignment... and it would be an honor for me to try to restore my reputation and that of my family this way."
Then, all eyes turned to Byakuya Kuchiki, waiting for him to say something, anything. But he merely nodded, as if he truly didn't care about his sister. That bothered Ichigo again, but he didn't say anything; he felt it wasn't the right time. The Grand Hierophant spoke again:
"Ukitake Juushiro, as the Archangel responsible for this woman, do you have any objections?"
That was the angel with white hair: "None, sir, what matters most to me is the safety of this pair, and I would appreciate your mercy."
There were some murmurs as the Grand Hierophant deliberated with what Ichigo supposed was his right-hand, a formal angel also with gray wings, a small mustache. And, after what felt like an eternity, he finally struck the ground three times with his staff and delivered his sentence.
"Very well, then, considering the situation we find ourselves in, I will agree. However, I must remind both of you that this is your last chance. If I hear that you have broken another Commandment, then the deal will be canceled, and you will face the consequences. Understood?"
Both nodded, too intimidated to say anything out loud, and the same went for everyone present in the room.
"Rukia Kuchiki, from now on, you are assigned as the guardian angel of Ichigo Kurosaki. You must protect him from all harm and remain constantly by his side until the time of his natural death. Thus, I have spoken."
The Hierophant struck the floor once again with his staff, and Rukia's wings began to shine. Slowly, the black of her wings and clothes turned into a glossy white.
Finally, a fresh, silvery wind began to envelop both of them in such a way that Ichigo couldn't see anything else, and he lost consciousness.
When he opened his eyes, he was in his bed. Everything seemed normal: the drizzle continued outside, the groceries were on the table, and the clock showed 08:05 pm.
"Phew, it was just a dream."
He thought as he got up and rubbed his head. Surely, he must have fallen asleep when he came back from the supermarket, and that's why he had this strange dream about angels and death sentences. Although, in reality, he didn't remember coming back from the supermarket...
And suddenly, he heard noises coming from his closet. He rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a frying pan, holding it up defensively.
He approached slowly as the banging became more violent. Swallowing hard, ready to attack, he opened the door.
But he almost dropped the pan because there she was – the angel he thought he dreamed of, the one who accidentally saved him from death, now with her white wings.
"Great! Are you going to prepare dinner?" she said innocently, fluttering her wings.
And Ichigo could only scream.
Meanwhile, from an unknown place, a black-winged angel observes everything. Satisfied with the direction things have taken.