Ichigo sat by the large, comfortable bed in one of the penthouse guest rooms.
He hadn't moved for hours. He watched the steady rise and fall of Rukia's chest as she slept.
Her spiritual energy was slowly coming back, but it was still fragile.
Soon, the door opened quietly.
Masaki and Isshin walked in, carrying a tray of warm soup and clean bandages.
They looked at the girl in the bed with deep curiosity. In this world, they were high-society nobles, but they still had the kind hearts Ichigo remembered.
"How is she, Ichigo?"
Masaki whispered, placing a hand on her son's shoulder.
"She's resting,"
Ichigo said, his voice soft.
"Her soul was exhausted."
Isshin leaned in, squinting at Rukia's face.
"You know, Masaki... She looks familiar. She looks exactly like Hisana, the wife of Byakuya Kuchiki. You remember him, right? The head of the Kuchiki clan in Japan?"
Masaki nodded, her eyes wide.
"You're right. She could be a twin. But Byakuya never mentioned that she had a sister or a relative like this. Perhaps she is a hidden branch of their family?"
In this timeline, the Kurosaki or Shiba family knew the wealthy Kuchiki family as business allies and fellow nobles.
They knew of Byakuya, but the name "Rukia" meant nothing to them.
To them, she was just a mysterious, injured girl who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Maybe,"
Ichigo said, not wanting to confuse them with the truth of other timelines yet.
"But right now, she just needs to get better."
Suddenly, Rukia's eyes snapped open.
She didn't see the beautiful room or the kind faces of Masaki and Isshin.
She only saw the darkness she had been running from.
"No! Stay back!"
She screamed, her small hands clawing at the air.
"Rukia! It's me! It's Ichigo!"
Ichigo moved instantly, sitting on the edge of the bed and catching her hands.
Rukia's eyes locked onto his orange hair.
The panic didn't vanish, but it changed. She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck so tight it was hard for him to breathe.
She sobbed into his chest, her whole body shaking.
"Don't go! Please, don't leave me in the dark again!"
She wailed.
Masaki watched them for a moment.
She saw the way Ichigo held her—not just like a friend, but like someone holding onto a piece of his own soul.
She realized this wasn't a conversation for parents to hear.
"Isshin, let's go,"
Masaki said, pulling her husband toward the door.
"They have things to talk about. We'll be in the kitchen if you need us, Ichigo."
Isshin looked like he wanted to ask a hundred questions, but one look from Masaki silenced him. They left the room, closing the door with a soft click.
Once they were alone, Rukia's crying slowed down.
She pulled back, her face red and tired. Ichigo handed her a glass of water, and she drank it quickly.
"What happened, Rukia?"
Ichigo asked.
"The last thing I remember is the war. Then everything went white."
Rukia looked down at her lap, her fingers twisting the soft blankets.
"After you fell... Yhwach sat on the throne. He wanted to merge the three worlds into one. He wanted a world without the fear of death."
She took a shaky breath.
"He started the process, but he wasn't strong enough to hold it all together. The balance was wrong. Instead of a new world, everything started to crumble. The Soul Society cracked like glass. Hueco Mundo turned to dust. Even the World of the Living began to fade."
She looked at Ichigo with hollow eyes.
"I watched everyone disappear. Byakuya, Renji... they all just turned into dust. I was the last one. I wandered in that black void for what felt like a hundred years. There was no sound. No light. Just... nothing. I thought I had gone mad until that old man, Stan, pulled me out."
Ichigo felt a cold anger toward the Yhwach of the old world.
His grandfather in this world was different, but the memory of the original one still stung.
Rukia was suffering from deep trauma—Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that came from watching the literal end of the universe.
Rukia suddenly gasped, clutching her chest.
Her spiritual energy began to flicker wildly.
The trauma was so deep that her own power was trying to tear her apart.
"It's coming back,"
She whispered, her eyes glazing over.
"The darkness... it's pulling me back."
"No, it's not,"
Ichigo said firmly.
He knew that words wouldn't be enough. Her mind was trapped in a loop of horror.
He had to show her she was safe.
He had to give her a piece of his own strength.
In the world of spirits, there was an act called Soul Linking. It was a dangerous and intimate process where two people connect their very essences.
Most people never did it because if one person felt pain, the other did too. It left them completely open.
But Ichigo didn't hesitate.
"Look at me, Rukia,"
He commanded.
He placed his hands on her temples.
He closed his eyes and focused on the Phoenix Force inside him. He didn't use the destructive fire; he used the warmth of the sun—the power of life and rebirth.
"I'm going to show you my world,"
Ichigo whispered.
"I'm going to give you my peace."
He pushed his consciousness into hers.
Suddenly, Rukia wasn't in the dark anymore. Inside her mind, she felt Ichigo's presence.
It was like a giant, golden cable anchoring her to reality.
She felt his memories of this new life—the smell of the New York rain, the laughter of Yuzu and Karin, the sound of Tony Stark's loud music, and the quiet friendship of Uryu.
She felt the heat of the Phoenix, but it wasn't burning her. It was wrapped around her like a warm blanket.
Ichigo was sharing his very life force with her, acting as a shield against her nightmares.
"See?"
Ichigo's voice echoed in her mind.
"The darkness is gone. You're home."
Slowly, Rukia's heartbeat slowed down.
The coldness in her soul vanished, replaced by the steady, powerful thrum of Ichigo's energy.
The link was so deep that she could feel his heartbeat as if it were her own.
When Ichigo pulled back, both of them were sweating and exhausted.
But the look in Rukia's eyes was different. The "hollow" look was gone.
Her violet eyes were bright again.
"You... you idiot,"
She whispered, though she was smiling.
"You shouldn't have done that. Our souls are tied together now. If I get a headache, you'll feel it."
Ichigo grinned, wiping his forehead with his sleeve.
"I've had worse. Besides, I told you I'd protect you. I meant it."
Rukia reached out and took his hand. For the first time since she arrived, she didn't look like a ghost.
She looked like the strong Soul Reaper she used to be.
"I believe you,"
She said,
Ichigo stood up, helping her sit up in bed.
"Rest for one more night. Tomorrow, I have to introduce you to 'Grandpa.' He's going to be confused, but he's the one who runs this city. We need to make sure you have a place here."
Rukia nodded.
"And the others? Chad? Orihime?"
"They're coming,"
Ichigo said, looking toward the window.
"Everyone is coming back together. We're going to build something better here, Rukia. No more crumbling worlds. Just us."
As Rukia fell back into a peaceful, dreamless sleep, Ichigo stood by the window.
The link between their souls was still there—a tiny, glowing thread of golden light.
He felt stronger with her there. He felt ready to face anything coming their way.