Chapter 49: [Quincy Archer Hates You Arc] Part 49: The Coward
Silence hung over the place while everyone there looked at Yato in disbelief.
Renji: "What….what…what did you say…!? Stop making up those lies…!!"
Rukia: "Wh...wha...what the.....Yato!!!"
She couldn't believe how boldly Yato said those words. Her face turned red and she wasn't exactly sure if she was embarrassed or angry. Yato's words could make everyone's situation even worse.
Byakuya: "Don't lose your composure, Renji." - He spoke calmly.
Renji: "But captain!! How can I ignore this nonsense that came out of that boy's mouth?!" - He shouted as he tried to move without success.
The teenager had manifested multiple invisible threads around the shinigami to keep him immobilized and as a precaution, left some around himself in case Byakuya suddenly attacked him.
Cheshire: 'Well…you've already cut Renji's face…now what…?'
Yato: 'I'll improvise…'
The young man looked at Renji for a few seconds and then turned his attention to Byakuya.
Yato: "If you'll allow me…I'd like to know why you're attacking Rukia and my friends."
Byakuya noticed that Renji was so furious that trying to keep up a conversation would be practically useless.
Byakuya: "Boy…what do you intend to do?"
Although Byakuya's expression didn't change, the captain's gaze startled Rukia to the point that she stopped in front of Yato, grabbing the collar of his shirt.
Rukia: "How dare you?! Speaking such lies in front of my brother, human?!"
The young man knew that it was Rukia's attempt to protect him.
Yato: "You came to take Rukia, didn't you?" - He said ignoring Rukia, which was making her even more frustrated. - "If you came to get her…why are you still here?"
Rukia gritted her teeth as she saw that Yato was ignoring her.
Yato: "You two are much stronger than her. I'm sure that if one of you just increased your reiatsu, she wouldn't have anywhere to run."
Yato's words caused some strangeness for everyone because he was suggesting a way to take Rukia away, contradicting his previous words.
Byakuya: "Don't you think you're being contradictory, boy?"
Yato: "Don't get me wrong, I don't intend to fight or stop you, but…" - The young man looked at Renji. - "Just knowing that someone hurt Rukia's face is enough to make me do reckless things..."
The young man said as he ran his hand over Rukia's face where she had been cut.
Yato: 'Cheshire…can you do something about it? Like change to a fate where she wasn't cut…?'
Cheshire: 'Um…I think I'll do a lot more than that…hehehe'
A small red glow appeared on Rukia's face and when the little shinigami noticed, her wound was gone.
Rukia: "But…how…?"
Because she had lived with Yato for a while she already knew of some of the teenager's abilities but she had never seen him heal injuries.
Yato: "I said I'd keep you safe."
Rukia: "Yato…I beg you…forget me and go away…! You need to–"
Yato: "I will." - He said taking a few steps back and undoing the threads that held Renji.
Rukia: "Huh?"
Yato: "I'm only going to do this because I don't want you feeling guilty about something that might happen to me. You don't have to worry…I'll make sure Ichigo is okay too."
Renji: "But what's with this human…?! Did you hit your head before you came?" - He said indignantly.
When the young man would answer the shinigami, someone grabbed his foot.
Without anyone noticing, Ichigo had dragged himself to his friend after hearing that he wouldn't try to stop the shinigami.
Ichigo: "Yato…what the hell are you doing…?! Are you just…let them take Rukia…?! You're not going to do anything…?!"
Renji: "Impossible…this boy is still alive…?!"
Rukia looked at Yato for a while and as if she understood his intentions, the shinigami gave a slight smile.
Rukia: 'Thank you…Yato…' - She walked calmly towards Byakuya. - "We can go, nii-sama. You don't need to dirty your blade with their blood. One of them is about to give his last breath and the other obviously can't face any of you."
Ichigo: "Hey..! Stop joking around…! Wait, Rukia…!"
Rukia: "Don't move! If you even think to fight back…or come after me…I will never forgive any of you." -She said with tears threatening to come out of her eyes.
The captain looked at her and then turned his attention to Yato. The boy showed nothing to indicate that he would attack. The captain came to the conclusion that the boy had only appeared to heal Rukia's wound and avoid a bigger problem.
Byakuya: "Very well...Renji..."
The shinigami was still staring at the teenager who said he was Rukia's fiancé so boldly and when Yato noticed the look, the young man smiled and showed his left hand, revealing his wedding ring.
Renji didn't understand the gesture and tried to ignore it. He went to his captain and stuck his zanpakuto in the air, using it as a kind of key to open a portal. As the red-haired shinigami was about to enter the portal, he glanced briefly at Rukia and noticed something he hadn't seen before.
He saw a ring on Rukia's finger. A ring similar to the one the boy had shown earlier. He looked back at the human and saw that he still had that smile on his face.
Yato: "See? I didn't lie…" - He spoke in a low voice but the shinigami had understood every word very well.
Byakuya entered the senkaimon, followed by Renji who followed the captain with a conflicted expression.
Rukia was the last to enter the senkaimon and as Yato watched her leave, his smile faded.
Yato: 'I don't think you'll ever forgive me... because I'll come after you as soon as I can.'
It might have been the young man's impression but he could have sworn Rukia looked at him in surprise before the senkaimon closed completely.
Yato: 'Um…Cheshire…? What did you do…?'
Cheshire: 'Something I should have done the first day she set foot in our house…consider it another gift. hehehe.'
While deep in thought, Yato seems not to have noticed that it was raining.
Yato: "Damn…I better get Ichigo and Ishida out of here…"
Suddenly, a figure was approaching the young man. Yato already knew it was Urahara so he just focused on his classmates.
Urahara: "You're going to catch a cold in this rain, Yasakani-san."
Yato: "And since I'm seeing you with just one umbrella, I'm sure you didn't come because you were worried about our health."
Urahara: "Geez, don't be like that~"
The shopkeeper treated Uryu's wounds first as they weren't that serious. When the quincy got up, he looked at Yato for a while.
Yato: "Are you okay, Ishida-san?"
Uryu: "Yes…"
Urahara: "It would be better if you two accompanied me to my shop to rest."
Uryu: "I appreciate the offer…but I'm fine. But please…take care of Kurosaki. Right now…if anyone has a chance to fight them…it's not me…"
***
When Uryu left, Yato accompanied Urahara to his shop. The shopkeeper spent a good deal of time tending to Ichigo's wounds with help from Tessai and the children Jinta and Ururu.
After a while. Urahara finished his treatment and left Ichigo to rest in a room while Yato was sitting in a separate room with a towel around his shoulders.
Tessai: "I brought some tea, Yasakani-dono. It will do you good to avoid a possible cold."
Yato: "Thank you" - He thanked the man who left the room afterwards.
While the young man was drinking tea, Urahara entered the room to talk a little with the boy.
Urahara: "I…I confess that you surprised me, Yasakani-san."
Yato: "Why?"
Urahara: "Although I agree with your decision, the way you treated Kuchiki-san I figured you would try to fight one of them to protect her."
The young man was silent, wondering how the shopkeeper would respond.
Urahara: "Do you happen to have a special reason for doing that?"
Yato: "Yes…" - He replied with a very calm expression as he drank some more of his tea. - "The reason is because I'm a coward."
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