"You two are actually really smart~" Orihime Inoue said as she pulled the sulking pair together. "You made it to the World of the Living safely, you're both alive, and you're even living together now. I don't know much about Soul Society, but from what you've told me, this place should be a little better than there, right?"
She looked from one to the other. "If you think about it that way, you both achieved your goals and kept the promise you made back then. Isn't that right?"
Muten Natsu and Rukia Kuchiki fell silent for a moment, then nodded with nearly identical motions.
"Then shake hands," Orihime Inoue suggested. "Let's say you're made up."
Muten Natsu and Rukia Kuchiki exchanged a look.
After hesitating for a moment, Muten Natsu lifted his hand first.
Rukia Kuchiki stared at it for a while, then looked up into his eyes. "Then you're not allowed to lie to me ever again."
Orihime Inoue shot Muten Natsu an encouraging look.
Muten Natsu turned his gaze away. "That's not something I can promise."
"I knew it..." Rukia Kuchiki muttered, but she still reached out and took his hand.
"You're reconciled!" Orihime Inoue gave them a little push. "Now hug to celebrate!"
Caught off guard, Muten Natsu and Rukia Kuchiki were pressed together. Feeling each other's warmth, they both instinctively recalled that night in the thatched hut, huddled together against the cold.
Their eyes met, and seeing the same emotion reflected in each other, a wordless understanding filled the space between them.
After years of wandering through wind and snow, the two of them finally returned to that battered, yet incredibly warm, thatched hut.
Half of it had collapsed under the snow.
The other half still stood.
The long-overdue embrace stirred a sense of nostalgia in both of them. Orihime Inoue watched the scene with deep satisfaction, nodding to herself with a strong sense of accomplishment.
Muten Natsu and Rukia Kuchiki had helped her so much, and she had always wanted to give something back.
But she didn't have their strength, and she wasn't good at helping people untangle their troubles.
All she could really do was make good food.
Until today.
At first, Orihime Inoue had only meant to be a good listener. Calling Rukia Kuchiki out to argue had been an impulsive idea inspired by past experiences.
She hadn't expected that, as she listened, she'd realize their situation was exactly the kind she understood best.
That was why she ended up saying a bit more.
At this moment, the embrace between Rukia Kuchiki and Muten Natsu wasn't just a sign that their relationship had healed. It was also Orihime Inoue's answer to all the help they'd given her over the years, and proof of her own value and what she was capable of.
Muten Natsu and Rukia Kuchiki found their way back to each other as friends. Orihime Inoue felt fulfilled, the lingering sadness of the past finally swept away.
Everyone was happy. A truly joyful ending.
Ririn looked at the beaming Orihime Inoue and was left speechless.
What are you even so happy about? Haven't you noticed something huge just happened?
"Muten..." Rukia Kuchiki lifted her head from Muten Natsu's arms. "I..."
Muten Natsu lowered his head slightly. "I'm listening."
How should she describe this feeling?
Rukia Kuchiki looked at his face, at once familiar and strangely unfamiliar.
Trust between people is a curious thing.
When two people truly trust each other, they can ignore how complex the other person really is. As long as one keeps their word, the other doesn't need to consider all the other possibilities.
Trust makes communication simple and direct.
And simple, direct communication deepens understanding quickly, allowing feelings to grow just as quickly.
Within a relationship built on trust, people begin to assign meaning to the past, make decisions about the present, and form expectations about the future.
Everything feels steady and reliable, like standing on solid ground, able to look back at the road you've traveled, glance down at the stones beneath your feet, and lift your eyes to the distant scenery.
All of that sense of security rests on the foundation of trust.
And it only takes one lie for that foundation to collapse.
The road behind disappears. The stones beneath your feet crumble. The distant scenery is swept away by the wind.
All the certainty that once brought peace vanishes in an instant.
Rukia Kuchiki wandered alone amid that scattered chaos for many years.
Only today did she finally step onto solid ground again.
The exhaustion of the past needed no words, and the calm she felt now was impossible to put into words.
Rukia Kuchiki pressed her lips together gently, the joy of regaining what she'd lost threatening to spill out.
She didn't want that.
She wanted to keep that joy tucked away, savoring it slowly.
So she needed something to stop herself...
"Rukia?" Orihime Inoue leaned in, concern clear in her voice. "Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to rest for a bit?"
Orihime Inoue had noticed the change in Rukia Kuchiki's expression. After how emotional she'd been just moments ago, she worried it might have affected her physically.
"I... you..." Rukia Kuchiki opened her mouth, then suddenly shoved Muten Natsu away. "Just how long are you planning to keep holding me?!"
"It hasn't been that long, has it?" Muten Natsu looked completely innocent. "And besides, wasn't it mutual?"
After all, while he was holding Rukia Kuchiki, she hadn't let go either.
If she didn't let go first, Muten Natsu felt awkward about being the one to do it.
Especially when she clearly seemed like she had something to say.
"You're the one who wouldn't let go. I was considering your feelings, so I didn't let go either." Rukia Kuchiki's gaze had been drifting at first, but as she spoke, it grew firm. "Who would've thought you wouldn't react at all!"
"What kind of reaction were you expecting?" Muten Natsu asked.
Rukia Kuchiki's face flushed bright red. "You actually wanted a reaction? Then what Ririn said must be true after all!"
"How could that possibly be true?!" Muten Natsu couldn't take this injustice. "Ririn, tell the truth. Am I being framed here or not?"
"Well, here's the thing," Ririn said. "I didn't actually see it with my own eyes."
Rukia Kuchiki fixed her gaze on Muten Natsu. "So you did it secretly?"
"This kind of thing is supposed to be done secretly... no, that's not it! I didn't do it at all!" Muten Natsu grabbed Ririn. "Hey, you were deliberately leading her on just now, weren't you?"
Ririn froze. "Was it really that obvious?"
Muten Natsu leaned closer, clearly trying to intimidate her. "Could you have made it any more obvious?"
"Help!" Ririn struggled wildly. "He's about to start sniffing me!"
"I'm not— I didn't—" Muten Natsu hurriedly backed away. "Don't say things like that! That's not what I meant..."
Rukia Kuchiki snorted coldly. "Your true colors are showing."
"Actually..." Orihime Inoue said, her face faintly red. "There's no need to be so secretive."