On the way back from the Thirteenth Division, Shiraha walked beside Rukia. Their conversation lingered on Inoue Orihime's mysterious power — an ability said to restore any injury, even regenerate severed limbs.
Rukia and Kira Izuru both found it hard to believe. Not even Captain Unohana Retsu's Kaidō could restore a missing limb. Such an ability sounded impossible.
"Huh? You already know about Inoue's abilities?" Kurosaki Ichigo scratched his head awkwardly. At first, even he hadn't realized what Orihime could do, not until he saw her heal Sado Yasutora right before his eyes. That moment revealed the truth of her power.
"Inoue, is it all right if I call you that?" Shiraha stepped closer, smiling faintly.
"N-no problem," Orihime stammered, blushing as the impossibly handsome captain stood before her. She waved her hands nervously.
"Shiraha."
A calm, gentle voice came from a distance. Jūshirō Ukitake approached with Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu following at his side.
"Captain Shiraha," both subordinates greeted in unison, bowing respectfully.
Shiraha inclined his head slightly. Rukia and Kira also offered polite greetings to Ukitake.
"Shiraha," Ukitake began softly, "are you certain this young woman possesses such terrifying healing power?"
He had not yet seen Orihime's ability himself and had assumed she'd come merely to rescue Rukia from this world. But if Shiraha praised her so openly, then her power must truly be extraordinary.
"She does," Shiraha replied.
In truth, Orihime's ability stemmed from her Fullbring — the power of manifestation. All such abilities were fragments of the Soul King's essence, some stronger than others. Orihime's was undeniably one of the strongest.
"Inoue," Shiraha continued, "what is the most serious injury you've managed to heal so far?"
She hesitated, eyes lowering. "The worst injury I've treated was Mr. Sado's."
"I see," Shiraha murmured. He turned his gaze toward Ichigo, who was watching curiously from the side. A thought flashed in his mind — wasn't Kurosaki Ichigo the perfect test subject?
"Kurosaki Ichigo," Shiraha said with a light smile, "I need your help with something."
"Huh? Me? What do you want me to do, Mr. Shiraha?" Ichigo felt a chill crawl down his spine. That smile didn't feel reassuring at all.
"It's simple. Just stand still."
Ichigo froze as Shiraha unsheathed his blade in a blur, then sheathed it again before anyone could react.
A sharp sound split the air. Blood spattered across the ground as a deep gash opened from Ichigo's right shoulder down his arm.
"Mr. Shiraha," Ichigo sighed, exasperated, "is this what you meant by 'help'?"
He hadn't resisted. Out of trust, he'd let Shiraha act freely. If the captain had wanted him dead, he'd had countless chances before.
"Kurosaki!"
"Ichigo!"
Uryū Ishida and Sado Yasutora rushed forward, eyes blazing.
"Kurosaki-san, are you all right?" Orihime cried, panicked at the sight of the blood pouring from his arm.
"I'm fine," Ichigo said, raising his left hand to stop his friends. His voice was steady, though his face had gone pale from pain.
"Shiraha, really now…" Ukitake sighed, shaking his head helplessly. "Even if you wanted to test her ability, wasn't that a bit extreme?"
Rukia remained still, her voice barely above a whisper. "Brother Shiraha… Ichigo…" She knew he wasn't acting out of cruelty. He wanted to understand Orihime's true limits. Besides, if things went wrong, Squad Four could treat Ichigo easily enough.
"Inoue, please heal Kurosaki Ichigo's wound," Shiraha said lightly, smiling once more. No one could serve as a better test subject than Ichigo himself.
The wound looked gruesome — blood flowing freely, bone glinting beneath torn flesh — but Shiraha had made sure it wasn't life-threatening.
"No problem. Leave it to me," Orihime said, her expression resolute now. She pressed her hands to her chest, inhaled deeply, and whispered, "Shun Shun Rikka… Santen Kesshun."
The hairpin on her head shimmered, releasing a warm radiance. Pink and green streaks of light burst forth, splitting and forming six tiny fairies that hovered in the air before her.
"Hello, Orihime," said Shun Shun Rikka's leader, Shun'ō, smiling cheerfully. "What do you need?"
"Please," Orihime said softly, pointing toward Ichigo, "help me heal him."
"Of course," replied Shun'ō. "We are your strength. Just focus your will, and it will be done."
The six spirits flew upward, forming a glowing pattern in midair.
"Shun Shun Rikka — I reject!" Orihime declared.
A golden, oval barrier descended, enveloping Ichigo's wounded arm. The bleeding stopped instantly, the torn flesh knitting together before everyone's eyes.
Within ten seconds, the wound was gone. Only the tattered sleeve of his uniform remained as proof of what had happened.
Ichigo flexed his arm in astonishment. "It's… completely healed."
Around them, silence fell — disbelief and awe mingling in every gaze.
Even Ukitake, long seasoned in the ways of the world, looked quietly shaken.
Shiraha's smile deepened. "So this is the power that rejects the laws of the world itself… The ability that stands at the very edge of godhood."
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