232: Chapter 232 The Grand Finale (Part 1)

Mia woke up on the roof of the 9th Division barracks.

Morning dew dampened her eyelashes, and the indigo sky unique to the Seireitei was reflected in her blurred vision. Her left hand subconsciously reached for the zanpakuto, Taotie, at her waist, but instead touched a fuzzy head—Tuaner was hugging her right arm like a koala, with shiny drool still hanging from the corner of her mouth.

"Awake?" Gin's voice came from the corner of the eaves. He was squatting on the blue tiles, holding a dried persimmon cake, his smile full of radiance. "You're a big hero now. The Captain-Commander gave special permission for you to sleep until... well, it seems it's already noon."

Mia sat up abruptly, and the captain's haori covering her body slid off. This captain's haori, embroidered with [White Poppy], had clearly been altered; the hem was thirty centimeters shorter, and the cuffs were sewn with lace—obviously Isane's handiwork.

"Tosen's..." The memories of yesterday's desperate battle suddenly flooded Mia's mind. The cold light of Kyoka Suigetsu, the searing pain of the black rose blooming, and finally, the look Aizen gave her when he was sealed...

"He has already been taken in by the 4th Division and buried behind the 9th Division barracks. Regarding the funeral rites, we'll ask for your and Sajin Komamura's opinions later; after all, he had pitifully few friends in the Soul Society." Tuaner's tone and expression were somewhat downcast.

Mia grasped the hand Tuaner reached out, the cold touch of Tuaner's small hand making her heart ache: "I dreamed of Lilith."

She dreamed that in a golden hall, Lilith was sitting on a skull throne with her legs crossed, tossing and catching the Hogyoku for fun. Lilith raised an eyebrow at her: "The false god is dealt with, now it's time to talk about the reward, darling~"

Just as Mia was wondering what terrible price would be demanded, the female demon actually only wanted her to continue living well in this skin— "After all, you are a walking textbook for succubi now~"

A heavy object suddenly crashed onto the roof. Ryan fell to the ground, "Mia, did you notice? You've gained a special title called—[Shame of the Succubi]. Succubus Queen Lilith specially awarded it to her mortal proxy Mia to reward her—purity??"

Later, according to the 12th Division's surveillance, the part where Aizen asked about Tosen's past was deleted. Captain-Commander Yamamoto remained silent about the matter, and the Central 46 could only swallow this bitter pill...

The women's bath was filled with sulfurous mist, and iced plum juice sat on a wooden tray floating on the water's surface.

Mia lay on a rock, letting Retsu Unohana's fingers wander across her back. As Retsu Unohana dipped her fingers in medicinal ointment and traced them along her spine, the black rose tattoo on her back would tingle slightly.

"Truly miraculous," Retsu Unohana's fingertips stopped on the last petal that was about to bloom but hadn't yet. "The Demon God actually used a contract to lock away the memory backlash."

Water droplets fell from Retsu Unohana's pinned-up black hair, shattering into glistening pearls on her shoulder. Mia suddenly remembered a gentle voice saying "Nice to meet you" when her consciousness was hazy.

"Sister Hana." Mia turned around, splashing water.

"Going to visit the grave tomorrow?" Retsu Unohana asked.

"Yes." Mia looked at the moon's reflection swaying at the bottom of her cup, "I'll bring the plum wine Tosen loved most."

Retsu Unohana suddenly leaned in, her warm lips brushing against Mia's earlobe, "I tried to save him, but I could only trigger a final moment of lucidity. The last thing he said to me was—'Tell Miss Mia, I can see now'."

Ripples spread across the water's surface. Mia lowered her head and realized they were the marks made by her own falling tears.

The next day, after finishing the visit to Tosen's grave, Mia—still in the guise of Inoue Orihime—welcomed her last visitor in the Soul Society, because the [Paradise Lost] system had already notified her that she could return shortly...

"Can you let Orihime meet me one last time? I know you can, you're the woman who can even draw in a Demon God! I beg of you!" Kurosaki Ichigo prostrated himself before Mia amidst the falling cherry blossom rain.

Silence was Mia's answer. After a short while, a pair of familiar hands wrapped around Kurosaki Ichigo's shoulders and neck—a familiar warmth, a familiar voice.

"I, Orihime, originally wanted to be with Ichigo for a long, long time, watching the sun rise and set, watching the grass grow and the birds fly. But... heh, let's not talk about unhappy things."

The person behind him wiped away the tear tracks rolling from the corners of her eyes. "Back then, I really had to thank Miss Mia for killing me. Otherwise, I would have definitely continued to hurt Ichigo-kun..."

"I originally wanted to marry you and give you a daughter... I'm sorry, Ichigo."

The Mia behind him, wearing Orihime's face, simply vanished into thin air as if she had never been there. Kurosaki Ichigo, kneeling on the ground, wept uncontrollably...