Rukia sighed, feigning her old humor as she gave him a flat look and brushed his hand aside as if she were tired of condescending lectures. "If you insist."

The thing was, she was alone on this, save for Selen's support. She couldn't leave Aqures Ixen's faction without drawing undue suspicion, nor could she rely on most of them to be sane enough to offer any aid. The events of the past two years had broken Rukia, but shattered most everyone else on this side of the divide.

All that was left to them was to watch the sunset and pretend that things were normal for just a little longer.