There was a quiet grunt of surprise as Rukia stumbled forward. But as soon as she felt his fingers tangle in her hair at the back of her head, everything became far more clear to her. Maybe she could guess at his feelings after all. They probably weren't all that dissimilar from hers.

Her small shoulders relaxed, and she closed her eyes. Being held felt good. He'd missed her after all, perhaps far more than she ever anticipated, and that was oddly reassuring. He cared. There had been plenty of evidence to suggest this when he'd willingly risked exposing himself to her illness just to take care of her, but this capped it off and erased any doubts she might have still carried.

"I'm all right," she promised. "I didn't suffer. You do not need to worry." Rukia smiled, resting her other hand against his chest just next to his Blastia core. "As long as my soul dwells in this world, I will always return to you."