Rukia's hands remained upon her knees as she knelt upon the ground, head bowed forward, eyes closed. The process had sapped her of her strength, both physically and emotionally. She hadn't expected that. It took her a few moments to hear Cloud's words and really digest them, but she did, and it brought a weary smile to her face. The way he spoke so boldly reminded her of Ichigo. So did the hairstyle. Hopefully it wouldn't come down to a second rescue from her own home.

She shook her head. "You needn't offer any apologies. If there is indeed a way to meet again, should we become parted, I won't ignore it." Rukia didn't think she could in all honesty. She loved each and every one of them, and the thought of separation truly was as painful as her shadow had revealed.

Seeing Yuri's boots stop in front of her, Rukia raised her head to look at his face, then his hand. She chuckled tiredly and dropped her palm into his. "You must be weary of telling me this so many times. I appreciate your patience." Her grip tightened and she grit her teeth as she forced herself to stand.

Of course, she wasn't feeling so tired that she couldn't shoot an annoyed look at Jade. She'd just about apologized to him too for her shadow's misbehavior! He would be the one to hustle them all back into their duties to save the world. He wasn't wrong, but she needed at least a day to recover. ...Surely he knew this. The smile indicated as much.

"Hmph. I haven't forgotten," she jabbed a finger at his ribs as they passed by. She paused a moment, looking back at him. The things her Calamity self had said to him...

...

...No, speaking of it now would be inappropriate. She would apologize later, especially since she needed some time to really process why she'd said those things in the first place.