[Maybe he's got her wrong, then. Rukia does indeed seem a lot less apprehensive than most. Something he -by rights- should be as well.]

Of course. You know my sword'll be there as needed as we push on towards the end.

[Was that a part of the problem? Sephiroth's more troubling nerves lead towards the 'what then' in terms of what happens after the inevitable fight they're all sppeding towards.]

You don't think that all of this still feels terribly...guided towards this end?

[He's always had that thing about being under someone else's sway, if you like, acting upon circumstances that have been put there as opposed to really seeing the truth.]