"I'm just a passing househusband. I saw a helpless body without a soul, so I came in to help take care of it." The pompadour ghost stood up and walked away, leaving behind only a broad, imposing back. "My part ends here. The rest is up to you."
"Off to Soul Society with you." Muten Natsu grabbed the pompadour ghost and completed the Konsō.
A Jigokuchō carried the pompadour spirit away to Soul Society. Muten Natsu sheathed his Zanpakutō and looked at the old man. "What I was about to do to you earlier was exactly this."
"What matters now is where my wife's soul went!" the old man shouted.
"Don't worry," Rukia Kuchiki said, pointing at the old man's chest. "The Chain of Fate will help us find her."
"Chain of Fate?" The old man looked down at the half-length chain extending from his chest.
"The Chain of Fate of the dead is severed, while the living remain connected to their bodies," Rukia Kuchiki explained. "Once the Plus occupying the body leaves, the original Chain of Fate becomes visible again."
Reishi flowed, and the blurred chain gradually became clear, stretching off into the distance.
The group followed the chain. Along the way, Orihime Inoue asked curiously, "Why would a soul leave the body?"
"Physical weakness and aging both make it easier for a soul to leave the body," Rukia Kuchiki said, then paused. "But even if a body can no longer properly contain a soul, it usually won't leave on its own unless… it's pulled out by some external force."
"Who?" the old man demanded. "Who wanted to hurt my wife?!"
"You," Muten Natsu answered bluntly. "The Chain of Fate connects the body and the soul. When the body dies, the chain breaks. The broken chain, driven by the soul's lingering attachments, will wrap itself around what it longs for… including people."
"And if that person's body happens to be weak and aged," Rukia Kuchiki added, "their soul will be dragged out."
"So it was me… I was the one who harmed her…" The old man stared at the half-chain on his chest. "I didn't even realize it…"
"It's normal that you didn't," Rukia Kuchiki said thoughtfully. "After the Chain of Fate breaks, it's gradually eroded. Most likely, after her soul was pulled from her body, most of your chain had already dissipated."
"What happens if it disappears completely?" the old man asked.
"A hole forms in the chest, and the soul turns into a monster that feeds on souls. A Hollow," Muten Natsu said, pointing ahead. "Like that one."
Not far away in the cemetery, a monster with a skull-like mask on its head and a gaping hole in its chest was clutching an elderly woman's soul, about to stuff it into its mouth.
"My wife!" The old man charged forward in rage. "What are you doing to my wife?!"
"Buy one, get one free?" The Hollow paused, then let out a delighted laugh. "My favorite."
Only when he rushed up close did the old man belatedly realize the massive difference in size between them. But seeing his wife, he no longer cared about anything else and threw himself forward without hesitation.
Muten Natsu leapt into the air, his hand closing around the Zanpakutō at his waist.
"Then how do you feel about bargaining?"
The kind that costs you dearly.
A blinding flash of steel, accompanied by a shrill scream, tore through the monster's body, the slash completed before it even had a chance to answer.
The Hollow's corpse collapsed into Reishi and was absorbed by the Zanpakutō's scabbard. The old man caught his falling wife and called out anxiously, "Honey! Wake up! Honey!"
"O-old man?" The old woman struggled to open her eyes. "You… ah… I'm dead too, aren't I…"
"No, you're not! I won't let you die! Don't die!"
"It's alright." Rukia Kuchiki stepped forward and treated the old woman with Kaidō. "As long as her soul returns to her body, she'll be fine."
"I'll take you back right now!" The old man hoisted his wife onto his back and ran toward their home. "Hang in there!"
"Ah… it really is you." The old woman tightened her arms around him. "I remember this feeling. It's definitely you."
"It's me… I'm sorry… If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have ended up like this." The old man supported her body with both arms. "This is all my fault…"
"No, it's my fault." The old woman's voice was weak. "If I hadn't argued with you, you wouldn't have died."
"That's exactly what I was afraid of!" The old man panted as he ran. "Are you underestimating me? Do you think a few scoldings from you could kill me? How many times have we argued over the years? If I were going to die from that, I'd have died long ago! I was hit by a car! Can arguing make a car fly out of your mouth?!"
"What are you doing?!" The old woman tightened her arms around his neck. "You're already dead, and you still won't let me feel guilty?!"
"Let go! I'm dying here!" the old man shouted with difficulty. "No, you're not allowed! I'm already dead, so why should you keep feeling guilty about me? Live your life properly!"
The old woman's arms slowly lost their strength. "How could I possibly live well… when you're dead…"
"Precisely because I'm dead, I want you to live even better." Cloudy tears slid down the old man's face. "I can't stay by your side anymore. Even if you're unhappy, there's nothing I can do…"
"So we still end up arguing," the old woman chuckled softly. "Even at a time like this."
"I… I'm going to another world." The old man forced a smile. "I'll start a new life there, live happily and joyfully. Don't let me outdo you."
The old woman's eyes slowly closed. "As if I'd ever lose to you…"
"That's good. That's good." The old man tightened his arms slightly. "I came this time to say I'm sorry."
"We argued our whole lives, and only now you remember to apologize?"
"Yes! I'm sorry! Even now, I still want to argue with you!" The old man nearly shouted. "I want to keep arguing with you forever!"
The wrinkles at the corners of the old woman's mouth gathered into a faint smile. "You stubborn old man…"
The old woman lay motionless on the old man's back, no longer making a sound.
"Honey… honey?" The old man's steps faltered. "Honey!"
Muten Natsu stepped forward to check. "I'm afraid…"
"No… that's impossible!" The old man refused to believe it. "She's just asleep. Just asleep."
Muten Natsu nodded. "Yeah. She's a living soul. Being separated from her body for too long makes it easy to fall into a deep sleep."
The old man froze. "What did you say? She's really just asleep?!"
"Of course. What did you think?"
"I thought she…" The old man erupted in anger. "What's so regrettable about her just sleeping?!"
"Well…" Muten Natsu said casually. "You look like you still have a lot you want to say. Isn't it a bit of a shame that she can't hear you while she's asleep?"
The old man ground his teeth. "You little brat…"