14 Days Before Rukia's Execution

14 Days Before Rukia's Execution is the twenty-third episode of the Bleach anime.

Statistics

 * Original Airdate: March 8, 2005
 * English Airdate: February 9, 2007
 * Opening Song: *~Asterisk~
 * Ending Song: Thank You!!
 * Manga Chapters: Chapter 78, Chapter 79.
 * Kanji: ルキア処刑、14日前
 * Romaji: "Rukia shokei, jūyokka mae"
 * Arc: Soul Society: The Sneak Entry arc

Summary
The morning after Ichigo Kurosaki's encounter with Ganju Shiba, Orihime Inoue, Uryū Ishida and Yasutora Sado discuss the injury to Jidanbō Ikkanzaka and the mysterious Kūkaku Shiba whom they are due to meet that day. Inoue decides that Kūkaku must be some type of pedigree cat which sets Ishida and Sado arguing about what kind of person 'he' is. Ishida tires of the increasingly extravagant sketches of Kūkaku that Inoue is proposing and leaves to find out what Ichigo is doing. He finds Ichigo sitting cross legged in the house they had stayed in, refusing to leave until he had finished his fight with Ganju. Ishida attempts to drag him out of the house by his clothing which Ichigo resists until Yoruichi Shihōin scratches him severely across the face and orders him to remember the true purpose of their journey, the rescue of Rukia Kuchiki.

Rukia is sitting in the sixth squad barracks prison when she is visited by Renji Abarai who informs her that she has 14 days until her execution by use of Sōkyoku and that she is to be moved into Senzaikyū.

Yoruichi leads the group out into the countryside. Ichigo questions whether the group is headed the right way, to which Ishida responds angrily, telling him that they are following the map properly. Inoue hypothesises that Kūkaku must want to keep their identity secret to life this far out, however, Yoruichi states that that is incorrect and that although Kūkaku changes houses regularly, she'll still be able to recognise it instantly. This is confirmed when the house appears on the horizon, with two large arms on either side holding up a banner on which is written: Kūkaku Shiba. While Sado appears unfazed and Inoue thinks the house is "cool", Ishida and Ichigo both are shocked by the houses appearance, Ishida going so far as to call it "a sad excuse for a house" and both of them are ashamed to enter such a strange looking dwelling.

As they approach the front door, two guardians appear, announcing themselves as Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko and warn that to attempt to enter was to invite death. Yoruichi defuses the tension by sticking her head out from around Ichigo's right leg, upon which the guardians become apologetic and show great respect towards Yoruichi. Upon entry to Kūkaku's room, all except Yoruichi are shocked that she is in fact a woman. Yoruichi proceeds to ask Kūkaku for a favour, warning that it would probably be trouble. Kūkaku replies that it has been ages since they talked like this and that she would hear Yoruichi's proposal because she loves trouble.

Renji escorts the four guards securing Rukia to the Senzaikyū where she is to be held until the execution. She can see the Sōkyoku stand from her window and one of the guards explains that the purpose of the shrine was so that the condemned could spend the last days of their lives regretting their mistakes. Before he leaves, Renji tells Rukia of an unconfirmed report, that one of the Ryoka was an orange haired Shinigami with a body length sword.

Kūkaku smokes a pipe while agreeing to Yoruichi's request, stating that beacuse Kisuke Urahara is involved, she couldn't refuse if she wanted to. She doesn't trust Yoruichi's companions though, so she states that she will be sending a "minion" with them, who is actually her little brother. She opens the door to reveal Ganju who recognises Ichigo, and they both leap up and yell at each other, leading Kūkaku to ask, "what, you two know each other?"

Renji worries about whether he should have told Rukia that Ichigo was intercepted at the gates of Seireitei by Gin Ichimaru but decides that it was for the best. He is interrupted by Sōsuke Aizen who asks if he can speak with Renji for a moment. Aizen leads him to a quiet room and opens with small talk about how long it has been since Renji left his squad. Renji asks what it is that Aizen wanted to talk about, and so Aizen asks Renji whether he thinks that Rukia should die. Aizen lists the discrepencies that exist in the handling of Rukia's case, from the reduction of the grace period to the use of the Sōkyoku. He states that he believes that it is all "moving to a single will", and it is shown that Ichimaru is standing hidden outside the door, listening in on their conversation. Before Aizen can elaborate, the alarm is sounded and an emergency Captain's meeting is called.

Ichigo and Ganju continue their fight, breaking several doors without raising Kūkaku's ire until her pipe is knocked to the floor and broken. She uses some unknown Kidō to blast the two apart and end their conflict, also causing severe structural damage to her house. She rants at Ichigo who apologises for his actions and then orders everyone to stand and follow her. She leads them through an underground path to a door labelled "authorised personnel only", inside of which is the base of her huge chimney which is revealed to be a cannon, as she is Rukongai's Number One Fireworks Expert.

Kon-sama's Ultimate Shinigami Illustrated Guide
The featured character is Momo Hinamori.

Characters in order of appearance

 * Orihime Inoue
 * Uryū Ishida
 * Yasutora Sado
 * Jidanbō Ikkanzaka
 * Ichigo Kurosaki
 * Yoruichi Shihōin
 * Rukia Kuchiki
 * Renji Abarai
 * Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko
 * Kūkaku Shiba
 * Ganju Shiba
 * Sōsuke Aizen
 * Gin Ichimaru

Powers and Techniques used
Unknown Kidō used by Kūkaku Shiba.