Quote:
Originally Posted by Kakashi
He swore to save Rukia on his soul, she was saved. Ichigo swore to to protect Inoue without fail. I guess you could say that evens out in a way, but once he saved Rukia he had no further obligations, not to say he would just let her get hurt, but once she's saved he's not eterrnally bound. Whereas with Inoue it's forever. He swore to protect her eternally, permanently from physical and mental harm. That's the key difference.
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Indeed, he did not outwardly swear to protect Rukia as he did Orihime, but his actions speak otherwise. If, like you said, that once Ichigo had saved Rukia that he no longer had any further obligations to protect her from harm, then he should have no reason to be so protective of her post-Soul Society. Nevertheless, as I've noted countless times before, post-Soul Society, Ichigo has taken it upon himself to take care of Rukia and has even gone so far as to take personal responsibility for her injuries, much to her chagrin. Again, this is a notable change in their relationship dynamic from the Karakura arc, where he did not act as Rukia's protector and despite her being virtually powerless, he was comfortable enough to leave Rukia to fight on her own.
During Soul Society Ichigo did do what he swore to do, he saved Rukia, but he went, and continues to go far beyond what "saving her out of debt" entailed. His fight with Byakuya illustrates this very well, in that he was not only fighting to save Rukia from execution, but also fought to protect from emotional distress as well. Telling Byakuya that he would never allow him to say [that he was going to kill her] in front of Rukia illustrated a personal concern for Rukia's emotional well-being. Seeking Rukia, fully expecting her to return with him to the living world and then fully accepting her decision to stay because it was what
she wanted, illustrated his personal desire for her happiness. Finally, recalling his reason why he wanted to save her so badly, flashing back to the moment when she left him crying, made it clear that beyond debt, there was a very personal resolve and dedication to protect Rukia and see her happy.
I can't be bothered to argue semantics, Ichigo's actions speak for themselves. Though, he may not have consciously recognized it, nor outwardly declared it, Ichigo has taken it upon himself to protect Rukia, not only from physical harm, but emotional distress as well. We see this in his fight with Byakuya, in the closing chapters of the Soul Society arc and post-Soul Society where he has suddenly started feeling apprehension over the idea of Rukia being separated from him, engaging in battle and has taken responsibility for her injuries.
Lest people forget, none of what I am saying necessarily implies any romantic intention, I am simply putting forward that one can easily gather from Ichigo's actions that he
has sworn to himself to "protect" Rukia, and indeed his further actions can be viewed as an extension of his swearing on his soul.