Chapter 3
Third Month: Squad 4
It was the first day of Akemi's third month in the Soul Society. The air was slightly cool but the sun was shining and took away some of the cold. On this day, Akemi was being led to the office of Squad 4 captain, Retsu Unohana. She would be teaching Akemi about healing techniques.
Akemi knew that the barracks for this squad also housed the Coordinated Relief Station and to her surprise, it seemed very peaceful. Everywhere she looked, Akemi could see beautiful gardens, dotted with many benches for relaxing. Akemi looked to the young man who was her guide. He was shorter than her and had shaggy black hair.
"Excuse me, but is it always like this?" she asked curiously. He looked at her confused by the question.
"Always like what?"
"Like this." Akemi waved her arms around to show the tranquil place. "I know this is the medical center as well and I thought it would be busier." The young man smiled at her clarification.
"Captain Unohana is a very wise woman. She teaches us that we must never panic, that we must keep calm for the sake of our patients. That includes how we take care of our barracks." he replied pleasantly. Akemi could hear the admiration for the captain in his voice. Now she was excited and curious to meet this woman.
They walked past the main building of the Relief Station and Akemi could see that her guide was leading her to a small, square white building. A sign in front of it read 'Squad 4 Captain's Office'. When they entered, they were greeted by the smell of fresh linens and on either side of the entrance were pots with blooming blue bellflowers, the symbol for the squad. There were many windows and even a side exit that led to a personal garden. At the back of the room was a desk where the captain sat doing paperwork. Akemi wondered if that was all the captains did when there wasn't a crisis. Behind the desk was the squad's tall lieutenant.
"Captain Unohana, Lieutenant Kotetsu, may I present Akemi Urahara, recently arrived from Squad 2." the guide said with a bow. The captain looked up from her work and smiled.
"Thank you, Hanataro. You may go back to your duties." she said pleasantly. Akemi was surprised by her kind face and relaxed demeanor. Captain Unohana seemed the complete opposite of the other captains that Akemi had met so far.
"Urahara-kun, are you feeling well?" The question brought Akemi from her thoughts. She looked around quickly and saw that Hanataro was gone and that she was alone with the captain and lieutenant.
"I apologize, Captain Unohana. I'm just surprised by your squad. It's just so…so…peaceful." she answered.
"Are you troubled by this? You know we are not a combat unit." Akemi blushed and absently picked at her fingernails.
"No, I'm not. I don't mean to offend you. It's just so different from what I've experienced these last two months." Akemi replied, trying not to get flustered.
"Relax, Urahara-kun. We are only trying to discern your feelings about our squad. As you may know, we are not exactly popular." Lieutenant Kotetsu replied. Many of the combat squads, especially Squad 11, looked down on Squad 4 because their focus was on healing and maintenance of the Seireitei. Some members were even bullied by these squads.
"Captain, I am honored to be trained in your squad." Akemi paused then, a sad smile coming to her face. "In the human world my mother was a type of healer, a nurse. She was very good at her job. I want to learn from your squad because I believe it is important work and because I believe that it would help me understand my mother a little better."
Captain Unohana stood and approached Akemi. She took the novice Soul Reaper's hands in hers and gave Akemi a warm smile.
"Welcome to Squad 4, Akemi Urahara. We begin your training tomorrow morning."
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The next morning Akemi had a light breakfast then hurried to Captain Unohana's office. The captain was alone, reading a report, when Akemi arrived. She smiled that welcoming smile which quickly turned to a look of confusion when she saw Akemi's zanpakuto strapped to her side.
"Urahara-kun, why do you come to me so armed?" she asked. Akemi blushed nervously and slowly approached the captain's desk.
"I…I brought my zanpakuto because I was hoping you could help with something. Oji-san said that my zanpakuto has the ability to heal, faster than normal techniques. However, neither he nor my father could figure out how." Akemi explained.
"And you think I can help you succeed where they failed?" the captain finished. Akemi nodded shyly as Captain Unohana thought it over.
"Urahara-kun, I am intrigued by this task. I have heard rumors of this ability and I believe it would prove invaluable if we could uncover it. Therefore, I shall first teach you the conventional techniques. In return, I am requiring you to meditate with your zanpakuto at least an hour a day. Speak with the spirit of your sword. You have achieved bankai, yes?"
Akemi looked startled by that question. Did everyone know about that?
"Y-yes, Captain. A bit prematurely though." she answered. Unohana smiled reassuringly.
"It's good that you can admit that, but I digress. I believe that learning this healing technique is similar to learning bankai. You must learn from your sword. Only the inner spirit can guide you to that technique. Having an understanding of healing from me will assist you with this." Akemi nodded and thought on the captain's words.
"Very well, Captain Unohana. I agree to your strategy." she replied.
"Excellent. Then let us begin."
Akemi was taught the principles of healing, of sensing damaged spiritual pressure and categorizing the level of damage. The captain then taught her of replacing the damage with one's own spiritual pressure and using it in tandem with the patient's to heal that damage. For more complex cases, Akemi was shown tools that were used to assist with the healing.
Over the first few days, Akemi proved quite adept at sensing and categorizing levels of damage. However, she was having difficulty allocating the proper amount of spiritual pressure into the wound. At one point she had even made an injury worse. Captain Unohana would never forget the look of horror and shame on the poor girl's face. Luckily no permanent damage had been inflicted. Despite the captain's encouraging words, Akemi only found solace in her meditation sessions with her zanpakuto, Ten no okami.
Eventually, Akemi improved her technique. She also recounted her lessons from Okami with the captain. If Akemi didn't understand a concept, the wise captain did her best to explain it. When Akemi wasn't healing or meditating, she assisted other Squad 4 members with their maintenance work. There was so much to be done, and each day her respect for the squad increased.
The month passed quickly and Akemi found that though it had been challenging, it had been her most relaxed month so far. Late in the month on one of her few days off, Akemi sat in a tree, reading a book for school. It was a glorious day outside, too nice to be studying inside.
"You know, you look like a cat stuck in a tree." a voice called in front of her. Akemi looked to see Izuru grinning at her from another branch. She closed her book and smirked.
"And what does that make you? A nosy squirrel perhaps?" she quipped lightly. Izuru grimaced and feigned injury to his heart.
"Ouch. Well struck." he replied, soon grinning again. Akemi liked when he smiled. Izuru was too serious, in her opinion. The Squad 3 lieutenant balanced on his branch and scooted closer to Akemi.
"So how's it going in Squad 4?" he asked curiously.
"It's going really well. Want to see something cool?" she asked, grinning mischievously.
Izuru eyed her warily but nodded, curiosity getting the better of him. Akemi set her book in a dip in the tree trunk and drew out her zanpakuto. She released its shikai and Izuru was impressed by the change in the blade. A sharp sting in his arm drew him from his contemplations. He looked to his arm and saw a thin line of blood welling up. He hadn't even seen Akemi strike.
"Hey! You cut me!" he exclaimed, shocked.
"I'm sorry but just bear with me." she said apologetically. Izuru kept quiet as Akemi focused, the energy around her blade going from gold to green. He also noticed a subtle rise in her spiritual pressure.
"Ten no okami, Chiryo-sha." she intoned, waving the flat of the blade over the wound. A sheet of green energy covered it and the wound began to close, the blood even flowing back as it did. When it was done, all that remained was a thin, faint scar. Izuru looked at her amazed.
"Akemi, that's incredible!" he said awestruck.
"Isn't it? I learned something my father could not. That alone makes this trip worth it." she replied as she sheathed her sword.
"Congratulations. That is a wonderful achievement. So does this mean you're almost done here?"
"With this squad, yes. I still have so much to learn. Next up is Squad 6. I'm supposed to hear back on my request soon."
"That is a good choice. Captain Kuchiki will teach you a lot." Izuru replied.
"Yeah, I hope so."
A moment of silence passed between them. Izuru looked around absently and spotted Akemi's book.
"What are you reading, Akemi?" he asked inquisitively. Akemi glanced back and grabbed the thin tome.
"Oh this? It's a book for school. It's a collection of poetry by a Western poet. She writes about love and how it changed her life." she explained, flipping through the pages. Izuru raised his eyebrows in interest.
"Poetry? That's an interest of mine! Would you care to read some to me?" he asked excitedly. Akemi blushed fiercely at this request. It wasn't like any of it was risqué but it was very personal and intimate. In Akemi's mind, the poems were things that should only be spoken to a lover.
"Uh, I don't know, Izuru. Um, would care to borrow the book?" she replied, still thumbing through the pages and trying to hide her blush. Izuru noticed and found himself smiling a little. Akemi was an interesting individual and over their last few meetings, Izuru found himself falling for her. She was so focused on her studies though, both Soul Reaper and human, that he didn't want to distract her by telling her his feelings.
"Akemi, if it would not detract from your work, I would be honored to borrow your book." Izuru said warmly. Akemi looked up surprised and a little relieved.
"Really? Ok. When you read it, just ignore my notes in the page margins. They're not important." she replied as she handed him the book. Izuru smiled as she went into a lengthy description of the work, her face and hands becoming very animated as she spoke. No, he decided, he wouldn't tell her yet. For now he would be silent, content to be near her.
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For those interested, Akemi was reading Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Also, I apologize for my Japanese typing. Still can't get the proper symbols down. Also using an internet translator so if the words aren't quite right, I'm sorry. What Akemi said when healing Izuru was:
Ten no okami, Chiryo-sha = Wolf of Heaven (her zanpakuto), The Healer
It's a technique that can only be done in shikai form. More will be revealed about her zanpakuto later. Hope everyone is enjoying this! Comments are always appreciated!