|X. Strength

Dead. Jun was dead. Nothing was there, she'd felt nothing. Her hand on Minazuki, it whimpered and she tried to sooth it with a gentle caress to no avail. Staring at the tree they'd often come many times to talk with one another, she wanted to feel something.

Angry. She should feel an immeasurable rage because of what happened, but instead it was… something lighter. More peaceful. More empty. Like he was telling her to stay calm, to save her anger for when it really mattered. To not give in to her rage so quickly, to work with it until it was like a sharply honed blade, able to cut cleanly through even the toughest of skin. Her scar, it stung. Her heart, it hurt.

She put her hand on the tree and dug her nails into it. Why? Why hadn't he let her help him? Why did he have to do everything himself like the fool he was? The bastard. The foolish bastard.

Her nails started to shred the bark and she relaxed. She had to remember what he'd said. Calm yourself, don't give in to your negative emotions. Fuel them into something else, some other type of emotion that had a more positive outlook. Joy, happiness, love. Any of them would do…

Sadness. She could feel it. In the black of her heart, making it all the more stained. Growing, sprouting until the roots came to her eyes and basked in the light for the first time. Let it out, he'd say; it's alright to cry. That even once and awhile is vastly better than none at all.

That bastard. To have so much of an influence as he did. Just like Sūn Wǔ, the only other she'd actually learned from…

"What's the matter with you?"

"I cut my finger!" She held it up for him to look at it, "It hurts."

"Let me see it." Taking her finger between wizened hands, he inspected the injury and put a cloth to it. Cleaning it with water, he wrapped another piece of cloth around it, discarding the other. "Yes, your first battle scar."

"Battle scar?" She wiped her eyes and stared at it. It still stung, badly, and she wanted to cry again but stayed her tears.

"It's alright."

Curling the finger, her lip quivered. "What is…?"

"Go ahead. Let it out." He turned in the boat, putting his hand in the water to check the temperature. Flicking drops from his fingertips, he took his pole and put the line in the water. Glancing back at her then, "Even soldiers cry when they're wounded. A warrior who doesn't show any emotion on the battlefield is the same the tools he uses to fight with. To have hatred against his enemy, a warrior must know joy, and to know joy, he must first learn what sadness is. Retsu, don't seal off your emotions or you'll become like a tool used for battle, and that isn't what humans are."

"O-ok…"

She let her tears run free.

— ΩΦ║ΦΩ —

"Vice-Captain Jitsushima was killed?" Sitting crossed-legged in his chambers, the Captain-Commander's face became clouded, long beard like the shipwrecked remains from a harsh storm and eyes typhoons of sorrow. "He was most promising. With time, I'd hoped to see him promoted to Captain of the 4th Division." He leaned forward a fraction, "And you said this young man… he used some type of bow made of spiritual energy?"

"Yes, Captain-Commander, that is correct." Shan, on her knees, focused then on the way his bushy eyebrows drooped over the deep-set darkness of his eyes. Hands on his knees, he sat there in silence for a long while. "Sir, if I may speak…" He nodded. "Well, sir, it's about Captain Unohana. It's the reason I've come to inform you and not her… after what happened… she's been like a corpse…" Shan stared grim-faced at the ground. "So empty."

"She's the liveliest corpse I've seen in all my years, then."

Turning around, Shan sprang to her feet as Captain Unohana slide shut the door to Captain-Commander Yamamoto's chambers. "M-ma'am! You're—!" She went to help but was stayed with a raising of her Captain's hand.

Captain Unohana's attention was solely on the Captain-Commander, "Yamamoto, I would like to make a request."

"Speak your mind."

"I would like to become the new Captain of the 4th Division, along with Shan as my Vice-Captain."

"Consider it done."

Shan got up in protest, "Captain! Are you sure this is—"

"Shan, help me by gathering my belongings as I go over the paperwork with Yamamoto."

Frozen for a second, Shan's face lit up, "Yes, ma'am!" She rushed off to do as ordered.

Quickly strutting down the hallway, Shan passed by the practice area where she, Jun, and Rokuro often used to hang around at, seeing a familiar face. Rokuro was standing on it, practicing his Kaido. Thinking of going over to greet him, she tossed the idea because her duty to the Captain came first—everything else was secondary.

As if sensing her devotion like it was a spiritual presence of its own, Rokuro called over before she'd gotten any further down the hall. "I'm third seat! She bumped me up!"

Without stopping, Shan smiled. Captain Unohana had already been making further arrangements before going to the Captain-Commander, knowing she'd be given the transfer. As she heard Rokuro go back to his practicing, there no doubt in her mind that he, too, was determinedly trying to better himself. From now on, she'd have to try her hardest as the both of them, to replace Jun.

It was up to her now.

— ΩΦ║ΦΩ —

"So, he's truly dead, is he?" Senjumaru Shutara rapped her fingers on the arm of her throne, resting a skeletal one on her cheek. She looked from the messenger who'd relayed the news to her, dismissing him, to the table where Jun had laid for a time which seemed like only yesterday. "Such a waste…"

She'd felt the final release of his spiritual pressure even up here in the Soul King's domain. The power in his genes was valuable indeed, and, touching her other hand to the bulge that'd started to form in her stomach, she let a smile creep to her lips. Though, sighing to herself, she didn't know the first thing about raising a child, and, remembering how considerate he'd been to her in their brief time together, she wished that he were here. It truly was such a waste.

Especially since it'd been in vain, as that man was still living. Though, for the time being, worse off. In time, she suspected he was to fully recover and start his crusade anew, but such matters of the Soul Society held no interest for her. It was the Gotei 13's problem, and she had no doubt they'd take care of it… however long it'd last.

Senjumaru decided, then, that this child of hers was to be named Ōbane. It sounded strong, and that is exactly what she hoped this child was going to grow up to be. Immeasurably so. Now, the only problem was her last name…

She expected a great deal from his soon-to-be next of kin.