On the matter of Akio Nakamura, who held the rank of Captain of the tenth division one hundred and fifty years prior to the current day, only the following information is commonly known among the ranks of the Gotei 13 regarding his death; that during the spring many years past he was dispatched to combat an assassin who had taken the life of the noble Eito Hirose along with that of his wife Akahana Hirose, and that Captain Nakamura and the assassin killed each other in a meadow at the furthest edge of Rukongai.
This is the truth which was deemed suitable by the governing Central 46 when the matter had been settled. Only the members of that governing body, along with the upper ranks of the Gotei 13 had any awareness of a greater truth than that. It was understood among this small number of individuals that to speak of any other truth regarding this matter would be seen as a defiance of the will of the Central 46. Thus the carefully selected truth of that governing body was allowed to settle in the minds of the masses until time confined all memory of these events into the dusty pages of long neglected history books.
Yet it remains a fact that these events once occured, and that the truth surrounding them is not the truth given to the people of the Soul Society. As such, I shall share another truth with you and allow you to gain your own understanding of the tragedies surrounding Captain Nakamura, Akahana Hirose, and Lord Eito.
The Shino Academy-150 years ago
In that distant time, Akahana had not yet been wed to the noble Lord Eito and instead carried the name Akahana Furutani. The Furutani clan was counted among the lesser nobility in the Sereitei, and it's sons and daughters saw little potential for political or economic growth. It came as a blessing and a surprise to the heads of the Furutani clan when Akahana was born with an abnormally strong reiatsu.
When she had grown to an appropriate age, it was explained to her by her parents that she was to be enrolled in the Shino academy and become a Shinigami of the Gotei 13, and in so doing would help to bring honor and influence back into the Furutani clan.
This conversation was conducted in a matter of fact manner. Where the prosperity of the clan was concerned, there could be no considerations for personal feelings and desires.
The young Akahana accepted her role with a sort of quiet dignity that was well suited to her station in life. Though often looked down upon by the more well off members of the nobility among the academy's students, Akahana was never the victim of bullies or ruffians. At first this could be considered the result of a distant relation to the Captain of squad 10, Akio Nakamura, who was known to have a fondness for his cousin.
However, in time it became clear that Akahana did not need the protection of a distant relative. Her skills in kido were said to be unmatched by the other students at that time. This trait drew some considerable attention from the various squad recruiters, in particular the recruiter for the 13th division.
At that time, the position if Lieutenant of squad 13 was a rank belonging to Eito Hirose, who upon the request of his commanding officer personally came to the academy grounds to scout Akahana as a potential recruit a short time before she was to graduate.
Eito approached Akahana, who was pointed out to him by one of her instructors, as she spent her free time in the academy's gardens tending to the flowers.
He was struck by her beauty as he approached. Her chestnut hair caught the sun's warmth in a pleasant way, and there was a kind look to her features which Eito approved of.
He approached her in a leisurely manner and cleared his throat. "Akahana Furutani?"
She turned to face him, and upon seeing her vibrant green eyes, the Lieutenant of squad 13 felt something begin to stir within him, though he kept his face in a carefully neutral expression.
Her eyes fixed briefly on the Lieutenants badge strapped to his shoulder before returning to his face. She graced him with an impeccable bow.
"Good morning Lieutenant. What may I help you with?" Her voice had a warm quality, and she spoke softly though clearly.
Eito returned her bow. Though he was her superior officer, she was a member of a noble family. As such, it was important to observe the appropriate level of courtesy.
"I am Lord Eito Hirose, Lieutenant of squad 13." He watched her features closely as he offered his identity. There was a momentary flash if surprise when he mentioned his title, but all trace of such emotion had vanished by the time he stated his rank. Despite the momentary slip in composure, he was impressed with the speed of her recovery.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled in a friendly way. "May I ask if you are speaking to me as a noble, or as an officer?"
He clasped his hands behind his back and decided a straightforward answer would best suit his purposes. "I am here today on behalf of Captain Ukitake."
She seemed perplexed. "Juushiro Ukitake? What business could someone of his status have with me?"
So she was humble as well. Or perhaps ignorant of her own abilities and the reputation those abilities were beginning to carry? Eito filed the thought away for future examination.
"Word among the instructors is that you possess a noteworthy degree of talent. In particular, I've been told that your kido skills are exceptional."
Her smile brightened. "Truly? It makes me happy to hear that, but you flatter me."
Eito considered her response. By his estimation she was playing at humility, but her smile betrayed the pride she must have felt.
"I see. If it is not inconvenient to you, I would enjoy a demonstration."
She blinked. "Right now?"
"If it's not inconvenient," he repeated.
She looked about the gardens briefly as though searching for something. "It isn't inconvenient to me of course, but I don't believe that there is a target I could choose here that wouldn't result in damage to the gardens."
Eito nodded. "I understand your concerns. If that is the case, then would your concerns be alleviated if I were the target?"
Now she looked truly surprised. "Please do not joke about such things. If I were to injure you by mistake I would never be able to forgive myself."
Eito smiled despite himself. A man of his social standing rarely had the chance to show off, and now he had been granted a golden opportunity to do just that. He drew his Zanpakuto from it's sheath and held it in a one handed guard in front of himself.
"Separate their bonds, Bunkatsu Hikari!" At his call the blade of his Zanpakuto evaporated, and was replaced by a pulsating length of ethereal blue and green reiatsu.
Akahana regarded the weapon with a startled look. "Oh my, are you sure it's ok to release your sword here?"
He shrugged. "It's of no concern. At any rate, my Bunkatsu Hikari has the ability to separate the bonds that hold reiatsu and reishi based abilities together. Because of that, I will have no trouble assessing the power and composition of your kido without risk of injury."
Akahana nodded. "Alright then. In that case, please prepare yourself." She began to recite a chant beneath her breath. Eito felt her reiatsu begin to increase in response to her chant. He was surprised at what he felt. From what he was feeling Akahana had the talent to become a seated Officer regardless of her proficiency with kido.
"Hado 63: Raikoho!" Akahana's voice was a roar as she discharged a blast of yellow lightning towards him. A simple flick of his sword was sufficient to disperse the energy of the attack, though he was still impressed by it's power. More importantly, he was a little startled that a mere academy student was capable of firing such a high level spell in the first place.
"Very good." He held his blade before him again. "Once more."
"As you wish," she replied. "Perhaps a bakudo spell this time."
So it went over the next few minutes that she discharged a variety of spells at him, all of which were preformed to perfection.
"I think that should be sufficient." Eito informed her after the fifth spell. He could see that she was starting to have a hard time catching her breath, and he had no intention of exhausting her before her next round of classes. To signify the end of the demonstration, he disengaged his shikai and sheathed his sword.
"I hope that you weren't disappointed by my abilities." Akahana smiled in a shy way. "I've never really used them much outside of class."
"I was not disappointed in the least. Your skills are as advanced as I'd heard."
"But you were right, your Zanpakuto had no trouble with any of it. My own Zanpakuto doesn't have such flashy powers."
Eito froze at her words"Pardon me, but should I take that to mean you have already achieved shikai?" It wasn't unheard of for shinigami to achieve that level prior to graduation, but it was not common either.
Akahana seemed oblivious to his shock as she replied. "Oh yes, I was able to finally communicate with my Hanasaku last summer. It doesn't do anything flashy like yours though."
Under normal circumstances, the abilities of a shinigami's Zanpakuto were considered to be personal. It was rude to ask for that information unless it was freely offered. However, Eito was here for the specific purpose of determining whether her skills would be a suitable match for squad 13, so it seemed like now would constitute a reasonable exception to that rule. Besides, he couldn't deny a certain degree of curiosity on his part.
"What does it do?"
"Oh, nothing much." She giggled to herself briefly. "It allows me to manipulate plants and flowers with my reiatsu. I don't think it's really any good for fighting, but thanks to those abilities I was able to maintain the beauty of these gardens throughout the winter."
Eito frowned. He felt that she wasn't telling him everything. But he'd already pushed enough for now. "I see. It sounds like a very pleasant power."
She smiled at him again. "You think so?"
"Indeed. At any rate, I've taken enough of your time. It would be best for you to head to your next class before your instructors become annoyed with me." He allowed himself a small sense of amusement as she suddenly remembered her current obligations and promptly scrambled to reach her next class on time.
What an interesting person she was. Eito Hirose would definitely recommend her to the Captain. Not just for her abilities, though that was the main reason of course, but there was also no denying that he wanted to keep Akahana Furutani somewhere where he could easily see her smile whenever he wished.