Chapter 2: Introductions and Greetings
"The Final Days were upon us.
The fabric of the star had begun to fray.
It's lands wrent by tooth and claw.
As the chaos spread, the stars seemed doomed to unravel.
And yet, there were those who stood in defiance of that fate.
Past the far edge of fate…rings blade dark and light…
Telling the coming of the end."
- From the excerpts of Urianger Augurelt's "End of the Path"
'Oh, do not look at me so. A smile better suits a hero…'
'We did EVERYTHING right, everything that was asked of us, and still—STILL it came to this!'
'One day… I pray to the kami that you will come back, and we will never be separated again…'
'Go forth and live your own life.'
'May the fates bless you in your new path, Azem.'
'Thank you, little one, for forgiving this old fool of a father. I pray to the kami for your safety and for any endeavor you shall do in the path you choose.'
The words continued to ring in his mind as he slowly comes to. At the memory of his last farewells, he jumped awake.
"This…" He muttered as he looked upon himself.
He was wearing what seems to be a robe for injured people. He looked to his left and saw his heavily damaged, blood-soaked robe he worn when he fought against Zenos, being hanged on the far end, near what seems to be the door. He looked further to the left and saw his sword, or what was left of it being only the grip and the hand guard.
He lays back onto the bed.
"An unfamiliar ceiling…" He muttered as he slowly got back up again.
He looked to the right and saw what appears to be the window, peering towards the outside. As he took a better look, he saw what can only be described as reminiscent of the cities in Hingashi, only without the airships and was dominated by the color white.
"Have you wakened up, Ryoka-san?" The gentle, motherly voice called as he looked to the left.
He saw a woman, wearing a black kimono of sorts and draped with a white haori over the kimono.
"I…" He muttered as he thought whether he spoke the same language or not as the woman.
She was certainly human (or at least that was what his other soul called his race the Hyur as in his native tongue) in appearance. Her black hair tied to form some sort of twine that goes down to the front and with black eyes. Her stature, as he mentally measured to his own height, is comparatively short.
While he had known the Echo does give him the ability to speak and understand any tongue, he does not know if that also applies where he is at currently. But, without any test, he would not know, hence he braved himself to try.
He looked upon the insides of his robe and saw the bandages that covered his many wounds, and instantly made the connection.
"I suppose, you were the one who healed me. Thank you, miss…?" He tilted his head.
"Unohana Retsu. And you're welcome, Ryoka-san." She smiled.
'So… My words speak of whatever tongue she speaks.' He sighed in relief, mentally.
He thought he had lost his Echo ability after being sent to a realm beyond his own. But it seemed that it stayed with him. He then brought his feet to touch the floor from his bed and stood up, before bowing down to her.
"Thank you, miss Unohana. For the treatment of my wounds." He said in gratefulness.
"No, no. It was my duty. However, might I trouble you to stay here?" She shook her head and asked.
"I don't mind. But why?" He asked.
"Your arrival… Was less than subtle. And the rest of the Gotei 13 is currently in a state of emergency." She answered.
"Gotei…13?" He tilted his head in confusion
He had never heard of an organization called the Gotei 13.
"Could… You explain what is the Gotei 13, Miss Unohana?" He requested as he sat back down on the bed.
Before Unohana could, however, the room was suddenly swarmed by members of the Omnitsukido and the Second Division. Two Omnitsukido operatives had their blades on his neck. This made him raise his brow with the sudden hostility.
He sighed in disbelief. He had just been treated, and made a peaceful first contact, yet this happened. So much for a peaceful life. He then looked towards the wall several steps to the left of the door.
"Umm… Could you explain this hostility, the missus over there behind the wall?" He asked a bit loudly.
Sui-Feng who was waiting outside the room was shocked. The fact that the man could accurately tell where she was and even called her out means that this man is not to be underestimated.
"Impressive. To think you could detect me, despite the fact I've already erased the presence of my reiatsu… As expected, you are a dangerous one." She said as she entered the room, with a slight smug, though there was a visible drip of sweat on her.
"Reiatsu? I know not of what you speak of, but I could see your aether clear as day." He said, tilting his head in confusion on the term Reiatsu.
The Echo allows one to read another's flow of aether, thus giving them an advantage over normal beings in combat, such as being able to predict their attack and the supposed cast times of spells and such. This implies that outside of battle, it could also be used to sense those who are not visible to the naked eye. He still does not understand the difference between aether and reishi (if any), hence he simply used it the Echo the way he knows how. Normally, this would be impossible. However, when compared to the first few months he had obtained this power, by this point his control over the Echo has improved massively and thus the ability being more reliable in both off and during combat.
"What are you doing, Sui-Feng! This is a hospital! This man had just woken up from a surgery!" Unohana protested.
"I'm simply doing my job, Captain Unohana. Orders directly from the Captain-Commander." Sui-Feng dismissively said.
"Oh?" Unohana's tone started to change a bit.
Her face maintained that kind smile, but her aura felt cold. So much so that Shugo could feel it himself, even though he knows that it wasn't directed at him.
"This facility is for recuperation of the wounded. If you have a problem with how this facility is run, then please leave." She said menacingly (Imagine the menacing SFX from Jojo surrounding her right now).
The Omnitsukido stood down, intimidated by her menacing smile and words. Not even Sui-Feng was able to withstand it. The said Chief of the Omnitsukido then clenched her teeth in anger, acknowledging that it was not wise to anger this captain, since she knows that Unohana was by no means weak and had been in the position far longer than she had been the Chief of the Omnitsukido and the Captain of the Second Division.
"Fine. We shall leave. But as soon as he steps outside this building… We shall bring him into custody." Sui-Feng sighed.
She soon left, with her subordinates "disappearing" from the room. Unohana sighed soon after.
"I've truly troubled you with my presence. Please forgive me." Shugo bowed, feeling responsible for the fiasco.
"No, it is fine. It was my fault for not forbidding them from doing such acts when they came earlier." She shook her head while smiling.
"Please stay and rest for at least two more days. After that, I will have to release you from our custody." She said while maintaining that smile.
Shugo sighed. It was not like he intends to leave for the time being. She was being such a generous host, and not to mention his benefactor who saved his life. Even with his superior lifeforce, those wounds would've eventually killed him. Her actions had prevented that. Hence, it would be very ungrateful for him to go against her request.
"I will. I do not intend to go against the words of my benefactor. Such a thing will bring shame to my family's name." He shook his head in recognition.
"I'm glad you would think so. Then, have a good rest." She smiled as she closed the door to the room.
He then went to his armor, and ruffled the insides of it for a bit, before picking up a small rock. It had the symbol of his office when he was still Azem, the fourteenth member of the Convocation of Fourteen. He walked towards the window and sat on the right side of the bed to watch the view, fiddling with the stone in his hand.
"I suppose… This place will be my new home, huh…" He muttered, staring into the sunset.
The stone, his armor, his broken sword and its scabbard were the only things that reminded him of his old home. He then laid down on the bed and stared onto the ceiling. His eyes were somber, yet peaceful. The day that was already in its twilight soon became dark, and the night reigned, with only the moon and the stars shining upon the dark sky.
His eyes slowly closed, his hand holding onto the stone to his chest. Several seconds later, he was fast asleep.
Unohana walked through the halls of the "hospital", greeting the few passing nurses and healers that she passed by. She maintained her smile, though in the inside…
'I would have never thought of seeing someone seething with such killing intent, yet hiding it so well…' She was mentally overjoyed.
While many nowadays know her as Unohana Retsu, the captain of the Fourth Division famous for her healing knowledge and capabilities, those within a certain other division knew of her previous reputation: a butcher with an innumerable body count. She had long since retired from that, but seeing him being like that, ready to unleash his bloodlust once escalated into violence… She shivered in excitement. Though, she kept her façade on the outside, thus no one noticed it.
If there was anyone else that would have noticed it, it would be the Captain-Commander, since she is from the same generation as the old man. Not that it was common knowledge, since only few and far between would know of such a thing.
While sleeping, there was this nagging feeling that annoyed Shugo, so much so that it made him wake up in the dead of night. He scanned the room slowly, rubbing and squinting his eyes. After confirming that there was no one within the room (at least as far as he can see with his eyes), he sighed. The prickling feeling that he got was still there, so that meant there was still someone or something watching him.
"I don't know who you are, or what you are attempting at here. But one suggestion: do not make your intent to observe me so obvious. Seven hells…" He exclaimed in a rather disappointed tone before going back to sleep.
Outside from the window, on the roof of a building at a distance away, Aizen was surprised. Accompanied by Gin and Tosen, he was simply observing from far away, with the addition of using Noren Mekuri to boot. But still, he was noticed by the man.
"So, how's our Ryoka doin', cap'n?" Gin asked, his accent was very noticeable.
"It seems that this man noticed that I was watching him. Although he was not looking at the general direction of our position, he still noticed that he was being watched." Aizen muttered.
"Ho… Then this guy's pretty good, ain't he?" Gin was impressed, his fox-like face was becoming even more like a fox thanks to his grin.
"Whoever he is… If he defies justice, I shall cut him down." Tosen dismissed.
"It matters not. Our plan remains the same." Aizen shook his head as the three disbanded and went back to their respective complexes without anyone noticing them.
The next day, he woke up as a nurse brought him some breakfast: a breakfast set that was called as the "Japanese Breakfast Set", or something to that effect. He raised his brow as he saw some of the food on the table were like the ones he had as a child.
"Hmm… Maybe this 'Japanese' is like Hingashi?" He thought out loud as he began eating.
Cutting and picking up a piece of flesh from the grilled fish with his chopsticks, he put it on top of the rice in a separate bowl, picked them up and put them into his mouth and chewed.
'The taste is the same…' He furrowed his brow.
He gulped down as he puts down the chopsticks to pick up the bowl with the soup in it.
'If my conjecture is correct, then this one is…' He thought as he drank the soup from the bowl directly.
Gulping down several time before putting the bowl down, he sighed as he finished tasting the soup. It was exactly like the one he had as a child. He shook his head in resignation and proceeded to finish the meal. After downing the last piece of fish meat, rice and some soup, he drank the tea from the cup on the tray.
'Bitter, but nonetheless familiar.' He thought as he finished the drink and put the cup down onto the tray.
He wanted to put the tray to the table on the left side of his bed, but he had to move the stone and the broken sword grip somewhere else first. He decided to put those two to the table on the right side of the bed, before proceeding to put the tray onto the left table.
'Urianger and Kryle would have been in their elements if they were here…' He sighed after recalling his thoughts earlier.
Nothing can be so similar without some sort of a connection. However, since this was not exactly his field of study, he would not comment too much on it, even with Azem's knowledge. His duty as Azem was to explore the world and interact with the various peoples living in different regions, learn their cultures and such. For something that is scientific in nature, it would have been Lahabrea's duty, since he was one of the leading academics within the Convocation.
It was not to say he was completely clueless, but it is simply that this subject was a bit out of his depth. Thus, he could only sigh helplessly at the revelation.
Half an hour later, a nurse came into the room to pick up the tray. After she left, Captain Unohana once again entered the room. This time, however, she was accompanied by her Lieutenant Isane, with another couple of guests in tow: The Captain-Commander and Sui-Feng. The Chief of the Omnitsukido looked smug as this time around, she came with the Captain-Commander, though the other party in question had other reasons to be there.
"Miss Unohana, are you here to check on me?" Shugo asked.
"Yes. But first, I believe an introduction is in order? We were interrupted yesterday, but I suppose it is better to be late than never." She smiled, glancing for a moment at Sui-Feng (who felt shivers down her spine) before turning back towards Shugo.
'Ah.' He exclaimed mentally.
He forgot to introduce himself. That was certainly awkward. He had been talking with her, and even asked for her name, yet he had yet to give his own to her. He cleared his throat and stood up from his bed onto the floor.
"Greetings to you all. My name is Josua Kurenai, fourth son of the main household of the Kurenai Clan from Hingashi. You may also call me by my old name: Kurenai Shugo, if you find it to be easier on the tongue. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He bowed and introduced himself, following the customs of Hingashi.
The room was silent for a moment. Sui-Feng found herself feeling awkward, seeing as the man she wanted to detain yesterday was introducing himself proper, and without any hostile intent. Unohana was wide-eyed for a moment, before smiling again genuinely. The Captain-Commander seemed impressed by his mannerism, being polite without overly humbling himself.
"Hoh hoh hoh… I am glad that you are not an unreasonable person, Kurenai-kun." Yamamoto chuckled.
"No, it is simply me being courteous to my benefactor and the people who live here." Shugo shook his head.
The old man was no longer being wary of him, at the very least. He was still on guard, however, but that was to be expected. Sui-Feng, on the other hand, felt ashamed for threatening a man that could have cooperated peacefully. Compared to the few cases of Ryokas infiltrating the Seireitei in its recorded history, this one person seemed more civilized and was not above diplomacy. While her pride would not allow her to ask for forgiveness, her professionalism demands it, since the subject could be friendly. She sighed, swallowed down her pride, and went to the side to express her regret.
"Apologies for my provocative actions the other day, Kurenai-san. I believe that I was wrong in not trying to discuss with you first." Sui-Feng bowed, her face being red in shame.
"I understand, Captain Sui-Feng. You were simply doing your duty. I would do the same thing if I were in your position, considering the situation you were facing." He shook his head.
While he personally does not like those who follow everything to the letter, he understands in their nature that it was simply not wise to question or even defy the orders from a superior, unless there was a very compelling reason to.
Unohana kept her smile, but she was indeed happy that the situation was less tense than yesterday. Isane let out a sigh of relief, she probably felt suffocated at the tense air in the room prior.
"Now that we have put that out of the way, please sit down, Kurenai-san. I need to check on your wounds." Unohana said, which prompted Shugo to sit down.
As his robe was opened, and the bandages were taken off, his scarred body was shown for all to see.
It was not as if the wounds were not healed. Rather, it simply left a scar after being healed. Since the start of his journey as an Adventurer and later as the Warrior of Light, he had accumulated numerous wounds. Many had been healed and left scars, but most were covered by his clothes, since he generally tend to get injured mostly on his body, and not his head.
However, this time around, the fight with Zenos changed the paradigm. A small, yet visible scar of a cut was on his cheek. His arms, torso, and legs were covered in scars, with a rather nasty one on his chest and another one on his back.
Unohana only paused for a moment before she went over the numerous scars on the body, on which she remembers which scars were the wounds she saw yesterday.
"The bones of the left leg have re-attached after surgery…" She began narrating.
Isane, who was observing and taking notes from Unohana's narration of the remnant of the wounds, looked in shock and horror.
'By the Soul King… What has this man went through to suffer this many scars? Compared to some officers I've seen, he has more than any of them combined!' She thought.
Sui-Feng was not immune to this as well, as she was wide-eyed with the number of scars he had on his body. Only the Captain-Commander looked rather unfazed, though he did raise a brow at the sight of it.
'It seems like this young man has seen his fair share of battle, if his scars are anything to go by.' He stroked his beard, closing his eyes in ponder.
Some time passed, and Unohana was about to finish her check on Shugo's wounds.
"…And the small cut on the cheek has fully healed, though it remains as a scar." She finished as Isane jolted down the last detail on the medical journal on Shugo's case.
"With that, I can say with confidence that the surgery was a success, and you will be free to leave tomorrow." She smiled.
"Thank you, Unohana-san." He bowed lightly.
"Now I believe we're done for the day. But I supposed Captain Yamamoto and Sui-Feng would want to have a word with you." She said, before adding, "But please, Captains, remember not to press him too much. He had just recovered for one day." And leaving the room.
Isane followed suit, bowing before closing the door to give the people in the room their privacy.
At this point, Shugo had begun using some honorifics that were like the ones he was familiar with from Hingashi. But he refrained from using several other honorifics because he has yet to understand their context and when to use it yet. Hence, in its place, he will be using some familiar honorifics that he learned while living in Eorzea.
'Not that these people might notice the difference thanks to the Echo…' He mentally sighed at the thought of that.
"Now, to return the manners you have shown me in introducing yourself young man…" The old man coughed, before straightening his body, properly using his staff to help it stand upright.
"My name is Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni. I am the Captain-Commander of the entire Gotei 13, and the captain of the First Division of the Gotei 13." He introduced himself with a rather stern, yet non-hostile voice.
'Well, that was one way to introduce oneself…' Shugo was impressed with the way the old man introduced himself.
He raised a brow, however, as he could sense the aether coursing within the old man. It was beyond those that he had sensed before since he arrived here. 'Well, there was ONE other exception.' He thought of Unohana. She kept hers in check, but it still did not escape his senses of how powerful her aether was.
'If I had to say… He reminds me of perhaps Hades in terms of sheer power…' He pondered.
"I say, Sir Yamamoto. Your aether is truly beyond anyone that I have seen here since my arrival into this world." He remarked out loud.
Yamamoto was confused, as he had never heard the term of aether.
"What is this 'aether' you speak of Kurenai-san? You mentioned it yesterday during our unfortunate scuffle, but could you explain it to us?" Sui-Feng asked.
Despite her stern tone, she too was curious of this 'aether' he was speaking of.
"Aether is the source of everything that lives, or so it goes from where I hailed from. It is a form of energy that allows one to conjure magic or even utilize teleportation as a method of travel. It is also what the lifeforce of a being is composed of." He explained.
Yamamoto stroke his beard in interest, while Sui-Feng contemplates on the information she had just heard. Shugo, in the meantime, went to the right side of the bed to pick up his stone.
"For example, like this…" He said as he utilized the stone to change his job into a White Mage.
In case it has not been explained (which in this case, it has not), the various soul crystals that he had obtained during his journey in order to be able to use various jobs were combined with his Azem soul crystal, thus removing the need for him to have multiple crystals on hand to change into different jobs at a time.
He then casted a small Aero V on his hand, as the two captains looked in interest. The winds swirled in his hand with a tinge of green.
"I have just casted the Aero spell, which I'm holding on my hands right now. It's an offensive spell that deals wind-aspect damage to the target." He explained, before crushing it in his hands, causing some lacerations onto it, which alarmed Sui-Feng.
"Fret not. The next shall fix these minor wounds." He stated as he casted Regen onto the lacerated hand.
It slowly began to heal the wounds on his hand. The wounds slowly close as the blood slowly dried and evaporated from his hand as well. His hand was embalmed in a green light while this was happening. And before long, after 10 seconds, they were all but healed, leaving only minute scars that were barely noticeable and the green light that shrouded his hand faded away.
"As you have seen, I have casted a spell known as Regen, which allows me to regenerate and heal my wounds." He gave the summarization.
Yamamoto nodded in understanding, grasping on how it worked. Sui-Feng simply nodded, while memorizing what she had just saw.
"I see… In other words, what you call 'aether' is akin to that of our reishi." Yamamoto stated.
"Reishi? Is this similar to that 'reiatsu' Sui-Feng -san said yesterday?" Shugo asked.
"Reishi composes the spiritual body of a Soul. This also applies to us, Shinigami, and our enemy the Hollows. Reishi is also known as Spirit Particles." Yamamoto gave a short explanation.
The word Shinigami stuck out to Shugo like a sore thumb.
"Wait, are you implying that you are all… Not human?" He raised his brow.
"No, we are not. We are souls with exceptional Reishi bodies and powerful Reiryoku, or Spiritual Power, that have trained our bodies." Sui-Feng shook her head.
That was certainly not something Shugo was expecting.
"That is not to say that we are not entirely human. Some Shinigami were Souls that came to this side after they perished in the World of the Living." Yamamoto elaborated.
Then it finally clicked to Shugo. This place… The bizarreness of it… This was the afterlife of this reality.
It was not to say he does not know the concept of it. It was just that such a concept only exists as teachings or myths from various beliefs on Hydaelyn, while the truth was much simpler: when one dies, their aether enters the Lifestream before being reincarnated after some time.
"Well… This is certainly awkward. Since, by your standards, I would still be considered a part of the World of the Living." Shugo scratched the back of his head.
Sui-Feng looked flabbergasted, while Yamamoto raised his brow.
"Could you elaborate on that?" He asked.
"Certainly. You see…" Shugo nodded and bean to retell his story prior to his arrival to this place.
He would spend several hours telling them the shortest version he could. Time passed and soon, the day turned from morning to evening. The skies outside were already orange, bordering dark.
And before anybody in the room realized, there were more people in the room than before. This included several nurses and healers, and even Unohana and Isane. They were all floored by his story, the tale of how his world had almost ended once, only to be saved and eventually shattered by the conflict between his own people into fourteen shards. Of how he prevented the world from ending the second time due to the machinations of a group of the fragments of his people.
Isane pondered in amazement, of how such a thing could ever happen. As she recalled the wounds on Shugo's body, she realized that those wounds, or scars, were all proof of his journey. His deeds on helping others and eventually saving the world.
Shugo then closed with this part, "I know not of the future my home would face. But I was reassured by my friends that they no longer need my protection. And I have faith in them." With a somber smile.
He held the crystal on his hand. He looked upon it with glistening eyes, of the people he had lost in his journey…
'Papalymo… Louisoix… Ysayle… Haurchefant… Tsuyu… Hades…' He sighed as a drop of tear streaked down from his face.
It was not to say that he was still sad about Hades and Yotsuyu since he had met them before his departure from his home. It was more of the memory of when he had lost them. Tsuyu dying after he defeated her when she became the primal Tsukuyomi, and Hades perishing due to his unrelenting nature and sheer burden that he held for the past twelve millennium, forcing Shugo to face him down in combat and eventually killing him.
As he wiped away the drop of tear, he looked around proper and saw that the room was filled with more people.
"Okay… I was not expecting this much of an audience, I must say." He chuckled.
It took a second for the others in the room to realize that he was talking about them. Most of the extra audience would disperse, until only Unohana and Isane remained from the extras.
"I see… I suppose you are, in a way, still part of the World of the Living." Yamamoto nodded.
"But therein lies the problem: you are not part of OUR World of the Living. Thus, I believe that it should not matter for your existence here." He elaborated.
Shugo was silent for a moment. While he is indeed still alive and could be counted as part of the World of the Living, the problem is that he is not from their World of the Living.
"But… Would not what laws you have would ask you to… Enforce them?" He asked.
"True, but there was no precedence for cases like yours. Hence, I believe it should be fine to allow you to live amongst us." Unohana stepped up and gave her opinion.
"Ah, Unohana-san! I did not notice you were here as well!" He was a little surprised.
Sui-Feng was surprised for a bit before calming down. Yamamoto on the other hand remained unfazed as if he knew it was her.
"I couldn't help but listen in, despite that I wanted to disperse the crowd that was forming in your room. Pardon me for that." She smiled.
"No, it is fine. But, continuing with your argument here... What do you propose then?" Shugo shook his head and then asked.
"Captain Unohana, if I may…" Yamamoto glanced at her, who then nodded at him as he stepped up.
"Shugo Kurenai, on behalf of the Gotei 13, we would wish to extend an invitation to join amongst our ranks." Yamamoto declared.
Isane looked surprised, while Sui-Feng looked unperturbed, as if she knew that it would come to this. Unohana kept her friendly smile.
Shugo remained silent for a good minute. He was not in any position to refuse, not to mention, he has no idea on what kind the World of the Living is supposed to be and how to even get there. While it was almost an obvious answer, he did have to deliberate on the finer details in his head.
"Very well. Even without hostile coercion, I shall partake in your offer. But could we please discuss the finer details? I believe we need to lay things down first in order to give your bureaucrats an acceptable reasoning and a sound background to accept me into your ranks." Shugo nodded, raising his hands.
"As I said earlier, I am glad you are not an unreasonable one, young man." Yamamoto nodded, giving a slight smile.
Perhaps the Gotei 13 shall gain a potentially powerful being to join them. Then, they began to discuss on how to induct him into the Gotei 13. Given that he still needs to join the Shin'o Academy first, Unohana volunteered to give her recommendation for acceptance into the academy. Yamamoto agreed and even added his own into the mix. Sui-Feng, whether it was by reluctance or for other reasons, also threw in her recommendation.
Thus, an almost-mythical like reputation was in the making of the first academy student that was accepted from the recommendations of three captains, one of them being the Captain-Commander himself.
As to his background, they would explain that he was the sole heir (and survivor) of a mid-level defunct Noble House that was destroyed due to certain circumstances. With the details ironed out, the captains began to move in the background to forward his application to the academy. Time soon passed, and around a month or so after, he was ready for the academy's entrance exam.