Chapter 80: 1,000 Yr. BWArc: Revelations Abound
Minata's POV
"I know we're currently in the calm before the proverbial shit storm right now, but after the last onslaught, I never expected another funeral so soon . . . Let alone for it to be Captain Unohana's."
"Well, I can't begrudge you there Akira," I admit as we approach the Fourth's barracks, joining the steady stream of shinigami that managed to find the time to attend the latest event to rock the Seireitei to its foundations.
It was something that completely came out of left field when it was first announced throughout the Soul Society, but to those that were aware prior to it, it was expected, even if not everyone approved of it.
I was one of the few that knew the truth, and to this day, I still have some reservations, but in the end, I did understand why it happened. . .
. . . And it all boils down to training, and tradition.
T ~ P ~ O ~ S ~ L
"Why do I feel that Nanao and I being co-lieutenants and my possible promotion to captain were not the only things you wanted to talk to us about Captain Commander?"
Nanao and I being co-lieutenants and my future as a captain were, well, fun to discuss, but as the conversation continued along, I couldn't help but notice how Kyoraku slowly became tense, holding his body in a way that showed that he wasn't as comfortable as once thought.
His face followed suit as soon as spoke, becoming more serious until he looked so stoic that he honestly wouldn't be out of place among Byakuya's elders. . .
. . . I would have said my own, but no one can do a stoic mask like a Kuchiki elder can.
"Am I really that obvious?" He asks, sounding amused as he leaned back in his chair.
"You're one of the more laidback captains, so when your body language turns serious, yes, it does catch one's attention," I admit, shrugging slightly as Nanao adjusted her glasses.
"You don't get serious without a good reason Captain," She adds, her eyes narrowing slightly. ". . . What troubles you now?"
"Oh Nanao-chan, a great many things trouble me, but that comes with the territory of being the Captain Commander," he says, weaving his fingers together. "I know I will have to make some decisions that . . . not everyone will be happy with, but they are decisions that must be made."
"And what kind of decisions do you have in mind?" I ask, bracing myself for what he would have to say. . . Knowing Kyoraku, it could honestly be anything.
"I plan to run my plans by the Central 46 later when I meet with them, but I wanted to run them by you two before I left," He explains before leaning forward. "My first decision is to have Captain Zaraki undergo some new training."
"New training?" I ask, a little surprised. "Well, he'll definitely have motivation to agree to it, considering how quickly he seemed to have been bested during all the fighting."
"True, but hasn't this been tried before?" Nanao asks. "Captain Commander Yamamoto tried to train Captain Zaraki in zanjutsu once . . ."
"Only for the Central 46 to order him to cease the lessons after just one day," Kyoraku cuts in, looking mildly annoyed for once. "They never released an official reason for their order, but the general consensus among those in the know is that they didn't want Zaraki to grow too strong."
"Too strong?"
"The Central 46 have trust issues with those they consider . . . wildcards, and Captain Zaraki is probably one of the biggest ones we have Nanao," I explain. "Basically, if the person doesn't completely fall in line with what's already been established, they see him or her as a potential threat in the future."
"So, they stopped the lessons because they don't want to deal with the possible fallout of a stronger Zaraki rebelling against the Soul Society?" She asks, Kyoraku's nod being all the answer she needed. "I see. . . Though I can understand why the Central 46 would come to such a conclusion, in hindsight, it makes you wonder how differently things would be if Zaraki was allowed to be taught."
"Well, you won't have to wonder for long," Kyoraku admits, smirking slightly. "We need every advantage that we can get against the Quincies. Zaraki's untapped potential is one of them, and I won't let a bunch of old goats that have never seen a battlefield stand in our way just because they fear a potential challenge to whatever notions of power they believe in. . . . We're working on limited time, so we can't humor them in any case."
"That's fair, but who exactly do you have in mind to train him?" I ask, my right eyebrow going up slightly. "Whoever gets the job is going to have to be someone that could command Zaraki's respect."
"Then it's a good thing that we do have someone like that among our ranks," He admits. "I've already made Captain Unohana aware of the task, and she has agreed."
"CAPTAIN UNOHANA?!" Nanao exclaims as my eyes go wide at the admission. Kyoraku looks visibly surprised by the outburst, and after seeing this, she quickly takes a deep breath before continuing. "I do not mean to disrespect your choice on the matter Captain, but why Captain Unohana?"
"Don't worry. I'm not offended by your response, and once word gets out, you won't be the last to question my decision on this topic . . . Now that I think about it. You are not aware of Unohana's past, are you?"
"Almost nobody is," I say, shaking my head. "Out of all the current captains, Captain Unohana's background remains the most . . . mysterious."
"Because Captain Commander Yamamoto ordered for it to be kept a secret, only to be known by certain individuals at Unohana's discretion." He tells us. "The story itself seems almost hard to believe if I'm being honest . . . It's not every day that you hear that the best healer in the land has a prior life of being one of the most bloodthirsty warriors in our history."
"A bloodthirsty warrior?" Nanao questions, looking her uncle straight in the eye. "Are you serious Captain?"
"I know I tend to kid around and act childish at times, but I can't afford to be like that right now, not when so many hangs in the balance," he says, his tone almost reprimanding as he glanced over at me. "And yes, it does seem a bit odd to think that cool, caring Unohana could have had a past that had . . . so much red, and it does not involve healing. Just the opposite in fact."
"Well, it does make certain things about her make a lot more sense," I say, bringing a hand to my chin. "The way she could silence people with just a look, the 'smile' . . . It seems she's always hinted at her past without having to say anything about it."
"That has always been her thing . . . To her, action speaks louder than words is an especially apt way to describe her," Kyoraku concedes, glancing back over to Nanao. "Is something wrong Nanao?"
"Captain, how bloodthirsty was Unohana?"
"Enough to be known as the First Kenpachi."
Having not expected to hear Captain Unohana's own voice, my head immediately swivels to find the woman standing right by the door, having snuck in without any of us noticing. I should have sensed her as soon as she walked within my range, but I couldn't sense anything from her, as if she were some walking, empty void . . . It just made her more unsettling, especially now that she was watching us with an expression that was far from the content face she usually wore.
"You always did know how to make an entrance Retsu," I heard Kyoraku say as I watched the woman slowly approach . . . Even the way she walked seemed different now. ". . . Or will you be going by your actual name again?"
"Actual name?" Nanao asks, and I turn my head to see that there was actual fear showing in my friend's eyes, though she was trying hard not to show it.
Can't blame her though . . . The aura that Unohana was now giving off was bone-chilling. "Captain, your name isn't Retsu Unohana?"
"You are only half right Nanao," she says, her smile returning, thankfully more comforting than creepy. "Unohana has always been my last name, but Retsu is the name I gave myself when I decided to . . . turn over a new leaf, so to speak. Truthfully, my birth name is and always will be Yachiru, though I haven't been addressed by it for centuries now."
"Yachiru?" I ask. "You share a name with Lieutenant Kusajishi?"
"More like Kenpachi named her after me out of short-sighted admiration," She admitted. "Even after I almost killed him once before, he still dared to remember me in that way."
"So, Captain Zaraki is aware of your past as well then," Nanao concludes, not needing the older woman's confirmation. "And he's never challenged you for a rematch in the time that you two have been members of the Gotei 13?"
"Oh, he has tried, especially during the first month of his captaincy, but I would always brush off his advances," She admits, looking forward to Kyoraku. "But the man back then was still the same boy I first encountered. . . I will admit it. He gave me quite the fight when we first faced each other, but when we met again, with the way he was and is now, I realized that he would certainly die if we fought again . . . I didn't think such fighting potential should be ended so soon."
Captain Unohana has always been a confident woman, but to hear her say that she could, well, would have wasted Captain Zaraki if they fought again, it was stunning. Each sentence she spoke revealed another layer of the true woman that hid underneath. . . Retsu Unohana may have been the woman that the rest of the community has grown to know, but Yachiru Unohana was the real being underneath the long-established facade.
". . . And now you've been assigned to bring such fighting potential up to the surface," I say as I bring a hand to my chin. "I'm sure Zaraki will be absolutely ecstatic to hear this."
"Ecstatic? Possibly. . ." Unohana comments as she turns to me. "But if he plans to survive my training, he will have to come at me for the kill . . . I will not accept anything less."
"You never did," Kyoraku adds. "Have you made your preparations?"
"Already done," she says, her face looking content. "I know Isane won't be happy, but I've prepared her well enough to lead the Fourth in my absence. . . And if I truly don't return, she'll serve as an able captain when she's ready."
"Why are you speaking like you're not coming back Captain?" Nanao asks, looking concerned. "Captain Zaraki can be . . . excessive and reckless, but even he knows your importance to the war effort. You're supposed to be training him, yes, but with your combined fighting experience, it shouldn't lead to one of your deaths."
"You are mistaken Nanao," Unohana is quick to say as she turns to her. "It's because of our combined fighting experience that one of us will die."
"Wait, what do you mean?"
"The Eleventh's ironclad rule," I say, making the realization. "There's a reason why the deadliest method to becoming captain is the one that the Eleventh utilizes exclusively. When you're a Kenpachi, you're supposed to be the strongest fighter. You kill your predecessor in front of the entire division to prove it . . . But with Unohana still being alive, it goes against the rule, and since it's ironclad for a reason, the situation must be rectified."
"Indeed, it must. . . You were always quick to notice these things Minata," she tells me. "As for the Eleventh's rules, I established them for a reason. It would be hypocritical for me to go against them now."
"But, but . . . This training shouldn't result in one of your deaths!" Nanao repeats, shaking her head. "You and Zaraki are both needed for the battles to come . . . To lose one of you just to abide by division tradition, especially at a time like this is-"
"Madness, completely unacceptable, absolutely crazy for someone with the intellect and experience that I possess?" She asks, more amused than offended. "I understand the concerns, but I am not backing down on my decision. . . I will train Zaraki, and at the end of it, one of us will remain alive, and the other will not."
"I've already made peace with my decision, and I know that my subordinates will be able to hold their own if I am indeed the one to fall. . . Personally, I believe that Zaraki will be more crucial to the fight than I will be. I may have more experience, but the man is stronger than me, plain and simple, and I plan to bring that strength back to the surface."
"There really is no talking you out of this is there?" I ask, already knowing the answer to the question.
"Do you really want me to answer a question you already know the answer to Mina?" She asks in return, her face content.
"Hmm, I think we all know the answer at this rate," Kyoraku mused as he got up from his seat. "The decision is made you two, and there's no changing it. Now then, there's one more decision that I plan to make . . . and this one may prove to be more controversial than letting Unohana train Zaraki."
"And what's more controversial than having two of your remaining captains engaging in high stakes training where one is pretty much guaranteed to die?" I ask, my eyes narrowing slightly, more out of curiosity than concern.
Nanao's glare was definitely more out of concern.
"Ladies, what are your opinions on the Gotei 13 . . . working with our enemy?"
T ~ P ~ O ~ S ~ L
Kyoraku's second idea opened more cans of worms than the first one ever could, but I didn't want to reflect on it now, not when more imminent matters were supposed to hold my attention.
My worry can come another day, not now, not when we are going to mourn another loss of life.
Byakuya's POV
I did not know what to feel when I opened my eyes to find my zanpakuto spirit staring right back at me.
I felt relieved to know that Senbonzakura could still appear in our Inner World, but also ashamed of what had already occurred.
We, no, I lost our bankai in battle. It's because of me that we were in this situation in the first place. If I had just been smarter, more strategic, when I faced that fear inducing Quincy, our bankai would still be in possession, and maybe we wouldn't be so close to Death's door either.
The last time we had faced each other, we were talking about what lay ahead of us as we were overseeing the division training drills. Now, it was like I was looking at an unfinished version of him.
He was wearing his kimono, but his gauntlets, greaves, and pauldrons were nowhere to be seen on his person. His mask was missing too, replaced with a simple white cloth that obscured the lower half of his face, and his hair remained loose around his shoulders as he sat in seiza facing me.
The rest of our Inner World appeared as unfinished as he did. Everything seemed only half grown out, from the grass to the surrounding sakura trees, with the sky itself being shrouded with thick gray clouds that prevented any sunlight from breaking through.
It reminded me of when I first entered my Inner World for bankai training, though the outside circumstances were much better than they were now.
"Senbonzakura," I finally said, taking a deep breath as I gathered my thoughts. "How are you feeling?"
"I. . ." He says, his voice so thin that I could barely hear him speak. "I do not know what to feel."
"I do not blame you for feeling like this," I say. "Some will say that we should not have survived our last battle."
"And yet here we are . . . Alive, but not entirely whole."
"You're not wrong to say that," he tells me, his tone stronger though his eyes looked hollow. "When our bankai was stolen, it felt like I was being torn in half. . . There was no warning to it all. We went into it thinking that the Quincies could only seal bankai, and we were sorely mistaken."
"If there is anyone to blame, it is me," I concede, lowering my head. "I tempted fate by baiting the enemy to see what exactly they used to contain our ultimate weapon . . . But I assumed wrong, and I paid for it."
"You wanted to see what exactly the seals were like. . ."
"But I should have thought of a wiser way to go about it!" I counter, my fingers slowly tightening into fists. "I was too quick to resort to it. Our shikai and bankai look similar enough . . . I could have tricked the enemy into thinking that I had activated bankai while using our shikai!"
"But something tells me that such a trick wouldn't have worked," He counters in return. ". . . Besides, you're not really known for being a deceptive fighter. That's always been more of Mina's thing."
"That is true, but the Quincies don't know that. . ."
"Are you sure about that?" He asks, and that's when I start to see a little more life in his blue eyes. "I think the Quincies have done more than enough to prove that they're not the same group that fought against the shinigami a millennium ago. . . With this latest version, anything could be possible."
". . . Fair point," I concede, knowing I had no argument for that one. "Senbonzakura, am I . . . predictable in a fight?"
"Hmm, I believe you already know the answer to that question," he says, his words confirming my earlier thoughts. "I do not have a problem with how you use me in a fight, well, besides the fact that you've been a bit too quick to resort to our bankai in recent battles."
"I guess I have been too quick to jump to the last resort in our arsenal."
"Regardless of that, your fighting technique is . . . dependable, but sometimes I do wish you would try something different, and not just the same techniques."
"And how long have you felt like this?"
"A lot longer than you probably expected," he tells me as he plucks a blade of grass from the ground.
"That long?"
"I don't blame you for being surprised. . . I'm a spirit that chose to model myself after the samurai. Samurais have long been known for following their own peculiar system of structure and order, not vastly different from the life a nobleman like yourself lives," He explains as he continues to fiddle with the blade of grass. "It gives us structure and stability, but it doesn't leave that much room for creativity, now does it?"
"No, it doesn't," I say, seeing his point. "I never questioned how I was brought up because it was simply the way things were in my clan."
"It's the way things are for those in line to lead the clan," He corrects me, his eyes turning stern. "Not everyone in your family was brought up under the same pressure and scrutiny that you were, aside from your grandfather and whoever could possibly come after you if you don't end up having children of your own, of course."
"That's putting it bluntly, but you're not wrong," I say, realizing his point. After all, there is a difference between being raised as a nobleman and being raised as a nobleman to lead your clan. ". . . Sometimes I wonder how things could have been different if I had just . . . spoken up and added my own input. Instead, I just accepted everything that was given to me."
"You weren't really raised to question things. Being curious has never been your clan's forte, which does make the Kuchiki Clan the perfect choice for compiling and protecting the Soul Society's history, now that I think about it," Senbonzakura chides me as he continues to fiddle with the blade of glass. "After all, who better to compile the histories than the one family that seems unwilling to question it?"
"I'm not here to talk about my family's responsibility to the Soul Society at large Senbonzakura," I say, getting impatient. "I'm here to improve, to figure out what we can do to better our odds in the fights to come, but I can't do it alone."
"And I have no plans on letting you do it alone," he says, snapping the blade of glass in two. "You're not the only one with their fair share of regrets . . . I may be a part of you, but I still have enough autonomy that I could have done something that could have aided us in battle. I want to rectify that, but we'll have to work together to do it."
"We're both mature enough to admit our faults, and we both know what we must do now so that we don't repeat them."
"Then we don't need to say anything else," he says, rising back to his feet. "We both have plans for the future, but those plans can't be reached if we can't get our bankai back and defeat the Quincies. . . How we get our bankai back is something that the scientists will have to figure out, but for now, we need to reevaluate how we conduct ourselves in battle, and that starts with our shikai."
I watch as he summons his blade form to his outstretched grip, moving it so quickly that it was pointed at my nose before I could even react.
"It's time for us to fight Byakuya Kuchiki," he says, his tone turning malicious. "Let's see how well you can think on the fly this time around!"
A/N: Please review!
