A few years later, Akemi caught an disease that had been going around and sadly passed away. Jūshirō was 15 when it happened and his father had just began to teach him what he would need to know as the family heir.
Two years had passed since Akemi's passing and Jūshirō was now 17 year old.
His father was away for the day, his great-uncle visited a friend and his aunt was running errands so he was in charge of his seven younger siblings.
They were all running around while he sat under a tree with one of his favorite books.
"Big brother"
He looked up when Ayame came running towards him, the twins behind her.
"What's the matter Ayame?"
"Kazuki and Kenta pushed me into the flowers"
"We did not!"
Jūshirō looked at his younger brothers and they took it as a sign to be quiet.
"You two can go back to playing with the others.
-Ayame, why don't you sit down with me for a while."
"Okay"
The twins ran back to the rest of their siblings while Ayame sat down next to Jūshirō who placed his arm around her.
"So what exactly did they do?"
"I was looking at the flowers mommy loved when Kazuki and Kenta came up behind me and scared me so I fell in the dirt"
"I'll talk to them later about not doing that anymore"
"Thank you"
"Anything for my baby sister"
Emi came home a while later and Jūsanrō came a few hours after her.
"Hasn't uncle returned yet?"
"Not yet, said Emi"
"I guess he lost track of time since he hasn't seen his friend in a long time"
"He'll come when he comes brother, don't worry. Uncle is a grown man after all"
"You're right"
Jūsanrō then turned to his oldest.
"So what's happened today?"
"We've been outside for most of the day. I figured they needed to run off some energy, especially the twins
-Speaking of those two..."
"Did something happen?"
"They decided to scare Ayame while she was looking at those flowers mom used to take care of in the garden and it ended up with her in the dirt.
-I talked to them and they promised not to do that again"
"That's good. Well done Jūshirō"
"Thank you father"
They then heard the door open and in came Hiroshi followed by a man with black hair on the sides of his head while the top was bald. He had thick black eyebrows and a long, thick black mustache as well as a scar over his forehead.
He was also dressed like a Soul Reaper.
"Welcome back uncle, said Emi"
"Thank you"
He then turned to the man next to him.
"Shigekuni this is my nephew Jūsanrō and my niece Emi"
"Nice to meet you sir, said Jūsanrō"
The man nodded at the two before looking at Jūshirō.
"And who might this young man be?"
"I'm Jūshirō Ukitake sir"
"He's my oldest son and the family heir, Jūsanrō said"
"I see, said the man"
"Everyone this is my old friend, Shigekuni Yamamoto"
"A pleasure to meet all of you. Hiroshi has told me a lot about his family"
The two then sat down with them.
"So what brings you here Yamamoto-san, Emi asked"
"I invited him, said Hiroshi.
-And mostly to meet Jūshirō"
"Why, the young man asked"
"I may not be a Soul Reaper like your father but I have felt spiritual energy come from your for a few years now and recently, it has gotten stronger"
"Spiritual energy?"
"What your great-uncle is trying to say is that you might very well become a Soul Reaper one day, Jūsanrō explained"
"Me, a Soul Reaper?"
He looked at his father, then his great-uncle and at last at Yamamoto.
"Hiroshi has told me a lot about you and that your life hasn't been the easiets but you have fought and showed how strong you truly are.
-And I too can sense the powers coming from you are strong"
"With all due respect Yamamoto-san but can my son even become a Soul Reaper?"
"If you're thinking about his health then it shouldn't be a problem for him. The stronger his powers becomes, the stronger he become.
-And you are in luck young man"
"How, Jūshirō asked"
"Up until recently, Soul Reapers haven't really recieved proper ways to learn about their powers but I will change that since I've founded an academy that will teach youngsters like you about what it means to be a Soul Reaper.
-You can be one of the first new well trained generation of Soul Reapers"
"But I have my duties to my family..."
"Not to worry. Other heirs will join the academy as well because their parents are still strong enough to hold the positions"
Jūshirō then turned to his father who nodded at him.
"If you want to learn about being a Soul Reaper I won't stop you and I'm more than strong enough to remain as family head for many years"
The young man nodded and turned to Yamamoto.
"This is a lot to take in sir.
-May I have some time to think about it?"
"Of course. Just tell Hiroshi when you've made a decision"
"Thank you sir"
Yamamoto then left and later that night, Jūshirō sat in his room watching the night sky.
"A Soul Reaper... me. I know I've felt stronger the past years but I never thought it was thanks to spirit energy"
The door then opened and he turned to see his father.
"Can't sleep?"
"No. I'm thinking about what Yamamoto-san told us"
"I understand that"
Jūsanrō walked over to his son and sat down.
"It is true what he told you though"
"About what?"
"For some time now, I've suspected that your reiatsu is what has been helping you support your body through your worse attacks"
"I always thought it was the medicine Kirinji made"
"That was mostly when you were younger but since you turned 15, your reiatsu has increased quite a lot and helped you"
He then placed a hand on his son's shoulder.
"You don't have to become a Soul Reaper unless you want to but like Yamamoto said, your are strong due to everything you've been through.
-You've never let your illness stop you from doing what you want and what you think is right. The Seireitei needs someone like that"
Jūshirō looked at his father and nodded after a while.
"I think... I want to try to become a Soul Reaper"
"Then I will support your decision"
"Thank you father"
So the next day, they told Hiroshi about their little talk and he in turn told Yamamoto that his great-nephew was happy to study at his school.
Author note.
So next chapter Jūshirō will start to attend the academy which means a certain someone will make an appearance.