It was nearing 3 a.m. when the Captain-Commander's messenger stirred Retsu Unohana from her dreamless slumber. The woman quelled her mild irritation, instead taking a closer look at the boy who delivered a most surprising request. He was incredibly young – that is, given the position and responsibility placed on him. A piece of rough fabric covered most of the boy's face, revealing only his jaw and slightly plump cheeks. At first, his skin seemed ashen, yet after a few moments, Unohana concluded it was not true – it was of unhealthy colour, dark grey.

"Anything more?" Retsu asked, switching to her usual cheerful personality.

"Captain-Commander told us it's urgent," the boy responded, readying to leave.

"Thank you."

Once the words sounded, the messenger disappeared, making little to no sound. The 4th Division Captain glanced at the sheet the grey-skinned boy had brought, disdain imprinted on her face. It only contained vague pieces of information confirming what the messenger said, but sadly, nothing more. She hated secrecy.

With no other valid options, the dark-haired woman quickly changed, putting on her everyday captain's outfit, driven more by habit than anything else. As she reached for her sword, she wondered what had caused this rather unexpected summoning. Moreover, another question lingered: Was she the only one invited to the meeting?

A few minutes was all Unohana needed to get ready. Given the unholy early hour, how well she operated was slightly shocking. After all, she was no longer young. An abstract span of a thousand years was already past her. Still, it would have been a massive overstep for anyone to think she did not deserve her spot in Soul Society's highest echelons of power. Retsu might not have been as fast as she used to be, but in terms of strength, only a few could match her. She knew two other captains could best her, with a few more than could have posed a challenge. Unfortunately, throughout her life, she experienced the defence corp slowly growing weak. However, the recent training sessions she shared with young Byakuya made her realise something. Within the corp, there was much-unused potential. These few units could have been the backbone the future generations would rely on. Yet, they were akin to diamonds, powerful and beautiful but far from their final form. Perhaps it was high time for her and the Captain-Commander to pass the mantel and start forming them into something incredible.

Nonetheless, this internal contemplation brought back the unanswered questions. The first and most likely most intriguing one was: what was happening with Captain Kuchiki? Given that this awakening was only partially concluded, it would be unreasonable not to expect his overall strength to flourish further. Since the day the dark-haired man had replaced his grandfather as the Captain of the 6th Division, he was an enigma for many. The woman halted a chuckle. It was so typical to mislabel him at first glance. His over-complexity was hidden in details that usually required someone willing to observe to notice. As a contradiction, his dutifulness and lawfulness could be spotted immediately. Underneath this mask of coldness and emotionlessness, a young man resided, conflicted and torn apart by his responsibilities. If his change of heart towards his adopted sister indicated anything, a lot had changed inside the nobleman.

Still, Kuchiki was undoubtedly correct - he was a role model for many younger soul reapers—an unfortunate realisation putting ever more weight onto the young man's shoulders. Yet, it would have been foolish of Retsu to believe that what drove Byakuya toward obtaining more power was that. No, there was something else that the raven-haired man would not tell. Of course, Unohana respected his decision, though a seed of curiosity rapidly grew on her.

Before this contemplation could be summarised, the 4th Division Captain had reached her destination. Not in a mood to deal with others, she quickly covered the distance to the usual meeting room. With no intention to drag the already long stroll, she finally utilised her flash step, appearing in the designated area mere moments later. Then, she pondered, why had she not done so earlier, way earlier?

Unfortunately, she was not given time to find the answer, as she noticed the familiar silhouette of the Captain-Commander sitting comfortably on the wooden armchair. Taking the realisation into account, she decided to postpone the search, instead approaching the old man.

"Good morning, Captain-Commander," Retsu greeted her superior.

"Good morning, Captain Unohana," Yamamoto replied, slowly opening his eyes – still sharp and cold.

"May I ask some questions?" the raven-haired woman asked. As the man slowly nodded affirmatively, she quietly exhaled before speaking her mind. "What happened? Have you also requested other captains' presences, Commander?" she asked, allowing her past self to control the intonation.

"Hm," a quiet hum sounded as Yamamoto thought about how to formulate the answer. "Let me start with the latter question. I intend on summoning a few of them later today," he said, slowly standing up. "However, I specifically wanted you to arrive earlier, as there is something I need to ask of you on a personal clearance."

"What would it be, then?"

"A trivial matter, I can assure you about that," the man commented, approaching the fellow captain. "Do tell me, Captain Unohana: am I still the strongest amongst us?"

"Pardon me, Captain-Commander: is this question even necessary?" Unohana replied with a question of her own. "Nonetheless, if you want me to reply to it. Then… yes, you're still a league above us," she said a moment later.

"Did my recent wounds handicapped me?"

"I'd say so," Retsu commented. "Even though you can still wield your sword with one hand, the missing limb reduces your capabilities."

"What would you suggest, then?"

"I heard there's a girl in the mortal world that possesses healing ability far exceeding what I can offer you, Captain-Commander."

"I take you are referring to that young girl who followed Kurosaki Ichigo?" Yamamoto inquired in a rhetorical manner.

"It's a rather rhetorical question," the 4th Division Captain commented. "But, yes. That's the girl I believe can restore your left arm."

"Will you accompany me, Captain Unohana?"

"What about the later meeting? Who's been invited?"

"Captains Kuchiki, Kenpachi, and Hitsugaya. I think it is high time to forge these three into our successors," the Captain-Commander said openly, bluntly even.

"Very well, then."

It had been a while since Byakuya fought Captain Hitsugaya. Given his relatively young age, underestimating his skills was sometimes trivial – it was always foolish. As their wooden swords clashed for the hundredth time, Kuchiki concluded that his fellow captain's prodigy status was well deserved. It was publicly known that Captain Shunsui Kyoraku believed Toshiro would have bested him skill-wise. Perhaps the nobleman missed something, but he disagreed with that statement. Of course, Captain Hitsugaya was a genius, but till the top echelon of the current Defense Corp lived, he doubted the young captain would have surpassed them. As of now, the white-haired boy had little to no chance of winning against him, not to mention the likes of Unohana, Kyoraku, and Yamamoto.

Still, despite the noticeable difference in power between them, their duel was satisfying. This training was incomparable to what he had been going through when he sparred with the 4th Division Captain. No, the blows they exchanged reminded him of a chess game or even shogi, as both of them tried to win by utilising different strategies instead of employing brutal strength. Nevertheless, Kuchiki already knew he would eventually win. However, he was in no hurry, trying to prolong the fight as long as possible, analysing his opponent's way of thinking.

"Can you finally finish that?!" Zaraki's voice thundered. "I want to fight you, Kuchiki! Let's see whether all the praises they gave you have any value!" the 11th Division Captain added, impatient as always.


Author's notes section:


[2023-08-18]: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.

[2023-08-28]: Hey, I have a major update for you.

Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.

Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.

As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)

Changelog:
[2023-08-18]: A preview has been released.
[2023-08-28]: A major update applied focused on enriching the story.

Info: I have included more stories in the schedule as I'm not 100% certain what I want to write next. Please, keep in mind that I might add or remove positions from the list. I might rewrite some of the older stories or extract some of the longer stories from `The story of one lost soul`.

Schedule:
- See the world through my eyes (finish the WIP)
- The broken heart (finish the WIP)
- The story of one lost soul (finish the WIP)
- The shadows can be deceiving (new chapter)
- Hidden in the mountain's shadow (new chapter)
- The war call (new chapter)
- The rise of the Blood Moons' servants (new chapter)
- Black Diamond (new chapter)
- When the clock is ticking (Warhammer 40k new story)
- Sometimes it's just better not to know (new chapter)
- My home is where my heart lies (rewrite chapter 4)
- The heart not so cold (rewrite chapter 2)
- The family tree (revisit the previous chapters and apply adjustments)
- Will you look past my mistakes? (new chapter)
- The silence of the shackles (new chapter)
- The Prisoner of Your Eyes (new chapter)
- Lifetime of war (new chapter)
- Hope is the last one to die (new story in SW universe)
- Sometimes it's just better not to know (finish rewriting the second chapter)
- Life is full of surprises (new chapter)
- Exiled you say? (new chapter)
- Until my last breath (new chapter)
- The family tree (new chapter)

Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even two stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
Maybe some Star Wars?

References:

*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D


End of the author's notes section.