Isshiki Wakaba.
In other words, Futaba's mother.
Of all the people Makoto had thought that she might run into that she knew, Isshiki was very much not on that list.
In fact, she hadn't even considered that possibility until the woman was standing right in front of her. Did Akechi know about Isshiki being part of the Twelfth? Makoto didn't know how common it was for divisions to share information, especially between two divisions specialising in vastly different areas.
Aigis raised an eyebrow at Makoto, and she was immensely thankful for the general darkness in the room so that her facial expression was hidden from the other students and shinigami. She shook her head.
Later.
It was inconvenient to talk about what Makoto knew of the woman here, in front of everyone else.
Aigis turned her attention back to Isshiki, her face carefully schooled to a neutral look.
"You promised me that I would have time to fulfil my own curiosities on the inner workings of zanpakutou, Captain!" The woman in question was currently pouting at Akon, her brows furrowed in dissatisfaction.
"Not at the expense of your actual work, dammit!" Akon ran a hand through his dark hair, then sighed again. "All I'm saying really is to take care of your health. If you're too tired to work in the day then you're too tired, period. Get some proper rest before I force you to the Fourth!"
"'The inner workings of zanpakutou'?" Aigis tilted her head. "I thought that it is a representation — a persona of sorts — of our inner self."
Isshiki blinked, and then her face broke out into a wide grin, all traces of her earlier exhaustion gone. "Oh, are you interested in the topic?" She took two steps to Aigis and excitedly held her hands in her own before Aigis could dodge. "Yes, it's a representation of our inner self, but why should we be restrained by the zanpakutou itself? Why is the zanpakutou spirit hardly manifested even with bankai users who clearly have the reiatsu to pull it off? Can you imagine having a trusted part of yourself also helping with combat, or just having an extra pair of hands for work? Just imagine the possibilities if this becomes common practice! We could potentially double the efficiency of the entire Gotei without overworking anyone or even recruiting new shinigami!"
"Alright, that's enough of that." Akon pulled on Isshiki's lab coat collar, dragging her away from a mystified Aigis. "Sorry if she scared you, she can be pretty…intense about her areas of interest."
Like Futaba, Makoto thought.
Now she saw where Futaba's own eccentricities came from. Isshiki spoke with a fervour few could match, rambling on about her interests much like how Futaba would ramble on about computers or Featherman. Unlike Futaba, who never could quite get over her shyness around unfamiliar people her entire life, Isshiki seemed comfortable – even eager – with new people, even when her captain was carrying her coat like she was a wet cat.
Makoto idly wondered how much of her life Isshiki remembered. Considering her position though, it was probably for the best that she was stationed at the Twelfth. There was a lower likelihood of running into Akechi here, after all.
Aigis shook her head. "That's quite alright, Captain Akon," she said. "On the other hand, I believe her theory has some merit."
"It could help more people receive bankai." Makoto added before her inner turmoil became evident. "Since manifesting your zanpakutou spirit is part of the process, and I believe that very few people know how to do so."
Isshiki nodded vigorously, her lab coat still being held up by Akon. "You get it! It can make the entire Gotei stronger! It could possibly be legendary!"
"Don't encourage it, please." Akon massaged his forehead with his fingertips, avoiding the small horns. "But that is more or less her specialty. Since our previous captain's…departure, she's taken over the research of how shinigami interact with their zanpakutou, and is now the resident expert for zanpakutou-specific research and problems. She'd blab about the topic for hours on end, so I'll spare you that." He finally dropped Isshiki back on her office chair, while she gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.
"The officers here monitor Seireitei in shifts." Akon continued. "All we ask of you here is to respect the confidentiality of whoever happens to be on camera, unless it can turn into a threat." He turned to the door and motioned for the group to follow. "Now, let's see the other facilities, shall we?"
"Come visit me whenever you want!" Isshiki yelled after them. "I'm happy to help you with any zanpakutou-related problems you have!"
"More like she's looking for new test subjects…" Makoto heard the soft muttering that Akon grumbled out.
"You looked like you saw a ghost, Makoto-san." Aigis commented as they strayed to the back of the group, out of earshot of the rest of the students. "Without the usual jumpiness."
The rest of the Twelfth Division was unremarkable, save for the increased presence of electronic equipment compared to even the Seventh Division. However, Makoto still spotted similar equipment between the two divisions, such as the thin tablets that many officers carried. Apparently, their systems were built on the same base according to Akon, which would explain their similarities.
"Please don't comment on that." Makoto sighed. She surreptitiously glanced around, making sure that nobody was paying attention to them, then lowered her voice and put a hand near her mouth. "But that Third Seat…she's Futaba's mother."
Aigis blinked once, then narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice to match Makoto's. "I remember something about Akechi-san killing Futaba-san's mother," she murmured. "Are you sure that is indeed her?"
"Positive." Makoto confirmed. "The name is the same, she was researching something similar to what she's researching now back when she was alive, and the face matches, albeit a little older than I remembered."
Assuming her memory was reliable, that is. But Futaba's Palace was one of the more memorable ones of her Phantom Thief career, considering how…different it was, compared to those that came before and after. She tried to shake the memory of the Wakaba-headed Sphinx cognition out of the way.
"Do you think she remembers?" Aigis followed.
Makoto desperately wanted to stop and carefully ponder the problem, but she forced herself to keep up with the tour group.
The distance between her and the rest became wider.
"I…don't know."
And was that not the most awful part of the problem?
There was no feasible way for Makoto to ask Wakaba without sounding insane. She'd heard that it was exceedingly rare for shinigami to remember their lives when they were still alive, and it was an unspoken rule to never ask about anyone's life in Seireitei before they arrived in Soul Society. Makoto may not care about rules in general when it comes to doing the right thing, but even she was leery about breaking an unspoken rule to satisfy her own curiosity, nevermind the fact that Wakaba might not believe her if Makoto said she was friends with Futaba.
Would Wakaba even remember her own daughter? Would she remember how she died?
A gentle tug on her sleeve snapped Makoto out of her thoughts.
Aigis dragged her forward to catch up with the rest of the group.
"I do not believe I can completely empathise," she whispered, her voice barely carrying over the wind, "but I understand your position. Perhaps now is simply not the right time to find out."
Time…
Yes, they had time.
With the long life that a shinigami had, there was no need to rush to a conclusion. It might not have been Aigis's intention, but it brought Makoto some relief anyway.
"Yeah," she agreed. "Thanks."
The mystery would be solved another day.
"The Thirteenth Division is a general division, but they used to be charged with the general surveillance of the Living World, such as its patrols." Matsumoto said, her steps light in the freezing weather. "Nowadays that's been mostly taken over by the Seventh, but they still do support work and coordination for patrols whenever needed."
This was the other division that Ebina had asked Aigis to look out for him. It was led by another noble from the Five Great Houses, but besides that she had to wonder why he was interested in this division instead of, for example, the Sixth. It looked unassuming on the outside, with the same whitewashed walls and large gate that marked the boundaries of its barracks. A middle-aged, stout man stood outside, seemingly unbothered by the weather.
"Finally got the brats here huh, Matsumoto?!" The man yelled, his husky voice echoing across the street. Some students put their hands against their ears, while others such as Makoto winced instead. The man himself seemed entirely unbothered, with his wooden lieutenant plate fixed on his arm. Oddly enough, Aigis was sure this was one of the oldest lieutenants that she had seen so far, being clearly in his late forties to early fifties, if she had to estimate an equivalent in human age. Then again, it was entirely possible that he only looked older than he actually was.
Shinigami ages were strange like that.
"That voice alone can kill a Hollow…" Makoto groaned.
Aigis attempted to massage her ears, pushing her hairband slightly out of the way as she did so. "Maybe a standard Hollow," she agreed. "It would at least do enough damage to unbalance them."
The ringing subsided, just a little bit. As she put her hands back down, she studied Makoto's face.
It was obvious she was still distracted from the trip to the Twelfth. Her eyes were unfocused on anything in particular, and she barely seemed to be paying attention to the lieutenant of the Thirteenth – the very loud man at the entrance named Kotsubaki Sentarou. What was supposed to be the one division that Aigis had negative interest in turned out to be unexpectedly important for Makoto, and as a friend, Aigis felt that she needed to be at least present to support Makoto however she needed.
"As they say, the best way to warm up is to move! So let's move into the barracks!" Kotsubaki roared, shocking both Aigis and Makoto out of their own thoughts. Aigis did her best to pay attention as she shuffled after the group.
The division turned out to be neatly sectioned, with tidy corridors, friendly officers, and a surprisingly mature garden. The flowers and bushes were carefully arranged around an artificial pond, with a bridge that linked to a covered terrace in the middle of it. Despite the small size, it seemed to be well equipped with a desk and plenty of cushions. It was certainly an odd choice of decoration.
"Curious about that terrace?" Kotsubaki asked. It took a moment for Aigis to realise that he had caught her staring at the structure.
"It seems to be an unusual choice of decoration," she replied. "I do not believe I saw anything similar at the other division barracks."
"That's 'cause it was built for our previous captain." Kotsubaki replied, and his volume seemed to lower just a notch as he stared longingly at the terrace. "He had a chronic lung issue, you see, and the air here helped whenever he had his bouts. We kept it out of respect for him – he was very well regarded and was one of the longest-serving captains when he passed."
Aigis wondered what he saw as he looked at it. "My condolences, sir."
"Haha, no need for you to worry your little head over our past, miss!" Kotsubaki returned to his previous exuberance as he puffed out his chest. "It's all over now, and Captain Kuchiki runs the place well, so there's nothing to worry about!"
"Did you call?"
"Gah!"
The entire tour group jumped as they turned to one of the garden's entrances. Then they had to look down.
A diminutive woman greeted them with a friendly smile on her face, her hands relaxed at her side. Aigis was quite sure the woman was the shortest captain she had seen throughout her tours – even shorter than the already diminutive Soifon, who was the next shortest captain she met. She wore a standard captain haori over her shihakusho, except the sleeves were so long Aigis could barely see her fingertips. Her black hair parted in the middle, framing her round face nicely as the bangs sat on her shoulders, while the rest of her long hair was tied into a side ponytail. Despite appearing almost out of nowhere, she did not radiate suspicion and unease like the captain of the Fifth when he suddenly appeared with the tour group. Instead, it seemed to be a good-natured prank, her dark eyes twinkling with amusement as she studied the students. "I think I heard something about the Ugendo," she continued, her deep voice a sharp contrast to her almost childlike height.
"One of the students was interested in it." Kotsubaki said, and he smacked Aigis's back, almost making her stumble.
Kuchiki's eyes turned to Aigis.
Unlike the older Kuchiki's narrowed, strict eyes, the younger sister had a much softer gaze. There was a gentle glimmer of interest, almost like that of a mother studying her child.
Aigis wondered how Ebina would react if she reported that observation to him.
"That blonde hair…are you perhaps Aigis?" Kuchiki asked.
"Yes, I am." Aigis nodded. "Did Ebina-san tell you about me?"
"Not directly," Kuchiki replied, her mouth quirked into a small smile. "But Nii-sama told me about your efforts to tutor our nephew. If he hasn't told you already, we are thankful for your help."
It seemed that the younger Kuchiki was much less interested in keeping a high and mighty image, unlike her brother. Perhaps it had something to do with her being adopted rather than born into the Kuchiki clan, but it would be an ideal environment for Ebina to develop in.
"He did tell me that when I visited the division yesterday." Aigis confirmed as she tried to keep her face straight, even though she felt that the gratefulness was overshadowed by how condescending his words were. If Lieutenant Kano was not there to…'translate' what the captain of the Sixth had said, it was entirely possible that she might have missed the thanks.
The younger Kuchiki chuckled. "No need to act humble. Judging by your reaction, he probably picked a poor choice of words to thank you with, but try to not let it get to you – Nii-sama just has a difficult time trying to express himself properly."
Kano described the head of the Kuchiki house with an almost identical set of words, which meant that yes, Kuchiki Byakuya was probably just that inept at communication, though it seemingly did not prevent those close to him from understanding him perfectly either.
"Oh, I believe I forgot to introduce myself." The captain cleared her throat, then folded her hands behind her back. "My name is Kuchiki Rukia. I'm the current captain of the Thirteenth Division. There should still be a large part of the barracks you haven't visited yet, correct?"
She joined in on their tour from that point onwards, as she pointed out the various facilities that the division had, including an impressive infirmary. When asked, she said it was originally built to help the previous captain manage his illness, but she saw no reason to scrap such a useful facility.
"I do understand the pressure the Fourth is under most of the time, because Kiyone-san comes around every now and then to complain," Kuchiki commented. "I like to think of this as lightening their load a little. We can usually take care of minor injuries here just fine."
Considering how busy the Fourth was when she visited it, Aigis conceded that it was a good idea.
"Almost makes me miss the arguments I used to have with her." Kotsubaki reminiscenced.
"Are you good friends with Lieutenant Kotetsu?" Makoto asked curiously.
"She was the former Third Seat here along with me." Kotsubaki explained. "She was in charge of our previous captain's health. She might've been a pain in the butt, but really, her talents in healing were wasted here."
Somehow, it was easy to imagine Kotsubaki and Kotetsu arguing, maybe similar to how Yosuke and Chie interacted with each other back when they were alive.
Kuchiki seemed to be in good standing with the rest of the division, as she greeted the officers by name during the tour, and the officers were respectful in return. There was no doubt that Ebina would be able to receive favourable attention if he chose to join this division – not only was he related to the captain, her gentle demeanour meant that he was unlikely to face severe hardships if the overall situation across the realms continued to be peaceful.
But whether being coddled would be the best path forward for him was, ultimately, up to him to decide.
"Have you made your decision yet?" Makoto asked.
Back at Shin'ou Academy, the canteen was serving tonjiru as a winter special. Most students had a bowl of the soup on their trays, which resulted in steam wafting through the slight chill in the air. Aigis took a sip from her own bowl, enjoying the warmth that spread throughout her body. "I did receive a few invitations, but I have not decided yet," she replied, as her chopsticks went for a bite of rice.
Makoto blew gently on her bowl of soup. "Invitations? From whom?"
"I do believe the First extended an invitation to both of us back then." Aigis pointed out, gesturing with her chopsticks. "Then there's the still valid invitations from the Second and Eleventh. And Captain Hirako sent me another through Hinamori-sensei."
Or at least, those were the ones that she remembered receiving. She was not entirely sure of Makoto's current status.
"I thought Lieutenant Ise was just suggesting that we could join the First and it wasn't an actual invitation." Makoto responded. She took a mouthful of her beef bowl before she continued. "Also, I thought you didn't like Captain Hirako. Or the Second or Eleventh Divisions."
Aigis shrugged. "I respect Captain Hirako as a capable captain," she said as she sipped her soup, "but I do not think I can stand working under him. And yes, I am not a fan, as they say, of either the Second or Eleventh." Hirako's tendency to subtly intimidate new recruits might work for novice shinigami, but Aigis was anything but a novice when it came to working in a military organisation. Yes, she joined Seireitei with the goal of changing its government, but it did not mean that she was going to willingly add more obstacles to her goal, and he seemed like a boulder in her path. Captain Soifon did not seem like the easiest person to work with either, and Aigis was, at the end of the day, not fond of the kind of work the Second took on. And the Eleventh was simply too rowdy for her tastes.
She did not need to deal with more workplace politics in her life, alive or dead.
For a minute, they ate their dinner in silence.
"Are you still considering the Seventh then?" Makoto finally asked.
"It is a possibility." Aigis said, still fixated on the various small dishes she picked up for the meal. "But I would not be opposed to going to the First. I think the Thirteenth may be a good choice for me too."
"I think the First will suit someone of your calibre." Makoto agreed. "But why the Thirteenth?"
Aigis thumbed the cup of hot tea that was served with her meal. Kuchiki Rukia was, by virtue of belonging to one of the Five Great Noble Houses, an influential person in Soul Society. Coupled with her relatively easy going personality and her marriage to Captain Abarai, it meant that if there were any unconventional changes to Soul Society that Aigis wanted to implement, the process would be greatly smoothed if she could convince the captain of the advantages of her ideas, because she could borrow Kuchiki's influence to convince many of the other captains and possibly a few members of the Central 46 too.
Except all of that was dependent on Kuchiki's actual personality being consistent with how she presented herself. Aigis was sure that some of what she witnessed today was genuine, but there was no telling how different she could actually be when it came to working with her on a daily basis.
"If…I were to push for change in Seireitei and Soul Society…I think the Thirteenth might be better in terms of influence." She finally pushed the words out. "But it is also a gamble, because much of that depends on if, or how much Captain Kuchiki is willing to listen to me."
Makoto looked down on her own half-eaten bowl. "I should consider that when I pick my division too," she sighed.
"You received a few invitations too, did you not?" Aigis prompted. "Have you considered any of them?"
The brunette counted off her fingers on her left hand as she took another bite of her food. "There's those two invitations from the Third and Eighth when I went on missions with them," she recalled. "They're not bad, from what I remember, but they don't stand out to me."
"So still considering the Sixth or Ninth?"
"Possibly."
Aigis sighed as well. "So in the end, neither of us have decided yet, correct?"
"We still have a month to consider before we have to hand in our choices." Makoto pointed out as she finished the last of her beef bowl. "I don't think we need to rush, but perhaps an outside perspective will be useful."
"So is that why you're asking me?" Onabara rumbled.
Career consultations were apparently not standard practice in the Academy, but her zanjutsu instructor did not seem to mind the question itself. As usual, the conversation was held in his office.
"You are the most neutral and knowledgeable person I know of in this school, Onabara-sensei." Aigis replied. "I suppose I am looking for additional opinions on my possible choices."
He sighed. "I suppose I should expect something similar from Niijima soon then…" He put down his paperwork in favour of directly looking at Aigis. "Go on, ask away. I will offer what insight I have."
Ten minutes of explanations later, Onabara's expression started to look somewhat similar to Aigis. "I'll admit, you are at least looking at each choice rationally," he mused. "But personally, if you're this undecided I would suggest staying away from specialised divisions."
Aigis blinked. "May I ask why, sir?"
"Because specialised skills are very difficult to transfer across divisions," he answered. "There is no shame in trying out many different divisions until you find the one you like, but I would suggest you start with a general one. There are exceptions like the Seventh, as the skills they value have a fairly wide application, but it would be difficult for you to use your assassination skills in any division other than the Second, for example. Unless you're a savant like Urahara Kisuke – and no, as talented as you are, you are not a savant – it would stunt your growth if you were to restrict yourself too early. This is not just a job, Aigis. This is your career. Beyond just your current preferences, it would be wise for you to think about your future and how you want to grow."
She almost forgot that she needed to think about her future too. There was no way she could stand being an unseated officer in any division for long, considering her long-term plans. So…
"Thank you for your counsel, sensei." Aigis stood up and bowed. "You have given me much to think about."
A week before the deadline for handing in division preferences, Aigis paused over the piece of paper on her desk.
There were three choices she could pick, ranked from first to third. Still, with her grades it would be fairly easy to join whichever division she wanted, which meant that her first choice was the most important one here.
Faint moonlight shone into her dimly lit room. Her brush soaked in the ink in her inkwell.
An hour later, she wrote down her choice.
Despite her worries and last minute cramming, final exams turned out to be almost too easy. The only area where Aigis had any amount of trouble was with the zanjutsu practical exam, and even then she managed to eke out a passing mark. Matsumoto apparently gave up on Makoto and Aigis taking the hakuda exam normally, and instead asked them to demonstrate their skills in front of a few visiting captains in the form of a duel.
"Think of it as a way to let out some stress from exams, 'kay?" She winked at the students. "I'll give you both full marks no matter what happens, as long as you give a good show." Their lazy teacher was even kind enough to schedule it as the last subject in their exam schedule.
With a renewed lightness in their souls, they topped the exam ranks, and a month later, they officially graduated from Shin'ou Academy.
"I suppose we won't see each other as often from now on." Makoto said wistfully as she looked back at the gates of the school.
"Perhaps not," Aigis agreed, following Makoto's gaze. "But regardless of what happens, we will still be able to see each other every now and then."
Compared to being separated by an entire plane of reality, simply being in different divisions barely seemed like a problem.
Aigis shed her white and red uniform for a new one – an all black shihakusho, along with white undergarments. Once she was happy with her appearance, she walked out of her new dormitory to join the other recruits.
"Aigis, reporting for duty at the Seventh Division!"
A/N: Happy Holidays! This is the last chapter for the year, and I must thank you all for supporting me all this time - I never thought my novice attempts at writing a story would get this much attention. For those who supported Being Human both in the comments and in the shadows, I wish you all the best for the new year!
Did you guess Aigis's new division? I know a few people in the comments got it right, but I wonder about those who didn't comment and were simply keeping track in their own minds. Makoto's division will be revealed in the next chapter, so you can keep guessing if you want!
Would you believe that Gintama, of all things, got me back into writing again? I've been in a slump for a couple months now, and the last few chapters were all practically forced out of my ass. I decided I needed a distraction, and now I'm over 150 episodes deep into rewatching Gintama from the beginning (I loved the manga, but skipped around). So yeah, if this chapter or the next couple feel a little less serious than it normally sounds like, blame Gintama.
Once again, thank you all for supporting this story till now (with a special shoutout to my wonderful beta), and I hope I will see you all the next year too!