Be Happy After Death / Thank You for Being So Strong
Years of prestige were destroyed in an instant.
The scene was utterly silent, save for the steady breathing of the squad members.
Every one of them stared silently at Tokoyo Misao in the middle of the training ground.
Tokoyo Misao turned to Iba. "You didn't have to step in."
Iba answered softly, "I owe you a great debt. As a man, I have to repay it. I'll bear whatever consequences come."
Tokoyo Misao nodded without another word and turned to Acting Captain Yamanaka.
Just as he was about to speak, Yamanaka turned and walked toward the captain's room.
His footsteps tapped against the training ground with every step.
Every squad member, along with the Soul Reaper who had brought the others there, kept their eyes fixed on the acting captain's back.
Kiyoyuki Yamanaka reached the door to the captain's room along the corridor and stood straight.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his chest rising before slowly falling again.
Then he slowly lowered himself to his knees, placed his hands flat on the ground, and bowed until his forehead pressed firmly against the backs of his hands. His voice trembled as he spoke:
"Lieutenant Saki, I failed."
After calling out, he remained kneeling silently outside the captain's room.
Tokoyo Misao's brow twitched. He walked over to Iba and asked in a low voice, "What's going on? Who's Lieutenant Saki?"
"Oh, right. You haven't actually met Lieutenant Saki in the few months you've been here." Iba finally realized, letting out a faint sigh before continuing.
"Look closely. Acting Captain Yamanaka doesn't have a captain's armband on his arm."
Tokoyo Misao looked over and only then noticed that the so-called acting captain didn't even have an armband, proving that he wasn't Captain-level at all. (Both captains and lieutenants were Captain-level.)
"That's right. Acting Captain Yamanaka is actually the Third Seat." Iba looked up, his expression serious as he continued.
"Ever since something happened to the previous captain, Saki, the 11th Division's lieutenant, has shut himself in the captain's room and hasn't taken a single step outside.
"And no one actually appointed Third Seat Yamanaka as acting captain, nor has the Gotei 13 recognized him. He took on the responsibility himself and led the brothers in carrying out their duties."
"So that's what happened." Tokoyo Misao nodded in understanding.
More than ten minutes later, the door to the captain's room slid open.
A somewhat gaunt man with his hair tied in a ponytail stepped out, wearing a captain's white haori.
At the sight of him, the previously silent squad members grew excited. Iba's lips even curved into a faint smile:
"Is Lieutenant Saki finally willing to inherit the title of Kenpachi?"
A flash of silver light crossed Tokoyo Misao's eyes.
Lieutenant Saki, who had deep dark circles under his eyes, had actually reached the peak of Fourth Class in Rei'i Grade and could break through to Third Class at any time.
But judging from the Reishi aura he gave off, there was a deathly stillness to him, without a trace of life.
It seemed that even now, the lieutenant had yet to emerge from the shadow of what had happened to the previous captain.
If he hadn't disrupted the Kenpachi duel this time, the lieutenant would probably have remained shut up in his room.
Lieutenant Saki stood before Kiyoyuki Yamanaka. He parted his lips slightly, forcing a hoarse voice from his throat. "I understand. From today onward, I am Kenpachi."
"That's wonderful, that's wonderful! Kenpachi Saki!"
"This is really wonderful!"
The squad members erupted in cheers, though they kept their voices firmly restrained, as if none of them dared let loose.
Kenpachi Saki walked past Kiyoyuki Yamanaka.
At that moment, Kiyoyuki Yamanaka drew the Zanpakuto at his waist and aimed it at his neck, about to slash it across.
With a light clang, the Zanpakuto was knocked from his hand and fell onto the corridor with a clatter.
Kenpachi Saki said, "You never bore the name of Kenpachi in the first place."
Hearing that, Kiyoyuki Yamanaka lowered his head and stared blankly at his hands, his shoulders trembling.
Kenpachi Saki walked up to Tokoyo Misao and looked him up and down with those lifeless eyes. "Are you a new squad member?"
"Kenpachi Saki, I'm Tokoyo Misao, a new member of the 11th Division," Tokoyo Misao replied with a smile.
With a shing, a flash of white light appeared at Kenpachi Saki's waist.
He drew the Zanpakuto at his waist and pointed its tip at Tokoyo Misao's nose. "No matter what, you disrupted an honor duel. Now I'm giving you two choices.
"Either duel me or leave the 11th Division."
Chapter 59: Be Happy After Death
"I'll go ask Captain Shiba of the Tenth Division in a little while."
Tokoyo Misao ignored the Zanpakuto less than a centimeter from his nose and replied with a smile.
"Is that so? Then go ask. Until the paperwork is complete, you're a provisional member of the 11th Division." Kenpachi Saki sheathed his Zanpakuto and turned back toward the captain's room.
But before going inside, he grabbed Kiyoyuki Yamanaka by the collar and said as he walked in, "Help me finish the paperwork."
The captain's door shut with a bang, and the training ground fell deathly silent once more.
At that moment, the Soul Reaper who had brought Kiganjō and the others in spoke quietly:
"This doesn't count as a Kenpachi duel, so can I leave now?"
No one answered him. All the squad members sat cross-legged on the ground in silence.
Seeing that no one paid him any attention, he placed a hand on his Zanpakuto and retreated step by step. Only when he was near the 11th Division's gate did he turn and run out.
Iba looked at Tokoyo Misao and said, "If the Tenth Division doesn't accept your application, I can use my connections to get you into the Third Division. The Third Division's lieutenant is my mother."
Tokoyo Misao smiled gratefully. "Thank you very much, Senior Iba."
Iba shook his head. "You did me a great kindness. A man repays his debts."
He reiterated the point, then, like the other squad members, sat cross-legged on the ground and fell silent.
After waiting where he was for a while, Tokoyo Misao set off and left the 11th Division.
That evening, he arrived at a tavern in Junrinan and found Isshin Shiba, captain of the Tenth Division, drinking in a corner.
He walked straight over, sat down opposite him, and got right to the point:
"Captain Shiba, I'd like to apply to join the Tenth Division."
Isshin Shiba showed no surprise. He simply picked up the sake flask in silence, filled the two empty cups on the table, and pushed one in front of Tokoyo Misao.
He picked up the other cup and drained it in one gulp, then spoke with a serious expression. "Tokoyo Misao, you're an exceptional person, and I know why you want to join the Tenth Division.
"The Shiba Clan has no information at all about your family."
He sighed, scratched his head, propped his chin on his right hand, and pursed his lips before continuing:
"After I heard you'd barged into Rukongai, I made a special trip to the main house and went through all the old texts that had been moved away. There really was no record of the Tokoyo Clan. But there was other information."
Tokoyo Misao's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Thank you, Captain Shiba. What information?"
Isshin Shiba waved a hand. "Captain Ukitake told me this. The Shihoin Clan's information on the Tokoyo Clan consists of only a few words—'Hell's wardens.'
"What we can confirm is that the Tokoyo Clan really was one of the great noble clans, just like the Shiba Clan used to be.
"And they were Hell's wardens, but that's all.
"There really isn't any more detailed information."
He raised his eyes to meet Tokoyo Misao's. "The Tokoyo Clan hasn't appeared in Soul Society for at least a thousand years. Your arrival really did come as a surprise to us."
"To be honest, I was surprised myself." Tokoyo Misao sighed.
"All right, enough of that mess. If you don't mind that we have no information about the Tokoyo Clan, I'd be happy to welcome you to the Tenth Division.
"With someone as exceptional as you joining us, my days would be so much easier."
Isshin Shiba slapped the tabletop with a couple of smacks and burst out laughing.
"Of course, I still want to join the Tenth Division," Tokoyo Misao replied with a smile.
The Kuchiki Clan's only information on the Tokoyo Clan was their family crest, while the Shihoin Clan knew their duty. The Shiba Clan probably hadn't been lying when they said they had no information.
As for the Tsunayashiro Clan, they might also have information about the Tokoyo Clan, but like the Shihoin and Kuchiki, they probably didn't have much on record.
So the best way to get to the bottom of this was still to ask Soul Reapers who had lived for more than a thousand years.
For example, Captain-Commander Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, Fourth Division Captain Retsu Unohana, and those few up in the sky.
There was no hurry for now.
Smiling, he filled Isshin Shiba's cup, then raised his own to clink cups with him before draining it.
Isshin Shiba's expression suddenly turned serious again.
"Tokoyo Misao, since you'll be a member of the Tenth Division from now on, and therefore my brother, there's something I want to discuss with you beforehand."
"Go ahead, Captain Shiba." Tokoyo Misao looked at him, somewhat puzzled.
"Do you know there are two kinds of battles?" Isshin Shiba asked. Without waiting for Tokoyo Misao to answer, he continued:
"There are battles for life, and battles for dignity.
"Sometimes, for the sake of dignity, life isn't that important."
Tokoyo Misao understood. He poured himself a cup of sake and downed it—Isshin was talking about him stepping in to interfere with the Kenpachi duel.
Isshin Shiba spoke again. "The 11th Division holds a very special position in the Gotei 13. Of the thirteen divisions, only the 11th Division's captain can receive the title of Kenpachi, and the division also bears the honor of being the strongest combat force.
"So a Kenpachi duel isn't just a matter of an individual's life. It's also a source of pride for all Soul Reapers."
He paused and picked up the sake flask to fill Tokoyo Misao's cup. "I mean all Soul Reapers."
"I understand what you mean, Captain Shiba. Then may I talk a little about myself?" Tokoyo Misao kept smiling and, likewise without waiting for Isshin Shiba's response, continued on his own.
"Actually, I have a terrible memory. Even after spending a few months in the 11th Division, I don't know most people's names.
"It was the same at the academy. Aside from the few people I was often with, I can't remember a single one of my other classmates.
"But I remembered Kiyoyuki Yamanaka's name."
"Is that why you stepped in?" Isshin Shiba frowned.
"No." Tokoyo Misao shook his head. "Captain Shiba, I was born in Rukongai. Doesn't that prove I'm a soul who died in the World of the Living?"
Isshin Shiba nodded. "That's right. When souls who die in the World of the Living come to Soul Society, they appear in Rukongai, while souls born in Soul Society are always born in Seireitei."
Tokoyo Misao leaned back, pointed a finger at his own face, and spoke with a smile:
"Captain Shiba, look at me. I died so young, which proves I wasn't happy when I was alive, and that I even went through a lot of hardship.
"So I want to be happier after death.
"Back there, I stepped in because I wanted to. That was what would make me happy.
"As for Kiyoyuki Yamanaka's dignity and any resentment afterward...
"That has nothing to do with me."
Chapter 60: Thank You for Being So Strong
Ten days later, at the 11th Division's training ground.
Tokoyo Misao held a document as he waited outside the captain's room.
After ten days, all the necessary paperwork was finally ready.
Now he only needed Kenpachi Saki's signature to complete his transfer and officially become a member of the Tenth Division.
Isshin Shiba had given him the position of Thirteenth Seat, with good benefits.
He raised his hand to knock, but when his fist was less than ten centimeters from the door, he suddenly turned toward the training ground's gate.
At the same time, the squad members who had been training around the training ground all stood up and looked toward the gate as well.