Chapter 15
"Not long after Kaien died, Ukitake came to see me in person and told me what had happened." Kūkaku Shiba looked at Rukia. "I already knew that Kaien chose to die, rather than being murdered. So I decided long ago that as long as you said you were sorry, we'd put the whole thing behind us."
"Captain Ukitake..." Rukia was a little dazed.
Kūkaku Shiba looked at Ganju Shiba. "I'm sorry, Ganju. It took me so long to tell you the truth. But do you understand now why Kaien kept thanking Rukia until the very end?"
"Kaien..." Ganju Shiba murmured, lowering his head. He still looked just as dejected.
Seeing this, Rukia Kuchiki couldn't help saying to Ganju Shiba, "Lieutenant Kaien was the person I respected most. Even in the Thirteenth Division, his light shone on everyone. Lieutenant Kaien... never disgraced his identity as a Soul Reaper, and was proud to be one until the very end..."
"Soul Reapers, Soul Reapers... Kaien really..." Ganju Shiba murmured, only now realizing how many people his brother had won over during his time as a Soul Reaper.
After a while, he slowly stood up and said to Miyako Amamiya and Rukia Kuchiki, "You Soul Reapers had better not get the wrong idea. Kaien wasn't amazing because he became a Soul Reaper. He was amazing at everything he did."
Kūkaku Shiba couldn't help laughing as she watched him put on a tough front.
"Hey, Soul Reaper over there." Ganju Shiba deliberately avoided calling Rukia by name. "Since Kūkaku said we're putting this behind us, I'll listen to her. From now on, it's settled. There's no bad blood between us anymore."
Miyako Amamiya bent toward Rukia's ear and whispered, "He's actually forgiven you, but he's still not being honest about it. He only said that because he could use his sister's words as an excuse."
"Huh? But..." Rukia was a little confused.
"Hey, what are you saying, Soul Reaper? N-no, don't think I won't punch you just because you became a Lieutenant like Kaien!" Ganju Shiba said, though his expression was a little less confident than his words.
"Don't mind him. That's just how Ganju is. He's not honest at all," Kūkaku Shiba teased.
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." Seeing this, Rukia couldn't help apologizing again. She had spent far too many years running away, even though Lieutenant Kaien's family were the ones suffering the most. Tears streamed down her face, and she couldn't stop them.
"Hey, didn't I tell you to stop apologizing?" Seeing Rukia like that, Kūkaku Shiba couldn't help stepping forward to punch her.
Miyako Amamiya stepped forward slightly and caught Kūkaku Shiba's fist with his other hand. "Miss Kūkaku Shiba, let her speak... She isn't just apologizing to you. She's also... apologizing to Lieutenant Kaien."
"She's been running away for so long. Let her get it all out." Miyako Amamiya looked gently at Rukia. What had happened to her was so much and so heavy that the fact it hadn't crushed her even now showed just how resilient she was.
But no matter how resilient someone was, they were still a person, not steel. A day could come when they couldn't bear it anymore. If Ichigo Kurosaki hadn't saved her in the original story, Rukia Kuchiki would have been crushed sooner or later.
Miyako Amamiya didn't let go of Rukia's hand. Instead, he held it tighter...
Kūkaku Shiba understood too. She looked at the tears still streaming down Rukia Kuchiki's face and sighed.
Rukia stopped crying, smiled, and said to them, "Really, thank you so much."
Thank you so much for being willing to wait for someone as weak as me, even though you were in so much pain. It took me so long to say I was sorry...
"I'll accept your thanks, but if you apologize again, I'll punch you, even if the Lieutenant beside you tries to stop me." Kūkaku Shiba waved her hand.
On the way back, Rukia didn't speak, and neither did Miyako Amamiya. He quietly held her hand all the way back to the Thirteenth Division.
It wasn't until they reached the gates of the Thirteenth Division that Rukia broke the silence.
"Thank you, Miyako." Rukia smiled. "If not for you, I might have waited a long time before going to apologize to Lieutenant Kaien's family."
"You're not that weak, Rukia," Miyako Amamiya said. "Even without me, you would have gone on your own."
"?" Rukia was puzzled. Even today, she had still been a little afraid, and she didn't understand why Miyako Amamiya would say that.
"We've sparred so many times. Words might lie, but the will I felt through your blade doesn't."
"I felt your hard work and your will," Miyako Amamiya said softly.
Rukia was momentarily dazed. She stared at Miyako Amamiya, unaware of what was flowing through her heart...
"Ah, our esteemed Lieutenant has finally returned." Kiyone Kotetsu appeared at the gate and looked at Miyako Amamiya. "Taking leave on your first day as Lieutenant, honestly." She complained to him.
"Huh? What's this?" Only then did Kiyone Kotetsu notice that Miyako Amamiya and Rukia Kuchiki were still holding hands and hadn't let go.
Rukia Kuchiki also realized that her hand had been held for so long. She abruptly pulled it out of Miyako Amamiya's grasp and lowered her head without a word.
Rukia's earlobes and face began to visibly change, gradually turning red.
"Hey, Kotetsu. You can leave out the 'esteemed.'" Miyako Amamiya was thick-skinned and carried on greeting her, but considering Rukia's current state, he stepped forward to shield her from Kiyone Kotetsu's curious gaze.
"You can just call me Kiyone too, Lieutenant Miyako." Kiyone Kotetsu gave Miyako Amamiya and Rukia Kuchiki a teasing look, but quickly got down to business.
"The Thirteenth Division has quite a lot of work lately. Don't go slacking off on your first day, Lieutenant Miyako."
"Hahaha, how could I? I just had something to take care of outside." Miyako Amamiya rubbed the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. He really had been planning to leave most of the division's work to Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentarō Kotsubaki.
As for doing it himself—what a joke. He barely had enough time to train. How could he possibly have time to handle division work?
"Sigh, I hope you mean that." Kiyone Kotetsu seemed to have caught on to something.
"Anyway, to get back to business, I was waiting especially for you because the Thirteenth Division members stationed in the World of the Living will be returning soon."
"The captain and I have already been deciding who to send next, so please come with me, Lieutenant Miyako."
"I see." Miyako Amamiya understood. There really was no getting out of this; he did have to fulfill the Thirteenth Division's main duty. As for the routine work afterward, he could leave that to the two Third Seats.
"Well then, Rukia." Miyako Amamiya turned to Rukia Kuchiki, who still had her head lowered, and reached out to ruffle her wonderfully soft short black hair again.
"I'll be going now. Make sure you keep training hard. Don't let me get too far ahead of you," Miyako Amamiya teased.
Without giving Rukia time to respond, he immediately walked into the Thirteenth Division.
"That guy..." Rukia Kuchiki grumbled as she fixed her hair, only to find that Kiyone Kotetsu hadn't left and was watching her with a smile.
Rukia Kuchiki had a bad feeling about this. Sure enough, Kiyone Kotetsu smiled and said, "Rukia, go for it! I'm rooting for you."
Rukia Kuchiki didn't need to think to know what she meant.
"Hey, Kiyone, it's not..." she hurriedly began to explain.
"Ah, I still have division work to take care of. I'll be going now." Kiyone Kotetsu had no intention of listening to Rukia Kuchiki's explanation.
"Ugh, now I can't clear this up..." Rukia Kuchiki crouched down dejectedly. She knew that big mouth Kiyone Kotetsu would tell everyone else sooner or later.
But unexpectedly, Rukia didn't feel uncomfortable about the rumors that might follow. She was a little embarrassed instead.
In the Thirteenth Division Captain's Office, Ukitake and Sentarō Kotsubaki sorted through the papers before them. Once Kiyone Kotetsu arrived, they planned to start selecting the next group to go to the World of the Living.
"Captain Ukitake, I've brought Lieutenant Miyako back."
"Captain Ukitake, it's me, Miyako Amamiya. I'm back." Kiyone Kotetsu's and Miyako Amamiya's voices came from outside the door.
"Come in," Ukitake said with a smile.
Miyako Amamiya and Kiyone Kotetsu entered, but the moment Miyako Amamiya saw the countless documents before him, his head began to ache.
"Miyako, you're just in time. We're about to start selecting the next Soul Reapers to be stationed in the World of the Living," Ukitake said.
"Yes..." Miyako Amamiya replied listlessly.
"Lieutenant Miyako, Kiyone and I will both help you, so don't worry," Sentarō Kotsubaki said loudly.
"Thank you, Sentarō." Miyako Amamiya had no choice but to pick up the documents and look through them one by one.
"Send Rukia Kuchiki to Karakura Town?" Miyako Amamiya asked in surprise.
"That's right. Is something wrong?" Ukitake asked, puzzled. "Ah, come to think of it, you might not know yet, Miyako."
"After you left, Rukia defeated the previous 6th Seat and officially became the 6th Seat. And now that she knows her Zanpakuto's true name, she's quite strong," Ukitake said.
"But ever since Lieutenant Kaien died, Rukia hasn't used her Shikai much," Kiyone Kotetsu added.
"I see... Rukia is certainly capable enough." Miyako Amamiya wasn't surprised because he doubted Rukia's abilities, but because he realized that the start of the story was drawing closer and closer.
After a while, the four of them finalized all the candidates. Once the personnel stationed in the World of the Living returned, they could make the official announcement.
"Whew, luckily it wasn't too hard," Miyako Amamiya said with a sigh of relief.
"That was only one part of it, Lieutenant Miyako. Don't relax too soon," Kiyone Kotetsu reminded him from the side.
"Captain Ukitake, Kiyone, Sentarō, I have something very important to tell you!" After hearing Kiyone Kotetsu, Miyako Amamiya decided to say it sooner rather than later, or he might not get another chance.
The three of them grew serious at once.
"The Lieutenant's position in the Thirteenth Division has been vacant for a long time. I've heard that the other divisions have always looked down on us, especially the people from the 11th Division," Miyako Amamiya said solemnly.
"Although I've become Lieutenant, I know the limits of my own strength. If the other divisions think that the Lieutenant the Thirteenth Division finally managed to choose is another person with an undeserved reputation, it'll only bring even more shame on our division."
The three fell into thought. Miyako Amamiya's words weren't without reason, since that had indeed been the case before. Ukitake, however, hadn't been very aware of it because he had been bedridden.
"Things have gotten that bad?" Ukitake gave a rueful smile. "I thought they were just saying a few things behind our backs. I never imagined it had come to this. I'm a truly incompetent captain. I can't even protect my own division's dignity."
"Captain Ukitake, it's not your fault. The members of the other divisions are the ones going too far, and we..."
"That's right, Captain, it's not your fault at all. You were bedridden, so... No, it's because we haven't been good enough."
Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentarō Kotsubaki hurriedly explained.
"To protect the dignity of our Thirteenth Division, I have to keep getting stronger! I'll make sure no one from the other divisions dares look down on us!" Miyako Amamiya declared righteously.
"Lieutenant Miyako..." The two looked at him with admiration.
"Miyako, you..." Ukitake was somewhat moved as well.
"So..."
"So?"
"From now on, I'll leave the division's work to Kiyone and Sentarō. With two experienced seniors handling it, I can rest easy!" Miyako Amamiya said without changing his expression.
"Leave it to us, Lieutenant Miyako!" the two said in unison.
"Wait, Miyako, you..." Ukitake seemed to realize something and tried to stop him.
"Captain, for the dignity of our Thirteenth Division, I'm going to train right now! You can count on me!" With that, Miyako Amamiya immediately pushed open the door and used Shunpo to get far away.
"Ah..." Ukitake lowered his raised hand. He hadn't expected Miyako Amamiya to be that kind of person.
He then looked at the two deeply moved people beside him, unsure how to explain.
The next day, as the two handled the division's work as usual, they seemed to notice something was wrong.
"As usual?"
"Handling the division's work?"
Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentarō Kotsubaki stared at each other without speaking for a long time.
"Damn it, Lieutenant Miyako dumped all the division's work on us!" Kiyone Kotetsu said regretfully.
"So it was an excuse? Give me back the feelings you stirred up!" Sentarō Kotsubaki cried, beside himself.
"This is all your fault! Why did you agree so quickly yesterday?"
"Huh? Weren't you practically in tears yourself yesterday?"
Their foreheads collided as they glared at each other.
Ukitake laughed awkwardly at the side. He hadn't explained it to them yesterday, but it seemed they had figured it out themselves.
"Let it go, Kiyone, Sentarō," Ukitake said with a smile.
"Captain Ukitake, we finally have a Lieutenant. How can we let him slack off?" Kiyone Kotetsu protested.
"That's right, Captain," Sentarō Kotsubaki added.
"Miyako does have a point. It would indeed be good for the Thirteenth Division to have an outstanding Lieutenant." Though Ukitake felt helpless, he agreed with what Miyako Amamiya had said.
"Besides, I still have the two of you, don't I? Miyako said he could rest easy leaving things to you, and I feel the same way," Captain Ukitake said with a smile.
"You two have always helped me handle the division's work. I can rest easy leaving it to you."
"Captain Ukitake!" The two were once again teary-eyed, instantly forgetting about Miyako Amamiya. Compared with their unreliable Lieutenant, their captain's respect was far more moving.
Meanwhile, Miyako Amamiya arrived at the training grounds. There weren't many people there now, but Rukia was still training.
"Hey, Rukia." Miyako Amamiya waved to her.
When Rukia saw him, she didn't answer. Instead, she immediately went over and pulled him somewhere deserted.
"Hm? What's wrong, Rukia? What are you doing?" Miyako Amamiya asked, puzzled.
"Shouldn't you be handling division work in the Captain's Office at this hour? Why did you come out here?" Rukia demanded.
"Ahem, didn't you say before that the other divisions were always making fun of us? So I told Captain Ukitake that, to stop them from laughing at the Thirteenth Division, I'd keep training and prove to them that we're no weak division."
Of course, Miyako Amamiya couldn't tell Rukia that seeing the mountain of division work had made him want to slack off. Besides, wasn't he protecting the Thirteenth Division's dignity in his own way? That couldn't count as slacking off.