Chapter 19

"One last thing, Captain Ukitake," Miyako Amamiya said.

"What is it?"

"It's about... the Quincy." The name Miyako Amamiya mentioned took even Ukitake a little by surprise.

"The Quincy? Why do you want to know about them?"

"You've seen my Shikai, haven't you, Captain Ukitake? You should understand how unusual my Zanpakuto is."

"Your Shikai..." Ukitake recalled Miyako Amamiya's Shikai. Both its appearance and the way it attacked were unusual, much like a Quincy's, yet fundamentally different.

"Miyako, although your Zanpakuto is unusual, it shouldn't have anything to do with the Quincy. It only looks a little like their weapons." As one of the oldest captains, Ukitake knew about the Quincy extermination two hundred years ago and had some knowledge of them.

"You've misunderstood, Captain Ukitake. I'm not trying to find a connection between my Zanpakuto and the Quincy. I just want to learn more about how they fight, in the hope that it might give me inspiration to develop my Zanpakuto."

Miyako's words were naturally an excuse. He had indeed come to Ukitake for more theoretical knowledge of Zanjutsu, hand-to-hand combat, movement, and Kidō, but he was also looking for records of the Quincy in Soul Society.

"I see... I understand. I'll gather what I have for you as well, but..." Ukitake paused. "There are very few records of the Quincy in Soul Society. I'm afraid what I have won't be much help to you."

"It's already a great deal of trouble for you to find them for me, Captain Ukitake. I understand."

"After all, the Quincy seem to be an even older race than the records suggest. There appear to have been records of them as far back as the founding of the Gotei 13 in the Seireitei. If anyone still has information about them, I expect it would only be the Four Great Noble Clans."

"I see. I didn't expect their history to go back so far." Miyako Amamiya sounded amazed, but inwardly he was already certain. There really weren't many in Soul Society who could have preserved historical records from a thousand years ago.

Ukitake's words had given Miyako Amamiya a clue: the Four Great Noble Clans. Although Miyako Amamiya probably wouldn't receive a warm welcome from any of the clans if he approached them now, he knew that there had originally been a fifth.

That was right. The Shiba Clan should have preserved records too. Moreover, in the original story, Isshin Shiba had personally mentioned Yhwach and Auswählen when he told Ichigo Kurosaki the truth about his mother's death. That made Miyako Amamiya even more certain that the Shiba Clan had records of Yhwach's attack on Soul Society a thousand years ago.

Over the next few days, Miyako Amamiya entered his Mindscape every day to fight his Zanpakuto, but made little progress each time. His opponent knew exactly what his Shikai did, and it had no effect. As for Zanjutsu, his opponent was actually better at it than Miyako Amamiya, though he didn't know why.

Once he had calmed down, Miyako Amamiya decided to put his Shikai training on hold and study the combat knowledge Ukitake had given him instead.

It was worth mentioning that the Quincy information only covered the war two hundred years ago, just as expected. There wasn't a single record from before that. So Miyako Amamiya planned to visit the Shiba Clan sometime in the future, though he would need to wait for the right opportunity.

"Hadō #63: Raikōhō, Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui..." Miyako Amamiya looked through the knowledge Ukitake had given him and studied it carefully.

"Knowledge about Kidō?" Rukia asked from beside him.

"Oh, yeah. What is it, Rukia? Captain Ukitake gave me this, and I was planning to study it properly now."

"Heh heh, I'm fairly confident when it comes to Kidō."

"Oh? Then I'd like to hear about it. What Kidō have you mastered so far, Rukia?" Miyako Amamiya grew curious. He knew Rukia really was talented at Kidō, but he didn't know how far she had progressed.

"For Hadō, I've learned Sōren Sōkatsui. For Bakudō, I've reached Hyapporankan. As for Kaido, I have a pretty good foundation, though compared to the specialists in the Fourth Division, I might still be a little..."

"That's impressive, Rukia. Who taught you all of that?" Miyako Amamiya asked.

"I learned some of it from Lieutenant Kaien before, and some... my brother taught me." Rukia paused for a moment when she mentioned Byakuya Kuchiki.

"Captain Kuchiki? Looks like he isn't as indifferent to you as I imagined."

"My brother... I don't really understand him either. He's always cold to me, but every now and then he does things like that. I guess he must have taught me because he didn't want me to bring shame on the nobles." That was all Rukia could guess. She truly didn't understand what her adoptive brother Byakuya Kuchiki was thinking.

Miyako Amamiya could do nothing about Rukia's misunderstanding of Byakuya. It would take the right circumstances to get Byakuya to open up of his own accord. Otherwise, it would be harder than reaching the heavens.

"Ah, but it's a shame. The Bakudō I want most isn't in here, and you don't know it either, Rukia," Miyako Amamiya sighed.

"What Bakudō? I've mastered more than half of them," Rukia protested.

"Bakudō #81: Dankū." Miyako Amamiya had wanted to learn it for a long time, simply because Dankū was both cool and practical.

"Idiot, Dankū is a very high-numbered Kidō. It takes a huge amount of Reiatsu to use. Unless someone at Captain-level uses it, it's of very limited use. You might not even be able to cast it if you don't have enough Reiatsu."

"Yes, yes, I know," Miyako Amamiya sighed.

"Once is enough!" Rukia said helplessly. Then she came up with a good idea and smiled at Miyako Amamiya. "Miyako Amamiya, stop reading those. Let's go straight to practical combat, and I'll teach you."

"Practical combat? I haven't even memorized everything yet."

"No problem. I'll teach you during the fight, whether it's the words of the incantations, the characteristics of the Kidō, or the things to watch out for," Rukia said. "But..."

"But?" Miyako Amamiya had a bad feeling.

"To learn Kidō properly, you have to experience it firsthand. So... you're not allowed to release your Zanpakuto!" Only now did Rukia show her true colors.

Miyako Amamiya understood the principle too. No learning method was simpler or easier to understand than practice. But looking at Rukia, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was using this as an excuse to settle a personal score.

"Let me ask you first, Rukia. You're not planning to use this to get back at me for what I did before, are you?"

"Oh my, Miyako, you're such a joker. We're just learning from each other using Kidō. How could I possibly be thinking that? Do I look like that kind of person?" Rukia's smile was gentle and elegant, like that of a true noble.

But one look was enough for Miyako Amamiya to know she must have something bad in mind.

"Ahem, I think I'd better first..." Miyako Amamiya picked up the materials, intending to move farther away.

But Rukia seemed to know what Miyako Amamiya was planning and quickly chanted, "Bakudō #4: Hainawa."

Hainawa immediately wrapped around the materials in Miyako Amamiya's hands and brought them to Rukia.

Holding the materials, Rukia faced Miyako Amamiya with her eyes closed and a smile on her face.

"I-I understand." Looking at Rukia like that, it seemed Miyako had no choice but to agree.

The clearing in the woods on Ribushiyama was fairly large, but it was surrounded by trees. Miyako Amamiya was a little worried that the power of their Kidō would ruin the beautiful scenery.

"Rukia, be careful with your Kidō. It would be a real shame if your Kidō caught the scenery around here in the crossfire."

"Miyako Amamiya, you underestimate me. My control isn't nearly as poor as you make it sound." Rukia jumped across from Miyako Amamiya and smiled at him. "Instead of worrying about the scenery, why don't you worry about yourself?"

"M-Miss Rukia? Why are you standing opposite me? Weren't you going to demonstrate first?" Miyako Amamiya asked hurriedly.

"A demonstration? There's no need for that. Experiencing it firsthand is the best way to learn Kidō." Rukia certainly wasn't going to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As long as Miyako Amamiya didn't use his Shikai and the two fought using Kidō alone, she was very confident she could give him a good beating.

"Scattered on the bones of the beast! Spire, red crystal, steel wheel. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!" Rukia held out her hand, aiming it at Miyako Amamiya as she chanted.

"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!" Miyako Amamiya desperately wanted to run away right then, but Rukia immediately spoke up.

"Don't use Shunpo to run away! Use Kidō to block my attack!" Her words forced Amamiya to stop in his tracks. It seemed Ryūken Ishida had also forbidden him from using all his Soul Reaper abilities one step at a time like this.

"Bakudō #39: Enkōsen!" Miyako Amamiya hurriedly chanted the Bakudō and poured a large amount of Reiatsu into it, unsure whether it would hold.

But Rukia's Raikōhō, cast with its full incantation, was immensely powerful. It shattered Miyako Amamiya's shield in no time, forcing him to roll out of the way as he watched the Raikōhō fly into the sky.

"Hey! Rukia, if that had hit me, I'd have been in trouble. I really would have!"

"Quit whining. My Kaido isn't bad either. You would have been fine. Besides, did you remember the incantation just now?"

"Uh..." Miyako Amamiya had been so busy blocking and dodging that he hadn't remembered it at all.

"Honestly, what am I going to do with you? Let's try it again, then. Listen carefully, Miyako Amamiya." Although Miyako Amamiya hadn't remembered it, Rukia seemed delighted. Without a care, she chanted it again and attacked him.

This girl! She's definitely doing it on purpose! Miyako Amamiya couldn't help thinking.

"Listen carefully. The most important thing about Raikōhō is..." Although Rukia seemed to have deliberately fired two Raikōhō at Miyako Amamiya, she hadn't neglected to teach him either, leaving him nothing to complain about.

"What? You still don't quite understand? Honestly, what am I going to do with you? Then you can experience it up close. Up close, all right?" Rukia's smile made Miyako Amamiya break out in a cold sweat.

"I remember! I remember! Please, whatever you do, don't make me experience it up close!" Miyako Amamiya hurriedly shouted.

"Tch, what a shame," Rukia said softly. Then she warned Miyako Amamiya, "Here comes the next one!"

"Huh?" Miyako Amamiya still hadn't finished digesting what he'd learned. "Wait, Ruki..."

Before Miyako Amamiya could finish, Rukia Kuchiki sent another Kidō flying at him.

Explosions rang out across Ribushiyama without pause, frightening the birds in the woods and sending them scattering...

In the Seireitei, Miyako Amamiya and Rukia Kuchiki were on their way back. Their expressions, however, couldn't have been more different. Rukia walked ahead, happily humming an unfamiliar tune.

Miyako Amamiya followed behind her, hanging his head in utter dejection.

"Hey, how long are you going to keep acting like that?" Rukia shouted at Miyako Amamiya when she saw him.

"Your Kidō training went smoothly, didn't it? Cheer up!"

"Anyone would end up like me after being bombarded with different Kidō and barely able to fight back." To be honest, this wasn't the first time Miyako Amamiya had fought under such restrictive conditions. But Ryūken Ishida had been serious about teaching him, while Rukia now seemed to be mixing more of her personal feelings into it.

"What a whiny man." Rukia sighed, though inwardly she felt wonderful. She had finally given Miyako Amamiya a proper beating, fair and square, relying on her own abilities. After all, their previous fights had either ended in a draw or hadn't been satisfying.

"Miss Rukia, could you please try to keep that smile off your face? It's going to make me suspect you were doing that on purpose during the lesson," Miyako Amamiya said, staring speechlessly at the corners of Rukia's mouth, which she couldn't keep from rising.

"Ahem." Rukia's face reddened slightly at that, and she quickly suppressed her smile.

"Before long, the personnel stationed in the World of the Living will be returning, and I'll be going there on a stationing assignment myself," Rukia explained solemnly. "So there isn't much time left to train with you, Miyako. If I'm going to help you, of course I have to be a little strict."

Miyako Amamiya didn't expose Rukia's excuse. "Stationed in the World of the Living, huh..."

So it's already time... Miyako Amamiya couldn't help feeling troubled. What happened next would come fast and in quick succession. Soul Society was about to be caught in a huge vortex, and nearly the entire Gotei 13 would be drawn into it.

"What's wrong? Come to think of it, you've already been to the World of the Living once, haven't you, Miyako? Kiyone told me I apparently went there to help her before, but I don't remember it anymore," Rukia said.

"Stationing assignments in the World of the Living aren't that difficult. There are just occasional unexpected situations," Miyako Amamiya explained.

"Because spiritual energy is sparse in the World of the Living, most Hollows that appear there are weak. But..."

"But?"

"Hmm... I once reported this to Captain Ukitake. A Hollow codenamed Grand Fisher appeared in the World of the Living, and there was something strange about its strength."

"Strange how?"

"When Fourth Seat Chōtarō and I first saw him, the Hollow fought by using the decoy on his head to trick his enemies, and his spiritual pressure wasn't particularly excessive."

"But the second time we encountered him, his spiritual pressure seemed to have grown stronger. And instead of continuing to launch sneak attacks, he defeated Fourth Seat Chōtarō in a direct fight."

"Grand Fisher actually managed to defeat Fourth Seat Chōtarō...?" Rukia fell into thought. She knew what Fourth Seat Chōtarō was capable of. A Seated Officer with Shikai had actually been defeated by a Hollow in the World of the Living.

"Yeah. Although my attack hit him in the end, he still managed to escape. I don't know if he'll show up in the World of the Living again."

"Rukia, I don't know where you'll be assigned when you go to the World of the Living, but if you run into Grand Fisher, remember to be careful. Though I think you should be strong enough to handle him," Miyako Amamiya warned her.

"I understand. I'll remember."

"Still, it's a shame. Fourth Seat Chōtarō was injured so badly that he can't accept challenges for his seat for the time being. Otherwise, you might have been able to become Fourth Seat yourself, Rukia." Miyako Amamiya moved on to another subject.

"Really?" Rukia didn't yet have an accurate understanding of her own strength. But in Miyako Amamiya's view, she could actually have become Third Seat. Unfortunately, he had taken the lieutenant's position ahead of her. Otherwise, Rukia Kuchiki would have been the Thirteenth Division's lieutenant in the future.

The two chatted as they walked back to the Thirteenth Division. But Rukia suddenly started, as though she had seen something.

"Miyako Amamiya, um, I have something to do, so I'll be going." With that, she immediately left, giving Miyako Amamiya no chance to say goodbye.

Miyako Amamiya still didn't know what had happened, but he noticed a disturbance in the nearby bushes.

"Kiyone? Sentarō?" Miyako Amamiya called helplessly.

"Oh my, Lieutenant Miyako Amamiya, did you go out with Rukia again today?" Kiyone Kotetsu asked, looking at Miyako Amamiya with a smile.

"Yeah, Lieutenant Miyako, why didn't you ask me to come train with you?"

Something was very off about the two of them. Their faces were flushed, and they wouldn't normally talk like this.

"I was wondering why Rukia seemed to have been scared off. So it was you two."

"And what's with you two? Have you been drinking?"

"What's the problem? We've already taken care of the division's duties anyway." Kiyone Kotetsu hiccuped.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what you get for not coming to help us, Lieutenant Miyako." Sentarō nodded and swayed as he answered.

"I didn't do any of that for you, Lieutenant Miyako! I did it for Captain Ukitake, Captain Ukitake!" Kiyone Kotetsu shouted in protest.

"I did it for the captain too!" Sentarō Kotsubaki turned and glared at her.

"All right, all right. Why are you two drinking today? Are you in a bad mood?" Miyako Amamiya stopped the two before they could start fighting and asked why they were drinking. Since he had joined the Thirteenth Division, he had rarely seen them so thoroughly drunk.

"You don't know yet, do you, Lieutenant Miyako? Our division members were mocked by people from the 11th Division again today," Kiyone Kotetsu complained.

"Yeah, yeah, those battle maniacs! They've gone too far!"

"Mocked?" Miyako Amamiya recalled what Rukia had mentioned before. He hadn't expected it to happen again so soon.

"Yeah. Those people in the 11th Division are all first-rate battle maniacs. They don't dare mock Captain Ukitake, but they're often rude to us. Kiyone and I have been at our wits' end over it."

"That's right, that's right. Lieutenant Miyako Amamiya, didn't you say you were going to protect the Thirteenth Division's dignity? You've got to do your best with this!" Emboldened by the alcohol, Kiyone Kotetsu spoke her mind to Miyako Amamiya.

"That's right, that's right! You have to teach them a proper lesson! Make sure they never dare mock our Thirteenth Division members again!"

"I know, I know. You two hurry back and get some rest," Miyako Amamiya reassured them.