Chapter 3
Meanwhile, Miyako Amamiya walked behind Jūshirō Ukitake as the two talked.
"Captain Ukitake, the Thirteenth Division's duty is to go to the World of the Living and purify Hollows, right? What would I need to do if I wanted to work there?" Miyako Amamiya asked Ukitake.
"Looks like you've done your homework. That's right. The Thirteenth Division regularly sends its members to the World of the Living to purify the Hollows that appear there. Everyone is stationed somewhere different, and it's a difficult assignment in the World of the Living, where there are no supplies. So we don't send Soul Reapers who aren't Seated Officers to be stationed there."
Ukitake smiled gently. He was very pleased with his new recruit. After all, Amamiya had said outright at graduation that he wanted to join the Thirteenth Division. From what Ukitake had seen so far, the child also knew something about the division. With his outstanding talent as well, perhaps the Thirteenth Division's long-vacant lieutenant position might be filled in the future.
"A Seated Officer... I understand. I'll make that my goal and work toward it." Miyako Amamiya nodded seriously.
Ukitake had never intended to recruit members personally, but he had happened to have business at Shin'ō Academy and heard about a genius who had skipped grades and wanted to join the Thirteenth Division. That had piqued his interest.
It reminded Ukitake of Kaien Shiba, who had been similarly gifted, which was why he had decided to personally oversee the entrance test. The result had not disappointed him. Miyako Amamiya's performance had pleased Ukitake greatly. At last, another genius was willing to join the Thirteenth Division.
Miyako Amamiya was also making plans of his own. If he hadn't wanted to reveal his talent, he could have simply waited until he graduated in his sixth year. But time waited for no one. Not long after a sixth-year graduation, the story would begin, and what he learned in Soul Society might not be enough to deal with the upheavals to come. So Miyako Amamiya had decided to reveal some of his talent and choose a way to go to the World of the Living for a legitimate reason, to see if he could find Ryūken Ishida and learn Quincy abilities from him. The Thirteenth Division had been the best choice.
Although Rukia Kuchiki, the most important character in the early part of the story, was in the Thirteenth Division, she was just an ordinary Soul Reaper before the story began and she went to the World of the Living. The division also had Ukitake, a captain who was a genuinely good person, and it didn't have so many strange people. It was an excellent choice.
My priority is to keep training my Soul Reaper abilities, then try to become a Seated Officer and go to the World of the Living. Miyako Amamiya had graduated two years early, so he had to at least secure a year in which he could go to the World of the Living and be stationed in Karakura Town.
Miyako Amamiya had already made up his mind. Over the next few years, he had to quickly fulfill his potential, seize every opportunity, and get stronger as fast as possible. Even if he survived the battle of Karakura Town between Aizen and Soul Society, the coming Thousand-Year Blood War would not be easy to survive either. Without enough strength, he couldn't survive anywhere.
"We're here. It's out in the suburbs, but the Thirteenth Division has a pretty nice setting," Ukitake said to Miyako Amamiya with a smile. But he immediately started coughing again, several coughs coming in succession.
"Captain Ukitake, are you all right?" Miyako Amamiya hurried forward to ask. He knew this was Ukitake's old ailment. Although Ukitake's illness had eased with the Soul King's Right Arm's help, it hadn't been cured. The Soul King's Right Arm had only put it on hold.
"I'm all right. It's an old problem. I'll be fine in a moment, and it won't affect my work." It was quite a while before Ukitake could respond to Miyako Amamiya.
As they spoke, they arrived at the Thirteenth Division's gate. Green trees shaded its sides, and the division's flower, the snowdrop, was embroidered on the gate. Miyako Amamiya had looked it up beforehand. The snowdrop meant hope.
I'll have to keep up my training in the Thirteenth Division too, Miyako Amamiya thought.
"Captain Ukitake! Welcome back!"
Before they had even entered, Miyako Amamiya heard two incredibly loud voices. A man and a woman came running over, kicking up dust, and bowed ninety degrees before Ukitake.
Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu were Ukitake's biggest fans in the Thirteenth Division. Though the two often quarreled, they actually cared a great deal about each other. But those voices really were... Miyako Amamiya watched the two fuss over Ukitake while he himself was completely ignored. Standing silently behind Ukitake, he shook his head helplessly.
"All right, all right. It really was nothing serious. I'm fine," Ukitake explained to the two with a smile. "Oh, right, let me introduce someone." Ukitake stepped slightly to the side, drawing their attention to Miyako Amamiya.
"This is Miyako Amamiya, a new member of our Thirteenth Division. He may be young, but he's also one of the rare geniuses in Soul Society who graduated early from Shin'ō Academy," Ukitake told Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu.
"Hello, seniors. I'm Miyako Amamiya." Miyako greeted the two before him, but received no response.
The two studied Miyako Amamiya closely for a while before Sentarō Kotsubaki spoke. "Welcome, newbie. Captain Ukitake personally brought you into the Thirteenth Division? You're getting quite the treatment."
"Captain Ukitake personally brought someone in?" Kiyone's thoughts began to race. "Damn it! I'm so jealous! Hey, newbie, now that you've joined the Thirteenth Division, you'd better show the captain plenty of respect, or I won't let you off."
"Idiot, what are you saying in front of the new recruit? You're embarrassing our division," Sentarō Kotsubaki scolded Kiyone.
"What did you say?" Kiyone shoved her forehead against Sentarō Kotsubaki's and snapped back angrily. The two glared at each other.
Ukitake didn't immediately stop them. He only wore a rueful smile, as though he was used to it. He turned to Miyako Amamiya and said, "Amamiya-kun, let me explain. For certain reasons, the Thirteenth Division doesn't have an official lieutenant at the moment. Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu currently share the lieutenant's duties."
"Certain reasons?" Although Miyako Amamiya knew it might be because Kaien Shiba's death had left the Thirteenth Division without a successor for its lieutenant, he still didn't understand why, after so long, they refused to officially appoint a proper lieutenant.
Ukitake only gave a rueful smile at the question and didn't answer.
"But I have high hopes for you, Amamiya-kun. With your talent, you might really become the Thirteenth Division's next lieutenant," Ukitake encouraged him with a smile.
At that moment, the two who had been arguing turned around at the same time.
"Captain Ukitake, aren't you giving this kid a little too much credit? Lieutenant isn't some easy position to hold."
"Exactly. I don't think anyone can compare to Lieutenant Kaien."
"Lieutenant Kaien?" Miyako Amamiya asked, seemingly puzzled.
"Ah, he was once the lieutenant of our Thirteenth Division. His strength and abilities were both outstanding. Like you, he graduated early from Shin'ō Academy. He was a rare genius too," Ukitake explained. "But he passed away for certain reasons." Ukitake's expression dimmed somewhat.
"Kiyone, try not to bring up Kaien too much in front of Rukia later," Ukitake said to Kiyone.
"Captain... I understand." Kiyone's voice grew subdued as well.
"All right, let's head inside first. If possible, I'd like one of you to show Amamiya-kun around our barracks."
"Leave it to me, Captain!" the two answered in unison.
"Kiyone, I'll leave that to you, then. Sentarō, there's still some Shin'ō Academy business I need your help with today. Is that all right?" Ukitake asked the two.
"Yes, Captain!" they immediately replied in loud voices.
"Newbie, come with me. I'll show you around our barracks," Kiyone said to Miyako Amamiya.
"All right, Senior. Thank you." Miyako Amamiya followed Kiyone, and the four split into pairs.
The suburban scenery surrounding the Thirteenth Division was breathtaking, with more natural scenery than traces of human construction. A river flowed through the barracks, its banks lined with bamboo, grass, and flowering trees, making it look like a garden.
"The pavilion in the middle of this river is the captain's office. Captain Ukitake is one of the longest-serving captains in Soul Society today, but because he's in poor health, he needs a more peaceful environment. That's why our Thirteenth Division barracks are out in the suburbs," Kiyone explained.
"Next I'll take you to the living quarters. That's where you'll be staying from now on."
Kiyone walked ahead, and before long they passed an open space where a woman with short black hair was practicing her sword swings.
"Hey, Rukia!" Kiyone called out to the woman ahead in her loud voice. Hearing her, Rukia stopped swinging her sword and came over.
"Oh, Kiyone. What is it?"
"It's already noon, and you're still training? The division's training ended this morning, didn't it?"
"Ah, no, I just wanted to practice a little longer... Never mind that. Who's that behind you?"
"Oh, right. Didn't I tell you this morning? A new member is joining our division. This is him, Miyako Amamiya."
"Hello, Senior Rukia." Miyako Amamiya greeted this important character.
"Amamiya... Miyako?" Rukia stared at the man with tousled short black hair, lost in thought. He graduated early, just like Lieutenant Kaien, and he has the same name as Senior Miyako. The combination of details brought back memories of the past.
"Rukia?" Kiyone waved a hand in front of her face, interrupting her thoughts.
"No, it's nothing. Welcome to the Thirteenth Division," Rukia said to Miyako Amamiya with a smile.
"Ah, right. Since we're here, I might as well mention it. This is where our Thirteenth Division trains. The members all train here," Kiyone told Miyako Amamiya.
"Rukia, I'm taking the newbie to the living quarters next. Don't wear yourself out."
"Thanks, I understand. I'll finish after a little more practice."
With that, Kiyone led Miyako Amamiya away. On the way, Miyako Amamiya asked her a question.
"Senior Kotetsu, did Lieutenant Kaien's death have something to do with Rukia, the woman we just met?"
"How did you know?" Kiyone was surprised.
"Because Captain Ukitake specifically told you earlier..."
Kiyone sighed but answered him. "You'd have found out sooner or later in the Thirteenth Division. You guessed right. Lieutenant Kaien actually died by Rukia's blade."
"He died by Rukia's blade?" Although Miyako Amamiya knew, he still acted puzzled.
"Lieutenant Kaien's wife, Shiba Miyako, was killed by a Hollow. Lieutenant Kaien went to defeat it alone to avenge her. Although he seemed to have defeated the Hollow, he was also contaminated by it. To preserve his sanity and dignity, Lieutenant Kaien willingly impaled himself on Rukia's blade..." Kiyone grew more and more dejected as she spoke.
"Lieutenant Kaien was an outstanding lieutenant, a man of honor and loyalty. He was a well-respected, good man whom many division members admired. At the time, we all thought Rukia had killed Lieutenant Kaien, and we were very hostile toward her. But we found out the reason later. Rukia, though, still refuses to forgive herself. She believes Lieutenant Kaien died because of her, and whenever he's mentioned, she becomes downcast."
"I'm telling you all this because I hope you won't look at Rukia differently. There are still some people in the division who resent her. But I know Rukia did nothing wrong, and she tried very hard too," Kiyone explained to Miyako Amamiya.
Miyako Amamiya fell silent for a while. He also knew how painful it was to kill someone you respected with your own hands, even if it hadn't been intentional.
"I understand. Thank you for telling me about Senior Rukia."
"All right, we're here. These are the living quarters. Someone inside will arrange a place for you to stay, so go in and take some time to get familiar with it. I need to go find Captain Ukitake now." Kiyone stopped in front of the living quarters and said goodbye to Miyako Amamiya.
After becoming a member of the Gotei 13, his living conditions had improved dramatically. The Thirteenth Division's dorm rooms were single occupancy, and he could now do things he couldn't do at Shin'ō Academy. Miyako Amamiya drew his Asauchi. At this moment, he was about to take a crucial step: learning his Zanpakuto's true name.
He sat cross-legged and laid the sword across his knees. During his four years at Shin'ō Academy, Miyako Amamiya had initially not spent much time communicating with his Zanpakuto because he was afraid of turning his Asauchi into a true Zanpakuto too early. During those four years, he had communicated with his Zanpakuto on the few occasions he had called out to it. When he sensed that the Asauchi was close to changing into a Zanpakuto, he stopped.
If he had learned his Zanpakuto's true name at Shin'ō Academy, it would have been hard not to become famous. So Miyako Amamiya had suppressed that restlessness and waited until today to seriously communicate with his Zanpakuto.
As his consciousness sank, Miyako Amamiya opened his eyes to find himself in that place again, that dim, incredibly cluttered room.
"Looks like you don't want to wait anymore?" a voice came from behind him.
"Yes. The time is right." Miyako Amamiya didn't turn around. He knew who the voice belonged to.
"You've only called me a handful of times in four years, and now you expect to succeed in one try? Isn't that a little arrogant?" a black-haired youth in a long white robe said to Miyako with a smile.
"Arrogant... Yes, I am a little arrogant. But you should understand, shouldn't you? There are feelings stronger than my arrogance: my thirst for power and my resistance to dying again. You should understand me." Miyako Amamiya turned to look at the Black-Haired Boy.
"Hahahaha, that's right. Looks like you haven't forgotten how you felt when you died in the World of the Living. So how are you going to obtain my power?"
"You won't just tell me your name? Shikai is supposed to be a process of communicating with and understanding each other. We already understand each other, so why keep being cryptic?" Miyako Amamiya asked in confusion.
"Understanding each other... That's just what you think. You don't even know my true identity, yet you want me to tell you my name?" The Black-Haired Boy shook his head helplessly and stopped paying attention to Miyako Amamiya. Instead, he bent down and felt around for something in a corner.
"I remember it being around here," he seemed to mutter.
"What are you looking for? There shouldn't be any physical objects in a mindscape, should there?" Miyako Amamiya was puzzled. Looking for something here? This was a world formed from the mind.
"Ah, found it." The Black-Haired Boy took out a black box and opened it. He picked up what was inside, and Miyako Amamiya's pupils widened at the sight.
In the Black-Haired Boy's hand was a small silver cross pendant. Could it be? Miyako Amamiya made a guess as he searched the original owner's memories for the object's origins.
"Are you surprised? If you think back carefully, you should be able to remember. And this thing really is what you think it is," the Black-Haired Boy explained with a smile. As he finished speaking, a blue-white light began to emerge from the silver cross pendant. Reishi seemed to gather around his hand, gradually stabilizing into the shape of a weapon. That weapon was... a bow.
The Black-Haired Boy looked at the bow in his hand and nodded in satisfaction. "Come on. This is your battle. Understand my power through combat!"
Miyako Amamiya wanted to ask more, but a blue-white arrow immediately came straight at him, forcing him to dodge quickly to the side.
"Don't try to ask me anything else. Come on, feel it in battle." The Black-Haired Boy raised his hand and gathered Reishi once more, forming an arrow and firing it swiftly.
He would only be a sitting target inside the room. No, he had to get out. Miyako Amamiya looked at the window and immediately threw himself sideways through it. Glass shattered, and Miyako Amamiya appeared on the street.
"I thought you didn't have the courage to come outside. After all, look how badly that Hollow frightened you back then." The Black-Haired Boy had also come out and was standing in midair.
Miyako Amamiya's mouth twitched. Why could you stand in the air using Hirenkyaku, just like Ryūken Ishida had back then? Before Miyako Amamiya could steady himself on the ground, another arrow came.
Miyako Amamiya had no choice but to use Shunpo to dodge the arrow.
"Is all you can do dodge? Doesn't that make what you said earlier sound a little unconvincing?" The Black-Haired Boy fired another arrow as soon as he finished speaking.
Miyako Amamiya understood that if things continued like this, he would never be able to touch him, let alone learn his Zanpakuto's true name.
"O sovereign! Mask of flesh and blood, all things, fluttering wings, that which bears the name of man! Scorching heat and strife, surge across the sea to the south and march onward!"
Miyako Amamiya ran toward the Black-Haired Boy. "Hadō #31: Shakkahō!" A red projectile shot out toward the youth.
"Too slow. Was that long incantation supposed to warn me?" He leaped up and easily dodged the Shakkahō.
"Bakudō #30: Shitotsu Sansen!" Miyako Amamiya also knew the previous attack couldn't possibly hit, so he quickly began chanting a Bakudō. When the chant ended, three huge beak-shaped beams pinned the Black-Haired Boy by both hands and his waist.
"Oh, this one's pretty good." Even though he was bound, he still had a smile on his face. Miyako Amamiya rushed forward, reached him, and slashed at him with his sword.
"But it's not much use." The Black-Haired Boy leaned backward, letting Miyako Amamiya's sword strike the beams formed by Beak-Piercing Triple Flash. The beams shattered, and he quickly put distance between himself and Miyako Amamiya. His hands never stopped moving as he swiftly drew his bow, aimed at Miyako Amamiya, and released the gathered Reishi.
Miyako Amamiya had no choice but to dodge the arrow in a hurry, retreat, and hide behind a wall. He considered his options. From what he could tell, the youth seemed to have mastered Quincy abilities. His practiced use of Hirenkyaku alone was giving Miyako Amamiya a headache. Meanwhile, the Kidō Miyako Amamiya had learned at Shin'ō Academy had limited power and might not do much damage if used individually, and he couldn't get close enough to use Zanjutsu.
"What's wrong? Are you just going to hide? You can't attack me from there," the Black-Haired Boy taunted him from the air.
Miyako Amamiya didn't answer. He was still thinking of a countermeasure.
"But hiding won't do you any good either. Looks like we'll stop here for today." The Black-Haired Boy sighed.
"Oh, right. I found an interesting move in your memories. Let's give it a try." The Black-Haired Boy stepped higher into the air, then slowly drew his bow and aimed at the ground.
When nothing happened for a long time, Miyako Amamiya poked his head out and looked at him. The Black-Haired Boy was already high in the air with his bow drawn, and Reishi was visibly gathering above.
Could it be? Miyako Amamiya's pupils widened as he quickly ran toward him. I won't make it in time... Miyako Amamiya quickly leaped toward him, his hands and mouth never stopping. "O sovereign, mask of flesh and blood, all things, fluttering wings, that which bears the name of man, truth and temperance, stand only with your claws upon the wall of dreams that knows no sin."
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!" Hadō #33 was the most powerful Hadō Miyako Amamiya could currently use, but he wasn't trying to hit the youth with it. He was trying to stop him. Miyako Amamiya raised his hand and fired it at him, sending an explosive blast of flame racing toward the Black-Haired Boy.
"It's already too late. Let's stop here for today," the Black-Haired Boy said with a smile, releasing his drawn bow.
"Licht Regen." As the words fell, countless arrows appeared high in the air, like a torrential downpour sweeping across the earth. The Sōkatsui was mercilessly shattered as well.
Countless arrows rained down from the sky and came straight at him. So this was what it felt like to have ten thousand arrows pierce your heart...
Using a move you found in my memories against me. Well played. That final thought surfaced, and then Miyako Amamiya's consciousness faded.