Chapter 40
That's right, that's the look I wanted to see! That look of disbelief! Miyako Amamiya even looked forward to seeing the expressions on the faces of the Wandenreich's Quincy if they saw him, a Soul Reaper, use the ultimate power of a Quincy.
But my injuries haven't healed yet... Miyako Amamiya thought dejectedly. For now, he only hoped Uryū Ishida would pass along his request for Orihime Inoue to help heal him, so he could recover quickly and leave the Seireitei to test his idea sooner.
There was no way he could sneak out of the Fourth Division before making a full recovery. After all, Retsu Unohana was still very diligent in her duties at present.
If Uryū Ishida won't help, I'll go find Orihime Inoue myself tomorrow. I hope she still has some strength left after healing Ichigo Kurosaki. With that thought, Miyako Amamiya lay back down and fell asleep.
The next morning, Miyako Amamiya was awakened by loud shouting outside his door. He couldn't resist opening it to look.
It turned out that people from the 11th Division were clamoring to be discharged, while people from the Fourth Division were trying to talk them out of it.
"Hey! Making this much noise in a hospital? I'll kill you!" Miyako Amamiya threatened them fiercely.
"Eek! It's Miyako Amamiya, the lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division! He's the one who beat 6th Seat Abarai!"
"It's him! I heard Third Seat Madarame lost to him later, too!" The two finally quieted down. It seemed his earlier challenge at their division had had some effect: the people from the 11th Division were too frightened to speak as soon as they saw Miyako Amamiya.
"Ah! Lieutenant Amamiya, please go back to bed. Your injuries have only just stabilized, so you can't be out here yet!" Retsu Unohana and Isane Kotetsu came down the corridor, and Isane hurried to warn Miyako Amamiya when she saw him out of his room.
"Then you should ask what those idiots are making such a racket about." Miyako Amamiya pointed at them.
"Oh, is that so?" Retsu Unohana narrowed her eyes at the two people from the 11th Division. After being threatened by both Miyako Amamiya and Retsu Unohana, the two were too frightened to even breathe loudly.
Miyako Amamiya returned to bed and looked out the window, bored out of his mind.
Kiyone Kotetsu came in just then, leaving Miyako Amamiya puzzled.
"Oh, Lieutenant Amamiya, Captain Unohana said the weather was nice today and told me to open all the windows. Since I'm in your room, I'll open yours while I'm here," Isane Kotetsu said with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Kotetsu," Miyako Amamiya said.
"You can just call me Isane, Lieutenant Amamiya," Isane Kotetsu said bashfully. "Kiyone told me you stopped her from going to the Sōkyoku on the day of the execution. I'm so glad she didn't go, or she might have..."
"It was nothing. I'm a lieutenant, after all. I knew how dangerous it was up there, so I couldn't let my own division members take that risk." Miyako Amamiya knew that originally, Kiyone Kotetsu had gone up there and been kicked hard to the ground by Soi Fon, leaving her badly injured. Now that he was here, he couldn't let that happen.
"Then you can call me Miyako, Isane," Miyako Amamiya said.
"Miyako-kun, then. I still have to thank you, Miyako-kun." Isane Kotetsu looked very serious. "Kiyone was right about you..."
"Kiyone? She wasn't speaking ill of me, was she?" Miyako Amamiya muttered to himself. After all, they had seen through him the first time he fooled them. Although he had successfully fooled them again afterward, he didn't know whether Kiyone Kotetsu had caught on.
"No, no, of course not." Isane Kotetsu hurriedly waved her hands. "Kiyone has praised you to me many times. She said you weren't full of yourself, that you were levelheaded and reliable, and things like that..."
"Really?" Miyako Amamiya suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He hadn't expected to be so good at fooling people that someone would praise him so highly. "Kiyone was... uh, exaggerating."
"Was she? I think Kiyone was right," Isane Kotetsu said softly, looking at Miyako Amamiya timidly.
She had also learned the general course of events from her captain and the other patients. Without a doubt, a large share of the credit for stopping Aizen belonged to Miyako Amamiya, which made him very curious about Miyako Amamiya, who had only recently taken up his post. After talking with him briefly today, she found he was just as her younger sister had said.
"What did you say, Isane?" Miyako Amamiya asked, not having heard Isane Kotetsu.
"N-no, nothing. Miyako-kun, I'll be going now. As a lieutenant, I have a lot of patients to look after today," Isane Kotetsu said hurriedly. She said goodbye to Miyako Amamiya and ran out the window.
"The Fourth Division really is busy, and there'll be even busier times ahead." Miyako Amamiya shook his head helplessly.
Come to think of it, the Fourth Division's healing abilities really were quite absurd. During the Thousand-Year Blood War, Kiyone Kotetsu and the others had been saved even after their chests were pierced through. Miyako Amamiya couldn't help wondering whether the Fourth Division's healing abilities were that impressive, or whether Soul Reapers' souls were simply that resilient.
"Soul Reapers' souls really are miraculous," Miyako Amamiya remarked.
Just then, another knock came at the door.
"Come in."
"Amamiya-kun, I'm here!" Orihime Inoue said with a broad smile.
"Inoue? What brings you here?" Miyako Amamiya had been planning to look for her in a little while, but she had come to him instead.
"It was Ishida-kun. He said he had a favor to ask me. Honestly, if it's healing you, Amamiya-kun, he doesn't need to ask," Orihime Inoue said, puzzled.
That Uryū Ishida. He didn't say anything, but he's actually really curious... Miyako Amamiya laughed at him inwardly.
"Thank you, Inoue. I was just worrying about my injuries. The Fourth Division is very strict, and I can't leave here until I've fully recovered."
"Hehe, it's nothing. You helped everyone rescue Rukia, didn't you, Amamiya-kun? I heard about all the work you did behind the scenes," Orihime Inoue said admiringly.
"That idiot Rukia is one of my division members too, so of course I couldn't just let her be executed without knowing what was going on. You're the strange ones, charging into the enemy's headquarters for a friend you'd only known for a few months. Honestly..."
"It wasn't as much as you make it sound..." Orihime Inoue rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, not realizing Miyako Amamiya wasn't praising them. "All right, all right, let me heal you, Amamiya-kun."
Orihime Inoue came over to Miyako Amamiya and used her Fullbring, Sōten Kisshun.
Sōten Kisshun's light curtain enveloped Miyako Amamiya, and he took the opportunity to close his eyes and carefully sense her power.
Before long, a tingling sensation came from his injury. The faint pain he had felt from the wound caused by Shinsō gradually faded until he could no longer feel it at all.
"This really is the realm of the gods..." Miyako Amamiya couldn't help expressing his amazement.
"Huh?"
"No, it's nothing. Thank you, Inoue." Miyako Amamiya shook his head. Anyone who saw this ability with their own eyes would have to marvel at how miraculous it was.
After the treatment, Miyako Amamiya got out of bed and moved around for a while. He found that the pain in his body had completely vanished, and the feeling of weakness was gone as well.
"How is it? Feeling better?"
"Yeah. Better than better, really. Thank you, Inoue."
"Mm, that's great. I'll be going now, then."
"Wait a moment, Inoue." Miyako Amamiya stopped him.
"?"
"Where's Uryū now?"
"Ishida-kun? I think he's with Mr. Ganju. I believe Mr. Ganju is going home today, and we're going to see him off in a little while."
"Is that so? Perfect timing, then. Inoue, could you all wait for me a little while? I want to see Ganju off too."
"That's no problem." Orihime Inoue agreed and went out.
Miyako Amamiya asked someone where Retsu Unohana and Isane Kotetsu were, intending to tell them he could be discharged.
It was a good chance to leave the Seireitei with Ganju Shiba for a little while and bring Uryū Ishida along so he could tell him a few things.
After all, those things weren't easy to discuss inside the Seireitei...
"Miyako-kun! You haven't recovered yet. How can you leave your room?" Isane Kotetsu said hurriedly as soon as she saw Miyako Amamiya.
Retsu Unohana, who was beside her, also frowned at Miyako Amamiya, thinking he was like the people from the 11th Division, disregarding his own health.
Miyako Amamiya had finally found Retsu Unohana and Isane Kotetsu in the Fourth Division. They finally had a little free time and were sitting in the courtyard drinking tea.
"If you're worried about my injuries..." Miyako Amamiya slowly undid the bandages wrapped around him, revealing his abdominal muscles. There wasn't a single scar on them.
"How is that possible...? There isn't even a scar?!" Isane Kotetsu covered her mouth, unable to believe it.
"What happened, Lieutenant Amamiya?" Retsu Unohana also realized something was amiss. As far as she knew, Miyako Amamiya's injuries couldn't possibly have healed so quickly, much less without leaving a scar.
"Among the Ryoka, there's a woman who's skilled at healing. She's the one who healed me. Now, apart from my Reiatsu not having fully recovered, there's nothing else seriously wrong. I hope you'll allow me to be discharged, Captain Unohana."
"That's impossible. How could such a serious wound through your body heal so quickly...?" Isane Kotetsu still couldn't believe it. She hurried over to Miyako Amamiya, half-crouched, and used Kaido to examine the place where the wound had been.
Isane Kotetsu was very tall, standing 187 centimeters, a little taller than Miyako Amamiya. Fortunately, the difference between their heights wasn't obvious. If she were examining Tōshirō Hitsugaya, she might have had to crouch down.
After examining the wound with Kaido, Isane Kotetsu still couldn't believe it and reached out to feel Miyako Amamiya's body.
"Miss Isane, that tickles a little..." Miyako Amamiya said helplessly.
Only then did Isane Kotetsu realize her actions were a little inappropriate. She backed away, apologizing as she went. "S-s-s-sorry, Miyako-kun. I was out of line..." Isane Kotetsu was nothing like her younger sister, seeming shy and lacking in confidence.
"That's enough, Isane." Retsu Unohana stopped her. "Let Lieutenant Amamiya be discharged." Retsu Unohana had seen Orihime Inoue's healing ability with her own eyes and had no doubts about the truth of what Miyako Amamiya said, so she intended to let him go.
"Yes... Captain." Isane Kotetsu hadn't found anything wrong herself, so she could only follow her captain's decision.
The West Rukongai Gate, the gate guarded by Jidanbō, was slowly opening. The guardians of the other three Rukongai Gates had all been hypnotized by Aizen and then seriously injured by Jidanbō and Kūkaku Shiba, so the West Rukongai Gate was currently the only functioning gate in the Seireitei. The other three had been temporarily closed to prevent enemies from invading again.
"Damn it, who does he think he is, making us wait here for him? This is my send-off! And he's making me wait for him!" After hearing from Orihime Inoue, the group had waited by the gate, and Ganju Shiba was now speaking ill of Miyako Amamiya behind his back again.
"Don't worry, Mr. Ganju. Amamiya-kun should be here any moment," Orihime Inoue said, trying to calm him down.
Uryū Ishida, standing nearby, said nothing. He guessed that Miyako Amamiya had most likely come to fulfill their agreement.
"Hey, Uryū, you're so mad at that guy who only tells half a story that you're speechless too, right? After all, he not only refuses to make himself clear, he also knocked us both out and captured us!"
"Didn't I tell you not to call me Uryū? We're not that close." Uryū Ishida looked at Ganju Shiba, his head aching. He always got the feeling that Ganju Shiba was like Ichigo Kurosaki, acting inexplicably familiar with people.
"Good thing you didn't agree with Ganju. Otherwise, I might really have only told you half the story later." Miyako Amamiya's voice came from beside them.
"A-A-Amamiya!" Ganju Shiba instantly hid behind Uryū Ishida. "Hey, why don't you make a sound when you walk?"
"Ganju, I heard everything you said earlier," Miyako Amamiya said helplessly.
"Eek! Damn you, you're definitely going to get back at me on the sly again, aren't you?" Ganju Shiba held both hands up protectively in front of himself, looking terrified.
"Ganju, if I hadn't knocked you out that time, you would've had to deal with Captain Kuchiki's Shikai." Miyako Amamiya hadn't expected to be misunderstood like this and looked at him helplessly.
"Hmph, I didn't need you to save me. I'm a true man of the Shiba Clan. A mere captain is nothing to me," Ganju Shiba insisted stubbornly.
"Ah, Rukia, what brings you here? And why did you bring Captain Kuchiki?" Miyako Amamiya looked behind Ganju Shiba and spoke in feigned surprise.
"B-B-B-Byakuya Kuchiki!" Ganju Shiba looked back in panic, only to find Rukia Kuchiki alone. Byakuya Kuchiki was nowhere in sight.
"You bastard!" Ganju Shiba was furious and moved to attack Miyako Amamiya.
Miyako Amamiya reacted quickly and darted behind the newly arrived Rukia Kuchiki.
Rukia had just arrived and didn't know what had happened, but she had heard Miyako Amamiya fooling Ganju Shiba. She guessed that Miyako Amamiya's antics had probably angered Ganju Shiba again; after all, she had been a victim herself before.
"You..." Rukia Kuchiki drove her elbow into Miyako Amamiya's stomach, making him double over.
"Hahaha, serves you right." Ganju Shiba felt grateful to Rukia Kuchiki for the first time as he laughed at Miyako Amamiya.
"R-Rukia, you recovered fast," Miyako Amamiya said shakily, clutching his stomach.
"I only lost my Reiryoku. You're the one I heard had fully recovered and been discharged already," Rukia said irritably. He had originally wanted to find Miyako Amamiya, only to be told that Miyako Amamiya had fully recovered and left the Fourth Division.
"I have Inoue to thank for that. No, wait, I have Uryū to thank. He's the one who asked Inoue to heal me," Miyako Amamiya explained.
"Hey, don't call me that so familiarly either," Uryū Ishida said with distaste.
"Is that so...? I didn't know you two had gotten so close," Rukia said, looking at them in puzzlement.
"Uryū and I might be even closer than you think," Miyako Amamiya said mysteriously.
"What nonsense are you talking about...?" Uryū Ishida said helplessly. "Enough of that. We're here to see Ganju off, aren't we?"
"True enough."
"Mm, I wanted to see Ganju off myself too. After all, you were attacked by my older brother because you were trying to save me..." Rukia said sheepishly.
"Hmph, girl, I just didn't want to see the person my older brother entrusted to me die without knowing what was going on," Ganju Shiba said, not meaning what he said.
"Even so, I'm very grateful to you and Miss Kūkaku. You even broke into the Seireitei to save me. I owe you both so much..." Rukia bowed and thanked him sincerely.
Ganju Shiba was the one who grew a little embarrassed instead, not knowing how to answer her.
"All right, let's go, Ganju. Uryū and I will take you home."
"Huh? You're both leaving the Seireitei, Ishida-kun, Amamiya-kun?" Orihime Inoue asked curiously.
Uryū Ishida nodded silently.
"Yeah, there are a few things I need to tell Uryū," Miyako Amamiya said.
Once Jidanbō opened the gate, Miyako Amamiya ruffled Rukia's hair at lightning speed and ran out.
"Hey!" Rukia said angrily.
"Rukia, I'll pass your thanks on to Miss Kūkaku, so don't worry!" Miyako Amamiya shouted as he ran out.
Ganju Shiba really hadn't been wrong when he said Miyako Amamiya held grudges.
After escorting Ganju Shiba back to the Shiba Clan and conveying Rukia's thanks to Kūkaku Shiba, Miyako Amamiya and Uryū Ishida walked aimlessly through the wilderness.