"What do you mean by that?" Ukitake asked.
Nobu spoke slowly. "Something extraordinary must have happened to Captain Ukitake's body. Am I right?"
Ukitake fell silent. The easy calm from moments ago vanished, replaced by a deep heaviness.
"To be blunt," Nobu went on, "your lungs don't resemble the organs of a man over a hundred years old at all. They look more like those of a three-year-old child."
Unohana Retsu had said those same words before.
When Ukitake looked at Nobu now, he no longer dared underestimate this newly appointed Third Seat of Fourth Division.
"You're asking me that because… you think you can cure it?"
"I can try," Nobu replied. "But if I truly cure it, other problems may arise—child's lungs don't match an adult's body. That mismatch, however, can be solved. The key question is, if I could completely free you from this illness, what would you want to do?"
Ukitake didn't answer.
Truthfully, he'd long grown used to his condition. He knew it wouldn't kill him, but it had betrayed him at crucial moments more times than he could count. As Captain of the Thirteenth Division, he'd always felt he was falling short.
But to "completely free" him of it…
Had Nobu discovered his body's secret?
Mimihagi—the One-Eyed Great God—Soul King's right arm—was part of him!
"Nobu-kun, you…"
He started to speak but swallowed the question back.
With a sigh, he said, "It seems you've realized something… I'll have to think carefully about this."
Nobu nodded. "If you decide, just let me know."
He stood, bowed, and left the office.
Outside, Kaien was waiting. "How was it?"
"Still need to make some preparations," Nobu answered.
"I see…" Kaien looked at him for a moment, then asked, "So… it's possible?"
"Maybe."
He wasn't going to make promises. If Ukitake ultimately refused treatment, Nobu couldn't share the reason—it would have to be said simply that he couldn't cure it.
If Unohana hadn't been able to, it was normal for him to fail too. There'd be no damage to his name.
...
The next day, Ukitake visited Eighth Division and saw Kyōraku Shunsui.
Kyōraku learned from him that Nobu wanted to treat his illness.
"Your lung disease… might be curable?" Kyōraku's surprise was plain.
He knew his old friend's condition inside and out. Since even Unohana had been helpless, he'd assumed it was beyond hope.
"Not certain yet. But that Third Seat, Tachikawa, seems to have some confidence."
"Then why not let him try?"
"…"
With Kyōraku, Ukitake voiced his hesitation directly. "It was Mimihagi who saved me, letting me live by his power. I don't know if curing my illness would affect him."
He'd always felt Mimihagi had chosen him as a vessel for some mission, some meaning—and he'd lived in preparation for it.
A boy meant to die at three, yet given hundreds of extra years… it was an immeasurable gift.
Kyōraku had known his story since their Academy days, and he could guess the worry behind Ukitake's eyes.
After a pause, he said, "Want to hear my thoughts as a friend?"
The two sat in the quiet corridor outside the Eighth Division captain's office, Kyōraku still draped in his gaudy women's kimono.
"Go ahead," Ukitake said, gaze lowered.
"As your friend," Kyōraku said slowly, "of course I want you to live well. As for that One-Eyed Great God—maybe it's all in your head. If he really gave you some mission, why has he never once spoken to you about it? He saved your life, yes, but you've suffered a century of pain because of it…"
"Let the boy try. All your worries are still just guesses. The only clear fact is—there's a chance your illness could be cured."
Ukitake didn't answer, only looked quietly at the courtyard ahead.
At the far end of the wooden hallway, Ise Nanao stood watching the two men speak, keeping others from interrupting.
"Vice-Captain?"
The call made her turn her head.
"Vice-Captain, here are the documents you asked for—all organized."
The woman carried a stack of files. "Should I take them to your office?"
Nanao reached to take them. "No need. Good work, Kanisawa."
"Just doing my duty."
Kanisawa, dressed in her shihakushō, gave a slight bow. She glanced down the corridor.
"That's Captain Ukitake of Thirteenth Division, isn't it?"
Nanao only nodded. "You can go."
"Yes, ma'am."
...
Two days later, Jūshirō Ukitake came to Fourth Division in person. He wasn't alone—Vice-Captain Shiba Kaien was with him, as were Eighth Division's Captain Kyōraku Shunsui and Vice-Captain Ise Nanao.
Kotetsu Isane came to receive them. "Is there something the two captains need?"
Ukitake smiled gently. "I'm here for Tachikawa Nobu. I've agreed to treatment."
"Treatment?" Isane looked puzzled.
"Seems Isane-chan hasn't heard yet," Kyōraku said with a warm grin.
His way of addressing her was naturally familiar; that was just his nature, always gentle with women.
Before Isane could ask more, Unohana appeared, Nobu at her side.
"My, what rare guests," she said with her serene smile, stopping before them.
Kyōraku's expression turned formal immediately. Alongside Ukitake, he greeted her properly. "Captain Unohana."
Ukitake asked, "You're aware?"
"Tachikawa-san told me."
Of all present, only Isane still looked lost, her eyes drifting repeatedly to Nobu.
Kyōraku added, "It might be best if Captain Unohana could assist during the procedure as well."
It was for reassurance—Unohana's medical and Kaidō skill was unquestionably the greatest in Seireitei.
"Isane, prepare a treatment room," Unohana said.
"Yes!" Isane hurried off.
Kyōraku turned to Nobu. This wasn't their first meeting—at the last two Academy Culture Festivals, they'd crossed paths, and afterward he'd heard of this young genius from others.
But they'd never actually spoken.
"Tachikawa, how certain are you about this treatment? Can you guarantee nothing will go wrong?"
If it were just an ordinary lung illness, he wouldn't ask. But knowing of Mimihagi, he shared Ukitake's unease.
Nobu tilted his head, smiling faintly. "Captain Kyōraku, if you want me to give a guarantee before we even start… that's a bit much, isn't it?"
Ukitake said, "It's only treatment. I've been through many before. Worst case, it doesn't work—nothing lost."
Failure wasn't the fear. The fear was in what might happen if it succeeded.
Kyōraku exhaled. "Then I'll leave it to you."
Isane soon returned to say the room was ready.
Led by her, they went toward the treatment room.
Kyōraku asked, "No other preparations needed?"
"Only me and my captain will be involved. As long as Captain Ukitake is ready, that's enough," Nobu replied.
It was only now that Isane realized Nobu was to treat Captain Ukitake, with Captain Unohana assisting. She knew of his lung illness—it was the incurable problem even her captain hadn't solved.
When had Nobu…
And she'd known nothing of it.
Well… I have been avoiding him these past few days.
Her thoughts drifted until they arrived.
"Please wait outside," Nobu said.
Kyōraku stopped without argument, staying in the hall with Nanao, Kaien, and Isane.
Nobu closed the door. Inside were only himself, Unohana, and Ukitake.
"How will the treatment be done?" Ukitake asked.
He'd glanced over the room's equipment—it wasn't like any procedure he'd undergone before.
"With my Zanpakutō," Nobu said. The medical instruments weren't needed.
Ukitake nodded. "Then I'll trouble you and Captain Unohana."
"Please remove your upper robes and sit comfortably on the floor," Nobu instructed.
Ukitake complied, sitting cross-legged bare-chested.
Nobu looked to Unohana. "Captain, you don't need to assist during the process. You know his condition—if I succeed, his body might react in other ways. That's when I'll need you."
Unohana gave a light nod.
"If I fail…" Nobu paused.
"There should be no problem."
By now, Ukitake trusted them enough to sit still.
Nobu stepped behind him. He didn't draw the asauchi at his waist—instead, before Unohana's eyes, he slowly raised an empty hand. Fingers curled in a phantom grip, and in the next instant, reishi light flared around him.
A shimmer—then, from nothing, a new katana appeared in his grasp.
Unohana froze. She hadn't seen how the blade appeared—it was simply there.
It was an ornate weapon: the scabbard a deep black, traced with red spider lily patterns, bound with crimson ribbon. The tsuba was red as well—striking at a glance, almost breathtaking.
Unohana's gaze flicked from the unfamiliar sword to the asauchi still at his waist, light shifting in her eyes.
So this… is his true Zanpakutō.
---
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