"Just who exactly is Lord Kōe?" Rukia asked Kaien impatiently once they were a good distance away from Ugendō.
"Him? He's just a teacher at the Shin'ō Academy, though he happens to be the best one."
"Then?" *What kind of agreement did Lord Kaien have with him? What did she need to do?* Rukia had many questions, but before she could voice them, Kaien asked one of his own.
"You didn't graduate from the Shin'ō Academy, did you, Kuchiki?"
"N-No, I didn't," Rukia replied haltingly. Even though it was Lord Kaien bringing it up, bad memories still flooded her mind.
Born in the Inuzuri District, she had awakened her Reiryoku earlier than her fellow commoner Renji, but her subsequent growth had been far inferior to his.
Even after passing the Shin'ō Academy entrance exam, Rukia had failed to get into Class 1. She understood that she was just an ordinary member of the Seireitei, and she still believed that today. Even though she had been bestowed with "Kuchiki"—one of the most noble surnames in the Seireitei—she couldn't compare to Lord Kaien, or even the others who had entered the Gotei 13 through their own hard work.
Rukia still remembered her first day in Squad 13. The senior squad members who were outwardly respectful to her were secretly complaining about her behind her back. It was no wonder—entering the Gotei 13 without graduating from the Shin'ō Academy made the hard work of those members seem laughable in the face of a great noble's privileges.
Not to mention, she wasn't originally from the Kuchiki clan. This stroke of luck only made others resent her more. When she couldn't even accept it herself, how could she ask them for more tolerance?
"So it does still bother you?" Kaien looked at Rukia's somewhat gloomy expression. While he couldn't say he completely empathized, he had experienced a similar kind of pain.
No one was born immune to getting hurt. With the fall of the Shiba surname in the Seireitei, the accompanying anxieties and doubts had plagued him for a time.
But Kaien was the head of the Shiba clan, after all. He had to appear strong, and he had to *be* strong. Not to mention, he had Yoruichi and Kōe back then; he didn't walk that arduous path alone.
If Rukia were the type of person who could calmly accept the luck in her life and rightfully enjoy and utilize it, that would be one thing. Such a person wouldn't need his help.
The problem was she wasn't like that. Moreover, Kaien didn't think Byakuya was the type to care about this kind of self-inflicted guilt. So, he wanted to give Kuchiki a hand. A kind-hearted kid shouldn't be treated with such coldness.
"I told you before, as long as you're in Squad 13, you are my comrade. I'm also glad that you treat us as comrades too. Because of that, those words must hurt you even more, right?" Kaien lowered his head, gently patting Rukia's shoulder with his right hand. "If you can't calmly accept this unearned reward, then work hard to make it well-deserved."
"Originally, I wanted you to slowly gain experience in Squad 13, but now there's a better opportunity. Kōe is more than qualified to instruct the Gotei 13. If he gives you his nod of approval, it proves you are a qualified member of the Gotei 13. Even your older brother won't be able to refute it."
"It's just that these lessons won't be easy." Kaien smiled and ruffled Rukia's hair, continuing, "You have to stick with it, Kuchiki."
"I understand. It's just that I'm dragging you into this, Lord Kaien. I'm truly ashamed."
"Dragging me into this?" Kaien smiled and shook his head. "Actually, I should be thanking you. After all, it's practical combat instruction from two captains. Opportunities like that are hard to come by."
"Eh?"
"So, technically, we're classmates now. We're both students, no different from each other." Saying this, Kaien suddenly grabbed Rukia's hand and shook it. "I look forward to working with you, classmate Kuchiki!"
*No different?* Rukia's eyes curved into a smile as she replied, "I look forward to working with you too, Lord Kaien!"
*'I'm afraid this is the real reason that guy asked me to come along,'* Kaien mused silently as he looked at Rukia, whose past gloom had been swept away. *'He might be an exasperating dead-fish-eyed bastard, but he really is a gentle person.'*
It could only be said that Kaien was overthinking things. Kōe hadn't thought that far ahead at all. The only reason he asked the Shiba couple to come along was to make Rukia's presence less conspicuous. Of course, teaching Kaien on the side wasn't a bad idea either.
In truth, the "lessons" Kaien spoke of weren't strictly lessons, but rather a scheduled duel. The two participants were Kōe and Zaraki Kenpachi.
For violating the ban on drawing swords and releasing his Bankai, Kōe, along with Zaraki, had received some punishment. Kōe's tenure at the Shin'ō Academy was rounded up from the original seventy-two years to a full one hundred years. Zaraki, on the other hand, was sentenced to face a wall for a year to cultivate his character and temper his spirit.
However, the fundamental issue remained unresolved. What could you possibly say to Zaraki Kenpachi when he bluntly declared, "We'll fight again in a year"? You certainly couldn't expect mere words to dispel his restless urges.
Private duels violated Seireitei law? But that didn't apply to duels between Kenpachis. Or perhaps point out that Kōe was no longer a Kenpachi? While true, that meant absolutely nothing to Zaraki. To him, "Kenpachi" was the title for the strongest swordsman in Soul Society; no one had the right to grant or revoke it.
In the end, Unohana proposed a rather good suggestion. As the saying goes, it's better to guide the flow than to block it: let Kōe and Zaraki duel once a month.
Naturally, their Reiatsu would be restricted. Under a faint level of Reiatsu, they would focus more on sparring with Zanjutsu. If Kōe won, the conditions would remain unchanged. If Zaraki won, the Reiatsu restrictions would be reduced. It would only take three victories for the restrictions on both of them to be completely lifted. At that point, the Seireitei would permit them to fight to the death, and the survivor would be the true Eleventh Generation Kenpachi.
Zaraki naturally agreed to such an interesting game without hesitation. As for Kōe, he didn't have much of a choice. This was already the best possible outcome. Otherwise, if Zaraki launched surprise attacks every few days, Kōe's poor heart wouldn't be able to take it.
On the surface, it was a fair game, but the rule restricting Reiatsu completely erased Zaraki's greatest advantage. Not to mention, he knew nothing about Zanjutsu. Winning three times was a nearly impossible task.
However, there were still risks involved. Zaraki's astonishing potential might allow him to grow at a terrifying speed. Moreover, to him, his instinct-driven fighting style was the best Zanjutsu of all.
One could imagine that these two would be entangled for a long time. For the Seireitei and Central 46, having two hidden threats keep each other in check saved them a lot of effort. They wouldn't mind pulling a few strings in the dark to ensure this struggle continued endlessly.
They would be two beasts reared by the Seireitei, each viewing the other as the most coveted yet unreachable prey, until they reached the end of their lives or their existence lost all meaning.
But could this kind of control truly last forever? Unohana knew that one of them would inevitably absorb everything from the other, becoming the most perfect incarnation of battle. She had waited far too long for that day.
Far too long...