BLEACH: Blade of Purification

The Seireitei covered a vast area. The barracks of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads were scattered in different locations, and each squad's barracks had evolved into different appearances over the long history, influenced by the captain's style and even the style of the squad itself.

If one were to mention the 13th Division, the first thing that would come to mind would be the premier greenery in all of the Seireitei. The captain who had led the 13th Division for several hundred years—Ukitake Jūshirō—suffered from a lung disease. So, to soothe the frail Ukitake, who was often bedridden, squad members, no matter when they joined, would plant trees and flowers whenever they had free time.

As a result, they had accidentally cultivated a 13th Division that was lush with greenery and blooming with flowers. Whenever the seasons changed, members of other squads would make a special trip to admire the view.

And deep within the 13th Division's barracks, undisturbed by the hustle and bustle, behind a long corridor surrounded by a bamboo forest, a detached building was built in the center of a pond. That was the 13th Division's main office, Ugentō. It was also where Ukitake Jūshirō recuperated.

Kyōraku Shunsui walked across the long corridor over the lake and slid open the door of Ugentō.

"Ooh, the temperature over the water is really not optimistic. I didn't even notice it's gotten this late. Ukitake, you should really consider changing places to recuperate. Otherwise, in a little while, it will get so cold here that even I won't be able to stand it."

In summer, Ugentō would be a place with a vast and pleasant scenery, with deep and shallow shades of green intertwined. But now it was late autumn, on the verge of winter. Ugentō, built on a small lake, no longer seemed like a suitable place for a patient.

"Haha, if even you can't stand it, Shunsui, then the Seireitei has probably turned into a frozen hell," a hearty voice responded to Kyōraku. The man with white hair combed into a ponytail and a kind face that made people feel close to him at first glance was the captain of the 13th Division, Ukitake Jūshirō.

He was wearing a haori over his clothes. He had been waiting for Kyōraku before he even slid open the door. Because Kyōraku hadn't hidden his spiritual pressure at all, Ukitake knew his old friend from their Shin'ō Academy days had come to find him before he even officially set foot in the 13th Division's barracks.

"But it's true that I should change places."

Kyōraku didn't refute his friend's teasing, but sat down casually opposite him. But the words he spoke were not so casual, but rather quite serious. Ukitake was always like this. He was the one who was sick, but it was always the people around him who needed to care for him. In their Shin'ō Academy days, it was always Kyōraku who cared about his physical condition, as well as their teacher at the time, Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.

He had thought it would get better after he became a captain, but he didn't expect it to be his squad members' turn to care for him. Even his duties would be snatched up by the Soul Reapers under him.

Compared to the relatively simple and unadorned Ukitake, Kyōraku Shunsui seemed a bit too flamboyant and exaggerated. Although he also wore his hair in a ponytail, his brownish, slightly curly, medium-length hair always made him seem a bit roguish. He wore a pink haori with floral patterns over his captain's haori. If one didn't look closely, it was hard to tell if he was wearing a captain's haori at all. Because he often wore a sugegasa (straw hat), it was usually impossible to see his whole face directly, and at first glance, one could mostly only see his jaw with a bit of stubble.

"So, did something happen in the Seireitei recently? Although my squad members always tell me that all is well and nothing has affected the 13th Division, I can tell from their expressions that's not the case."

Because of his serious illness, Ukitake lived far from the core of the Seireitei. Due to the same situation, although every mobilization order would be sent to him, if it wasn't an important matter, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni would always tacitly allow him to be absent. Unless he sensed something was wrong and personally went to investigate, he had to hear about most situations and news from the members of the 13th Division.

Of course, that wasn't the only channel. For example, Kyōraku Shunsui, who had just appeared. The two had been friends since their academy days. Kyōraku would often come over to discuss current events with him, or to chat about things that had already ended.

"Oh, this time they didn't lie to you. The matter indeed had nothing to do with your 13th Division. And it's over now. To be precise, it had nothing to do with ordinary Soul Reapers at all."

Ukitake was slightly stunned. It seemed this time, it was the latter. He noticed that Kyōraku's face held little worry, only a bit of amusement and great interest, so he relaxed. A slight smile also appeared on his face as he poured a cup of hot tea for his friend.

The steam from the hot tea rose like a white mist.

Kyōraku looked at the hot tea before him with some disdain. "Can't you get me some sake? It's not often I come all the way here, you know?" he said helplessly.

Ukitake shook his head helplessly. He didn't even want to comment on Kyōraku's 'it's not often I come here'.

"As for sake, you can see if I have any here. If you find any, it's all yours." The Ugentō where Ukitake lived was usually taken care of by the members of the 13th Division. In other words, the things here were all sent over by them. Basically, anything they thought would be helpful for his condition would be sent over in droves, but conversely, things they thought would affect his condition would be strictly controlled.

"But you can bring your own next time. I can have a few drinks with you then."

"...Let's forget it then." Remembering something, Kyōraku suddenly shivered. The century-old captain actually showed a trace of fear on his face. "I don't want to be going back, or run into members of the 13th Division in the court, and be glared at by them with eyes that say, 'That's the guy, that's the guy who wants to murder our captain'."

Ukitake smiled without speaking. Although he also felt his squad members' concern for him was a bit excessive, it was, after all, their kind intention, so he couldn't say much. So he turned the topic back to the beginning.

"So, it has nothing to do with our squad, and nothing to do with 'ordinary Soul Reapers'. Then it must have something to do with our other identity, right?" Ukitake emphasized the words 'ordinary Soul Reapers'.

"That's right. It's related to the nobles," Kyōraku said, with no intention of keeping him in suspense. He slightly pressed down his sugegasa, as if to hide his eyes—even though the one sitting opposite him was his friend of a hundred years.

"It was practically an earthquake. Captain Shihōin is really... when he doesn't make a move, he's quiet, but when he does, it's to scare people. Scary, scary, truly scary."

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