Carrying an elegant food box 'borrowed' from Yoruichi's house, Kensei stood outside the Fourth Division's entrance. Several times, he raised his leg to step forward, only to pull it back.
It couldn't be helped; he was nervous.
"It's fine, Sister Hana is beautiful, with a great figure. Nothing to be scared of!"
Kensei kept whispering words of encouragement to himself until he felt he had nothing left to fear. His eyes firm, he finally took a determined step toward the Fourth Division barracks.
"Hehe, thank you for the praise, Kensei-kun."
Kensei's neck turned like a rusty gear, stiffly looking over his shoulder. Retsu Unohana stood behind him, her long black hair parted in the middle and flowing down her back, her hands elegantly folded in front of her. Judging solely by appearance, Unohana seemed like a gentle, motherly woman. But Kensei felt a slight chill from the smile on 'Sister Hana's' face.
"Sister Ha— I mean, Captain Unohana! When did you get here?"
"I've been watching from behind since the moment you arrived at our Fourth Division gate."
Then she heard everything I just said! I'm done for.
"Why don't you come inside first? I've heard both Hikifune and Yoruichi praise your cooking. I'm quite looking forward to it."
Like a puppet on strings, Kensei followed Sister Hana into the Fourth Division barracks. Her quarters were mostly filled with medicinal herbs collected from the mountains and floral arrangements used for practicing ikebana with her squad members, creating a sense of peace of mind upon entering.
Kneeling gracefully on a cushion, Unohana looked like a picture of gentle elegance from a classical lady picture. "Please, have a seat, Kensei-kun." She smiled, gesturing to the cushion opposite her, her voice still as gentle as ever.
No idea if Sister Hana is actually angry or not...
Anxiously, Kensei sat on the cushion opposite her and placed the food box on the low wooden table.
"Thank you very much for healing my arms the other day. I heard Captain Unohana prefers strongly flavored food, so this is just a small token of my appreciation."
"Hehe, there's no need for such formality, Kensei-kun. You can call me 'Sister Hana' like you did earlier."
Unohana opened the food box Kensei had pushed toward her. A rich aroma wafted near her nose. Picking up the dishes with chopsticks and tasting them carefully, she nodded. No wonder Captain Hikifune and Yoruichi had been so full of praise.
"Captain Unohana..."
"Hmm?"
"Uh... Sister Hana, does it suit your taste?"
Forced to change his address by Sister Hana's threatening gaze, Kensei cautiously inquired, unsure how reliable Aizen's little piece of intel was.
"The flavor is excellent. I like it very much."
Kensei's culinary skills were indeed beyond reproach. Even Unohana, who didn't usually care much for food, ate a bit more.
"I'm glad you like it." Kensei breathed a sigh of relief. This feels a bit awkward. Time to say some polite words and make a quick exit.
"Kensei-kun, are your injuries completely healed now?"
"Yes, thanks to you, they've fully recovered."
As he spoke, Kensei even waved his hands in front of Unohana to demonstrate his complete recovery.
"Then I needn't worry." Watching Unohana set down her chopsticks, Kensei had a bad premonition. "In that case, why not spar with me in Zanjutsu? I've been waiting quite a while since our last bout."
Unohana lightly lifted the collar of her clothes near her collarbone, pointing to the scar Kensei had left last time.
Danger alarms blared in Kensei's mind. Of course. As a sword maniac, how could Sister Hana not seize this opportunity to drag him into a spar? But looking at the scar on her chest, Kensei felt confused.
Sister Hana was already the Fourth Division Captain. Logically, shouldn't she have already encountered the adolescent Kenpachi Zaraki in the Zaraki District of North Rukongai's 80th District? After being cut by him, she'd changed her hairstyle to braids to hide the scar on her chest. But now...
Kensei looked at Sister Hana's still center-parted, shoulder-length loose hair and felt something was off.
"Speaking of which, Sister Hana, since you enjoy sparing so much, haven't you tried looking in the Rukongai for any hidden masters?" Kensei observed Unohana's expression as he voiced his doubts, also hoping this topic might make her forget about sparing. "I heard there's supposedly a fearsome swordmaster near the Zaraki District in North Rukongai who's killed quite a few thugs."
Unohana looked at Kensei with interest, taking a small sip of tea, seemingly unsurprised by his question.
"Kensei-kun, do you believe in fate? Or perhaps, do you believe in prophecies spanning a millennium?"
Setting down her teacup, Unohana instead posed a puzzling question to Kensei. Perhaps she didn't expect him to answer. She stood and walked to sit on the corridor outside her room, patting the spot beside her to motion for Kensei to join her.
"About a thousand years ago, Captain-Commander Yamamoto gathered powerful individuals from across the Soul Society to form the prototype of what is now the Gotei 13. Though it wasn't called that back then, and its purpose was different. You'll understand the specifics later."
Once Kensei was seated, Unohana's gaze drifted to the flowers cultivated in the courtyard, and her words seemed to have traveled through the curtain of time.
"At that time, I had a bit of a reputation in the Soul Society. I accepted Captain-Commander Yamamoto's invitation and joined his organization. In the beginning, there were plenty of enemies, plenty of battles that brought me joy."
"But later, perhaps because there were no more worthy foes, or perhaps because the Captain-Commander grew older and softer, the original organization transformed into today's Gotei 13."
"With no opponents left, I did as you suggested—I often went to the Rukongai to find so-called 'masters' for sparring. But they were all frauds with empty reputations, crumbling before me, utterly unable to satisfy my craving for battle."
"Even the Kaidō I specifically learned to prolong my enjoyment of fighting proved useless, as these people couldn't harm me. Gradually, I grew bored. But one day, a person appeared before me. He was intimately familiar with the sword style I used. There were even shadows of my own techniques in his movements."
"I exhausted every means but failed to land a single hit on that person. It was my first taste of complete and utter defeat. I thought dying then wouldn't be so bad, but that person spared my life. I felt humiliated, angry, even considered ending my own life."
"But the one who defeated me told me that, roughly a millennium into the future, a person named 'Kensei Kenzuru' would appear at the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy. He said I could seek out this name for a Zanjutsu duel. He claimed Kensei Kenzuru possessed the greatest swordsmanship talent in the Soul Society and said many other praising things about this 'Kensei Kenzuru'."
"Later, I transferred from the 11th Division to the 4th Division. I never went to the Rukongai again, simply waiting quietly for this name to appear."
"Now, do you understand why I sought you out the moment you enrolled?"
Being stared at by Unohana's smiling gaze, Kensei felt his scalp go numb.
How could someone be so malicious, plotting to harm me a thousand years ago? Just jealous of my handsomeness and talent, wanting Sister Hana to harm me while I was still a seedling. The world's morals have truly declined; people's hearts are no longer ancient.
"You've heard the story. Now, will you still refuse my sparring invitation?"
Unohana's hand had already come to rest on her uniquely shaped Zanpakutō. Kensei's Adam's apple bobbed. Looking at the barely contained excitement in Unohana's eyes, he knew there was no refusing today.
Whoever that bastard was who overpraised me in front of Sister Hana better hope I never find out, or I'll make them regret it.
Holding onto a death-defying resolve, Kensei followed Unohana into the training grounds...