Meeting

"That was totally worth it." Said Ichigo with the bottom half of his torso missing. Yamamoto who was standing beside him chuckled.

They were in a random forest in Seireitei. They had escaped the wrath of Unohana and Zaraki. Ichigo wasn't lucky though, Unohana had sliced him in half and threw him to the forest he was lying on now.

Yamamoto was the only one that got out unscathed. Ichigo was now slowly regenerating the bottom half of his torso.

"My gut says Unohana isn't who we think she is." Ichigo suddenly told Yamamoto. Yamamoto looked at him with a curious glint in his eyes.

" Tell me more. " Yamamoto replied to him.

" Don't act like that, old man. You know what she's hiding as well. " Ichigo grumbled. Yamamoto stayed silent.

" She wasn't always the kind and caring Captain of the 4th division isn't she? In fact, she wasn't in the 4th division in the first place. Am I wrong? " Ichigo asked Yamamoto while looking at him in the eyes. Yamamoto kept his mouth shut.

"C'mon old man. Whatever past she's hiding from the world, I can handle it. Trust me. " Ichigo looked at him with seriousness in his eyes. Yamamoto sighed in defeat.

" You will not say this to anyone. Only I, Shunsui, Ukitake and Zaraki know of her violent past. " Yamamoto told him. Ichigo nodded.

" A thousand years ago Unohana first served as the first Captain of the Eleventh Division, where she was the first person to wield the name 'Kenpachi'. " Yamamoto started explaining.

"At some point in the past, she named herself Yachiru Unohana and she was known as the most diabolical criminal to ever exist in Soul Society. She is strong, she has mastered all the countless styles of swordsmanship that exist in the world, hence the meaning behind her previous name, 'Yachiru'." Yamamoto continued.

" Unohana was ruthless and brutal. In the past, she firmly believes in taking any actions necessary — even sleight of hands such as hidden daggers — to get ahead in battle. She demonstrated it by massacring the Quincy of the Lichtreich when they first invaded Soul Society. " Yamamoto added. But then he sighed.

" After that, she settled down during the ensuing peacetime as she found things worth protecting. And sometime later, she left the Eleventh division, changed her name from Yachiru to Retsu and became the Captain of the Fourth Division." Yamamoto ended his explanation. Ichigo nodded.

" That would explain the immense bloodlust I felt from her when we clashed blades. " Ichigo muttered. Yamamoto narrowed his eyes at him.

" You two fought? When?" Yamamoto asked.

" When you ordered her to tag along with Zaraki to assist him in fighting me. I don't know what she saw in me, but it made her go back to what she used to be like, a cold blooded warrior. " Ichigo answered truthfully. Yamamoto rubbed his long beard.

" And did you hear what she and Zaraki were talking about just now?" Ichigo asked him. Yamamoto nodded.

" Of course I did. I may be old but I'm not deaf. " Yamamoto grumbled. Ichigo chuckled.

" Her training Zaraki is like me training you. His technique and skill is going to improve tremendously. Maybe it would even force her get out of the shell she put on herself as well." Yamamoto added. Ichigo chuckled.

" Just imagine everyone's faces when they see the real Unohana. I think even Byakuya would faint on the spot." Ichigo laughed. Yamamoto sighed.

"I wanna ask you another question, old man." Ichigo continued.

"Speak." Yamamoto replied to him.

"Are you going to reinstate the Central 46?" Ichigo asked him. Yamamoto stayed quiet again.

" Why must you ask such a hard question, boy?" Yamamoto grumbled. He looked at Ichigo and shook his head.

" I don't know, boy. After what that brat Aizen had done to them, I don't know if something like that will happen again. " Yamamoto answered.

" It's not like they're useful in the first place. I mean, they're not the ones fighting in the front lines here, we are. Surely you understand what I mean. What have they done to help you guys anyway? " Ichigo asked him.

" They..... they.... " Yamamoto couldn't find anything to say.

"I heard that they ordered you to stop teaching Zaraki Zanjutsu after a day of training because they're scared that he'll be unstoppable if he revolts against Soul Society. " Ichigo continued.

" That's stupid. They clearly don't know who they're talking to when they decided that. " Ichigo pointed at Yamamoto.

" At least they have brought order to Soul Society." Yamamoto argued back. Ichigo sighed.

" All I'm saying is that you don't need 46 people to order you what to do with your life. You are your own person, it's common sense." Ichigo grumbled.

" But hey, at least now you can do what you want instead of being ordered around like some butler." Ichigo grinned at him. Yamamoto shook his head.

" I think you should go back to your friends, boy. Leave the thinking to me." Yamamoto suggested. Ichigo nodded and got up, the bottom half of his torso was healed a long time ago.

" Before I do that, can you tell me where Captain Ukitake is?" Ichigo asked him. Yamamoto raised an eyebrow at him.

" Why do you want to see Jūshirō? " Yamamoto asked him. Ichigo grinned.

" I just wanna visit him, see if he's doing alright with how much he gets sick all the time. " Ichigo explained his reasons. Yamamoto chuckled.

" Jūshirō is strong, boy. He is a captain for a reason. But if you insist then I will share his location with you. "

Yamamoto proceeded to tell him the location of the Ugendō, where Ukitake is currently. After memorizing the location easily, he bid farewell to Yamamoto who returned the gesture.

When Ichigo was gone, Yamamoto looked at the clear blue sky. He chuckled.

"This boy.... so ambitious and so proud. But I can see that his ambitions are for the good of Soul Society. I wonder.... Would it be wise to let him be my disciple? "

.

.

Ichigo opened the sliding door in front of him. He saw Ukitake who was sitting on the bed and reading a book.

Ukitake was surprised to see Ichigo." Oh! Welcome, Ichigo-san! " Ukitake greeted joyfully. Ichigo smiled back.

" Hello, Captain Ukitake. I have come to visit you. I heard that you've fallen ill again. " Ichigo greeted him back. Ukitake sighed and closed the book in his hands.

"It is rather unfortunate but I have grown used to it by now." Ukitake smiled at him. Ichigo grabbed a stool and sat at the bedside.

"I want to ask you something, captain." Ichigo looked at Ukitake in the eyes. Ukitake was confused by how serious Ichigo was being.

"Ask away, Ichigo-san." Ukitake replied to him. Ukitake himself is very intellectual. He guessed that Ichigo wanted to ask about how he can achieve Bankai. He was very wrong about that.

"I want to ask you this, Captain Ukitake. Why do you have another soul residing in you?

To be continued....