Chapter 14: A Dish Best Served Cold

It was a sober group that gathered in the dojo Monday morning. Rei Kuchiki and Hikaru Nakamura stayed very close together in one corner of the room, while Ryuu Hibiki, Taro Kannogi, and Aono Kira chatted quietly in another corner. Despair and hopelessness emanated from their reiatsu, dismaying Shunsui. His footsteps faltered. What if… But no. He had a mission, and nothing was going to stand in his way.

Striding into the room, he leapt onto the rolled-up mats at the front. His classmates looked up at him with startled and bemused expressions. Juushiro, following him into the room, just shook his head. "Alright," Shunsui said fiercely. "I know that we all miss Mika." He stuttered to a stop on her name, then continued, "But that's no reason to mope around. We have a mission now, and we'll need every bit of training we can get to complete it." Recklessness surged through his reiatsu, honing its swirls to razor edges.

"What mission?" Rei asked bitterly. "They won't even let us off the Academy grounds now, did you forget?" She glared at him. "Not that I'd expect you to care, seeing as you're the one who got her killed!" Her hands flexed at her sides as though she was considering going for his throat.

Shunsui covered his flinch by dropping gracefully off of the mats. "We're going to find out who brought those hollows into safe territory and murdered Mika," he declared. Leaning back against the wall, he spread his hands, feigning calm to cover the boiling desperation that stung his eyes and tightened his throat. As the silence stretched on, guilt and despair joined the battle for dominance, lacing his reiatsu with sullen indigo streaks. "Any questions?"

"Yeah," Rei snarled, pacing towards him. "Why the hell do you care?" Hikaru lifted a hand towards her back, then shrugged and dropped it, blue eyes narrowing in calculation.

Shunsui straightened. "I care because she was one of us," he growled, forcing the words around the lump in his throat. "And because yes, I did get her killed." And kami knows, I'd do anything to change that. If only I could turn back time, undo that night… His stomach twisted, threatening to expel its contents, and he swallowed hard. But I can't, so I'm doing the next best thing. The corners of his lips twitched. You always wanted me to have a purpose, Father, didn't you? Well, now I do. I hope you're happy.

Rei snorted. "At least you admit it. But that doesn't bring her back!" Venom suffused her tone, but her hazel eyes sparkled with tears she refused to shed.

Shunsui spread his hands, eyes locked on hers. If she launched herself at him now, he'd be hard-pressed to get a guard up in time, but he didn't care. Part of him, the treacherous part that had driven him out into the snow, almost wanted her to. Maybe a few bruises would be a good down payment on the debt he could never repay…

Well, aren't you just so pretty, wallowing in guilt like that, a feminine voice snorted in his head. I'm sure you're enjoying it, but it's not helping anyone.

Shunsui flinched. Then, when Rei gave him an odd look, broke his silence. "No, it won't," he told her. "Nothing will. But…" He lifted a hand. "That doesn't mean we let her death go unavenged, either."

Rei's right hand twitched, a punch aborted before it began. "You…" Her shoulders slumped. The heightened reiatsu swirling around her drained away as she blinked furiously. "Dammit, Kyoraku!"

The slap across the face wasn't unexpected, but Shunsui still winced. She'd put all the power of her body behind it, striking more than slapping – he'd have a lovely bruise in a few minutes. But he kept his hands by his sides. "I deserve that," he acknowledged, hissing a bit as the words stretched his jaw. "But that won't bring her back either." His lips stretched into a humorless smile. "Like I said, though, we can avenge her death, make the bastards who killed her pay."

For a moment, he thought she would hit him again, but then her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? We killed all the hollows who attacked us."

Shunsui snorted. "A group that big, materializing in the middle of safe territory? That's not a coincidence." He had to believe that, had to believe that Mika's death was more than happenstance. Surely fate would never be so cruel… right? He shook his head. "Either someone summoned them or someone let them through the patrols, and we're going to find out who." He bared his teeth. He had spent hours pouring over this theory with Juushiro, and it felt right – far more right than any other possible explanation. "There's no way that attack was natural. And I don't care if they were going for Mika, or you, or anyone else here – or even if we were just byproducts of some other assassination attempt. We're going to make them pay." The speech came out jerkily, broken by the heat of his anger, but he suspected everyone got the gist of it.

Rei lifted an eyebrow. "And you think we…" She gestured to the group. "…can actually do something about it?" Her ramrod-straight posture softened ever so slightly. A wild sort of hope, twin to the flame burning in Shunsui's chest, sparked in her reiatsu.

"Yes." He pressed his hands together in front of his chest and offered her a bow. "Are you with me?"

Her eyes darted from side to side, fingers tangling in her long, blond hair as she turned the proposal over in her mind. Hikaru started forward, then stopped as she directed a glare at him.

At last she nodded slowly. "Very well. We will try your way." Pressing her hands together just as he had, she gave him a shallow bow, eyes lingering on his. The message was clear – she didn't trust him, but she was willing to work with him for now. And that's all that matters. He deserved all her scorn, all her mistrust and hatred, and would gladly bear it as long as he could avenge Mika.

"Wait a minute," Aono objected. "This is a fool's errand at best. We have no proof, none, that someone summoned those hollows! Face it – Fujimoto-san died because of your carelessness, nothing more."

The words thudded into Shunsui's chest like blows. He flinched, shaking his head violently. "No." His voice broke. "No. That's not…" Another crack. "It can't be. A group of hollows that big, in the middle of safe territory? No." He refused to believe that fate had snuffed Mika out for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Something more than bad luck had to be responsible. She was a good girl, curse it – she didn't deserve this! If anyone had deserved death, it was him, and yet here he was, still alive. And she was dead.

Aono snorted. "Then give us more than wild stories to support your claim!" He dug his nails into his thighs. "Kami knows, I wish with all my heart that she was still with us." His voice shook. "But that doesn't mean we should go haring off on a fool's errand just to assuage your guilt."

"Kira-san…" Rei's voice shook as well, but there was steel in it nonetheless. "What if you're wrong? What if those hollows were sent, but we gave up on our chance to avenge Mika because we didn't look at that possibility? Could you live with yourself then?"

Aono paused, and some of the heat leeched out of his reiatsu. "Even so…" He folded his arms across his chest. "If we have evidence of foul play, the proper move is to take it to the authorities, to our senseis or the Gotei Five. Not investigate on our own."

Shunsui snorted. "Rules were made to be broken." He gestured around the room. "Look at us. All from various noble families. Maybe not all high nobles, but all of our families have power." He gave them a crooked grin. "Now, my family may despise me, but most of you have a far better relationship with yours. Use it."

"Use it to escape punishment?" Aono frowned. "You know perfectly well that Yamamoto-sensei won't allow it."

"Oh, no." Shunsui's grin widened recklessly. "Use it to collect information." He nodded to Aono. "That's hardly a violation of the rules, as you know. So the Academy can't stop us."

Ryuu bobbed his head eagerly, his animosity from earlier forgotten. "So, what do you want us to ask?"

Juushiro stepped forward, eyes narrowing as he launched into the theory that he and Shunsui had come up with. "That was not an ordinary group of hollows. Normal hollows don't work together the way they did, and they're certainly not smart enough to get past the border patrols. That suggests that someone let them through, or summoned them somehow. In all likelihood, that someone is related to a noble family. Who else could sneak a group of hollows past the border guards?" He scanned the room, seeing the dawning comprehension on their faces. "Now, I don't think it was any of our families. But we don't want to alert anyone that we're on their trail."

Shunsui grinned humorlessly as he leaned back against the wall. "Right now, they think we're a bunch of harmless students. Let them keep thinking that." He threw a grateful glance at Juushiro. Though he suspected his roommate was still just humoring him, Juushiro's support meant the world to him.

Aono scowled. "This still seems like we'll be skirting the edge of the rules," he pointed out.

"Actually," Hikaru pointed out dryly, "we won't be. The rules don't say anything about gathering information through our families' networks." He smirked. "I bet every single one of your families has a spymaster, or someone similar. Talk to them."

Juushiro chuckled. "Mine doesn't. But then, we're barely noble." They didn't play the power games that the more powerful noble clans did, and thus had little need to gather dirt on their fellow nobles. But they did have their own sources of information that the other noble clans didn't. And Juushiro knew he could trust them. He wasn't so sure about some of the other clans: while he trusted his classmates, he didn't know their families at all.

Shunsui glanced sidelong at him, but chose to disregard his last statement. "Regardless, let's start – carefully – gathering information. Just whatever is going on in the rumor mill right now. Like Ukitake said, we don't want to alert anyone that we're on the hunt."

"Hunt for what?" Kichiro-sensei inquired, stepping into the classroom. "Kyoraku, stand up properly," he added dryly.

"Oh, nothing," Shunsui replied grandly as he complied. "I just want to find the perfect Midwinter gift for the lovely Kuchiki-san here. It's so difficult to find something more beautiful than she is." Rei flinched, then attempted to smirk at the sudden return of his flirtatious tone, while he grinned to hide the way his throat tightened. Flirting felt painfully awkward, almost disloyal to Mika's memory, though they had never had any sort of relationship. After all, flirting had been the cause of his fatal distraction…

Kichiro sent him a strange glance, sensing something wasn't right. Shunsui immediately smoothed out the ragged edges in his reiatsu and widened his grin. Winking broadly at Rei, he sauntered back to his place in the line, and Kichiro sighed. "Well, if that's done, let's start class. Front position, everyone."

As it turned out, it was much easier to declare that they were going to avenge Mika than it was to actually do it. A week after the funeral, Shunsui flopped down on his cot, staring at Juushiro in frustration. "What are we supposed to do?" he complained, running a hand though his messy hair. "They could be anywhere, and we can't leave this damn Academy." He glanced over at the neatly-folded form of Mika's pink kimono, resting on a small table. Cleaned and mended, it was a constant reminder of his pledge.

Juushiro furrowed his brow. "I don't know," he admitted softly. "We're only fourth year students, after all. There's not much we can do; we don't have the training or the skills yet. None of us even have shikai releases. And we still don't know for sure that these hollows were sent. This could have all been an unfortunate accident…"

Shunsui scowled. Juushiro's reminders of that fact had grown more frequent as the days passed, and were a constant thorn in his foot. "We've been over this. That many hollows in a safe area? If that's a coincidence, it's a damn suspicious one." So many things would have needed to go wrong to let those hollows through – he simply couldn't accept that fate had truly despised Mika that much. No, her death had to be the work of some shadowy enemy out there, someone who had desired her death for some reason. Someone who we can – will! – track down and bring to justice.

Unable to sit still any longer, he rose and started pacing. "I asked Kichiro-sensei what was being done to figure out how the hollows got there, and he said that the incident has been classified as a tragic accident. He's no help." None of the instructors were – they all refused to listen to his theory, ignoring the evidence right under their noses.

Juushiro paused. "He said that? Truly?" An unusual hesitation marked his tone. "Then maybe there'ssomething else going on. I've seen several messengers clad in the black uniforms of the stealth force going into Yamamoto's office, and I assumed that they were part of an investigation, but..." He shrugged. "Maybe not."

Shunsui eyed him skeptically. "Really? The stealth force usually wouldn't let themselves be seen so easily."

Juushiro blushed lightly. "I was practicing Kyakko, Bending Light, in the courtyard near there, when I saw the first one. After that, I started returning as often as I could."

Shunsui burst out laughing. "You were practicing an invisibility kido right next to Yamamoto's office? Ukitake, that's brilliant!" He swept his roommate into an exuberant hug, making Juushiro yelp. "Utterly brilliant!" He set Juushiro down after a second, ignoring the heated flush on the pale student's cheeks. "So, did you hear what they were saying?"

Juushiro shook his head firmly. "It wouldn't be honorable to listen to private conversations."

"You have such a stick up your ass sometimes," Shunsui grumbled, but he didn't sound too annoyed. Juushiro glared at him and opened his mouth to retort, but Shunsui added excitedly, "What if they were delivering written reports? I bet they were, actually; this place is addicted to paperwork. Those would still be in the office!"

"Oh, no," Juushiro replied instantly, sensing where Shunsui was going. "No. Kyoraku, absolutely not."

Shunsui gave him his best puppy-dog eyes. "Please, Ukitake? Pretty please? We need information, and it's not like we'll be harming anything. Just looking at a couple papers." He stepped forward, catching hold of Juushiro's shoulders with both hands. Juushiro's breath quickened at the unexpected nearness of the other man. "We promised that we'd find Mika's killers," he said passionately. "This might be our best lead."

Juushiro bit his lip uncertainly. "I don't know, Kyoraku." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Breaking into Yamamoto-sensei's office? Do you know how much trouble we could end up in for that? For all we know, the messages could be completely unrelated."

Shunsui's fingers tightened on Juushiro's biceps. "It's worth it," he declared fervently, voice as soft as Juushiro's.

The white-haired student sighed in resignation. "Alright, we'll do it. But we need a good opportunity."

One came the next day in the imperious form of Lady Kuchiki, sweeping into the Academy like she owned the place. Her husband, aloof and remote, strode at her side, but all eyes were on her glittering form. She wore a heavily-embroidered copper kimono, emblazoned with golden cranes and flower petals, over layers of silk robes in complementing colors. Kenseikan adorned her flowing black tresses. By contrast, her husband, clad in dark green robes and the traditional windflower scarf of the Kuchiki clan, appeared positively plain. He, too, wore Kenseikan in his long ebony hair.

Lady Kuchiki sailed to a halt outside of the main office building of the Academy, looking around arrogantly. Shunsui and Juushiro, watching from their dorm window, hurried outside, as did many other students. Soon she was ringed in a crowd of curious students, all chattering eagerly to one another. She ignored them with regal disdain.

After several long minutes, Yamamoto strolled out of his office. "Lady Kuchiki, what a surprise," he said politely, bowing in formal greeting. "What brings you to my humble Academy?"

The lady sniffed disapprovingly. "I am here to reclaim my daughter," she announced.

Rei pushed her way through the crowd when she heard that, coming to a halt equidistant from her parents and Yamamoto. She bowed elegantly, the bow of respect given by a noble scion to the head of their house. "Mother, what do you mean by that?" she inquired, voice displaying nothing but idle curiosity. Juushiro was close enough to sense her reiatsu, however, and the tension absent from her tone and posture threaded through her spirit energy. He glanced worriedly at her, but Lady Kuchiki was already speaking.

"Exactly what I said," she replied coolly. "You are coming home with us. The Academy clearly cannot keep its students safe, and young women have no place in combat."

Rei's eyes narrowed. "Mother," she began in a placating tone.

Her mother cut her off. "Did you know that they found the patrol of real shinigami who were supposed to be patrolling that forest?" She put a heavy emphasis on 'real.' "Trained shinigami, and yet they were massacred by hollows. And this Academy sent a group of half-trained students out there!" Her reiatsu flared with anger.

Shunsui and Juushiro exchanged glances. "This is new," Shunsui mouthed, and Juushiro nodded. This changes things… Well, maybe. When he thought about it, it didn't surprise him that the patrol had been killed – they had presumably given their lives trying to stop the hollows. But… if these hollows defeated a group of trained shinigami, why were we able to take them down? Maybe the hollows we faced were only the remnants of a much larger group? It made sense, and yet, something still didn't quite add up.

Juushiro shelved the mystery for further perusal as Rei pressed her lips together. "I understand the dangers, Mother, but we are learning to protect ourselves here. I do not want to rely on bodyguards for the rest of my life."

Lady Kuchiki raised her eyebrows. "Really. They are training you to fight and kill. That is not proper behavior for a lady, especially one of the Kuchiki clan. Had I known about this sooner, you would have never been enrolled here."

Yamamoto took a step forward, leaning on his cane. "Lady Kuchiki, if I may interject, we are not training the young women as soldiers. The court guard squads do not permit women in combat roles, only in support roles. If she wishes, Kuchiki-san will join the healer's ranks when she graduates, and will never be on the front lines of battle."

A less refined lady would have snorted derisively. Lady Kuchiki simply turned her cold gaze on Yamamoto. "If that is the case, why were Fujimoto-san and my daughter on the exercise that led to Fujimoto-san's death?" She folded her hands in her flowing sleeves. "They ended up in the front lines of combat there."

Rei stepped forward impulsively, reaching out towards her mother. "It was supposed to be a simple patrolling exercise, well within the safe boundaries of the territory controlled by the Seireitei."

Lady Kuchiki's tone flattened when she replied, "Then the Academy and the court guard squads have failed at their duties. This is unacceptable." She turned to Yamamoto. "We have supported your efforts for this Academy thus far, as we believed that formal training for all shinigami would benefit the Soul Society. We were even willing to support your experiment with that commoner, albeit reluctantly. But now, things have gone too far. You are clearly failing to keep your students safe." Looking back at Rei, she ordered, "You will collect your belongings and meet us at the manor. We will return to our estates on the morrow."

Rei's shoulders tensed. She took a deep breath, and Juushiro could feel the turbulent emotions fluctuating through her reiatsu. "No," she replied clearly. "Mother, Father, I apologize for my insolence, but I believe that the best place for me is here." She glanced back at Juushiro and Shunsui and nodded once, solemnly. "I wish to remain here and get stronger."

Lady Kuchiki's voice cracked like a whip as she announced, "We will not have this discussion in the courtyard. Yamamoto-san, you may call on us this afternoon at our manor to discuss our continued support of your venture. Rei, I expect to see you tonight." With that, she swept out of the courtyard, head held high. Her husband followed silently, hand resting on the hilt of his zanpakuto. He hadn't looked directly at Rei once.

Once they were gone, Rei's shoulders crumpled. "Damn it," she whispered, scarcely loud enough for Juushiro to hear. "She doesn't understand."

"She's worried about you," Juushiro pointed out gently. "She doesn't want you to die as well."

Rei looked up at him, eyes blazing. "Then she should let me get stronger!"

Juushiro shrugged helplessly. "Parents are not always rational when their children are in danger."

"Better than my parents," Shunsui added lightly. Though Juushiro knew of his anger at his family, none of it appeared in his tone. "They'd rather I simply vanished from the earth and saved them the headaches."

"So what should I do?" Rei asked softly. "I want to help figure out what happened with those hollows as much as you do. I can't just leave here." She spread her hands. "Mika was my best friend, the only one I had growing up. I can't just forget about her."

"Talk to your mother," Juushiro urged. "Don't alienate her. If you go see her tonight and explain your reasons for staying, she might be more reasonable."

"You don't know my mother," Rei muttered. "Reasonable isn't in her vocabulary."

Shunsui laughed. "That's all mothers, I think. But Ukitake is right, she's more likely to listen if it's in private."

Juushiro bit his lip in thought. "Talk to Yamamoto-sensei. See if he would accept a modified program of study for you; only things that your mother would consider acceptable."

"What good would that do?" Rei spat. "Then I don't learn what I need to learn."

Juushiro shook his head. "You learn from one of us. I bet Nakamura-san would love to help you with your kendo." Rei blushed, confirming his suspicions about her interest in Hikaru. "And I'd be happy to tutor you in kido. Shihoin-sensei may even be willing to help."

Shunsui nodded, lowering his voice. "You'll still be a part of the academic classes for sure, your mother can't object to that. And even if you have to go home for a bit, winter break is coming up soon. They should let you come back in the spring, even if they pull you out now. Take the opportunity to gather information. You have all those libraries at home; use them!"

Rei nodded resolutely. "Alright. I'll talk to her tonight."

"Don't forget to catch Yamamoto-sensei before he leaves," Shunsui urged.

Rei glanced around at the rapidly-emptying courtyard. Yamamoto had already returned to his office. "I'll go talk to him now," she decided, hurrying away. "Thanks!" she called back over her shoulder.

Once he was sure she was out of earshot, Shunsui turned to Juushiro excitedly. "This is the perfect time!" he announced in a hushed tone. "The old man will be out of his office for bells!"

Juushiro looked around nervously. "Shut up!" he hissed. "Don't say that out here!" He grabbed Shunsui's wrist and hauled his roommate up to their room, where he slid the door shut and glared at Shunsui. "What if someone had heard you?"

Shunsui shrugged nonchalantly. "No one did."

Juushiro rolled his eyes. "Not my point." When Shunsui opened his mouth to respond, Juushiro cut him off with a gesture. "Wait a second." He closed his eyes, expanding his reiatsu to fill the room. "Bones of the tiger-kin, blood of the dragon, flesh of the crane, fly on the wind and dance through the earth, fill the air with breathless cries. Kabene." With an odd mental twist, he settled strands of his spirit energy in place within the walls, where they vibrated happily. He opened his eyes to see Shunsui staring at him peculiarly.

"What was that?" he asked curiously.

"It prevents eavesdroppers," Juushiro explained shortly. In reality, it was more complicated than that, but that was the basic effect.

Shunsui's eyes widened. "Wait, you actually found what you told Shihoin-sensei you were trying to find, when we were searching the archives?"

Juushiro shrugged modestly. "I found pieces, and then she helped me put the pieces together into a full kido. I won't bore you with the details." He waved a hand at his roommate. "So… your idea?"

Shunsui grinned conspiratorially at him. "You heard Kuchiki-sama. Old man Yama has to go talk to them this afternoon. Otherwise they'll pull their support from the Academy."

"And losing one of the foremost supporters of the Academy would seriously destabilize the political landscape," Juushiro concurred.

Shunsui nodded. "Trust me, it's a hot topic among the noble houses right now. But that doesn't matter to us. What's important is that he'll be gone for ages; those meetings last forever." He snorted. "They have to do a full formal tea ceremony before they'll discuss anything of importance, and even then they dance around the topic forever."

"So we have the opportunity." Juushiro frowned. "I don't know about this, but you're right, this may be our best lead." He twisted his fingers together. "Something about Kuchiki-sama's revelation doesn't quite add up. I'm not sure what's going on, and I'm not saying that your theory is right, but it does bear further investigation."

Shunsui laid a hand over his heart in pretend shock. "Ukitake, I thought the sun would freeze over before you admitted that I was right," he teased. Juushiro glared at him. More soberly, Shunsui continued, "We have to be very careful. I don't want to find out what the punishment is for breaking into Yamamoto-sensei's office."

"We have to conceal our reiatsu completely," Juushiro pointed out. "Your reiatsu control isn't that good yet."

Shunsui tipped his head to one side, a curiously vulnerable expression on his face. "Yours is, though. Shihoin-sensei says that your control is the level of a seated officer, at least." He paused. "Shihoin-sensei can control our energy for us if we're getting out of control. Can you do the same?"

Juushiro's eyes widened in shock. "Kyoraku, you don't know what you're asking," he said in a hushed tone. "That's high-level reiatsu manipulation, far beyond what we've done in class."

"But you've been spending all those bells after class practicing with her," Shunsui pointed out. "I know you've done things that no student should be able to do. Hell, you helped create a kido! How's this different?"

Juushiro heaved a sigh. "I'll try," he said slowly. "But no promises." Shunsui nodded.

So Juushiro extended his reiatsu again. Not as far this time, only enough to envelope Shunsui in its warmth. The other student's breath quickened as the energy wrapped around him, but he stayed perfectly still. Juushiro took a step forward, placing a hand on the bare skin of Shunsui's chest where his gi opened. "It's easier with physical contact," he explained absently, focusing intently on the ebb and flow of Shunsui's reiatsu. His roommate's heartbeat throbbed underneath his fingertips in time with the pulsing of his spirit energy.

Slowly, Juushiro wrapped Shunsui's reiatsu in his own, attempting to cocoon each strand of his roommate's energy with his own power. It was tricky work. Every time he thought he had control of part of it, another part escaped his grasp. Finally he looked up and shook his head. "I don't think I can."

Shunsui looked down the scant few inches of difference between their heights. "You can do it," he urged. "I know you can."

Juushiro bit his lip, unable to resist the pleading in Shunsui's eyes. Taking a deep breath, he re-immersed himself in the flow of spirit energy.

The level of contact was unnervingly intimate. Juushiro stepped closer, until he and Shunsui were pressed chest-to-chest. Shunsui wrapped his arms around the slender student, and Juushiro closed his eyes. When Shihoin-sensei controls an unruly student's power, she clamps down on it from the outside, he thought to himself. It's like a shell that traps all the energy within it, then gradually leaches the excess into the ground. So it still leaves a noticeable trace. That wouldn't work for their purposes. Instead, he had to figure out how to conceal Shunsui's power inside the other student, the same way he would hide his own power.

Kyoraku, you don't ask for easy favors, he thought wryly. Despite Shunsui's best efforts, tendrils of his reiatsu escaped at random intervals to explore the room. They carried the faint scent of blossoms with them, and felt like silk on his skin. "Focus on me," he whispered. Shunsui nodded, brow furrowed in concentration. Soon Juushiro felt the wayward reiatsu contract inwards. He shivered as the power glided over him. Carefully, he expanded his own reiatsu to just outside of the boundaries traced by Shunsui's energy.

Bring his energy into your own skin, a voice from deep inside of him urged. He nodded slowly. To his surprise, as he dragged his energy closer, Shunsui's power came with it easily. Absorbing the energy sent a pleasant tingle through his hands, still pressed on Shunsui's chest. Shunsui's eyes widened. "Is that… Did that work?" he asked softly.

Juushiro nodded, though he kept his focus on the energy inside him. It wasn't quite sealed yet; the power could still escape. But now that he had a grasp on it, that was easy to fix. He pulled the rest of his reiatsu into a tight ball inside of him, wrapping Shunsui's power up with it. The brown-haired student gasped as the energy snapped into place. Juushiro smiled slowly. He could feel Shunsui's emotions through the power within him, but he could tell that it was firmly contained.

When he looked up, Shunsui smiled excitedly at him. Their faces were close enough that Juushiro could feel the other student's breath on his lips. Tension permeated the air as they stood there, arms wrapped around each other, staring into each other's eyes. Some unnamed emotion glittered in the depths of Shunsui's grey orbs, making Juushiro's heart race. Shunsui's breathing sped up, and he tilted his head a fraction.

Then the sound of footsteps came from outside their room, and they both jumped back like startled hares. Juushiro hastily broke his eavesdropping kido as Ryuu called, "Kyoraku? You in there?"

Shunsui slid the door open and lounged against the frame. "What's up?" he asked casually.

Ryuu eyed him peculiarly. "What'd you do to your reiatsu?"

Shunsui waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing much, just an experiment. What'd you come here for?" He leaned back against the wall, offering the other student a grin.

Ryuu shrugged. "Wanted to let you know that Kichiro-sensei cancelled afternoon classes today. He's apparently going to accompany Yamamoto-sensei to visit the Kuchiki family, and they're leaving now."

Shunsui's eyes flared with excitement, but he kept his voice level when he replied, "Thanks for letting me know. I guess I'll use the time to catch up on Shihoin-sensei's homework then; the energy flows in Kyakko are still giving me trouble."

"I can help," Ryuu offered eagerly. "It's not actually that hard, really, there's a trick to it."

"Don't you have that essay for Shiba-sensei to finish?" Shunsui asked casually. Through his connection to Shunsui's reiatsu, Juushiro could feel his sudden agitation, but none of it appeared on his face.

Ryuu groaned. "Yeah, five pages on the use of medicinal herbs to treat infection." He wrinkled his nose. "I'll be in the library all day looking for enough information."

Shunsui patted him on the back commiseratingly. "Well, good luck with that."

"You sure you don't want help?" Ryuu asked. "I'd much rather work on kido than a boring essay."

"I've got Ukitake for help," Shunsui replied lazily.

Ryuu laughed. "He's a better teacher than I am, probably! See you later then." Shunsui waved goodbye as the brown-haired student headed down the hall, calling greetings to other friends as he passed open doorways.

Once he was out of sight, Shunsui slid the door shut and looked at Juushiro eagerly. "Looks like the coast is clear," he said in a hushed tone. "You ready?" Juushiro nodded resolutely.

The pair walked casually out of their room, moving quickly but unhurriedly through the corridors. Other students nodded or called greetings as they walked past. Shunsui grinned and waved, winking at the pretty girls, who blushed and giggled. Juushiro rolled his eyes at the display.

Much to Juushiro's relief, none of their teachers were in sight when they exited the dormitories. They strolled through the snowy courtyards, all senses on high alert, until they reached the outside of the office building. Juushiro took a deep breath. "Alright," he murmured to Shunsui. "Any suggestions now?"

Shunsui glanced around furtively, then took Juushiro's hand and let him around the building to a secluded alcove. Wrapping one hand around the pale student's waist, he leaned up against the wall, trapping Juushiro between his body and the wood. To a casual observer, they would look like an ordinary couple. Barely moving his lips, Shunsui whispered, "Can you cast Kyakko on both of us?"

Juushiro nodded slowly. "I can, but we still have to get inside. Doors opening by themselves will surely spark alarm." He bit his lip. This has so many ways to go wrong… "Shihoin-sensei has her help session time now, right?"

Shunsui shrugged. "I think so."

"Good." He grinned mischievously at his roommate. "You're having trouble with Sekienton then. Tell her it keeps exploding in your face."

Shunsui grimaced at him. "Really? Do we actually have to talk to her?"

Juushiro nodded firmly. "If the person manning the desk asks her about us and we never went to see her, she'll be suspicious. Besides, you know to cast Red Smoke Escape. We won't be there for bells, like we would if we asked for legitimate help."

Shunsui grumbled, but agreed. Juushiro gave him a conspiratorial grin. "And, to make it look legitimate…" He trailed off, lifting his right hand to chest level. "Bakudo 21: Sekienton." As red smoke billowed out from his hand, he used a bit of reiatsu to keep the air in front of his face clear. Shunsui wasn't so lucky, and inhaled a lungful of the acrid smoke. He glared at Juushiro, who gave him an innocent look. "We need to make it look realistic," he pointed out. Shunsui couldn't argue with that.

The young woman at the desk took one look at their bedraggled, dust-covered visages and burst out laughing. Shunsui gave her a sheepish grin. "Hey, Mariko. Shihoin-sensei around?"

"What'd you do this time, Kyoraku-kun?" Mariko asked in amusement. She gestured to their uniforms. "Blow yourself up again?"

Shunsui shrugged nonchalantly. "Something like that."

Mariko shook her head in fond exasperation. "You never learn." She gestured to the doorway behind her. "You know where her office is, go on in."

Shihoin-sensei was polite enough to hide her smile when they walked into her office, though her eyes sparkled with merriment. "Trouble with Sekienton?" she asked, gesturing for them to be seated in front of her desk.

"Yes, sensei," Shunsui replied respectfully.

The slender woman nodded, brushing silky violet bangs out of her face. "Show me." Then her eyes narrowed. "Where's your reiatsu?"

Juushiro blanched. Oh, kami! He'dcompletely forgotten that he was still suppressing Shunsui's spirit energy. What do I say, what can we do? Their excuse of an experiment might have fooled Ryuu, but Shihoin-sensei had worlds' more experience – there was no way she'd believe them. Kami, what do I say?

While his thoughts scampered in circles, Shunsui chuckled. "Oh, that?" He pretended to fan himself. "Well, you see, sensei…" He slid his hand on top of Juushiro's and gave her a lascivious wink. "We were, ah, experimenting… It's fascinating, really, how reiatsu-sharing can multiply sensations…"

Lifting a hand, Shihoin-sensei cut him off. "Kyoraku, I don't want to know." Her voice was drier than a desert. "However, I can hardly help you with your kido when you lack your full spiritual pressure. Unless you have some reason to maintain your little, ah, experiment…" She lifted an eyebrow.

Juushiro, cheeks a flaming scarlet, hastily shook his head. "No, sensei, of course not." He relaxed his grip on Shunsui's reiatsu, letting the energy flow back into his roommate's body. Sweat trickled down his face, though undoing the suppression was nearly effortless. Kami, that was close! Though, really, Kyouraku, did you have to pick such an embarrassing excuse?

The flamboyant student's gamble had paid off, though. Shihoin-sensei asked no more questions as Shunsui rose and began the incantation. Despite his desire to sink into the floor, Juushiro had to admire the way he cut the energy off slightly too early, so the smoke bomb triggered prematurely. It was a mistake many inexperienced practitioners made, but to be able to reproduce it on purpose required more control. Shunsui might not have been in the advanced kido classes, but he was still quite skilled.

Shihoin-sensei quickly diagnosed the problem and guided Shunsui through a correct rendition of the kido. Shunsui bowed gratefully to her. "Thank you, sensei," he said formally.

She waved a hand. "Thank me by showing up on time for my next lesson. Preferably, without conducting any more experiments." Shunsui had the grace to flush. "Ukitake, are you here for anything but to help your friend?" Juushiro shook his head, still blushing, and she made a shooing motion with her hands. "Then go on, get back to work."

They obeyed.