Chapter Twenty: Roaming Wild

The border town on the edges of Fourth District was bustling with life and energy that morning, as Katsura and his small companion made their way over the hill and down towards the river that wound between Third and Fourth. It had not been easy to leave the border camp without attracting suspicion, for, although Katsura was a frequent figure going in and out, he had had to take special care to make sure none of the residents saw Homare with him, and as a result he had had to bundle her up in old blankets, carrying her in his arms as though he was going in search of fresh supplies. Even so, his heart had pounded in his chest fit to burst as they had passed the shelter inhabited by the friendly old man who had often kept an eye on the small girl during Katsura's extended absences. Once through the divide and into the Rukon proper, he had set Homare down, refolding the blanket to form a makeshift cloak to protect her from the elements in their long trek ahead. She had not cried, nor showed the slightest sign of fear at the adventure, and, as he had carefully wrapped the worn cloth around her small body, he had been aware of the excitement glittering in her eyes. Perhaps it was because she did not truly understand the danger of what they were doing, or perhaps it was just his own foreboding, colouring the experience. Katsura had not been sure, but she had asked no questions about the back route he had chosen to take, nor the fact that, as the first morning rays of light had begun to rise over Seireitei, they had taken a diversion into the thick woodland of the Third District.

Homare's first impressions of Seireitei had been both poignant and heartwarming. She had exclaimed at the bright green colour of the grass, skipping excitedly between the trunks of trees to examine this leaf or that insect, and every so often she would turn to her guardian, demanding to know the name of a particular spring blossom. Rukongai was not as barren a place everywhere as the area Katsura had grown up, and the border camp itself had been sited on the Seireitei side of the divide, but the huge demand placed upon it to provide for the transient residents had taken its toll on the nature, making the lush, fresh landscape that they now walked through something of a novelty for the young Plus soul. Homare's feet had become damp with dew, but instead of complaining, she had bent to touch the blades of grass, feeling the ground between her fingers and expressing how she was now like the plants that grew there - 'properly' part of the Seirei.

They had emerged in an area of Third District that Katsura knew was mainly rural and filled with farms of different types, backed together into a sort of informal village but with enough space between the land divisions that the locals did not come together often, except for market days. This was land belonging to the main manor, although it had once been under the control of a branch of the Urahara called Kusokawa, who had since died out. Keitarou had known this family, and although he had never explained to Katsura the history of that connection, he had told his eldest son that, following the death of the last lord there, the manor had reverted back to the main house. At enough distance from the central Urahara court to make visits from the Clan few and far between, Keitarou had made sure Katsura was familiar with the terrain, and Katsura had used it many times during his visits to Sereitei in the past. Although the environment was new to his companion, he had already decided that crossing from Third into Fourth was the most sensible decision for Homare's sake, for although he had killed healers, he knew that the Unohana were bound by a vow not to shed life. If he was caught there, he would be arrested, but there was no immediate risk of violence and no chance of Homare being put in danger of her life. It was an irony, he reflected, that he should be making for the land where his victims had grown up, but he understood now what he had not known before about the family of healers, and he had had no choice but to put this to good use.

It had been a long walk, and the sun had reached the midpoint in the sky, telling him that they had been walking across Third District for six or seven hours together. Homare was unused to such physical exertion, but she had not complained, and, although her original enthusiasm had quieted slightly as the journey had continued, she was still soldiering on, resolutely keeping pace with her tall, rangy companion. Katsura had debated using the hit or miss shunpo that he had learned from his father for self-protection purposes, but thus far he had held that skill in reserve. Shinigami were looking for him, and any expulsion of reiatsu could leave an unnecessary footprint on their trail. He had mastered shielding his presence and the art of not leaving a trace of his movements in the past five years in hiding, but he had not yet worked out how to use his spirit power without leaving residue behind, and it was too great a risk.

"Oniichan, is that where we're going?" at that moment, Homare broke the silence, pushing back the folds of the blanket and tossing her head slightly to free her tousled waves of hair. "It's warmer now, and we've been walking a long time. I see a town down there. Is that where we're going to?"

"We are," Katsura nodded. "That town is a border town, and there's a lot of trading there. Right now, we're still in the land the Urahara own. You remember I told you about the different Districts?"

"I remember," Homare gazed around her pensively. "This is the place that the Urahara shinigami want to try and find people places to live in? It's nice. I think it would be nice to live here. Don't you?"

"Well, I am not the most popular person with the Urahara, so maybe not," Katsura said wryly. "I don't think I told you, but my father was an Urahara."

"Keitarou-san?" Homare looked startled, and Katsura nodded his head.

"From what he told me, his father did something that made the Clan turn against him," he said sadly. "Whenever Father talked about Grandfather, he was always angry and always sad. I think it hurt him a lot, seeing his father treated like that. Father hated the Urahara a lot...and they didn't like him much, either. It's not really safe for me to stay on their land, so I think we'll be safer when we reach that town. Most Districts have borders with guards and checkpoints, but the Fourth don't have that with the Third. This town allows people to come and go, because the Unohana Clan don't arm their borders. They don't mind people moving in and out, and so they don't try and stop it."

"The Unohana," Homare tried out the strange word, then, "It's a pretty name. Is it really a flower, Niichan? It sounds like it."

"It is, and we'll probably see it bloom, when we get deeper into Fourth District," Katsura agreed. "We'll stop at the town first, though, have a rest and get some food. I have a few coins," he reached into his sash and produced a handful of copper, "and it should do to buy some fruit at the very least."

"Can I see?" Homare begged, and Katsura held out the coins, allowing the young girl to examine them. She picked one up, turning it over curiously.

"People give you food if you have these?"

"Yes. That's how it works, in Seireitei. That's how, when I bring you food at the border camp, I get it," Katsura agreed. Homare's brow creased in confusion.

"I don't understand why. It's really ugly and not very useful looking," she decided critically, handing it back. "Why do people want them? If it was pretty and shiny, that would be one thing, but it's so dull."

"They've been well used," despite himself, Katsura was amused, and he patted his companion on the head. "In Seireitei, you see, people give these in exchange for items they want. The sellers don't mind receiving them because they can use them to buy other, different things. It's not like doing a trade or bartering something with a person you know. You can take this coin," he flipped the coin up in the air, catching it deftly in his other hand, "and give it to literally anyone selling something, and if the price is the same as the coin, you can take that thing home with you. So we don't have to know people in this town. So long as we have these, we can buy food from them and they won't mind."

"I see," Homare looked thoughtful. "Then I suppose they are useful. But where do you get them, Niichan? You don't have them in Rukongai, so why do you have them now?"

"Well, when my Father died, the shinigami cleaned out a lot of his stuff, but not all of his resources. He kept a lot of money buried in sites around the Rukon settlement, and the shinigami didn't look for it. Maybe they didn't know, maybe they didn't care, but I've been using it ever since," Katsura said with a shrug. "It's not enough for everything, of course. Father wasn't that rich, not after he left the Clan. But I also help other villages in Seireitei, too. I'm quite good at getting rid of Hollows, you know."

"Katsu-nii can fight Hollows too?" Homare was surprised, and Katsura started at the nickname.

"What did you just call me?"

"Katsu-nii," Homare frowned. "Why? Do you not want me to? I know you don't want people to hear your name, but it's not like there's anyone else with us."

"No, it's not that," Katsura sighed, shaking his head. "Never mind. You can call me that, if you like, so long as there's nobody else around. I just didn't expect to hear it. Come on. A little further, and we'll be able to get food. I also want to find out what the best and least suspicious way to send a message to Inner Seireitei is, and as the Fourth are generally the most relaxed people about everything, I think this might be a good opportunity to do that."

"All right," Homare shrugged. "I'm coming, Niichan. This is exciting, you know. It's my first time visiting a proper Seireitei town, and I can't wait to see how you use the coins to buy us food!"

With that she skipped on ahead of him, and Katsura watched her for a moment, a bittersweet expression on his face.

I haven't been called Katsu-nii for a long time. Not since I parted company with Koku, I guess. Hearing it was a bit strange...nostalgic. Especially as I'm hopefully going to reunite with my brother again soon. I need to make sure that Homare is safe, though, no matter what I do. The village I'm heading for is remote and there's a good amount of woodland nearby, so we can arrange a decent and private meeting - but sending a message is still risky, even if I use the name Gorou. I'll just have to hope for the best, I suppose, and figure out the safest way to get it to my brother without us being found out.

"Niichan, are you coming?" Homare paused, turning back to glance at him quizzically, and Katsura nodded.

"I'm right with you," he assured her, moving hurriedly to catch her up. "Let's go find something to eat, and a nice place to sit and enjoy the spring Seireitei air!"

"...and so that's the way that things ended up."

Hajime concluded his report of the Vice Captain's meeting, sinking down onto one of the cushions in the Captain's office with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, sir. I tried to press the issue, but Ikata wasn't being moved on the subject, and the other Vice Captains basically just wanted someone else to clean up the mess. Ikata's ruled me out of the mission and I can't contest the vote."

It was later the same afternoon, and, as the Vice Captain's meeting had drawn to a close, Hajime had hurried back to the Seventh, quickly clearing the last of his paperwork from his desk in his own office before making his way down the long hallway to where his Captain did all his own work. Kikyue and Ohara had already been there, and Hajime realised by their presence that Hirata had expected a report, summoning them in advance to discuss what would happen next. Hirata had not always run the Division in this way, for in the past, he had mostly relied on Souja to convey his wishes down the ranks, but, since the death of his son, Hirata had decided that Seventh's actions and policy ought to be decided more broadly by the upper seats, with his own final casting vote making the ultimate decision, and it had proven to work very well. As Third and Fourth Seat, Kikyue and Ohara were regular contributors now to Division policy, and so Hajime had wasted no time in outlining what had occurred in the adjutant's discussion. He was still angry, deep down inside, but he had quelled his feelings well, knowing that, at the very least, his current companions would understand what the other Vice Captains had not about the hunt for Katsura being taken out of their hands.

"Well, there's a reason we have democratic decision making in the Captain and Vice Captain meetings, though I admit, in this particular instance, I'm not impressed," Hirata tapped his fingers absently against his desk, considering the content of his adjutant's report carefully. "If it wasn't for the possibility of Katsura's involvement, I'd say that it would be better for the Seventh to pull out entirely - but there's still that possibility, and I don't like to let it go."

"Eriko-dono doesn't seem convinced that Katsura is involved in this, despite the evidence we have that he was in both Rukongai and Keitarou's gravesite," Hajime said darkly. "Apparently the Fourth are keeping an open mind. Ikata also said he didn't care about finding Katsura, and he's not the most particular of officers. I'd like to send people with him, if we can, sir. I may not be able to go, but I don't really want to leave this to the Eleventh to handle alone."

"Nothing should be left to that moron Ikata to handle," Kikyue muttered, dropping down onto her own cushion with very bad grace. "Bad enough someone made him a Vice Captain, without him telling the rest of you how things are going to be worked out. It's none of his business, and he shouldn't get to take charge just because he throws his weight around."

"You are talking about another division's adjutant, Kikyue," Hirata chided her lightly, and Kikyue shrugged.

"I'm talking about Ikata," she said unrepentantly. "We all know that he's Vice Captain at Eleventh because nobody else wanted the job."

"He did rather irritate me this time," Hajime admitted. "I am not usually bothered by anything that happens in these meetings, but he decided to pull longevity on me, and I did think for a moment about drawing my sword on him."

"I'm glad you didn't," Hirata arched an eyebrow. "Longevity? In what sense?"

"He's been a Vice Captain longer than I have, and so his experience overrules mine," Hajime said bitterly.

"He said that to you?" Ohara, who had remained silent up to that point opened his eyes wide at the blatant insult. Hajime nodded.

"I hope you told him that it's not about experience but calibre," Ohara snorted. "I'm sorry, Taichou, but I agree with Kikyue-hime. Ikata is an unpleasant and uncouth individual and his rank choice is only a matter of clear fortune on his part - or perhaps, misfortune on that of Minaichi-taichou. Surely you aren't going to allow him to run roughshod over our business and talk to your adjutant in such a way?"

"If I got angry over every single implied or direct insult the Endou ever received, practically nobody in Seireitei would still be alive to cast their democratic vote," Hirata said dryly. "Hajime's a big boy, he can deal with it himself without my intervention. But I agree, it's inconvenient," he added, glancing at Hajime. "If that's how the meeting settled, there's nothing we can do except send a team in support and follow Ikata's lead - at least outwardly."

"I see," Ohara's eyes narrowed. "Ikata is foolish enough that he wouldn't notice if you sent officers on their own auspices. So long as they didn't make themselves openly hostile to his leadership, he'd believe that he was in control."

"Sometimes subtlety is the best option, especially when dealing with a colleague who has none," Hirata agreed. "Hajime, I know you're annoyed, but I have another assignment for you, as it happens, and I think that its as well you take charge of it. I'll look at personnel for the Dangai mission, but I suppose we can spare six or seven at most, no more."

"If I may, Taichou, I'd like to offer my services," Ohara raised his hand, but Kikyue shook her head.

"No. If someone's going, it's going to be me," she said bluntly. "Katsura is my prey. He's been my prey from the moment he ambushed our Division, attacked me and said unforgivable things about Niisama's death. If the Endou are going to search the Dangai for him, I'm going to be leading the charge."

"Kiki..." Hirata eyed his daughter in consternation, and Ohara frowned.

"Hime, we don't know what might be inside that place, except, possibly, more of those disgusting decaying monstrosities," he pointed out. "It might be dangerous, and Ikata is not someone to be trusted with your safety. Please reconsider. I am quite happy to take the duty, unpleasant as it will be to listen to that loudmouth bark orders, but I would not wish for you to come to harm because of his inattention."

"I am quite capable of defending myself, Ohara," Kikyue snapped, and Ohara bit his lip, his eyes becoming clouded.

"I wasn't meaning to question that, hime. I just..."

"Ohara is paying deference to me, Kikyue," Hirata said softly. "He knows, as you do, how much your safety means to me and how easily you might be targeted by an enemy of the Endou for that reason. Katsura knows our weaknesses and he may well have read your mind in that encounter. If he finds you, what do you think he'll do? His sister killed your brother. I won't have it repeated."

"My life is much more dispensable than yours, hime," Ohara added, somewhat recovered by Hirata's support. "I am not your equal in terms of swords or power, but I am insignificant to this fugitive and thus placed better to tackle him, should the opportunity present itself."

"I don't really like the idea of either of you going, if I'm frank," Hajime admitted. "Katsura's my prey too, because he escaped my blade that night, but I've got the same concerns about safety as Ohara has. I'd rather the Endou were able to co-command the mission, and I am still not happy about being forcibly ousted from that possibility. I told Ikata we'd send people to his patrol, because I don't want to leave it to him alone, but I'm not sure anyone in this Division is well-suited to kow-towing to another Division's ego. It isn't in the nature of the hunter to be subservient to another, and sending either of you would imply we were doing just that, with the Captain's best wishes. Surely sending lower ranked officers would be more appropriate, rather than letting Ikata think he could command the higher seats of the Seventh as though they were his own?"

"But you said yourself, the Vice Captains ruled that this is Eleventh's duty, and you can't go," Kikyue pointed out. "I don't see what we can do about that, except defy Ikata openly, which would cause problems."

"It would create ripples and I would rather not have the Captain of the Eleventh visiting me with a grievance," Hirata admitted. "We could simply pull out, of course. That is an option. Perhaps one we should consider seriously."

"I still think we should go. I should go," Kikyue stood her ground. "I'm not an idiot, and I'm used to leading my own patrol. People here will follow my lead, and Ikata's stupid. He never takes me that seriously, because I'm Taichou's daughter, and joined this Division when I was still pretty young, compared to a lot of the others. If he thinks Hajime-dono is inexperienced, given they're about the same age, he probably thinks I'm still teething."

"I am fairly certain nobody thinks that, hime," Ohara murmured. "I'm sure if they did, you would soon set them to rights."

"But my point is, Hajime-dono said that none of the Endou high seats would react well to orders from a lowborn Yamamoto, and its true," Kikyue reminded him. "If we only send low seats, though, they won't be innovative enough to follow their own interests without alerting Ikata to the fact they're doing just that. Even if we sent Masaoka, for example, he'd still find it hard to defy another Division's Vice Captain. If I go, I'd being going with the intention of fulfilling our interests, and anyone with me from Seventh would follow my word, not Ikata's. I'm Third Seat of the Seventh Division, and I don't really care what Ikata Jintarou thinks of me. If we found Katsura, he'd be my target, and if Ikata doesn't care much about Katsura, then he'd probably not mind if I focused our attention on that. It makes the best sense."

"Then at least allow me to go with you?" Ohara asked. Kikyue shook her head.

"No. That would definitely pump up Ikata's ego, if he had both the Third and Fourth seat with him," she said pragmatically. "I'll take Takasugi. Hashimori too. And a couple of the others. That should be enough. Takasugi is from my patrol and I know how to work with him, and Hashimori's pretty by the book with his adherence to orders. They should be fine."

"What about Kotetsu?" Hajime asked.

"Is Kotetsu allowed into the Dangai?" Ohara frowned. "What are his conditions of parole again?"

"He's not allowed into the Thirteenth, or near that girl he assaulted, but I don't think he's debarred travel in and out of Seireitei," Hajime looked thoughtful.

"You three seem to have forgotten that I'm here, and that final decision on all of this is mine," Hirata interjected at this moment, and the three other officers turned guiltily. "Yes, that's better. Happy as I am that the three of you function so cohesively together in these things these days, I am still the Captain, and you need my agreement for any and all of these plans of yours. I haven't given you authority to go yet, Kikyue, and as for Kotetsu Tenichi, he will be staying here. I said I had a job for Hajime, and it happens to involve Tenichi."

"Are you going to say I can't go?" Kikyue looked anxious. "Father, please. I can take care of myself, you know I can. I've worked hard since Oniisama died, and I'm not taking a careless risk. I won't go on my own, and I already said I'd take Takasugi and Hashimori to back me up. Sixth and Seventh seat should be enough without boosting Ikata's ego too much, and if I take some of the lower ranks as well I should be able to act quite efficiently even if Ikata is being a pain. We're only going to scout the Dangai, and the last time I met Katsura, I didn't know he even existed. Now I know what he is, and I'm not going to be taken off guard. I haven't forgiven him for what he said about Oniisama's death, and I want to find him, for the sake of the Endou Clan. I'm an Endou, just as Oniisama was, and just because I'm a girl and can't inherit it, it doesn't mean I don't care about stability or the future beyond now."

Hirata groaned, burying his head in his hands.

"I dislike when you use that angle of attack," he admitted. "You put the honour of the family in front of me and then I'm trapped. As your father, I don't want you or Sayuri in a position of danger. You know that, but you always wanted to be a shinigami, like Souja, and I didn't stop you. I don't regret it, because you have the natural skill to be one - just as he did, but maybe in a way, even more than Souja. You're a true hunter, Kikyue, and I know you can take care of yourself. As your Captain, I acknowledge your logic. Just remember, when you throw that rhetoric at me, that I have to manage it as your father, too, and that is not as easy as you might think."

"I know," Kikyue's eyes softened, and she got to her feet, coming to kneel before her father's desk. "I know, sir, and I promise, I will be careful. I'll find out what I can and if I find Katsura, he'll be coming back with me. Alive, if I can manage it, but if need be, I'll take his life and bring you his corpse. I'm not afraid of him, but for Sayuri's sake too, I need to do this. Oniisama isn't here to do it. There's just me now, so I need to."

She shrugged, looking matter-of-fact.

"I'm a shinigami, not a hime, not really," she added. "The Clan are already more interested in Sayuri when they talk about the future, because she doesn't wield a sword and act like a warrior, rather than a lady. In a sense, with Oniisama gone, I feel like I took on his mantle, too. I can't inherit, and nor can she. But I can help to make sure my sister is safe, just as Oniisama did for me. Katsura stands in the way of that goal, so please, Otousama, let me go with Ikata and hunt the ingrate down."

Hirata did not reply for a moment, then, slowly, he raised his gaze to look at her. He sighed, then slowly, he nodded.

"You have my permission," he said quietly. "But keep in mind that I will worry about you, no matter how talented I know you are. And Sayuri would cry again, if you were killed, not to mention that it would finish your poor mother once and for all. Remember that, and make sure you don't take stupid risks. I would sooner Katsura escaped again than lose you. That's an order. You are to put your life as first priority. Understand?"

"Taichou?" Ohara looked perturbed, and Hirata sent him a sad smile.

"Kikyue is right. Her logic is sound," he said wearily. "Don't make it harder for me by protesting, Ohara. In her absence, I'll need you to take charge of the regular patrols. They'll have to run a little abnormally, because I want Hajime to take Tenichi and Nakata and do some scouting around Seventh District."

"Seventh? For what, sir?" Hajime was taken aback.

"Tenichi was left in Seventh District by Keitarou, which means there's a Gate there," Hirata said frankly. "If this really is linked to Keitarou's Gate network, then that's worth investigating. Tenichi probably has more exact knowledge than the rest of us, as the only one who went there to retrieve him was Souja. I'd like you to go and investigate the scene. Identify the Gate, if you can, and discover if it's been at all used."

"And look for traces of Katsura in the vicinity?" Hajime asked. Hirata nodded.

"You and Nakata have both met him, and Tenichi knows where the Gate is," he agreed. "It makes sense to send the three of you, to cover all bases."

He glanced at Kikyue.

"You should go and brief Takasugi and Hashimori, if you intend to take them, and select your other officers," he told her. "Ohara, you, too. There are still patrols to run, and you'll have to patch together whoever is left from Kikyue and Hajime's patrols to run them. Are you all right with that?"

"Yes sir, of course," Ohara cast Kikyue a troubled look, but raised no demur, bowing his head towards his Captain. "I'll go now and look at the lists."

"Then the both of you are dismissed," Hirata told them, and with identical salutes, the two officers withdrew from the office, leaving Captain and Vice Captain alone. Hajime gazed towards the door for a moment, then,

"I agree with Ohara, sir. I have concerns about Kikyue-hime going into the Dangai."

"So do I, but she's right, and I can't fault her argument," Hirata said heavily. "Stopping her would be me acting as a Father, not a Captain, and the moment that happens is the moment I make Kikyue's rank here untenable. I can't stand in her way this time, Hajime. She is part of this Clan too, and the burden is as heavily on her as it is on Sayuri. I've never heard her talk like that, in terms of shielding her sister, and I'm glad to hear it - but I have to give her her way sometimes. This is a risk, and I know it, but I can't stop her."

He rested his arms on the desk pensively.

"More encouraging, though, is how indignant Ohara seemed to be about Ikata's insult towards you. I trust you noticed that. He seems to have completely overcome his earlier prejudices about your birth level and your position within the squad."

"Ohara has been a much less annoying officer all round since the business five years back," Hajime said thoughtfully. "He was a thorn in my side then, especially with...when Souja-dono...but since then, everything has changed. I think we've reached an understanding...but it's true. Ikata and I are much of the same line of birth within our respective Clans. It's somehow nice to know that my Fourth Seat is on my side, even if by birth he outranks me by a long way. I feel that if I give an order, now, he will obey it without my having to chase him up, and that is welcome relief."

"Juushirou suggested him as a candidate to marry Kikyue," Hirata observed, and Hajime started, then offered an amused smile. He nodded.

"I think Ohara may be the only man in the Endou Clan with the right line of birth and prospects who isn't terrified by her," he acknowledged. "I'm not sure that Kikyue-hime is thinking on those lines, sir, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ohara's dedication to her might come from more than just Clan loyalty. With respect, sir, I've felt for a long time that he's very much smitten with her, and not just in terms of the lucrative possibilities of marrying into the central Clan."

"Well, he might have to be patient for a long time. It may be an eternal wait, knowing my daughter," Hirata said resignedly. "His concern for her safety reassures me, though. As a father, have I become too protective, Hajime? I made you my Vice Captain five years ago and it was the right choice. Kikyue was still too young and knew it herself, but it surprised a lot of people that I didn't choose my daughter after my son. This may sound harsh, but the truth is that I wanted a Vice Captain I could trust to do the job without being constantly worried about their safety. Having Kikyue in uniform is still a challenge for me, since Souja died. The idea of her going into Katsura's direct path frightens me...maybe to the point I stop being an effective Captain."

"If I had been able to go, it would have been better," Hajime reflected. "I'm not offended by your words, sir. On the contrary, I understand the honour of my current rank and my duty to the Clan and to this squad. I think Kikyue-hime is capable of undertaking this task, and probably more capable than Ikata of leading it effectively. But with respect, sir, five years is a very short amount of time to expect the shadows to fade. Souja-dono is still here, even though his ashes long since scattered over Seireitei. His loss still affects even me, and I was merely his squad second. I think that it is very soon to imagine that any of us have really moved on...and that is the part that concerns me. It's not that I think you are overly protective, sir, but just aware of the reality. Kikyue-hime may be the strongest shinigami outside of yourself to be a member of this squad, and she may be one of the most naturally talented fighters in all of Seireitei. But I am not sure she can be rational when it comes to facing Katsura, and, I suppose that is the biggest test in all of this."

"Taichou?"

Aoi knocked lightly on the door of the his Captain's office, waiting for a moment before sliding it back to let himself in. His time as Vice Captain of the Twelfth had taught him that, at times, waiting for a summons could take all day, as Mareiko had a habit of deeply engrossing herself in her work. This had always been the case, but, since the events of five years earlier, Mareiko's dedication had all but doubled, as though by intensifying her workload she could somehow erase the memories of the day Keitarou had invaded Seireitei.

Around Seireitei, Mareiko had a reputation for eccentricity, and her elaborate experiments into Kidou research often approached dangerous conditions. In spite of that, though, she was also known for her intelligence, and Aoi felt some pride inside of him when he ever heard someone refer to his Captain as a genius. It was true, he reflected now, taking in the hunched form stooped over her desk, oblivious to his presence. Nagesu was an intelligent and well-educated Urahara, but there was a quicksilver thread of innovative intellect that ran through the Urahara bloodline, and Mareiko had inherited it in full. Without her contributions, Aoi suspected that Nagesu would have made much slower progress on several of his projects, and although the Twelfth were no longer subservient to Urahara overlordship, the scientific relationship between the two Divisions had remained largely unchanged.

Aoi was more of a warrior than a scientist, with a strategic brain for the battlefield rather than an aptitude for the lab, but the balance between his authority and Mareiko's brilliance had allowed the Twelfth to become a thriving Division. In spite of that, though, as he regarded his Captain now, Aoi knew that Mareiko was still haunted by the past, and he sighed, closing the door behind him and crossing the lab floor to put a light hand on his leader's arm. At the contact she started, swinging around to stare at him in surprise and consternation, and at her reaction, Aoi sent her a rueful smile.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I did knock, but there was no answer."

"Aoi," Mareiko recovered herself, pushing stray strands of wild blond hair back from her face and offering him a weary smile in return. "I'm sorry. Nagesu-sama sent me the notes he received from the border camp incident, and I was looking them over. I had a few things I wanted to check out, so..." She paused, reaching over to rest a hand on the large pile of dusty books that stood in a precarious tower at the edge of the cluttered desk. "I suppose I became engrossed."

She sat back, gesturing for him to take a seat, and Aoi carefully moved a box of papers onto the floor, settling himself on the narrow space of cushion he had created.

"I suppose you came to report to me about the Vice Captain's meeting?" the Captain asked now, and Aoi nodded, impressed that, for once, his leader had remembered where he had told her he was going when he had left barracks that morning.

"The opinion of the Vice Captains is that we ought to be investigating the Dangai itself, rather than trying to find Gates all over the place," he agreed. "While we all think that there's probably a link between the network of Gates that Keitarou used and these incidents, there's no link that I can see to Keitarou himself, so we're stuck at scratch. We agreed that the safest Gate to investigate is probably the one in Sixth, if Guren-sama gives permission. The problem is that we have no way of opening the Gate directly...so I was sent to ask you if you had any ideas on how we might achieve that."

"Investigate the Dangai?" Mareiko pressed her lips together, her fingers absently compiling together stray leafs of paper. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Is there a reason why we shouldn't?" Aoi looked surprised. "The source of the problem is clearly inside the Dangai somewhere, and..."

"I'm not sure if that's true," Mareiko looked troubled, her brow lined with what Aoi realised was a mixture of weariness and consternation. She had probably not been sleeping right again, he realised with a jolt, and he made a mental note to ensure that, that evening, she locked up the lab and withdrew to her own quarters at a reasonable hour. "I mean, yes, it's the Dangai, but..."

She sighed, pulling at her hair once again, then turning her attention to the paperwork before her.

"I don't really know what it is," she admitted, frustration lacing her tones. "The readings that Yunosuke-dono brought back don't match with what I expect from a Dangai scene. That bothers me, especially if these are Keitarou's Gates."

"I'm not sure I understand," Aoi's brows knitted together, and Mareiko pulled together the pile of paper, spreading them out so that he could see them. They were covered with elaborate diagrams, annotated with his Captain's familiar spidery squiggles, and as he stared at them, trying to make out what his leader wanted him to see, Mareiko tapped the nearest sheet with a long, slender index finger.

"When I investigated scenes following Keitarou's death, the readings were pretty typical of a Dangai Gate," she said slowly. "The mechanism was not the same, of course. He'd tampered with that to suit his own ends. I strongly suspect he had other Gates we didn't find yet, but since he's no longer alive, I didn't give it much thought. I've only begun to do research on that since the notice about Katsura, since he's probably using the same network."

"That makes sense," Aoi acknowledged, picking up the nearest sheet of paper and gazing at the notes with a frown. "I'm sorry, Taichou, I don't understand the nuances here. I get that the readings Yunosuke-dono brought back were anomalous, but beyond that..."

"The Urahara, historically, operated the Punishment Gates. Zaimon," Mareiko told him. "You're familiar with that?"

"It came up at the meeting today," Aoi admitted, "but even Shiketsu-sama didn't seem to have all the facts on that. Apparently there are a lot of missing records. Things such as who was consigned there, and where a lot of them were. It's been a very long time since they were used, and although it was discussed that the dead that came out of them might have been Dangai condemned, some of the Vice Captains felt that was unimportant, as nobody but Genryuusai-sensei is alive now who would have even remembered a time where the Zaimon were in use."

"The difference between a Zaimon and a Senkaimon is simple," Mareiko said pensively. "A Senkaimon connects you to another location. A Zaimon was never meant to do that. It was an oubliette, if you like. A place into which condemned criminals considered too dangerous to even be executed in Seireitei were consigned. Like Shiketsu-sama, I've done some research on these in recent days, and he's correct. The records are very incomplete. I managed to supplement some of the information with data from Daigo-sama's notes. He used to be in charge of the Clan prisons," she added, sending Aoi a sad smile. "The Zaimon were never used for punishment purposes then, of course, but Daigo-sama did know about them. I wondered, with hindsight, considering the experiments he performed on some of those poor inmates, whether he debated using the Dangai system to rid himself of the bodies...but then I realised that he had no need to do so."

She shrugged, reaching to pull down a folder from a shelf, creating a huge cloud of dust that set both of them coughing. Aoi wafted the dust away hurriedly, and Mareiko offered him a rueful smile of thanks.

"This is his ledger from that time," she said, setting the folder down atop her notes. "Because he was in charge of dealing with the Urahara prisons, and a lot of those prisoners were condemned to death, he had no need to conceal bodies. People died in prison. Nobody was particularly troubled by the fact. The ledger accounts for all of the Urahara and their disposal. There's nothing missing."

"So the corpses in the Dangai aren't Daigo-sama's experiments?" Aoi took the ledger, flicking through it and running his finger down the column of names and signatures that marked the sad fate of a generation of Urahara prisoners. "I suppose I see why you were looking at that, given the three creatures in the Real World who attacked the Gotei on Keitarou's instructions. They were Daigo-sama's work, weren't they? It would make sense that similar entities might be in the Dangai."

"It would, but I have ruled it out," Mareiko shook her head. "I'm relieved that that's the case, but it brings me back to my original point. Zaimon were never intended to connect to anything, so nobody tried to connect them. Keitarou seems to have manipulated some of them into the Senkaimon system, where they were never meant to be. Nonetheless, the spiritual emissions at the opening of the Gate near the border camp are not consistent with a normal Senkaimon. I don't know how he connected them, but I think their being connected like that may have always been dangerous. This may be the first time we've seen that danger, but it is possible this could have happened at any time."

"Meaning that this is a coincidental anomaly?" Aoi paused, glancing at her in surprise, and Mareiko shook her head.

"Nothing is a coincidence," she said firmly. "No, I don't think so. Something caused this to happen now. What, I'm not sure yet. I don't know, either, if it matters how old the Dangai corpses are. I can't perform any proper spiritual dating test on them because of the location they came from. Dangai atmosphere warps any hope of properly performing spirit dating - but I tend to agree with the assumptions of the Fourth and the Third that these are probably older corpses, from the time the Gates were used this way. Perhaps because Keitarou connected the Zaimon to the Senkaimon, the one has started to leak into the other, making it possible for something like this to happen."

"Meaning that corpses could start appearing in the normal Senkaimon network as well?"

"I think it's a high probability," Mareiko agreed, "and I've already sent a message to the Thirteenth telling them that, in my opinion, they should postpone their trip to the Real World. While our official internal Senkai Gates don't appear to have had their integrity breached, the ones to the Real World are always more tenuous and the danger more pressing. Especially..."

She paused, as if trying to figure out how to phrase the next bit, then sighed.

"Aoi, did Keitarou's son get mentioned at all at this meeting?"

"Katsura? Yes, of course. Why?"

"No...I didn't mean Katsura," Mareiko looked troubled. "I meant Kohaku."

"Oh," Aoi was confused. "Yes, I think, briefly. Houjou mentioned that Kohaku was able to reopen the Gate at the border camp, by accident. Also that he picked up something there that suggested to him the corpses were Dangai condemned. But although he could open that Gate, we ruled against using him to do so. It's dangerous, and the consensus was that, if this was an elaborate plan by Katsura to lure his brother away, we shouldn't play into it."

"I see," Mareiko was silent for a long time, and Aoi shot her a quizzical look.

"Taichou? What about Kohaku? Do you think we were wrong?"

"No...no." Mareiko shook her head. "I confess, I still find the power that boy has troubling, but I don't think he's a traitor to Soul Society. No, it was more that fact itself - his ability to make the Gate react."

"He's Keitarou's son, though. If Keitarou connected the Gates, that makes sense? He'd want his children to be able to move."

"No..." Mareiko chewed on her lip. "It's more profound than that. I can't open the border camp Gate at present, but I can detect where it is. When I do that, I pick up distinctive reiatsu signals. One of those is Kohaku's. Because I know he fought there, I didn't think much of it. But, when I reviewed the trace evidence retrieved from the Sixth and the outer Rukongai site, the same signals were present. I know that Kohaku isn't directly involved," she added, as Aoi opened his mouth to comment, "because at the time those two events happened, Kohaku's whereabouts are clearly noted. So why is his reiatsu at those locations?"

"I have no idea," Aoi admitted. "My only argument is the Keitarou connection, but..."

"I extended my study to include Senkaimon," Mareiko said softly. "I began at Third, where that Gate has been rebuilt following its destruction five years ago. There, too, Kohaku's reiatsu is present, lingering at the scene."

"His sword destroyed it," Aoi remembered, and Mareiko nodded.

"That Gate was the hub for the whole network," she said grimly. "I wonder if destroying it had additional consequences that none of us foresaw. The Gates may be responding to Kohaku because he destroyed the key to the whole Dangai, here in Inner Seireitei. The Gate at Third was chosen - and Third's barracks chosen - because it was the ancient Gate used by the Urahara in their initial studies, back when Inner Seireitei was just a gathering of Clan representatives arranging political trade agreements. I didn't think of it at the time, but destroying that Gate may have sent shockwaves through the whole network. Because of that, I don't want anyone going to the Real World, at least not imminently. If Kohaku's reiatsu did create an instability, I would like to get to the bottom of it."

"So you think that we shouldn't have people going into the Dangai?" Aoi asked. Mareiko shrugged.

"I couldn't guarantee it being safe," she owned. "I am working on a way to open the Gates already, and since I know that it connects to Kohaku's reiatsu, I think I can fashion something to achieve that. But I am also looking at ways to destroy the anomalous Gates once and for all. They are risky so long as they exist here. Whether the antagonist is Katsura, or something else, or whether this is just fallout from five years ago, we can't have things happening like the attack in Rukongai. A party into the Dangai might be able to resolve the gaps in our knowledge. I just...don't know if it's safe to risk personnel inside one of these compromised Gates."

"I think we all understand the danger," Aoi frowned. "Nonetheless, I think what you've said makes it more important to go in. I don't know Kohaku well, but I don't think he'd be very happy if he knew that something he did to save everyone might have had this long-term effect. For that reason, I think we should try and resolve it. Preferably so that he doesn't think he should use that spirit power again in some way that makes it worse."

Mareiko shot her Vice Captain a bittersweet smile, and she nodded.

"I think so, too," she admitted. "If you'll help me, Aoi, I'll do my best to put the remaining pieces in place. I think we can get one of these Gates opened...I just hope that the individuals going in are prepared for what they might find inside."

Author's Note: Ohara and Kikyue
I remember people asking me in Sukuse if this was going to be a thing, and I said no, and people were happy. But my brain keeps making it happen like this, at least from Ohara's perspective. So right now, I can't totally rule out a long-term Ohara and Kikyue ultimate pairing as easily as I did in Sukuse. Characters do their own things...