Chapter 21: Sinister Revelations, Unspoken Consequences
Baiten groaned as he continued to lug Shindou; though he trained hard, Baiten did not possess a great deal of physical strength and therefore had difficulty carrying his taller and heavier companion.
"Just a bit farther," Baiten said to himself as he edged forward, seeing the 4th Squad's District up ahead. It had been a grueling two-hour journey which, had Baiten not been encumbered and injured, would have normally taken only twenty minutes. The young Shinigami panted as he struggled to take another step, slipping slightly on a well worn tile and almost falling, but managing to retain his footing. Luckily I'm sure-footed, Baiten thought. I can't afford to let anything slow me down, every second I waste is another chance for Shindou to drop dead.
Baiten grunted as he dragged Shindou another foot forward, the sweat and blood running down his body collating into a sticky, horrendous solution that coated his skin and clothing. Baiten could feel his muscles giving out, but he forced himself to push forward, the mantra of I need to save Shindou echoing in the corridors of his mind. Is there no one to help me? Baiten questioned, looking around the vacant streets. Usually, there was at least one Shinigami on patrol duty in each quadrant of the Squad Quarters, but it appeared that the guard was either in another area, off duty, or, Baiten thought fearfully, he had already been eliminated.
Finally, Baiten's strength deserted him and he slumped downwards, Shindou's body rolling off his back and landing on the cobblestones. Baiten coughed and slogged to where his friend's body had moved in hopes of lifting him again, but it was no use; the previous fights and the long walk had drained away all of his energy. Baiten fell to the ground, praying for a miracle.
--
"We're done for the day, you need a break," Crowe declared, returning his shikai to its sealed form and sheathing his weapon. "Good effort Tairos, just a few more years of this and maybe you'll stand a chance against me."
"Thanks boss," Tairos said, dropping his own weapon and falling backwards onto the ground, the soft grass cushioning his fall. "I think I'll just sleep here tonight."
"You sure you don't want me to take you out to dinner?" Crowe asked.
"You're paying?" Tairos asked, opening one eye and breathing deeply.
"Just don't order the most expensive thing on the menu, ok?"
Tairos chuckled as he forced himself to his feet and walked towards Crowe. "Ok, I guess I can find enough stamina then." Tairos smiled as his teacher as the two walked away from the training grounds, their strides slightly slower than normal as much because of the exertion as to admire the beautiful sunset that was occurring across Seireitei.
"Sunset only looks this glorious at the end of summer," Crowe sighed. "Each year it always feels like this time rolls around faster and faster. As summer dies, so die the hopes of the year as autumn sets in, leading us only to the frigid confines of winter. Spring always seems so far away..."
"Wow, I didn't know you could be so philosophical," Tairos replied, awestruck at his teacher's poetic diction.
"There's a lot you don't know, and probably never will know, about me," Crowe stated, his eyes narrowing as if recalling some painful moment. "But let's not dwell on suffering, we've got dinner ahead of us!"
"Is it all right if I invite Baiten and Jaice?" Tairos inquired. "I mean, they probably would appreciate spending time with us."
"Oh no, I can't afford to pay for you AND your friends," Crowe said, mock anger in his voice.
"They'll cover themselves, don't worry," Tairos answered. "Baiten hates racking up debt."
"Fine then, meet me at the grill in the 6th Squad District in an hour. I have some errands to run myself, so that should give us both enough time to accomplish our goals."
"Ok, I'll see you in an hour," Tairos said, walking off towards the 9th Squad District. Despite the tough rounds of training (including running exercises, combat training, reiatsu control, among others) Tairos was somehow feeling energized and a spring in his step was evident as he made his way across the field. His senses felt somewhat heightened, despite the brief training period; the smell of the grass was stronger and smoother than ever, while far away he could hear several cicadas singing their summer serenades.
Tairos did not, however, hear the figure creeping up behind him; at first the shape was far away, merely a speck silhouetted against the horizon, but before long it ebbed closer, until it was right behind Tairos, drawn zanpakuto pressing against his spine.
"Didn't you learn to never let your guard down?" The strangely familiar voice asked Tairos. "Don't turn around; just remember that had I been a villain, you'd be dead right now."
"You don't think I sensed you and just didn't react?" Tairos lied; in truth, he had no idea who this person was or that he or she had been him, though he did not want this fact to slip out.
"Somehow I don't believe you," the voice responded as Tairos heard the sword sheath. The figure walked to stand in front of him and, at once, Tairos realized who had been trailing him.
"Ellita? I thought you left!"
"I never said I wouldn't come back, did I?" The skilled Shinigami replied. "Gramps invited me to dinner too, I guess he just forgot to mention it to you."
"Yeah, must've slipped his mind..." Tairos trailed off. "Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat but I've got to find my friends."
"Mind if I join you? I've got nothing to do for awhile."
"Go right ahead," Tairos answered. Why is she doing this? She did say I was cute the other day...maybe she's interested in me? Nah, can't read too much into things yet, I've got to see what happens. "We're headed to the..."
"9th Squad District, I know," Ellita cut him off. "I know a little more than you seem to give me credit for."
"Sorry, I wasn't sure if you knew, no need to get snappy about it," Tairos said. "I just wanted to give you a heads up."
"No, I'm not mad," Ellita stammered, trying to cover her tracks, "I just don't like being belittled. I know you weren't trying to do that, it just came off that way."
"Calm down," Tairos said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to judge you. Let's just keep going, I don't want to be late." Ellita smiled as they headed off. An awkward silence fell over the two and they did not exchange another word until they reached Tairos's abode in the 9th Squad District.
"Here we are," Tairos said, walking up the wooden steps before knocking on the door. "Yo, guys, want to come to dinner with my boss and my new friend, Ellita?" After waiting several seconds Tairos knocked again. "Ok guys, not funny, are you coming or not?"
"Maybe they already left?" Ellita asked. "I can't sense any reiatsu inside the house.
"Yeah, but they'd probably leave a note or something since they knew I was out training."
"It's possible that they never returned," Ellita suggested. "Maybe they're still training with Gramps's friend?"
"I guess that's a possibility," Tairos said. "Maybe we should head over to where he lives and check it out?"
"Well, sadly I'm not exactly sure where his house is," Ellita sighed. "I never did research any of my grandpa's associates too much. Since we know his name, I'm sure we could find him by asking around."
"Yeah, but that might take too long," Tairos interjected. "We need to figure out a way to find them ASAP." At that moment, Tairos saw a convenient passerby on the street. "Hey buddy, can I ask you a question?"
--
"It's a miracle the boy survived all that," the first voice, a cracked and slightly insane sounding utterance, echoed through the chamber. "You're sure he doesn't have any healing abilities?"
"Of course not," a second, more metered voice, replied, "our tests have been extensive and past data indicates..."
"There are always exceptions or new discoveries," the first voice answered. "But regardless of data how is he holding up?"
"Well enough, considering we removed almost seventy shards of glass from various parts of his torso, limbs and even two from his skull. Luckily, they weren't very deep," a third voice, calm and matter-of-fact sounding, stated, "or he'd be nothing more than an interesting dissection specimen."
"It's lucky you were walking around the area where he collapsed," the first voice said to the owner of the second. "I hadn't thought any like this were left."
"Like what?" The third voice asked, clearly confused.
"Never you mind, it's far too long and complicated a story for me to explain at the moment," the first voice answered darkly. "How long until the healing process completes?"
"Six hours, especially since his body is resisting most of the reiatsu we attempt to pump into him," the second voice stated. "That's why we placed him in the aqueous chamber," a wave of a hand indicated a glass pillar with greenish liquid flowing inside. Bubbles of reiatsu pulsed as they moved towards the naked body of the man inside.
"What will you do with him once he's healed? Turn him into another one of your experiments?" The third voice asked with a tinge of hatred in its voice.
"What I use him for is my business and, as your superior, I have no need to explain myself to the likes of you," the first voice roared.
"But you can't just allow him to go missing; there will be inquiries," the second voice noted.
"Very true, perhaps we need to devise a way to let him stay of his own accord," the first voice said as its owner stroked his pale chin with an equally pale palm. "We'll worry about this in three hours when we reconvene to check on his progress. Until then I want both of you to monitor his activity."
"Yes, Mayuri-sama," the two other voices declared as they turned back to the floating body of Jaice Gandaime.
--
Yoshi Kurishi had never been the most adventuresome Shinigami, nor had he ever been the bravest, or the strongest, or the most skilled. In fact, Yoshi was perfectly mediocre in everything with the exception of his reiatsu level. It was for that reason, and that reason only that he was able to graduate the Shinigami Academy and enter the 4th Squad.
Yoshi had only been working for about a year, and in that time he'd only performed three or four actual healings, of which most had either been or minor wounds or had been with the assistance of a more experienced squad member. In fact, Yoshi sometimes doubted if he'd be able to do anything more than stitch up a shallow cut.
These reasons were the cause of Yoshi's panic when he saw not one, but two Shinigami collapsed on the ground from severe battle wounds. The older of the two appeared to have suffered severe burns across his body, while the younger's body was covered with slash marks.
"It just had to be my night to patrol..." Yoshi moaned as he edged closer to the Shinigami. I've got to do my job...but...Yoshi's thoughts were interrupted by a dull sound. He paused to listen and thought he could hear a voice moaning, "Help."
Yoshi advanced cautiously until he was next to the first of the two bodies; it was the younger, black haired Shinigami. His clothes marked him as a member of the 9th Squad, though that meant little to Yoshi who was more worried about the sorry state of the man.
"Give me a minute and I'll fix some of the basic wounds before calling for backup," Yoshi said to the wounded Baiten.
"Don't...worry about...me," Baiten groaned as he nudged his head in Shindou's direction. "Take care of him first, he got the worst of it."
"What happened to you two?"
"There will be time to talk later, just please...save...him..."Baiten uttered before passing out. Yoshi reached inside his kimono and pulled out a bronze whistle which he pressed to his lips and blew loudly. Within five minutes, another six Shinigami had arrived to help Yoshi perform basic field repairs and carry the Shinigami back to a healing station.
--
"There is no law but the Blade"
"There is no victory but through Sacrifice"
"There is no failure except Death"
"There is no state of perfection, only the Journey"
"There is but one path to peace and that is Justice"
Shindou's eyes fluttered open as they gazed at the four wooden walls of the dojo. Acacia...that was the name of the wood...that enticing aroma that always made him think of victory.
It was here that he had honed his skills for two decades.
It was here that he had first released his shikai.
It was here he would realize the true meaning of the word Justice.
Each day, Shindou and the other students would find time away from their normal work to come to the dojo, perhaps only for an hour. Here, their master, the well-known Prince of Parries himself, instructed them in the true Art of the Blade. Each day, they would repeat a mantra inscribed on the walls of the room, said to be carved by the master himself using only one slash for each character.
Today everything seemed different. Fewer students had come and the master seemed depressed, and strange state for a man who always seemed joyful and bursting with enthusiasm.
"Does something bother you, sensei?" Shindou asked, approaching his teacher with a look of fear clouding his face.
"This is my final day of instruction, my loyal pupils," he declared. "I have been forced to close this dojo for reasons that I cannot explain. I still may offer private lessons, but they will be far harder to schedule and I will not be able to serve you all."
"Why master? What's happened?" Arashi asked.
"The Seireitei bureaucracy has seen fit to limit private training in schools such as mine, fearing that such places may be breeding grounds for militant organizations to spring up. Instead, they hope to re-focus towards personal training and squad-based exercises."
"That's absurd!" A student cried out. "You're one of the purest men in all of Soul Society!"
"Words mean nothing to them," the master replied. "We have all seen how even the best men among us can become villainous. And so, my friends, I would like to tell you goodbye. Feel free to stop by my house if you wish to chat. I will host tea every Friday afternoon; you are all invited."
Not a few tears were shed during this announcement and as Shindou left the school he felt a new emptiness creep into his heart.
Someday master, he thought, I will find a way to restore your school. Perhaps if I can attain a high enough rank I can overturn this foolish legislation. Justice must reign.
--
"Sensei!" Shindou cried out, tossing as the 4th Squad medics continued to apply healing kidou to his burns.
"Damn him," one of the orderlies cursed as she stepped back to avoid Shindou's flailing arms, "he's struggling too damn much. After whatever the hell he went through, you'd think he'd be tired out!"
"Binding Kidou is authorized," another medic shouted as he rushed into the room. "I just got a pass from Captain Unohana."
"It's about time," the female orderly said angrily as she and her aides began to strap Shindou down with bonds of reiatsu. "Maybe now we'll be able to get more done! Why is it that you always get the easy ones, Sig?"
"You're seriously asking me?" The orderly who was healing Baiten replied. "I guess it's just more of my good luck rubbing off, eh? At least you get fun stories for the bar later!" Chuckles erupted from the room as the various 4th Squad members continued their activities.
"We're nearly done with this 9th Squader here; according to our files his name's Baiten Seisha, a low-ranking member, able to use his shikai, fairly average abilities all around," another orderly said, leading Vice-Captain Isane through the room. "Sadly, Shindou, the 7th Squad's 4th Seat, will have to remain here for at least two full days."
"Good, just make sure that a watch is always posted," Isane replied. "Either someone is after these two, they got involved with the wrong crowd, or perhaps they are criminals who just got more than they bargained for. Either way, keep an eye on them."
"Yes m'am," the healer saluted, "if there are any problems I will be sure to inform you straightaway."
--
Baiten drifted between various dreams as he lay on the operating table in the one of the 4th Squad's many hospital buildings. No matter what visions he had they also, inevitably, returned to the disturbing vision of the clown mask of his foe, the grotesque face contorting and seeming to come alive, no longer a mask but an embodiment of pure chaos and terror, it's jowls opening to reveals rows of crooked and decaying teeth that slowly ate Shindou alive while he watched helplessly before being consumed himself.
Baiten knew he must be moving in his sleep; he always did, regardless of his dreams. Often he'd wake up, hair a mess, sheets thrown every which way on his bed. Yet now he felt as if he was held stock still, at least mostly, frozen solid by the horrible events of the past day.
The Shinigami continued to run the episode over in his mind. Who were these masked men? What exactly did they want? Could it be possible that there was villainous activity planned? Or, worse, is it possible that these men were in the employ of Seireitei's highest officials, making Baiten, Jaice, and Shindou little more than criminals themselves for attempting to impede such activities?
No, that was not it. Not at all. Baiten could sense the aura of vicious intent on these assailants, felt the vile reiatsu they released, tasted the terror they inflicted upon his comrades and he himself. As Baiten continued to think of all these things a suit of golden armor of an original design but with a slight European flavor slouched towards him.
"I'm glad you survived, young Baiten," the armor said, speaking in a resonating bass.
"Thanks, Justare, it wouldn't have been possible without your aid," Baiten answered his zanpakuto's spirit, his dream self floating beside the armor. "What do you make of all this?"
"I'm not sure, there's too little evidence to jump to conclusions, but I would note that these men fought far too brutally to be in the employ of the upper echelons of Seireitei government." Justare answered, his voice strong and his words clipped. "You needn't worry about such things now; keep resting. I'm sure you and your friends will find out more than you ever wished to know soon enough."
--
"I'm sorry sir, but I can't let you through, this is a crime scene investigation area," the 8th Squad guard stated officially.
"Isn't this the house of the master swordsman nicknamed the 'Prince of Parries'?" Tairos asked. "If so you'd better let me in, my friends came here and haven't been seen since."
"Oh? Would you happen to have any leads on the investigation then?" the guard asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically.
"Of course," Tairos lied. "I know these two guys well, so if you just help me find them I'm sure we can pull some leads out." Please, Jaice and Baiten, I hope you DID come here...
"Well, we only found a great deal of blood and two corpses on the premesis. One was identified as the master himself, but the other was too cut up to identify and we've not had the chance to test the corpse's DNA." The guard said.
Please guys, don't be dead, Tairos thought. "You don't have any other information you can give me?"
"Well, no I'm sorry, but you might want to check out the 4th Squad's District; if your friends were injured in the scuffle here they have may somehow been found...alive or otherwise." The last three words weighed heavily on Tairos and Ellita could swear that she saw a look of grim fear in his eyes.
"Thank you, sir, we'll be on our way."
--
"Scaramouche!"
"Scaramouche!"
"Beware of Scaramouche!"
Jaice continued to play Urgeta's cryptic quote in his head, looking for a lead. Who, or what, was Scaramouche? Was it merely a name? Or perhaps a dead end? For some reason Jaice linked the name to the image of a singing head and a Latin American dance, but dismissed the thought quickly.
Regardless, Jaice realized that if he had these thoughts he was somehow alive, albeit barely. The pain in his body had subsided, but not fully died down. He could not find the strength to even open his eyes and take in his surroundings. He thought he'd heard muffled voices earlier, but they hadn't told him anything.
Was he in a hospital run by the 4th Squad? Had Urgeta captured him? Or was he somewhere else entirely?
Questions continued to arise and Jaice wondered why this whole situation seemed remotely familiar.
--
"Failures, the lot of you," the man's strong voice echoed through the meeting hall as he rose from his chair, his chessboard shaking precariously as his hip bumped the edge. He bent over toe steady the marble slab before continuing his speech. "I commend you for slaughtering the appointed target, but it is disgraceful that you not only drew attention, but also that you failed to kill your opposition."
"So, you're not mad about Jax?" The tall warrior asked, bandaging a slash wound on his arm.
"Pawns are so easily replaced; you all should keep that in mind," the first man, obviously the leader, continued. "I'd prefer to play with a full set, but for the time being we'll make do. Perhaps that is an assignment you won't screw up: finding us a competent new recruit."
"Hey, for the record I killed my opponent!" Urgeta said, smiling and performing a brief dance of glee.
"You can never be sure unless you remove the head from his shoulders yourself," the leader stated. "Though you did wound them all, my spies with Seireitei inform me that all three men are alive, albeit in poor condition. I also took the time to research them and, do you know what I found?"
"Fuck guessing games," the yellow-eyed warrior groaned. "Just get on with it."
"Show some respect, Anther, you're already on my bad side and you know how I can get when antagonized," the leader answered.
"Sorry...sir," Anther replied, resent in his voice.
"I discovered that two of the men were not even ranked Shinigami; no, they were not officers, nor even junior leaders. They were nothing more than trash and you struggled against them." Spite filled the leader's voice as he walked down the polished marble steps towards his underlings. "No, you were not supposed to release your zanpakutos unless necessary, which two of you did, but still they should have posed little problem."
"Don't forget we spent energy taking the 'Prince' down," the tall fighter noted.
"True, but that's irrelevant, considering you outnumbered the opposition two-to-one at several points in the battle. Regardless, I will continue to place my faith in you...at least for the time being. I will not, however, tolerate another failure." His eyes narrowed and his assembled minions froze in place. "Urgeta and Tyshi are dismissed; Anther, why don't you stay and play a game of chess?"
Name: Tyshoru "Tyshi" Wu
Age: Unknown (appears 31 in human years)
Height: 213.36cm (7 feet, 0 inches)
Affiliation: Member of Scaramouche
Rank: Pawn
Hobbies: Sleeping, climbing trees, camping, fishing.
Zanpakuto: Feusi
Shikai: Tyshi can release his zanpakuto by exclaiming "Scorch, Feusi!" His katana transforms into a single-edged, curved sword with four holes along the blade with the one closest to the hilt resembling a flame while the other three are circular. Tyshi's weapon allows him to send jets of flame through holes that are in the immediate area so long as Feusi is in contact with the surface of the ground. Tyshi has used this ability to send fire through holes his opponent's have unwittingly created as well, often burning them at unexpected moments. Feusi is also able to fire small fireballs but only at very close range (less than one meter).
HES: Thus, another chapter comes to a close and with it tons of new questions emerge while wild situations are underway: does Mayuri have a plan for Jaice? Will Shindou survive his treatment? What is the secret of Scaramouche? Keep reading to find out! Just so you all know, I start college this weekend so I am unsure how frequent my updates will be from now on. I PROMISE to do my best to update regularly, but again I have no idea how busy I will be/how much work I will have. I hope you all enjoyed my chapter and I look forward to your feedback!