Sukuse

by VraieEsprit

25 years on from Meifu and secrets abound, from the mines of 7th to the barren wastes of the Rukon. As blood is spilt, Juu & Shun realise Seireitei's most wanted rebel is not only alive but far from alone - but what secret weapon is he hiding in Rukongai's forgotten land?

21. Father's Honour

Chapter Twenty - Father's Honour

"If nobody minds, I'd like to chair the meeting this morning."

In the midst of the hubbub of voices in the Vice Captain's usual meeting chamber, Souja raised his hand, getting slowly to his feet and gazing around at his companions expectantly. There was a sudden hush, all eyes turning to rest on the Seventh's usually retiring Vice Captain with a mixture of surprise and confusion, and at their expressions, a rueful grin touched his clever features.

"That must be the first time since you took the badge, Souja-dono," Enishi sat back in his seat until the wood creaked, folding broad arms across a broader chest and surveying his comrade warmly. "What do you think, everyone? I say let him have it, if he's so keen to lead for once. He hasn't had a chance to, yet, so it's only fair."

"No objections here," Sora's eyes were dancing with curiosity, and she nodded her dark head. "Is this to do with the Kotetsu boy, Souja-dono? I heard he'd been returned - is that true?"

"We'll come to that when the meeting begins properly, I'm sure," Urahara Shiketsu put in smartly, before Souja could address Sora's question. "For the time being, Houjou, if you're sponsoring the nomination of Souja-dono to lead this meeting, allow me to second it. It's not often we get the chance to hear things from Seventh's point of view - I think it would be most enlightening."

"Thank you, Shiketsu-dono." Souja bowed his head properly towards the heir of the Urahara Clan, moving to the head of the table amid nods and murmurs of assent from the other Vice Captains present. They were not at full capacity today, he realised, sinking down rather self-consciously into the Chairperson's seat and shifting around to make himself comfortable in what was, for him, something of an unwelcome position. Despite his intelligence and his loyalty to his own men, when it came to his peers and seniors among the officers of his own rank, he generally found it safer to take a back seat, so to have so many eyes turned his way was disconcerting to say the least. He reddened slightly, focusing his gaze on the empty seats of the Fourth, Second and Eleventh Division Vice Captains as he regained his composure.

Unohana Eriko was, he knew, still deeply mired in the aftermath of the Rukongai attacks whilst Kai had sent apologies via Hell Butterfly to say that his current workload was too great for him to spare the time to attend. As for Ikata, he had been commandeered by his Captain and Souja greatly suspected this was to ensure that the loudmouthed adjutant didn't say anything else that might cause Eleventh Division harm, work or embarrassment in the very near future. Souja had heard from Sora's gossip grapevine that, as a result of the abduction business, Minachi had been called to answer questions before the head of his Clan, and, as a consequence, had been going around Inner Seireitei like a bear with a sore head.

With those three accounted for, Souja scanned the room for any other absences, but found none. Even Yamamoto Akira, who rarely deigned to fill his seat at such occasions, preferring instead to get any important information by way of his cousin Enishi had bothered to turn up this morning, sitting at the back with his usual impatient, peremptory expression on his face. Glancing at him now, Souja wondered why he had bothered to attend today, then he realised that it was probably as much to follow up on Ikata and Minachi's actions as it was to take part in meaningful discussion. Souja shifted his gaze across from Akira to the still grinning Enishi, absently marvelling how two men of similar age born of the same bloodline could be such diametric opposites in personality.

Souja himself was among the youngest Vice Captains, which was another reason why he had generally shied away from the spotlight. Whilst it was customary for Clan Leaders to appoint their heirs Vice Captains, there was also an expectation that that heir prove himself worthy of the role and Souja, with all his shrewd attention to detail had quickly realised he would not gain the respect of his comrades by throwing his weight around or pushing in. Today, though, he would break that habit and stand before them to speak.

"I think everyone's here who's going to be here, Souja-dono," Shirogane's cultured tones put in softly from the left hand side of the chamber. "I believe we can start the meeting - it's time."

"So it is," Souja cast a cursitory glance out of the window, nodding his thanks towards the Sixth Division's Vice Captain. "Very well, then. I would like to begin, if I may, with the subject of security in Inner Seireitei."

"This is to do with Tenichi's abduction," Enishi's thick brows knitted together in consternation. "Did the lad say something about it, then?"

"He has been found?" Kanshi arched an eyebrow, and Souja nodded.

"Some of the people in District Seven discovered him unconscious in woodland near their home and took him in," he said vaguely, being careful to skirt around the truth of who had found the missing shinigami. "They alerted the local authorities who in turn sent me a notice that a person meeting his description had been found. I went myself to retrieve him, and found him spirit cuffed and disorientated but generally unharmed. He's safely back at barracks now and shows no physical signs of lasting damage from the ordeal."

"No physical signs," Shirogane thinned his lips. "No physical ones, but mental ones, is that what you're trying to imply?"

"That I can't answer, since Tenichi cannot remember what happened to him during the days of his abduction," Souja looked regretful. "A member of the Fourth kindly came and examined him on our return, and though the removal of the spirit cuffs caused him some discomfort at first, she couldn't find anything wrong. She did warn me, though, that suppressed memories and periods of great stress can have a deeper impact on someone - so we're keeping him to light duties for a little while, just until we're sure that he's settled back into normal routine."

"Are we going to discuss this idiot's medical history all meeting, or is there a bigger point in all of this other than you sharing your happy ending with the class?" Akira put in abruptly at that moment, and more than a few of the other Vice Captains winced at the bluntness in the other man's tones. "Not to be funny or anything, Endou, but if all you have to say to us is that your missing man is returned, it's hardly a reason to take control of the meeting."

"On the contrary, it has everything to do with it," Souja kept his cool, fixing Akira with an even gaze. "I'm sorry to have wandered a little off my original point, and I'll return to it right now. The truth is that, the day after his return, Kikyue took Tenichi out to the area where we believed him to have been abducted, and after some time examining the scene, they both concluded that the most likely method was via a Senkaimon, even if there should not be such a gate in that location."

"There is a gate," Enishi interjected frankly, settling himself more comfortably in his seat, and Shiketsu shot him a startled glance. "Taichou had me going through dusty scrolls in our archive to check, and he found it, written in on an old map. It's deactivated, true enough, but there's still a gate there."

"Is that true?" Shirogane glanced at Shiketsu, who nodded slowly.

"Yes, but as Houjou said, it's no longer active," he said uneasily.

"So it's not part of your current gate map?" Kanshi arched an eyebrow.

"No, but that's because it's no longer active. It can't be opened - that's the whole point of sealing it," Shiketsu said earnestly. "It's been closed off for more than ten years now. It shouldn't even be under consideration."

"Nonetheless, it's our most likely explanation," Souja said grimly. "Tenichi does remember being grabbed and pulled into what felt to him like an open gate. The existence of a Senkaimon, even a disused one, seems far too coincidental to be ignored. I remember, Shiketsu-dono, how you assured us that clearance to the Senkaimon is strictly overseen - but in light of Tenichi's testimony and the scene itself, is it not possible that someone has found a way to hack into something that's no longer being actively monitored?"

"Is such a thing possible for someone outside of Inner Seireitei?" Ryuusei cast Shiketsu a glance, and the Urahara frowned.

"It should not be," he replied uneasily. "As I said, the gate is sealed. After our last meeting, I went and doublechecked the records, but there's no sign of any illicit activity anywhere around that region. I did check the area around Twelfth, just on the off chance, but there was no sign of foreign reiatsu at that scene, either. All sealed gates are also kept on record, just in case the Council ever chooses to reopen one or commandeer it for emergencies. If you're seriously suggesting that someone from the Districts has managed to find out how to open a gate, such tampering ought to have been detected by us...but it hasn't been."

"All swords are registered with the Council of Elders, aren't they?" Sora pressed her lips together. "What if it was an unregistered sword, though, Shiketsu-dono? What if someone somehow managed to summon a zanpakutou without proper training and guidance? Would it still show up?"

"It would," Shiketsu confirmed. "It wouldn't identify the user - by which I mean there'd be no spiritual fingerprint to tell us which sword was used to unlock it, not if that sword's reiatsu wasn't part of our database, but there would still be trace evidence of it having been tampered with. All the Senkaimon are set up to respond to and recall contact with individual swords - but in the case of an invading presence - what we call 'ryoka' - the gate should lock itself until someone of Captain or Vice Captain rank comes to release it with their blade. That way, nobody should be able to get in or out of Seireitei without the proper clearance. I don't understand how that system could be overridden with a gate in active use, much less one that is locked. Father has worked on it tirelessly since obtaining the research notes and this is the first time in almost thirty years that there's been an incident like this."

"There are no exceptions?" Shirogane enquired. "No loopholes by where reiatsu would not be detected? I had heard that Bankai level shinigami are often able to open gates without leaving a trace behind."

"That is true," Shiketsu admitted, "but the number of people who are capable of Bankai are few, even among the Captains. And I hope that we can assume them all to be beyond suspicion in a case like this."

"What about the Onmitsukidou?" Akira asked. "Wasn't there some kind of agreement relating to their movement..?"

"Mm..." Shiketsu frowned. "I am not familiar with the particulars of that arrangement. There is some special condition that applies to them - but it is strictly monitored and regulated by the Shihouin Clan. Kai-dono isn't here to clearly answer yes or no to your question, but I can't imagine how any of the Secret Ops agents would benefit from kidnapping random division officers."

"Rather than casting aspersions for which we have no evidence nor any real logic to pursue, perhaps we ought to focus on the circumstances in which Kotetsu Tenichi remembers being taken." Shirogane interjected acerbically. "Most particularly, whether anyone else abroad that night might have picked up anything out of the ordinary."

"What about your people?" Kanshi turned towards Michihashi Aoi, the Vice Captain of the Twelfth Division, who shrugged helplessly.

"If you're going to ask if we saw or heard anything, the answer is no," he said regretfully. "Unfortunately Sekime-taichou had a few...er...experiment-related problems that day, and we were all a little preoccupied in putting the outer wall of the Kidou arena back together."

"I wonder if it's safe, having barracks so close to yours, Michihashi," Enishi joked, and Aoi smiled ruefully.

"We all go to bed at night wondering if there'll be a roof over our heads in the morning," he said wryly, "but in terms of the Senkaimon, we can't be of use to anyone. We're all deeply involved in Sekime-taichou's Kidou research theories, whether we want to be or not - and that leaves very little time for anything else."

"What about the Thirteenth?" Ryuusei wondered, and Enishi frowned.

"Looking at the old plans, the gate's out of our sight, really. Closer to Twelfth - too far from our barracks for us to really pay attention to," he said seriously. "If we'd known in advance something was up, well, I'm sure the Taichou would've had us on the alert - but it's hard to predict something you don't know is going to happen before it does."

"That's more or less what I wanted to talk about today," Souja agreed. "Nobody can see the future, but we can still improve on the current setup. We all have areas that are our clear territory, but there are patches and blind spots that sometimes are left unguarded. This gate wasn't seen as a problem before, to the point some of us didn't know it even existed, but now we know there could be a leak in the system, it makes sense for us to step up our patrols in these areas, too. Perhaps there are other like Senkaimon which we think are sealed but are actually not. I want to suggest that, as Vice Captains we look again at the plan of Inner Seireitei and divide up the grey areas a little more concretely. If someone has found a way to penetrate one gate, it means they might have the ability to penetrate more. That means we all need to be more vigilant."

"In short, stake out every available and unavailable Senkaimon in and out of Inner Seireitei and wait for them to make a wrong move?" Sora asked, and Souja inclined his head.

"These people, whoever they are, are getting more and more bold with each assault," he said gravely. "First they only took people on patrol in the outer Districts, further from Shinigami territory, but Tenichi was definitely taken from under our noses. They obviously think they have us outsmarted. Sooner or later they have to fall into the trap of complacency - I'd rather it was sooner than later. They already made the mistake of leaving Tenichi unattended long enough for him to be found. If they continue making similar errors, we have a good chance of catching them before they cause any more disruption."

He glanced around at his peers.

"Given the other, more pressing things that the Council and our Captains have to deal with, I thought this was something we as adjutants could take care of on our own initiative, and, maybe, put the matter to rest once and for all."

"I agree with Souja-dono," Ryuusei nodded thoughtfully. "It's as you say - these kidnappers are getting more brazen. If we don't act against them now, there's a good chance that we might fall victim to another of their petty attacks. We have no intelligence as to where or when they might strike next. At least by taking the initiative we might be better prepared."

"It also means instructing our officers to be extra vigilant and, if possible, to patrol in pairs or threes rather than alone," Kanshi suggested. "Some will object about being forcibly buddied up, but it's harder to kidnap multiple people at once here in the heart of shinigami administration. That fact alone might put them off the idea of trying a second time."

"We should put this to a formal vote, then," Aoi interjected. "As for me, I like the idea in theory. In practice, I think more danger lurks inside the Twelfth than outside it at present, so I don't know how many extra men I can spare - but I see the logic of the suggestion and I'll talk to my Third and Fourth Seats too about rearranging our patrols to better coordinate with other squads."

"Let's vote," Souja raised his hand, again rather self-conscious at taking the lead among so many older officers. "All in favour?"

There were general murmurs and signals of assent, and Souja's lips twitched into a relieved smile as he realised that his companions had voted unanimously in support.

"I suppose that settles it, then," Enishi said matter-of-factly. "When I get back to base, I'll pass the word on to Shikibu and Atsudane, and brainstorm about what Thirteenth can do to help. We don't have as many members as the other divisions, but then we don't have so many gates near our prescribed territory, so it should work out quite nicely."

"I think we'll all be doing similar things when we get back," Shirogane reflected. "Someone will need to transmit this information to Unohana, Shihouin and Ikata, so they know what we've agreed to do. I don't forsee any problems in that regard, though. I can't imagine they'll have objections."

"I'll tackle Ikata," Enishi volunteered. "It's on my route home, so I'll do it, no problems."

"I'll pass word on to the Fourth," Shiketsu offered. "I promised Unohana-taichou some data relating to another matter, so I'll raise this while I'm there."

"And Kai-dono?" Souja asked. There was an exchange of glances, and Kanji smiled ruefully.

"It's not that anyone has issues with Shihouin himself, per se," he said slowly, "but I guess nobody's in any hurry to step over the threshold and into Second. It's not the kind of place people go by choice, if you know what I mean."

"Taichou was just there the other day," Enishi blinked, looking non-plussed. "What's wrong with it, Souryou? It's a barracks, just like the rest of them, isn't it?"

"Have you ever been there yourself, though?" Kanshi arched an eyebrow. "Ukitake...Ukitake-taichou is one thing, he's a law unto himself, but for the rest of us..."

"Sure," Enishi frowned, folding his arms casually across his chest. "Not recently, of course, not with them being so busy, but I've dropped by to see Shihouin and we've chatted over sake. I don't see the problem. Sure, they're quite strict there, but it's not like the Second is a dangerous place."

"Sometimes, Houjou, you amaze me - in a variety of different ways," Kanshi's tones were amused.

"I'll take the message to second," Akira interjected at this juncture. "It's like Enishi said, there's nothing to be particularly bothered about. Just a bunch of Shihouin prancing about in black. There's not usually people around, anyway. I'll handle it, Endou. That covers everyone, I think?"

"It does. Thank you, Akira-dono," Souja bowed his head gratefully in Akira's direction. "It's hard to explain, but I feel a lot better knowing that everyone else is on board with making this a reality."

"Soul Society's on edge about a lot of things right now. It's only natural," Shirogane's handsome features twitched into a look of consternation. "It's a little off topic, but I was hoping Eriko-dono would be here today. I wanted to know the state of health of the third survivor from Rukongai. Madeki-dono is apparently now fully recovered from the ordeal, but I haven't heard very much about the other officer."

"Aomori Seri," Ryuusei pursed his lips. "As I understand it, she's still fairly frail. I have occasional conversations with Eriko-dono through the divide between our division training grounds, when she and I happen to pass ways, just to see how things are there, and she seemed to think that the girl was going to live. Whether she'll be a shinigami on duty again, though, who knows. And there's the matter of Edogawa as well - though she's still with the Thirteenth, isn't she?" this last to Enishi, who jerked his head in a nod.

"She is, but she's all right, I think," he said frankly. "Shikibu's more in charge of her than I am, being that they're old friends, and I'm not so good at the whole sickroom etiquette side of things. I think she's mending, though. She seems to have given a lot of information to the Taichou about what happened, too."

"Ryuu and I were hoping we might have an opportunity to visit her," Shirogane admitted, and Souja saw a flicker of genuine emotion briefly cross the Vice Captain's face. "Ryuu is especially anxious, but I've been keeping him busy since Guren-sama is so tied up with Clan and Council matters of late. I think he'd quite have preferred us to take custody of her when she first came back to Seireitei - but I don't think Unohana-taichou felt mobilising the Kuchiki would do anything to help calm the situation down."

"She's fine with us, but I'll talk to the Taichou about it," Enishi promised. "I'm sure he won't object to either of you coming to see her, in an unofficial capacity. Nobody wants to get the Kuchiki hot under the collar, and it's not like this was an attack on your Clan, but an attack on shinigami in general. That's why Unohana-taichou chose us, I think, because of the neutrality - but I can't see why you'd not be welcome."

"Some neutrality," Shirogane muttered, mostly under his breath, but Souja caught the words and cast his colleague a searching glance, absorbing the tension that was lurking beneath the older man's normally cool countenance.

"I didn't realise Edogawa-san was a Kuchiki," he said now. "As a member of Fourth, I guess I assumed..."

"Mitsuki is a third degree Kuchiki, and a cousin of both myself and my third seated officer, Kuchiki Ryuu," Shirogane shook his head. "Her father, Teitou, serves Guren-sama's Clan court in a high capacity, and so you might say that, by blood, she's quite an important person. If the attack against her was considered to be one against the Clan, it would create a political incident - Guren-sama and I both remember all too clearly the last time someone threatened members of our family, so even though Mitsuki has chosen to follow her vocation in Fourth, we've been watching this matter from afar with caution and curiosity."

"No wonder they gave her to Ukitake-dono to look after, then," Ryuusei reflected. "Another political incident involving the Kuchiki would be better avoided - no disrespect to our neighbours, of course."

"None taken. We'd all like to avoid such a thing," Shirogane assured him. "Houjou, I'd be grateful if you would speak to Ukitake on our behalf. It would put everyone in District Six's minds at rest - Teitou-dono's among the others - to know that she was recuperating well."

"Consider it done," Enishi agreed cheerfully. "I guess she's quite bored, not having anything particular to do, so she'd probably welcome visit from kin."

"Is there any other business anyone would like to raise, whilst we still have a few moments?" Souja glanced towards the window, taking in the position of the sun in the sky. "We've spent most of this morning discussing Seireitei security, for which I apologise."

"It was an important matter, and it needed to be done," Shiketsu assured him. "I'll ask Father about the Senkaimon again, too, though I can't imagine it'll be any use."

"I think we've all got enough to think on for one meeting," Aoi reflected. "Reorganising patrols to cover grey areas and blind spots is going to take a lot of administrative shuffling on all our parts - I vote we leave it there for today and come to any other issues afresh next time. Anything vital we can take to our Captains - they're meeting quite regularly too, lately, so some kind of cohesion should be possible."

"Meeting, but whether they're resolving anything, I don't know," Sora grimaced expressively. "Sh...Kyouraku-taichou won't tell me much about what goes on at their meetings, but I got the impression the last one was a bit of a heated affair."

"Father was a little ruffled when he got back to Seventh," Souja agreed pensively. "He doesn't usually let that happen, not outwardly, but I got the impression there'd been some kind of disagreement about...something."

"We shouldn't be discussing hearsay about the Captains in our meeting," Ryuusei said reprovingly, and Sora snorted, sending her brother a weary glance.

"Oniisama, this isn't gossip or hearsay but something that's going to affect us at some point or another down the line," she said bluntly. "Besides, for Shunsui not to tell me about it, it means that it was a big deal and he's bothered by it. Whatever came up in that meeting, it's probably something not good. We ought to be prepared for it, whatever it turns out to be."

"Sora, referring to your Captain in such an informal way in the privacy of your division barracks might be permissable, but in a Vice Captain's meeting, it is utterly unacceptable," Ryuusei glowered back at her, and Sora stuck out her tongue, forcing Souja to stifle a smile at the brother-sister squabbling.

"My Captain doesn't mind my calling him that when I'm on or off duty, and my Captain has more authority to tell me what to do than you do, so shut up," she returned neatly. "I'm here representing Eighth Division, remember? In these meetings I'm not a member of the Shiba Clan or your subordinate, so don't treat me as if I am."

She got to her feet, casting Enishi a glance.

"I'm heading back," she said unecessarily. "I'll walk with you to Eleventh, though, since I want to ask Ikata some more stuff about his abducted people for Shunsui," she put emphasis on the name, and Souja saw Ryuusei bristle in annoyance.

"All right," Enishi agreed, heaving his considerable bulk from his seat. "Two of us might be better than one, if you don't mind the trek back afterwards."

"I'll just have to tidy the mess Shunsui'll have made in the office, so I'm in no hurry," Sora rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go. I'd rather take Ikata than another pile of mismatched supply documents. I swear he does it on purpose, just because he likes to hear me rant, rave and stomp about the office putting the place back together."

Their voices trailed away as they left the room, heading down the corridor towards the main exit, and Souja too got to his feet, smoothing down his hakamashita with his hands. The palms were clammy, he realised with a jolt, giving away the nerves he had felt on taking the lead, yet despite the pressure, he was glad that he had spoken up.

"It's unlike you to put yourself forward in this manner, Souja-dono," Shirogane's voice at his right elbow made him jump, swinging around in surprise, and the Sixth Division Vice Captain offered him a droll smile.

"I startled you, I'm sorry," he apologised, and Souja shook his head hurriedly, embarrassment crossing his face.

"No, I was miles away for a moment," he admitted, rubbing his brow awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Shirogane-dono - what were you saying?"

"I was just commenting on your usual reticence to step forward like this," Shirogane gestured to the room, which little by little was emptying of shinigami. "This business with the lad's abduction - what was his name, Kotetsu? - has really bothered you, hasn't it?"

"Mm..." Souja's lips thinned, and he nodded. "I suppose so. Father, too. There are a lot of things and I'm trying to make sense of them. It bothers me that everything's happening like this at once. Common sense tells me that they can't be connected, but at the same time, I feel they must be. Does that seem overly paranoid to you? The Endou are known for their persecution complexes, so perhaps I'm just listening a little too hard to my blood."

"No...Ryuu and I have had similar conversations," Shirogane admitted. "Nobody higher up seems to want to link them, but though they can't be linked, at the same time, they must be. It's very hard to put one's finger on - but there's something there all the same."

He tilted his head slightly in consideration.

"Your man, Kotetsu - he doesn't remember anything at all?"

"No, he says he can't recall his time abducted. He thinks he was drugged," Souja shook his head.

"He says he can't, or he can't?"

"He's never shown himself as the kind to lie before, so if he says he can't, I take him at his word," Souja said carefully. "He was trained by Ukitake-taichou and the Thirteenth, and he doesn't seem the kind to deceive. If he was an Endou by birth, perhaps it might be different, but he isn't. He's District."

"Unfortunate," Shirogane sighed. "Oh well. Perhaps with time he'll recover some memory. There are incidences of suppressed recollections due to trauma - I know from my own past experiences that sometimes patchy memories are hard to piece together into something that makes sense."

He ran his fingers through his dark hair, loosening the tie, and Souja saw once again the flicker of emotion deep within the other man's grey eyes.

"If possible, I'd like to get through all of these investigations without any Clans being forced to mobilise in their own defence," he said at length. "When bad things stir in the Districts, Clans instinctively shift towards arming themselves against trouble. I don't want that to happen this time. There are some good people in the Districts who have worked loyally for me and for my family for a long time and I'd rather we didn't repay them with raids and routs into Outer Seireitei territory because we're hunting down a few vigilante rebels too smart for their own good."

"I agree," Souja nodded. "My family have an especially bad reputation in that regard. Father and Grandfather have worked very hard to rebuild the trust the people of Seventh have in us - I'm sure it wouldn't take much to destroy those fragile foundations and plunge Seventh back into war."

"Whenever a world is at peace, it simply means war hasn't started yet," Shirogane said soberly, "and when at war, it means nobody's found a path to peace. The two exist in uneasy balance with one another, that is all. Well, as an Endou, I imagine your understanding in this is greater than mine. My impressions of your family have improved greatly since your Father took hold of Seventh Squad and I have no ill will toward you, either. You are both reasoned, intelligent men who understand the need for delicacy and diplomacy and I believe Seireitei as a whole is moving in that direction. We need to - the balance of this world is stabilising, but if we are unstable, it will fall back once more to a precarious state. Hollow numbers have been increasing across parts of the Sixth, and it concerns me."

"Hollows. Kidnappings. Murders." Souja shivered, shaking his head as though to clear it of the sudden cloud that lingered there. "If Seireitei is under seige, Shirogane-dono, I intend to find out what from and how to stop it. You have my word on it - I won't let us go backwards. As long as I'm heir to this Clan, I'll keep the Endou moving forwards. If every Clan heir does the same, nobody and nothing can drag us back into war and rebellion. That's what I believe - that's why I want us to take the initiative and fight back before we're really under threat. It's important to me...there are enough people depending on me in this world and I don't want to see them treated in the way Tenichi was - or in the way those poor healers were in the Spiritless Zone."

"I see," Shirogane's expression became one of wry comprehension. "You stand back and absorb everything that goes on around you, and you rarely speak up or come to the fore - but it's there, I see it now. The predator bird of the Endou - its spirit is in you just as sure as it was in your ancestors, isn't it?"

"We are all birds of prey, Shirogane-dono," Souja said philosophically. "The only question is who we are hunting, and whether or not we make a successful kill."

He smiled, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'd rather not do any killing, if it can be avoided," he added, "but I am an Endou, just as Father is."

"So I see," Shirogane agreed. "I have to admit, though, a cautious, patient hunter who sheathes his claws until they are truly necessary is a much preferable neighbour. You and I will both one day inherit our Clans - I am relieved to realise that when that time comes, I am unlikely to have to contend with border animosity of the level felt by other Kuchiki lords."

"I'm sure we're not suicidal enough to challenge the Kuchiki," Souja said wryly, "but if it puts your heart at rest, Shirogane-dono, I hope for a peaceful incumbency too."

Shirogane laughed, opening his mouth to respond, but instead he faltered, his brows twitching slightly as though trying to pinpoint something faint and indistinct in the Seireitei air. At his companion's change of demeanour, Souja too glanced around him, realising with a jolt that what his sensitive colleague had detected was the distinctive spiritual pulse of a Hell butterfly, it's drone like consciousness distorting the even air in the chamber concourse. As it materialised, Souja's heart clenched slightly as he recognised the silverish wing tips and realised where the butterfly had come. Slowly he held out his hand and the insect fluttered slightly, before landing in a drunken, ungainly heap against his skin.

Shirogane arched an eyebrow.

"That must be an experimental model," he observed acidly, "as I haven't seen one with quite that shade of wing decoration before. If this is a new advance in Hell Butterfly technology you're trialing though, Souja-dono, I advise you to encourage the researchers to work a little harder on its landing accuracy."

He bowed his head to indicate their conversation was over, and, as he withdrew to attend to his own errands, Souja sighed, sinking back against the wall of the meeting hall and absently stretching out his index finger to stroke the butterfly's fragile, velveteen body. The insect twitched slightly at his touch, almost as though it were a living creature aware of him and everything around him, as opposed to just a drone carrying a message in spiritual fragments from one place to another. Joumei had never been as skilled with Hell Butterflies as Souja himself was, and the creature's raggedy wing tips told the Vice Captain that the insect's lifespan was probably almost at its limit.

It was probably trying to find me, since I wasn't in my office, and it wouldn't have been able to get into the meeting hall. It's not an official Hell Butterfly from anyone in the registered chain of command, and so it might've been waiting a while. Joumei's message must be important - but it's probably also something nobody else should overhear. I'm glad Shirogane-dono didn't linger. It might've been hard to explain my behaviour, if I suddenly became furtive and had to dash off.

He closed his eyes, opening himself to the dark insect's fluctuating consciousness as he tried to pick up the strands of Joumei's message.

"...Interesting research results...right away...Izumi found...possibility of...not in Seireitei."

The butterfly gave one last flap of its wings before disintegrating into the ether, and Souja opened his eyes, chewing hard on his bottom lip as he tried to piece together the fragments into something coherent.

Izumi's found something, that much is obvious. Something to do with Tenichi and where he was held? Not in Seireitei...does Joumei mean Tenichi was taken outside of Seireitei, or is he trying to tell me something else?

He clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration.

Damn him for making me promise not to divulge this business to Father until things were more concrete. If I assume that Joumei's message relates to Aizen and that Izumi has found evidence of him being somewhere outside of Seireitei...a specific, identifiable location, then that is extremely significant information and keeping it to myself could be construed as neglecting my duty to the Gotei. If what Joumei's telling me is that Tenichi was held outside of Seireitei, then, again, it might lead to arrests and a halt in abductions once and for all. But...if what Joumei's saying is that Izumi's found evidence of both of those things - that Tenichi's abduction and Aizen are connected and he has proof...then not to act on it could prove a devastating mistake. I need to go to the Kitsune - as soon as humanly possible - and hear everything for myself. That means persuading Father to let me go there again...and he was reluctant enough about it the last time.

He began to walk slowly in the direction of the Seventh Division, sliding his fingers absently into his obi and gazing around him as he walked at the shinigami running this way and that bent on their own specific errand. Several of them saluted him, or bowed their heads, but although the mood in the air was a positive one, Souja knew that it hid a deep undercurrent of uncertainty.

Just like in a storm, when everyone waits to see where the lightning will next hit.

He pressed his lips together grimly as he made up his mind.

If I ask Father about going to the Kitsune again, he'll demand to know why. Unless I tell him everything, he won't give me leave - but I promised Joumei and I must keep that promise for the sake of District Seven. I don't have anything like conclusive evidence, and I can't start jumping to conclusions, not about something like this. No, that won't do. It will get Tenichi into trouble too - and there might be no occasion for that, since I find it hard to believe him to be the kind of officer who plots betrayal. No, I need more than I have and that means going to the Kitsune. And that means...

He paused outside Seventh Division's main gate, gazing up at the hunting bird insignia that glared down at him with austere, reproving eyes. For a moment he imagined the bird was his father's hawk, its talons gleaming and its expression without mercy, and he swallowed hard, trying to quell the deep sense of unease that lurked in the pit of his stomach.

And that means disobeying Father, and hoping that, when all is put to rest, he'll forgive me.

---

"So what exactly is this about, Kirio-chan?"

Shikiki ran her finger along the long row of hooks that flanked the main entrance of the Fourth Division barracks, selecting her cloak and pulling it down with a sigh. Wrapping it carefully around her substantial frame, she knotted the sash at the waist, casting her companion a questioning look.

"Things at Fourth are pretty busy at the moment, you know - Taichou only spared me because you said it was something important. Is Juu-nii being stupid with his fevers again? He was pretty bad the day that Mitsuki-dono and the others came back from Rukongai, but in most cases locking him in Ugendou and making him rest does the trick better than most of the remedies and spells I know. He pushes himself too hard as a rule - and the only cure for that is a spell of taking it easy. Taichou would say the same."

"No, it's not to do with the Captain," Kirio hid a smile, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Shiki-chan. Am I dragging you away from a patient? I don't want to do that. I didn't like to explain all the details to Unohana-taichou, because I wasn't sure she'd understand. I don't know if I do, not completely - but I still think it's important you come."

"That was even more cryptic than what you said before," Shikiki sighed, rolling her expressive eyes skywards. "As it happens, Aomori-san is sleeping right now, and there are healers better than me for tending to her now that she's beginning to mend. I'm limited in my natural healing skills, so Taichou's relieved me of my duties there and shifted me over to some lighter ones instead. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to take a break like this."

"I suppose not," Kirio agreed, falling into step with her friend as they crossed the courtyard of the Fourth Division towards the main gate that led to the central thoroughfare. Members from the Third and Fifth Divisions were milling around outside as the afternoon patrol shifted to the evening ones, and both Shikiki and Kirio acknowledged the officers with a nod as they passed through into the main street. "I hope Unohana-taichou never finds out that I had a reason other than healing for calling you out, though."

"Let's both hope that's the case," Shikiki said with feeling. "Well? We're outside now, so you can tell me. Where are we going, and why?"

"Don't be mad with me," Kirio looked apprehensive, glancing down at the cobbles and kicking her sandalled feet absently against the smooth stones. "It's Tenichi's fault, really, not mine - I just agreed to help."

"Tenichi?" Shikiki's eyes widened in surprise. "Kotetsu Tenichi, you mean?"

"Yes," Kirio agreed, turning pensive eyes on her companion. "The truth is, Shiki-chan, he wanted to speak to you and I think it was quite urgent that he did. It seemed...very important to him, and though he wouldn't explain exactly why, I got the feeling that the sooner it happened, the better."

"Tenichi, huh," Shikiki pursed her lips. "We haven't talked a lot for a long time. Why all of a sudden now? He's quite all right, isn't he, after his abduction? I know a bit about it, because healers from the Fourth went to see him when he returned, but I thought he was unhurt?"

"He's fine, so like I said, it's not a healing errand," Kirio responded carefully. "Just, when I spoke to him, he really seemed as though something was on his mind. He'd mentioned it before, but now...I don't know what happened when he was taken prisoner, Shiki-chan, but it's as though it's heightened all his concerns and made him all the more determined to put the facts together. He says he doesn't remember being abducted, and maybe he doesn't, but...something is on his mind, and he thinks you can settle it."

"I see," Shikiki's eyes shadowed, and Kirio shot her a guilty look.

"You look like you've guessed what it relates to already."

"Maybe," Shikiki sighed, running her fingers through her wavy rose-petal hair. "Tenichi and I haven't really talked for a long time. If he wants to ask me anything, it must relate to when we were children...which is a time I'd rather not remember too clearly, if I'm honest with you."

"It's about Daisuke-san," Kirio admitted. "He thinks you can tell him things about what happened after he and Ketsui left Seventh District...but if it's too much for you to do, I told him that he wasn't to upset you. If it's really bad, Shiki-chan...just, he looked so haunted, and..."

"Daisuke-nii, huh," Shikiki's eyes closed briefly, then she nodded, meeting Kirio's gaze. "That's why he sent you? He thought that, if he asked, I might not agree, but if it was you...?"

"I was the mindless go-between, yes," Kirio agreed, chewing on her lip. "You're both my friends, but I never really understood why you didn't spend more time together when we were students. You never seemed hostile to one another, it was just as though there was a big gap between the two of you and...I didn't know what was needed to breach it."

"A big gap...yes, I suppose so," Shikiki grimaced. "Things left unspoken and unasked...probably things neither of us knew how to tackle, or if we even should. Things about Seventh...and everything that happened when we were children."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"We're going to his division, then?" she asked, and Kirio shook her head.

"Tenichi doesn't want to discuss anything about this stuff so near to his Captain, being that Seventh is Endou land," she responded. "He's going to meet us outside the archive. He's not allowed to wander far by himself at the moment, but since the library's such open space, he thinks he should be allowed to go there. Kikyue-dono has him on light duties until he's cleared for full action again, so he volunteered to go do some mundane paperwork for her there this evening, and that's where we'll meet him. Security is tighter everywhere since his abduction, so it'll probably be all right."

"Mm," Shikiki chewed on her lip, but made no demur, and Kirio shot her another quizzical look.

"Is it really all right?"

"No, not entirely," Shikiki admitted, "but I suppose that I knew he'd have questions about things one day. I didn't know when, and I hoped that they'd never come, but I don't think I can refuse to answer them, Kirio-chan. Dai-nii was someone who connected Tenichi and Ketsui and I when we were young. We all loved him, but I'm the only one who knows...everything that happened. If anyone is going to tell him, it has to be me. Even if I don't like it, Dai-nii was Tenichi's father. I can't not talk to someone about their father, not when there's nobody else."

"I suppose that's true," Kirio's eyes softened. "You and I are different from Tenichi in that we've never had biological family to worry about us. Daisuke-san did worry about his family, though, to the point he sent them into exile to save their lives. I understand why Tenichi wants to find things out, I just don't want you to be upset by dragging up ancient past."

"My family are Juu-nii's, now, just like yours are the people who took you in, "Shikiki said matter-of-factly. "You're right, though. It is different for Tenichi and Ketsui."

"Kirio!"

As they reached the library, Tenichi was already waiting for them, and he hurried across the stone slabs towards them, pausing a short distance away and bowing his head towards Shikiki in a mixed gesture of apology and gratitude.

"Shikiki...I wasn't sure you'd come and humour my selfish demands, but I'm happy that you did."

"Kirio says you want to ask me things about the past," Shikiki said gravely. "I don't like it, Tenichi-kun, and I don't know that you will, either. Nothing I can tell you about your family is good or happy, and once it's said, it can't be unsaid. If you really want to know, I'll tell you - but I don't really want to, and I'm not sure you want to hear it."

"I need to hear it. All of it. Everything that you know, about Father after Mother took Ketsui and I to Eighth," Tenichi replied grimly. "I've always wondered, but now...I need to know. I need to know what I never knew for sure. You were with him, weren't you, when he died? He cared for you, so..."

"I wasn't with him when he died," Shikiki shook her head abruptly.

"But I thought..."

"I was with him when the village was burned down, and he was taken by the shinigami," Shikiki's voice shook slightly, and she let out a little sigh, tears glistening in her aqua eyes. "He told me to wait for him, and that he'd come back for me. He didn't. He couldn't. The next time I saw him, he was dead."

"Shiki-chan..." Kirio rested her hand on her friend's arm, then cast Tenichi a glance.

"Does this need to happen now?" she asked softly. "Shiki-chan's been through a lot of stress lately, with everything at Fourth. I know you want to know about Daisuke-san, and I promised to help, but if it's going to upset Shikiki to talk about it..."

"I'm sorry, Shikiki," Tenichi looked apologetic. "I need to know, though. It has to be now."

He glanced at his hands.

"When I was in Seventh...after I was let go by whoever had me hostage, I found...some sign of Father," he murmured. "I can't explain it, but it was as though I knew he'd been there, somehow. It made me remember...all kinds of things, and I wanted to know exactly what happened. For a brief instant I thought I'd found him...but maybe I was misleading myself. Shikiki knows...I'm sure she does, all the things I don't know. Even if they're not good things, Shikiki, I want to know. If you can tell me, I want to know everything about the time you were my Father's ward."

"I wasn't Dai-nii's ward," Shikiki's voice was edged with a bitterness that Kirio had never heard before. "If I had been, I would've been sent with you and Irie-san to Eighth. I was kept behind because I didn't belong to Dai-nii. I belonged to...someone else. Someone who came back for me...when there was nobody else to come."

"Someone else?" Kirio's brows knitted together, and Shikiki frowned, glancing around her then taking both Tenichi and Kirio by the arm, leading them around the side of the library and down a narrow, twisting pathway towards a stretch of empty land that had once been part of the old Council compound but which had been abandoned and left to ruin when the new quarters had been built. She sank down onto a broken piece of wall, gesturing for her companions to follow suit, and, exchanging glances, they did so, Kirio settling herself on a patch of worn grass and Tenichi perching on the stump of an old tree.

"I don't talk about it, not here, and not ever, not now," Shikiki spoke softly, and Kirio was aware of the sadness in her friend's eyes. "He abandoned me, and I abandoned him - it was a long time ago, and I became part of Juu-nii's family. I didn't need to go back to what came before."

"The someone else...was that...Keitarou-dono?" Tenichi asked apprehensively, and something in his eyes made Kirio's heart clench in her chest.

"Aizen...Keitarou?" she whispered, and Shikiki nodded, putting a finger to her lips.

"Shh," she cautioned. "Like I said, some connnections are better forgotten. I belong to Juu-nii's family - I'm an Ukitake, and I have been since I was eight. Anything else doesn't matter - most people here don't even know."

"I remember, vaguely," Tenichi admitted, gazing at his hands. "Sometimes, when Keitarou-dono visited Father, and you'd be there...but I'd forgotten that you were his and not Father's responsibility. You spent so much time with us, but he would come and go, like a ghost, back and forth to his work with the Endou."

"Mm," Shikiki twisted her fingers together. "I loved Dai-nii a lot, Tenichi. I really did. I loved Kei-nii...Keitarou-san, too. He saved me from being killed by the shinigami and the Hollows, and protected me in a place where children with spirit power were being slaughtered. I didn't know, then, all the ins and outs or what he would go on to do. When he hurt Juu-nii, I realised I couldn't forgive him for that. I don't suppose he forgave me, either, because I chose to go with Juu-nii and sever our relationship. But before that, I was with him. Between when the village burned and when Juu-nii's family adopted me, I was always with Kei-nii."

"And Daisuke-san?" Kirio asked quietly. Shikiki shook her head.

"The shinigami took him," she said simply. "They took him, and the next I saw him, he was dead. Kei-nii...Keitarou went to rescue him, but he couldn't. Dai-nii's body was frozen, as though he'd been attacked by ice. Kei-nii wanted me to help bring him back, but I couldn't. He was already dead - his spirit was gone, and I couldn't do anything about it. All I could do was mend the damage on his body, and Kei-nii buried him."

"In District Seven?" Tenichi's voice became choked with emotion, and Shikiki nodded.

"In forestland, where there was enough shelter to hide us while he dug a proper grave," she agreed sadly. "I'm sorry, Tenichi. I couldn't save your father, even though I wanted to. Keitarou couldn't, either. He believed he could, and went to do it, but what he went to face was worse than he predicted. I don't know what they did to him...to Dai-nii...but his body...was covered in wounds."

"And frozen by the blade of an ice powered sword," Tenichi muttered. Shikiki started, staring at him for a moment. Then she nodded.

"Yes," she agreed. "How did you..."

"Shouichi-dono's sword was an ice sword. I've heard Taichou talk about it," Tenichi's voice shook slightly, and Kirio could see the emotions swirling deep in her friend's eyes. "You said he was taken by shinigami, didn't you? I know the Endou hunted down the exiled Urahara, and killed them. I'd heard that Shouichi-dono was involved in ordering Father's death, and I guess that was true. Only he really did do it himself, with his own blade, didn't he?"

"Mm, I think so," Shikiki's tears began to fall now, trickling silently down her plump cheeks as she nodded her head. "It was so horrible...that I think...maybe when death came, Dai-nii...I think he accepted it. Kei-nii said that Dai-nii acted to protect him, but I don't know what really happened. All I know was that Dai-nii was broken, and that Kei-nii shed tears for him. I never saw Keitarou cry about anything else, not ever - but when Dai-nii was buried, he cried a lot. Later, he told me he'd killed Shouichi-sama in revenge for Dai-nii. I didn't really understand everything he said to me, but as I've got older, I've understood. He avenged Dai-nii, but it wasn't enough to really assuage his hatred. He hated a lot of people, and hating them made him turn against Clans and blame them for the bad things in the world."

"Aizen Keitarou is a wanted criminal who murdered lots of people, not just one Clansman who took the life of a family member," Kirio said quietly. "Taichou's always said that he's not someone to be taken lightly - he's dangerous, and whatever prompted him to act how he did, it doesn't excuse the loss of life."

"Wars bring losses of life, Kirio-chan," Tenichi murmured, and Kirio shot him a sharp glance.

"Tenichi-kun?"

"I'm not justifying it," Tenichi shook his head. "I'm just saying that Keitarou-dono isn't the only one who's killed people. People among the Gotei have taken lives, too. I know Taichou killed his cousin in a struggle for Clan power when he was younger, and I've heard stories about other people, too."

"The only solution is to prevent war altogether," Shikiki said firmly. "If there isn't war, people don't take sides and then they don't have to die. Kirio, I know what you think about Keitarou is right, but like Tenichi, I also remember another side to him - a kind person who I adored and who protected me. That person was destroyed because of the evil that war brings to the world. The Endou waged war on skilled District folk and on underground Urahara, and so lots of people died. Kei-nii became someone beyond saving because of those events - he was broken and twisted up because of them."

"Maybe so," Kirio acknowledged, "but even so..."

"He buried my father with honour, though," Tenichi whispered, bowing his head towards Shikiki, "and so did you. Thank you, Shikiki. I don't blame you for not being able to save him...but I'm grateful for you doing what you could for him when nobody else was there to do it."

"I loved him," Shikiki wiped her eyes, offering Tenichi a wan smile. "An eight year old doesn't understand politics, or who is truly good or bad. She only understands who's loved her and shown her kindness. Of course I would do that for him - I would've done anything for him."

She smoothed down the fabric of her hakama, then,

"I remember where he is, if you wanted me to show you," she added softly. "I know the path, and I wouldn't forget somewhere like that. Kei-nii marked the spot with a stone and he wrote something on it. I couldn't read, then, so I don't know what it was, but he said it was something that marked out how important a person Dai-nii was to him."

"Tomo," Tenichi's words were too soft for Shikiki to hear, but Kirio picked them up, casting her friend a concerned look.

"Tenichi-kun..."

"If you wanted me to take you there, I could," Shikiki continued simply. "If you did..."

"I'm not allowed to go back into District Seven," Tenichi shook his head, cutting across her with a shrug. "Fukutaichou's orders, because I was dumped there. I appreciate it, Shikiki, but I think you've told me what I wanted to know. What happened and where he sleeps...those things are important. Right now I can't go there, and I won't disobey Fukutaichou's instructions because I've already caused them too much strife in being taken hostage in the first instance. But knowing...that makes a difference too."

"I see," Shikiki's features cleared, and she smiled. "That's why you wanted to interrogate me - because you can't go investigate for yourself."

"Yes," Tenichi agreed, though there was something clouded in his gaze that did nothing to dispel Kirio's sense of general unease. "I'm sorry to rake it all up for you, though. I don't suppose I realised how horrible it was for you, but it must've been..."

"The worst time was when the village was razed, and I was all alone," Shikiki shivered. "It seemed like forever before Kei-nii came for me. My whole life changed from that point...I don't suppose I'll ever forget those last months I spent in Seventh District. I've never really wanted to go back there, not in all the years since I've been grown up. It was my home a long time ago, but the good memories of it are tainted by those weeks in hiding, hunted by the Endou and threatened by Seimaru-sama and his people."

She rested a hand on Tenichi's shoulder.

"Dai-nii died so you didn't have to go through those things," she added softly. "If you want to honour him and his memory in the best way you can, Tenichi-kun, then keep moving forward. He'd be really proud, I think, to see how you and Ketsui have grown up and taken charge of your own lives."

"We became shinigami," Tenichi said sadly. "A shinigami killed him...I wonder if he'd understand."

"There are good shinigami and bad shinigami," Shikiki shrugged her shoulders. "I learned that when I met Juu-nii. You and Ketsui are good shinigami, and you help people by protecting them. Dai-nii would understand that, since he used to protect the people in the village as much as he could until it was too much for him to manage. He died protecting people he cared for - that's the legacy he'd want to pass to you. Whatever bad things Kei-nii did, I'm sure Dai-nii would just be happy knowing you survived and were able to grow up free and safe from persecution."

"I agree," Kirio nodded her head, casting her friend a smile. "I never met Daisuke-san, but I knew Irie-san and I'm sure Shikiki's right."

"We could have talked about this a long time ago," Shikiki admitted, looking troubled. "At the Academy, or since then, but the time never seemed to be right. We used to play together as children so much, Tenichi-kun, and yet, when we began studying, although I knew who you were...it was as though there was a wall separating us. I didn't want to be reminded of the past...and I guess I thought you didn't either. I didn't realise it was eating away at you so much - I'm sorry."

"We both created that gap," Tenichi said honestly. "I suppose neither of us wanted to be associated with the underground Urahara or with Keitarou-dono and his actions. We were still growing up when the Kuchiki boy was murdered, and yet when we began at the Academy, the Council were still actively hunting for Keitarou-dono and Eiraki-hime. If the people around us had known we had connections to him, we'd have been shunned. Not talking about it made the most sense...but since that was the past we shared, it made it harder to talk about anything at all."

"True," Shikiki let out her breath in a heavy sigh. "I've always regretted it a bit, though. Whether Kei-nii is still alive or not, or what he does...it hasn't anything to do with us. We're both squad shinigami with a job to do, and the past doesn't have any bearing on that. As District shinigami, what's more important is that we're here, and able to do our bit. That's changed since we were children, and we've been part of the change."

"A lot of District children have conflicting roots," Kirio pointed out. "I still don't know what happened to my sister and brother, or whether they abandoned me on purpose. I don't know if I'd rather they had died, because it would mean they hadn't left me...or whether I want them to be alive, even though they chose to be alive without me."

"Seireitei is still changing," Tenichi got to his feet, turning his gaze towards the setting sun, and for a moment, Kirio could not make out his features. "It has to keep changing. Shikiki's right. We're part of that change and we have to keep faith with our roots as well as with our current place in this world. Being District shinigami is important...sticking up for the people who can't fight their own fights is important. I think, at the very least, Father would understand that, even if he didn't understand everything else."

"You really don't remember what happened during your abduction?" Kirio asked softly, and Tenichi turned to face her, a faint, rueful smile on his lips.

"Fukutaichou told me not to bother about it, but to get back to my duties, and I will," he said softly. "There are things I can't quite resolve within myself, not yet, but I will. Don't look worried about me, Kirio-chan. I'm all right."

"Not knowing can be more damaging than remembering everything," Shikiki agreed. "Tenichi-kun, I know that one of my squad-mates came to see you, and she said you seemed well - but it doesn't mean the shock of what happened won't hit you later on. If you feel that happening, don't be afraid to come talk to someone at Fourth. Nobody will think the less of you for it. None of us know what you did or didn't go through in the five or six days you weren't accounted for, and it might take a while for your body and your mind to rationalise what right now it's blocking from your recollections."

"No, I think not remembering would be a safer option," Tenichi said cryptically, shaking his head. "I'll keep it in mind, Shikiki, but I don't suppose I'll need any further help. Really, I just wanted to know about Father. Now I do...maybe I can put that into its proper place in my mind and understand...a little more what he sacrificed for our sakes."

---

The sun was setting gently over the rough ridged mountain that shielded Motonoyama, its deepening colours spreading and pooling across the fields and valleys like the steady, resolute flow of molten lava. There were no volcanoes as such within Seireitei, nor within Rukongai, so the imagery was lost on Katsura but, as he stepped carefully over the broken branches and red-spattered, bent blades of grass, he reflected on how much it resembled a lake of blood, dripping over the asymmetrical peaks onto the hapless settlements below.

Such a morbid line of thought was not his usual style, yet for some reason, now the sun was setting and the sounds of Motonoyama's distant market had quieted for the night, he could not help but focus on the inescapable reality of death as it lay spreadeagled and crumpled on the ground before him.

The Hollow had been a violent one.

Katsura licked his lips, brushing the sweat from his brow and gazing down at the red-smeared features of one of the hapless shinigami, meeting the terrified, sightless gaze with a pensive one of his own. Until the encounter with Mitsuki, he had never really thought of the shinigami as victims with feelings and, perhaps, families and friends of their own, but something about this broken, doll-like form made him imagine for the briefest instant that this lifeless creature was one of those that surrounded him - people without whom he could not imagine living his life.

Nobody had come yet to retrieve the body, which had surprised him. It had been a small patrol that day - just two agents, one of which had lost his head at the sight of the Hollow and had been knocked down straight away. The other had fought valiently for several minutes before finally managing to take the monster down. This second shinigami had taken a bloody, nasty injury, and had limped off the scene some time before, but, because no help had yet arrived, Katsura wondered whether he too had succumbed to his wounds before he could reach Inner Seireitei and healing support. Still, Katsura was not so naive as to believe that nobody in authority kept a check on which shinigami went where and their lack of return would surely soon be noticed now that night was falling. He did not have very long to achieve his goal - there was no time for sentimental ponderings about the people he had stalked and hunted down.

He knelt down beside the body of the first man. He had died on falling, taking a fatal blow which had sent him flying across the clearing, clattering head first into a tree and shattering his neck on impact. His uniform had caught on a few of the branches, leaving it a little torn and bloodied, but it was not saturated in red like that of the one who had limped away, and for this, Katsura was glad. Steeling himself for what he was about to do, he glanced around him for any sign of witnesses, then grasped the dead man around the wrists, concentrating his haphazard shunpo on lifting the corpse away from the more open field and into a dense thicket he had scouted out some hours before. Here he had hidden, spiritually downwind from the fighting shinigami who had been preoccupied with the threat the Hollow posed to Motonoyama and therefore not concerned with a random commoner lurking in the shadows. It had given him time to prepare the area for the quickest change over possible, and, among the dry leaf litter he had already scraped out a shallow grave, ready to roll the remains into when he had taken what he needed.

It took very little time at all to relieve the corpse of its shihakushou and even less time for Katsura to shed his own clothing. He donned the damaged black and white uniform, and then, quickly re-robing the now naked body in his ragged attire, he knelt at the shinigami's side, pressing his hands together in a brief prayer before putting his weight behind the man's body and giving him a hefty shove into the uneven ditch. The body fell into the opening with an ungainly thud, arms sprawled out at odd angles, and Katsura swallowed his revulsion at the sight of the pale skin, shoving the leaves back over his victim in an attempt to cover the scene as well as possible. In his fervour to conceal the crime scene, however, energy sparked unbidden from his fingertips and he let out a faint exclamation of dismay, jerking back as a lick of strange blue flame seared across the leaves, immediately setting them alight. With a mixture of horror and disgust, Katsura stared as the unbidden energy spread from the leaf matter to the body itself, the limbs jerking and twitching slightly from the heat before curling and blackening against the earth.

Although Katsura had used spiritual energy before, never had he managed to school the power he knew he possessed into a recogniseable spell. He had not bothered reading his father's texts nor had he paid particular attention to learning shinigami skills, disdaining them as tools of the enemy and determined to do things his own way as befitted a Rukongai rebel. Keitarou had laughed, but had not pushed him, and so, when he had destroyed the Hollow in the Spiritless Zone, he had massed reiryoku and attacked but not fired any specific spell. Here, though, in spiritually pure land and so close to Inner Seireitei, even the faintest hint of stray power had twisted itself into a strange, eerie kind of flame, lighting up the thicket as though it had been possessed by an angry ghost looking to take its revenge.

Katsura did not wait to see whether the fire burned the body completely away, nor did he stay to ensure the corpse's layer of covering leaves was replaced. His heart pounding suddenly in his chest, he got to his feet, fleeing the scene as fast as his legs would carry him. Though he knew that an outpouring of foreign spirit power would alert the shinigami to the presence of something suspicious, it was terror rather than self-preservation that drove him across the fields and the rocky stream that trickled at the foot of the old mountain path. Beyond this he could see the white walls of Inner Seireitei and, his hands clammy and his breath coming in short, uneven gasps, he stood and stared at it, knowing that he had come too far now not to enter, but certain he would be identified as a fraud the moment he tried to step through the gate. He fumbled for the gloves he always carried with him, pulling them hastily over the soot-charred fingers as if by doing so he could conceal the truth of his crime from himself as well as the eyes of the person he was going to see. Though he knew he shouldn't care, he did not want Mitsuki to know the gravity of what he had done.

Go and do what you need to do. Follow your conviction and see it through.

Koku's voice echoed suddenly in his head.

If you can't kill her, don't. You don't have to go there for that. Do what you think is right.

What I think is right.

Katsura clenched his fists, chewing down on his lip hard enough to taste blood.

Mitsuki.

He let out a heavy sigh, then gathered his resolution, hurrying up towards the guard on duty at the gate and schooling his features into a look of purpose.

"There's been an incident in the forest!" he exclaimed, grasping the startled guard by the shoulders and fixing him with an urgent look. "A hollow - we need a healer. We need the Fourth division!"

"A Hollow? Has it been killed?" The guard was immediately alert, and Katsura nodded.

"Yes, yes it has, but one man is down, and another injured badly. He sent me back, and I ran all the way, but I...I took a whack and I'm not all that steady myself. I hurried - one of my squad isn't doing so good. I don't know if he'll live, he was bleeding a whole lot and I don't know much about medical care, so he told me to run back here. Please, I need some help. It's not far from Motonoyama - what if another Hollow comes?"

"You're a mite bloody, and your shihakushou's right torn up over the shoulder," the man on duty looked concerned, patting Katsura gingerly on the arm. "The Hollows have been real strange of late - slashing up people at the least excuse, and that's no joke. Two of my patrol took broken bones just last week, and now you say there's been another one, this close to Inner Seireitei? It's making a mockery of the whole organisation, I swear!"

He clapped a hand to his head, and Katsura realised that the man had completely fallen for his act, believing that the stranger who stood in front of him was simply a comrade from another patrol. Kurotsuchi had said that shinigami from different squads did not always mix, but even so, relief coursed through his veins as he registered the safety his anonymity had afforded him. The bloodstained shihakushou was genuine, therefore there was no reason to doubt his right to be there. Was it only shinigami arrogance that prevented an increased guard from being stationed here, or was it rather that those who tried to infiltrate Inner Seireitei didn't usually try to do so through the main gateway? He had also once heard Kurotsuchi grumbling about security methods implemented on the underground drainage system, and absently he wondered whether the shinigami had forgone manstream measures in order to cover the less obvious methods of infiltration.

"I'll raise an alert," the man promised. "You, go on to the Fourth and find a healer. From your uniform, you belong to the Tenth, right?"

"Uh, yes. Yes, I do," Katsura nodded quickly, hoping that was the right answer and not a trick, but the guard simply nodded, reaching for and brandishing his writing brush.

"You got your squad number on you?"

"My...?" Katsura faltered, blinking at the guard blankly. There was an uncomfortable pause, then the guard's hand shot out again, grasping the front of the shihakushou and pulling it towards him. Katsura tensed, half ready to flare another ghostly burst of spiritual energy in his own defence, but the guard laughed, offering him a reassuring grin.

"You're real shook up, huh?" he asked sympathetically, turning the fold of the fabric towards him and glancing at something stitched into the seam before making a note on his pad. "There, I got it. Shouda Mikisue...that you?"

"Sure is," Katsura managed a wan smile, his heart flip-flopping in his chest at the closeness of the call. "I'm sorry. I just keep seeing all the blood, and for a moment, my mind went blank. I never saw someone cut down like that before...someone I know...I guess it rattled me more than I thought."

"Ah, I can't blame you. It's never nice seeing a comrade struck out," the guard said sympathetically. "Honestly, you do look a little dazed and you're pale as a ghost. I've got your number down so your cleared to enter. I'll put a general alert out to the Fourth for your comrade - you can leave it to me to handle that. I'd go there yourself, though, when you've reported back to Hakubei-taichou."

"Thank you!" Katsura bowed his head, schooling his easygoing features into a grateful grin, then he stumbled into the central courtyard, blinking for a moment as he took in for the first time the heart of the shinigami homeland.

Tenth Division.

His brow wrinkled as he gazed around himself, moving slowly as he tried to asborb his surroundings more clearly. Kurotsuchi had not provided Keitarou with any kind of map or plan of this area, and Keitarou himself had never been here, but with the entrance guard still within close sight, it would not do to appear as though he was visiting the place for the first time. The shinigami who had died had belonged to the Tenth division, whilst the healer he sought belonged to the Fourth. He knew the location of neither, but shrewdly assumed that the central entrance to Inner Seireitei would be located somewhere in the middle of the gathered barracks. That being the case, he presumed, running his gaze down what seemed to be identical openings to repeated rows of barracks and living quarters, where he was now was likely somewhere around the Sixth or Seventh Division. The sight of a Clan flag fluttering in the light breeze told him that his assumption had been right, for, beneath the ornate crest of what he realised must be the Kuchiki family were the distinct slashes of the number six. Casting a furtive glance back towards the main gate, he decided to choose the right hand path, ducking beneath the white flag with a deep-seated sense of unease.

Mitsuki said she was a Kuchiki. Her family are inside there. I wonder if she's told them about me...and if the rumours about the Kuchiki and Father are really true. Mother said that it was a Kuchiki who gave him the injury that even now causes him to limp. If they knew who I was...or why I was here...if they knew I'd put one of their kin in such danger...

He shivered, quickening his pace until he came to the carved entrance to the next division. He paused for a moment before this one, his eyes widening in dismay as he absorbed the beady, accusing eye of the wooden hawk glaring down at him from atop its proud perch. The number seven rested beneath its talons, like prey dragged in from hunting in the fields, and Katsura swallowed hard, knowing that if the Kuchiki land was dangerous, this area was even worse.

Mother's family. The Endou Clan...the family who kill first and ask questions later.

"Hey, you!"

A voice made him jump almost clean out of his skin, spinning around guiltily to meet the sharp gaze of a young woman of about Koku's age, and for a moment he stared at her in disbelief, stunned to silence by the familiar curve of her features and the shock of dark hair that had been regimentedly schooled back from her face into a tight braid. Eiraki was older now, and her vivid blue eyes were possessed by none of the current generation of young Endou, yet Katsura saw the resemblance nonetheless.

"Why are you lurking outside Seventh?" The woman glared at him suspiciously, her fingers brushing against the hilt of an intricately gilted sword as she spoke. "Nobody has time to be loitering, and I'm sure your Captain didn't send you to roam the streets of Inner Seireitei, especially not in such a dishevilled state."

"No...no ma'am," Katsura choked out hurriedly, taking a half-step back. "I was just...I had to..."

"Name and division?"

"Er...Shouda. Shouda Miki..sue. Tenth Division," Katsura babbled out, lowering his head in a bow towards her. "I'm sorry, I was just..."

"Tenth, huh?" the woman clicked her tongue against her teeth, then, "well, Shouda, get on with you to your own barracks. If I catch you lingering around doing nothing again, I'll be taking a report to your Captain myself and asking him to make sure you have adequate duties, since if you have the time to loiter, I'm sure he can put you to better use."

"Yes, ma'am," it was all Katsura could do not to salute under the piercing gaze, taking to his heels and hurrying off in the direction she indicated before she could call him back. Whilst it troubled him not at all if Shouda Mikisue was reported to Tenth Division for dereliction of duty, there was something in the woman's eyes that reminded him all too strongly of Sakaki when she was determined about something, and he had no desire to find out whether this Endou kinswoman had the same penchant for gratuitous violence as his younger sister.

I'm off limits to Sakaki, but somehow I don't suppose the ties of blood would work in that case.

He turned the corner, slowing his pace slightly and letting his breath out in a rush as he saw the banner for the Tenth Division looming up ahead.

I swear, I wish I'd never come here. I wish Father hadn't ever sent me - I'm in much greater danger of being discovered here than I was in Rukongai. Even if Mitsuki did talk about me, right here there are too many enemies and not enough means of escape. If I run into someone who knows the real Shouda Mikisue, I'm in trouble. But, having come this far...I'm still no closer to finding Mitsuki. She's from the Fourth division. That's the opposite direction. I was going to cut past Seventh and double back, but with that woman on duty, I daren't show my face there again. Knowing my luck she'd frogmarch me to the Tenth and deliver me there personally, and that's one place I can't be seen. They'd know I wasn't who I claimed to be, and the game would be up. How am I going to get to where I need to be, though? I have no idea how to navigate this place. Damn Kurotsuchi for being possessive about information! If he'd only left Father with a map...

He sighed, leaning up against the wall of one of the Tenth Division's barrack buildings.

I don't even know if I can find her in this place, with so many shinigami and so many different spiritual signals, but I don't see anything else for it. If I can't track the normal way, I'll have to do it the spiritual way. I might not be able to lock onto her thoughts directly, but if I can at least track down her general aura, it'll be a start. I only met her the once, but fortunately, once someone's spiritual fingerprint is locked into my senses, I don't usually forget it. Oh well. It's worth a try, anyway.

He closed his eyes, steadying his scattered thoughts and taking a deep breath. Carefully and cautiously he spread his senses out into the surrounding ether, flinching slightly as his sensitive awareness was bombarded by a flurry of competing signals from the nearby shinigami barracks. At first he could make no sense of anything, but then, creasing his brow in concentration, he forced the extraneous signals to the back of his mind, honing in on the faint yet familiar strain of the healer's gentle reiatsu. She was closer than he had expected, he realised with a jolt, his eyes snapping open.

She's not with the Fourth Division. She's not back behind me at all. She's ahead of me. Somewhere along this pathway...somewhere near here.

He frowned, confused.

Why? She's a healer. Surely she should be with the other healers?

He let out his breath in a rush, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.

Shinigami are strange, but at least it saves me a wasted ramble around the back passages of the shinigami's domain. If she's ahead of me, then I'll just keep walking, as far as I'm able to go. Until I know whether she's under particular armed guard or not, I can't plan my next move - but I hope she's not going to prove difficult to get to. I had anticipated more of the healer types, but if she's not with them, she might be with people who have proper fighting swords, and I'm not the best one to deal with that. Swords are Sakaki's department - and I don't know how reliable my spirit power might be if faced with several armed fighters.

He turned his gaze to the path ahead, squinting slightly in the darkness to make out the shape of the further military buildings that still lay beyond.

I must find her, though, tonight if I possibly can. I can't waste any time, not with things the way they are. Koku might be right or he might be wrong - following my instinct might be good or it might be bad. But whichever way it is, I need to act now, while I still have my resolve.