Chapter Twenty Eight: Night Shadows

"I really thought that Kohaku-san was going to report us to the Vice Captain this afternoon."

Morata tossed his hakamashita down over the end of his bunk, reaching for his nightrobe and pulling it around his upper body, tying the sash at the waist and sending Shinobu a dark look. It was several hours later, and, although the division curfew had long since passed for the evening, the recruits had still not settled for the night. Shinobu, Takahashi and Morata had not seen much of each other for the rest of that day, due to differently assigned chores and duties, but now, at bedtime, Morata returned the subject to the day's patrol. "I can't believe we got away with it. Some advice, Yatsubashi. Next time you want to annoy a seated officer, maybe don't do it when I'm with you. I don't want to get a bad reputation in my first month here, and he really didn't seem happy about the things you said."

"I wasn't the one hissing and whispering, which is what he actually yelled at us for," Shinobu threw his own hakamashita aside, returning the glare with an indignant one of his own. "Besides, he went over the top. He didn't need to dress us down like that. It was unnecessary, and you guys grovelling afterwards didn't help."

"We didn't grovel," Takahashi sank down on the end of his bed, reaching down to remove his tabi. "We saw good sense, agreed with his position and accepted he was right. Which he was, Yatsubashi. Morata's got a point. This isn't the Academy; we don't have an answer-back clause here. And, to be honest, I don't think we had one there. You're not Anideshi any more. I know you took crap at times from some of the Clan brats when they were in a high temper and flaring their pride, but this is different. Kohaku-san's not a Clan bigwig with too much ego. He's an officer who outranks us by..." he paused, counting on his fingers, then scrunched them up in a ball, "well, umpteen seats, as it happens, since recruits are unseated, and you started poking your nose in where it wasn't welcome."

"I didn't do it to be malicious," Shinobu sighed, pulling on his own nightrobe with a grimace. "Whatever you think, Takahashi, I didn't. I didn't even think about it. And yes, I was stupid to say it, but does that really require him talking to us as though we're still in school uniform?"

"Far as he's concerned, maybe we are," Morata reflected. "We're barely out of that uniform, and though Sensei gave us a lot of authority back at the Academy, here we are on the bottom rung of the ladder. Besides, Kohaku-san is someone in the Taichou's trust and good graces. Insulting him seems a bad career move. And I'm really not going to do it."

"What are you guys squabbling about? It's late, and I'm tired," Hiroshi pushed back the door of the dorm, pausing as he registered the scene he had just walked into. "The tension in here is thick enough that you could cut it with a knife. What gives?"

"Please tell me whatever it is, you're done," Katou asked plaintively, following his room-mate into the chamber, and Tanemura, who had been right behind them, nodded, sliding the door shut and making his way to his own bunk.

"I'm done," Shinobu shrugged. "It's not a bit deal, Hiroshi. Just something on patrol today. That's all."

"Fukutaichou's patrol?" Hiroshi hung his towel on its rail, then moved to sit on his bed. "I thought you enjoyed those. Something wrong with this one? Weren't you going to Eighth? I thought that was pretty at this time of the year?" He glanced at Tanemura, who nodded his head.

"It is. The thaws are always early, and by this time there are flowers all over," he agreed. "I'd have liked to have gone on that patrol. I haven't been home in a while, and I miss it, here. It's entirely too green and grey and not colourful enough."

"There wasn't anything wrong with the patrol," Takahashi shook his head. "It was interesting, in Eighth, and we didn't have any dangerous incidents to deal with."

"So what's the problem? Sounds like a good day, and you're not even caked in mud," Hiroshi's eyes twinkled with amusement, and Shinobu grimaced.

"I don't mind mud," he admitted. "That at least washes off."

"Yatsubashi forgot where he was and asked a tactless question and we all almost ended up on disciplinary," Morata sent Shinobu a sidelong glance, and Shinobu bristled.

"It wasn't all my fault! You were the ones whispering, not me! I'm not taking the whole blame, and like I said, he was out of line. He took it too far - it was totally innocent and entirely not malicious, but the way he reacted, you'd think I said it on purpose!"

"Who reacted?" Katou looked confused, and Takahashi groaned, flopping back on his bed.

"Kohaku-san," he said wearily. "Look, it wasn't that big a deal. On our way back, Fukutaichou left Kohaku-san in charge of us and went off to run some other errand. We'd been talking about stuff. It was fine. Anyhow, the subject got onto Kyouraku-taichou, because we were in Eighth. I think we were talking about matsuri, and Kyouraku-taichou coming to Thirteenth a lot, to visit the Captain here."

"He does," Tanemura nodded. "I've seen him arrive. He seems to know most of the Thirteenth, but nobody really comments on it when he's here, because, well, apparently he's here a lot."

"Sounds innocuous," Hiroshi frowned. "I've seen him come here too, as it happens. So what about it? Did Kohaku-san think you were wasting time on idle gossip or...?"

"It felt like that," Shinobu murmured, but Morata shook his head.

"No. No, it was entirely fine and friendly, until Yatsubashi decided to ask our supervising officer if it bothered him that the person who killed his father came to visit our Division on a regular basis."

"Pardon?" Katou blinked, looking stunned, and Hiroshi's eyes widened incredulously.

"Shinobu? You asked him what?"

"I didn't think. I didn't do it on purpose, I just got carried away," Shinobu defended himself. "I honestly didn't, I swear! I mean, Taichou told me about it, and I knew you knew and so I thought...I dunno what I thought, but it just...kind of...came out. And when I realised what I was saying, I tried to stop it, but it was too late. He realised what I meant and after that..."

He made a beheading motion.

"Excuse me, knew what?" Tanemura raised a hand. "I'm lost, and I'd like it if someone would navigate for me, so I can get back on board with this conversation."

"Kohaku-san told us that his father was Aizen Keitarou and that, after he died, Ukitake-taichou took him in and mentored him," Morata said grimly. "He said it as though it didn't matter to him, but I think it did. It was tactless," he added, glancing at Shinobu. "And he was right, in how he reacted afterwards. We were the ones out of line, and after that, you're lucky we weren't all on disciplinary."

"I thought you said you didn't have a problem with Kohaku-san's bloodline?" Hiroshi sent his friend a suspicious look, and Shinobu groaned.

"I don't. I don't, all right?" he exclaimed. "I genuinely didn't think about what I was asking, and who I was asking it. It just came out, because he was talking...well, I guess I just...I mean, this guy killed his father, right? But he was just talking like it wasn't a big deal at all, and I just asked without thinking. I didn't mean anything by it! It just sounded weird and so I asked and...well, it got out of hand."

He frowned at his friend's expression.

"I mean it, Hiroshi. But wouldn't you have wondered? I mean, in the context?"

"Maybe," Hiroshi agreed, "but I wouldn't have asked him about it, idiot, and not in front of everyone else out of the blue like that. He's not one of our classmates, he's a superior officer and a practical stranger on top of that. Yes, he's pretty laid back, but you can't take advantage of that and poke your nose in where it isn't invited. I mean, it might upset him. If you really needed to know, couldn't you have held it and then gone to ask Taichou? Not that it is our business, but think about it. Endou-taichou comes here too, doesn't he? Would you like it if someone asked if you minded him coming here because of the stuff that happened in Seventh in the past?"

"Not the same thing at all!"

"It's the same," Hiroshi shook his head. "You don't remember what happened to your family, but it still bothers you, and the Endou were involved. Endou-taichou wasn't, that's the only difference. And Kohaku-san wasn't involved in what happened with Keitarou, either. It's not his fault that that guy is his Dad. Some questions are just tactless. You shouldn't ask them, even if you're curious. It's just not nice."

"Well, he didn't seem to mind talking to you about it, since you said he was the one who told you about his father," Shinobu sighed, flopping back on his bed with a shrug. "And he said it didn't bother him. About Kyouraku-taichou, I mean. That it didn't matter, because he didn't have a problem with Kyouraku-taichou. I really didn't do it on purpose, but I really didn't expect him to react like that. What's so different? It wasn't like I accused him of anything. I was just asking. How is that different to the conversation you had with him about this stuff?"

"Kohaku-san told me about Keitarou because I didn't ask him awkward questions. He liked that I didn't ask about his name, or bother about it, so he wanted me to hear it from him, rather than from someone else," Hiroshi responded. "I think he gets a lot of hassle over his name and his connections. He only talked to me about it because I wasn't interested in finding out that stuff. Otherwise I guess he probably wouldn't."

"And he was angry," Morata added gravely. "I don't know if you guys clocked it, but I was closest to him, and I did. When he told us off for lagging behind, his aura was prickling all over the place. He was like a different person, and I could see he was really holding back his temper, Yatsubashi. There was something in his eyes - you hit a nerve, and I'm not surprised. Even if Kohaku-san hated his father, which if he joined the Gotei, maybe he did, it's not something you ask even your closest friend. And just because he doesn't mind chatting to us recruits on patrol, it doesn't mean we can take liberties and forget our place in the hierarchy. You were stupid and we reacted in the wrong way. In all cases, it's insubordination and it's disrespect to his rank. I think we were lucky. He could've got a lot crosser, but he didn't. He could've really lost his temper, but he didn't. And he could've reported us to Fukutaichou, but he didn't."

"Thank goodness," Takahashi added. "Fukutaichou is great, but doesn't seem the kind to look warmly on lax behaviour."

"So basically, you're all a bunch of idiots and got told off for it," Hiroshi sighed. "Well, if you ask me, you asked for trouble. Get over it and make it a life lesson."

"Is it true, though?" Katou asked. "I mean, about Kohaku-san being Keitarou's son?"

"Yes," Shinobu nodded. "Taichou told me himself. Because I came from Seventh, he wanted me to know about it in full. And I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't intend to. It genuinely just came out at that moment. But it is odd, don't you think? He's taken in by the best friend of someone who killed his father. Doesn't that seem really dysfunctional to you guys?"

"Aizen Keitarou was a monster," Tanemura pointed out. "If I was his son, I would be thanking whoever took him out of the world. I know it's not our business," as Hiroshi opened his mouth to protest at this piece of bluntness, "but it's still true. If Kohaku-san joined the Gotei, he wasn't on his father's side. Maybe Kyouraku-taichou did him a favour. Perhaps that's why he isn't bothered about it."

"Whatever the truth, we will be on disciplinary if we're caught gossiping about it again like this. It's way after curfew," Takahashi said frankly. "Yatsubashi, stop sulking about it. It's done with now, anyway. Naniwa's right. It's a life lesson. Kohaku-san is friendly and easy-going, but he's still a seated officer and he's that for a reason. He told us off good and proper and we should learn to take it. That's what it means, being a recruit. If we cross the line, we'll get our noses lopped off. It's better he scolds us now, for a little thing like this, because one day, in a battle, not obeying an instruction immediately might get us killed. That's the military. It's not a game, and we're not here to be pampered and fussed over."

"Then what about what happened afterwards, on the way back to Inner Seireitei?" Shinobu finished changing into his nightrobes, moving to pull back the covers of his bed. "Did he trip over his feet, like Fukutaichou said he did?"

"I think we should probably learn the lesson of not asking questions that don't concern us," Morata said wisely. "Fukutaichou sent us inside because he wanted to talk to Kohaku-san alone. It wasn't about us, as nothing has come of our telling off, so it must've been something else. Like as not Kohaku-san had something else to report. He held back to tell Fukutaichou and his falling over was a convenient way of getting rid of us, as well as alerting Fukutaichou that there was something more."

"That's very conspiratorial," Takahashi frowned. "Do you think so? I thought Kohaku-san looked pale. Maybe he was just ill. I didn't see him at dinner."

"Maybe Shinobu bothered him more than he wanted to let on," Hiroshi frowned. "Shinobu, in the border camp, when you asked about Keitarou - I know you didn't know anything, then, and nor did I, but you remember, you commented on his behaviour after that? He was short with us, and later, he looked pale and not right. If people go through traumatic things, sometimes, remembering them can make them unwell or anxious. Fukutaichou told me that when I spoke to him about my nerves dealing with Hollows after the Real World mission went wrong at the Academy. Even the most seasoned warriors can be affected, and Kohaku-san is really quite young. He's not much older than we are. I think it's deeper rooted than that. Perhaps you really did step on a landmine."

He sighed.

"Kohaku-san did tell me himself about his father," he added. "He said then that he didn't hate him. Even that he loved him. I think...well, from what he said to me, he still had some issues with what happened, five years ago. The choices he made, and the consequences of them. I don't really feel that it's right for me to repeat the details of what he said because I don't think he intended me to - but I think it was more difficult for him than you might think. Shinobu, I don't think you were malicious. But I think you should be really careful around that subject. I don't think he likes it, however much he pretends that he's okay. It's over for Seireitei, but I don't think it's really over for him. He called it a curse."

"I don't understand how you could love a man like that, but I already made up my mind not to raise the topic again. Like I said, this was an accident," Shinobu replied impatiently. "Can we change the subject now, please? I'd like to go to bed, and I'm fed up with being the pariah because I was a little careless with my curiosity."

Morata opened his mouth to respond, but then hesitated, a frown of consternation touching his fair features.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Tanemura sent his friend a quizzical look, and Morata moved to the window, clambering onto Shinobu's bed. Ignoring his friend's protests, he unfastened the shutter, pushing it open.

"I heard something. Something from outside," he said, and Hiroshi came to join him, peering over his companion's shoulder into the night darkness.

"It's hard to see anything from here," he said at length. "What did you hear, Morata?"

"I'm not sure. Sounded like some kind of commotion, but I'm not clear what or where from," Morata pulled the shutter closed with a sigh. "I guess it's also none of our business. Probably late patrol getting back. We're well past curfew, and we're all going to be zombies in the morning."

"Then get off my bed, and let's go to sleep, maybe?" Shinobu snapped bad-temperedly, and Takahashi nodded.

"Yatsubashi's right. We've had more than enough for one day," he agreed. "I'll do the kidou lamp, everyone. Let's call it a night, huh?"

There was a murmur of assent, and the six young recruits scrambled to get into bed. They slipped beneath the covers, and Takahashi plunged the room into darkness, climbing into his own bed and settling down to sleep. Shinobu let out his breath in a rush, still annoyed by his friends' reprimands, but deep down inside knowing that the person he was most annoyed at was himself.

I was careless, today. I said something that drew attention to me and made Kohaku-san annoyed. I have to be better at this if I want to find out things without alerting him to the fact I'm watching him. But Morata is right. He did change, when he was telling us off. There was something in his eyes...something in his aura. Something different from the nice, friendly Kohaku-san we see most of the time. Which means I'm right. It is an act. That moment, he lost his composure and the mask slipped...I just have to find a way to expose that to everyone else without exposing myself to danger.

He closed his eyes, hoping that he would quickly fall asleep. He had no sooner done so, however, when a strange, eerie sensation flooded through the chamber, sending a chill down his spine and penetrating deep into the core of his very being. Shinobu drew breath sharply into his lungs at the sudden feeling of ice coldness, half-wondering if the shutter had not been firmly fastened, but as he opened his eyes, he found it hard not to let out a yelp of dismay, for there, in the darkness, was a ghostly apparition, so pale and faint that he could see right through it. It appeared to be hovering around his bed, but, as he reached out a tentative hand to touch it, the image began to fragment, and he realised that it was nothing more than a spectral imprint, not real and yet not a dream, either.

Am I hallucinating things, now?

"Is it just me, or does anyone else see dead people in our bedroom?" Morata's nervy voice from the opposite bed gave Shinobu back a little of his courage, and he sat up, reaching across to illuminate the small kidou lamp at his side. As soon as he did so, the ghostly skeleton was gone, but although he could no longer see it, he could still feel the imprint of fear carved deep into the core of his soul.

"I saw it," he said in a low voice. "You saw it too, Morata?"

"I didn't see anything, but I feel like the room just turned to ice," Hiroshi shivered, pulling his blanket closer to his body. "I don't know what that was, but it's really cold in here now."

"It's a weird kind of cold. Like it's burrowing right down inside of us." Katou added. "Ghosts don't exist, right? I mean, the room isn't haunted, is it?"

"No such thing as ghosts," Shinobu said matter-of-factly. "Whatever it was, it wasn't a ghost. It was something else. I saw that thing but I also know it wasn't really there. We were just seeing it, that's all. I don't know why, though. Maybe it was some kind of psychic attack?"

"You think Thirteenth is under attack?" Takahashi demanded, and Shinobu shrugged, tossing back his covers and reaching for his dressing gown.

"One way to find out," he said grimly, sliding his zanpakutou through the sash of his robe. "Morata heard a noise outside. Now, if I listen, I can hear stuff too. Footsteps. People running around. Voices. And it's still there. That feeling of something bad going right down to the bone. I can't see that image in front of me any more, but it's still here, inside my head, like we're meant to see it and be afraid. We're not going to sleep like this...so we should go see what's happening."

As if to validate Shinobu's assertion, a scream suddenly erupted from the direction division courtyard, shrill and spine-chilling, and the six young men jumped, exchanging apprehensive glances with one another.

"What was that?" Katou whispered.

"Whatever it was, we should go see," Shinobu reiterated. "Or are you scared? We're meant to be military officers. We can't just sit here and hide!"

"If it's serious we'll probably get told to go back to our room," Tanemura said doubtfully.

"Then we do. We'll follow orders," Shinobu said frankly. "Right now, though, we have none. And if something is going on here, this is our Division. We have a right to be there defending it too!"


Meanwhile, some two hundred and fifty yards from the Thirteenth Division compound, Furuta and his companion from the Eleventh, a fifteenth seated officer by the name of Karachi had been passing a boring and uneventful night on duty at the Senkaimon. With the Dangai network on hiatus, there was little likelihood of anyone opening or shutting the Gate that night, but Enishi had been particular in making sure that one of his own officers was sent out to guard the location anyway. It had been much more difficult to persuade the cantankerous Minaichi that such measures were necessary, for the Eleventh Captain had frankly scorned the idea that any corpse puppet could best any member of his squad. When he had learned that the warning had come from Thirteenth's enigmatic prophet, he had been even more unwilling, but Enishi had prevailed and, ultimately, the bonds of kinship had won. Minaichi had reluctantly relented, dispatching a junior officer who, in Furuta's opinion, was a strange choice for Fifteenth Seat in a Division so suited to military combat and discipline. Karachi, he had soon discovered, had been sent to join the Gotei by his parents, and had never wanted to be a shinigami, let alone one under Ikata's violent leadership and training, but a quiet night at the Senkaimon had seemed a good way to escape other, less favourable duties, and so for much of the evening the two men had scratched out a rough shougi board on the cobbles between them, using stray pebbles and bits of broken stick for pieces as they wiled away the time.

Furuta had not minded, when Enishi had asked him to come guard the Gate. Enishi was also a military minded individual and a Yamamoto to boot, but in spite of his Clan roots, he commanded huge respect from his subordinate officers for his fair treatment and open attitude. He had told Furuta frankly that the job might be a waste of time, but that he didn't think that he could take the risk that it wasn't. He had told Furuta that Kohaku had given him the tip, and he was inclined to trust it, based on Kohaku's previous record in these areas. Furuta also knew Kohaku very well, and understood that, although the ability to see things that had not happened was hard to understand, it was nonetheless something his young friend could do. Still, as the night had drawn in and the sun had set, the Gate had remained quiet, and Furuta had begun to consider that, maybe, this time, his room-mate had overreacted and made a mistake.

Until you come and see, though, you don't know. Fukutaichou is right. Always better safe than sorry, and there's worse companions to spend a duty with.

Furuta looked across at Karachi, who, having just beaten him in their makeshift game, had taken his sword from its scabbard, polishing it absently with the sleeve of his shihakushou.

Karachi seems a fair sort. Someone I can get along with, anyway. That helps. You never know, with folk from other Divisions. Some of them are fine, but some are just plain weird.

"Taichou was really not amused by this evening's mission," Karachi glanced up, offering his companion a rueful grimace. "He thought it was a waste of time."

"Well, it might be, but orders are orders," Furuta stretched his arms out over his head, stifling a yawn. "It is a bit chilly, though. Almost wish I'd brought a cloak. When I'm out at night on official work, it's usually a patrol, but I didn't think of it for something like this."

He smiled ruefully.

"Was Minaichi-taichou very angry at Fukutaichou's request?"

"Oh, just a little," Karachi looked resigned. "Well, between you and me, I've seen worse. Taichou is always easier to approach when Ikata-san isn't at barracks. They don't get along...well, I guess everyone in Seireitei knows that, so even if I mention it, it's not like I'm revealing any deep dark Division skeletons."

"Gossiping about other Divisions is frowned on," Furuta agreed cheerfully, "but I'm all for a collective goodwill towards our neighbours, and that means having all the information. It's always mystified me, anyway. I mean, I'm not disrespecting your leaders. To be frank, I think they're both pretty wicked warriors. Ikata-san has an amazing combat reputation, and of course, Minaichi-taichou's famous now for the Kusakawa incident. He's pretty much a hero in my book, and everyone knows that story after what happened five years back. But they really seem a weird pair. How do they work together?"

"Painfully," Karachi groaned. "I won't lie, it could be easier, navigating between the two. I try to keep my head down and follow orders, but it's hard if those orders clash. Still, I guess, since I have to follow this career path, I could do worse. And you're right. The Captain isn't the kind who wants the limelight, and he doesn't allow us to talk about that business...I don't think he sees it with pride. But we do. I mean, the whole thing is legend now, how he took down Kusakawa and by doing so, saved Sekime-taichou and single-handedly stopped the experimentation on souls in the Rukon without ever taking a single note of credit for it."

He rolled his eyes.

"But between you and me, Furuta-san, I think he hasn't forgiven your colleague for revealing what happened in Rukongai in the way he did. Not that any of us really understand how he did it, but Minaichi-taichou...I don't think he likes the fact your Captain took on an Aizen and ranked him...even less since he knew that it was him that made everyone in Seireitei know he killed Kusakawa."

"Kohaku?" Furuta looked surprised. "But because he did, a lot of bad things were set to rights. I would've thought he'd be glad to draw a line under it. Let it all go."

"Well, Taichou is a complicated person," Karachi said thoughtfully. "I shouldn't say this, but I think he's more sentimental deep down than people know. I mean, he lost the last Vice Captain in that fight, and I hear from the longer-serving officers that they were pretty close. I never knew anyone but Ikata-fukutaichou, but I've heard some good stories about the previous one."

He shrugged.

"He likes your Vice Captain, though," he added. "Taichou, I mean. He likes Houjou-dono. I think he'd have liked him to be Eleventh Vice Captain, if he could have fixed it that way."

"Rumour is that he turned down Eleventh to come to Thirteenth," Furuta responded conspiratorially. "I haven't heard that officially, of course, but it's a rumour that buzzes around our barracks. Fukutaichou's a Yamamoto, but he didn't choose to go to his family. He chose Taichou instead...and I guess that could rub some up the wrong way."

"Well, everyone knows Houjou-dono is a decent warrior, and there are plenty in Eleventh who'd not have complained to be under his command," Karachi said reflectively. "Most folk back at base like Ikata-fukutaichou, though. He's a good officer. People think he's rough and loud but he's easy to understand and he takes a lot of time drilling what he wants into us. He and Taichou are totally different, but maybe that's the secret of the Eleventh's success."

He sighed.

"But when Taichou heard it was something to do with your Kohaku that had me sent out here like this, he didn't really sound happy," he admitted. "Houjou-dono seems pretty convinced by the Aizen future hocus-pocus stuff, but Taichou's not so persuaded. What about you? You must know the guy. What's your take?"

"I don't understand a damn thing about Kohaku's spirit power, or his sword, and I'm fine with it that way," Furuta laughed. "He's not a liar, though. I mean, he says the craziest things. Sometimes, he does them, too. But if he says something, you listen. Trouble is, when he says something like this, it's not usually good news."

"Well, it's quiet here tonight," Karachi glanced up at the Gate. "Maybe this time he was off the mark."

"I'm not sure. Fukutaichou did tell me he didn't know when it would happen, just that he thought we should watch the Gate, because he was sure it would happen," Furuta shrugged. "Kohaku's my friend, and my room-mate, so because of that, I believe him. I don't understand a word of it, but I believe he saw something. But whether it will show up on our watch or not, I don't know."

"We could play another game of shougi?" Karachi suggested. Furuta shook his head.

"Not a chance. You'll win again," he replied fervently, and Karachi chuckled.

"I'm good at it," he said unrepentantly. "You shouldn't take on an opponent unless you know you can beat them."

"I've never been much good at shougi," Furuta admitted. "I'm more of a practical, hands-on kind of guy."

He got to his feet, kicking his legs out absently to get the circulation moving.

"And it is cold. I'm almost tempted to run around in circles. It might look stupid, but I'd like to still have fingers and toes by the time the sun rises."

Karachi looked amused. He opened his mouth to reply, then paused, frowning and casting a glance back towards the silent Gate.

"Karachi?" Furuta was alert in a moment. "Something up?"

"Mm...not sure," Karachi's eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer to the Gate, reaching a cautious hand out to touch the air between the wooden frame. "Hrm, it feels normal. Maybe it was imagination. I thought I sensed something, but maybe I'm just bored."

"Something, like a leak?" Furuta asked sharply, and Karachi shrugged.

"Do Gates leak?" he wondered. "Why? What made you say that?"

"Well, when Fukutaichou sent me out here, he'd been talking to the Captain. He said that Taichou thought the Gate seal might be damaged, because Kohaku sensed something from it, and if it was fine, he shouldn't have done," Furuta replied grimly. "I don't sense anything, though. Koku's got mad keen senses, but yours must be pretty decent, if you can pick up an anomaly too."

"I wonder if I did," Karachi stepped back to survey the Gate critically. "It looks normal. I'd get my sword out and test it, but I think that might be a bad idea. The Gate network is suspended till this is all over, isn't it? I'd rather not have my Captain upbraiding me for reckless behaviour."

"Ditto on that," Furuta said frankly, and Karachi shot him a glance.

"Does Ukitake-taichou do that?" he asked, looking surprised.

"Do what?" Furuta was confused.

"Scold his officers if they do something they shouldn't?"

"Of course he does." Furuta snorted. "He's a Captain. What do you think? He pats us on the head and tells us not to be naughty?"

"No...but I've met Shikibu-san," Karachi pulled a face. "I think a lot of my squad think she's the one who does the nasty stuff. I mean, Houjou-dono's pretty straight-forward, and Ukitake-taichou has a reputation for being kind."

"That doesn't mean he's a soft touch," Furuta said acidly. "Believe me. You'd rather be scolded by Shikibu-san or Fukutaichou. Sure, Shikibu-san is sharp and sometimes she's dead sarcastic. But if Taichou gets cross with you, you know about it. Sure, he's kind. He listens and he's supportive and he considers the squad a family. But yeah, you don't want to get him angry. Remember, he lived in Seventh when everyone there wanted to kill him, and he got out alive. He's not someone you mess with. Why do you think the Council of Elders let him tell them off so often?"

"I'm not insulting him," Karachi assured his companion. "Just curious, that's all. But I suppose you're right. A Captain couldn't be a Captain and not command discipline. Sorry. Guess I'm used to the way Eleventh runs, and I'm pretty sure Thirteenth doesn't handle things the way we do."

"Probably not, but you haven't seen the punishment chore list," Furuta responded. "He's strict on ranking, too. No immediate seatings for recruits, a heavy drill schedule for seated officers, and no Real World privileges below Thirteenth Seat. Which, by the way, counts me out of this Real World mission," he grimaced. "Whether it comes off or not, I won't be eligible, because I'm still below the cut-off line."

"Taichou doesn't like the Real World or Rukongai. I think he feels he's seen enough of both," Karachi reflected. "I suppose I take his point, but I...hey! Furuta-san, look! The Gate, look at it. Is it me, or is the atmosphere unstable?"

"It looks like it's wobbling," Furuta put his hand on the hilt of his zanpakutou, taking a step back as he watched the night air swirl and shake between the struts of the Gate frame. "That's not a leak, Karachi. That's a full on tear, by the looks. Either it's broken, or something is coming out. And, given why we're here..."

"Maybe your Kohaku is right, after all," Karachi's hand slipped down towards his own weapon. "It's definitely opening. And we didn't open it, which means something from inside it did."

"Well, whatever it is, it's got a welcome party," Furuta drew his sword, raising it in preparation for for the oncoming attack. "If you want to raise the alarm, Karachi, I'm fine standing my ground here while you do. I'm one seat up on you, so it ought to be me that does."

"Fukutaichou!" Karachi paid him no attention, releasing his grip on his weapon and hurrying towards the Gate as, from the darkening shadows, a familiar, broad figure began to emerge, the black and white of his shihakushou dusty but clearly recognisable, and the badge on his upper arm glittering silver in the moonlight. "Furuta-san, it's all right. You can stand down. It's not a corpse doll. It's Fukutaichou and the others, coming back from their patrol!"

"Ikata-dono?" Furuta paused, as the Eleventh Vice Captain stepped out of the Gate. "Then we needn't be here, need we? We can report to him and then go and...what the..."

His words were cut off mid-sentence, for, as Karachi had hurried to greet his senior officer, Ikata had drawn his weapon from its sheath and, without a moment of hesitation, had sliced the blade down through Karachi's upper body, cutting through his throat and neck and into his ribcage. Karachi choked, slipping to the ground in a pool of blood. His expression was one of surprise and dismay, and he opened his lips, as though trying to speak, but all that came out was more bubbling red liquid. As Furuta watched, frozen to the spot in horror, the light and life began to fade from the other shinigami's gaze. Time seemed to have stopped still, but Ikata had not, and before Furuta knew how to react, the blood-soaked weapon was coming down again, this time in his own direction. Furuta cursed, scrambling to get out of the way, but he was too slow, and Ikata's weapon slid across his shoulder and into his upper spine. The force of the blow sent him sprawling onto the ground, a stabbing pain and a sense of cold wetness seeping over his back, but adrenaline had replaced fear in the shinigami's mind, and he knew that, however dizzy and frightened he felt, if he didn't get away, he would die.

I don't know why Ikata-san is trying to kill me. I don't know why Karachi had to die. I don't know anything, except this. I have to report to Fukutaichou, and I can't do that if I'm dead.

Ikata's blade was swinging down towards him once more, and Furuta rolled across the cobbles, wincing as the hard stone jolted his injury. Face up to his enemy, he caught sight of Ikata's expression, and was struck by the lack of any emotion in the other's approach. Behind him, Furuta was aware of other officers, and the sound of metal against wood told him that they, too, were preparing to attack, their weapons drawn.

Whatever is happening here, it's way over my rank level. If I escape this, I swear, I will volunteer for Fukutaichou's survival drills, instead of trying to find ways to avoid them.

Furuta scrambled to his knees, ducking as Ikata's speculative swing threatened to slice his head from his shoulders. Instinct rather than skill made him dodge back just in time to miss a second swipe, and although the pain in his shoulder was intensifying, he forced himself to his feet, knowing that so long as he was on the ground, he would meet the same fate as Karachi. The other officer's dead eyes stared at him from across the thoroughfare, and something in this hopeless expression gave Furuta extra determination. He had never been a fanciful soul, and, where others might have been thrown off their purpose at the sight of a Vice Captain killing a man in cold blood, Furuta's priority was simply to get back to barracks - to find a senior officer and report it, before it could get worse.

The Twelfth Division was nearer than his own, but Furuta made the split-second decision that he ought to report the incident to someone at Thirteenth. Whether this was Kohaku's vision or not, he didn't know, but he felt sure someone there would, and he did not look back. Behind him he could hear the swish of a blade swinging through empty air, and this final threat gave wings to his feet, allowing him to run into a haphazard shunpo that took him away from the danger. Not knowing whether he had been followed, he did not hesitate until he reached the familiar entrance of his home barracks, stumbling over the threshold and resting a hand against the pillar to catch his breath.

"Furuta!" Kira's anxious voice was music to his ears, and he glanced up, struggling to regain his composure.

"What happened?" Tsunemori was right behind him, and Furuta realised that the two of them were on night duty at the Division entrance.

"Need. Fukutaichou," he managed to gasp out, and Kira cast Tsunemori a glance.

"I'll go get him," he said quickly, and Tsunemori nodded, reaching out a hand to support Furuta into the Division yard.

"You're bleeding," he said, concern in his soft tones, and Furuta glanced down at himself, grimacing as he saw how much the blood had seeped through the fabric of his shihakushou. It was already staining the obi, and the cold wind against his back told him that the uniform was probably torn beyond repair. He nodded.

"I'm all right. Just...pushed myself. To get. Back here. Quick," he managed. "Came to. Report."

"What's this about, Furuta?" Enishi strode across the cobbles at that juncture, eyeing his junior officer in consternation. What happened? Kira says you're hurt and in a state - who did that to you?"

"Fukutaichou, something is...not right...at that Gate," Furuta found his breathing was beginning to settle now that the pressure was off, and he met his Vice Captain's apprehensive look with a grim one of his own. "I don't know...what it means. None of it...makes sense to me. The Gate...opened...like Kohaku said. But...not corpses. Ikata-san...and his...men."

"Ikata's back?" Enishi had clearly not expected this, then, the next moment, Furuta saw the adjutant's expression change, surprise becoming horror and comprehension. "Wait, Furuta, Ikata did this? Your injury...that was his work?"

"Yes, sir," Furuta nodded his head. "I came...soon as I could. Ikata-san...opened the Gate. Karachi...the other officer...went to...greet him. Ikata-san...cut him down. Didn't even...stop. Just did it. Then...came after me. I...had time to...get away. I came...back here. And here I am."

"Damn," Enishi's eyes narrowed, and his fists clenched as though an unpleasant realisation had just crossed his mind. "Damn, I didn't even think...Furuta?" he snapped his gaze back in the direction of the wounded officer, making him jump. "Are you all right? Can you get to the Captain and report this to him? I need to go to Eleventh, I think...but if you can't..."

"I'm all right, sir. I got back here, and I can go to Ugendou. I'll go right away," Furuta felt relieved at this. "But sir, they're at the Gate. Not at Eleventh."

"Not yet, but that's their next stop," Enishi said grimly. "You're sure you can?"

"Yes, sir. I can walk. I'll go report. My injury can wait."

"All right, then do that," Enishi told him. "Tell Ukitake that he needs new night duty, as the current one is otherwise occupied."

"Sir?" Kira looked anxious.

"I want you and Tsukabishi to come with me," Enishi said briskly. "That's an order. I'll take responsibility for it."

"But...going to Eleventh...without being asked to..." Kira faltered, and Enishi shot him a hollow smile.

"I'll take responsibility for it," he repeated, "With my badge if need be. Right now, I'm more concerned with making sure Eleventh Division has living officers this time tomorrow. Furuta, go report. Kira, Tsukabishi, we're going now."

"Yes, sir," Tsunemori spoke quietly, reaching out to grab Kira's arm, and Kira hesitated, then nodded.

"Yes, sir," he added, and Furuta watched as the three officers disappeared into shunpo. He let out a sigh, wincing as the cold night wind teased at his open wound.

I won't ever complain about not being high enough rank again. Not ever. I swear.

He fidgeted, trying to stop the flaps of torn fabric irritating the injury.

For now, I have to report. Captain first. War wounds later. Fukutaichou looked pretty serious. I guess this is a big deal, and I'm glad to be back here if that's the case.

He hurried across the cobbles, heading for the shortcut that led to Ugendou but, as he reached the halfway point, the world suddenly swung and twisted, the nocturnal colours blurring together, one into another, until he was no longer quite sure which way he was heading. He stumbled, struggling to regain his balance, as the ghostly form of a skeleton emerged out of the darkness, reaching out a bony hand towards him.

This was as much as Furuta's traumatised body could take, and he lost his footing, falling unconscious onto the cobblestones below.


A bony hand extended from the darkness.

Long, scarred fingers curled and stretched, trying to grasp hold of something tangible on the other side.

Frozen in horror, Kayashima could only stand and watch as the hand was followed by an arm, and then a body, a ribcage with the black robes of the shihakushou hung loosely over the skeletal frame. The head came next, empty eyes like pools of nothing that nonetheless seemed to stare right into his soul, making his vision swirl and his entire body feel giddy. He struggled to take a step backwards, but his feet felt rooted to the spot as more skeletons followed the others out of the black hole. They all had identical, grinning expressions but, as they drew closer, hands outstretched to grab hold of Kayashima's shihakushou, the eleventh seated officer could make out dampness on the cheekbones, as though the empty eyes had shed tears of sadness or of pain.

As the fingers of the nearest touched against his skin, he felt a burning, agonising pain, an emptiness as something was ripped out of him, and his body fell to the floor like a ragdoll, his limbs no longer responding to his panicked commands. Suddenly the whole world around him was strange and frightening, the grass and cobbles of Inner Seireitei replaced with cold hard marble, and, as he stared up through hazy, dimming vision, he thought he could make out the smooth curve of some kind of ceiling, blocking the sky from view. At his waist, he could feel the weight of his zanpakutou, but it was a dead, empty object, not responding to his commands. He struggled to move fingers to grab hold of it, but he could not move at all.

He saw an old man, staring down at him, his expression genial but his black, beady eyes cold and hard, like pebbles of hate. He was smiling, and in his hand he held something - something that looked very much like a book, although it glittered with a strange kind of energy and Kayashima knew that whatever it was, it wasn't normal. In his other hand was the hilt of a sword, and it too glowed and glittered with a spectral light. As the sword grew brighter, the old man's lips moved again, and darkness rushed over him, plunging him down once more into oblivion and fear. The sense of terror was so great that for a moment he thought he was drowning, his heart pounding in his chest fit to burst.

Just as he was sure that he must be consumed by the stifling darkness that now flooded his body and his mind, there was a violent jolt, and the world that had seemed so real a moment before began to falter and fade. Struggling to free himself, Kayashima fought back, forcing his thoughts and his consciousness to regain some sense of rationality. He was dreaming, he realised that now, and as he returned to the surface, he knew that it wasn't his dream that he was seeing, but that of his friend. This thought heightened his sense of urgency, and he battled back to wakefulness, opening his eyes and taking a deep breath into his lungs. His body was slick with sweat, and he was lying on the floor of the small bedchamber, his blankets entangled around his legs. He had been fighting the images in his sleep, but the fall from his pallet bed had been the thing to stir him, and so he said a mental thanks to his body for fighting back, pulling himself into a more upright position, and rubbing his spine with a wince.

The room normally housed three individuals, but with Furuta on duty at the Senkaimon, its only other occupant that night was Kohaku. The young Aizen had been quiet and preoccupied that afternoon during their kidou drill, Kayashima remembered, and had even missed the evening meal, stating a headache as the reason for his absence. As they had got ready for bed, Kohaku had admitted to Kayashima that he had had another funny hallucination that morning, on the way back from patrol. They had talked it out together, Kayashima pointing out with his usual blunt common-sense that even if he had seen the future, he had reported it in full to Enishi and thus had done everything he could possibly do for the time being. This rationalisation from his peer had seemed to help Kohaku gain some perspective and, as they had changed for bed that evening, there had been no immediate warning signs for Kayashima that this night would be one of those tormented by psychically delusive dreams. Even without fully illuminating the room, though, Kayashima knew Kohaku's reiatsu well enough to realise that his companion was in significant distress, for he could still feel the pulses of hallucinogenic reiryoku, and he took a deep breath, steeling himself against the images that he knew were flooding his friend's mind.

I'm awake, and I need to wake you, too. This has to stop, Koku. It's clearly a biggie, this time, but you're going to give the whole Division a scare if you carry on like this.

He activated the Kidou lamp, feeling reassured by the glow that filled the room. It was easier to deal with Kohaku's demons in the light, he mused, hurrying to his friend's bedside and reaching across to give the young officer a short, rough shake. Kohaku let out a faint murmur, and Kayashima could see tears on his cheeks. However frightening the dream had been for him to see, Kayashima knew that it was probably far worse for his sensitive friend, and so, although Kohaku's unsettled reiryoku was enough to remind Kayashima of the fear that had engulfed his heart when he had been sleeping, he gritted his teeth, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the delusions seeped out across the whole of Thirteenth.

Taichou entrusted me with looking out for you the first day you became a recruit, but since that day, we've been friends, and friends look out for one another no matter what. That means that, at times like this, it's up to me to pull you out of your dream world. Even if you give me the heebie-jeebies by making me see the crazy, too. That's one of the rules of our friendship, isn't it? You imagine the whole world and I make sure you remember which one is real and which are in your head. I need to keep a firm hold on my sanity, otherwise we're both gone to hell.

"Snap out of it, you idiot. You're dreaming, and you're going to wake everyone up!" he hissed aloud in his friend's ear, giving him another short, sharp shake. This time he penetrated his room-mate's awareness, for Kohaku flung out a hand, grabbing Kayashima by the arm and making him jump. Wild brown eyes snapped open, and Kayashima found himself face to face with his friend, but from the tightness of his grip and the expression in his eyes, it was clear that Kohaku was far from back in the world of the living.

"They're all dead," he whispered, grabbing hold of Kayashima's shoulders tightly enough that nails pressed through the officer's thin night clothing. Kayashima winced, struggling to detach the hold, but Kohaku was not to be dissuaded, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"They're dead. I need...Fukutaichou must know. It was wrong. They're dead. Not corpses. But...shihakushou...and the badge. He has the badge!"

"Okay, calm down, breathe," Kayashima struggled to reassert himself, finally managing to get free and putting his companion at arm's length. "I'll listen and I'll help you, but not if you try to maim me. I need my limbs, and if you crush them, I won't be happy. Take a breath, Koku. You had a dream. You're safe, here, in Thirteenth. Everything is okay, here. Trust me, and calm down. When you do, you can tell me, and..."

"I need to speak to Fukutaichou," Kohaku did not wait for his friend to finish, pushing him aside and making a break for the bedroom door. He stumbled across Kayashima's fallen bedding, and the other officer muttered a curse, scrambling to grab his friend and haul him back. His hand brushed through empty air, however, for Kohaku was gone.

Kayashima dropped back against the wall, letting out a sigh of annoyance and frustration.

Why is it that you only manage to do a damn proper shunpo when you're half crazy and stuck in another thought plane from the rest of us? Now you're going to create a fuss, and I'm going to get the blame because I didn't stop you from doing it.

He grabbed his dressing gown, pulling it over his shoulders and heading out into the hallway in search of his friend. He had no way of knowing where Kohaku had gone to, but as he reached the end of the hallway, he heard a loud clatter, followed by a crash, and he quickened his pace in the direction of the disturbance. Even in his dazed state, shunpo was not Kohaku's greatest skill, and Kayashima thanked his lucky stars that the noise had probably indicated his collision with something or other.

Maybe he knocked sense into himself. I can only hope.

He grimaced, muttering the words to a kidou spell in order to illuminate his way. Ahead, he could see a table overturned, and a jug that had been standing on it had smashed on the floor, creating the loud crash, but the door alongside it was wide open, and Kayashima cursed, realising that the reckless flash step had not stopped his room-mate in his endeavour.

He said he was going to Fukutaichou. Where's Fukutaichou, and can I get to him first?

He paused, raising his spiritual barriers cautiously to search for Enishi's reiatsu, but it was to no avail. Kohaku's panicked reiryoku had scrambled his senses, stifling any other sensation that he might be able to pick up and so he gave it up as a bad job. Briefly, he considered checking the duty board to find out whether or not the Vice Captain was out on night patrol, but as soon as he had thought of it, he discarded the idea. Kohaku had gone out into the courtyard, and if he was going to stop his friend leaving the Thirteenth on a wild goose chase to find a patrolling officer, he could not waste time on unnecessary details.

He's not in his room, because Koku's not heading to those quarters. But he's gone into the courtyard, which means if I don't step on it, he might end up anywhere in Seireitei. Literally, if he's trying to shunpo his way there. Fukutaichou had better not be on patrol, I swear. If he is, we've got a huge problem. I dunno how to tell the Captain that I've lost his pet protege.

Kayashima quickened his pace, hurrying out into the courtyard and glancing around him for any sign of his friend. At first he couldn't see him, but then, in the dim glow of the light outside the gate of the Division, he caught sight of a huddle on the floor, and relief flooded over his body.

"Koku, you idiot!" he began, quickening his pace towards his friend, but, as he got closer, he registered the fact that his friend was not alone. As he reached them, Kohaku turned, and Kayashima faltered, seeing the panic in his friend's eyes, and worse, the unmistakeable stain of blood on Kohaku's hands and nightrobes.

"Koku...what..." he whispered, and Kohaku reached out a bloody hand to brush against Kayashima's arm.

"I killed him," he whispered. "I saw it. They had shihakushou. It was a sword but...I should have known. I killed him...I didn't see the badge. Kyouka told me to look...but I didn't see it. I didn't see...see the...the badge."

He faltered, tears rolling silently down his cheeks, and Kayashima hastened down at his side, holding the kidou light over the still form that lay on the cobbles beside them. He was robed in shihakushou, the fabric too dark to really show the depth of the injuries sustained, but the white obi at the man's waist was a suspiciously dark red colour, and, as Kayashima recognised the other individual's features, his heart stilled in his chest.

"Furuta," he whispered, raising his gaze to Kohaku's in dismay. "Koku, you didn't...you couldn't...this isn't..."

He swallowed, unable to finish a sentence, and at the sound of Furuta's name, Kohaku began to shake, stumbling to his feet as though trying to get away from the stricken shinigami on the ground. He rubbed his hands together in agitation, apparently trying to remove the blood from his skin, but all he succeeded in doing was marking his white night robes with smudged, bloody hand-prints. Thus defeated, he put his hands to his head, clutching and tugging at his hair as he began to moan and cry. The blood that stained his clothing was now smeared across his face, making his pale features look ghoulish in the dim light, but it was the wild, terrified look in the other man's eyes that shook Kayashima right to the core.

Although he knew that his first concern should be the silent Furuta, ascertaining whether his fellow officer was alive and if so, obtaining help for his injuries, he found that he could not turn his back on Kohaku, aware that the fractured reiryoku that had been seeping from his friend's body was building in intensity. Whether it was the effect of Kohaku's spirit power or his own fear for his friend he could not tell, but he turned away from Furuta's silent form, extinguishing his kidou flame and making a wild dive to grab hold of Kohaku instead. The other officer struggled, screaming and clawing at Kayashima's robes, and it was all Kayashima could do to grab hold of Kohaku's arms, using all his strength to force them down by the other's side. Kohaku was growing close to a full-scale hysteria by this time, as though the sight of Furuta, still and bloody on the ground had severed any latent threads of sanity and rationality that the dream had left behind. Although deep in his gut, Kayashima could not believe that Kohaku was in any way responsible for Furuta's predicament, he knew that saying so would not help the situation any right now. Kohaku had somehow persuaded himself that he had been the one to bring Furuta down, and despite his best physical efforts, the pulsing waves of frightened, guilty reiryoku were too much for Kayashima to overcome. Kohaku was like a feral animal, fighting and clawing to get free, and there was an explosion of energy, sending Kayashima flying back across the cobbles with a thud.

This is not good.

Kayashima struggled into a sitting position, wincing at the fresh bruises and scratches that he had now added to those from his earlier fall. From where he now was, he could see the hazy line of energy engulfing Kohaku's body, as the rogue spirit power took more and more hold of his friend, and he knew that no matter how good his intentions, he would not be able to get close to the other shinigami again. He moved uncomfortably towards Furuta, putting a hand on the fourteenth seat's bloody body. To his relief, he could feel the pulsing of a heartbeat, and the rise and fall of Furuta's chest confirmed that although he was hurt and unconscious, their friend was alive.

"Koku, he's not dead!" he exclaimed, hoping that somehow this truth would penetrate Kohaku's panic, but it was to no avail, as Kohaku sank down onto his knees, tears coursing his cheeks. He was frightened and although he was beyond forming coherent words by this point, Kayashima saw Kohaku's lips move silently, as though uttering a desperate plea for help.

I want to help you, you idiot, but I can't. I can't do anything unless you calm down. You're going to hurt yourself. You're going to hurt us, too.

He cast Furuta a troubled glance, realising that although the injured officer was alive, he had no defence against Kohaku's wild spirit power. In fact, he reflected grimly, it was more than possible that Kohaku's leaky reiryoku had caused Furuta to lose consciousness, for in his current, weakened state, he would have stood little chance against a surprise onslaught of hallucinogenic spirit power. If that was the case, Kayashima knew that he might be the last line of defence protecting them both from Kohaku's overload, but although he knew this, Kayashima himself was beginning to feel hazy at the edges. The dream he had already seen had shaken his senses, making him more unsettled than he normally was, but in all his time as Kohaku's friend, this level of nightmare had never occurred. Kohaku had not killed Furuta yet, he realised grimly, but if this hysterical fit continued, there was no guarantee that either of them would be either alive or sane by the end of the evening. And yet, even knowing this, Kayashima did not know how to stop it.

You've never made someone pass out from your reiatsu since I've known you, but right now, I admit, I don't feel so brilliant.

Kayashima swallowed hard, forcing himself to keep a grip on his composure.

I have to find a way to stop this. A spell? Is there a Bakudou spell I could use? Something you won't be able to burn through with raw reiatsu power? I don't know, Koku. I can't remember. I can't think straight...I don't know how...

Kohaku could not read minds, but, as though he had detected a change or a spike in Kayashima's own defensive reiatsu, he raised his gaze, for a moment staring straight at his friend. There was nothing in the other's brown eyes, just an empty glaze where Kohaku's personality and emotions usually lurked, and Kayashima found himself pinned to the spot, for the first time in their short acquaintance feeling a flicker of fear at the hollow expression on Kohaku's face. Panic began to curl up in Kayashima's heart as he gauged whether or not he had enough control to take Furuta and shunpo out of Kohaku's range, but, just as he was reaching the conclusion that it was useless, Kohaku let out a little gasp, and then crumpled to the ground before him, the waves of dangerous reiryoku dissipating into nothing in an instant.

What the...?

Kayashima swung around, staring back towards the barracks in disbelief. Standing directly behind him, in the doorway that he had left open, was a figure, partially silhouetted by the eerie blue glow of a kidou flame. Silver eyes glittered in the strange light, making their owner appear almost ethereal, but the illusion was broken a moment later as Izumi hurried across the cobbles towards them, extinguishing the flame in a curl of sapphire smoke. She paused at Kohaku's side, touching her finger briefly to his throat. Apparently happy that he was stable, she turned towards Kayashima, flickering her fingers questioningly, and Kayashima stared at her dully, struggling to understand why she was there or what she wanted to know. At his lack of response, Izumi let out a snort of frustration, rolling her eyes and shuffling down beside Furuta instead. She repeated the same action on him, placing slender fingers against his jugular and ignoring the blood that stained the other officer's clothing.

"Is he all right?" Kayashima found words at last, and Izumi turned, nodding her head. Kayashima let out his breath in a rush, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder.

"You used your hypnosis on Koku, didn't you?"

Izumi shrugged, indicating that he was correct. She twitched her fingers together again, and this time, even in the dim light, Kayashima could make out the words for 'useless males' and 'common sense'. He offered her a rueful smile, suddenly feeling exhausted now that the crisis was averted.

"I guess he woke you up, too?"

Izumi nodded, and her expression became grave. She sent Kohaku a concerned look, and then her fingers moved again. This time Kayashima made out the words "Furuta" and "sword", but more he could not follow, and he grimaced, scratching his head awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, Izumi-chan. It's dark, I'm zonked, and I can't follow what you want to know. Koku took his spiritual leaks to new levels tonight, and I took a full frontal attack of it. My brain isn't working on full power. I think maybe he knocked out Furuta as well, although I don't know why he's so bloody or what happened. Koku saw Furuta and lost the plot completely. He thought he'd killed his friend, I think, and I couldn't reach him after that. I'm glad you were there, because I didn't have any answers. We need to get help, though if Koku woke you, he probably woke other people. And..."

"What on earth is going on out here?"

Before Kayashima could finish his explanation, the entire courtyard was bathed in the light of the emergency kidou lamps, and Kayashima felt like he might faint with relief as the familiar tones of the Captain echoed out across the yard. He raised his gaze, meeting Juushirou's concerned look with a dazed one of his own and, at the sight of the unconscious pair of officers on the cobbles, Juushirou faltered, then hastened to join them, casting first Izumi and then Kayashima a dismayed glance.

"What happened?" he asked softly, and Kayashima could see that the white haired man was torn, half wanting to hurry down at Kohaku's side and ensure the safety of his protege, but equally as worried about Furuta and the injuries that, in the kidou light, had clearly been serious enough to cause considerable bleeding. No wonder Kohaku had been so stained from touching him, Kayashima realised. Furuta had been badly injured by some unknown entity, but in his dazed, hypersensitive state, the sight of his friend unconscious on the cobbles had been enough to send Kohaku over the edge into a full-blown panic.

"Koku had a bad dream, sir," somehow Kayashima found words. "I followed him out here. We found Furuta. It made Koku upset. He was convinced it was his fault, and I couldn't calm him. Izumi came and knocked him out with her hypnosis. That seemed to do the trick, sir. And then you came."

"Where's Enishi? He should be on duty tonight," Juushirou glanced around in vain, looking for any sign of his Vice Captain, and Kayashima realised that Kohaku's delusion had shaken his Captain too, for he had slipped into using informal first names before a lower seated officer. "Naoko's still on night patrol, and I've made Kirio keep everyone else inside, but I felt Koku's reiatsu. I think we all did. He woke a lot of people. I haven't felt a flare like that from him for...for a very long time."

"Koku was looking for Fukutaichou. He said he had to tell him. Something about a shihakushou and a badge," Kayashima moved across to where Kohaku lay unconscious on the ground. "He was pretty insistent. He came out here, so I thought Fukutaichou was taking the night patrol, but if Shikibu-san is, I don't know where he is. I wonder if Koku did. He seemed to be trying to get somewhere, then he found Furuta and that was the end of that. I woke him from the dream, but he wasn't really with me, sir. I haven't seen him quite like that before. He's had weird dreams and stuff, but I never saw him really lose control like he did tonight."

"Did you see his dream?" Juushirou asked, and Kayashima nodded.

"There were skeletons. Skeletons coming out of the Dangai, dressed in shihakushou," he remembered. "Then I was on the ground, and I couldn't move. There was this old guy. He was smiling. He had a sword. I don't know who he was, and he wasn't dressed like anything I've seen before. The floor was cold marble, and there was a ceiling...sort of...like an arc overhead. He did something, and everything went dark. Then I woke myself."

He looked rueful.

"I fell out of bed and it woke me. So then I realised it was Koku, having a dream, and I went to try and wake him."

"I see," Juushirou's expression became serious, and he turned his attention to Izumi.

"Izumi, is Furuta stable?"

Izumi nodded her head, twitching her fingers together, and at the sight of her gestures, Juushirou let out a heavy sigh.

"Did you say a sword? A sword attacked him?"

Izumi nodded again, and Kayashima struggled to follow his friend's quick, deft signals. Unlike Kohaku, he had a sketchy grasp of some of Izumi's broad sign vocabulary, but he thought that he could make out the words for 'stable', and 'healer'.

"All right," clearly Juushirou had understood. "Then Izumi, I want you to go get Atsudane and Ketsui. They're both helping to keep the others inside barracks, but we'll need help, getting these two inside. I think then someone should go for a healer, as you suggest. Can you do that? Will you be able to make yourself understood?"

Izumi responded with a brisk nod, getting immediately to her feet. She gestured to Kayashima that she was leaving Furuta and Kohaku to him, then bowed her head to Juushirou, disappearing into a smooth flashstep that would make even an upper seated officer green with envy. Left alone with the Captain, Kayashima realised that he was shaking, shivering from the shock and adrenaline of that moment when he had thought Kohaku's spirit power was going to swallow them all up. He wrapped his arms more tightly around his body, and at his movement, Juushirou cast him a concerned glance.

"Are you all right? You must have taken a beating, by the looks of you. You're bruised and scraped...did Koku do that?"

"He didn't know he was fighting me, sir," Kayashima said ruefully. "He was trying to get away from me. He wanted to find Fukutaichou, but I really don't know...what he was thinking when Izumi took him down. He said he'd killed Furuta - but that's impossible. Isn't it? I mean, he didn't have time, and..."

"Izumi said Furuta took a sword injury, and I can see she's right," Juushirou said evenly. "He was on duty at the Senkaimon this evening, not here. Koku was with you, and he doesn't have a weapon. No, Kayashima. Koku didn't do this. But I agree, his panic was probably because he thought he had. Maybe Furuta came back here injured, and Koku found him when he was looking for Enishi. I imagine he saw Furuta collapse, and in his confusion, thought he was to blame - but he isn't. Right now, I'm more concerned about where my Vice Captain is, and not only that, where Tsunemori and Kira are, because both should have been marking the entrance tonight, and neither one of them are here at their posts."

"Taichou, Izumi said that Furuta and Koku were hurt," Ketsui appeared at that moment, Atsudane coming up behind him. "She's gone to Fourth, as you instructed, but Atsudane-san and I have come to help take them inside. Where do you want them to go? Furuta looks like someone's gored him - is he all right to move?"

"Izumi seemed to think so. She didn't seem to think he was badly hurt, just bloody," Juushirou stated. "Atsudane, take him to the side room, along the hall from Ugendou. A healer can attend him there without a lot of fuss and I know that there are too many souls around and awake, looking for something to whisper about. Try to not let any recruits see what's going on, either. They are abroad, tonight. I saw some of them on my way out here, and I told them to go back to their room, but I doubt very much that, given the chaos and the unsettled atmosphere, they obeyed that order. Koku's leaking reiryoku has a track record of making perfectly sane and respectful individuals disobedient, impulsive and prone to reckless actions. Please make sure they do as I've instructed. If need be, lock their door. This isn't any concern of theirs, and I think it's better that we don't try and explain it to them while the atmosphere is so charged with unstable reiryoku."

"Yes, sir. I'll do that. I'll threaten any of them that linger or lurk around with extra cleaning chores," Atsudane said frankly. "Leave Furuta to me, too. I'll handle him safely."

"Good. Thank you. And Ketsui, Koku should go to his room. He'll need clean robes, because these are bloody," he added, glancing at Kayashima, who nodded. "Kayashima can help with cleaning him up, as he probably knows where Koku keeps his towels and such things. When I've finished with debriefing him, I'll send him up to join you."

"I can do that, sir," Ketsui agreed. "He's not that heavy, and I can manage."

"Thank you. I think he'll sleep a while, now," Juushirou reflected. "Izumi's hypnosis is quite potent, but Kayashima, I will want you to stay with him if you are all right to do that. If he wakes, I want to know - but more importantly, I don't think he should be alone until he does. His reiryoku has settled and he seems calm, now - but I don't want him worrying about Furuta when he wakes up."

"I'll stay, sir. It's my room, anyway, and I might be bruised, but he took it worse than me," Kayashima was fast recovering his usual composure now that someone else had taken control of the situation, and he smiled, nodding his head. "I'll tell him he's an idiot, when he wakes, but then I'll make sure he knows Furuta is going to be fine, and everything was just his imagination going into overdrive."

"I wonder if it was," as Ketsui and Atsudane began to move the unconscious officers, Juushirou stood, glancing back towards the Division entrance with a look of consternation on his thin features. "Kayashima, did Koku mention to you today anything about what happened, on the return from his patrol?"

"He said he saw something come out of the Gate, sir. Something I assume was also the dream we had," Kayashima nodded. "I thought he was quite calm, when we went to bed, but I guess that was just for my benefit. I think it was bothering him more than I thought. But he reported it to Fukutaichou, sir. He said that, and that Fukutaichou had brought it to you, and so I told him there wasn't anything else he could do."

"No. Not him, not now," Juushirou pursed his lips. "But Enishi isn't here, and nor are Kira or Tsunemori. Just then, Kayashima, I sensed the release of a zanpakutou, from the direction of the Eleventh Division. It's a zanpakutou I know well, so I'm sure I'm not mistaken. Koku told Enishi that the apparitions he saw in his premonition were heading to Eleventh. If Furuta was hurt, it probably happened at the Senkaimon. If Koku's vision was correct, something's happening out there as well. Did he say anything else? Anything at all?"

"Just that they had shihakushou and something about a badge," Kayashima replied. "I don't know why that was so important, but Koku thought it was. He wasn't very coherent, sir, but he said that he needed to tell Fukutaichou that."

"Shihakushou and a badge," Juushirou echoed, his expression becoming troubled. "My first duty is to get everyone and everything here settled and under control with the minimum of fuss, or I'd go and investigate for myself, but I'm sure that I'm not wrong in my assumption. Enishi's not here because he went to deal with an incident at Eleventh. And, by the looks, he took Kira and Tsunemori with him."

"But Furuta was hurt, sir. Why would he..."

"Furuta might have been hurt, but he must have been conscious when Enishi left, because Enishi would assume Furuta was well enough to report to me," Juushirou rubbed his temples wearily. "If not, he would've left Kira or Tsunemori to see to him and make that report. If Furuta's injuries are not that bad, probably, he told Enishi he was capable of doing that. Then Koku had his dream, and, well, as you know, Koku's reiatsu is potent, even if you're expecting it. Furuta was hurt. If Koku knocked him out with his hallucination, Enishi wouldn't know. And whatever it was Koku wanted to tell Enishi, Furuta probably did himself. That's why Enishi decided that he had to go there, and at once. Even if it meant leaving his duty here. Enishi's combat judgement is usually sound, which makes me worry about what's going on over there."

"Taichou! Taichou!" Before Kayashima could respond, a breathless Kira tumbled into the courtyard, falling to his knees at Juushirou's feet in his relief at the sight of his Captain. "Taichou, I've come from Eleventh. Fukutaichou sent me. He sent me to..."

He paused, registering for the first time the mess in the courtyard, and his eyes became big with dismay.

"Did something happen?"

"You tell me," Juushirou said quietly. "Everything here is under control. Kohaku just had a sleepwalking episode, that's all. Right now, I'm more interested in knowing about your Vice Captain's message. I am right, aren't I, that he released Kyoshingeki just a short while ago?"

Kayashima stared at his Captain in alarm.

The zanpakutou that Taichou sensed in release...is Fukutaichou's sword?

"Yes, sir," Kira nodded, his expression one of consternation. "I didn't see him do it, but I sensed it, as I arrived back here. He sent me to apologise to you for his absence and because he'd gone to fight at a foreign division without waiting for your order or a summons from the Eleventh for help. He said I was to report to you, but not to come back to the Eleventh under any circumstances once I'd done so."

He sighed, looking troubled.

"Please, sir, I'm sorry we left without warning, but Furuta came and reported to us that the Eleventh was under attack. Ikata-san and the others came back through the Gate. The one at Twelfth, using the key Sekime-taichou gave them. But they're all wrong, sir. I don't know how, and I don't understand why, but Ikata-san killed the Eleventh officer on duty at the Gate. He tried to kill Furuta, too, but Furuta managed to get away and he was coming here to report to you. He told Fukutaichou he'd come to you at once. I guess he didn't, but Fukutaichou told me to come here and make sure everyone here stayed put. Especially Kohaku. He thought Kohaku might..."

"Try to leave the Division if the Gate opened tonight?" Juushirou murmured, and Kayashima cast him a glance, noticing the tension that rippled through his senior officer's body. "Kira, are you saying that Ikata and his men assaulted the Eleventh themselves?"

"Yes, sir. They ambushed it. Tsunemori-san is still there, with Fukutaichou, but the officers at the entrance of Eleventh were also killed, sir, and there's an active scene of conflict going on in the courtyard."

"What of Minaichi-taichou?"

"I didn't see him, sir, so I don't know," Kira admitted. "Fukutaichou wanted me to come tell you what had happened. He said that he was all right, he doesn't need any backup, but that he wanted someone to know what was going on and to make sure nobody else went to Eleventh right now, because it isn't safe." Juushirou's eyes became grave.

"Shihakushou and a badge. I see," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else, and Kira looked troubled.

"I asked Fukutaichou if it was all right, to go there without your instruction, but he said that, if it came to it, he'd give his badge and resign his rank," he said softly. "He said that he was willing to take the risk of being demoted for insubordination, because otherwise..."

He faltered, then,

"Otherwise, he didn't think there'd be anyone left at Eleventh alive," he admitted, his voice trembling slightly. "From the way he reacted, sir, I think...he thinks...that Minaichi-taichou might be hurt or...or worse. Either way, I think...when we got there, I realised why he chose not to wait for permission. All the officers that went to the Dangai mission are among the Division's stronger officers and most of the ones left are loyal to Ikata-san. They were taken totally off guard and...well...Fukutaichou said that he can't just stand back and..."

"It's all right. I understand," Juushirou reassured the fair haired officer with a grim smile. "I trust my Vice Captain. If he made that call, then I'll stand by him and wait for his return. Unless there's anything else you think I should know, Kira, I'd like you to return to your duty at the front of the Division. If and when Enishi returns, I want to know at once."

"Yes, sir," Kira bowed his head, then, "there's just one other thing, sir. Ikata-san and the others, they aren't right," he said honestly. "It's not some kind of mutiny and Fukutaichou said it wasn't preplanned or anything like that. He seemed to know, the moment we got there, that it was wrong. I don't know how this is possible, but Fukutaichou told me to report it to you exactly as he said."

"Very well," Juushirou nodded, and Kira chewed on his lip.

"I don't know what it means," he said slowly, "but Fukutaichou told me to tell you Kohaku was right, sir. They were all dead. They came back from the Dangai, and attacked their division, but when they did so, sir, Ikata-san and the others...they were all already dead."


Author's Note

Yes, I'm back. Briefly! Between writing thesis stuff and preparing notes for my class on Wednesday (I'm teaching O.O), I thought I'd add another chapter.

I don't know if it makes the previous cliffhanger any better, though. But most of you know me by now. I'm not nice with cliffhangers.

Kayashima has a tough life as Kohaku's friend, that's for sure.

I wonder if anyone has a sense of the familiar about this set of events. Hrm. :)