Chapter Fifty Three: Trust

"Well? How do you feel this morning?"

Keitarou sank down onto the stump of an old oak tree, casting his companion a quizzical look. It was barely past dawn, and in the Real World, a cold breeze was stirring through the uneven terrain. It sent a rustle through the long grasses, making them sound as though they were whispering, and Keitarou pulled his cloak more tightly around his body, trying to push the sensation out of his mind. It had been many years since the day Eiraki's brother had confronted him, Wind Hawk released, but it was not a pleasant memory and, in light of the current situation, not one he wanted to dwell on too greatly. It would not do, he told himself for the umteenth time, to show weakness before allies he desperately needed.

"Not much different, to be honest," At length, Haruya responded, flexing his arm thoughtfully, then shrugging his shoulders. "You're sure this potion of yours will work to stabilise our powers if we release them? We've only your word for it, and you've taken your time getting around to it. Since the shinigami came, we've been on high alert - but nothing has happened. Yet."

"No...not yet," Keitarou settled himself more comfortably against the rings of the wood. "They will come - and soon, but they are still making preparations. As for my own delay - you have my apologies. A couple of things occurred outside of my calculations, and putting together a stable formula took longer as a result. I wanted to make sure it was absolutely perfect - and I'm quite sure that it will prevent the breakdown of your spirit in battle. Even sitting here I can feel your reiryokuis settling. You needn't have any concerns about it, Haruya. I've fixed Kusakawa's fatal flaw. When the Gotei come, you'll be ready for them."

"Mm," Haruya flexed his arm again, then sighed, turning to glance in the direction of the makeshift shelter which had become the home of the three strays since their liberation from the cave. Aki was sitting not far from the entrance, studiously winding together blooms she had picked from the long grass into a chain. At her brother's attention, she glanced up, offering him a bright smile, then returned her attention to her task, clearly unconcerned by the fact that, a few feet away, her brother and his companion were discussing plans for war.

"What about Aki?" Haruya lowered his voice. "You've stabilised her abilities - does that mean...?"

"I can't do anything about her...means of reacting to them, when they come," Keitarou had anticipated the question and he sighed, shaking his head. "I have no idea what you three have been subjected to, and I'm not a psychotherapist. I am a scientist and I can fix what's tangible and calculable, but Aki's trauma..."

He spread his hands.

"The only thing I could offer to subdue it would be to put her under the direct control of my sword," he added frankly. "Aside from the fact that would leave me with my spirit power spread across two worlds at a time I need it at its full capacity, it would serve your sister no better to have Chudokuga lurking inside of her. It would slow her reactions and make her movements reliant on my thoughts, not on her own. I have no intention of making any of you my puppets - you are my allies, I hope, and I want to respect you as such. Aki's problems are significant, it's true, but they also give her speed and potency in attack. Since now she shouldn't suffer from the same overload she did when faced by Nagesu...I don't forsee any problems."

"I'm not talking about her as a fighter, Keitarou," Haruya's brows knitted together in a frown. "I'm talking about my sister's well being. Her mental health. Her stability and her happiness. Here, like this, she's fine. She's content. But faced with danger...I don't want her to suffer. I don't want her to remember more than she already has about what went on in that place. She's so much like a child, still. So innocent and naive, yet inside she's broken and it upsets me when I think about what that man did to her. Stabilising our lives is all very well, and I'll fight for your cause, since I owe you now for our very survival. But if you can't fix Aki..."

"When this is over, I'll see if I can find a way to help her," Keitarou promised. "I don't know if I can, or if there even is a way, but I hope...there will be significant changes that will give us some leeway into investigating."

"And what of the Gotei?" Haruya was wary. "Only some of them are coming here. We might defeat them, but if we do, you can't think you can take out all of the rest on your own."

"I won't be on my own," Keitarou smiled. "I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve. You needn't worry about the Gotei back in Seireitei. I have plans for them. As for the ones here...I'm relying on you to take them out. I won't be able to come back here and provide support...I'll have my own fight to win, so I want you to be prepared."

He fumbled in his obi, pulling out a crumpled sheet of paper and holding it out to his companion, who took it, glancing at it's contents. His eyes narrowed, and he gazed at Keitarou speculatively.

"You're extremely well informed, for someone the Gotei apparently hate the sight of," he said suspiciously. "How did you get so much detail? This doesn't just detail squads, it details individual names of officers - I can't imagine you acquired that through legal channels."

"No..." Keitarou shook his head. "No, I have had some help from an agent of mine within the Gotei itself. They took very careful mental notes of everything that was reported to them, and passed the information back to me so I could do with it whatever I wanted."

"An agent," Haruya rubbed his chin. "And this agent approves of you using creatures like us to further your cause?"

"In the world I want to create, there will be nobody to look at you as "creatures," but rather as "people"," Keitarou said succinctly. "In this case, though, I have learned that it never serves well for anyone to know the whole of a plot, just in case it goes to pieces before it reaches completion. My agent has not been apprehended - they are not even under any suspicion, so far as I can ascertain - but it never hurts to be sure. They only know that I intend to act on Soul Society at a time which it is most vulnerable. I believe the Gotei suspect I have connections to you, thanks to Nagesu's report back to the rest of them - but the exact particulars...no."

"I see," Haruya folded the document, sliding it into his own rough sash. "And what does that mean you've kept from us, Keitarou? If you never tell your associates everything, what part of the puzzle are we missing?"

"You are a remarkably astute man," Keitarou acknowledged with a rueful nod. "You're right, of course. I can't disclose to you every inch of my plan in Seireitei, but my not doing so isn't a threat to you. I just find that the fewer people who know how I'm thinking, the better. Even my wife doesn't know..."

He faltered, then frowned, a shadow touching his expression, and Haruya cast him a quizzical look.

"Keitarou?"

"I'm sorry," Keitarou shook his head, offering him a faint smile. "For a moment I allowed personal thoughts to intervene with professional clinicism. My daughter was killed in action a few days ago, and my wife has been preoccupied with her burial. In light of that, I have felt...it better she doesn't know the full details of what I want to attempt. I don't want to cause her more grief than is necessary."

"You aren't sure that you'll live to see the end of it, are you?" Haruya was on him in a flash, and Keitarou shrugged.

"A man is always willing to give his life for his beliefs," he said pragmatically. "I don't aim to die, Haruya, but so long as I can achieve my objectives and open up the new world I've hunted for my entire existence, I feel...I could be at peace at last. I have lived on luck for many years, but luck doesn't last forever. I'm not afraid of dying...but the ties I have in this world trouble me, so I don't talk about those concerns with other people."

"Yet you'll talk to me, a virtual stranger?"

"We're not so much strangers, not really," Keitarou shook his head. "Your lives have been in peril and you, like me, have been abused and discarded by members of the same Clan society since you were born. You understand the world I want to create, and you understand the ties of kin that cause you to hesitate and worry about things beyond the fight right in front of you. We are very similar indeed, Haruya."

"And if you were to die? Who, then, would bring in this new dawn of yours?"

"That I can't tell you," Keitarou looked regretful. "It is too dangerous...I dare not. But rest assured, I am not going into this fight intending to lose my life, nor do I wish you three to lose yours. On the contrary, I want to stand triumphant over the broken and bloody remains of Inner Seireitei and see it fall with my own eyes. I want to break down the barrier between Rukongai and Seireitei, and allow those with spiritual ability to claim what ought to be theirs, regardless of their origins. That includes you and your companions. Hollows or shinigami, it matters not to me. Even hybrids of the two. That is the world I seek to build - a meritocracy, instead of an aristocracy. A new Seireitei...with an entirely different concept of 'balance'". Even if it means a long, protracted war and sacrifices, well, I'll make them - even with my own life - providing in the end that world comes to be."

He smiled sadly.

"My father died because of the old world, and their ideas and prejudices," he added. "Ever since I learned what it meant to be betrayed, I've longed to bury the betrayers in the dust. I thought it would be enough just to kill one person here, one person there. I finished off the last survivor of the Council that condemned him, and avenged the death of a close kinsman, but it wasn't enough to quench my thirst for revenge. An assassination here and there is no longer enough. I have to move into the heart of power and destroy it at its core. That's where you and your companions can help. The shinigami Captains who are coming here are all Council members. Those left in Seireitei are, with the exception of my brother-in-law - largely political small fry. Crushing them and their underlings should not be a challenge...providing you three can also do a job here."

"Well, we'll do our best," Haruya promised, getting to his feet and holding out his hand to Keitarou's to shake it. "We have our own scores to settle, and it sounds as though we can benefit long term from allying with you, so we will. You've kept your word so far, and I've no reason to believe in the Clans for anything. We will fight and kill on your behalf, Keitarou. You have my word on it."


"Enishi told me that you were here,"

At the sound of Shunsui's voice, Juushirou set the book he had been reading on one side, offering his friend a relieved, rueful smile. It was early the next morning, but for Juushirou it was as though the two days had blurred one into the other. Despite the events of the previous day, he had been hard pressed to sleep and the sunrise had found him making the small walk from his own division quarters to the big Seireitei archive in search of something that could put his mind at rest. Though he had sent no message to Eighth for Shunsui, fearful of the implications of widening the web of knowledge beyond his own division confines, he knew that, more than ever, he needed his friend's advice.

"I wondered what time you'd get back," he admitted now, gesturing for the other man to come and join him. "You're earlier than I thought...I've been waiting for you."

"Here?" Shunsui glanced around him at the books, a look of surprise flooding his dark brown gaze. "No offence, Juu-kun, but of all the places in Seireitei you might expect to see me, the archive isn't one of them."

"But you're here now," Juushirou pointed out, and Shunsui nodded, sinking down onto the seat opposite and making himself comfortable.

"Only because, when I dropped by Thirteenth with my brother's best wishes and some good quality Kyouraku sake as a goodwill gift, I found you'd already gone roaming," he said with a grin. "I left the alcohol with your adjutant, by the way - apparently there are rules about sake in the archives, and in any case, I figured I could trust it in Enishi's hands."

"Probably," Juushirou nodded. "Thank Tokutarou-sama for me, would you? He's always been generous to me, and I appreciate his kind thoughts."

"Will do," Shunsui agreed, resting his chin in his hands and running his gaze over the spines of the several dusty books that surrounded his friend's position. "I have to say, though, that you must've been here a while, to accrue that many volumes."

"Mm, maybe," Juushirou cast a pensive glance across towards the window, gauging the position of the sun in the sky. "Perhaps a few hours. I'm not exactly sure. I had something I wanted to look up, but I haven't managed to find anything useful."

He frowned.

"Shunsui, what did Enishi say to you about yesterday? I assume he told you something - he wouldn'tve just sent you on a goose chase over here for no reason. You came all this way to find me because you knew something was up - so he must've said something."

"I guess probably the bare bones," Shunsui acknowledged with a sigh. "He seemed pretty busy, and I didn't like to get in the way, though he didn't make me unwelcome. I understood there'd been some kind of drama at Seventh yesterday, correct? And as a result, both the Kitsune are currently in your custody."

"I wouldn't put it like that," Juushirou shook his head, glancing around him then lowering his voice. "This isn't a good place to talk about things like that, not even while it's so quiet, but Joumei left Thirteenth at the same time I did. He's gone back to Seventh to report to Hirata, now things appear to have calmed down. You're right, though. There was an incident at Seventh yesterday. There was also one at Thirteenth, and I can't say at the moment whether or not they were connected. Ultimately, they led me to having some information I'm not sure I ought to have...and more, I have no clue what to do with."

"That sounds complicated and cryptic," Shunsui observed. "Enishi didn't say anything about Thirteenth, but he did seem uncommonly preoccupied for him, now I think of it. Well? If you don't think here's a good place to discuss it, how about we relocate to somewhere quieter?"

He raised his hand, gesturing to the upper gallery.

"One of the secure alcoves up there ought to be fine. We can lock the door and the walls are soundproofed. Nobody would hear anything, and you could bring your books."

"All right," Juushirou agreed, getting to his feet and resting his hand on the top of the nearest volume. "I'm not sure if they're of any use or not, or if I'm even looking in the right sections, to be honest."

"These are all books on zanpakutou," Shunsui realised. "On raising them, controlling them...their history...spirit nature.."

He picked up one of the smaller tomes, flicking through the pages.

"This is the kind of stuff we had to wade through for our Senior exams, only much much more wordy and with far fewer pictures," he realised. "Juu, I don't get it. What has this to do with Seventh being attacked?"

"Nothing, probably, but come upstairs and I'll tell you. Everything, if I can," Juushirou grimaced, running his grimy fingers through his lank white hair, and Shunsui tut-tutted.

"See, now you've given yourself skunk-stripes," he scolded, extending his free hand to brush away the dust from the thin, straight hair. "You go back to your squad like that and they'll think you were rolling in the bookshelves, not studying their contents."

"Shunsui," despite his preoccupation, Juushirou allowed himself a wry smile, and his friend returned it with a grin.

"Yes, that's better," he decided, scooping up three or four of the books into his arms and nodding in the direction of the alcove. "Well? Shall we go? It's a bit like old times, though I'm warning you, my essay writing days are long since over."

"Mine too, thankfully," Juushirou ruminated, as he obediently followed his companion across the open floor of the archive and up the steps to the landing where three or four private study alcoves had been constructed for confidential research. Only Captains were permitted access to this hallowed area and, as a result, it was completely empty, giving them the pick of the rooms. Shunsui made a bee-line for the nearest, depositing his burden down on the table and indicating for Juushirou to do the same before moving to shut the door, fastening it with a soft click.

"Right, now we're alone, and nobody can hear anything we say," he remarked, leaning up against the door and folding his arms across his chest. "Tell me what happened yesterday. In bitesize fragments, if you don't mind - I want to absorb and understand everything, because if it's got you here at this time doing random research, it's obviously important."

"Where do I even begin?" Juushirou groaned, sinking down into the seat beside the window.

"Seventh," Shunsui suggested. "Enishi gave me the impression that was the beginning, so start there, and I'll try to follow."

"Mm," Juushirou pursed his lips. "I'm not sure really how it began. I just know that Hirata was away from the Division, and that Kikyue sent Tenichi to come find me, on account of the fact Joumei had appeared at Seventh and he was being pursued by some unknown enemy. You were away, so that's why she came to me."

"Joumei the Kitsune?"

"Yes."

"I thought Kikyue didn't know anything about him and his people,"

"So did Hirata, and so did I, but that seems the least of our concerns right now," Juushirou thinned his lips. "To cut a long story short, Joumei had attacked and killed the young girl who took Souja's life, and one of her allies took exception to it. A young man by the name of Katsura, who manifested what I can only call spirit-disrupting or psychic powers, and pretty much zero spiritual control."

"I see," Shunsui looked thoughtful. "And this Katsura came to kill Joumei, in a tit-for-tat type killing?"

"Something like that," Juushirou agreed. "I don't know whether it was his emotion driving his spirit power or vice versa, but he was not in the mood for negotiating. I intervened, and I would've taken him down - at the very least, taken him prisoner, but then Mitsuki decided to make an impromptu appearance."

"Wait, back up," Shunsui's brow creased in confusion. "Mitsuki? As in your Mitsuki?"

"She's a long way from being my Mitsuki, and getting further from it by the day," Juushirou tugged absently on a length of his hair, leaving fresh smudges across the surface. "Yes. It turns out that this Katsura person is the one who saved her life in Rukongai. It also transpired that he was the one who put it in danger...because he's not just an agent of Keitarou's, but his oldest son."

"Ooh," Shunsui let out a low whistle, wincing. "Did Mitsuki know all of that when she stopped you?"

"No, thank goodness," Juushirou responded, "else the situation would be much more complicated. Katsura escaped, and Seventh pursued him, but whether they caught him or not, I have no idea. Mitsuki admitted to me that she'd healed his injuries and let him go - but beyond that, there's been no report. I think Seventh are still hunting him, but I can't be certain. I didn't pursue him myself - I stayed to help put the division back in order, and as I left, I had a summons from my own division, telling me that Tenichi had lost his mind and decided to try and kill Joumei's sister, Izumi."

"It was a busy day," Shunsui pursed his lips. "I missed everything, didn't I? So, what came of that? Is the girl all right?"

"She is, thanks to Ketsui, who intervened on her behalf and arrested Tenichi," Juushirou replied, "but Tenichi is in a highly confused state, and though I've handed him over to the Onmitsukidou, it concerns me that he'd act in such an irrational way. More, Ketsui is very upset about it. Tenichi is the only family he has, and he's idolised his brother since they were small. This has been a huge blow. There's been no time to pander to his feelings on the subject, though. He also reported to me last night - and Izumi confirmed it - that they had been working on Sekime-taichou's data, and they've found a serious loophole in the figures. They both believe that Keitarou is planning to launch a direct attack here, on Seireitei, probably during the time that some of our Divisions are in the Real World looking for him. That seems to tally in with our own worries so badly, I'm sure they're right. The trouble is, I don't know how to pass that information higher up the chain without putting the Kitsune in more danger. Clearly even Thirteenth isn't as safe as I hoped it would be, and the stakes are growing ever higher."

He sighed.

"Yesterday's events ought to have been reported to the Council straight away, being that Keitarou's son was involved," he admitted, "but I've done nothing about it, and I doubt either Hirata or Kai have, either. Kai knows all about the Kitsune, now, but he's the kind to treat it with the discretion it needs whilst he investigates Tenichi's situation. I didn't tell him that Keitarou's son had attacked Seventh, because I didn't really know how to bring it up, especially as it wasn't my division. Hirata sent a message late last evening to say Kikyue had returned and to ask me to leave the settling of this particular issue in Seventh's hands from hereon in. I don't know if that means they killed the young lad Katsura, or if they're still pursuing him - but with Nagesu-sama and the others so preoccupied with preparing to go to the Real World, I guess he's hoping the flurry at Seventh has slipped their notice completely. Perhaps he sees Katsura as a form of vengeance for his son...but I don't really want to be any more involved in that situation than I already am."

"I suppose they expect violent swirls of spirit power from the Seventh. It's that kind of division, especially if Hirata is angry, and nobody tends to encroach on other divisions' private business unless they're formally requested," Shunsui rolled his eyes. "Fine, I suppose if Hirata said that, there's not a lot you can do to take it further. It wasn't your barracks, so it's effectively not your jurisdiction...and Hirata is also a member of the Council. He can pull rank on you there, so I would leave it with him. If he knows about it, then, in a sense, the Council knows, even if its current leader doesn't."

"I'd honestly rather it didn't go further," Juushirou confessed. "It's so complicated and tangled. I'm not protecting Katsura, Shunsui - I saw plenty of evidence that he was dangerous and I heard him say he'd killed shinigami, which means he should be at the very least captured. But if capturing him brings others into serious danger...then..."

"You're worried about Mitsuki getting into trouble?" Shunsui asked astutely, and Juushirou shrugged.

"She made a formal confession to me of all she knew, last night," he said heavily. "I would rather not see her charged for healing him. I don't pretend I like the business, but I don't think she acted with deliberately treasonous intent. It's not just that, though. Reporting the whole encounter to someone higher up the chain of command might result in people losing their lives in a way that I can't condone."

"Like Joumei and Izumi?"

"Yes...and no."

"And somehow this all connects to why you're suddenly interested in everything about zanpakutoucontrol?" Shunsui reached across to tap the cover of one of the books. "Everything you've said is serious and obviously has deeper ramifications, but I don't quite see how it tallies up with your research this morning."

"That's another problem entirely," Juushirou sounded weary. "Mitsuki didn't make her interruption alone. Kirio and Koku were with her...and it appears to have been on Koku's impulse that they intervened in the fight."

"That boy again," Shunsui's eyes narrowed to slits. "Well? Did you speak to him about it and get a satisfactory answer as to why?"

"It seems like he managed to make both Kirio and Mitsuki feel a sense of urgency about coming into the confrontation, just as he did with me when he saw the Kitsune being attacked, but I don't know that he did it consciously," Juushirou admitted. "You were right about his involvement with Keitarou, though. He intervened to let Katsura escape. True enough, his appearance diffused the situation, because it broke Katsura's will to attack and forced him onto the backfoot instead. Moreover, he somehow used his spirit power to break Keitarou's sword control over Joumei, and he did so of his own volition. But, when Mitsuki discovered Katsura was Keitarou's son, she also discovered some things about Koku - things she thought I should know in full. I spoke to the boy directly after meeting with her, and mostly, he admitted they were true. Koku is the boy Kohaku, Shunsui. He's Keitarou's son, too."

Shunsui's face went through several different expressions, then he sighed, coming to rest a hand on Juushirou's shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I know you wanted to believe in the kid."

"That's the foolish part of it," Juushirou rubbed his brows, oblivious of the smears he had now deposited across his pale skin. "I do believe in him. Even knowing all the things I do about him now, I still...don't intend on giving him up to Seireitei."

"What?" Shunsui's expression became one of consternation. "Juu, you know what the Council decided. You know what it will mean, if you're caught. And you said yourself, you didn't know what or who you were protecting. In the circumstances..."

"He's a scared boy, Shunsui," Juushirou cut across him, shaking his head. "You can call me naive, or overprotective, or anything you like, but he's been in my custody, and I've seen that that's the case. Moreover, when Mitsuki spoke to Katsura, he admitted his own role in the murders of the shinigami in the Spiritless Zone, and didn't try to conceal anything from her. But he said very clearly that Kohaku had committed no crime, and more, that he was not under Keitarou's control. Mitsuki seemed to think he was in danger from Keitarou in some way, and listening to Koku himself talk, I felt...I felt very angry, to be honest. Angry that a father could use his son in such a merciless way."

"Such as?" Shunsui sank down on the floor opposite, fixing his friend with a quizzical look. "I know you when it comes to lost waifs and strays, Juu. You won't listen to reason, nor see it when it jumps up in front of you."

"I like to believe in people as much as I can, true," Juushirou's voice carried a faint edge, "but I'm not completely simple. Koku did bring Souja-dono back here, even at his own risk. He also broke Keitarou's hold over Joumei, which can't possibly be to his father's advantage. Yes, he helped his brother escape, but if it were Tokutarou-sama, Shunsui, wouldn't you?"

"Tokutarou-nii would've had to have lost all reason and sense, but I suppose I would," Shunsui sighed, burying his head in his hands. "All right, but even if those things are true and he didn't act simply to get your trust in those examples, there's still Suzuki Naoto's claims that Kohaku had the power to destroy Soul Society."

"Kohaku's power is the power of prophesy, and because of it, he was locked away by his father for most of his childhood," Juushirou said evenly. "Koku told me that Keitarou helped him confine some of his power to a sword, but it seems to me that a genius like Keitarou could easily have done more if he really cared to protect or support his son. Koku mentioned a voice in his head, which Keitarou wasn't sure was a zanpakutou spirit, or a mutation of the boy's spirit power. Apparently Kohaku has extremely high reiryoku, on account of the reidoku Keitarou ingested before he was conceived. Yet even a genius scientist like Keitarou didn't bother to experiment on ways of really bringing this power in hand. He wanted to useit. And he did. Katsura told Mitsuki as much, and said that he was afraid Keitarou would try to do so again. The hut you found in Rukongai is undoubtedly the place Koku was held, and the sense of death around the place is probably the overspill of Koku's reiatsu, fragments of the death visions he'd been made to relive, over and over. Nobody should be made to live like that, regardless of who they are or where they were born. Right now he's also clearly not well enough to face proper interrogation, let alone a full scale trial. Even when I was talking to him about this, he slipped away with the fairies - or the demons, one or the other - and I had to stop because I could no longer get coherent sense out of him. He's frightened, and perhaps his mental state isn't firmly in the here and now at present, but he hasn't shown any hostile intent. He's not evil. I would stake my life and my reputation on that fact."

"You may be doing that exact thing," Shunsui looked troubled. "Oh, don't worry, I wouldn't report on you, and your secret is safe with me, but it bothers me all the same. Even if everything you say is true, and Koku is what you believe, the Council won't see it like that. Kohaku is the ultimate target in all this, aside from Keitarou himself. You heard them at the Captain's meeting. There's no interest in granting mercy. And if you are aiding and abetting him, it could be seen...in a very negative light."

"I know," Juushirou admitted. "I know, but Shunsui, I've made up my mind. Last night, I didn't sleep at all. I kept thinking over everything - the fight at Seventh, Tenichi's confession, Koku...and I came to a decision. I couldn't do anything for Tenichi. His case is in other people's hands now, and I feel badly about that. In Koku's case, though, maybe there is something I can do. Like Tenichi, Koku's born into a contentious bloodline, but he didn't choose that any more than you or I chose our families. And, if he has no blood on his hands, I won't see him killed. It's not what Seireitei is about. It's not justice."

"And all of these? For his sake?"

"I suppose I thought that, if I could find an adequate way to manage his spirit power, then I'd have a case to present before the Council," Juushirou admitted. "I don't know though. I've dealt with swords before. I know zanpakutou. But power like Koku's...I don't understand. There's nothing in any of these books about the kind of prophetic ability he has, nor on ways to keep it in hand."

"Juu, how attached are you to this boy?" Shunsui asked softly. "To go to those lengths, it suggests more than just wanting to shield him from justice."

"More than?" Juushirou stared at him, and Shunsui pursed his lips.

"Its more like a father might fluster over a child," he said at length. "I tease you about taking in waifs, but this time, I'm going to be serious in my warnings. Until we know everything about Keitarou and his plans, and can see clearly where Kohaku fits into them, don't let yourself be sucked in too deep. Koku is Keitarou's son, he's not yours. You might feel Keitarou abused him, and you might want to protect him - but ultimately, blood might prove thicker than water. No matter how kind you are to him, he has no reason to return that to you. You understand that, don't you? Yesterday, he let his brother - a confirmed murderer - escape your justice. Much as you might want to see him as the innocent victim, I don't think that's for sure yet. So be careful, okay? Thirteenth would cry if anything happened to you...and so would several others."

Juushirou was silent for a moment, then he nodded.

"I can't argue with you, because I know you have a point," he said with a sigh. "I am fond of Koku - protective of Koku - in a way beyond my own understanding. It's as though, by coming into my division grounds, he's become a part of my division, and the protection I would extend to any of them also now includes him. I don't know about trying to be his father, Shunsui - I'm not a father, and so that's a step beyond my knowledge. I am a Captain, though, and more - Koku told me a lot of things yesterday. Things about the Rukon, about Keitarou and all he and Eiraki have done to protect souls there which we abandoned. Koku hasn't promised to be my ally, nor has he sworn himself our enemy. I understand his position, because, as a District shinigami in a Clan world, I was just as ignorant when I was his age. Most of all, though, I don't want this to carry on into the next generation. I don't want us to condemn a boy based on his bloodline, not based on actual proof. We know his sister was guilty of Souja's murder - Koku himself acknowledged that - and his brother's antics yesterday, coupled with his confession to Mitsuki make him a wanted felon, probably beyond anyone's pardon. But Koku is...not the same. He isn't setting himself up as our enemy. If we make him our enemy...if we kill him, simply because of who his parents are, then we're no better than the people who helped create this whole mess in the first place. Keitarou became how he is because of how the situation of his father and his family were managed, and the way he was treated as a child. Koku has had a hard background, but he's still...I believe he's still salvageable. I want to save him. Even if it means putting myself on the line...that's why I am a shinigami. It ought to be why you are too - to protect those who are innocent, regardless of who they are."

"Juu..." Shunsui faltered, then he offered a rueful smile, holding up his hands.

"Fine. I can see when I'm out-talked, and I won't argue any more," he conceded. "I don't say I like it - or that I don't have serious doubts about the amount of risk involved. But you're my friend, and ultimately, I believe in you. If you're breaking rules and flying in the face of Council decrees, I might as well hop on for the ride. Which means that, for now, we need to put Kohaku on one side and return to the more pressing subject - that of Keitarou, and on finding a way to persuade the powers that be that he's likely to launch an attack here, rather than the Real World."

"That's not going to be easy," Juushirou sighed, but there was relief in his hazel eyes, and he returned his friend's rueful smile with one of his own. "Thank you, Shunsui. I hope you don't live to regret taking my part."

"Well, you have a track record for insane whims of principled idealism," Shunsui said resignedly. "I should know by now that coming along for the ride with you will probably only be dangerous, chaotic and not for the fainthearted. But I'm your friend, and even if I think you're nuts, it's kind of a done deal."

He pursed his lips, eying Juushirou for a moment.

"But if he betrays that belief, Juu, I won't be standing by whilst you get into trouble," he added. "I know your sword, but I also know your personality. Even if Sougyo is strong enough to cut the boy down, I doubt you'd be able to bring yourself to do it, not when you can talk of him so fondly. I want to believe in him, for your sake - but if it turns out badly, if I'm there behind you, I can do the things you can't do on your behalf."

"You don't like killing any more than I do," Juushirou was matter-of-fact, and Shunsui nodded.

"True," he acknowledged, "and I'd rather not blood my blades with Aizen blood a second time. But Juu, even though you don't need me to protect you in terms of spiritual skill, sometimes, you're a lot softer than I am. And whilst I don't want to hurt anyone, if they hurt you, or anyone else I consider close to me, I'm not going to stand down. I said it years ago and I'll say it again now. I intend to protect the things that matter to me, whether they want or need it or not. That includes you, so you tell that boy of yours to mind himself and not do anything rash or stupid."

Juushirou was silent for a moment, then he shrugged his shoulders.

"It won't come to it, I hope," he said softly, "but in this instance, I'm glad you have my back. You're right in that I probably couldn't kill him, not now I know him. And I don't want you to, either...but none of us really know what we're facing. I don't think I'm wrong, but then, a lot of things have happened lately that I've been wrong about."

"Like the Kotetsu boy?" Shunsui arched an eyebrow, and Juushirou nodded, burying his head in his hands.

"If it hadn't been that Ketsui was the one who arrested him, I might still not believe it," he admitted. "I'm angry about it, Shunsui. Whatever foolish things Tenichi's done - and they are foolish, and reckless, and dangerous - I'm sure it's really Keitarou who's at the root of it. The lad isn't himself...the man I spoke to in our cells didn't sound like the one I recruited and trained. I'm very afraid he's damaged beyond repair, and he seems to think so too. It upsets me to think that, if I'd noticed sooner, I might've been able to do something about it. The signs were there and I didn't see them...I guess my judgement's not all it's cracked up to be sometimes."

"I don't like that face," Shunsui admonished him firmly. "It's not the face of someone who's about to save Soul Society through daring rebellion and dashing heroism. At least try and look the part. With a miserable mug like that one, you're not going to convince anyone of anything. Not even me."

"Shunsui," Despite himself, Juushirou smiled, and Shunsui grimaced in his direction.

"So back on topic, then," he said firmly. "I don't know if the Kotetsu boy is or isn't salvageable, but whilst Keitarou is roaming loose, there's probably no chance of retrieving him. He's with Kai now, so let Kai handle him. He'll get the truth, and he'll be fair. Our job is elsewhere."

"Mm," Juushirou pressed his lips together, considering. "We don't have a lot of time, either."

"Then lets start at the beginning and see what we do know," Shunsui said frankly, sitting back in his seat. "Everything, no matter how minor, that might connect to Keitarou and what he's about."

"One, the deaths in the Spiritless Zone," Juushirou reflected, holding up his index finger. "Deaths we can now almost certainly lay at the door of Aizen Sakaki and Aizen Katsura, acting on their father's instructions."

"Two, the murder of Endou Souja," Shunsui added. "Ordered by Keitarou for reasons unknown."

"No..." Juushirou became thoughtful. "Tenichi seemed to think that Keitarou didn't order Souja to be murdered."

"Juu, that implies the Kotetsu boy was wrapped up in more than just an unfortunate kidnapping," Shunsui looked alarmed, but Juushirou shook his head.

"No, he said someone told him," he replied. "He refused to say who, even when I told him it could put his life in danger if he didn't tell me. He said he'd given his word and it was someone he hadn't betrayed yet, so wasn't going to. There was a flicker of the old Tenichi when he said it, so I didn't push the issue. However..."

He offered a sad smile.

"I thought it might be Koku, so I asked him about it."

"That was a jump," Shunsui was startled, and Juushirou shook his head.

"I saw Tenichi at Thirteenth late one night, and it bothered me a little at the time. He seemed out of sorts," he replied. "Koku didn't want to discuss it - but ultimately, when I told him Tenichi's life was at stake, he did agree that they'd spoken. They met in Rukongai when Tenichi was kidnapped, as far as I can gather. Koku said he told Tenichi that nothing was his fault and he ought to stay out of it. The more I think of it, though, the more I think Tenichi is right. Souja's death isn't quite like Ribari-sama's all those years back. Ribari-sama's came out of the blue, and was staged to make the Kuchiki rip holes in each other looking for the culprit. By contrast, Souja's death happened because he was investigating an already suspicious circumstance. Whether Koku had become involved or not, killing someone of Souja's standing was bound to get attention."

"So Souja was in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"And encountered that girl, Sakaki," Juushirou agreed. "Tenichi told me that he was attacked by her too, only she was made to hold off. It makes me think that this girl - who we will never now question, thanks to Joumei's sense of vigilante justice - was simply out for blood and Souja's was as good as any on offer. Souja knew Sakaki was Eiraki and Keitarou's child. I suppose he just knew too much and had to be silenced once he did."

"At the expense of Hirata and his poor wife," Shunsui groaned. "All right, so Souja's death wasn't in the master plan, but it happened anyhow. Rukongai was, though. To incite a rebellion? Or...?"

"No idea," Juushirou tugged absently at his hair once more, and Shunsui tut-tutted, reaching across to tap his friend on the wrist.

"You carry on like that and you'll be bald. I'll have Naoko-chan on my case for de-hairing her Captain," he reproached lightly.

"Maybe if I pull hard enough, I'll tweak something useful out of my brain," Juushirou released his grip sheepishly, glancing at his smudged fingers. "I'm probably dusty all over now, but it's frustrating when things don't lock together and I really didn't get enough sleep last night."

"Then lets look at another angle," Shunsui said thoughtfully. "Juu, did you ask that boy about what happened in the Real World? With Nagesu-sama and that hollow-girl?"

"No..." Juushirou admitted. "He became unwell, so I couldn't speak to him any more. But he couldn't have known about that. He was with us at the..."

"Koku knows a good deal more than what happens in front of his eyes. We've established that already," Shunsui pointed out grimly.

"True," Juushirou conceded. "I see your point. But I'm not sure he would tell me even if I asked. He's happy to talk about a lot of things, but he told me plainly that he won't try and find his father, or tell me where he currently is. I don't think he knows Keitarou's location - yet - but he's not keen to attempt to find out. I suspect he wouldn't want to discuss the Real World. Oh, but..."

His brows knitted together, and Shunsui eyed him keenly.

"But?"

"The other night, he had a bad dream," Juushirou's expression became grave. "Tsunemori was with him, and he went for help...it was one of those dreams, and Koku woke up in tears. He went back to sleep on his own, so nothing more came of it, but Tsunemori thought the kid said the name "Sakanoue". I didn't get a chance to ask him about it, not with everything that happened since, but now, talking like this..."

"Sakanoue?" Shunsui's brows knitted together. "Now that is a tantalising lead. The name of a dead Vice Captain of the Eleventh Division...on the lips of someone not even born when the man died."

"Which makes me think it's important," Juushirou agreed. "I didn't know, then, that Koku was Keitarou's son or anything else, but now I do..."

Shunsui pursed his lips.

"Nagesu-sama went to the Real World," he murmured. "He went and he saw and fought a girl who had been Hollowfied in some way, like Ryuu's father was, only...not quite the same. That incident not only inspired Nagesu-sama to believe Keitarou is in the Real World - which we know is probably a ruse - but also triggered discussion about what happened in the Rukon 25 or so years ago, in which Sakanoue was killed. Anabomi said he thought Keitarou was part of that, too. Now you say Koku had a dream about Sakanoue - or something connected to what happened then? Mareiko-chan was so sure her Captain's data was accurate and it proved Keitarou couldn't have been responsible for what happened there, but does this suggest that he was?"

"I'm not sure," Juushirou scratched his head pensively. "Anabomi did raise it, but Sekime seemed quite certain, and Nagesu-sama too, that that data indicated something else. But she did also say that her Captain thought there was someone behind it. Nobody was ever caught, though, and the whole business faded and got overridden by other concerns."

"Not for Minaichi," Shunsui reflected. "I never saw him as the emotional type, but to miss a Captain's meeting on the anniversary of his adjutant's death, twenty five years after the event suggests he has more of a heart in that stiff body of his than I gave him credit for."

"Well, if he saw Sakanoue like a son, it makes sense," Juushirou sighed. "But wedidn't know Sakanoue at all, Shunsui. Even Enishi only knew him by name, from what I've managed to gather. Plus, he, along with Sekime's predecessor and other members of both divisions died in the Rukon at the hands of Hollowed souls and a similar type of soul appeared in the Real World. That ought to be our focus right now, shouldn't it?"

"There's something uncanny about that boy of yours," Shunsui said slowly, "but after the incident with the Kitsune, we clearly can't rule out what he said as being unimportant. Maybe what happened in Rukongai 25 years ago was or wasn't deliberately staged, but either way, Keitarou - having hidden in the Rukon himself for a long time - might have learned from it, and applied the scientific principles to projects of his own. That might be the connection we're looking for. Maybe he came across some of them. Perhaps that's his reasoning for protecting Plus souls with reiatsu. And if he's really protecting them, he ought to still be with them. In Rukongai."

"It would make sense," Juushirou agreed darkly. "Koku believes that his father is the reason those people are alive, and much as I hate to admit it, I think that's probably the truth. Which means that he's double-bluffed us, making it look like he's gone to the Real World when, all the time, he's actually still right back where he started. Maybe even in the same village, now that we've finished examining it."

"It's exactly what I'd expect from him," Shunsui mused, "safe in the knowledge that the Gotei were preoccupied with his appearance in the Real World. He set that up so beautifully, and if your young'uns have been putting together matching evidence that supports it, I'd bet that's where he is."

"I trust Izumi's science," Juushirou reflected. "Ketsui seems to have become very involved in this too. Their explanations make sense...and even if he is in Rukongai now, unless we go there and preempt him, he's likely to come here and take advantage of our split forces. His motives in looking after the sickly might appear unselfish, but I don't trust them being that simple. Protecting a large number of weak, impoverished individuals must have some personal benefit for him and his cause. Call me paranoid or judgemental, but I can't see anything Keitarou does as being entirely altruistic. Even if he had their loyalty, though, would starving Rukon strays make a good fighting force?"

"Probably not," Shunsui considered. "Not unless he intended to fodder them. Which, incidentally, I wouldn't put past him either."

"Mm," Juushirou agreed. "Even if Koku doesn't know about it...and given his feelings about killing, I'm sure he doesn't...it seems likely Keitarou might be using members of the spirited population for a new line of experiments. Koku said he was no longer producing reidoku, so it would mean he'd need another idea. This seems to be it. And we need to stop "it", before "it" is right on our doorstep wreaking havoc. Starting with the trip to the Real World...and convincing the Captains in question to take a detour to the Rukon instead."

"Well, it's something to go on at least," Shunsui remarked. "It's still not deep enough, though, and that's bothering me. Maybe it all connects to the stuff that happened 25 years ago. Maybe Keitarou is or isn't involved. Maybe the data Mareiko got from her Captain - whatever his name was again, I forget - was as flawed as the data you got from them this time. Perhaps Keitarou was smashed up by Kinnya-sama, but it doesn't mean his brain was. Who knows what he might've achieved, even in a badly injured state? We can't underestimate a man like that."

"No. Especially since Koku let slip that the reidoku Keitarou took definitely played a part in his healing," Juushirou responded grimly. "We can't just go straight in and hand over Izumi's findings, though. Right now, Ketsui's brother is in custody and there's every chance he'll be charged with more than just attempted murder, since he concealed Keitarou's whereabouts. Whether that will reflect on Ketsui, I don't know, but it might bring to light the fact his father had close connections with Keitarou. I don't doubt Ketsui in this - he's made his feelings very plain, and, unlike Tenichi, he's more prone to sharing than shouldering burdens. But the source for the data is the himeof a condemned tribe and the cousin and son of Urahara exiled traitors. I can't think of a single way to explain that in words that Nagesu-sama will accept...and they won't change their plans without being able to verify the information."

"Well, no. Nagesu-sama saw Keitarou. That trumps figure manipulation and data readouts," Shunsui sighed. "This is our weakness, though, Juu. We don't know enough about what really happened before we graduated, and what the politics were at the time...before and after the death of Sakanoue and the others. I remember lots of talk about a 'Real World Earthquake' before Mitsuki-chan was seconded to the Rukon, but it seems pretty clear that was some kind of smokescreen told to us students so we wouldn't think we were graduating into a bloodbath. We know Minaichi wanted Enishi because his Vice Captain was killed. That Vice Captain was Sakanoue, yet at the time, we knew nothing about any of this. Don't you think that's strange?"

"Now you mention it, it does seem overly conservative," Juushirou rubbed his chin. "Though it might simply be as you say - a ruse to prevent us, and especially Mitsuki, from being scared about what we were going into. Whatever happened twenty five years ago, it also ended then. Maybe for that reason, it wasn't good P.R to publicise mass shinigami slaughter outside of the Gotei - and at the time, you and I were far from being what we are now. On top of that, when we both began our careers, Seireitei wasn't like it is now. Even keeping contact between you and I was far more sporadic than it is now we're in the same rough area - I was more concerned with foiling Endou assassination attempts and you were busy crafting Eighth Division within your Clan heartland. Neither of us were attending Council meetings, and Captains got together far less regularly than we do now. By the time we were permanent residents in Inner Seireitei, Sekime was long since installed as the Twelfth Captain, Ikata was Vice Captain of the Eleventh, and a line had been well and truly drawn under what was an unfortunate incident in Seireitei history. In fact, now I think of it, I think Sekime said something along those lines when she told me what she remembered from the Rukon incident. She said that Seireitei didn't like to talk about it, and she thought it was because Minaichi felt it reflected badly on the Eleventh Division, or some such thing. Probably at the time it was considered done with - and Minaichi probably thought he'd never get a Vice Captain if the fate of the last one was well publicised."

"Yes, but since, recently, it keeps coming up, it must be relevant in some way," Shunsui pointed out, "even though - or maybe because - nobody is actively making the connection. If Keitarou's in Rukongai, and utilising creatures like those who caused the massacres 25 years ago - we need to find out about what happened then, and then try and work out a way of using that to apply it to now."

"We don't have time to do a long, detailed investigation into historical reports, and most of the ones we'd want are probably not available," Juushirou pushed the pile of books to one side, getting to his feet. "Nor can we ask Minaichi, and Sekime already told me her recollections - which are incomplete, because she was rendered unconscious from her injury for much of what occurred. She told me she didn't know what had happened with Sakanoue, so that's no use to us."

"Then what do you propose?" Shunsui looked helpless. "From everything that's been discussed, Minaichi and Mareiko-chan are the only ranked survivors from this little jaunt. Michihashi was still a student with us, so it's before his time. Ikata might've been there, but I would've thought getting useful information from him would require smashing his head against a stone and picking it out manually from the resultant bloody mess. If we're not going to dig around in here for the evidence, where are we going to dig?"

"Nagesu-sama," Juushirou said simply, and Shunsui blinked at him, bewildered.

"Nagesu-sama?"

"He entrusted me with data, via Sekime," Juushirou nodded. "He'll expect me to speak to him, even if I have to be careful about what to say now that the Kitsune are both within our midst. I'll ask him about souls with reiryokuin the Rukon region, and about what happened 25 years ago. He was Clan Leader then, and the Urahara must've been involved in the cleanup, on account of losing one of their own, and their scientific background. I'll ask him, and while doing so, see if I can't spark his own curiosity about the whole business. If I can convince him that he's thought of it himself, then maybe we won't need to worry about the evidence we have. Maybe it'll resolve itself.."

"You think that it's a good idea, being so direct?" Shunsui was doubtful, and Juushirou grinned.

"They expect ignorantly idealistic approaches like that from me," he said matter-of-factly. "Nagesu-sama will assume I'm just being the District Captain again, not understanding full protocol, and he'll probably indulge me in the questions I ask. It helps, sometimes, to have a fairly positive and blemish free record, and to be someone the Clans don't consider particularly politically threatening."

"Sneaky," Shunsui looked approving, and Juushirou nodded.

"Well, we don't have a lot of time," he reflected. "I can't ask Koku about Sakanoue, because he's still sleeping, and I don't want him upset again if it can be helped. Plus, I don't want to rely on his evidence too heavily until we know more about everything. But this is important and it can't wait. If we're going to convince Nagesu-sama to call off the trip to the Real World... anything is worth a try."


Hirata gazed down at the unconscious form of his fifth seated officer, frustrating and weariness coursing through his body. It was a little after dawn, the warm rays of the summer sun beginning to spread a glow across the roofs and passages of Inner Seireitei.

The previous day had been one of chaos and confusion, but, ultimately, Hirata had felt an overwhelming sense of relief when Kikyue and her companions had returned to the Seventh. At first sight, Hirata had thought at Ohara was dead but, as Hajime had laid him grimly but carefully down on the low slung pallet of the chamber, he had realised that the man was still breathing. It had already been a distressing day, with the early summons and Ai's hysteria only served to remind him anew of Souja's death. The Thirteenth Division recruit's message had been an additional blow, and he had so far concealed it from the remainder of his division in the flurry over Ohara's immediate treatment needs, but early that morning official confirmation had come and he could no longer pretend that nothing further was amiss. Now, as he stood in the middle of his sleeping officer's chamber, he sorely wished for a target on which he could firmly and guiltlessly unleash the Wind Hawk. Tsumi no Fuuhi's anger was boiling inside of him, but he knew that he dared not let it free. Seventh Division had been shredded, from inside and from out, and there was only him, as Captain, to ensure it held together.

Or no, not quite just him.

He turned to glance at his two other companions, taking in their mixed expressions with a frown. Nakata had been dispatched to Fourth to get his arm seen to and stitched, in good spirits despite the blood still dribbling through the makeshift bandage, and Hirata had granted him the day to rest and recuperate as a reward for his bravery in protecting Kikyue's life. He would have to speak to Nakata later on the subject of Tenichi - one he was sure the older officer would take to heart given their close working relationship. Retsu had sent the man back to barracks with a note to the Captain about the potential severity of his injury and the worn out state of his body following the assault on Seventh, so for the time being, Hirata had chosen to let him rest in ignorance of his friend's fate. Consequently it was only Kikyue and Hajime of his higher seated officers who remained at his side. Looking at them, Hirata felt his heart twitch a second time.

Vice Captain, murdered. Fifth seat, in a state of deep unconsciousness. Seventh seat with a wounded sword arm that'll take some time to heal. Eighth seat currently under arrest after attacking another division's recruit. Sixth and Ninth, on duty at the main estate since Souja's murder, acting as spiritual protection for my wife and youngest child. What Juushirou said about Masaoka is reassuring, but barely a drop in the ocean in contrast to our current position.

"Seventh Division is in a weak position, Taichou, isn't it?" It was Hajime who voiced the Captain's own thoughts, and Hirata let out a heavy sigh.

"There's no pretending otherwise," he said wearily. "I'm sorry I left you yesterday, both of you. It was a bad choice and it won't happen again. I've already dispatched a messenger to the main estate to that effect. The situation has become more serious, now that both Ohara and Tenichi are out of commission."

"Kotetsu too?" Hajime started, staring at the Captain in dismay, and Kikyue frowned.

"Where isTenichi, anyway?" she wondered. "I sent him to the Thirteenth, and that was the last any of us saw of him. Ohara was going to discipline him for it..."

Her gaze strayed to the unconscious officer, and her lips thinned.

"Now you say he's 'out of commission'. Did something happen, while we were away?"

"I have received a formal notice this morning from the Onmitsukidou, co-signed by the Thirteenth Division's Captain and Vice Captain, advising me of the arrest of our Eighth Seated Officer with immediate effect," Hirata extracted a rolled up scroll from the folds of his hakamashita, holding it out to his daughter, who took it, eyes big with disbelief.

"Arrested? Somewhere other than here? For what, exactly? Tousama, what did he do?"

"Apparently he tried to end the life of Thirteenth Division's newest recruit, and was apprehended on site," Hirata said frankly. "The truth and the circumstances of it, I couldn't tell you. I've sent a message to Second telling them that Seventh will cooperate with their investigation entirely from this point on. I don't know what's going through Tenichi's head, but it's clear that something is...and maybe, has been for some time."

"The Onmitsukidou, huh," Hajime's eyes became slits. "Kai-dono was after Kotetsu before, sir. You remember, I'm sure - broke the man down into tears, and so on. If this is connected to that..."

"From the little I know, it was the Thirteenth, not the Onmitsukidou, who placed Tenichi under arrest, and who are the witnesses in this case - including Tenichi's brother," Hirata shrugged his shoulders. "I know what you're thinking, but there's nothing I can do. More, I'm too tired to even think about it at the present time. There are too many questions, and not enough answers. I will wait for the official conclusions, and, if there is one, a formal judgement. Until that time we can consider our Eighth Seat suspended pending further enquiries."

"What will you do, then?" Kikyue handed the notice to Hajime, eying her father with a quizzical expression. "If Tenichi is in custody, Nakata injured and Ohara is...is...like this...I can't run any patrols. I don't have any senior officers, and Onii...I mean, Hajime-dono's patrols are already depleted, with ranked officers away at the main house. All we have are the recruits and the lower seats."

"I have Masaoka," Hajime ruminated, "but you're right, hime. It's not enough. Without Ohara and Kotetsu...we have a problem."

"Patrols are the last of my concerns right now," Hirata admitted. "Kikyue, you were the one who cast the Geki over Ohara, correct? I know that he attacked you, and that you believed him under the control of some outside force - did he say anything before you laid him out?"

"No," Kikyue's eyes softened. "He bit his lips shut to prevent himself releasing his sword. I've never seen him as anything but an arrogant idiot before, Otousama, but yesterday I thought I saw him as an Endou for the first time. He wasn't afraid of dying, just afraid of spilling my blood."

"There's a reason he's Seventh's Fifth seat, Kikyue," Hirata pointed out acidly. "I don't rank officers based on their family positions, or how much money or influence a kinsman provides. I would expect no less of him - of him or any of my officers, when faced with the threat of harming a superior officer."

He rubbed his temples.

"It seems as though Keitarou is not content with killing my eldest child and assaulting my division, he also has the intention of killing my daughter, and isn't too choosy about his weaponry," he said blackly. "Ohara was clearly struck by Keitarou's manipulative sword, though how and when I wouldn't like to guess."

"We didn't notice anything amiss, and I'm not sure even he did, not at first," Kikyue bit her lip. "Hajime-dono may have seen more...but the first I knew of it was when he came down after me. Hajime-dono pushed me out of the way, and Nakata took his blade - twice, I think - but it all happened so suddenly. Ohara looked terrified, and we were all thrown off balance."

"I chased down the intruder who infiltrated our division," Hajime added. "Kikyue-hime sent me after him, so I went. I'm sorry if you think my actions lax in any way, Taichou, but an order was an order, and I thought..."

"Kikyue has proven she can protect herself," Hirata dismissed it with a flick of his hand, "and as you said, it was an order. Did you manage to kill him?"

"I certainly hit him," Hajime's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Normally, I wouldn't have expected anyone to survive my shikai at such close range, and he really didn't see me coming till it was too late to dodge. But knowing that Keitarou was in the vicinity...may have altered that situation. I didn't have a chance to decapitate him as I would have liked, so I'm afraid I can't be certain, sir."

"I called him back, on account of Ohara's condition," Kikyue added. "I didn't want any other members of the Seventh to die, Father. I'm sick of our division being treated like Keitarou's playground, and even more now I know that Tenichi's locked up. For all we know, he's like Ohara, too - he was abducted by Keitarou, wasn't he? Maybe he's been possessed, too, to make our situation more chaotic. It's like a vendetta against the Endou, backed up by Eiraki-basama and her bastard children, and I'm sick of it."

"What you say about Kotetsu is true," Hajime acknowledged. "That possibility must exist."

"Keitarou's vendettas never stop with one person, or one Clan, or one line of attack," Hirata said grimly. "In terms of Ohara's life, Kikyue, I understand your feelings, but it may have been a greater mercy for you to have struck him dead, rather than using Kaisoushu to render him unconscious. I don't know any way of breaking the spell Keitarou cast. If it is indeed his sword at work here, then there is no way we can release the Bakudou - it would be much too dangerous."

"I know," Kikyue's eyes darkened. "I know, Otousama, but I'm fed up with it. I can't even explain, but out there in the forest, I was so determined. Keitarou isn't taking any more members of Seventh Division. He just isn't! Not Ohara, not me, not Nakata, not even Tenichi, if that was his doing too - and I'm sure in some way or another it must be. Oniisama's death is the last. For his sake as well as for the Division's, I'll find a way to break Keitarou's sword technique. There must be a way, other than death. I'm not going to let Keitarou make all of us his puppets, acting in the way he wants us to. I'm sorry, Otousama, but I'm just not."

"Hime," Hajime cast her a pensive look, then he nodded his head. "Taichou, I agree with Kikyue-hime," he said frankly. "Enough is enough and this is Endou pride on the line. Ohara is a good officer. Yes, he can throw his weight about, but his skills are beyond doubt and he's always worked very diligently in Kikyue-hime's shadow. Kotetsu too - whatever the truth behind his case, I can't believe him to be the kind of officer who would randomly go on a killing spree in another division. This all has the hand of that man behind it, and we still have Fukutaichou's death to firmly avenge. There's no better way to do that as Endou than to track down and kill the man himself."

Hirata remained silent for a while, digesting this. Then he shook his head.

"Seventh Division are not going to the Real World," he said simply. "Those decisions are made, and I have no intention of trying to change them. If Keitarou is there, it will be the jobs of other squads to track him down."

"But Taichou!" Kiky

ue's eyes opened wide in dismay, and Hirata offered her a grim smile.

"More than anyone in this Gotei, I want to see Keitarou dead," he said darkly. "I remember him, lying there helpless and broken all those years ago and every single day since your brother died I wish that I had had the strength of mind to ignore your aunt's presence and just blast the both of them through with Tsumi no Fuuhi's blade. There's no concealing how much I want him dead...or how dearly I would like Tsumi no Fuuhi to finally be able to complete what it could not do then. But it is not just about me, not any more."

He rested his hands on Kikyue's shoulders.

"Your mother is already in great distress thanks to the loss of your brother," he continued. "I won't let her lose you too, even if you feel I'm acting irresponsibly or against the interests of the Clan. If Keitarou was out there in the forest, it's not impossible that he aimed his sword at you, and got Ohara by mistake. Moreover, I have encountered the effects of this weapon before. It's been recorded in prior accounts that killing Keitarou wouldn't necessarily release the control he has over a person's soul. If that person has been instructed to kill, then that instruction remains. In Ohara's case, killing Keitarou can do no good."

"Then what do we do?" Kikyue demanded, frustration in her eyes. "I promised Ojiisama that I would be of use to you, Father, and support you as much as I could. I'm a hime, and I'm not going to be your heir. I'm not going to make some advantageous, fancy marriage, either...that's not the kind of person I am. I've fought all my life to be a shinigami like you and Souja-nii - and now, more than ever, that's what I believe in. Ohara is my subordinate, my patrol second. I want to save his life. If killing Keitarou won't do it, what will?"

"At the moment, I don't know." Hirata admitted.

"I heard a story that Keitarou used his sword, once, to manipulate Ukitake-taichou," Hajime recalled, and Hirata nodded.

"He did," he agreed.

"Then how did Juushirou-dono survive, if that's the case? Did Keitarou withdraw his sword of his own free will?" Kikyue demanded. "Do we have to find this man and make him pull back his blade?"

"Juushirou's heart was stopped. He effectively died," Hirata shook his head. "At the time, he was fortunate that a young healer was at his side, and able to repair the damage quickly enough that his life was not lost. However, it's come to my attention that Keitarou's spirit power is not the same as it was back then. I don't know that, even if the same technique was attempted, it would have any success. Keitarou's victims seem far more able to think and act for themselves - we wouldn't know until it was too late if such a tactic had failed. And, ultimately, Ohara's life might still be lost."

He pursed his lips.

"That reminds me. Kikyue, Juushirou said you sent to Thirteenth for his help on account of Joumei's presence. That surprised me."

"Joumei?" Hajime's expression became one of confusion, and Kikyue reddened, nodding her head.

"Was I wrong, sir?" she asked softly. "I thought...with you not there..."

"No, your decision was sound," Hirata shook his head. "I'm more concerned with how you came to know anything about that man and his family at all."

"Oniisama mentioned him, before he died," Kikyue pointed out. "I asked you then, but you...you didn't...explain anything to me. Still, I...I remembered."

She pursed her lips.

"Ohara confronted him, in the front courtyard. When I heard him give his name as Joumei, I remembered what Oniisama said. I knew this was the same person. He was a friend of Oniisama's, wasn't he? He told me he was, and I...I believed him."

Hirata was silent for a moment, then he sighed, rubbing his brow as though by doing so he could smooth out the lines of tension that had become a permanent fixture there over the past few weeks. Slowly he nodded.

"Yes," he said at length. "A friend he knew from childhood. I'm sorry, Kikyue-chan. I didn't tell you, because it wasn't something that was shared between anyone but the Clan leader and his heir...but your presence of mind probably saved lives. Your putting together fragments of evidence and believing in Souja's last words so strongly...is part of the reason Seventh was able to withstand the invader's hostile attack."

"Sir, who is Joumei?" Hajime asked quietly. "If it's beyond my rank to know, then I apologise for the insolence, but...there was a young lad with silver hair in the yard when Nakata and I joined the fray, and though I didn't get a chance to approach him...Kikyue-hime seemed to be protecting him in some way."

Hirata moved to Ohara's bedside, watching the slow, stifled rise and fall of the man's chest.

"I will tell you. Both of you," he said at length, "I need you to realise, however, that my doing so may well put his life - and the lives of others - in your hands. It may even create a political incident, especially with so much uncertainty. I trust not a war...at least, not with Keitarou still very much on the loose - but I need your word that you won't speak of this outside this room - to each other, to me, or to anyone else."

"Yes, sir," Kikyue was quick to respond, and Hajime bowed his head in acceptance of the instruction. Hirata sighed.

"Joumei and his people are effective outlaws of Urahara descent, from a people known as the "Kitsune"," he said softly, noting the mix of expressions that crossed his companion's faces. "They themselves have committed no crime, but their forefathers sinned against the Urahara's main house during the infamous reidokuincident and they were punished accordingly. Neither Council nor Clan offered them sanctuary. As many did, they fled to Seventh and went into hiding - but they were hated even by exiles such as Keitarou, and remain in danger of their lives even generations on. Some of them lived till now in an old Sekkiseki mine, but in the past few weeks this was attacked by Keitarou and its remaining residents killed. Joumei was the only survivor of the raid - and his sister is currently in the protection of Juushirou at Thirteenth."

"Killed? By Keitarou?" Hajime looked startled. "But you said the reidokuincident, sir, and surely that means they should be on the same side."

"It's not so simple as that," Hirata replied. "I don't know all the particulars, but it seems Joumei's ancestors tried to protect themselves by selling Keitsune-dono out. Their actions were universally condemned and their status became untenable. Their flight occurred before Keitsune-dono was executed - and, judging by Keitarou's actions, he still holds a grudge more than a century on. Perhaps more of one than he holds against the main line of the Urahara Clan."

"If Keitarou hates him, I'm prepared to think of Joumei as an ally," Kikyue said darkly. "More, though, Oniisama thought of him that way, so I will too. Our family's steeped in past sin as well. Present too, thanks to Eiraki-basama. Whatever went on with the Urahara, it means nothing to me. If Joumei was Niisama's friend and ally, and is yours, Tousama, he's mine and I'm glad I acted to protect him. Besides, it's his ancestors who did those things. Not him. Our ancestors did bad things too - I've heard Grandfather talk of Great Grandfather and Seimaru-dono and how they almost bankrupted our District by slaughtering the populace. We're really no different, so we ought to work together."

"Father thought the same," Hirata agreed with a sigh. "He stumbled upon them during investigations into the Sekkiseki mines and rebuilding the stone trade in District Seven, not long after he became Head of the Clan. He and their then leader, Joumei's father, reached an accord whereby they would act as eyes and ears for the Endou, and he would ensure their continued protection. That promise was passed on to me when I was sworn in as leader, and it was shared with Souja, too, as my prospective heir. Juushirou knows of it from his time living in Seventh - he too knew Joumei's father, who was a very intelligent man and not uninclined to forge new alliances, providing they could be trusted. It seems that, before Father encountered them, they had received protection from an ally of Keitarou's - so he was open to the idea that not everyone, even of Urahara blood, was necessarily his enemy."

"One of Keitarou's own turned traitor against him, huh?" Hajime's features twitched into a malicious smile. "There's a certain dark pleasure in that idea, sir."

"Perhaps," Hirata acknowledged. "Though I imagine not even Keitarou knew of it. The man died at the hands of my Grandfather - Kikyue's Great Grandfather, Shouichi-dono, and he died protecting Keitarou's life. I don't know his reasons for shielding the Kitsune - Joumei's father only told me that he had decided to, because he felt the ties of kin and thought, deep down, they were the same. Though this individual, Daisuke I think his name was, had deep grudges against the Urahara and the Endou for the purge of his people, it seems he didn't see sins transcending generations where the Kitsune were concerned. Perhaps there was a tighter blood bond between that line of the family and the Kitsune's northern descent. I don't understand the intricacies of Urahara logic. But the man who protected them is also the father of Kotetsu Tenichi and Ketsui. For that reason, even knowing the history of the boys and the way in which their father died, I chose to take Tenichi into Seventh and make him a part of our Division."

He looked pained.

"Maybe I was wrong," he murmured. "The recruit Tenichi attacked was Joumei's sister, Izumi. Maybe Tenichi's politics are different from his father's, or maybe Keitarou's meddling made the whole thing unclear. Perhaps he knows nothing of his father's actions...I can't be sure. The fact remains, though, that everything is tied in together. That's why I need both of you to understand the delicacy of the Kitsune's situation...and of our own as a result."

"War with the Urahara now would not be a good move," Hajime said blackly, and Hirata shook his head.

"I believe Nagesu-sama a reasonable man," he agreed wearily, "but you never know what might trigger violence, as we've seen recent proof."

"I brought danger into your division, Hirata-sama, for which I am deeply sorry."

Before either Hajime or Kikyue could comment, a fresh voice joined the conversation, and Hirata turned, seeing the Kitsune leader standing outside the window, a look of solemnity on his young features. He was dressed in fresh, clean robes, the wounds he had suffered hidden from view, and despite the deference in his stance and tone, Hirata recognised something of the family's noble blood in his appearance. At the sudden attention, he bowed his head low, as if to emphasise his apology, and Kikyue hurried forward, putting herself between the newcomer and the still, silent form of Ohara.

"If you're still poisoned, Joumei, you can't come in here," she said warily, and Joumei started, glancing at her in surprise. Then, as if understanding her meaning, he offered her a faint, rueful smile. He shook his head.

"Keitarou's poison was nullified in the aftermath of yesterday's events," he said softly. "I am once more my own man, Kikyue-hime - and, as ever, the humble servant of the Endou Clan."

"Broken?" Hirata stared at the young man in disbelief. "By what method? How can you be sure? Such a thing surely isn't possible, not by anyone in Seireitei!"

"I didn't think so, but I thought wrong," Joumei nimbly mounted the windowsill, dropping into the room with barely a sound, though Hirata saw him wince and knew that putting pressure on his injured upper body was still painful. "Hirata-sama, please forgive me. I have come to report to you my actions, and accept the consequences of them, whatever they may be. I realise that the damage done to Seventh yesterday was entirely of my doing, and as such, will not resist if you choose to relieve me of my life as punishment."

"Stand up straight, Joumei, and look at me," Hirata commanded, and the Kitsune did so, his light blue eyes glittering with silver resolve.

"Juushirou told me that you went and killed the girl who took my son's life. Correct?"

"Yes, sir," Joumei spoke softly, bowing his head once more. "As a result, I brought danger to the members of the Seventh in the worst possible way. Yesterday, I confessed my crime to the Captain of the Thirteenth and his comrade from the Secret Operatives, expecting to be taken into custody, but it appears that a twist in Council Law justifies my recklessness in a way I had not foreseen. I sought to avenge Souja-dono's death, but I had not considered all the ramifications of my act."

His gaze flitted to Ohara, his expression clouding.

"Your man is probably hurt because of me," he added sadly. "I must take responsibility for what I have done, and accept whatever you decide my fate to be."

"Ohara was attacked by Keitarou," Kikyue hurried forward before her father could speak, grasping Joumei by the arm and giving it a little tug. "From how Father spoke, the poison that afflicted you was the same as that Keitarou used on him. The power to control...to make him a puppet. Am I right? Is that what you meant, when you told me you were poisoned and may become violent?"

"Yes, hime," Joumei was startled, gently detaching his bandaged hand from her hold.

"But this is now cured?"

"Yes, but..."

"Then tell me how. How did you cure it?" Kikyue demanded. "If there is a way to release such a spell, Joumei, tell us now, and quickly."

Joumei's gaze rested on Ohara once more, and slowly he shook his head.

"I don't truly understand how the spell cast over me was broken," he said at length, a note of regret in his tones. "I simply know that it was. I'm sorry, hime. I don't know how to answer your question."

"Maybe Keitarou released it himself," Hajime suggested gruffly. "We know he was in the area. Maybe he released you in order to snare Ohara more effectively."

He pursed his lips, casting Hirata a glance.

"Taichou, what are your orders?" he asked softly. "How will Seventh operate from hereon in, with our ranks in the disarray we currently find them?"

"In the way that the Endou should," Hirata said simply. "We are fighters, and we will simply have to do our best to fight."

He turned to the Kitsune.

"Joumei, you said you came here to accept my judgement, did you not?"

"Yes, sir," a flicker of consternation entered the young man's eyes, gone almost immediately but not before Hirata had noticed. He nodded his head.

"Then your orders are as follows," he replied frankly. "You say you put Seventh Division in danger? Then in return, you shall work from now on to protect it. In the absence of ranked officers, I will expect you to do your part if the enemy once more attacks our boundaries."

Joumei was startled, then he smiled, relief glittering in his silvery eyes.

"Yes, sir," he murmured. "I am at your service and the service of the Seventh Division. I am not an Endou, but I have reason enough to hate the enemy, and more reason still to show you and your family my loyalty. Izumi and I have already decided that we have nobody else to trust in now but shinigami. I do not carry a sword, but I have reiryokuand, despite where I grew up, I am able to use it. Since Keitarou's control is broken, I return my loyalty once more to you and pledge my life to your cause. Please, take me and deploy me in whatever way you see fit."


Author's Note:
I think I owe Hirata cookies. Aside from being so utterly obnoxious to his division throughout this story, not to mention his family, I also realised I'd failed to give him a Sixth or Ninth seated officer. Since I didn't want to add new characters, they're away doing duty at the main house, protecting the family there from the threat of Hollows. Sorry, Hirata. Cookies. ;)