Chapter Forty Nine: Shirogane's Dream
"I heard from Naoko that you were grounded."
Shunsui pushed back the door of Ugendou, lounging up against the door frame and offering his friend a lazy smile. "One day into the job as your acting Vice Captain and she's already turning the disciplinary screw, huh? I guess it's a good thing I decided to come here tonight, instead of inviting you to Eighth. I would hate to rouse the wrath of your new deputy, but I am astounded at the speed with which you annoyed her."
"I probably deserved it," Juushirou glanced up from his book, setting it aside with a warm grin and gesturing for his friend to come in. "I went off on an impulsive quest of my own and I neglected to leave a message telling her where I was."
"Tsk," Shunsui tut-tutted, bringing his body into the room properly and sauntering across the small chamber towards his friend. "Well, from what she told me, you were fighting without official clearance. From the fact you're greeting visitors in night robes, I'd say she was telling me the truth. What happened? Naoko-chan said it was something to do with Kinnya-sama - but you didn't leave with him, did you?"
"No...I went after him, because Koku thought something was wrong at the Kuchiki estate," Juushirou sighed. "Well, no. Koku had no idea it was about Grandfather or where it was, but he said something that made me worried. I went to check if everything was all right, and it wasn't. I helped him out, and we resolved it between us - but I did rather push the boat out."
"I see," Shunsui eyed him keenly. "Bankai, huh?"
"Shh," Juushirou sent his friend a dark glower. "Don't use the word."
"Whyever not?" Shunsui sank down on a nearby cushion, sending his friend a quizzical look. "Are you keeping it a secret from your squad or something?"
"Not especially," Juushirou shook his head, "but if Naoko knows the extent to which I used my spirit power today, I think she might be even more cross with me. She took care of morning drill and let me sleep in a little first thing - I don't suppose she'd be amused to know I used that recouped energy in such a reckless way. My Bankai is a long way from perfect, yet, and it takes a lot of energy to both release it and hold it for any length of time. It's the first time I've ever used it in any kind of combat situation...and she doesn't need to know that I did."
"I see," Shunsui let out a low chuckle. "Well, if that's the case, then you look remarkably good. I know that you've only managed to release it at all a handful of times, and I still remember that, the first time you did, you ended up at Fourth's Infirmary for about a week."
"Don't remind me," Juushirou groaned. "In any case, I was a bit shaky coming back and I did cough blood. But I didn't start a fever this time, which is progress. And to be serious for a moment, Shunsui - if I hadn't, Ojiisama would probably have been killed. He found it harder, emotionally, to fight his brother than he thought. Even though it was Taiyourei - it was harder on him than on me. I have no connection to Senaya-sama, so I was able to do what he couldn't. Between us, we took care of it. Seiren-dono is seeing to reburying the body...breaking the sword seems to have severed their connection, and we both think it won't be possible to raise this corpse from the dead a second time. I suspect Senaya-sama will probably decay quite quickly now the bond is broken, so the sooner he is reburied, the better." He sighed. "In any case, Ojiisama was going back to the Coastal Province to speak to Shirogane-dono's son...whereas I headed back here."
"I did bring sake," Shunsui set the bottle down on the table. "I don't know if you're well enough to drink it, but I stopped by Seventh as well. I hope you don't mind, but I invited Hirata to join us tonight. I thought it might be useful for all of us, to settle little details between us."
"Hirata, huh?" Juushirou looked thoughtful. "I don't mind, but that reminds me. Mitsuki came to see me, earlier. She said she'd seen you at her hospital, and also that Hirata's missing shinigami turned up in that vicinity as well."
"Yes," Shunsui rubbed his chin. "I didn't have much chance to speak to her about it, though. It was a little convenient, I thought, that she slipped out and then suddenly she's finding them in Fourth District, when nobody had a clue where they were before. Did she shed any light on that with you?"
"Katsura brought them back," Juushirou said simply. "It's as we suspected. He seems to have helped them. He almost certainly went in with Tenichi and Ohara, and he definitely came out with them. Mitsuki said she was looking for a hidden Senkaimon...something to do with her mysterious patient, who I believe you paid a visit earlier today. In any case, we can come to that in a bit, but apparently when he sensed Mitsuki's reiatsu, he stopped her and asked her for help."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"It seems as though he is as impulsive and inscrutible a problem as ever."
Before Shunsui could respond, a third voice joined the conversation, and both Captains turned to see Hirata watching them from the doorway. "I assume it's all right to come in? You are discussing deep and dangerous secrets in here where anyone can hear you, so I imagine it's fine if I listen to this?"
"Hirata," Juushirou shot the Seventh Captain a rueful smile. "Of course."
"You were discussing Katsura," Hirata closed the door carefully behind him, coming to sit on one of the other vacant cushions with a sigh. "Is what you just said true, Juushirou? Katsura brought my daughter back to Seireitei, and then flagged down Mitsuki to ask for her healing help?"
"It seems that way," Juushirou agreed.
"Why would he do that?" Hirata looked flummoxed. "If helping my shinigami isn't strange enough, why would he randomly stop a healer? It doesn't make any sense...why show himself and take the risk of getting into trouble?"
"Mitsuki was one of the healers Katsura attacked in the Spiritless Zone," Juushirou said softly, meeting Shunsui's gaze with a solemn one of his own. "He's also the one who warned Mitsuki, a few days later, that Keitarou was after her life. Of course, he didn't say it in so many words, but he did warn her that she was in danger. He also helped Mitsuki take her injured friend to help back then, too, even though he was the one who caused the attack in the first place. He is as you say - impulsive and inscrutable - but it seems that he sought her out because he recognised her reiatsu. It's possible that he took them to Fourth because he knew she was there - according to what Mitsuki said, Katsura knows about a mysterious patient that turned up there not long ago, and he seems to have learned she was involved in the treatment. Shunsui can tell you more than I can about that," he added, and Shunsui nodded. "But it seems as though Katsura feels some kind of connection to Mitsuki. And so he went to find her, because your shinigami needed help."
"Mitsuki's patient is key to everything we've been investigating, too," Shunsui added. "I will explain in detail, in a bit, but I have learned a lot of things today, all of which are exceptionally useful to us going forward."
"So I am meant to assume Katsura is not an enemy, now? Am I supposed to see him as a friend?" Hirata looked blank. Juushirou shrugged.
"I don't know," he said slowly, "but Mitsuki did say this. Katsura wanted her to know that he knew Kikyue was with the group. He named her. But also said that he didn't care and wasn't interested in killing her. He wanted you to know that, too. I don't really know why - but it seemed to be important to him that you knew. I think that, whatever his true thoughts or feelings, that at least is probably genuine. It would have been really easy to kill Kikyue when she was away from this place, and Katsura told Mitsuki that there was some other spirit plane in the Dangai, where there were a lot of Hollows. Given Katsura's abilities, killing Kikyue by Hollow would have been very simple to do. We know he has that ability. But instead, he brought them back and found them a healer."
"I swear, he bemuses me more than his father ever did," Hirata groaned, clutching absently at his long dark hair. "His actions are so contrary, I don't know if he's being superlatively clever and deceitful, or if he's just an impulsive idiot acting on whims without any overall master plan."
"But he did help them come back, and he didn't hurt your daughter. Whatever else, that much we know for sure," Shunsui pointed out. "Katsura is not involved in any of this business. Whatever other things we might want to interrogate him for - I think we can properly rule out that he has any connection to the corpses or what happened at Sixth."
"I tend to think so, too," Hirata agreed reluctantly. "All right. I suppose, for now, I'll take it at face value, though when I can, I intend on interrogating my people in detail, to find out exactly what happened."
"How are they?" Shunsui asked. "I know you were going to send Hajime-kun to the hospital - did he manage to report back to you?"
"Yes," Hirata nodded. "The healers wanted to keep them all overnight, but most of them are just exhausted, not really hurt. I sent word that Tenichi and Kikyue should return to barracks this evening, if fit enough, as Kikyue was in charge and Tenichi went into the Dangai without permission to find her. I will get to the bottom of their story early tomorrow, and then interrogate the others when able - but it doesn't seem like delaying would be a good idea. The majority of the other officers will return at some point tomorrow morning. They may want to keep Ohara longer, as he has more significant injuries. I am hoping to get my way regarding Tenichi, though, as his bones will probably heal without much intervention. Ohara has a deeper wound, which seems Hollow inflicted, but he was sufficiently well to rouse up and tell Hajime that it was his fault he and Tenichi defied orders and entered the Dangai. I don't intend on punishing them for it, because it produced results none of the rest of us have managed - but I will ask about Katsura, and I will want a full explanation about his involvement."
He frowned, a faint shadow touching his pale blue eyes.
"One didn't make it back," he added sadly. "I don't know exactly what happened to him. Hajime said that Hashimori tried to explain it, but it didn't make a lot of sense. Something to do with a sword and a chamber...I suppose that's something else I'll need to ask about, when they return to barracks."
"Nothing to do with Katsura?" Juushirou asked softly. Hirata shook his head.
"No mention of him in Hajime's report," he replied laconically. "Either my officers are too tired to report clearly, or didn't want to mention his being there. But I think that, if he had killed one of my men, someone would have said so. So I assume not. If I learn anything different tomorrow, of course, I will let you know."
He settled himself more comfortably on his cushion.
"That's about all I can report for now," he added. "I assume you two have more to add?"
"Juushirou's been playing the hero in District Six, helping his grandfather put his brother back in his grave," Shunsui said casually, and Juushirou sighed.
"Something like that," he agreed. "Mitsuki was here when I came back. I spoke to her about Katsura...but that's about all I can add to this."
"Then I suppose it's my turn," Shunsui said frankly. He fumbled at his obi, producing the old book that Retsu had given him and setting it down between them on the floor. "I've spent some of my day reading this, but it really didn't begin that way. I started this morning at my brother's manor...I had no idea that today was going to be as interesting or as dangerous as it turned out to be."
"Every day seems to be a little dangerous at the moment," Juushirou grimaced. "So that's why you have bruises?"
"I met the friendly local necromancer," Shunsui agreed blithely. "He was perfectly amiable and very apologetic for disturbing me - until he saw my name on my sword scabbard. Then, he decided I was Kyouraku Harumizu, and he really wasn't interested in my denials."
"He attacked you?" Hirata demanded. Shunsui nodded, his expression becoming serious.
"I think he would have killed me," he said grimly. "This man may not have hurt Shirogane-dono, and I grant, when I first encountered him, I thought maybe I could get him to tell me things, as he didn't seem in the slightest bit hostile. But, as soon as he saw that name, it was like a switch went on inside of him. He changed in a split-second, and then I knew death itself was after me. His sword...I parried his blade a few times with Amaki, and his aura scalded my weapon. Amaki even told me that I should run away...which is something Amaki never tells me to do. And I wanted to. Believe me, I've never wanted to run away more in my life. But if I had, who knows who he might have killed. It's a sobering thought when you realise that you're the strongest shinigami that Eighth District has to offer, and you're not even within an inch of this person and the kind of power contained in his blade."
"But you're not hurt? At least, not badly," Juushirou was concerned. Shunsui grimaced.
"Before you check my pulse, I'm not dead, and I'm not a zombie," he said evenly. "I was rescued by Retsu-sama, whose impeccable timing came as a result of your Mitsuki's warning," he added, glancing at Juushirou. "The warning she received came from a patient of hers - the mysterious frozen shinigami who apparently came through this unknown spirit Gate and who is being treated at the Fourth's hospital as a result. But I'll come back to that in a bit. Retsu-sama apparently knows a lot more about this necromancer than any of us - and it's a shame she wasn't at the Captain's meeting, as we might have known more about him sooner, too."
"Retsu-sama does?" Hirata asked. Shunsui tapped the book that lay on the floor in front of him.
"She gave me this," he agreed. "Turns out that this guy is a kinsman of hers - one from Heaven's War, who's been in the Dangai for a long long time. He holds the Royal Blade known as the Soldier, and it means that it is next to impossible to kill him. The Soldier controls the line between life and death. That's why he can wake corpses. And he's an Unohana."
"That's hard to imagine," Juushirou's brows knitted together at this.
"Apparently the Unohana used to be quite a warrior family," Shunsui shrugged. "Back before Heaven's War. To summarise the whole story, this Soldier guy was not a fan of the war, either. But the Unohana were kind of messed up and there was an attempt at a coup. The lord and his heiress were killed, and the Soldier decided that the best idea all round would be to use his sword to bring the heiress back to life. She went on a murderous rampage...and apparently he lost his wits as a result of using the power and did likewise. It all ended very badly, and because killing the Soldier is next to impossible, he got chucked into the Dangai. But not before my ancestor, Harumizu, muddled up his memories. The idea was to keep him from coming back for as long as possible."
He sighed.
"The patient that Mitsuki has been treating is a man who calls himself Hiyama Toshiyuki," he added. "He's apparently been frozen in ice in the real world for the past three milennia, waiting for the Soldier to return. I had a long and detailed conversation with him about things, and I think he's on the level - in any case, his story agrees with Retsu-sama's, however insane it might sound to take a step like that. He also apparently knew Yama-jii when he was a young man, and the person who cursed Guren-sama. Retsu-sama has sent warnings to District One, because apparently this 'Kunimori' is a Yamamoto after all. I believe he's Yama-jii's uncle - but Hiyama seems to think that Yama-jii's sword might be able to stop him."
"My head is spinning." Hirata groaned.
"There is one other thing," Shunsui sent Juushirou an apprehensive look. "In the course of the discussion, it came up that Harumizu was able to manipulate memory like that because he also had a Royal Blade. Hiyama said one of the reasons Heaven's War broke out was because too many of them were around in the world at the same time. In any case, Harumizu's was the Mirror Sword. And it seems likely..."
"The Soldier is looking for Koku?" Juushirou whitened, and Shunsui nodded.
"It seems likely," he agreed darkly. "But right now, he's still labouring under the confusion of the spell, at least a bit. He doesn't know what Harumizu looks like, otherwise he wouldn't have attacked me. Hiyama thinks that sooner or later he - or his sword - will figure it out, but we have a little time to work out what to do to keep Koku safe. Obviously Koku can't fight this guy, so we need to think of something else."
"No kidding," Juushirou looked bleak.
"Unohana Tokitori Tsuneyoshi," Hirata picked up the book, turning it around to read the characters on the cover, and Juushirou started, glancing at his friend in surprise.
"Did you say Tokitori?"
"That's what's written here," Hirata held the book out, and Juushirou took it, his brow creasing in consternation.
"Time and bird," he murmured, running his index finger over the cover absently. "Shunsui, is this..."
"The Soldier's name," Shunsui agreed. "Why? Does it mean something to you?"
"Koku mentioned the word Tokitori this morning, too," Juushirou remembered. "He connected it to the hototogisu, and summoning the dead to the Shide mountains. I thought it might be the necromancer, then, but now, I'm thinking about what he said in a whole new light. Koku said he felt as though he knew this person. Not that he actually did, but that it seemed like he did. Now you say that this person is called Tokitori, and he is after Koku..."
"Maybe Kyouka Raigen remembers its previous life," Hirata suggested. "I'm only just clinging onto some of the details here, but if Harumizu could manipulate memory, and Kyouka Raigen can see the past, it makes sense that somewhere, those two elements will probably collide. If Harumizu had a Mirror blade, and now Kohaku does, then it's the same shard of the same Royal Sword, only reincarnated, right? Stands to reason that Kohaku would sense something...if his sword knew Harumizu, then maybe it seems like he did, too."
"Maybe..." Juushirou looked hesitant, setting the book down on the ground once more.
"I don't pretend to understand a lot about that boy's spirit power," Hirata offered Juushirou a rueful smile. "But I have learned that what he says is worth listening to, even if it doesn't seem to make sense. So if Kohaku said he felt he knew the Soldier, we should probably take that seriously...maybe even encourage him to investigate that feeling more."
"You mean, make himself hallucinate?" Juushirou's expression became one of disapproval, and he shook his head. "No. I won't do that to him. If he knows something, he'll report it - he's been good about doing that so far, and Enishi encouraged him to keep doing so, even given the consequences of his suspension. But I don't want to make the lad unwell. We don't really know what Kyouka Raigen is or isn't capable of, but I promised him I wasn't going to use him in the way Keitarou did. I'm not happy that he's become wrapped up in this...and I'm not going to deliberately try and make it worse."
"I think it's probable that Koku is tied up in this," Shunsui said gravely. "More than just by a coincidence of birth, I mean. I've been thinking a lot about what Hiyama said, and what has been going on. What you said just confirms it as well. We talked about it before - the possibility that Kohaku triggered something when he destroyed the Senkaimon five years ago. It's highly likely to me - and Hiyama agreed - that his doing so probably woke this Soldier and broke the memory spell. Tokitori is fixated on the idea that Harumizu is alive. Even though he doesn't recognise anything about the man, apparently the other guy - Kunimori - told him so. Kunimori sensed Harumizu's spirit, but it must have been Koku. The only way that seems possible to me is if it's not just Kyouka Raigen that remembers Heaven's War, but Koku's soul itself. I don't know how similar it is to the real Harumizu, but it must be close enough for someone whose memories aren't muddled to recognise it. That makes me think Koku is probably Harumizu's reincarnation. He raised his zanpakutou when he destroyed that Gate. It's not a huge step to assume that the awakening of the Mirror also woke Tokitori."
Juushirou looked troubled.
"But that doesn't make it his fault," he murmured. "If he knew that, he'd be upset."
"You can't protect him forever, Juushirou," Hirata said matter-of-factly. "Kohaku is a lot stronger inside than sometimes I think you give him credit for. To be able to stand back and allow Seireitei to kill his father would have been one thing, but to actively choose to make it happen in order to protect thousands of strangers is another."
"Kinnya-sama also said that the Mirror sword is demanding from the start and a lot of people don't make it to summoning," Shunsui agreed. "I've thought of something else, though, since you mentioned what he said. Hirata's comments just then made me recall it. When I killed Keitarou, he said something odd. He said it didn't end with him, and that the future was in his blood and in mine. He seemed so smug-faced about it, I worried about what he meant - but then everything settled and so I dismissed it as him being melodramatic. But he must have known what 'Kyouka' was, and he must have intended Koku to summon - or be swallowed up by - Kyouka Raigen. I don't know if he knew the tale of Tokitori, and it seems unlikely that he would. But, he did used to see things in Koku's visions. Maybe he saw something like this - something that told him even when he was gone, the world would still be in danger because of Koku's spirit power."
"That's hugely unfair on Koku," Juushirou objected. Shunsui shrugged.
"Koku doesn't always remember everything he sees, and Keitarou used him as his own personal prophet for long enough, stuck in that hut," he reasoned. "I'm not saying that Koku himself is a threat. But what if Keitarou did see something of this and that was what he was saying? Koku hasn't betrayed us and Katsura doesn't seem inclined to be hostile now either. But it's that comment - in his blood and in mine. Well, Harumizu was my ancestor, and Koku is Keitarou's son. They're both connected through the Mirror sword. And now some angry guy is after the Mirror Sword, and we're in a lot of trouble. None of it is Koku's fault...but what if Keitarou had some inkling that Koku's weapon was capable of waking a greater enemy to cause havoc to Seireitei? What if that was his ultimate plan overall, if Koku had managed to summon Kyouka Raigen sooner? Hell, I start to wonder if Keitarou wasn't fooled by my lies about the Senkaimon...whether he knew Koku had been there and had awoken his blade."
"I think you're jumping through a whole forest of conclusions," Hirata held up his hand. "Maybe Keitarou did see something, but to tie it directly to this and make it part of his intention is a leap. Keitarou wanted to kill us, but I can't see that even his zanpakutou would manage to manipulate these individuals. What all this has taught me is that Keitarou was just a shinigami. A very annoying one, clever and dangerous - but not exceptional. He hid his weaknesses through guile, but he had plenty of them and he could be killed. The problem was finding him to do it. By contrast, this necromancer is basically unkillable - isn't that what you said? And we're dealing with a whole other level of danger."
"Hirata's right," Juushirou said slowly. "Maybe Keitarou did have an inclination something else would come, or maybe he didn't, but it doesn't really matter either way. Koku had to do what he did five years ago. It was the right thing to do. It's up to us to figure out how to deal with the situation now - and I don't want to bring him into danger if it can be prevented."
"Nobody does," Hirata said frankly. "But we're not exactly in a situation whereby we can choose. The Eleventh is decimated. It seems more luck than judgement that Sixth Division didn't take heavy losses, too, though Guren-sama is still unconscious and Shirogane-dono out of action for the time being. Shunsui's been attacked, although thankfully Retsu-sama was able to intervene. We don't know where the danger is next or how to counter it. Kohaku may be the only way to find that out. I am not suggesting we use him or forcibly manipulate him into using his spirit power - but I don't think that you can keep him in the dark."
"Knowing Koku, he will find out himself, anyway," Shunsui said grimly.
"Maybe," Juushirou admitted reluctantly. "But let's find out all the details we can, first. Let's authenticate your Hiyama's story, and see what Genryuusai-sensei can add to the equation as well. If he can deal with the threat posed by the other individual - who may be powerful but apparently, isn't immortal - then we can focus all our efforts on the Soldier. If he doesn't know yet who Koku is, and isn't inclined to attack randomly, it seems more prudent to find out as much as we can before we make a dangerous move."
"You are late back this evening, Mitsuki-san."
As Mitsuki slipped through the sliding doors of the Fourth District Hospital, the sound of her Captain's voice made her pause, and she turned, eying the head of the Unohana with a guilty expression on her face. Retsu's eyes gave nothing away, her demeanour as gentle and unimposing as ever, but Mitsuki had known Retsu long enough to know that there was a question unspoken in those words, and she bowed her head, raising it apologetically to meet the older woman's gaze.
"I'm sorry, Taichou. I had an errand...I promised Saionji-san I'd be back by sundown." she said quickly. Retsu glanced briefly towards the window at the sunset, then back at her subordinate, tilting her head on one side to regard her thoughtfully.
"Saionji-san said that you were in Inner Seireitei," she reflected pensively. "I was surprised when I heard he'd given you leave to go there. He didn't know your errand...and nor do I...but it is unlike you to abandon a patient on a sudden whim. Some of your colleagues thought you had been collecting herbs - but few of those grow in Inner Seireitei."
"No, ma'am." Mitsuki agreed sheepishly, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't tell Saionji-san all the details, it's true. But I did...go to Inner Seireitei. I thought...you and Kyouraku-taichou were with Hiyama-dono, and he's not really unwell, not now. I thought..."
"I wish you had told me your intentions," Retsu sighed, gesturing for Mitsuki to follow her along the hallway to the office that stood at the end. She looked tired, Mitsuki realised, as though she had been wrestling with some heavy burdens herself, and, remembering Guren's current health, she bit her lip, obediently doing as she was bidden. Once inside, she stood apprehensively before the desk, trying in vain to read her Captain's state of mind. There was a moment of silence between them, then Retsu sighed heavily once more.
"You went to Thirteenth Division, didn't you?" she asked softly. Mitsuki started, looking guilty. Slowly she nodded.
"I did," she admitted. "I did, but not...I mean, I had a reason. I wasn't just...it wasn't a dereliction of my duty, Taichou. I promise."
"I should think not," a faint smile touched Retsu's tired lips. "I feel I can trust you in that regard. No, I am curious to know what your errand was that so urgently took you there. Kyouraku-taichou took the words of Hiyama-dono to Inner Seireitei, and that is, in any case, a matter for Captains. But I understand it was also you who found the officers from the Seventh. It is unlike you to make such a find and then not wait to report it fully, but leave it to your comrades while you take a trip. It occurred to me that perhaps, one of them spoke to you - something that needed to be conveyed with urgency?"
"They were all unconscious," Mitsuki shook her head, her cheeks reddening at her Captain's perception. "I did what I could for the worst injured, but I didn't think any of them were going to die."
"Mm." Retsu paused for a moment, then, "And the location of a hidden Senkaimon? You happened to stumble on that as well?"
Now there was no hiding the gently probing tone in Retsu's voice, and Mitsuki lowered her gaze, unsure about how to answer. The silence stretched for an uncomfortable few moments, and Retsu eyed her subordinate officer thoughtfully, though for the life of her Mitsuki did not know what the clever healer was thinking or seeing. At length, she spoke.
"Mitsuki-san, you are not in the habit of lying to me," she said evenly. "For that reason, I will trust you to answer this question with nothing but the absolute truth. Do you understand? Whatever you tell me, I will believe - but if it turns out to be otherwise, I will be very disappointed."
There was no real sense of scolding or threat in the Unohana Captain's words, but Mitsuki felt the tension in the room rising all the same. Slowly and uneasily she met the other woman's gaze, nodding her head mutely. Retsu pressed her lips together.
"I went to the clearing, where the Seventh officers were found," she said softly. "I detected the Gate, but I could not open it. It has long since been sealed to Gotei blades, but its presence is unmistakeable. In the same vicinity, I picked up faint traces of alien reiryoku - just the faintest indication of someone else being in that clearing. It is an individual good at hiding themselves - but in using some skill - perhaps shunpo - they left a hint of themselves behind. I suppose that, even if I don't say my thoughts, you will be able to tell me who this individual may have been."
Mitsuki swallowed hard, looking stricken at this question, and Retsu raised her eyebrow.
"Mitsuki-san?" she pressed, and Mitsuki let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples in agitation.
"I'm sorry, Taichou," she said softly. "You're right. I was alerted to the location of the injured shinigami by this person. He came...to find me. He knew it was me, and he thought...I should help them."
"Mm." Retsu digested this for a moment, then, in her next words, she shattered Mitsuki's composure completely.
"He came to you because you helped him, five years ago?"
"Taichou!" Mitsuki's eyes widened in dismay, and Retsu smiled slightly.
"We are talking of Aizen Katsura, of course," she said comfortably, folding her hands together on the surface of the desk as she regarded her companion's discomfort. "Well? I am correct, am I not? Aizen Katsura was the one who alerted you to the Seventh officers. And he came to you, because he felt you would listen - because five years ago, you healed his wounds and helped him to disappear."
Slowly Mitsuki nodded her head, her whole body trembling now with the realisation that her Captain knew far more than she had ever guessed. At her reaction, Retsu sat back, gazing at her companion pensively.
"I wish you had confided that in me sooner," she said softly. "I had surmised it, of course. I know you were at Seventh, that day, and that for some time afterwards, your whereabouts were unknown. And you are a kind soul, Mitsuki-san. To see a youth in peril of his life, even one such as that...I can't imagine you would let that go."
Mitsuki buried her head in her hands.
"What are you going to do?" she asked uncertainly. "I won't lie to you, Taichou. It's what you said. I helped him then and so he trusted me now. I didn't know, when I healed him, who he was and what he had done - but he told me, and I still...I still let him go. I didn't help him, but I did heal him. And I told him...to use his life and atone for his sins. Because I know he was scared...Scared of Keitarou, scared of what had happened. And also...I knew he was sorry."
"And you believe this young man is someone you can trust, now?" Retsu's question lacked censure, and Mitsuki took a deep breath, shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But at the very least, I don't think he's involved in the things that have happened. And I do think...he listened to what I said, back then. I don't think he's our enemy, Taichou. I know what he did was unforgivable. I was there, so I understand how awful it was. But...I can't forget that he also saved me, and helped me take Seri to safety. I know he was to blame...but...I think that was the real Katsura. And I know, it was wrong, to heal him. I know it was wrong not to report it to you. But..."
"But you reported it to Ukitake-taichou?" Retsu asked gently. Mitsuki bit her lip, nodding.
"He had Kohaku," she confessed. "I had...to do something. Kohaku wasn't guilty. Juu...Ukitake-taichou was the only one who might have protected him, so I had to..."
"And that is why you went to Inner Seireitei, to report to another Captain your meeting with Katsura today," Retsu nodded her head as if confirming something to herself. Mitsuki looked ashamed.
"When you say it like that, Taichou, it sounds like insubordination to your authority," she owned, and Retsu shook her head.
"I am not concerned with that," she said, dismissing it with a flick of her hand. "Rather, I wanted to speak to you about Katsura. I could have challenged you, a long time ago, about the events of that day. I suspected it for a long time, but I did not voice it. Like you, I suppose, I didn't want to reach a point where I had to decide whether he should live or die. My Clan find such debates distasteful. I understand your motives, and I will keep your secret. But in light of that, I think you understand Katsura's current state of mind. He gave you a message, didn't he? Will you tell me what it was?"
"He talked about a strange world inside the Dangai, where some rogue shinigami had been hiding," Mitsuki recalled. "He also said he was going to take himself out of the picture, somehow, because the Gotei pursuing him was distracting them from dealing with the real danger. He seemed very sad, somehow, Taichou. I felt like maybe I hurt him more by helping him back then."
"And you believe his words?"
"Yes, ma'am." Mitsuki nodded firmly. "I can't sense anything from him now - not deception, not pain, nothing. But I believed him. I think he took to heart what I told him, when I healed him. I think he's trying to atone."
"I see," Retsu considered this, then she sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
"Very well," she said at length. "This conversation is over, and it would be better if it were not repeated. I will not disclose your indiscretion - I am actually rather inclined to support it, given that Katsura has not shown himself to be hostile since that point. If he comes to you again, though, I should like to know his message myself. I would like to speak to him, but I suppose that won't be possible. But next time, Mitsuki-san, please remember you have your own Captain to report to before you take a message to a foreign Division. Even one with whom you have such cordial connections. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," Mitsuki bowed her head before her Captain. "I'm sorry, Taichou. I promise, it won't happen again."
"Then you are dismissed to see to your patient," Retsu said simply. "I must return myself to Inner Seireitei. I am expecting word from Genryuusai-sama at some point. He may come here, to see Hiyama-dono. He is to be permitted access, and you should tell him whatever he seeks to know. Can I entrust that to you in my absence?"
"Yes, ma'am." Mitsuki nodded. "I promise. I'll remember."
"Then I should head back," Retsu got to her feet. "And Mitsuki-san? Try not to let your emotions drive your will to heal in future. Katsura may or may not be proving himself an ally. But you could put yourself in real danger if you aren't careful - and I would be grieved to lose such a promising healer from my squad."
With that she was gone, and Mitsuki sank back against the wall of the office, closing her eyes with a sigh as she reflected on the conversation.
I'm lucky my Captain is so broad-minded. She's right, and I know it - but at least I feel she understands. Maybe, if she knows, it's better. If trouble happens, she might help me...and I do think Katsura isn't dangerous, not now. I hope that I'm right about that, because if I'm not, it will become messy.
She opened her eyes.
Not that I'm not worried about what he said, but I have other things to do now. Hiyama-dono is my responsibility. I need to leave Inner Seireitei and the dangers there to Juushirou and Taichou and the Captains. I'm a healer, not a fighter. And for now, I have duties to perform. For the time being, I'm going to let the intrigue alone and act as a healer stationed in Fourth District is supposed to act.
Everything was in darkness.
All around him was silent. In the stifling blackness, Shirogane struggled to bring breath into his lungs, unable to move even an inch in any direction. Something heavy was pressing down on him, and no matter how he struggled, he could not free himself from its tight hold.
There was a moment of disorientation, then the darkness suddenly exploded into a plethora of lights, none of which were in any particular focus. Blues that might have been sky, greens that might have been grass - browns that might have been wood, and whites that might have been robes all mixed together so that Shirogane could not tell whether he was inside or out. The brightness of the light dazzled him, as though it were reflecting off his very being, and yet he could still feel the sensation of something holding him. Something...or maybe, someone.
From somewhere far beyond where he was, he became aware of the sound of whispering. The voices were faint and indistinct, yet still he strained to hear them. In the open air, he was suddenly desperate to know where he was and what defined his surroundings - but more, it was the pulsing energy of other life forms that had really captured his interest. Greedily, Shirogane found himself trying to latch on to these presences, seeking their words, seeking their identity. Abruptly, the whispering stopped. In the eerie silence, Shirogane heard a voice speak.
Yomasete, Shodoku no Maki.
The syllables were spoken in a different voice, commanding and ruthless in its tone and Shirogane knew immediately that he had heard it before. Was the voice talking to him? It seemed so. For the first time he was aware of the book, its wide, ghostly pages spread out before him like a stage awaiting a leading man. The book slowly opened, as though opening a pathway into Shirogane's own heart, and the world exploded into a cascade of glittering green lights, each one as vivid and as mesmerising as the other. The lights were trying to form words, and Shirogane could not help but watch as, little by little, the green lights engraved characters onto the ghostly pages.
He tried to turn his head away, unnerved by what he saw, but the more he tried, the less he was able to fight the lure of the green reiatsu, pulling him closer and closer to the page. The whispering had begun again, this proof of other presences just beyond his reach. The sound was almost deafening now, yet although he could see the writing and hear the voices, he could not make out a single word from each. He didn't know, and it frustrated him. He could not understand...and yet, for some reason, he wanted to. He wanted to know.
There was a whoosh of energy, and then, in vivid clarity, Shirogane found himself surrounded by images. They seemed like illustrations, rather than glimpses of reality, drawn together by specks of fragmented reiatsu. Shirogane did not understand what the images meant, but he could not look away as they flitted through his senses, making him feel dizzy and disorientated at the speed with which they changed. All around him, he was aware of intensifying waves of green light. As the grainy illustrations broke apart to reveal a much more real setting, however, Shirogane knew that this wasn't a memory of the day his Uncle had been taken down. Wherever he now was, he had never seen it before. It was a foreign room in a foreign chamber, and yet for some reason Shirogane's heart began to beat faster. He didn't know this place, and yet, deep down, he did. He knew that this place mattered, and that now, he was going to know everything.
His narrow field of vision began to open up, and Shirogane brought into focus the pair of hands which cradled the book in their grasp. They were old hands, wizened by age but also scarred by battle experience, and calloused from where they had trained with a blade. Little by little the world extended outwards, tiny details becoming increasingly in focus with each passing moment. From the hands of the wielder, Shirogane was able to make out his robes, white and silver at their base, but they were splashed and stained with red. As his range of vision grew even wider, Shirogane was aware that the blood spread not only over the man's clothing, but also up his arms, and across the floor in a sinister red pool. Now unnerved by what he was seeing, Shirogane struggled against the curiosity that compelled him to look, but failed. His gaze was drawn in the direction from which the blood had come. Little by little he made out the shadowed shape of a man's foot, then a leg, half concealed beneath the folds of bloodsoaked robes. The legs attached to a body, across which Shirogane could make out the distinctive signs of blade injury, but it was as he reached the chest and then the neck that he felt his whole being freeze, for at the top of the neck there was nothing but space where the head should be. Although he tried to look away, Shirogane found that he could not not see it, and he could not not know that death had happened in that room. Who the person was who lay on the floor, he didn't know. Who had died, he couldn't tell, but as he felt his gaze forced further and further across the scene, he could see that someone else was in the room. Someone alive, and on their feet, sword held in their hand. Someone whose whole body was trembling...trembling with anger or fear, Shirogane did not know. The person was speaking, but whatever words he spoke, Shirogane could not understand them. Frustration bubbled up inside of him, taking precedence over the horror of the scene. He wanted to know. He needed to know. This individual held the key, and now, at last, he would know.
And then the voice spoke again, deep and resolute.
Hirake.
Shirogane's eyes snapped open, his body drenched with sweat as he drew hurried, panicked breaths into his lungs. His heart was racing in his chest, and for a moment he did not know where he was, but as the vivid sensations of his dream returned, fresh waves of terror flooded through his system. Not wanting to be alone in the oppressive darkness of the sick room, he pulled himself to his feet, grabbing for the nightrobe that Shikiki had left at his bedside. Pulling it hastily onto his body, he stumbled across the dimly lit room, trying desperately to find his way out. He could not make out the door in the gloom, but the glitter of the moon through the open shutters at his window drew his attention, and, without thinking what he was doing, he had crossed the chamber, resting his hands on the sill with the intention of climbing out. He did not know how high up he was, or whether what he was doing was dangerous. All he knew was that he needed to find somebody - anybody - who could rescue him from the things that he had seen.
A scramble and a thump and he fell onto the grass below. Although his room had been a floor up, his clumsy descent had been checked by a clutch of thick bushes, the branches of which caught on his robes like fingers trying to pull him back. Feverishly, Shirogane struggled to free himself from their grasp, in his half-dazed state convinced that they were the fingers of the unknown individual who had held the book and whose words still echoed coldly within his thoughts. Ripping the robe free, and with no care to the scratches or bruises that now covered his delicate skin, he darted across the quiet Fourth Division garden, not knowing what exactly he was looking for, but just wanting to get away.
"Shirogane-dono!"
The sound of a voice startled him from his daze, and he swung around, momentarily dazzled by the bright light of someone's Kidou lamp. There was an exclamation, then the lamp was dumped hastily down on the ground as a pair of strong hands grabbed him, swinging him around to meet their gaze.
Although Shirogane's first instinct was to fight and run, something in the gentle concern of this person's aura calmed his panic, and as he drew a deep, shaky breath into his lungs, he realised that the person who had stopped his headlong flight was Madeki, the Third Seat of the Fourth Division.
At the sight of an obviously friendly face, the tension and panic flooded out of Shirogane's body. Suddenly exhausted and confused, he sank down onto the ground, resting his hands against the grass as he tried to regain his composure. Madeki did not release his grasp on the other man's robes, concern in his gaze, but he seemed to realise that Shirogane was struggling to pull his wits together, and he waited, allowing the Vice Captain a moment to compose himself.
At length, Shirogane raised his gaze to meet Madeki's once more.
"What happened?" he murmured, and Madeki frowned.
"I should be asking you that, I think," he said gently. "You're outside and I don't know why. I sensed your reiatsu spike. It's my night duty, fortunately. Stopping a Vice Captain in full flight isn't something every member of the Fourth is able to do, but you and I were classmates, once, and I know your reiatsu very well. You weren't well this evening, Shirogane-dono. I was coming to check up on you, when I realised you were out here, instead of in your room."
"I'm outside." Now Shirogane's wits were returning to him at speed, and he raised his hands, examining the scrapes against his skin with growing consternation. "How did I get out here? Was I sleepwalking?"
"Again, you'll have to tell me," Madeki turned to glance up at the window of the room, then, "but looking at the state of your clothing, I would say you jumped out of the window and fell in the bushes. Why you did that...I can't tell you. But you weren't yourself when I found you just now. You seemed afraid of something. Can you remember what happened?"
"There was a dream..." Shirogane moistened his lips as the horror of the nightmare bit by bit began to return. He shivered, then, "I don't know what it was. I was trapped, somewhere. I couldn't not see anything. There was an old man with a book. He said some words. There were green lights. Pictures. Someone was dead. I don't know who. They didn't have a head. There was blood...everywhere. I didn't know where it was, but I wanted to...I wanted to know everything. And there was someone else. And...the voice said, Hirake. And then...and then...it was over."
"What was over?" Madeki pressed softly, and Shirogane closed his eyes.
"I woke up," he said at length. "I don't know what woke me, but the last thing I remember in the dream is that the voice said Hirake and then there was this explosion of...something. Whatever it was was such a jolt through my system I woke up. And I knew it was over. But I don't know what was over, Madeki-dono. I don't know what any of that meant. All I know is that...that man, the one who hurt Guren-sama...he had a book. He said those words. I'll never forget them. And it was like I was inside his book. Inside it...trapped..."
He trailed off, and Madeki frowned.
"I want to get you inside," he decided. "It's cool out here and you're still recovering from your experience. If you're having disturbing dreams, clearly it's upsetting you on a deeper level. I'll give you something to help you sleep more deeply - but in the morning, we should talk about this dream in more detail. It might be that you're remembering something from what happened to Guren-sama...and even if not, I don't want you jumping out of windows in the middle of the night because of night terrors."
"I've never sleepwalked before," Shirogane reflected, allowing the healer to help him to his feet. "If that's what it was. I'm not sure. I think I was awake, but then again, I wasn't. I don't know what came over me. I felt like I had to get away. I didn't want..."
He faltered, looking confused.
"I don't know what I didn't want," he realised. "In the dream, I wanted to know everything. But...when I woke up...I felt like someone was trying to kill me. That they wanted to suck all of me out and take it from me. Just like they did to Guren-sama. Just like that."
"Madeki-dono? Shirogane-nii!"
As they reached Shirogane's room, the Vice Captain realised that it was no longer either in darkness or empty, for a worried figure stood in the doorway. Her own night-robes had been hastily covered by work clothes, telling Shirogane that Shikiki had been roused from her sleep by his disturbance, and something in her anxiety made him feel ashamed.
"Shirogane-nii, are you all right?" Shikiki was immediately at his side, as Madeki helped the young Kuchiki back into bed, removing the tattered robe and tossing it over the rail to be dealt with in the morning.
"We think he was sleepwalking. He had a bad dream." Madeki was the one who answered the question. "He went out of the window, but he landed on bushes so he's just scraped, nothing worse by the looks. I'm going to go get some first aid supplies to clean up the scratches, and then I'll give him something to sleep. I'm sorry we disturbed you, Shikiki - but since you're here, will you stay with him? Whatever it was, it was apparently quite upsetting, and I'd like him to stay put now."
With that he offered Shirogane a reassuring smile before disappearing down the corridor, and Shikiki sank down on the bed, shooting her friend a concerned look.
"Sleepwalking? That's not like you."
"It's absolutely not like me," Shirogane agreed grimly. "I'm sorry, Shikiki. I woke you, didn't I? I didn't mean to cause a fuss."
"It's all right," Shikiki dismissed this with a flick of her fingers. "I sleep on this corridor and it's not uncommon for me to have to attend to a patient in the night, so I tend to sleep quite lightly. I'm more concerned about you right now. You were much better, earlier this afternoon, but now you're pale as anything. You don't feel sick or anything like that?"
"No," Shirogane shook his head. "Just shaken up, I think. I guess I had a rush of adrenaline after the dream and then just acted on it...now I feel tired more than anything. Tired and bruised about from my ill-advised choice of room exit." He raised his arm, gazing at the scratches pensively. "I suppose I was lucky I didn't do worse. I don't really know what happened. Just, the dream was so vivid. Madeki-dono thought it was about Guren-sama, about what happened...but I don't know if it was. I think I dreamed about the person who hurt him - but wherever I was, it was completely different. I'd never seen that place before. It wasn't in District Six."
Shikiki's brows creased in consternation, and she reached across to touch his wrist.
"Your pulse is quicker than it should be," she reflected. "It's something else, though, that bothers me. I knew you were in distress, but it wasn't just your reiatsu I sensed just now, when you and Madeki-dono came in. There was something else, too. It was only faint, and I can't fully explain it, but it felt a little bit like the aura that was all over you when you came back here. That man's sword...I wonder if his reiatsu is giving you nightmares."
"Could it do that?"
"I don't know. I don't know enough about it." Shikiki admitted. "I can't sense it now, either, but I don't think I imagined it. Did you really jump out of the window?"
"By process of elimination, I must have," Shirogane looked sheepish. "Maybe it's not a good idea to leave my shutters open in future, just in case. I don't really remember that clearly what I did, to be honest. It's embarrassing to admit, but I think I just panicked. It was dark in here, and I wanted to get away. I don't even know what from. In the dream, it was like I wanted to know everything. And there was somebody dead in the room...so much blood in that place...but it was the other person, the one that was alive...I wanted to know about. It rushed up inside of me, like I was suddenly about to learn something important...and then there was a huge jolt of energy and I woke up."
Shikiki bit her lip, looking troubled.
"That doesn't sound like a very normal dream," she murmured. Shirogane shrugged.
"I don't know what it was," he said darkly. "I haven't had nightmares like that since Ribari-sama died and I was doped up with that hallucinogenic serum. That's what it felt like. Like nothing was real, but everything was. Everything was real, Shikiki. Even though it's impossible that any of it was. I felt it. All of it. Like I was there. Like it was happening around me. But it turns out I was here...and that's never happened to me before."
Shikiki was silent for a long time. Then she sighed.
"I think you need to rest," she said at length. "You seem all right now, and I can't sense any foreign matter in your aura, but I'm going to keep an eye on you, and make sure you really haven't been poisoned by this other reiatsu. For now, though, I think you should take what Madeki-dono brings you and try to sleep again. You won't dream further, not with that...and in the morning, we'll see if we can figure everything out."
"I don't know what there is to sort out. I'm awake, now, and it's over," Shirogane reflected. "But I'll do as you say. It wasn't a nice feeling. I'm glad you and Madeki-dono were around...I don't know how far I might have run to if Madeki-dono hadn't stopped me."
"You were really scared, weren't you?" Shikiki realised. Shirogane nodded.
"I've never been more scared," he admitted. "Whatever that was, it felt like it came from deep inside of me. Like no matter how far I ran, I couldn't escape. If that man's reiatsu is still inside of me, Shikiki, and it caused this, then we need to find a way to get it out. I don't want another nightmare like that."
"I don't want you to have one, either," Shikiki said gravely. "We'll do what we can, I promise, to make sure it doesn't happen again."
