Chapter Fifty Four: Rukon Skeletons

"People with spirit power in Rukongai?"

Nagesu paused in his perusal of the cluttered shelf of books, casting his visitor a startled glance at the suddenness of the question. "Why this all of a sudden, Ukitake? Don't you think we're all busy enough, with preparations to go to the Real World? Why do you suddenly want to search Rukongai for people in an area we already know is abandoned...I don't understand?"

"Abandoned now, yes, but Shunsui's pretty sure that it hasn't always been, and I agree with him," Juushirou bowed his head, an apologetic look in his hazel eyes. "I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, Nagesu-sama, but when I thought about it, you were the only person I could come to. You're currently Head of the Council, and I thought that, given your own trip to the Rukon, you might..."

He faltered, searching for the right words, and Nagesu frowned, adjusting his spectacles absently on his nose.

"I might agree with you and sanction an investigation?" he asked softly. "I thought your priority was Keitarou. Is that not the case?"

"It is," Juushirou nodded his head. "I believe he must be stopped - as much as you or anyone else in the Gotei. I'm being forward and cheeky and I know I am, overstepping the bounds of my rank and I'm sorry. But there isn't a lot of time, and...I really think we ought to be...to be looking for Keitarou in Rukongai."

"I see," Nagesu leaned his slender frame against the thick wall of books, folding his arms thoughtfully across his chest with a sigh. "The discussion at the Captain's meeting has stuck with you, has it? Anabomi's unguarded comments about Keitarou's guilt in an incident before you were even a Captain? I realise your acquaintance with Keitarou is a deep one, and a personal one on some levels, so your determination is logical, but you have to know that there were no living souls in the area Shunsui-dono and I patrolled. Your friend will have told you that himself, I trust - or if not him, the members of your Division who travelled there with us?"

"I've spoken to all of them, sir," Juushirou said earnestly. "They all agreed that there were no residents...now. But my officers searched the village, and, with all respect, they felt that it had been lived in until quite recently."

"Your evidence for this?" Nagesu arched an eyebrow, and Juushirou looked rueful.

"Kira almost put his foot in a cooking pot," he admitted, "and Atsudane reported to me that, aside from this, there were scraps of food and bits and pieces that suggested whoever had been there had cleared the premises in a hurry."

"You don't think that this was Keitarou, and any who surround him? His son, perhaps, or daughter?"

"It's possible," Juushirou agreed slowly, and Nagesu smiled.

"Keitarou's base is not in the Rukon. It's in the Real World," he said gently. "Whatever games he's played between locations, Ukitake, the Onmitsukidou and our intrusion into Rukongai will have told my cousin that it's not safe to be lurking anywhere so close to shinigami headquarters. We are closing in on him, and we will not let him get away this time. As much as it pains me to be arresting a man of my own family...that is what I will do, and that is why we are going to the Real World."

"And if he isn't there?" Juushirou hazarded. Nagesu frowned, brows knitting together in consternation.

"This is unlike you," he observed. "I've known you to push ideas and issues before, but there's something different about you today, Ukitake. You don't usually come before me in private to discuss such things - if you had concerns, why not raise them at the Captain's meeting so we could all discuss them? Even if I did agree with you - which at present I am not sure I do - I cannot overturn a voted decision without calling another meeting. It was decided by the Gotei and I believe it is sound."

Juushirou's lips thinned, and for a moment he didn't speak. Then, slowly, he shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Nagesu-sama, but I would like to know what happened in the Rukon, twenty five years ago," he said quietly. Nagesu's eyes widened in surprise.

"In the...you mean, Shougo-dono and Sakanoue-kun? Then you really do think Keitarou was..."

"I don't," Juushirou interrupted, trying to pretend he hadn't seen how increasingly incredulous his companion was becoming. "I know a little already about the deaths of Shougo-dono and Sakanoue - Sekime-taichou already told me about it, when she came to deliver something to Thirteenth. I don't want to dig up bad memories, and I realise that you weren't there yourself, but I didn't like to ask Sekime-taichou to rehash those recollections over again."

"No, indeed," Nagesu looked troubled. "I did examine both bodies from a scientific standpoint on their return. They both sustained deep wounds of a similar nature to some of the other corpses retrieved from the scene."

"Wounds inflicted by the Hollow creatures?" Juushirou asked, and Nagesu shrugged.

"Some of them appeared to be inflicted by swords," he admitted, and Juushirou's eyes widened in surprise at this unexpected tidbit.

"Swords? But..."

"I see what you're thinking," Nagesu smiled what could only be described as an indulgent smile, but Juushirou felt he was covering the troubled emotions of a memory best left buried. "We had witness testimony from several of the surviving lesser officers - and, in fact, Mareiko's own account, if I recall correctly - that some of the souls were not completely turned. We also recovered several such implements when clearing the scene, many of which were bloody. Our conclusion was that some of these mutations possessed dead blades before they came into contact with whatever damaged them - presumably relics from their real lives. There was a lot of meshed reiatsu at the scene, so it was impossible to draw a particular spiritual imprint from any of the bodies we brought back. Dead blades possess no discerning aura, so our findings made sense. The wounds and the physical evidence were all consistent with the witness statements. It was a tragic happening, but the investigation was straightforward and quickly closed."

"Dead blades again," Juushirou bit his lip, and Nagesu eyed him keenly.

"You're trying to make a connection with the deaths of Souja-dono and the people in the Spiritless Zone?" he asked softly. "Ukitake, the girl who slew Seventh's Vice Captain was a teenage girl. She could not have been present twenty five years ago. I grant that she showed particular hostility and ruthlessness, but we have no evidence of any spiritual ability on her part, let alone Hollow characteristics. You're reaching to pull threads together that just can't be tied in a knot. I believe Shougo-dono's hypothesis is sound. The events twenty-five years ago occurred through unexplained reasons, but there is no evidence to prove it was done on purpose and is far more likely Keitarou took the science exhibited then and deployed it in the creating of the poor soul I fought in the Real World."

"Shunsui and I had reached a similar conclusion in that respect, sir," Juushirou admitted. "He's an opportunist, and it's entirely his style."

"Well, then," Nagesu tilted his head on one side. "If you feel that way, why the interest in the past?"

"I realised that I don't know enough about it," Juushirou said honestly. "I think it's important. Very important. What happened then...and not only that, in this whole business now. Even if it's true that Shougo-dono and Sakanoue died in those circumstances, something must've occurred afterwards to bring that knowledge into Keitarou's hands. It bothers me a lot that we're missing something obvious, somewhere, so I thought, if I asked you...you'd be able to fill me in on the missing gaps. Eleventh and Twelfth didn't run patrols to Rukongai after the incident, correct? They withdrew...yes?"

"Twelfth did," Nagesu rubbed his chin pensively. "I don't really understand the importance of asking all of this, since it was so long ago and if you believe their deaths had no link to Keitarou, a random stab in the dark at a time when we're all so busy with other things. Keitarou picks up information - you said it yourself. Focusing on the source of that information is, in this case, less relevant than finding the current offender. But you're not usually an impertinent Captain, nor given to flights of idiocy, so I'll try and answer. Doubtless you'll come to your own conclusions in time, and the sooner you do that, the better for all. I'd like to know that Seireitei will run smoothly in the absence of several squads."

"I'd like that too," Juushirou murmured, more than half under his breath, then, "Twelfth did? Eleventh didn't?"

"To be honest, for a year or two after the incident, nobody really did anything at all," Nagesu admitted. "Not from our side, anyway. Mareiko was very much in shock - she was always very fond of Shougo-dono, and they worked closely together on many things. I believe Eleventh went there once or twice. Well, Minaichi is that kind of officer - not one to let feelings interfere with duty, though I doubt he took much pleasure. Other Divisions did their bit too. Fourth established a permanent base there, with a small collection of officers, in order to help the residents recover from the shock of such violent warfare. First did a good deal to help, too, and Third made a few sorties - now I think on it, I believe Shiketsu might have led a patrol or two there. Anabomi and some of Ninth went there once during the early stages of the clean up operation, I think, though you'd have to check that with him. He and Shougo-dono were friends, and trained together often, so he felt it was important he did his bit in the aftermath and his help was gratefully received. Whatever horrors my kinsman faced, though, none of these latter patrols ever encountered them. There were a few stragglers who could be called hostile, but nothing concerted, and it died out. Then the Spiritless Zone was conceived, and all our effort went into working on that. Eleventh and Twelfth were no longer called on to operate in Rukongai. As you know, everything was handed over in entirety to the Fourth to run, once the establishment was complete. Third, Ninth and any other divisions who had been involved in the initial investigations weren't so actively involved in the Rukon planning for that."

"The Spiritless Zone," Juushirou chewed thoughtfully on his lip. "So all the souls in Rukongai were moved to this area, where the Fourth intended to work?"

"They were the best locations, and far from the killing grounds, so yes, that was the plan," Nagesu agreed. "After the incident with Shougo-dono, we were particularly concerned about spiritual pollution, which is why we set up the barriers and regulations in the way we did. Well, your friend Edogawa can probably tell you more from the healers' side. Have you asked her about all of these things?"

"I don't really want to ask Mitsuki too much about Rukongai," Juushirou admitted, and Nagesu's expression became clouded.

"No, I suppose not," he acknowledged. "I'm sorry. That must have seemed insensitive - she suffered a good deal there and, like Mareiko, would probably rather forget."

"Sekime-taichou is lucky," Juushirou observed. "Her Clan Leader is understanding and supports her despite her own hesitations."

"Ah, well, Mareiko may not be so much of a fighter now," Nagesu looked rueful, "but she is still a very smart woman. Smarter than me, I'm sure. You might not see it, not in every day life," as Juushirou looked quizzical, "but it's often said that those who are scattered over the ordinary are shrewd when it comes to the extraordinary. And, well, we both lost Shougo-dono. She has filled his scientific shoes more than adequately - dare I say, even overreached him on occasion - but we both miss him and regret that we couldn't prevent what happened."

"Of course," Juushirou nodded gravely. "I didn't ever meet Shougo-dono, but I imagine the death of a Captain would've come as a great shock...for him to have been a kinsman and close long-term colleague, even worse."

"Well, we are soldiers, and war claims the best and the least of us," Nagesu said wearily, "but this is moving some distance from your original question. You were talking about people in Rukongai - and have darted all around the corners while making your point."

"I'm sorry," Juushirou looked guilty. "When you're so busy too - but I really think it's important, what happened in Rukongai. If not when the massacre happened, then in the time after Shougo-dono was 's a clue somewhere and we keep missing it."

"I don't really understand why you feel so certain."

"Because I'm sure that not all souls left in Rukongai were pure Pluses," Juushirou said earnestly. "Because of what happened, it makes sense that Seireitei would worry about polluted spirits. The Spiritless Zone was set up to protect against that - but what about the souls left who had spirit power and who weren't mutated? What about them...what happened to them?"

"Souls left with spirit power?" Nagesu blinked. "Ukitake, didn't I make it clear? There were none. All the souls living in Rukongai were transferred to the Spiritless Zone project. Every one of them was screened, and none of them had reiryoku."

"What?" Juushirou stared, disbelief in his eyes, and Nagesu frowned, resting a hand on Juushirou's shoulder.

"If it makes you happy, I can give you the official report," he said softly. "I have a copy of it, somewhere here, and you're welcome to read it. It's not very interesting, but if it will put your mind at rest..."

"If you don't mind," Juushirou nodded his head almost automatically, and Nagesu moved carefully between the piles of books and old papers littering his office floor, rummaging for a moment in the recesses of one of the further-most alcoves before producing a thick document with a stitched spine and cloth cover. He brushed the dust from it, coughing as a cloud rose up into the air, then offered Juushirou a rueful smile, holding it out.

"Here you are. My room seems disorganised, but I know where things are, and that's what counts," he said reflectively. "You can keep this as long as you need. I hope it satisfies your doubts."

"I hope so too," Juushirou admitted, taking the volume gingerly and lowering his head in a bow. "Thank you, Nagesu-sama. I'm sorry for the interruption and my lack of manners - I'll return this to you as soon as I can."

"Well, I hope it will prove academic," Nagesu grinned. "And don't worry. We will find Keitarou. This time, I'm determined. We'll find him or die looking."

"I think all of Seireitei would rather not lose any more Captains, sir," Juushirou said honestly, and Nagesu nodded.

"Indeed," he agreed grimly, "but sometimes, needs must. One sacrifice is a small price to pay for peace. Well, maybe I've some of my Father's blood in me after all - I suppose we'll soon see."

He patted Sekizanha's hilt with a sigh, turning to gesture towards the door.

"I hope you can make your own way back. I'm afraid I still have much to do."


"...and in his absence, Guren-sama expects the Ninth to be diligent in their protection of Kuchiki assigned space."

The messenger finished reading his droning message, folding the scroll up with a snap of paper and bowing his head formally towards the Captain of the Ninth before handing him the bound letter. "These are the words and will of the Clan Leader, transmitted as instructed to Anabomi Seizuku, Captain of the Ninth Division."

"The orders are understood. You are dismissed," Anabomi flicked his fingers towards the door, and the messenger bowed again, disappearing into a quick, neat shunpo and leaving the Ninth Division Captain once more alone. He glanced at the rolled up scroll pensively for a moment, then set it down on the top of his desk, moving across to the window and pushing back the shutters to their full expanse. Outside, in the yard, one of his seated officers, Takaoka Sakura was training a couple of recalcitrant Kuchiki recruits, and at the sight of her, Anabomi's brows knitted together, a troubled expression entering his soft grey eyes.

Such a peaceful scene, and yet...

He turned away, leaning up against the window frame as he considered.

Guren-sama was cross with me for not reporting the abduction of our recruit. I thought I might lose my Captaincy, but he was of a merciful disposition and I escaped with a warning. My judgement was simply askew in yet another instance. I wonder why I was ever made a Captain, given all the mistakes I make.

He glanced briefly back towards the courtyard. It had been his own incentive to accept the application of the Yamamoto-born Sakura, and Guren had let him have his way, even though the Kuchiki Clan as a whole had not entirely welcomed the decision to expand Ninth's territory beyond the Kuchiki's control. Anabomi was a loyal Kuchiki, but he disliked discord and segmentation, and it had been for this reason that he had hushed up the truth of the recruit's disappearance. Whether it had been Sakura or one of the other division members who had leaked the story, he did not know, but he felt a passing sense of resentment for their indiscretion. Ninth's business was Ninth's, he reflected regretfully, and their practices and decisions ought to be handled by the Ninth alone, yet they were still under the chokehold of Anabomi's own Clan leader.

That's not the way forward we hoped for when we were young, was it, Shougo?

A bittersweet smile touched his lips as he remembered sessions of sword against sword in the big, sprawling grounds of his family's estate, the fair hair of his companion drenched with sweat and glistening in the sunlight as they went through drill after drill. Sometimes he would take Shougo's sword, sometimes Shougo would take his, but there had never been any malice behind their spars and, when they had both been awarded positions as Captains in the same Council parliament, Anabomi had felt that maybe the world was beginning to take faltering steps forward.

"They're Clan squads," he could hear himself saying, as he had examined his haori-cloaked reflection in the mirror for the first time, smoothing invisible creases out of the fine white fabric. "Subordinate to the Sixth and the Third, Shougo - just another extension of the Clan's overreaching power. We aren't really Captains - not like they are."

"Not today, maybe not tomorrow," Shougo had told him, resting a companionable hand on his shoulder and offering him a grin. "It's all right, though, Seizuku. We'll prove our worth the old-fashioned way. You're slick with a sword and you get the trust of people easily. You're a reliable, honest soul and your squad will flock to you. You'll make Ninth your own space. And me, well, I have my science, and all the things my father taught me, before he died. Nagesu-sama has already told me that he intends on relying on me and my skills a good deal, so even if I don't have your people skills, I'll still manage to do something with the Twelfth."

"You always do yourself down," Anabomi had scolded his friend, who had laughed.

"I know my flaws, and you should too, after this long," he said warmly. "I don't expect perfection. Perfection is boring. I expect progress, and change, and evolution. And I expect all of those things from this squad I'm going to lead. For the first time in Gotei history, people other than the leaders of the Clan have been given power to decide things for themselves. We're their subordinates, but only in terms of Clan, not as Captains. The world is changing...and we're at the forefront of that change."

Anabomi closed his eyes, picturing his friend as he had been the last time he had seen the man alive. The bright smile and warm assurances to be back before he knew it blurred and faded, however, into the silent, shrouded form atop the funeral bier, his bloody wounds cleaned and bound to prevent them staining the burial robes. It had been the first time in their whole acquaintaince that Anabomi had ever seen Shougo's face solemn and unsmiling, and it had burrowed right through to the core of his being. Mareiko's sobs still punctuated his memories, but for Anabomi it had been a different kind of wound.

Shougo believed in making Twelfth his own. For his sake, I've worked to do that with Ninth, balancing my loyalty to Guren-sama with my hopes for the squad's future. Perhaps it came at the cost of the dwellings of some Seireitei common folk, but in order to expand the Ninth's reputation as effective and efficient, sometimes those decisions have to be taken. We can't all feed every poor, homeless soul - it ought to be enough just to save their lives. I don't wish them ill, but it is we who put our lives in danger on their behalves. It seems unfair that they then resent us for the damage the Hollow inflicts. I only want to make Ninth a great Division in its own right, separate from the Clan...but the Kuchiki are not the Urahara, and they don't tolerate...

He glanced down at his sword, pulling it slowly from its sheath and glancing at the blade.

Besides, there are other things. Things you should never have told me...things I would rather not know. As your friend, Shougo, I'll take those things to my grave. I'll protect you as I would protect my own life, with this sword if need be. That's why I went to the Rukon...that's why I made sure of everything in the way you would've expected. I know it was wrong, but it was the last thing I could do for you. I decided to protect you and to protect Sekime and the Twelfth you believed in creating from any backlash. And now...with all these recent reports of Keitarou and his actions...it troubles me. It makes me remember...things I ought to forget.

He sighed, slipping the blade back into its sheath.

Now I have orders from the head of my Clan, and I realise I'm not as strong a man as you were. I believed in it, but I haven't managed to do all that I hoped I would. Whatever this next adventure accomplishes, I'm Guren-sama's subordinate and I have no option but to obey his instructions in his absence. You said I had the skill to bring people to me, but Shougo, I didn't have your spirit and I can't...do the things you longed to do.

He moved towards his desk, sliding gloved fingers beneath the sleek wooden surface to release the catch and retrieve the silver key that had been lodged there between the seams in the wood. For a moment he glanced at it, running his fingers over the fine, delicate metalwork, then he made his way across his office to the far side of the room where a heavy, expensive wall hanging concealed much of the bamboo panelling from view. Pushing it aside with his left hand, he slid the key into the lock beneath with his right, turning it with a soft click. The hidden cupboard swung open with the faintest of creaks, indicating how long it had been since the last time he had accessed it, and for a moment he just stood there, running his gaze over the compartment's meagre contents.

A dusty old book, bound in leather and tied with ribbon woven in Third District. A small, wood-carved box with a pearl catch and gold finish. A sword ornament, scuffed and dented but still clearly identifiable as bearing the crest of Shougo's family, the Urahara from the Eastern province of District Three, and, finally, a note, folded in half and half again, its corners dog-eared and its edges worn. Leaning up against the wall so as to keep the door from swinging shut by itself, Anabomi retrieved the letter, turning it over in his hands pensively.

"Take this and keep it safe for me," Once more he could almost hear Shougo's words, echoing in his head as though the man was standing in the room with him. "I don't know who else to give it to, and I'm worried...that if I keep with me, people might get into trouble. There have been things, lately...I don't know..."

He had paused, then grinned, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's probably nothing, but just in case," he had said. "Everything that happened in the Kuchiki recently put me on my guard. Everything associated to that man - that Keitarou - it troubles me. All the data Nagesu-sama gave me, and everything I've learned from my own work suggests that he's probably still on the loose. Even injured, he'll recover. His sword has the power to invade a person's heart and soul and turn them into his personal puppet, and as time goes on, I've understood just how much damage that weapon may have done. I don't believe Shouichi-sama was his first Clan murder, and because I don't, I won't let even the slightest chance he's alive slip by me. I've been working especially hard since that Kuchiki bocchan died, and Seizuku, I think I know a way of breaking that control. I think I know a way...of making people immune to that kind of lure."

"Shougo, what are you getting involved in now?" Anabomi had demanded, and Shougo had laughed.

"Don't look so serious. I told you, this is just in case," he had said dismissively. "I've done some theorising based on all the evidence we've collated, and I think that I've created something that might eventually form an antidote. His ability is manipulative, but I read the autopsy report on the mindless Shihouin boy and it seems that Chudokuga requires latent will to properly function. That means that somewhere in his ability must be a level of willpower suppression. Some way of...I don't know..." he had broken off, gesturing absently as he tried to find the words, and Anabomi had pursed his lips, knowing that his friend was trying to put his thoughts into the most coherent of language for his non-scientific companion to understand.

"It's hard to know exactly how to put it," he had admitted at length, "and it's still very much a theory in many respects but...if somehow, Chudokuga suppresses then infiltrates individual willpower, well, if that willpower could be made stronger, maybe the control could be broken? I've read studies on curse-based zanpakutou whose abilities have been nullified in such a way, so I believe it must be possible."

"I'm not sure you ought to be pursuing this, not without the backing of your Clan," Anabomi had said cautiously, apprehension in his gaze, and Shougo had shrugged.

"Keitarou's been allowed to run riot and stories of his murder of Shouichi-sama spread like wildfire, but nobody at the main house is doing anything about it," he said frankly. "I thought that, with your family's recent experiences, you'd be glad that it hadn't just been buried under a rock by everyone in light of more immediate routine duties."

"Of course," Anabomi had smiled, resting a hand lightly on his friend's arm, "but not if it means you putting your neck on the line. Let the Clan leaders handle it, Shougo. They have a wider range of resources than we do, and if Keitarou were to target you...try to silence you..."

"Then he'd give me a chance to test my theories, I suppose," Shougo had replied flippantly. "Listen, Seizuku. The Clans aren't doing anything. They've not said it, but it's as though they've decided to let it go until he appears again - by which point, it will be too late. If they're not acting, I thought that maybe I would, since, to be blunt, I think killing this man is a pretty good idea. For Twelfth, too, it would be a coup - nullifying and killing or capturing Keitarou would be the very impetus we need to establish our division as worthy to stand beside Third and the Clan squads as an equal."

"Maybe...but even so..."

"A scientist always likes a gamble," Shougo's eyes had twinkled. "Knowing how you feel about your status as Captain, I did think you and Ninth might like to play along, but perhaps it's too close to the recent crisis for you to join in just yet. I'll let you think it over...I don't suppose it will have an immediate result, anyway. To kill Keitarou, Seireitei need to be able to get close to him, which means denuding him of his sword's power." He had patted the box again. "And so I've been working on this, for just that kind of opportunity. It's a very rough serum, based on something my father began, and it needs fine tuning. It's not like I can ask Otousama all the things I need to, and obviously I haven't had time to properly trial it. Probably I won't be able to until the exile comes out of hiding...I can't imagine anyone sanctioning me using it otherwise."

He had rolled his eyes.

"The reality is that now I've got to go back to the Rukon and run around with that idiot Minaichi and his useless satellites," he had added wearily. "It's getting far too busy out there now to do any interesting environmental studies, and the last time I tried to take mineral samples Ikata sat on my box of vials when we were setting up night camp, and used it as a stool while he trimmed his toenails with his sword. His weight smashed the lot to smithereens and he didn't so much as apologise. Still...I think Keitarou is there. I don't know where, and I can't prove it, but with the number of times going in and out, it's a feeling I get every time. Call it Urahara intuition, if you like...though Mareiko's not said anything. Maybe it's just my paranoia, or the fact I've been hunting for him for this long. Even if I can't put my fingers on where, I feel that he's somewhere...there."

"In the Rukon?"

"Yes," Shougo's eyes had darkened. "The missing piece in the puzzle...the genius who's concealed himself for far too long."

He had sighed.

"Though I don't mind admitting that, even though I've stuck it this long, after this mission, I'm tempted to ask to move duties and patrol somewhere more civilised for a change. At least until there's something more direct to take me back there...and not in the company of the monkeys from Eleventh. I've exhausted the prospects of our patrol region scientifically - and my patience is worn out mentally. If I came across Keitarou, it would probably not be a pretty encounter for either of us. I know too well what his sword is capable of - and I don't fancy my chances against it directly until this serum is perfected. I won't be the next Clan puppet and if he saw me, he'd have every reason to want me dead. My background means I probably know more about Keitarou's science than anyone else, even Nagesu-sama. I'm also an Urahara whose family chose the right side, which would make me top of his kill list. If he found my research on the subject, any chance of countering Chudokuga chemically would be lost. He might have spies in Seireitei. If they weren't so blundering and stupid, I might even suspect Minaichi's lot - but I've worked with Eleventh for long enough to know that that level of subterfuge is well beneath them."

He had held out the box, bound book and paper at that point, and wordlessly, Anabomi had taken them.

"Anyway, my reason for coming here today is this. I wanted to make sure this was somewhere safe while I was gone. Just in case there are other people here in the Gotei who aren't on the level, people who still look down on divisions like ours and consider us dispensable in the bigger picture. Twelfth is vulnerable when Mareiko and I make trips into the Rukon or the Real World hunting Hollows, and it sounds like this will be a heavy job. I don't expect anyone to raid Twelfth in my absence...but with everything that's happened in Seireitei, I can't be sure. Us lesser squads don't have formal barracks here in Inner Seireitei, yet, nor do we have proper bases within Clan lands, either. We're almost nomadic, forced to beg and borrow shelter here, and that's far from secure. This place is still Council orientated and Clan focused and it still hasn't evolved into a proper military stronghold. I don't have time to go back to my family estate before we leave, not even for this. I know I can trust you, and Kuchiki security at present is stronger than anywhere else...so you're my only hope. I'm being melodramatic, and I know I am - but you're the only one who I know can keep it safe and secret while I'm gone. I'll take it back when I return...but in the meantime..."

Anabomi pursed his lips, unfolding the note and glancing at it. As ever, it meant nothing to him - squiggles and lines and curves that indicated some chemical formula far beyond his scientific understanding. He set it aside, flipping open the box, and gazing for a moment at the vial inside.

You never did come back for it. Inner Seireitei grew and strengthened...but you never did see it happen.

With a sigh he replaced the paper and the lid of the box, shutting the door of the cupboard and fastening it with the key.

Whether I should've done something about your secret, I don't know. It didn't seem important, not after you died. But maybe you were right. Maybe it was Keitarou, in the Rukon. Maybe Keitarou found something he shouldn't...did something he shouldn't...and you paid the price. I saw the body, though. My friend was killed by a sword, not by a Hollow. I've always believed it was Keitarou who killed you, Shougo, or one of his associates...but all the investigations showed no sign of him or anyone else, and so I kept quiet. Now this is all flaring up like this...maybe it's proving that you were right.

"Taichou?"

He had just finished rearranging the wall hanging over the hidden door when the sound of a voice made him jump, and he swung around, meeting the concerned gaze of his Vice Captain.

"Taichou, is everything all right? I thought I sensed the reiatsu of a messenger - have we had word from Guren-sama?"

"He sent a message," Anabomi nodded, extending an elegant hand in the direction of the desk. "You can read it, if you like. It's simple enough. Guren-sama is entrusting us with Kuchiki-patrolled space in his absence, both here and outside of Inner Seireitei. Even if it stretches us thin, we must do as he instructs."

"Yes, sir," Hyakken reached for the scroll, scooping it up and carefully unrolling it. He skimmed over the contents, then nodded.

"With permission, sir, I'll begin working on a rota of deployment to cover the time period in question," he suggested, and Anabomi inclined his head.

"Do so," he agreed, his expression becoming tired. "It will be a heavy few days, Hyakken...but we must show that, at the very least, Ninth Division is up to the task."


"No souls with spirit power left in the Rukon, huh?" Shunsui stretched himself out more comfortably on the soft pink fabric of the haori, turning his gaze lazily towards his friend. "So it was a whitewash? Someone covered something up, or it was complete incompetence from start to finish?"

"Not really sure, but one of the two," Juushirou groaned, setting the book down beside him with a shrug of frustration. "I've skimmed through it, but it's as Nagesu-sama says. All of the souls in the Rukon were relocated. Every area was searched and evacuated, then certified empty. The whole population of Rukongai should have been in the Spiritless Zone."

"And yet they weren't," Shunsui mused. "Somewhere, there were others, people not recorded by Seireitei. And one very notable mad scientist, with his wife and small child...or maybe, depending on how old that waif of yours is, I should be saying small children."

"Do you think Keitarou could've hidden people?" Juushirou looked doubtful, and Shunsui shrugged.

"I don't know," he owned. "I'm pretty sure that village had been lived in recently, though. Hanako and Kaoru thought so too, and so did your men. They're none of them fools, and I trust their judgement. They have no reason to lie about something which in their eyes would be trivial and without deeper meaning - none of them know the real purpose of that search, not in proper detail."

"True enough," Juushirou sprawled out on his front, resting his chin in his hands. "It's too hot today, and it's not helping me think."

"Well, then give me the book, let me have a look at it," Shunsui held out his hand. "And while I am, tell me again what you intend to do about your surprising stray. Because if everything you said to me is right, Juu, you have a big problem. If Nagesu-sama finds out you're harbouring...well, if he finds out, after your meeting with him, who knows what conclusions he'd come to. And he's not one to jump to random ideas, but lately he's been more...that way inclined."

"It's Keitarou. Nagesu-sama wants to find him," Juushirou sighed heavily, nonetheless handing the book over. "Here. Good luck. I can't find any obvious holes in it - it just seems as though these people either vanished when the shinigami were there, or appeared from nowhere."

"Well, then lets try another approach," Shunsui flicked through the book, pausing at the end and squinting at the columns of messy characters. "Geez, did nobody teach these people calligraphy? I've never seen such haphazard scribble before."

"That's rich, coming from the person whose writing Ryuu likened to a spider in its death throes," Juushirou observed, amused. Shunsui snorted.

"Maybe, but this is an official document, not a class paper. It's different," he defended himself. "Besides, I...ah-hah. That's what I was looking for. Now, let's see..."

He rolled over onto his stomach, laying the book flat against the surface of the roof.

"What have you got?" Juushirou leaned over to look, and Shunsui tapped the paper with his index finger.

"The names of the people who authorised the report," he said evenly. "Yamamoto Hashihiko, Urahara Nagesu...but neither of them went to the Rukon themselves. Hashihiko-sama is dead now, and you've already heard from Nagesu-sama, so that's no good. They would've read the reports they were given and just authorised them - there'd be no reason to suspect anything amiss."

"You think someone deliberately omitted information from the reports?" Juushirou asked softly, and Shunsui nodded.

"I think that's the easiest explanation," he agreed, turning back a page. "Let's see who was sent to investigate. Members of the Second - that's no real surprise."

"Suzuki Naoto?" Juushirou asked sharply, and Shunsui shook his head.

"No. That would be a nice juicy catch, but I'm afraid not," he responded. "Oh, but wait. Kounou. Wasn't that someone of interest to Kai at one time?"

"He's the man Suzuki killed before leaving the Second's prison," Juushirou remembered. "It doesn't mean anything, though - Kai trusted him, from what I could gather, and up till ten years ago, he had a high position in the Onmitsukidou. He was arrested on separate charges. Probably this is coincidence."

"Probable, though I don't like those," Shunsui looked pensive. "A man like that might be bribed to look the other way - by Keitarou or by someone else who'd rather their name didn't appear on this kind of documentation."

"Now you're getting paranoid," Juushirou scolded. "Kounou is dead, so we'll learn nothing even if you settle on him as the source - what else do you have?"

"A nice array of nobodies," Shunsui looked dissatisfied.

"Nagesu-sama said Anabomi-taichou went there once," Juushirou remembered. "I don't know the circumstances, but apparently he was friends with the former Twelfth Captain. According to Nagesu-sama, anyhow. Maybe we should approach him?"

"Ask Anabomi to tell us something?" Shunsui snorted. "Not a chance. I've lived and worked next door to him for the past twenty five years, give or take, and one thing I've learned about him is that for all he appears as a peaceable, respectable man, he's famously like a clam with information. I told you, didn't I? The information about his missing recruit came through Kaoru's friendship with Sakura-chan and some illicit whispers over the fence, not from official channels. Never once in the whole time we've been stationed next door to one another has the Ninth Division ever asked the Eighth for help or advice, or offered any in return. They're not unfriendly, but they are...not exactly proponents of community support."

"That's harsh," Juushirou reproved. "Anabomi isn't hostile, nor is he unfriendly. You make Ninth Division sound like the Onmitsukidou's prison - it's not as though it's a hotbed of intrigue and suspicion."

"Perhaps not," Shunsui relented. "but the fact remains that even if it was, we'd probably not find out about it. Take it from me, Juu. Anabomi's an odd man. I've spoken to him several times and yet I don't believe I know him at all. He's not unfriendly, and he seems to be highly respected by his subordinates. He's a handsome specimen of a Kuchiki in his prime, which if you ask me, explains why he gets more female recruits than even I do - but to me he's still something of a mystery."

"You should be careful. Someone objective might think you were jealous of his recruitment skills," Juushirou teased, his expression lightening despite the seriousness of the discussion. "He sounds pretty much like a typical Kuchiki to me, that's all. They're not like they were once, maybe, but they still don't look for help if they can avoid it. How many requests for help have come out of Sixth since we got our haori? True, Guren-sama's squad often offer their aid, and I believe Hirata has a very successful working relationship with the Sixth - probably on account of Ryuu's presence there. But I don't think that Anabomi keeping himself and his squad affairs to himself means we ought to suspect him of subversiveness."

"No...I tend to agree," Shunsui conceded. "I don't know if I like or dislike him, it's hard to tell - but it's not as though he keeps his subordinates prisoner, and even if I don't speak to him on a regular basis, Sakura does visit Kaoru often. She's a bright sparky girl and a chatterer - and if there was anything bad going on there, it probably wouldn't remain a secret for long. We found out about the abduction quickly, so I accept your point. I just don't think asking Anabomi anything about this is worth our time. 'It's nothing to do with Ninth'. That'll be his response. Friend or not, I guarantee it. Besides," he flicked the book in Juushirou's direction," he's not listed in here."

"Now I think of it, Nagesu-sama said he went once when they were still clearing up the stragglers of the incident in question," Juushirou recalled, "though apparently none were ever found. Third and Eleventh also participated, as did First, but I don't remember seeing Third or First division deployments mentioned in that book. I guess Anabomi wanted to make absolutely sure the people who killed his friend had been properly dealt with - but the Spiritless Zone was, apparently, beneath his notice."

"We aretalking about a Captain who hushed up the abduction of his recruit and the fact his Division haven't been clearing up after themselves in Seireitei," Shunsui pointed out blithely. "Doesn't sound like the resume of a man who'd care much about a few Rukon souls being relocated."

"No, true," Juushirou agreed. "All right. What else?"

"Not much," Shunsui grimaced. "A few from Eleventh. Noticeably none from Twelfth, though Mareiko-chan countersigned a few of the reports in Nagesu-sama's place."

"I suppose it was too much for her to go back there herself," Juushirou mused, and Shunsui nodded.

"Ikata, from the Eleventh, he's listed too," he remarked.

"Ikata?" Juushirou was taken aback. "Minaichi's adjutant?"

"The same, though I'm not sure that rank had been conferred then. He's not listed as an adjutant, and seems to have been just one name in a list of names from Eleventh who were dispatched to divide and conquer," Shunsui sighed. "There are probably a lot of things wrong with his evacuation technique, but do we think he's responsible for covering up Keitarou's hiding place? Do we think he's capable of something that subtle?"

"Honestly, no," Juushirou admitted. "Enishi did say that Ikata was a cousin of the dead Sakanoue - but they didn't apparently have much of a relationship. In fact, Ikata was after the Vice Captain position almost before Sakanoue's body was cold - well, that's how I heard the story. And Ikata isn't subtle. I doubt he could keep from bragging about it, if he'd known where Keitarou was and managed to deceive Soul Society about it."

"I agree," Shunsui tapped his finger absently against the page, then flipped the book closed, setting it aside. "The trouble is, even if we have these suspicions, we have no particular direction to point them. Clearly the reason we never knew there were others living outside the Spiritless Zone is because the official report told us so. And because it told us so, none of us questioned it or went looking. Keitarou was able to conceal himself and his family, and from the young lad Koku's testimony, there are others. Ordinary souls who just happen to have reiryoku. Maybe there was no cover up. Perhaps the people simply hid with Keitarou and his family, because they were associated with him and he helped them as a result. All it would take was a patrol not being as thorough as they ought, and with Keitarou's skills, they'd be overlooked. Remember, Naoko thought he was building an army...maybe that's not the case, but he is putting us shinigami to shame. Protecting those people isour job, and if we'd done it properly..."

"But we haven't, and we need to rectify that," Juushirou said firmly. "One way or another, we need to find these people. Keitarou's taken them somewhere, and I don't believe it's the Real World. It makes no sense for him to flee there if he had spirit-enriched Pluses in tow - in the Real World, they'd be in much more danger from Hollows than they are here, with far fewer resources at hand. That means he's probably somewhere else, just like Joumei suggested. And if what Izumi thinks about the Gate kidou is true..."

"The Real World is a bluff, and we're right to believe he's actually in Rukongai still," Shunsui's eyes darkened. "Perhaps we weren't thinking in quite the right context, though. The most logical part of Rukongai to take starving Plus souls to is obvious - so obvious I can't believe we didn't see it. Hiding in plain sight is Keitarou's piece de resistance. He's gone to the one place we'd consider impossible. The Spiritless Zone itself."

"Kai and the others swept it clean, so now we consider it empty of danger, and it has resources to support such a community without needing to resort to outside support," Juushirou looked troubled. "Tenichi said the condition of the people there reminded him of when he was a refugee in your brother's land, and Koku's words backed that up - so Keitarou would have to make other provision for feeding them, if he took them back to his original base camp. But the Spiritless Zone, even with souls in residence, would provide all they needed. There are no shinigami there now, either. Maybe you're right. No, I'm sure you probably are. The trouble is, what do we do about it? Nagesu-sama won't be convinced by our conspiracy theories, and we have no evidence. I still can't tell Nagesu-sama that a girl who's a descendant of a condemned branch of his family thinks he's been duped, nor can I tell him that his cousin's son is sheltering in my division. Certainly not while the kill on sight order remains."

"Well, if we can't go to the Council, we'll go somewhere else," Shunsui pulled himself into a sitting position, getting to his feet and holding his hand out to haul his friend up too. "Come on. Hot or not, I don't think we can stop around here. We're going to find someone who has power to help us without needing to clear it with Clan. Someone we can trust - almost certainly - to be discreet...and someone who, from your account of Tenichi's situation, already knows about the Kitsune to some degree."

"Such as?" Juushirou looked surprised, and Shunsui grinned.

"Kai, of course," he said with a shrug. "We're going to Second. If we can't have the Council or the Captains, well, I guess the Onmitsukidou will have to do."