Chapter Fifty: Dengon
"It's unusual to see you lurking around the Thirteenth Division this early in the morning."
Kirio crossed the courtyard to greet her friend, a look of surprise on her features. "What's up, Shikiki? Did you want to see Taichou? I'm not sure he's up yet. He's been rather pushing himself and so he spent yesterday in bed...is that why you're here?"
"Juu-nii?" Shikiki looked startled, then shook her head, moving to grasp Kirio's hands loosely in hers in greeting. "No. I didn't know he was ill - is he all right? A lot of things have been happening, and with Houjou-san out of action...but I hadn't realised."
"He's all right, I think," Kirio grinned. "And it isn't stress. He was apparently fighting someone, somewhere - though the details have all been hushed up and not even I've been told about it. Naoko-san said he was a reckless idiot - that's a direct quote - and we're to let him sleep it off before he makes it a bigger deal. But Edogawa-san was here yesterday as well, bringing a message from Fourth - and I think she treated him before she went back."
"I see," Shikiki sighed, leaning up against the wall of the division. "It's all go here as well, then, isn't it?"
"Do you expect anything else?" Kirio looked quizzical. "I understood you'd been treating Shirogane-dono at the Fourth, so you must know - this may not be a war situation yet, but it is definitely an emergency one."
"I have, and it is, and I really haven't had a chance to think of anything else," Shikiki groaned. "I'm sorry, Kirio. I came to speak to you about that, actually. There's something I want to ask you. Something that's bothering me, and it won't go away."
"About Shirogane-dono?" Kirio stared. "I barely know him, and I'm not a healer. Why me?"
"It's not about healing, and it's not about him, not really," Shikiki linked arms in her friend's, leading her back across the courtyard to the main building. "I'll come see Juu-nii, then I can pretend I'm here for healing reasons, and maybe he should know about this too. But I really wanted to ask about Kohaku. About whether he had any more dreams. In particular, whether he had any dreams last night."
"Koku?" Kirio stopped dead, eying her friend as if she had grown another head. "Why Koku?"
"Something's bothering me," Shikiki confessed. "I didn't know how to raise it to Madeki-dono, not without any proof, and Shirogane-nii...well, he was still sleeping when I left, thank goodness, and I'd rather have all the facts before I go back and speak to him again. I just wondered, about Kohaku. Please, humour me. I'll explain when I know - if I can - but it's bothering me."
"I see," Kirio looked grave. "You're serious, so obviously this has wider implications. All right, I'll try. I don't know the answer to your question myself, but Koku is probably in the mess hall right now. I'm on early duty, but I don't suppose he's got drill just yet, and I don't think he's out of barracks today. How about you come see him first, and ask him yourself? Taichou wouldn't bother, if it's you, and we could all go to Ugendou. I think if it's important, he probably should know, but if it's just to put your mind at rest..."
"I'd like to see Kohaku," Shikiki felt relief flood up inside her. "Thank you, Kirio-chan. And we can go to Ugendou. I think Juu-nii should know, even if it's nothing. I want it to be nothing - but I've known Shirogane-nii a long time. I've treated him before...and...I don't know. It just doesn't feel right."
"Well, the mess hall is in here, though you are going to have to justify pulling a hungry seated officer from his food early," Kirio's eyes twinkled, and she rested her hands on the window sill, poking her head into the bustling chamber that comprised the Thirteenth's mess hall. "I see him, but he's all the way over there. Hey! Yatsubashi!" As Shinobu moved past the window, almost dropping his tray in surprise at her call. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. Can you do me a favour?"
"Yes, ma'am," Shinobu quickly gathered his wits, nodding his head. "What can I do?"
"Go grab Kohaku for me, will you? My colleague from Fourth wants a word with him, and we're going to Ugendou, so tell him to meet us there. Tell him it's important, please."
"Yes, ma'am." Shinobu set his tray down on the pile, bowing to acknowledge the instruction. "I understand. I'll tell him."
"Thank you." Kirio grinned, grabbing Shikiki by the arm once more. "And actually, we'll go direct to Taichou, I think. If he's not awake, it's probably not seemly for a lower seat to burst in on him, so I think it better we meet Kohaku there."
"You haven't asked me for details," as both women dropped out of shunpo on the narrow wooden bridge that led to the Captain's office chamber, Shikiki cast her friend a pensive glance. "I've come into your Division and demanded to see people, and you haven't asked me to tell you what brought me here."
"You asked me to humour you," Kirio reminded her. "I trust you, and you're not someone who makes drama unnecessarily. And if it's important, Taichou should hear about it too. Why waste time telling it twice? Once is enough, and we both have duties enough to fill our day without delaying them."
She strode across the bridge, curling her fist to rap sharply on the door of the office. "Taichou? It's Kirio. Are you awake? Shikiki's come to see you - I think she wants to make sure you're in one piece, and she also has something to talk to you about."
There was a moment of silence, and Kirio was about to knock a second time, when a voice, slightly hoarse but clearly awake came back through the wood divide.
"Come in, Kirio. I'm up."
"He sounds like he's been coughing," Shikiki grimaced, as Kirio obediently slid back the door, leading the way inside, to where the Captain was sitting at his writing desk, dressed in his shihakushou but with an extra warm robe over his shoulders, rather than his haori of office. He glanced up at their entrance, offering them a rueful smile and gesturing for them to come and sit down. "Hello, Shikiki. Please tell me you didn't come here to poke and prod at me - I am quite a good deal better today after a proper rest, and I'm sure I don't need a healer."
"I was concerned when Kirio told me, and I can tell you've been coughing," Shikiki eyed her adoptive brother with a resigned smile. "But you don't look flushed and I suppose I can believe you. Apparently you were recklessly fighting people. Is that true?"
"I couldn't possibly comment, it might incriminate me," Juushirou's expression became rueful. "But I really am all right. And how can I help you? Kirio said you had something to speak to me about, and I imagine if you came this early, it must be important."
"I wish I knew what it was," Shikiki sighed, sinking down onto one of the many cushions that were dotted around Ugendou's floor, as Kirio followed suit. "I might be overthinking it, but I might not. And if I'm not, I feel like someone should know about it - even if I don't really know what I want to say or how. I suppose I wanted to talk about it off the record, because Taichou is already rushed off her feet with everything and I don't want to waste her time if it really is nothing."
"That sounds helpful," Kirio shot her friend a playful glance. "Taichou, Shikiki wanted to know if Koku had had any strange dreams last night. I asked Yatsubashi to tell him to come here, because I don't know the answer and it seemed important. But I don't know why."
"Koku?" Juushirou's brow creased in confusion. "I wouldn't know, either. At the very least, he didn't have a dream that woke the whole Division. But he often has dreams and mostly they don't have the effect of the one the other night. Yesterday..." he faltered, then, "well, my trip from here was based on information he gave me, which proved to be accurate. But I don't know if that was really a dream as such. Why, Shikiki? What happened last night that makes you worried?"
Shikiki bit her lip. Then, very slowly, she explained the previous night's disturbance, from Shirogane's dream, to his apparent sleepwalking, and their subsequent conversation.
"Shirogane-nii isn't the kind of person to follow flights of fancy like that," she concluded, looking troubled. "I could put it down to trauma from what he went through, but it's the way he described it that bothered me. That it was real, even though it wasn't. He likened it to the hallucinations he had after Ribari-sama died, on account of that hallucinogenic. And I'm sure that, when I first got to his room, I could sense the reiatsu of the person who attacked both him and Guren-sama around his aura. I suppose I wondered whether this was also a hallucination...maybe a bigger case of reiatsu poisoning than I first thought - or something else."
"I see," Juushirou spoke sombrely. "So you came here to find out if Koku picked up on anything last night, to see if what Shirogane-dono saw might have basis in fact?"
"Mm. Something like that." Shikiki agreed. "It just didn't seem like a normal nightmare. Things he said...it made me uneasy. And he was really scared, Juu-nii. He said he'd never been so scared."
Before Juushirou could respond, there was a hesitant knock at the door, and the Captain raised his gaze to the divide.
"Come in, Koku. It's all right." he called, and the door slid slowly back to reveal the Division's twelfth seat, a look of consternation on his young features.
"Yatsubashi-kun said you wanted me, Kirio-san," he said softly. "He told me that I should come here...is something wrong?"
"We hope not," Kirio grimaced. "Sorry, Koku, for hoicking you out of breakfast. You're not in trouble, it's nothing like that. I think it's rather that we want your advice on something - if you don't mind."
"My advice?" Kohaku looked perplexed. "I don't understand."
"This is an area you are infinitely better placed to advise than anyone else, it seems," Juushirou gestured for the younger man to join them, and Kohaku did so, settling himself cautiously at the edge of the circle and eying his Captain uncertainly. "Shikiki came here because she wanted to know if you had had any other strange dreams since the last time you and I spoke, yesterday morning."
"Strange dreams?" Kohaku was surprised. Shikiki nodded.
"Particularly whether you had any dreams last night," she agreed. "I'm sorry for the odd question, Kohaku, but I'd be grateful if you'd tell me all the same."
Kohaku's brows knitted together and he shook his head.
"Not last night," he replied slowly. "I slept right through. I was shattered. I didn't sleep very well the night before, and the one before that I think everyone knows about...but last night I was fine. Why? Did something happen that I should know about?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Juushirou sighed heavily. "All right. If that's the case, then I don't suppose you can help us any further. I'm sorry we disturbed you, Koku. You may go."
"Yes, sir," Kohaku looked thoroughly bemused, Shikiki thought, but he obediently scrambled to his feet, turning to bow towards the higher ranking officers. "I'm sorry I wasn't of more help."
With that he was gone, the door sliding shut behind him, and Shikiki sighed, glancing at her brother.
"You don't want him to know about Shirogane-dono's dream?"
"If he didn't dream it, there's no reason why he should," Juushirou said simply. "He's been unwell these past few days, really - but I could tell when he came in that his colour was better and the shadows were gone from under his eyes. He told us the truth, so whatever it was that disturbed Shirogane-dono, it didn't disturb Koku."
"So that means Shirogane-dono's dream was just a nightmare, maybe caused by reiatsu poisoning?" Kirio asked. Shikiki hesitated, then she shrugged.
"I really don't think it was," she admitted. "I understand why you didn't want to tell him the details, Juu-nii, but I would've liked Kohaku to come speak to Shirogane-dono himself. I want to know if this dream sounds like something that could be real - and Kohaku is probably the only one who would know the answer to that."
Juushirou was silent for a moment, his eyes grave.
"I'll trust this to you two, providing you keep it to yourselves," he said quietly. "There's a chance that Koku might be a target for one of these rogue individuals who have gatecrashed our society and who are hell-bent on causing chaos in our ranks. If possible, I want to keep him far from any of the details of this until we know exactly how to stop it and how to keep him safe. I don't know what Shirogane-dono's dream meant, if anything, but I don't really want Koku more involved in this than he has to be. I don't want to give him a trigger to start investigating things for himself. Enishi told him to report everything to Naoko or I if he had another vision, so if he said he didn't, then he didn't. And talking to Shirogane-dono might set him back...especially if there's toxic reiatsu in Shirogane-dono's aura. Koku's senses are sensitive, and I don't want another full scale delusional meltdown if I can help it."
"I suppose that makes sense," Kirio chewed on her lip. "Poor Koku. I'm sorry, Taichou. I didn't know it was like that."
"Me neither," Shikiki admitted. "I'm sorry too, Juu-nii. I just...don't think Shirogane-dono's dream was just a dream. And it bothers me. I want to tell him it's all right and it won't happen again, but I don't know if it will. I don't know what caused it. And I can't help thinking that it is important."
"Do you think Shirogane-dono is seeing the future, now?" Kirio shot her friend a startled glance. Shikiki shrugged.
"Or the past, maybe," she suggested helplessly. "I don't know. Kohaku's visions can come from old and dead reishi and reiatsu, can't they? I suppose I'm wondering if that is like this. If maybe what Shirogane-nii saw is something that could help us in stopping these people - a memory or something from that guy's past. He takes Knowledge, so it would make sense that some of it lingered around Shirogane-nii. That would make more sense than seeing the future. Shirogane-nii is smart, but he's not a prophet. I don't think even being attacked by a Royal sword would give someone that ability."
"Who really knows," Juushirou looked thoughtful. "But there is very little to go on. It's true, Koku might have been able to pinpoint the details more clearly, but I am wary about allowing that because of the potential impact it might have - on both of them. Koku's reiatsu is not necessarily friendly when he pushes that line, and Shirogane-dono might take the brunt of it. I tend to agree with you, Shikiki, that it's unlikely what Shirogane-dono saw was a premonition, and it might just have been a traumatised hallucination brought on by the stress of that fight for his life and the aftermath. Either way, unless he remembers more details, there's not a lot we can do to investigate it. Not if he doesn't know where it took place or who was involved."
"Dreams are often vague about details like that," Kirio added. "Maybe that is all it was."
"Maybe, but he was so insistant that it felt real, I want to believe him," Shikiki groaned. "But Juu-nii, I know you're right. We don't know anything, not really. Shirogane-nii said himself that in the dream he wanted to know things, but he seemed to wake up before he really learned anything important. The reiatsu is fading from his aura, so maybe that made it less clear."
She got to her feet, inclining her head towards her brother and her friend.
"I'll go back to Fourth, and if he's awake, I'll talk to him about it some more and see what he remembers now," she decided. "I'm sorry to have bothered you so early...thank you for talking it out with me."
"I don't know that we've really been much help, all told," Juushirou reflected, and Shikiki offered him a sad smile.
"It might just be me making a fuss about nothing," she replied. "I've just never seen Shirogane-nii as frightened as that. And when he told me what he saw, I was frightened, too. Because even though it was unbelievable, the things he said...for some reason, I believed."
"I'm not really looking forward to this."
Tenichi fiddled nervously with the tie of his obi, casting his companion a look of apprehension. "It's not a good thing to be summoned by the Captain by name. Not when you just broke bounds, slipped through Dangai interdicts and ran riot around some weird Hollow world with a wanted fugitive. Even worse when you're on parole."
"Yeah, you really don't do things by halves, do you?" His roommate, Nakata, cast the younger man a lazy, amused smile from where he had been lounging on his bunk, taking advantage of the early morning lull in his training schedule. "I wouldn't worry. You're still walking wounded. I'm sure the Taichou will go easy on you."
"Do you think so?" Tenichi paused in his attempts to make the obi fabric lie against the black shihakushou more neatly, turning to glance at his friend and raising an eyebrow. "If that mattered, I'd still be in District Four. I would be now, given that three of my ribs are properly cracked and they still ache pretty good. But Taichou requested specifically that I be sent back to report. And...well...Taichou is..."
"Thorough?" Nakata suggested. Tenichi snorted, shaking his head.
"Terrifying," he replied darkly. "You don't know, Nakata-san. You've never been in trouble with him. I have. And I don't really want to go back to jail, but I swear, it would be better than facing the Wind Hawk. I mean, if he's really angry."
"You were following Ohara," Nakata sighed, pulling himself up from his bunk and striding across the chamber to clamp firm hands down on the other man's slender shoulders. "You couldn't let a senior officer make a moron of himself on his own, Kotetsu. We both know that. You were assigned to nanny the idiot, and you did. Ohara told Fukutaichou that it was his fault. He's taken responsibility, and he's still in one piece...technically speaking. He's not well enough to be summoned, that's all. You're up and about, so clearly you are. Your ribs may be cracked, but they're not serious. He took what was probably a life-threatening blow, from how you describe it. Lucky that it was District Four, or he'd probably not be around to be your alibi. As he is, you shouldn't sweat it too much. It doesn't seem like Taichou's too mad at him."
"And he is an Endou Clansman from a pretty influential family," Tenichi pointed out. "Which almost certainly would bail him out in this situation. Whereas I'm not Clan and not Endou. And I'm on probation. Three strikes already."
"But Ohara claimed responsibility, and to disobey him would be insubordination, which is what you'd really be in trouble for, surely?" Nakata reasoned. "According to the rumours, the Thirteenth's Kidou whiz was apparently also at Eleventh when your old Fuku ripped Ikata and the others to shreds. Stories are he put a barrier around the place, to keep people from interfering - but he's not been arrested and he's not in trouble. He obeyed orders. So did you. Not your fault if the orders were crazy. I think you shouldn't worry. Ohara's manned up and admitted it was his idea. You can just pass it all off on his overly dramatic head, and you'll be fine."
"No..." Tenichi chewed on his lip, carefully detaching Nakata's hold and moving to sink down on his own bunk. "No. It's not like that. I mean, it was Ohara's mad whim and I did go after him to bring him back. And he wasn't going to listen to me, so I decided I shouldn't abandon him. But...it's more than that. I felt like I was doing it for Souja-dono, too. Because he wasn't there to rush recklessly into danger to find his missing sister...and that was part my fault. So I did it. Because he couldn't."
"Kotetsu..." Nakata paused, slowly shaking his head. "Now you're being an idiot. Nobody blames you for what happened to Souja-dono. You don't have to do anything on his behalf."
"Maybe. Maybe not," Tenichi shrugged helplessly. "All I know is, I feel better about my being here if I feel I'm doing something he'd approve of. And I know he charged into danger just on my account...so if it was Kikyue-dono, he'd not even stop to think."
"Well, tell the Taichou that," Nakata suggested, dropping down beside him. "He'll commend you for loyalty, even if it's idiot loyalty, and that will be that."
"And Katsura?" Tenichi sent his friend a doubtful look. "Taichou hates him and I more or less promised when I came back here that I'd be happy to kill the man if the opportunity arose. But I'm not sure I feel like that now. I'm a bit worried, Nakata-san. I feel like...I might not be able to kill him, even if Taichou did order me to."
"I see," Nakata looked thoughtful.
"I don't really know what I'm going to say about it, when Taichou asks," Tenichi added. "I have to say something, of course - but..."
"Tenichi? Aren't you ready yet? Broken ribs don't excuse slow dressing, and I'm going to take you to the office no matter what state of attire you're in!"
Before Tenichi could finish his sentence, the door of the chamber was flung back to reveal Kikyue, her expression one of irritation. Tenichi let out a yelp at the suddenness of the intrusion, and Nakata chuckled, clapping his hand against Tenichi's spine.
"Looks like it's time to face the music," he said, amused. "I'll come sweep up the bits of you when you're done, if you like. I have no plans right now. Training is later and patrols are off."
"I'm ready, anyway," Tenichi shot Nakata a dark look, getting to his feet and bowing his head in Kikyue's direction. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lag. I'm coming, Kikyue-hime."
"Good," Kikyue looked slightly relieved, Tenichi thought, and with a jolt he realised that she too was nervous. Although on their return to barracks, Hirata had greeted his daughter with affection and relief, this was official business, and Tenichi remembered that Kikyue, too, had allowed Katsura to escape the scene unfettered.
Maybe she's worried about the Captain's reaction as well. I mean, he won't blast her to pieces - but he might have stern words. She was the officer in charge. I suppose it rests with her even more than it does with me.
Tenichi grimaced, following his superior officer along the narrow corridors towards the Captain's office. It was not uncommon for Kikyue to walk in on her male officers in various stages of undress, for she was often impatient and direct about making sure her orders were obeyed. She had a reputation for dragging drunken recruits from the arms of brothel courtesans without even the slightest of hesitation or embarrassment, and Tenichi knew that, had she walked in on him in the nude, it would have been he, not she, who would've been eternally mortified from the encounter. It was one of the many things about the young Endou hime that made her a unique and unpredictable commander, but, although he had been in prison for the past five years, Tenichi knew that the death of Souja had affected Kikyue irreversably. She was a different officer from the one that he had originally been assigned to when he had arrived at the Seventh - more serious and more fixed on the well-being of her men. She had put Ohara's life before the urge to hunt or kill Katsura for his connection to the Aizen family, but Tenichi understood that she was as unsure as he was about Hirata's perspective on that decision.
I suppose it's not very Endou, to worry about the life of another when your prey is in the way. But I prefer that way of thinking. It reminds me of Souja-dono. I wonder if that's where she learned it - or if this is just Kikyue-hime's true nature coming out, now she has to stand on her own two feet in the world to support her Father and her family. Well, we're all older and wiser. Let's hope we all get to live a little longer to grow even older and even wiser. It's never for sure when your Captain is capable of separating you into atoms.
"You seem tense," As they reached the office door, Kikyue sent Tenichi a sidelong glance, and he started, then groaned, nodding his head slowly.
"I suppose so," he agreed evasively. "I'm still pretty sore, as well. I was thinking that I'm not in the best shape, should I need to run or fight for my life in there."
"Fight?" Kikyue looked pensive for a moment, then she shrugged. "I don't know what Father will say," she admitted, "but I'm not going to let him do anything to you. Ohara took responsibility, but even if he didn't, I am glad you did what you did. That's off the record," she added hastily, as Tenichi's eyes widened. "I shouldn't say it, because every part of it was wrong, irresponsible and risky. But I know that you and Ohara coming into the Dangai saved not only my life but also the others as well. We collapsed on re-entry because we'd used up all our spiritual resources, but we hadn't even realised it because that atmosphere is so strange. We couldn't have fought those Hollows to get out on our own. None of us could. And as for Katsura..."
Her lips thinned for a moment, and she didn't continue. Tenichi glanced at her, but decided it was better to remain silent, and Kikyue raised a fist, knocking purposefully on the door of the office. Hirata's voice called them in, and Kikyue slid the divide carefully open, stepping softly into the room beyond. Tenichi hesitated for a moment, then followed her, moving towards the desk and bowing his head respectfully towards his Captain.
There was a moment of silence, and then Tenichi heard Hirata sigh.
"Raise your heads, both of you," he said quietly. "I want to talk to you, and I'd like to do it face to face."
"Yes, sir," both officers acquiesced, Tenichi feeling his heart pounding beneath his cracked ribcage as Hirata's pale gaze drifted in his direction.
"Kotetsu Tenichi," he said, his words slow and measured. "You do remember that you are still, technically, on parole?"
Tenichi flinched, then winced, letting out a gasp as he jarred his injured ribs. Instinctively his hand drew up towards his chest, and at the sight of his discomfort, Kikyue frowned.
"Taichou, may I speak?" she asked softly, and Hirata pressed his lips together, turning to gaze at his daughter quizzically. Kikyue faltered for a moment, then rallied her courage, bowing her head once more towards her father.
"Taichou, I'd like it put on record that without the involvement of Ohara Masayuki and Kotetsu Tenichi, my companions and I would have died in that place." she said evenly. "They may have broken rules to do it, but it was done from loyalty to me and therefore I must take my share of the blame. Had I handled the mission better, I would've found a way out sooner. I am responsible as they are and if you are to punish them, please see fit to punish me as well. I was entrusted with a task and I let you down - not least by losing the life of one officer. I am clearly deserving of punishment."
"Kikyue..." Hirata seemed taken aback by this solemn speech. He let his breath out in a rush, placing his hands down on the surface of the desk and slowly shaking his head.
"I am not going to punish you," he said at length. "Nor you, Tenichi, although you are extremely lucky that I am feeling lenient. I didn't call you here for that. I called you to report - in unadulterated detail - about what happened in the Dangai, from start to finish."
"Not...punish?" Tenichi blinked, half sure he had misheard, and Hirata offered him a wry smile.
"You are fortunate this time," he said evenly. "I happen to know that what Kikyue says is true. Hajime reported to me on the medical condition of all my officers on leaving the Dangai. I know they were exhausted. It is clear that your intervention, however stupid, helped save lives. You are lucky that I consider the life of my daughter and those of my officers to supersede disciplinary proceedings - but you should not make a habit of derelicting your post. You may not be able to hide behind your heroics the next time."
"Yes, sir," relief coursed through Tenichi's veins, and he returned the Captain's smile with a sheepish one of his own. "I'm really sorry, Taichou. It was stupid and reckless and I know that. Even with O...with Masayuki-dono taking charge, I knew it was a crazy thing to do. But...I just...I wanted to help too, I suppose. I should've come back and reported, but in that moment, it made more sense to go along."
"Well, it all ended successfully, and I have ascertained that disciplinary procedures regarding the Dangai breach lie with me as your Captain, and not with Kai-dono as your gaoler," Hirata reflected. "In any case, I understand that this action, unlike the one five years ago, was done with the interests of your comrades foremost in your mind. I don't mind loyalty, but next time try not to put yourself in mortal danger. Funerals are expensive and disrupt my schedules."
"Yes, sir," Tenichi saluted, and Kikyue heaved a great sigh.
"You could have said so sooner," she murmured, shooting her father a reproachful look. Hirata shrugged.
"Your sense of loyalty to your officer and your understanding of your rank and responsibility is impeccable," he replied calmly. "In any case, that's all by the way. You both have different experiences of what happened, and so between you I feel sure I can get a full story. I still don't totally understand what happened to Sanekata, which I must understand if I am to write properly to his kinsfolk, but we will come to that in a bit. Firstly, I want to know what involvement - if any - was played in this by Aizen Katsura."
Kikyue and Tenichi exchanged looks, and Hirata tut-tutted under his breath.
"You didn't think I didn't know about his role in this?" he asked quietly. "Even though nobody reported it to Hajime, I have other sources. I wonder if you are aware that it was Katsura who alerted medical attention to come to your aid? He brought a healer to you all before disappearing into the forests."
"He did?" Kikyue's eyes widened, and Hirata nodded.
"I have it on good authority from a witness that I consider viable," he said simply. "It confuses me about his intentions more than ever. Apparently he made it clear that he knew who you were, Kikyue - and he wanted me to know that he wasn't interested in killing you, even though he had the opportunity. Apparently he considered it important enough a message that he risked showing himself to a shinigami to convey it." He sighed. "And the thing that vexes me is that I am inclined to believe he meant it. But I would like to know - both of you - your impressions of the man and his intent."
"Tenichi?" Kikyue glanced at her subordinate. "You came in with him. You seemed to know what he would do better than we did. You should answer that."
"I don't really know how to," Tenichi admitted. "But I'm not...surprised, Taichou. I mean, that he helped us. I don't...think he's the monster people think he is. I think...he messed up five years ago, but...well...so did I. And I guess...well..."
"You see a similarity?" Hirata pressed softly. Tenichi reddened, nodding his head.
"Yes. I really do."
"One forged in bloodlines, maybe?"
"No..." Tenichi hesitated, then shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. He said that I was an ally of Kohaku's, so that made me his ally, even if I was a shinigami. But the way he spoke about things...I believed him. And he did save me from a Hollow," he put his hand to his chest. "I would've been dead otherwise. He used his spirit power in there a lot to stop them. My sword is still not fully compliant, and there's no wood in that place, so even if I could have released it, I would've been at a disadvantage. But he wasn't. He could control the Hollows and he could kill them. And he did both - but he controlled them to fight each other, so we could get away."
"He also destroyed the Hollow that hurt Ohara," Kikyue added quietly. "He could've killed all of us, or stranded us there at the very least. It bothers me a little bit too, Otousama. I mean, Taichou. Why he did it. What he wants."
"He wants to protect his brother," Tenichi said frankly. "I understand that, because I've been there too. It's hard when you have a brother you know doesn't need your protection any more - or you think he does, but you don't know how to do it. It's hard to explain, really. Especially when you've messed up and it means you can't see that brother, or maybe even think you've lost the bond forever. I felt like that, in jail, after what happened at Thirteenth, so maybe I'm just projecting my own feelings on him - but I think he did want to protect Kohaku. He said...well, it sounded like he felt Kohaku was involved in this somehow. Not because he wanted to be, but that it was linked to him somehow. And he didn't want Kohaku to be hurt, but because Kohaku's a shinigami, he can't protect him himself."
"Did Katsura mention seeing his brother?" Hirata asked softly. Tenichi pursed his lips, considering.
"He said he saw one of those Gates react to Kohaku's reiatsu, and that he intervened when Kohaku was attacked by a corpse," he said thoughtfully. "I felt like he was watching his brother from afar, because if he let Kohaku know he was there, it would get them both into trouble."
"So he spoke to you instead?"
"It wasn't quite like that," Tenichi sighed. "On the day we went into the Dangai, sir, Fukutaichou asked me to keep an eye to Masayuki-dono because he was...worried about Kikyue-hime and the others."
"I asked Hajime to take Ohara out of the rota," Hirata agreed. "I'm not surprised he gave you that instruction, since you can't currently train juniors and therefore would have been free. Go on."
"Yes. Well, I got distracted," Tenichi looked ashamed. "By Ketsui. He came to Seventh. I didn't expect him, but it was the first time I saw him since my release, and everything was quiet. We spoke for a while and then he left. Once he had, I went to check on Masayuki-dono, but he wasn't in his room. I thought he might have gone to the Gate, as it was the last place Kikyue-hime and the others were, and when I got there, he and Katsura were already facing off. I caught Katsura with Kidou, but he broke through it. He proposed a deal - that he'd help us get into the Dangai, if we let him escape afterwards. He said he had his own reasons for investigating, and when we were in there, I realised that Kohaku was at the root of it. I spoke to him quite a lot - on a few occasions Masayuki-dono went to scout, and I was left alone with him. He was never hostile to me. It would've been easy to let a Hollow kill me, but he didn't. And though I know Keitarou used that tactic on me too, to try and win my trust, it didn't seem the same. Katsura didn't seem like a person with a master plan, really. I think he was sort of making it up as he went along, to be honest. But because of that, I believed in the things he said. I didn't see him as a threat."
"And so you didn't threaten him?"
"I didn't," Tenichi admitted. "I know what I said to you, Taichou, when I was released, but...in there, I felt we were on the same side. I didn't want to kill him. I felt like we were working together, and - at least in there - we could trust him not to turn on us."
"If he called the healers to you, perhaps that instinct was justified," Hirata rubbed at the creases that lined his brow. "Very well. Then I should assume his motivation in all of this is to ensure Kohaku's safety, and that supersedes any sense of grievance he might have towards the Gotei for the loss of his father?"
"He said he didn't have one," Tenichi remembered. "He told me that Keitarou disowned him, because he wanted to avenge his sister. He said that he realised, then, that to Keitarou, he and his siblings were pawns in the bigger political agenda. Apparently Keitarou didn't come and rescue him the day Hajime-dono shot him down. Someone else did. He didn't say who. Someone else healed him, and he said he felt indebted to that person for giving him his life. Apparently whoever it was who took care of him told him to atone for his misdeeds, and he said that was what he was trying to do." He smiled sadly. "I'm doing that too, so I guess I understood."
"Someone else healed him," Hirata's eyes were like slits. "I see. That is interesting, if slightly concerning, although it does make sense of a few questions I had outstanding. You believe that his obligation to this person is enough to keep him from hostility towards shinigami?"
"He said they weren't his enemy and he wasn't interested in the Endou," Tenichi agreed. "He wanted to keep Kohaku safe, even if Kohaku wanted to be a shinigami and that meant they couldn't meet any more."
"Not just that," Kikyue frowned. "I remember, now, but Katsura said he didn't like dead people running around Seireitei. And he also said it was nothing to do with him or his father...he did say we weren't enemies. I know he was being truthful, Taichou, because he talked about other shinigami that came out of that place - and I know they exist. I met them. Tenichi didn't, but the rest of us on the original patrol did. We spoke to both of them."
"You met them?" Hirata's eyes flashed with alarm at this, and Kikyue nodded grimly.
"Apparently the officers from Eleventh were killed and turned into zombies by them," she added darkly. "That's what we were told, anyway. We thought they might be Dangai criminals...if the zombie story is true, they certainly sound like criminals."
"The zombie part is still not officially proven, but it seems increasingly likely," Hirata groaned. "If you met those shinigami, Kikyue, you and your men are lucky to be alive. They seem quite hostile since they arrived on this side of the divide...and their aims are muddled and unclear, but causing havoc seems to be a part of it."
"They weren't hostile to us," Kikyue remembered. "Although one of them did lock us in an annoying room. But they didn't want to kill us. I guess whatever they did want, it wasn't us.""
"But it was the Eleventh?" Tenichi's eyes became slits, and Hirata eyed him quizzically.
"Tenichi?"
"I don't know," Tenichi admitted. "Just seems strange, that's all. To kill one group, and not the other. I didn't feel like it was a random attack, before, but it didn't make sense that someone would single out the Eleventh as a target and that would be the whole picture. Why not kill Kikyue-hime and her companions and send them back to cause chaos too? It must have been specific to the Eleventh, but attacking Eleventh was still only one small piece of a much bigger scheme. Why spare Kikyue-hime otherwise?"
"Because I'm a girl, maybe," Kikyue said bitterly, and despite himself, Hirata laughed.
"You should not be offended by that, if it means you are alive to report back and complete your duty," he chided her. "Don't sulk because these creatures decided not to kill you."
"I know, but if that is why, it makes me angry." Kikyue sighed. "Anyway. Whatever the reason, we don't know it. Although...the older one, Kunimori-dono...he seemed much more interested in the Eleventh, anyway. I mean, he was a Yamamoto, so..."
"Yes, I also have heard that," Hirata reflected. Kikyue nodded.
"He was very excited when he heard Ikata was one too," she recalled. "He asked all kinds of annoying questions about the Clan and what was going on and other small talk. Things like who the Clan Leader was now, and who Ikata was, and really boring stuff like that. I don't know. I don't even know if he was really a Yamamoto. But Ikata seemed to believe him. He carried some kind of badge or insignia that Ikata made sense of, so maybe he was. He was really polite and courteous to us, but he was also a bit creepy, so I was quite happy when they went off together and left us to our own devices."
"He asked who the Clan Leader was? He asked for his name?"
Hirata's expression became one of consternation, and Kikyue nodded.
"Yes. Ikata was only too happy to babble all about it. He was being all self-important, so I guess he was showing off for our benefit. The Yamamoto have a longer pedigree in Seireitei than we do, and I guess he was rubbing it in. Why? What about it?"
"He gave Yuuichi-sama's name to this individual." Hirata's lips set in a grim line. He got to his feet, casting his two startled officers a worried look.
"I will return in a moment," he said softly. "That piece of information may be very important. It seems that this Kunimori casts spells using the person's name, and Yuuichi-sama is currently away from Inner Seireitei. I must send a message to First District, so that he is on his guard should he meet with this person. Their whereabouts is unknown, but it seems likely Kunimori is looking for District One, and your account reinforces his interest in the Yamamoto."
With that he was gone, leaving the door half open behind him in his haste.
"A name spell?" despite himself, Tenichi felt a chill go down his spine. Kikyue shivered.
"A name spell," she whispered. "I never thought of it, but now I am. Tenichi, the other one - the one who locked us up - he asked if we gave our names to Kunimori. He said something about names being powerful and that they shouldn't be easily given. He was warning me - warning us - not to give that information lightly. If we had, what then? Did he lock us up to keep us safe from such a fate? He didn't seem to want to hurt us...but...his aura...it was like death, and I suppose..."
She trailed off, and Tenichi bit his lip.
"Do you think it is a vendetta against the Yamamoto Clan, Kikyue-dono?" he asked softly. Kikyue shrugged.
"I don't know, but it sounds like it could be," she replied. "Father looked worried. It's serious. It's also not just about the Eleventh. Something else has happened here in our absence."
"Something happened in Sixth District, the day we met Katsura in the forest, and the day we came after you," Tenichi recalled slowly. "Katsura said it was two shinigami causing trouble at the main house there. He said that he'd heard it from someone from the Kuchiki estate, who had been going to get help. I don't know how he got his intel, or how he got someone from the Kuchiki to give it to him - but it seems as though what he said was about these two people. He said they'd come out of the Gate - that it had been forced open and that it had been stupid for the Gotei to send in shinigami."
"We should've taken him prisoner after all," Kikyue muttered.
"Hime?" Tenichi looked confused, and Kikyue sighed.
"I want to ask him a lot of questions," she admitted. "I don't believe he's responsible, and it annoys me. He knows things we need to know...lots of them, probably, if he's been dancing in and out of the Dangai and all over Rukongai and Seireitei. But...I don't believe he killed the people in the Rukon. I think it was the corpses. I think...he's on our side, Tenichi. But I want to take him prisoner anyway. I want to make him answer things that you can only get out of people when you put them in cages."
"And then what?" Tenichi asked softly. "Quietly put him to death for the murder of the healers?"
"You really are sympathetic to him, now, aren't you?" Kikyue arched an eyebrow, and Tenichi sighed, running his hands through his reddish hair.
"I don't know," he owned. "I see myself in him, maybe. Perhaps that's all. But I don't...hate him. And I...think Seireitei still hates him too much to listen to him without hurting him. That's all."
"He does deserve to be hurt, you know. He took innocent lives. Maybe soldier lives are one thing, but healers...that's another."
"Yes..." Tenichi hesitated for a moment, then, "but that was Keitarou. I know it was, Kikyue-dono. I was only in Keitarou's company a short time and he drove me to attempt murder on at least three occasions, just by making me so paranoid that I felt I had to kill people, in order to keep Ketsui safe, and keep myself safe. I don't know, even now, how he did it, or what went wrong inside of me...but I know it didn't completely fix in prison. I am not the same person now because that man manipulated me. And Katsura grew up with him. I can't help it. I don't believe he's evil. He hasn't done anything to anyone since Keitarou died and Kohaku came here. He said shinigami aren't his enemy because they're allies of his brother, and I believe him. So I'm glad we didn't get to lock him up."
"But it would be helpful to know what else he knows."
"Perhaps."
Tenichi bit his lip, turning back towards Hirata's desk.
"I just have this bad feeling that this is a long way from over," he said softly. "To see Endou-taichou look worried like that, and to break up interrogating us to go send a message...this is something big. Something that puts Keitarou and his antics to shame. I just have this feeling..."
"Well, both Minaichi-taichou and apparently Guren-sama are out of action," Kikyue said grimly. "All the more reason for everyone else to stick and work together. Taichou is right, in the long run - not punishing you or I for our mistakes. Right now it's more important to deal with the bigger enemy...and I think you're right. Whatever we've come back to, it's just as dangerous as what's going on in the Dangai. And we need to all get on top of it, even if that means letting Katsura's involvement go, before someone else is badly hurt."
"Genryuusai-sensei! Genryuusai-sensei!"
As Genryuusai closed the door of the Sakusen classroom, he heard the breathless voice of one of his Senior students and he frowned, turning to regard the young man with a look of consternation. He was a calm soul, not usually given to flights of fancy or drama, and so the fact that this youth had clearly run all the way through the school halls - breaking regulations he would normally enforce with the utmost strictness - sent a flicker of unease through the old man's body.
"Akechi," he murmured, holding up his hands to stop the young man's headlong flight. "This isn't like you! Running around the halls - what if the juniors saw it?"
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to break rules," Akechi's cheeks, already flushed with exertion, reddened further and the mild rebuke. "It's just that Kazoe-sensei said I should come with the utmost speed to find you. It's important, sir. I think...you need to come to your office. Please. Right now."
"I see." Genryuusai frowned, falling into step with his young student as they made their way back down the hallway. "Kazoe sent you? Did he give you any further details about the message or was it just a summons to come to the office at once?"
"Just a summons, sir, but..." Akechi faltered, chewing on his lip. "The truth is, sir, he didn't have to tell me anything. Two or three of us Seniors were going through some advanced Kidou theory points with Kazoe-sensei in the front courtyard, as it was such a nice day and all the classrooms are taken up with summer revision groups at present. A carriage came, sir. It was a Yamamoto carriage. I didn't see who was inside, but Kazoe-sensei did. He spoke to whoever it was, and then told me to go find you. He sent my friends to find Uebashi-sensei and also to find someone from the healing bay as well, so I felt that whoever it was, they were hurt, and so I shouldn't delay."
"No, I can see that your judgement was sound," Genryuusai's eyes became clouded at this remark. "I see you have done your duty, and I will overlook your running in the halls on this occasion. It seems likely this is a message from my Clan, from what you have described. It may mean that this afternoon's Zanjutsu session will be delayed a little. If you could find your classmates and tell them that they are to meet as usual and begin without me if I should be held up. You all have a good grasp of the latent points we were discussing last session, and it would not hurt you to do some revision work of your own for the upcoming examinations. Do not gossip about this occurrence - I would sooner not have rumours spread around the school and distracting the students from their studies at such an important time in the year."
"Yes, sir," As they reached the door of the office, Akechi bowed his head respectfully, then headed off down the main hallway in search of his fellow Seniors. Genryuusai watched him go for a moment, a troubled expression on his features.
Thankfully Kazoe sent a person who obeys instructions and doesn't ask unnecessary questions that might delay proceedings. I imagine he chose Akechi to fetch me because he knew he'd been the quickest and the most diligent in carrying out the instruction - which worries me all the more about what I am here to find. But I am the headmaster, and I must address it, whatever it should be.
He took a deep breath, sliding back the door of the office and stepping inside, seeing that Kazoe was already there waiting for him. There was no sign of a visitor, but Genryuusai's eyes were sharp, and he quickly noticed the stain of blood on the Kidou instructor's slender hands.
"What has occurred, Ginji?" he asked softly, and Kazoe turned to meet his gaze, a grim look in his dark eyes.
"Akechi found you swiftly, then," he observed. "So much to the good, whatever good there might be. I am sure Akechi told you, but there was a visitor from the Clan who seeks an urgent audience with you. I was concerned they were hurt, and I took them to the Healing Bay to be checked over and to change clothes, as they were rather soiled. I'd like to talk to you first though, sir. If you don't mind. I think it would be important that I tell you everything I know in a calm space, because the Healing Bay is anything but that at present."
"I see," Genryuusai's eyes narrowed to slits. "I understood from Akechi that Uebashi was also summoned. This has something to do with the Yamamoto Clan overall?"
"Yes, sir," Kazoe admitted. "I briefed Uebashi and he has now gone to the Healing Bay to attend to the visitors. As he is a Yamamoto, it seemed prudent, so I said I would wait here and speak to you. Not least because I need to give you this."
He fumbled at his obi, producing a sealed box and holding it out to his companion, who took it carefully.
"From Retsu?" he realised, looking surprised. "Not from the Yamamoto?"
"It arrived this morning," Kazoe agreed. "We were all teaching, so it was put here. When I saw her crest, I realised it was probably urgent. I thought to give it to you now, in case it has some relevance. Retsu-sama is an intelligent person and perceptive. And it seems to me as though...there may be a connection between her message and today's visit."
"I will read it," Genryuusai agreed, "but after you brief me on what has occurred here. If someone has arrived here injured, it worries me about what might have caused that injury."
"From what I could gather, there has been some nature of attack at the Yamamoto main estate," Kazoe sighed heavily. "I don't know all the circumstances, but the visitor is a young hime who Uebashi-sensei called Mariko-dono, and she brings with her a tiny infant, no more than a few weeks old. Her robes were soaked in blood and she'd clearly been crying. I think, given the miserable specimen she presents as, it took her some time to obtain a carriage from the local town. She was none too coherent about the details, but it seems that she was sent here by Yuuichi-sama, who has gone to deal with the situation at the main estate. From her words and her condition, it seems as though there have been fatalities, but I am not a Yamamoto, and can't tell you any more than that."
"An attack at the Yamamoto main estate," Genryuusai's grip tightened on the memo in his hand. "All right. I shall go to the Healing Bay and I will speak to Mariko-dono myself. She is Yuuichi-dono's daughter-in-law, and so the child she brings with her is probably her recently born son - but what you say concerns me on a number of levels. The reports we've received here about incidents around Seireitei have been patchy but indicative of some greater hostile intent. If that has now spread to District One, I can't stand apart from it."
He sighed.
"It seems likely that the Seniors will have to amuse themselves this afternoon," he added. "I imagine I'm going to the main estate to assist Yuuichi-dono in whatever way I can, because this kind of thing can clearly not be allowed to happen."
He slit the seal on Retsu's message, removing the wrapped scroll from the box and unrolling it. His gaze darted down the columns of text, his sense of unease growing with every passing moment.
Kunimori-jisama. After all these years...has he finally come for his revenge against me?
He scrunched the message up, tossing it down onto his desk and reaching for the door.
"I am going to speak to Mariko-dono," he said grimly. "I am relying on you to take care of everything else in my absence, Ginji, as I feel it's likely I will have to leave here sooner rather than later and I would like as little fuss as possible."
"I can do that, of course," Kazoe agreed. "And send a return message to Retsu-sama too, if you like. The Seniors can be trusted to take care of themselves, at least, and Uebashi can probably take a statement from this Mariko-dono in your place if you wish to leave at once."
"No..." Genryuusai shook his head. "Your Clan Leader has seen fit to issue me with a warning, and notice of a threat to the Yamamoto in particular, and that requires no immediate reply. I wish I had known sooner of her message, as it has clearly been delayed along the way. It is true that I cannot waste time now, but I must learn from Mariko-dono myself the nature of this incident, because I feel strongly that Knowledge is the only thing that can possibly help my family now."
"Sensei?" Kazoe looked confused, but Genryuusai paid him no mind, slipping into a swift and urgent shunpo that took him quickly to the school Healing Bay. The sound of an infant crying could be heard coming from inside, and he pushed back the door, forcibly composing himself as he remembered that Kazoe had described the visitors as being in a distressed state. As he stepped into the room, Uebashi let out an exclamation, hurrying to greet him with a look of apprehension in his gaze.
"Sensei, thank goodness," he said anxiously. "Kazoe has told you?"
"Yes, and I have learned more from a message from the Fourth Division, too," Genryuusai agreed. He strode past his comrade, approaching the figure that sat, huddled in blankets, on the end of one of the pallet beds. At her side, wriggling and red-faced from his screaming fit lay a tiny infant, and at the sight of such youth and innocence, Genryuusai's heart lurched in his chest. He took a deep breath, moving to crouch at the side of the still trembling young woman.
"Mariko-dono?"
"Genryuusai...sama." Mariko turned opaque eyes on her companion, and Genryuusai could see from her chalky pallor the level of shock the woman had received. In spite of that, and the fact that her eyes were red with tears, she held herself quietly, almost as though she was fighting tooth and nail not to disgrace herself as a hime of the Clan in front of such an important kinsman. She had been dressed in simple Healing Bay robes, but Genryuusai remembered the blood that had stained Kazoe's fingers and he knew that the clean clothing masked the seriousness of whatever had occurred.
"I need you to tell me what has happened." Somehow Genryuusai kept his tones level, and Mariko met his gaze for a moment, then let out a shaky sigh, shifting her attention to her son. She reached out a shaking hand to take his tiny fist in hers, and in that moment of silence, Genryuusai felt the young woman before him gather all of her strength, drawing on years of Clan training in order to control her emotion.
"An individual attacked the main estate," she said softly. "My husband...Hikaru-sama...he and his manservant saw to my escape. I saw...terrible things, Genryuusai-sama. But my husband would not come with me. People were being killed irrespective of who they were - Clan or not, servant or noble. Each person the attacker killed, he demanded the whereabouts of the Clan Leader, but nobody would answer him. And my husband...he..."
She faltered, swallowing hard as tears glittered once more against her lashes.
"I believe he bought me time to escape, with my son," she said unevenly. "But the enemy who attacked was a stranger to all of us. An old man, with hate in his eyes. He was like a demon possessed, cutting people down like they were bamboo trees, not living beings at all. He slew my maidservant...I was covered in her blood as she sought to defend me. And then Hikaru-sama...he told me he would not let anyone lay a blade on me or on my son, and so I must escape. I wanted to stay with him, as a Clan hime should...but..."
She trailed off, her grasp on her son's fist tightening, and Genryuusai understood.
"The future of the Clan is in this infant's every breath," he murmured softly. "And Hikaru-dono knew it, and so he got those most precious to him away to safety. It was a brave act and it saved your life, Mariko-dono. Perhaps even saved the Yamamoto itself. I am afraid this enemy who is a stranger to you is known to me. It may well be that it is me he seeks, although I do not know for sure. I have had a warning from the Fourth District leader to advise me of a threat - but the warning has not reached me in time to do my duty to protect you all. For that I am sorry."
"Otousama was riding to the main estate. I saw him. He went to help my husband," Mariko's voice shook. "He told me to come to the Academy and seek your help. He said he would follow as soon as he could. I have done as he told me. I believe my husband is probably dead, Genryuusai-sama. I believe he sent me away knowing we would not meet again in this life. But my father-in-law...Yuuichi-sama...he went into the danger without seeing this monster for himself. I am afraid...but if you can help him..."
"I will go there immediately, don't you worry. I just wanted to know what kind of threat you were facing." Genryuusai got to his feet. "The individual who attacked you all, did he give his name?"
"Yes." Mariko's eyes darkened, and for the first time Genryuusai saw a steely level of resolve deep beneath the grief. "He said he was called Kunimori. Yamamoto no Jirou Kunimori, though I know of nobody in the Clan with that name and my husband did not either. He seemed angry that we didn't know him, and he said that he would kill anyone who stood in his way. He said he had come to claim what was his - I swear, Genryuusai-sama, he was a mad man...but a mad man with the skills of the devil in his blade."
"That sounds like an accurate description to me," Genryuusai's heart tightened once more, anger flickering at the edges of his aura. "Very well. I know how I must act now. Mariko-dono, please, allow my colleagues to help you. I will go to the main estate and I will do what I can, but you understand as well as I do the danger that has descended on our land. I believe I can stem that danger, but I cannot bring back what is already lost."
"Yes, sir," Mariko nodded her head. "But I am here, sir. And so is my son. And Akira-dono...Akira-dono is still in Inner Seireitei. He was not with Yuuichi-sama. He wasn't there. And if need be, Genryuusai-sama, I will do my husband proud. I will raise our son to be everything he needs to be - and to understand that his father probably died to allow him to do so."
"You are a strong young woman, and I am glad of it," Genryuusai told her. "I do not know what will happen when I go to the main estate. It is good to hear your resolve, because I suspect it will be needed."
"Genryuusai-sama, there is one other thing," Mariko's thin fingers clasped at the fabric of Genryuusai's robes as the old man prepared to leave, and he turned, shooting her a questioning glance.
"Akiko-sama is not at the main house, and nor is Okaasama," Mariko's voice wobbled again, but she persevered. "My mother-in-law and Hikaru-sama's grandmother, they are away at the temple performing rites for Hashihiko-sama's soul. It is the anniversary of his death this week, and Akiko-sama goes each year to pay her respects. This year my mother-in-law went with her, as Akiko-sama is not as steady as she used to be. They must not go back to the main house. If they did...I think...the shock of it would kill Akiko-sama before she even met that monster's blade."
"I will go to the temple and fetch them here, Sensei. With your permission, that seems the best plan," Uebashi, who had been silently listening up to this point, interjected his view. "I know the temple, and have been there before myself. It is an easy ride and I can probably retrieve them within an hour or two."
"Do so," Genryuusai agreed. "If they are not at the main house, they must not return there. Nor anywhere in its vicinity."
He tightened his grip around the top of his cane.
"I am afraid that I do not know how safe the area will be when I reach it," he admitted. "It may be that I have to use Ryuujinjakka...in which case, nobody should try to follow me. I know this enemy...it is an enemy I had thought never to see again, but my naivety as a young man has had a high cost. I will settle it, this time - and in the meantime, Uebashi - I entrust the rest of my family to you and to Kazoe. Keep them safe here, and tell nobody of their coming. The future of the Yamamoto family may indeed rest upon your ability to do so."
