Tenka Ransei

by VraieEsprit

Three millennia before blood was spilled at Third Division, Heaven's War ripped Soul Society apart. With the rebels gone, the Gotei are finally embracing peace, but scars of this ancient warfare linger right beneath the surface. The skeletons of the past are about to re-emerge from the shadows - literally - to drag the shinigami down to Hell. Meifu/Sukuse sequel: Review please!

77. Looking Forward

Chapter Seventy Five: Looking Forward

"Just when I thought you'd done causing me trouble for one summer, you pull something like that out of the bag."

Juushirou pushed open the door of Ugendou with a tired sigh, stepping back to allow Kinnya and his still unconscious burden inside the small work area. "Seriously, Ojiisama, some warning would have been nice. When you turned up like that and started waving papers about...and involving Shunsui, too? How much of your intentions did he know? I can't believe he just let you into the archive and didn't ask details."

"He didn't want to see Koku lose his brother if there was a way to prevent it," Kinnya replied, gently laying the unconscious Katsura down on the tatami mat of the small room and settling himself on one of the many cushions with a smile. "It struck me that he's not fond of killing, and that worked in my favour, although all I asked him for was authorisation to obtain the documents and to enter the court unmolested. I had thought that Midori-sama's people might try to stop me, so having his signature was a safeguard against that. As for the details,"

He shrugged.

"He mostly didn't ask me. He just wanted to know I was within the law, because it would have caused him trouble to do anything otherwise, given his current rank. I assured him that I would be, and so he gave me what I wanted. I'm glad that Midori-dono is an intelligent and fair-minded woman, as persuading anyone with even a shred of Clan biased corruption in that environment would have been hard to do."

"I'm glad she didn't think I was complicit, else I'm sure I'd have heard about it from Kai," Juushirou rubbed his brow, running his fingers through his lank white hair and loosening it from its tail. "Still, I suppose I'm not really mad. It was legal, at least. If you're going to cause trouble, I'm glad you're doing it within the law. I didn't want Katsura killed, either - and I'm not sorry you found a way around it - but I'd like it if you gave me warning in future."

"I couldn't," Kinnya said categorically. "You were his gaoler. If you had reacted in any other way in the court room, Midori-dono would have grounds to call conspiracy and maybe invalidate the whole lot. Your reaction was as I knew it would be, and I knew, if she saw you respond to my claims in such a way, she'd realise this was nothing to do with you. It was all on me as the sanctuary guardian to prove my case...and I did."

"Mm," Juushirou cast a glance down at the unconscious Aizen boy, his lips twitching into a troubled frown.

"Do you think it's the right thing? I mean, I didn't want him executed, but taking him back to the Coastal Province? Putting his future good behaviour on your reputation? Would you really be able to kill him if he turned against you?"

"Ah, like you wouldn't be able to kill Kohaku?" Kinnya's expression softened and he grinned, shaking his head. "It's not something I'm concerned about. I'm older than you, and capable of more ruthless choices, perhaps, because of it. Kohaku has become your son, and, even though he was disobedient, recently, you still forgive him because his intentions were good. I don't intend to be Katsura's father, though. And even if I did, I am not worried about his intentions. I've seen this boy's soul already. He will die sooner than hurt anyone in the Coastal Province. You already know that I took a risk and allowed him to go fight at the coast when the corpses came out of the Gates. Fortunately, Midori-sama didn't seem to know that," he added ruefully. "If she had, possibly, I might have been on shaky ground. Thank you for not telling her."

"Well, that wasn't what she asked me," Juushirou offered a rueful smile, and Kinnya chuckled, patting his grandson on the shoulder.

"You are like me, at times," he reflected. "I'm not sorry for it, either. There's always room in this world for a rebel of some sort, even when I'm long gone."

"I imagine that won't be any time soon, however, since I went to so much trouble to keep you alive," Juushirou said pointedly, and Kinnya smiled.

"I am thinking about training properly with my sword again, so that, in a future crisis, I won't need you to come to my rescue," he admitted. "I think it was the last push I needed, honestly, to put my brother behind me and move on. For those reasons, though, I understand Katsura's struggles more keenly. It's not clear cut, sometimes, knowing right from wrong - and acting on it."

"He was brave, though, in that courtroom," Juushirou eyed the unconscious youth pensively. "He lied to Midori-sama about Mitsuki. He said he wouldn't let her get hurt and he kept his word. I rather admired him, even when she was digging around for information about what happened. He stuck to his guns and he protected her. The danger to her is now fully over, I think. My one concern was, if he ever resurfaced, that Mitsuki's role in saving him would come to light - but he seems to hold her in higher regard than I ever realised."

"Mitsuki is your soulmate, but she's something else to Katsura," Kinnya said soberly. "The things she said and the way she treated him after he fled Seventh Division that day changed something inside of him. It had a huge impact on his understanding of the world. Keitarou taught him to be vengeful, but Mitsuki taught him to forgive and to atone. You've taught his brother a lot of things, Juushirou - but Mitsuki is the one who taught Katsura the stuff he needed to know about the world. If she hadn't, even if he had lived, I couldn't have saved him. He wouldn't have been worth saving, because he wouldn't have grown up and learned the lessons he has now, about life and death."

"Will you take him back to the Coastal Province tonight?"

"Yes. His young waif is with Koku, at the moment, in District Four, but I won't risk Midori-sama's wrath by trying to go there with a prisoner in tow," Kinnya agreed. "I'll send Keiichi to collect Homare and bring her back - he can also convey word to Koku about the outcome of the trial. I had hoped this would be the result, but I couldn't know for sure that Midori-dono would accept my legal argument, so I didn't send him to do anything just yet. In fact, I'll send word to Shirogane, now," he decided, cupping his hands together and then releasing them to reveal a perfectly formed Hell Butterfly, which fluttered and danced around his hands before taking off through the open window. "He can tell Keiichi to complete the rest of his duties, and I'll see him back at home. I wanted to give Katsura time to recover and come around," he added. "I didn't expect him to faint, or to still be unconscious by the time I brought him here."

"I guess the strain on him was a lot greater than any of us realised," Juushirou said softly. "It's what you said in court - he's frightened of living, and of dying. Probably death would have been a mercy, as it would have brought oblivion...but...I don't think it would have been justice. Retsu-sama didn't want him killed, either. Perhaps it's not soft, believing in sparing those who commit crimes. Katsura is almost proof that the path to overcome it and live is a harsher one, and ultimately, a greater punishment."

"Perhaps, but it will bring with it the ultimate reward," Kinnya said sagely. "I won't be Katsura's father, but I will be his guide and his teacher. He needs to learn to control that explosive power of his, and I will teach him to do that. I don't see him as a prisoner, but rather, someone I can use, and who will not betray that trust. It's sad, but all this lad is really looking for - maybe has ever looked for - is someone to believe in him and trust in him. He had Koku, but probably, nobody else. Perhaps not even Mitsuki, for all she impressed on his life. But when I gave him that trust to go help the people in your home region - or maybe, when Jun'ei gave him trust and went to speak with him without fear - he responded to it in spades. I want to build that person, Juushirou. The person Keitarou wanted to break into obedience - the person who protected Kohaku and made sacrifices for him - only this time, I want him to protect himself. I want him to live for Katsura, and find out who that person really is, now Keitarou's influence is gone. And for that reason, I think he and Kohaku should remain apart, since otherwise Katsura will always look to protect his brother, rather than growing as himself."

"I agree with that too," Juushirou nodded. "With your permission, I'll let them write, but I think it's time they forged their own paths."

A soft murmur from the tatami mat prevented Kinnya from answering, and the old man knelt down at Katsura's side as the other's eyelids fluttered and finally opened to reveal confused blue eyes. As he registered the presence of the two shinigami, he started, immediately reeling back in a defensive posture before recognising who they were, and he sighed, taking a shaky breath into his lungs as he fought to calm himself down.

"It's all right, Katsura. You're quite safe, here. Nobody is going to hurt you," Kinnya spoke evenly, and Katsura raised a bewildered gaze to the old man's, as though unable to comprehend the situation. At his expression, Juushirou sighed, reaching across to touch his arm.

"Ojiisama is right," he said gently. "It's over. You don't need to be afraid, here. This is Ugendou. My office, back at Thirteenth Division."

"Thir...teenth," Katsura wet his lips, swallowing hard, then, "Why?"

"I claimed you," Kinnya said simply. "You heard me tell the court, didn't you? They can't kill you. You belong to me, and they can't override that. I came to get you, so we can go home to Sixth and you can begin proving to me that I'm not wrong in making the trip."

"Claim...me..." Katsura's synapses were clearly not firing on all cylinders, and Juushirou got to his feet, crossing the office to the small table, on which stood a tray of mugs and a jug of water. Carefully he poured some of the clear liquid into one of the mugs, holding it out to the Aizen boy, who took it wordlessly, putting it to his lips with trembling hands. At first Juushirou thought he might be shaking so much that he would choke, but as the cool water touched his lips and his tongue, he seemed to rally himself, swallowing the liquid gratefully and then setting the mug down. He drew another deep breath into his lungs, then,

"I don't understand," he murmured.

"Ojiisama likes to play law games, and usually he wins, since nobody in Seireitei knows the law as well as he does," Juushirou told him dryly.

"Well, I have a lot of time to read and think of ways to annoy the Gotei. That's what retirement has given me," Kinnya chuckled. "But I suppose that is what it was - law games."

"But...how. I...killed..."

"Yes, you did," Kinnya's expression became serious, and he rested his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Your punishment for those crimes is to live. To live, work for me, help protect other lives, and spend the rest of your existence atoning for your sins by giving back to Seireitei every ounce you can. Your punishment is to live to old age, Katsura. That's the punishment I've imposed on you, and right now, you belong to me. Your choice is to obey my terms and serve the people of District Six in the way you did the day the corpses came - or die at my hand."

"Ojiisama!" Juushirou's eyes widened at this blunt piece of logic, but a faint smile touched Katsura's lips.

"As always...ruthless but fair," he whispered, and Juushirou could see tears glittering in the boy's eyes. "You could have abandoned me, though. I don't understand...why..."

"Because I want you to live," Kinnya said frankly. "But more than that, there's a little girl who wants you to live even more. And Koku is a grown man, now. He can cope, if he loses you. You said so yourself. But Homare has only ever had you...and if you run away from her and your responsibilities to her, you will deserve me to kill you."

That was too much for Katsura, and he gulped, the tears flowing down his face as his emotions finally broke free. His body shook with the violence of his sobs, but before Juushirou could react, Kinnya had sighed, wrapping his arms around the young man's body and hugging him tightly.

"You're an idiot, making an old man run around after you because you can't argue for your own sake," he said reprovingly. "I also promised Jun'ei that I wouldn't just let you be thrown to the wolves. Have some faith in yourself, will you? You aren't the person Keitarou made you. The person Jun'ei met in the forest was Aizen Katsura. That's the person we decided was worth saving. So you make up your mind to do your bit, now, okay? Not for Koku's sake, or even for Homare's...but your own."

There was no vocal response, but Juushirou saw the young man's head jerk forward in a nod, and he smiled.

"Koku will be happy to know that it ended without bloodshed," he reflected. "But Katsura, this is your last chance. I said to you, before, that I didn't know if Mitsuki was right, saving you, five years ago. Now I know she was. But I have been wrong before. Don't make this one of those times, huh?"

"Koku!"

At this Katsura raised his head, gazing at Kinnya in sudden urgency. "Can I...I mean...is he...did he...I asked...but..."

"He's not here, and he didn't attend the trial. You didn't want him there, and he's not well enough, anyway," Kinnya shook his head. "I haven't seen him, so I don't know for sure - but I believe he is out of danger now...Juushirou?" He cast his grandson a glance.

"I haven't seen him, either, since that day, because of taking custody of Katsura and preparing for the trial," Juushirou admitted. "But Mitsuki has kept me updated. He is doing fine, Katsura. But nobody can take you to see him right now. Maybe, when he's well, I'll make arrangements for him to come visit you in your new surroundings - but it will be a one off. We might let you write, occasionally, but both Ojiisama and I agree you both need to live your own lives now...you see that too, don't you?"

"Mm," Katsura smiled sadly, reaching up to wipe away his tears with the sleeves of his prisoner robes. "I guess so. It's okay, that way. I'd made up my mind that I was going to die, anyway, so I wouldn't have been there to see...but...if he's all right, then that's fine. And I'd like to see him, so I can tell him...I'm all right...and to...keep working hard. But...I won't make a fuss about it if I can't...I mean..."

He gazed at Kinnya.

"I trust you," he said softly. "And I'll do what you ask of me. Whatever it is. I promise. I won't let you down."

"I didn't think you would, else I wouldn't have come," Kinnya patted him on the head as though he were a small child. "Good, then it's settled. When Kohaku is recovered, we'll see what the situation is, but for now, we'll be heading back to District Six as soon as you feel steady enough to travel. I will need to summon a healer to remove your cuffs, as that's an undertaking and I don't want to do it while you're in Inner Seireitei."

"I'm sure Mitsuki would do that, and District Six is home turf for her too," Juushirou suggested. "I think she'd want to see it through - what she began - to the very end."

"I'd like to see her again, too," Katsura admitted. "I want to say...thank you...properly. She always pushed me...to live. Not to give up. But to make amends. Even if I can't...she never...stopped pushing me."

He sat back on his heels, taking a breath into his lungs.

"I'm still shaking," he realised. "I didn't know...till that moment in the court...it all went strange and dark and twisty, but...it was like something grabbed my heart. When Kinnya-sama said he'd take me...that they couldn't kill me...I don't know why but it was like I couldn't breathe. I wanted to scream...or cry...but I couldn't even do that."

"You didn't want to die, even though you thought you needed to," Kinnya said wisely. "You squashed your fear by squashing your hope, but I suppose, hearing a possibility of reprieve was enough to cut those strings of tension and you just weren't ready for the flood of emotion that would bring."

"I want to live," Katsura murmured softly. "I guess...you're right. Maybe that was it. Even five years ago, even when I thought I could avenge Sakaki and die for her...even then I ran. Even then I was afraid...even then I...wanted to live. Maybe I really did...just want someone to tell me it was okay if I did. If I...found another way...to make amends than with my life."

He swallowed hard, trying to control his emotions, but it was no good, and more tears fell.

"The healer Captain...she was...kind. Her eyes were kind, when she looked at me. She didn't hate me," he whispered, his voice breaking once more. "She took care of my brother. Saved his life. And I killed her officers, but she still...was kind to me. And I already knew, from Mitsuki-san...but...but...I realised it then, too. What a healer is. And why I...really have a lot to make up for. But hating Father for putting me in this position won't do any good. I don't want revenge for Sakaki, but I also...don't want revenge for the things Father said or did to me, either. He was wrong, but he's gone. And I...don't have to think about him any more, do I? I can leave him behind me...like Koku has."

"You can, and I'm glad you realise it," Kinnya grinned. "You can cry all you like, my boy, I don't mind. Tears demonstrate your heart does more than beat blood around your body, and that's something I can make use of. Kohaku's proven his kindness, but you have it too. There's good stuff in the Aizen gene pool. Not just hate."

"Koku..." Katsura pursed his lips, then turned, glancing at Juushirou. "Ukitake-dono, I don't know...if I should tell you this. But it may be the only chance I can...and...perhaps...it's best I do. About Koku. I saw something...he doesn't know, I don't think, but...when Father died..."

He wiped his eyes a second time, finally getting his tears under control.

"When we were kids, his power leaked and I saw a lot of things over our connection. Pictures even he didn't remember," he continued, in a steadier voice. "And when I nearly died, my memories flooded over me. So I remembered it. Something I'd forgotten. As a kid, it hadn't meant anything to me. But then...it did. It was Koku. And he was wearing...one of these."

He reached out to touch Juushirou's haori, and Juushirou looked startled.

"A haori?"

"Mm," Katsura nodded his head. "I don't know what number was on the back, and even if I had, it wouldn't have meant anything to me. Just...it was my brother. He was older, but it was him. And...when he decided to become a shinigami, I decided...to protect that part of his future, too. I don't think Koku knows it yet, Ukitake-dono, but he's going to become a Captain. One day, he's going to have one of those, just like you."

"With the nature of power he has in his blade, it would be strange for him to not aim for that," Kinnya observed, and Juushirou gathered his wits, shrugging his shoulders.

"We'll see," he vouchsafed. "I trust Koku, and I want him to succeed. But I won't tell him, and you shouldn't either, Katsura, even if you see him. I think...sometimes...the future should decide itself. Even if it's possible to predict it, if he doesn't know, I want him to find it out for himself."

"I wasn't going to tell him," Katsura shook his head. "But the one place that Koku saw in his dreams as a kid - the one place he was happy - was somewhere here, in your Division grounds. I saw it, when I came to warn Mitsuki-san that her life was in danger. He belonged here with you, all the time, Ukitake-dono. So I felt like I could trust that to you. The future that Kohaku doesn't even know about yet...so that if he wants to make it come true, you can help him."

"I will help him to the best of my ability. You needn't worry about that. So will my comrades and so will his," Juushirou promised solemnly. "Your brother isn't alone any more. He's very popular here, and he has a lot of people looking out for him. You can completely leave him to us, now, and do as Ojiisama teaches you."

"I already did that, when you spoke to me in Fourth District," Katsura admitted. "But if he ever needs me again - like he did this time - you'll come for me again, won't you? Even if it means getting permission from the Council or whatever it takes...if he needs me again, to be his anchor...I will."

"Then we'll leave it at that," Kinnya said easily. "Katsura, if you've settled yourself, we need to leave. I don't want to linger here too much, and put strain on Juushirou's hospitality. For all the case was decided on a legal technicality, it's not fair on the Thirteenth to expect them to shoulder my burden any longer. The Senkaimon are open again, and this time, I'll be the one opening it," he patted the hilt of his sword reflectively. "You'll need to stay close to me, as you're still cuffed, and I don't want any accidents because you don't have your usual senses."

"I'll follow your lead," Katsura bowed his head, getting obediently to his feet. "I told you, I won't let you down. I don't know how I feel about today, yet. Probably, when it sinks in, I'll cry again. When I see Homare, I'll definitely cry some more. But it's all right. I'll figure it out. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to live for my sake, yet...but I can live for hers, at least for now. Even if Kohaku doesn't need me to protect him, she does. So I will do that, and take it one day at a time."

"That sounds wise," Kinnya pulled himself to his feet, casting his grandson a wry smile. "We'll be going then, Juushirou. Let me know when Kohaku is fit, and we'll see what can be done about him visiting. I imagine it will take some time, though - and the Gotei's need for him is greater right now. For all he was a crazy vigilante in the most outlandish way, I am pretty sure his sword is going to be a help to Seireitei, not a hindrance, and if you're the one training him, he's unlike to go astray."

He winked at Juushirou, then grasped Katsura by the arm, disappearing into a smooth, swift shunpo that defied his age. Once alone, Juushirou sighed, moving to pick up Katsura's empty water mug.

And just like that, you disappear, leaving chaos behind you. And this is supposedly a law-abiding Rebel blade. I dread to think what a more militant one would be like. Pray I never find out.

He set the mug down on the tray, putting a hand to his head as the room suddenly swayed and twisted around him. He grabbed hold of the wall, taking in a deep breath as he tried to steady himself.

And I've been doing too much, lately, too. I was going to go see Koku, as I haven't since he woke up, but it will have to wait for a few hours. I need to take a moment to rest, first...

That was the last thing he thought, as the world closed in from every corner of his vision, and, with a little sigh, he collapsed unconscious on the Ugendou floor.

---

"I'm glad to see you in one piece, figuratively speaking,"

Shunsui pushed back the door of the sickroom with a grin, lounging up against the doorframe as he greeted the startled occupant with a lazy wave. It was the next day, and, true to Kinnya's word, Keiichi had reported at the healing facility on the previous afternoon, taking the eager Homare into his custody, and assuring Kohaku that his brother was not only alive, but likely to remain that way following Kinnya's machinations. Kohaku had not really followed all the complicated reasoning that had led to his brother's reprieve, but he didn't care. The most important thing was that Katsura was not to be killed, and that, even if they were miles apart still, he and his brother were still both living under the same Seireitei sky.

He had been reading when Shunsui had arrived, half-heartedly flicking through one of the books Mitsuki had brought for him the night before. He had not expected this visitor, and at the greeting, he had raised his gaze, confusion and apprehension in his brown eyes.

At his expression, Shunsui's grin widened.

"Good Morning," he said playfully. "Thought I'd do my Captain Commander duty and come pay a visit to the hero of the hour - although I believe you're also in disgrace for taking off without permission. You're a busy guy, aren't you? Did you never hear about taking life easy?"

"Kyouraku-taichou," Kohaku sighed, sinking back against his pillows with a faint grimce. "Are you going to tell me off as well? I've already been scolded by Edogawa-san quite thoroughly, you know."

"Good," Shunsui came into the room proper, shutting the door behind him and sinking down on the end of Kohaku's bed. "That means she's doing her duty as surrogate mother, which is a weight off my mind."

"Surrogate..." Kohaku blinked, and Shunsui laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

"Five years ago, when Juu took you in, I teased him that he and she should make things official, now they had a child to look after," he said benignly, and Kohaku reddened, gazing down at the bedcovers. "She has a keen interest in you and your brother, anyway. I'm sure she knew exactly what to say to you - not least because Juushirou isn't here saying it himself."

"No..." Kohaku raised his head, looking chastened. "He hasn't come to see me. I know he was here when Katsu-nii was, and I know he attended Katsu-nii's trial. I know he spoke to my brother and Kinnya-sama before they left. But he didn't come to speak to me about it. He sent messages...but...I haven't seen him. I haven't spoken to him...since that day."

"It's bothering you, huh?" Shunsui eyed the young officer keenly, and Kohaku nodded.

"I know I disobeyed him," he said unevenly. "And I know that was a bad thing to do. But if I can't even apologise, what then? I don't like it. It feels like...I've been abandoned all over again." He hugged his robe tight around his bandaged body. "Even if he's mad at me and comes to yell, that would be fine. At least it would be seeing him. Like this...it's like he doesn't even want to speak to me, or even look at me. Like I've disappointed him so much that...he doesn't want me any more."

"Ah, you are a silly kid," Shunsui groaned, reaching across to ruffle Kohaku's hair idly. "You're an idiot. Of course Juu wouldn't discard you so easily. I told you, didn't I? He needs you. And even if he didn't, he's not the kind of person to give up easily on someone he's given his trust. He's an idealist. That's something that no matter how many years pass, isn't likely to change."

"Then why hasn't he come?" Kohaku asked plaintively. "I know you said that I was important to him, and I was happy, when you did. But right now...I know I did a bad thing, Kyouraku-taichou. You told me to stay put as well, and he gave me orders to stay behind. I made two recruits suspicious enough of my actions to come following me - they might have been reckless, but they were trying to help as well. And I put them in danger. It was lucky they weren't killed. In the end, I couldn't do much on my own. If Retsu-sama hadn't been there..."

He trailed off, and Shunsui nodded soberly.

"Everything you just said is true. I can tell you've been thinking about it - and probably, Mitsuki's scolding has had its effect as well," he said gravely. "You did something stupid and you put your life at risk, not to mention the other officers. I understand they've been made aware of their own foolishness, though - and it's not them I'm interested in speaking to. I actually came to get a proper account from you about what happened, since Retsu-sama seems uncommonly vague with the details and the recruits were drunk on reiryoku for a good deal of it. Maybe you were too - but at the very least, I'd like to know. Before that, though, I will address your conduct, because as Captain Commander, you disobeyed my orders as well. I could discipline you for it too," he added, as Kohaku looked penitent, "but you're injured, and so I won't. I'm not that mean. However, you do need to think before you act. You aren't on your own, and even if you do have an amazing gift sealed in that blade of yours, you don't have all the answers or even the key to how to use all aspects of it yet. If you want to be the great shinigami we think you can be - you need to know when to trust the people around you as well. We're not afraid of you, so don't push us away."

Kohaku sighed heavily, but nodded.

"I know," he owned. "And I'll tell you what you want to know - what I remember - if it's helpful or useful at all. I mean, the Soldier is gone now, right? So maybe it's not useful at all."

"He is, but there is no telling whether we'll ever have to face another one, in the future, since the sword and the wielder disintegrated into reishi here," Shunsui replied pragmatically. "Royal Swords are reborn, and usually, they lie dormant for a period before connecting to another soul. With the Soldier dissipated into dust, that rebirth could happen sooner rather than later - or it might not happen at all. It's hard to really know with something like that...so I thought I'd get the jump on it and make a firm record, in case it comes up again in the future."

"In...the future," Kohaku pursed his lips, looking thoughtful. "I suppose...so. That does make sense."

"Before we talk about that, though...about Juu," Shunsui met Kohaku's gaze earnestly. "I think people have probably not told you, because they don't want to add to your troubles, but I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I think we reached an understanding, both of us, in the Hollow world, and I'm going to be straight with you as a result. The reason Juu isn't here coming to see you isn't because he hates you or intends to discard you. It's because he's been basically grounded to Thirteenth Division."

"Grounded?" Kohaku paled. "He's not...in trouble...because of me?"

"No..." Shunsui shook his head. "But the three or four days you were dead to the world, he more or less didn't sleep. He was racing back and forth between Thirteenth and the hospital, and then your brother became a part of the equation, so he had to do his duty as gaoler and overseer at the trial. He couldn't come here and leave a prisoner of Katsura's notoriety unsupervised at Thirteenth, so he had to be on site to deal with that - even though Katsura was apparently not the least bit of trouble in Thirteenth's custody. Once Kinnya-sama and your brother left for District Six, he more or less collapsed. He's all right," as Kohaku's eyes widened with distress, "just exhausted. He started a fever and so Naoko-chan grounded him. Kirio backed her up and summoned Shikiki to see him. She also told him he wasn't to go roaming anywhere until he'd had a good rest and his temperature had come down, so that was that. He seemed better when I spoke to him first thing," he added. "I told him I was coming to see you, and he didn't want me to worry you - but I decided I was going to, because you're not a child now, no matter how much we joke about it, and, as an officer with subordinates, you need to give your actions more thought."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm not very merciful when it comes to people putting Juu under unnecessary pressure," he admitted, "because I know that, no matter how hard he works, sometimes his health gets in the way and he won't take it seriously. But in this case, I'll make an exception," he added, offering Kohaku a smile. "Because I can tell from your expression that you're more worried than I am about it - and that guilty face is enough to take the edge off my lecture."

"I made him ill?" Kohaku found his voice, his hands trembling slightly as he gripped the blanket between his fingers. "I...because I was reckless...and because I ignored his orders...in the end I..."

"I told you, didn't I? To Juu, you're a surrogate son. You're like the child he never had," Shunsui said quietly. "Why wouldn't he worry about you? Of course he would. A lot of people have been worrying about you, as it happens - myself included. But him most of all. And he could have just blown off all his work and stayed here the whole time - but he didn't. He did miss a Captain's meeting, but he's otherwise kept Thirteenth running and attended to his other duties. The one unnecessary bother he had in all of that was his need to come here and check on you each day. You were very sick, Koku," he added softly. "You might not have survived this one. He knew it too. I think he didn't want you to be on your own - even if the worst happened - even if you never knew he was there."

"Taichou." Tears glittered on Kohaku's lashes, and though he reached up a clumsy arm to wipe them away, more took their place. "Then I really do need to see him. I need to say sorry. I need to..."

"Stay here and recover," Shunsui interrupted, holding out a hand to stop the Twelfth seat from trying to get up. "You're grounded, too, don't forget. If you want to help Juu, you'll stay put and do as you're told. You've done enough reckless things on your own reconnaisance. This time you can listen to your elders for a change, and rest. Your wounds are a lot better, and so, I can see, are you - but you're still pale and your reiatsu is uneven. You're not fit to go anywhere yet, so don't even think about it. I understand you used shunpo in the field," he added, "but right now, you wouldn't make it out of the room, and even if you did, I would catch you. This time for sure."

"I'm sorry," Kohaku bit down on his lip. "I've let you down too. I'm really sorry."

"Then tell me what happened," Shunsui suggested, making himself more comfortable. "In your own words, from start to finish, whatever I don't know. You were fine with Juu's orders when I left you both at Thirteenth. What happened after that to change your mind and send you haring off into the wildnerness of District Four? I understand you gave the poor recruits a spiritual roasting, as well - so you'll have to explain in detail so I can put it in context."

"Mm," Kohaku hesitated, then nodded his head slowly. "All right. Some of it is blurry, but I'll do my best. I'll try and tell you."

He folded his hands together absently in his lap, carefully beginning to recount the whole adventure, from the dream he had seen with the Dragon, to the encounter in the field with Tsuneyoshi. At this point, Shunsui frowned, holding up his hand.

"One second. I want to clarify that. Hiyama-dono's Dragon told you that the Soldier was possessed...by the spirit of the original wielder?"

"Yes," Kohaku nodded his head. "It said that Hiyama-dono had gambled and died and given his last strength to the Dragon so that it could come and tell me. Apparently because of Kyouka's connection to the past, and my ability with reading reishi, I was the only one it could tell. That's why Hiyama-dono gave me the monshou, I think - because he knew what I could do, and he thought it might be necessary. In any case, the Soldier himself confirmed it. He was Tsuwamono when I confronted him. Not Tsuneyoshi."

"And you used Kyouka Raigen to awaken Tsuneyoshi's lost memories, by releasing it and projecting them out across the grounds of the Unohana estate," Shunsui's lips thinned. "I see. I suppose that makes sense. It also explains why, in the records, there's no mention of how the original Soldier died. He just disappeared. But what you're saying is that he basically sold his soul to his sword to keep living, so he could take revenge in a later reincarnation."

"I think so," Kohaku shivered involuntarily. "It's creepy, thinking of it like that. But Hiyama-dono's Dragon said Hiyama-dono more or less did the same thing. He didn't live three thousand years in ice, exactly. He gave his soul over to the Dragon so that he could be there to face the Soldier in the future. In the end, he did come here to die - he just didn't tell us all the details, in case it affected our ability to help."

"That explains something else," Shunsui said sadly. "Koku, when the Gates were released from their lockdown, I went to the Real World. I made you a promise, remember? That I'd bring him back so he could be properly buried. But there wasn't a body. The whole area was covered in fresh snow and there was a chill in the air, but Hiyama-dono was gone. Being that that's such a spiritless space, and considering what happened with the Soldier when the sword was broken, I can only assume something similar happened there."

"The Dragon took Hiyama-dono's last spirit power to send the message. I guess doing that meant nothing was left behind," Kohaku murmured softly. "Hiyama-dono knew he was going to die, and when we went to the Real World, I knew it too - but...I didn't understand that it was as predetermined as that until the Dragon spoke to me. Apparently pacts of that nature are something Royal Blades can do - but when I asked Kyouka if it was capable of making such a bond, it got angry and threatened me."

His gaze flitted to the sheathed sword standing silent against the wall.

"I suppose I should be happy it felt so opposed to it, though. Hiyama-dono seems to have made a proper pact with his blade and the Dragon said he had no regrets, so there wouldn't be any lasting damage in the next Dragon incarnation. If there was one - it's in the Real World, so maybe there won't be. The Soldier was different, though. It seems like the original Soldier more or less forced his way into Meidoushi like a parasite, and dominated its will with his own. That's why Tsuneyoshi reacted so violently - neither he nor Meidoushi were really in control of that. And the original Soldier - Tsuwamono - he wanted to use Royal Blades as corpse puppets in his assault on Seireitei. He wanted revenge on the Dragon, and he wanted the monshou because apparently without it he couldn't turn Hiyama-dono into a puppet. Maybe that's also why Hiyama-dono gave it to me, as some kind of a safeguard - I don't know. I don't understand enough about the Dragon, but it seems like that to me now. In any case, Tsuwamono wanted that from me, to finish the job there, but he also wanted to make me - or Harumizu - a puppet as well. To that end, he encouraged Tsuneyoshi to resent Harumizu, as it gave him an easier way in to take control."

"And potentially would give him another weapon like Senaya-sama in the future, which we would have found difficult to face down," Shunsui ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. "Fortunately the Shiba took evasive action to prevent the Moon wielder being resurrected - thankfully they're not squeamish about burning their dead - and no other Royal Blade corpses were around for him to toy with. It didn't seem like he had any way to tackle that Void creature in the Hollow Realm, so I suppose in that incarnation he wasn't at the strength level of the original Royal Blade wielders. Also, Juushirou and Kinnya-sama saw to Senaya-sama, so that took the Sun out of the equation. I suppose that left him with you and Hiyama-dono. Maybe, though, if he'd succeeded in obtaining you both as puppets, he'd have then gone after Kinnya-sama and Sensei as well, and if he had succeeded in obtaining those swords..."

He shuddered.

"It's terrifying, hearing you say it, and thinking of the potential consequences had it succeeded, but I see what was at stake and I understand what you're telling me."

"Kyouka told me that if I got anyone else involved, they'd probably be killed," Kohaku added hesitantly. "So I didn't tell Taichou. I didn't want him hurt. Kyouka said that it wasn't Harumizu's sword that stopped Tsuneyoshi-dono remembering everything, but Tsuwamono - and in the Hollow Realm, when I made him see the death of that man, he faltered, like it shocked him. So we thought...if we could make him remember everything - it would turn the scale. Tsuneyoshi-dono tried to kill himself after he hurt his son, right? But he couldn't. The Soldier wouldn't let him. But only the Soldier can stop the Soldier...so we gambled on making Tsuneyoshi the one who stopped Tsuwamono. We made him remember everything that happened that day, and...I don't really remember that bit clearly, but I guess it must have worked."

"It did, crazy and reckless though it was," Shunsui sighed. "Juu knows you were trying to protect him, you know. Him, and everyone else at Thirteenth. But that doesn't really make him happy. He's a Captain. He's meant to protect you, not the other way around. As a surrogate father figure, he also feels that strongly. I understand your perspective," he added, "because I've felt that way too where he's concerned. We all want to protect the things that are precious to us - but you have to realise you're also just as precious to him. Juu is idealistic and has strong values, and he wouldn't hesitate to charge into a situation like that to defend his people. You read him right in that regard - but your decision was still wrong. At the very least, you could've come to me. I'm not quite such a mad idealist as he is, and we might have come up with a safer plan. I thought we had an agreement, didn't we? That I'd talk to you, about the final take down - and you'd tell me, if there was anything I needed to know."

"But you might have been killed too," Kohaku pointed out. Shunsui shrugged.

"I might," he agreed evenly, "but I'm different from Juu. I'm no stronger than he is, true. But I can be more pragmatic in a dangerous situation. If it means bringing peace to Seireitei, I don't choose my methods. I think you know that," he shot the younger man a sidelong glance, and Kohaku nodded.

"I suppose, nor do I," he reflected gravely. "Not five years ago, and not this time."

"There's something to be said for the Kyouraku blood in both of us," Shunsui observed dryly. "All right. So I understand your rationale, even if I think it was mistaken and careless. In the end, it worked. Yes, a lot of that is thanks to Retsu-sama coming in and preventing a massacre - but ultimately Kyouka Raigen was able to awaken those memories and make a difference. You've trusted in it a lot more lately, haven't you? I suppose that's good, going forward - though it needs to know that you're not on your own as well."

"If I had been stronger, there wouldn't have been an issue," Kohaku shook his head. "Kyouka was fine. I'm probably alive because of it, although I couldn't control its reiryoku a lot of the time. The Soldier called me out on it as well, but I just trusted myself to it and that I'd be able to release it when I needed to, because there wasn't another option. I've never given it that much trust before, but I suppose I know, now, that I can trust it. It's me who has to get stronger, to manage that power. And I will, now, going forward, as much as I can."

He sighed heavily.

"Retsu-sama is an amazing shinigami, isn't she?" he added softly. "I knew she was a great healer, and kind, and everyone respected her. I didn't know she was also that kind of a fighter. I guess...even in the Unohana family, someone has to be able to pick up a blade and defend them from danger."

"I think it's something none of us have thought about, but yes, you're right," Shunsui agreed. "She was trained by Yama-jii - I mean, Genryuusai-sensei, before the Academy existed, so I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. Also, she had an incentive, as it was on her land and he was her ancestor. But I'm quite impressed with it as well. It may require an extreme circumstance, but it's quite reassuring to know our most senior healer has the ability to fight to that level against that kind of enemy."

"Her reiatsu felt like a warrior for the first time," Kohaku admitted. "I'm really glad she was there, Kyouraku-taichou. We'd none of us be alive now if she hadn't been. Her involvement turned the scale and gave me the chance to release Kyouka. I need to thank her too, if I can."

"You have quite an extensive to do list when you get discharged from here," Shunsui looked amused, and Kohaku sighed, nodding.

"I do," he agreed. "I have to deal with the recruits as well. I know they are fine," he added, "but I mishandled the situation and, as someone who might have been in command, I need to deal with that. Also, with Yatsubashi. It seems he really hates me - and so I need to tackle that. I suppose I'll have to stand up for myself," he reflected, "but I'm not always good at that. I'm a bit afraid, I suppose, that if I do, my reiryoku will spill out and I'll hurt someone. But I can't just leave things how they are."

"I understand one of your friends gave that one a bruise or two already," Shunsui observed, and Kohaku's eyes widened in dismay.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Kayashima," Shunsui grinned. "It's all right, I think it got stopped before it became a full scale beating - but from what I heard, he was pretty angry."

"Ack..." Kohaku groaned, burying his head in his hands. "And that's another complication. I should have known that he'd take it that way. It's not the first time he's raised fists against someone who's badmouthed me, and Yatsubashi did say a bunch of stuff out in the field...but...he'll get himself into trouble, hitting recruits."

"Well, I'm not getting involved in the discipline of a friend's Division, and you can take it up with him yourself when you're released," Shunsui said unhelpfully. "I suppose it's just more proof of how much people are worried about you - and how you need greater awareness of the impact your actions have on those around you."

"Yes, sir," Kohaku sounded weary. "I'll talk to him as well. He shouldn't do that, though. It's not good, if he does."

"If you don't stand up for yourself, though, someone else will take on the burden," Shunsui said wisely. "You said you were going to trust in Kyouka Raigen and your spirit power. You need to trust in yourself and your ability to manage your position on your own. Kayashima probably bloods his fists defending you because you don't defend yourself. You need to be more assertive. You don't have to do it spiritually. You should be old enough now to learn where the line is and control it. But you can't have someone else protecting you forever. You felt you needed to protect Juu and your companions from danger - maybe, even, all the rest of us as well. You can make those big deal decisions about life and death and put yourself on the line. Now you need to think about them in more mundane circumstances - and how you show yourself to the recruits is a part of that."

"I suppose so," Kohaku grimaced. "It's a lot to take in, but I'll try and think it over. I'm not great with people, sometimes - I didn't really learn how to deal with them, growing up, so it's a lot of trial and error, and probably more of the error than the trial. Since I came here, though, I wanted to fit in. I didn't want to make people talk about me, or create disturbances that would trouble the Captain. I've tried not to be a problem for anyone - though clearly this time I failed, spectacularly. I suppose no matter how much I try, I'm never going to be the same as them," he added with a sigh. "I'm always going to be Aizen Kohaku, with all the stories and stuff that come with that."

"Is that a problem?" Shunsui asked gently, and Kohaku shrugged.

"I think so," he confessed. "Not just carrying the burden of Father's legacy, but...it's more about who I am, fundamentally. I know Taichou gets angry when I talk like this, but I haven't totally shed the mentality of being the monster locked up in the hut. The dangerous person who can hurt those around me. It might be easy to say I've shrugged that off now, but I haven't. The night the Eleventh was attacked, I hurt Kayashima and probably knocked Furuta out as well. I also used my reiryoku on the recruits this time, and I'm sure they felt the effects of it. I try to be a regular shinigami, but..."

"There are limits to how much you can not be who you are," Shunsui spoke evenly, and Kohaku shot him a troubled look. "When I was a kid, I tried very hard to resist being a Kyouraku, and also, becoming a shinigami. I didn't really want either. But I learned - the hard way, of course - that embracing both would be a path towards making the things I didn't like change for the better. Juushirou inspired me, I suppose, to act, rather than avoid...but in the end, by becoming a shinigami, and accepting that I was Clan, I've been able to make a difference. Five years ago, as well," he added, and Kohaku frowned. "I didn't want to kill Keitarou. I did want to protect Juu. But in the end, the decision I made - to trust you - was because I wanted to make things change. Keitarou had to be stopped. If I had to stop him, then I had to. Even if I hated it - because in the end, that was why I accepted being Clan, and learned to be a shinigami. To make those decisions, even if I hated making them. Perhaps you need to stop and do the same. Being who you are isn't a bad thing, you know. You're not a monster, anyway - for all your spirit power is intense. By avoiding it, or hiding it, or trying to work around it, you're probably making the problem worse. Keitarou was wrong, when he locked you up - even if your spirit power was dangerous. Locking you up prevented you from learning to handle it at a much earlier age, and now, it's harder, because you're older and you're playing catch up. That doesn't mean you were ever a monster. Many shinigami can't control their spirit power at first. What you need to figure out is how you can use the decisions you made - to leave Rukongai, and become a shinigami - as a path to reach your goals. You want the same thing I do, I think - peace in Seireitei. And, based on recent events, you're also like me in that you'll do what you feel needs to be done, in order to bring that peace. You need to stop running away from that and embrace it. I'm sure Kyouka Raigen would agree with me - you need to get stronger, but you won't do that unless you accept fully the person that you are. Even the parts of yourself you don't feel comfortable with, or like."

He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"My power has light and shadow at its core," he continued pensively. "The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. We can't, any of us, be good or heroic all the time. We just have to figure out how to manage the balance so that we don't hurt the things or the people that we value."

He grinned.

"Take it as a lesson from one Kyouraku to another," he concluded lightly, and Kohaku offered a faint smile.

"I'll try," he agreed. "Thank you for talking to me so honestly. I think...it helps. I know you're right...it's just finding courage, I suppose, to stop being afraid to be myself. I want people to accept Aizen Kohaku. Maybe that means I've worked too hard on making Aizen Kohaku something people want to see...rather than making them acknowledge the person that I am overall."

"Perhaps you have," Shunsui agreed. "But I'll tell you this. Juu knows. He's smart, and perceptive, but it's not that. He knew, when he took you on, that there were challenges ahead. Everything he does regarding your development is with the understanding that you aren't like the others, but need to learn things much more robustly in order to shine in the way that you should. Your peers, too - they probably understand better than you think. They certainly accept you, even if your lack of experience sometimes means you have to do things by different rules. You may have hurt Kayashima, but he still bruised his fists on your behalf against a cocky recruit, so you don't have to worry about being rejected by them. You're not the kind of person who's going to use the power you have recklessly to harm another individual. Maybe, sometimes, it's not in your control. But you have no ill intent, so people will forgive you when you make mistakes. Juu most of all. He wants you healed and back in the fold more than anything else. He might scold you," he added, "but if he does, listen to him and act on what he says. I can tell you this stuff, but the one who believes in you most is your Captain. Better than you realise, I think...in that scary way he has of understanding and reaching out to people and winning their trust for life."

"Mm." Kohaku was silent for a moment, digesting this, then, "I wonder if Harumizu also struggled with it. With being himself, I mean - and getting people around him to accept it as well."

"Because of his heritage?" Shunsui asked gently. Kohaku shrugged.

"Harumizu could tamper with memory," he reflected. "He couldn't make new ones, of course, but he could take away memories that he didn't want people to know. Even so, he chose to make people remember his heritage. I think it was important to him that people knew that - so I'm not sure that's what I mean. In fact, it may be the opposite of what I mean...just, perhaps, he and I have this in common as well. The Mirror sword is hard to deceive, so it means that, no matter how much you lie to yourself or pretend to be one way, you know, deep down, how things really are."

"If not his bloodline, then what?" Shunsui eyed the young shinigami keenly.

"He's your ancestor," Kohaku pointed out, and Shunsui shrugged.

"Yours too, in a way," he replied. "But I haven't ever put a lot of stock in family image or that kind of thing. It's hard for me to understand and advise you if I'm missing part of the picture. At least, I'm assuming that's what you want from me - since you brought it up as part of this discussion."

"It's funny," Kohaku managed a faint smile. "Since our trip to that Hollow world, talking to you seems a natural thing to do."

"I suppose it should be," Shunsui grinned. "Maybe I'll be your surrogate uncle. How does that sound to you?"

"I think if Taichou was here, he'd probably tell you to stop being silly," Kohaku mused, "but I don't want to be disciplined, so I won't say it. In any case, I'd like to know your thoughts - if you don't mind. It's just, Harumizu didn't really want to be a nobleman. I felt that very much in his thoughts. In the end, he took the rewards offered, but not because he wanted it. He did it because he felt it was the right thing to do - maybe, because he didn't want Soul Society to be afraid of him. If he was under the auspices of the Regent, then he was 'safe' and even if people gossiped about his mother...I dunno. I think he was proud of her, but I also think that people looked down on him because she was a courtesan. And I think...he wanted that. Because he knew the Mirror was as dangerous a sword as the Soldier, potentially - and he didn't want anyone else thinking it too. Like Yamamoto-dono, who gave up his inheritance and pulled away from power - Harumizu laid down his fighting blade and became the Regent's paid up noble ally instead...so people didn't see him as a threat in the fragile peace that followed Heaven's War."

"And you feel the same way? Becoming a shinigami, with everyone knowing Keitarou was your father...?" Shunsui frowned. Kohaku shook his head.

"I want to be a shinigami because I chose it, and having people know about Father isn't exactly helpful to me," he admitted. "So no, not exactly. But not wanting to appear a threat - trying to behave and make choices that don't seem threatening - that I understand. When I was young, my reiryoku apparently drove a person mad and killed him. Nobody ever talks about it here, and though I know you and Taichou know that story, I don't think many other people do. That's the person I don't want to become, and I certainly don't want people seeing my spirit power in that light."

"You didn't do that on purpose, though, and your control is much better now than it was then," Shunsui objected softly. Kohaku nodded.

"It is," he agreed. "But in the fight, against the Soldier, it was like I became aware for the first time just what Father expected from me. The power that can destroy Soul Society..." he put a hand to his chest with a sigh. "It's in here. It isn't just the fact I can see the future. It's the potential to take that sight and use it to reshuffle this whole world in the way that suits me best. Father wanted that aspect of the Mirror blade. The Soldier wanted it too, I think - to use me as a ruthless puppet towards his own ends. I don't want that - and I won't become that kind of a Mirror wielder - but I suppose that's the thing Harumizu wanted to keep hidden as well. The dangerous side of this kind of weapon...because if people knew those things, they'd shy away. Harumizu didn't want to be alone, either, not really. He didn't want to marry, but he lost the place he had with the Yamamoto after Yamamoto-dono's father died and Yamamoto-dono left. He knew the Mirror shouldn't be alone, just like I know it as well. So he married, and then he took steps to make sure he didn't scare his new wife or children away."

"It doesn't sound like he was much the kind of person to go in for bad behaviour, though," Shunsui observed. "Like you, he chose to live in peace. He fought the battles that needed fighting, but he didn't do harm with his sword. And he loved his mother, no matter her origins - and stood up for that. He took the nickname people used to mock him and made a whole Clan from it. Those are all good things - at least, I think so. Don't you?"

"Yes..." Kohaku looked troubled. "But I also know there are things he couldn't erase from his own memory, even if he took them from other people. For example, Harumizu killed Heaven's Regent. The records say that the assassin was never found - but that's not true. Harumizu stopped them remembering it, that's all."

"Harumizu started Heaven's War?" Shunsui looked taken aback, and Kohaku shrugged.

"In a sense, maybe," he owned. "But not in the way you think he did. Heaven's last Regent started Heaven's War. He started it because he was looking for Harumizu."

"Looking for him?" Shunsui's brows knitted together in consternation. Kohaku nodded.

Like Father, he wanted the power of the Mirror for himself," he agreed. "I don't have all the details - some things I think Harumizu buried so deep inside that even Kyouka Raigen's connection to the past Mirror blade didn't dig them out. But Heaven's Regent was hunting for Harumizu from almost the moment he was born. I think that he even killed Harumizu's mother. Harumizu knew that taking any kind of drastic personal revenge would have serious ramifications for the whole of the spirit plane, so he didn't, not until he realised the Regent's actions were bringing bigger dangers into play. In the end, though, Harumizu couldn't prevent the war. He could take out the instigator, but he couldn't stop the poison from spreading through the whole of Soul Society. And he could never tell anyone what he'd done, so the stories kept flying even long after the war was over. Because Kunimori and the rebel Unohana pursued their own ends, Tsuneyoshi tried to bring his niece back to life and lost his wits to the dark side. That's why Harumizu felt such a sense of obligation to this, I suppose...and maybe that leaked over into my life as well. He wanted to resolve it because in a sense, Heaven's War - and the things that followed - were his fault. Even though he didn't mean to start it...it began because a greedy person wanted the power of the Mirror sword - a blade that signifies 'existence'. Why, specifically, I don't know. I'm not sure if Harumizu even knew, though it probably had some connection to the disruption going on in the Heaven Realm at the time as well. Maybe Heaven's Regent wanted to grasp power up there and saw Royal Swords as a way to do it. Maybe Harumizu's was just the start - perhaps because, like Taichou and like me, he wasn't from a family with means, and so had no political protection. Perhaps he wanted other Royal Swords, too - like Kunimori's, and saw the Mirror as a step on the way to get them. Whatever it was he wanted, this Regent was willing to kill, and destroy, and create war for it - just like Father."

"I see," Shunsui let out a low whistle. "I can see why he'd want to keep that under wraps. And why it would bother you, thinking about it," he added. "You see the parallels between his life and yours. Keitarou definitely looked at Juushirou that way, because he was born in the Districts, but he would also see his own son as an easy target to manipulate. The parallels are somewhat frightening."

He smiled bleakly.

"If you were Harumizu reborn, maybe Keitarou's soul once belonged to that Regent," he mused, and Kohaku shivered, shaking his head.

"Please don't say creepy things like that, sir," he begged. "It's bad enough Father had the obsessions he did, without making it feel like his interest in my spirit power surpassed generations."

"Sorry," Shunsui smiled ruefully. "It's not something we could test or prove, anyway, and it's probably not the case at all. But it does show that powerful people seek powerful allies, and those they consider more vulnerable. And in that sense, you and Harumizu did have that in common. You were both sought by predators who wanted to imprison you for their own ends."

"But in my case, I didn't kill anyone to find my freedom," Kohaku said gravely. "I made you do it instead."

"I did it because it was my job, and in the end, we made a good team," Shunsui was matter-of-fact. "Since our conversation in the Hollow place, I've decided to put it behind me. I think I can, now, because I feel as though it's easier to understand what happened then in the bigger context. Harumizu found a way of dealing with his demons...even if it meant concealing them from everyone else. But you and I share this particular evil - and that maybe helps both of us more than I thought it did before. So this kind of conversation, you can always have with me. Juushirou may or may not want to delve into such dark things with you - but it's all right, if he doesn't. I will. I already decided that I had a debt to you, from five years ago...this is a way to repay it."

"You just said you were putting it behind you," Kohaku looked startled, and Shunsui nodded.

"I am," he said evenly. "The debt I mean is helping me to save my best friend's life. Nothing else. Juu - and the Thirteenth, and probably a lot more of us - survived that day because of your help. That's the debt that I think is worth repaying - and so I'll try and listen, and if I can, I'll help, even when he can't. I'm probably better placed when it comes to moral shades of grey than Juu is, so keep it in mind."

"I will." Kohaku smiled, then, "In that case, Kyouraku-taichou, I'd like to talk to you about something else. I hadn't really decided what to do about it, but talking to you makes me think that...maybe you can help me figure it out."

"I'll try," Shunsui looked surprised. "What's up?"

"It's hard to explain," Kohaku looked frustrated. "It was a dream - I think - but it also...wasn't."

"Well, that's perfectly clear," Shunsui chuckled, and Kohaku pulled a face. "A dream that wasn't a dream. So a vision of some kind, then? Is that what you mean?"

"I...think so," Kohaku jerked his head forward in a nod. "But the reason I'm hesitating is that it was...very strange. And also, very...familiar?"

"So not like your usual dreams?"

"No..." Kohaku chewed hard on his lip as he considered. "Although I wouldn't say that there's a real rule to how I see things, so maybe saying that is misleading. Sometimes I pick things up when I'm awake, and sometimes I see them in my sleep. Sometimes they're painted in pictures - symbols - like the kestrel in Kikyue-hime's sword and the sacred tree that was my sister who killed Souja-dono, the buzzard made of stone. Those kinds of pictures I have to piece together, like a puzzle - but the more I think about it, the more I think those kinds of visions happen when I'm not very well acquainted with the situation. I didn't really know much about Seireitei or the people in it, let alone individuals, when I had those visions. Izumi-chan too. She and her brother were silver foxes to me then, because I didn't really know what else to call them."

"Okay, that makes sense," Shunsui acknowledged. "Go on."

"Some of the things I've seen since I've been here have been more specific. I saw skeletons at Eleventh, but I saw them in their uniforms, and they were corpses, so I was more or less right," Kohaku grasped the blanket absently, twisting it pensively between his fingers. "I think that's maybe because I know Eleventh Division. I might not know them all by name, but I knew who Ikata-san was by sight, and I'd seen them on patrol. I also know more about what shinigami are, so my dreams can present them more clearly. The more I experience, the clearer the things I see become. But..."

He trailed off, and Shunsui frowned.

"But?" he prompted softly, and Kohaku shrugged.

"This wasn't like either of those things," he admitted finally. "Like I said, it was totally unfamiliar, and yet it was familiar as well. If I had to compare it to anything, it was my dream about Harumizu and the first time he met the Soldier. It had that kind of familiar feeling to it - as though it weren't me seeing things, not even through the eyes of another person. It was me being those things - thinking them, feeling them - as though it were me. Even though it wasn't."

"Like a past life?" Shunsui asked sharply. Kohaku hesitated, and the Eighth Captain arched an eyebrow.

"Not?" he queried. Kohaku shrugged again.

"Like it, but also not the same," he said helplessly. "I'm sorry, sir. I realise I'm being confusing, but it's trying to find the right words. I realised that I'm still not all that good at articulating the things in my head, even after five years practice. That's why Niichan was able to help me when everyone else couldn't - because instinctively I still go inside myself, and he's the only one who can go in after my thoughts and pull me out. It can't stay that way, I know that - but sometimes it's hard to put into words something another person can't see or experience."

He released his hold on the blanket with a sigh.

"In any case, this wasn't a past life," he added. "Even if my soul is Harumizu-dono's soul reincarnated, that was something that happened a long time ago. Harumizu-dono was a man from Heaven's War. He died, and I took on his burden of dealing with the Soldier, but that's over now. I haven't seen any of his memories since that incident. Whatever thread connected us, either Kyouka doesn't want to pursue it, or it was broken in the aftermath. I don't really mind, either. I don't want to know how he saw things, because I want to forge my own path. Hiyama-dono told me that the world didn't need Harumizu-dono, it needed me - and that we were all here to fulfil our purpose. If we fail, the world will find a way to deal with us and restore balance...and the more I thought about it, the more I know it's true. He chose not to come back to Seireitei because he saw himself as a risk to our balance. Even if he had lived, he wouldn't have come back. He was always going to die in the Real World, so the Dragon didn't upset the balance of Seireitei. It made me consider from a different angle my father and his death. I have come to believe I was born to stop him - but if Hiyama-dono is right, then it was my duty to do it, too. To bring everything back into line. And maybe, it was my duty to stop the Soldier, too - even though I wasn't able to fight him, in the end."

"Possibly, but that doesn't mean you should turn Juu's white hair any whiter with reckless heroics," Shunsui warned. "If you want to take action like that, you'll train hard and grow stronger. When you're a Captain in your own right you can make your own choices - but you've a way to go before you get to that point."

"I don't want to be a Captain," Kohaku shook his head. "I want to be in Thirteenth, with Taichou and everyone, and I can't do that, if I become a Captain."

"That isn't a reason not to try to become one," Shunsui scolded. "Enishi didn't want to leave Thirteenth either, but it's what I said before. Sometimes, we have a duty to do more than just please ourselves. Hiyama-dono clearly thought so too. We are here for a reason, and we fill that void, each one of us. If you don't know what your path holds, with the talents you have, the rest of us certainly don't. But don't close doors prematurely, especially while you're still figuring out the person you are and want to be. Leaving them open is better."

Kohaku's lips thinned.

"In my dream, I was wearing a haori," he realised with a jolt. "I didn't think about it before, but I was. Only I don't know what number it said on it. Just, I remember the white fabric, billowing around my body as I was sucked up in the golden light."

"Sucked up? Sucked up where?" Shunsui's eyes widened in confusion.

"Into the Dangai, I think," Kohaku was thoughtful. "A Gate - maybe a Zaimon Gate, or something like it - but up in the sky. It wasn't quite like what we went through, but it had the same kind of aura around it somehow. There were giant Hollows there, trying to get out, but they couldn't. Taichou called them Menos, I think. And something else, behind them. But I wasn't scared. I wanted to go there. I don't know why."

"Wait a minute," Shunsui held up his hands, his anxiety growing with every passing moment. "Juushirou was in this dream?"

"Yes," Kohaku's brow furrowed again. "That's why I know it wasn't a past life. I'm sure Taichou was there, and he was cross with me. And I didn't want to listen to him, but I couldn't not."

He shivered.

"I don't remember everything," he added. "But there had been fighting. There was a man, covered in blood. He might have been dead, and a girl was cradling him. I think she was his family, but I don't know who they were. He wore a haori, but I didn't see a number. You were there as well, Kyouraku-taichou. I'm sure about that. Also, Yamamoto-dono. And maybe Retsu-sama as well. But I didn't recognise anyone else. At least, I did, but I didn't. That doesn't make sense, I know, but it was like...I was seeing it through my eyes, only...they weren't really mine by that point."

He reached up to touch his eyelids, then,

"I was wearing glasses, and my hand didn't look like this. It was thinner in the fingers...and it seemed like I was someone older than I am now," he added. "I was the person in my vision, but it wasn't me any more. And most of the people were strangers, but the me in my vision knew who they were. It was this me that didn't, so I couldn't remember anyone's name. Just Taichou's. I knew his name. The landscape was strange too - like it wasn't quite real. There was a tall white tower, and the remains of a scaffold, which is where the fighting had been. I didn't recognise it as Seireitei, but the me I was then knew that it was, even if I didn't. And the me in my vision...was lonely and angry and bitter inside, like he'd been left alone to rot for a long time. He wanted revenge on everyone...everything. Even the Soul King. It was frightening, and stifling..."

He put a hand to his chest.

"It was as though something grabbed me right here, and squeezed the emotion out of me," he concluded with a little shiver. "I didn't like it."

Shunsui was silent for a moment, then he eyed his companion in consternation.

"If Juu and I were there, then that rules out it being a past life," he admitted. "But if you say that Seireitei was unfamiliar...then..."

"It might not mean anything at all," Kohaku reflected. "But I feel as though it does. I wasn't sure what to do with it, but after this conversation today, I feel as though it's important that I tell someone about it - all of it. Not least because the more time passes, the more details are slipping away. I saw it right before I woke up here, so some of it was already hazy anyway...and I am not sure it's something that should just be left by the wayside, even if it doesn't make a lot of sense right now. I know there were things in the vision that jarred with my memories, things which I could identify as being different to me. I had a Mirror Sword, but something about it felt sinister and wrong and I knew it wasn't Kyouka Raigen. I didn't see my face, but I feel certain I wouldn't have known it, even if I had. Taichou called me Aizen, though. I remembered that, because he's never called me that, not once, in the whole time he's known me. And more than anything else in this dream, I remember him. Looking at me as though I'd disappointed him, and feeling, inside, that somehow I had to justify my actions to him."

"I can't imagine why Juu would call you Aizen," Shunsui admitted. "I would have thought that was too much of a reminder of Keitarou - I'm sure he'd never use that name. He doesn't want you to think of yourself in connection to Keitarou - or believe you're anything like your Father."

"The person in my dream was," Kohaku said sadly. "He was lost and angry and bitter and cold inside, like Father became. There was the same bitterness twisting through him, only somehow much much worse."

He glanced at his companion, taking in the man's features with a frown.

"You were all older," he added unexpectedly. "Not old like Yamamoto-dono , but older. A lot older than now, I think. Taichou especially looked tired, like he'd been fighting. But it wasn't just that. I felt that he wasn't as well as he is now," he faltered, reddening slightly.

"I mean, well, usually, when I haven't worried him to death with some stupid act."

"We were older," Shunsui digested this, and Kohaku nodded.

"There was a ryoka boy, too," he continued. "At least, that's what I called him. A...a human boy, but he wore shihakushou, like a shinigami. He had red hair. He was the Moon. I felt that. I - the me I was in my dream - was interested in him, just a little bit. I felt like he was the Moon. A boy with the Moon in his power...or the power to slice the moon in half with his blade."

"The Moon? As in the Royal Sword?" Shunsui asked. Kohaku nodded.

"I think so. It was a very strong sensation, even though I never met the Moon Sword wielder before," he agreed. "The me in my dream would have known, though - he knew who that person was, even though I didn't. I'm sure of it, Kyouraku-taichou. It was the Moon sword. And he was an ally of Seireitei, not an enemy."

"But Moon swords only appear in the Shiba family bloodline, and you called him a ryoka," Shunsui ran frustrated fingers through his dark hair, this time dislodging the tie completely until the thick brown waves fell loose around his shoulders. "More, a human? From the Real World? I don't see how that is possible."

Kohaku looked troubled, and for a moment there was silence. Then,

"I don't know if I should say this," he admitted. "I don't know, because of the implications of what it means. And I'm not sure...I could say it to Taichou. But maybe I can tell you. I think...there's a chance...that what I saw is real. That it's a memory - but of something that hasn't happened yet. What I saw was through my eyes, but not...mine. This is a future Mirror Sword wielder, who, like me, has Harumizu's soul."

"But for that to be the case, that would mean..." Shunsui faltered, and Kohaku nodded sadly.

"I would have to be dead. Yes."

"Before us?" Shunsui looked troubled. "But if we're not old like Yama-jii, then..."

"I don't think, if I'm right, that it's something soon," Kohaku said hurriedly. "If it was Seireitei, it looked totally different, and so did the people. And you weren't old like that, true - but I could tell. You were a lot older than now. I saw it in Taichou's eyes especially - they weren't quite like now. He'd seen a lot more. Hiyama-dono told me about time and how it affects reiryoku, and I could sense it as well . Taichou was tired and he wasn't fully well, but even so, I could tell his reiatsu had changed. I think it must have got stronger, because otherwise he wouldn't have been able to stand there, in that atmosphere, glaring at me like he was without flinching away. The me I was in the dream also thought that way - to him, Taichou was much older than he was, and he couldn't just ignore it, even though he felt himself superior."

He frowned again.

"Everything was unfamiliar and surreal to me, even though the person whose eyes I saw it through knew and understood that world," he said at length. "I could only get a flicker of that deeper knowledge - what I felt was his feelings at that moment, not the reasons for them or what would happen next. He felt close enough to me to be me, though, like Harumizu did. Seeing Harumizu's past was more complete, because it already existed, but this was more hazy. Still, it was very vivid and very real - like I'd broken into a future life without permission, and was trespassing through his memories before they even happen. But my weapon is the sword of Existence, so it makes sense that it would see the finite events of Harumizu's ended life, and only glean pieces of the possible future life that, maybe, can still be changed somehow. I think that its the most likely explanation right now, though. I remember that the Mirror Sword doesn't like to be dormant for long periods. So if I did die, it's not impossible that the Mirror would be reborn again. The trouble is, even if it was, it doesn't have to be born into this soul. Kyouka told me that it specifically sought out this soul this time, because the last time, the Mirror wielder couldn't handle it and killed himself. There could be ten or even twenty Mirrors before this one shows up - or it could be the very next incarnation. Just...I think that's what it was. Because I was sensitive to the past life of this soul," he touched his chest again, "for a moment, before I woke, I saw its future, too. Only the past was reassuring. The future...not so much."

Shunsui sighed heavily.

"I hope you are wrong," he said at length. "Aside the fact I don't want to cross blades with another Mirror in my lifetime, I don't know how Juu would react if he thought you were going to die before him. I certainly wouldn't want him to be worrying about that - and I agree, you shouldn't tell him about this, at least not right now. If it becomes necessary, later, then maybe - but it might just be a chimera and it may yet change. In any case, I'm glad you told me about it - but let's keep it between us for the time being. It doesn't serve any purpose to frighten people with things we don't understand."

"I'm not planning on dying early, Kyouraku-taichou. Even more so, now, if the future is like this," Kohaku said firmly. "I don't want to hurt Taichou, either, so I won't. I'm going to master my sword and get stronger. You have my word on that."

He offered the Captain a faint smile.

"I'm going to die in Seireitei," he said pragmatically. "But not today, and not for a long time to come. I'm resolved on that. Whatever that future was, it wasn't something I will ever see. But I don't feel like my life got shortened from seeing something from a time after I'm here. And if you're there, and Taichou, you can stop it. I know you can."

"I wonder," Shunsui grimaced. "I know you're trying to be reassuring, but in all honesty...I don't really want to have to fight any more Royal Swords. Especially if they're swords once held by someone I knew."

"Kyouka's already made it clear he doesn't intend for me to die easily, though," Kohaku said frankly. "He also told me that he wasn't going to let me see things that couldn't be changed. If I saw this - if it's a future me - then maybe it can be changed. Or even if it can't - even if it still happens, maybe knowing about it now means you'll be able to put things right."

"For now, the distant future isn't something I want to worry about," Shunsui admitted. "There's too much to be done right in front of us. I'm sure Juu would say that he doesn't intend to be defined by what you see, either. We make our own futures, all of us. Maybe that future is possible, but that's all it is right now. Possible. And other futures are also possible, too. Don't forget that."

"I won't," Kohaku promised. "I know you're right, but I think I needed to tell you, anyway."

He smiled again.

"I'm not going to hurt the Captain any more, and I'm certainly not going to abandon him easily, either," he said firmly. "When I met him, I knew that, if I put faith in him, he'd never abandon me, and always be there to help me. If my dream is true, then I suppose he will always be there, and that means a lot. I won't give up on this life easily, but even if the vision is true, and I do die first, it means I won't ever have to be alone, not like the me in my dream. So if there's anything you or Taichou can do for the Mirror Sword wielders of the future, Kyouraku-taichou - please don't let us be alone. Even if something happens to me, and I'm not here - I'll do whatever I can while I am, and I won't give up easily. But even if I'm not - if someone else appears, please help them, and please make sure Taichou does as well. If a Mirror Sword wielder isn't alone, then they won't be swallowed up in the darkness. The me I saw was so intertwined with his blade that he no longer trusted others, nor wanted to. But Taichou's kindness can stop things like that from happening...and you're quick at seeing things and understanding them, so even if I'm not here, please promise me you'll try."

Shunsui looked troubled, but, at length, he nodded, reaching over to clasp the young man's hand briefly in his.

"You have my word," he said solemnly. "But we won't talk about it again, not unless it becomes necessary to address it. For now, and for Juu's sake as well, this is the life you need to focus on. You have a lot of work to do, to get you to a place where you can use your Mirror without causing harm to yourself...and that's where you should begin. We can leave the time beyond till then. For now...I want you to worry about being Aizen Kohaku, and nobody else."

He sighed, releasing his hold on Kohaku's hand.

"To that end, there's one other thing I also want to talk to you about," he said gravely. "I'm not really sure if I should, but I've taken the decision, as Captain Commander, as I think it serves no purpose hiding it from you going forward."

"Kyouraku-taichou?" Kohaku looked startled, and Shunsui nodded.

"I know the identity of Keitarou's spy," he admitted, and Kohaku's eyes widened. "Juushirou and I both do. We knew, five years ago - but we didn't say anything, because we realised that spy had been manipulated and used almost as badly as you and your brother. For that reason, we didn't think they posed anyone else a danger. In this recent crisis, this individual has been at the forefront of helping Seireitei, so I know we made the right decision. But they are worried, I think, about you - and that you might realise and reveal their secrets going forward. I don't think that would benefit Soul Society, but I also don't think it would benefit us if this person continues to fear what you can do. It might, ultimately, lead to a breakdown in communication, and so...I wanted to talk to you about it directly."

"Father's spy is someone in the Gotei, isn't it?" Kohaku's eyes narrowed.

"It is," Shunsui agreed. "Do you have any idea who it was?"

"None," Kohaku shook his head. "I never knew then, and, after Father died, I never tried to find out. I suppose I've met the person, if you say they've been working on things and are still here," he added pensively, "But I don't really know who they are. If you say they can be trusted now, then I don't intend on causing any trouble. You needn't worry about that. Five years ago, a lot of things happened - but people can change and regret stuff. Katsu-nii has proven that."

"True, and I hoped that would be your perspective," Shunsui agreed. "I'm not sure if Juu intends on talking to you about it - he probably knows more, as he's had an open and honest conversation with the individual about everything. But if he doesn't, I think you need to know. If you know, and the reasons why, I hope you'll be able to put it aside and act like you don't know. If that makes sense...maybe it doesn't."

"No, it does," Kohaku's eyes became narrow as he digested this. "If I know, then I won't inadvertently 'discover' it and make a fuss about it by mistake. And if I keep quiet, then the person won't be worried about me revealing them - so if we need to work together in the future, there won't be any problems. Right?"

"That's right," Shunsui's eyes glittered with amusement. "You really do think more like a Kyouraku than anything else. Maybe that is something you inherited from your father - a good trait, in the right hands. You have the ability to see and understand things quickly and make use of that knowledge. I'm glad you're also not afraid to lie or pretend in the common interest, so long as you only use that skill for the right reasons. In any case, I'm going to tell you everything Juu told me, and I want you to think it over carefully."

"All right," Kohaku settled himself more comfortably against his pillows. "I'm ready."

"Keitarou's spy was Sekime Mareiko," Shunsui said candidly, and Kohaku's brows knitted together at this information. "The Captain of the Twelfth. The images you portrayed into Seireitei five years ago revealed the true events in Rukongai, but Mareiko-chan had been led to believe that Minaichi-taichou betrayed her and murdered her Captain. She felt about Kusakawa like you do about Juu, I think - and so it twisted her up inside, living with that knowledge in secret for such a long time. Your Father took advantage of that weakness, and plied her for information. When she realised the severity of what had happened and what she'd done, I think she was ready to give herself up - but Minaichi-taichou shielded her, and Juu and I decided not to say anything when we realised she wasn't under Keitarou's control that day. Since then, she's worked hard to rebuild herself and I don't think there's any risk she can't be trusted now. On the contrary, she took and worked hard with Katsura's information so we could shut down Gates - and it was Mareiko-chan who suggested Katsura be brought to try and help you. She stuck to her guns even though her suggestion brought some resistance - she told Juushirou that she wanted to do something to help you and your brother, because if he could put the past behind him and help out, so should she."

"I see," Kohaku absorbed this carefully. "In that case, she really isn't an enemy, is she? Maybe she never really was. I mean, Father was good at manipulating people, especially if they were hurt or angry. He did that to the Onmitsukidou, Suzuki Naoto - and to Tenichi-dono, as well. And, I guess, even Katsu-nii, in one sense. Perhaps Mother, too. There are lots of examples of him hurting people - I wouldn't blame her for being misled by him. He was good at that."

There was a faint edge to the young man's voice, and Shunsui eyed him keenly, but did not comment on it. Instead he smiled.

"I'm glad you feel that way," he said softly. "Because there's one other thing that you should know about it as well. Keitarou seems to have targeted Mareiko-chan for a reason. We can't know for sure, of course, but it seems likely that he went after her specifically, and not just because she was a link into the things Kusakawa was doing. Mareiko-chan is adopted - her parents took her in when she was small, and she lost her mother - but she's Keitarou's blood sister. That means, she's also your aunt. She's family to you and to Katsura - which is why, I think, she felt so strongly about doing something for your sake. There's a lot she can't say to you, or do about the past," he added, as Kohaku's eyes widened in disbelief. "But even those little things are proof that she wants to move on. I wanted you to know that as well, so that you can weigh up everything in your own mind. Keeping secrets from the Mirror sword is hard - I think it's better to tell you everything, and let you decide for yourself how you feel."

"I wonder if Father did know that," Kohaku gathered himself, looking thoughtful. "I certainly didn't. I've never really spent a lot of time with Sekime-taichou, so maybe I didn't pick up any vibes from her - but...if you say it's that way...then..."

He trailed off, his lips twitching into a rueful smile.

"There's nobody in this family who can say they have a completely blameless record," he said matter-of-factly. "I'm not going to hang on to grudges or onto the past. I won't say anything about it, Kyouraku-taichou. Not about the spying, nor about my father and their connection that way. If she wanted to help Katsu-nii and I, then that's enough. If she did that, then she's family to me too. And even if we can't ever talk about it, I won't betray her over the past. I decided that betraying Father was the last time I was going to betray someone that was blood to me, if I could possibly help it."

"Well said," Shunsui looked approving. "I'm glad we talked it over. It's up to you if you talk to Juu about it - but I suggest letting it lie. Now you know everything, Mareiko-chan has nothing to fear from you. And if she realises that, then I'm sure it will be better going forward. It strikes me that a genius of her calibre and a person with your skill may have things to talk about in the future, next time you decide you want to save Seireitei - and I want to make sure that can happen, for whoever happens to be Captain Commander at the time."

He groaned.

"Hopefully, not me," he added, and Kohaku laughed.

"I don't think it would be a bad thing, if it were," he said thoughtfully. "I think you're a good Captain Commander, Kyouraku-taichou. And you were the one who said we shouldn't close doors...maybe you should follow your own advice."

"Now you're being cheeky again," Shunsui warned, but there was humour in his dark eyes too, and Kohaku nodded.

"I am, and I'm sorry, but it doesn't feel wrong," he said simply. "If I'm supposed to work hard to better myself - even if I don't want to be a Captain - then the same applies to you too, doesn't it?"

"I suppose it does. I suppose this is where you sound like Juu, rather than a Kyouraku," Shunsui held up his hands in mock surrender. "All right. I got the information I came for, and more besides, so I should head back to Inner Seireitei. I'll tell Juu that you're a lot better and that he should heal up and come see you, so you can put your doubts aside. Then you can draw a line under this and we can all move on - at least, as much as any of us can in the aftermath of an attack like this."

"Yes, sir," Kohaku became serious. "And I promise, I won't be so reckless with my life again. Not if my keeping it means that I can prevent a worse future Mirror from happening, and especially not if it means hurting the Captain. You have my word. I will work hard and master my sword and be strong enough next time for whatever comes attacking. No matter what."

"I believe you," Shunsui eyed the young officer keenly, taking in the resolve in the dark eyes. "And that's a good expression. Show it to Juu as well - I think, if he saw the way you look right now, he'd stop worrying about you quite so much. If you've realised your life matters, it will take some of the pressure off him. And I think it does," he added. "I can't see the future, of course. But I do think that there's a place for you in it, going forward - as the wielder of the Mirror sword."

---

"I hope you've had time to reflect properly on your behaviour."

Naoko pushed open the door of Ugendou, holding it open with her foot as she manoeuvred her tray into the chamber proper. From the heart of the chamber, the white haired Captain raised his gaze to hers, a resigned look in his hazel eyes as she came to set the tray down at his side.

"You push yourself beyond your own limits, sometimes," she scolded, picking up the hot mug of steaming green tea and holding it out to him. "Especially with Houjou-kun not here. This is the second time since I took over the Vice Captain position that you've been reckless and ended up sick. Do you think I'm a soft touch or do you just not think I can handle things if you're not there to sign every paper yourself?"

"I would never think you were soft about anything, Naoko," Juushirou eyed her ruefully, taking a sip of the tea and setting the mug down beside him with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be such a burden. I thought I was handling it all - it rather took me by surprise."

"To pass out in a dead faint? You're not the only one. I almost had kittens when I came in here yesterday and found you sprawled on the floor in such an ungainly way," Naoko's words were scathing, and Juushirou winced at the edge in her tone. "It's only a miracle you didn't do that in the hearing, or, while Kinnya-sama and Koku's brother were still here. I thought you looked flushed when you went to the courtroom yesterday - but I didn't think you were quite that much of an idiot."

"I'm probably a complete idiot," Juushirou admitted, shifting his body around so that he could lean up against the panel walls. "I hadn't slept properly in a while, I suppose. I'm a Captain. I have duties. But I couldn't not go to Fourth. I shouldn't give so much attention to one member over the needs of the others, but..."

"Nobody is saying you shouldn't have gone to see Koku," Naoko's expression softened at this, and she knelt down at the Captain's side, slipping her fingers into her obi and pulling out one of the sachets of herbs from Juushirou's own private medicine stash. "Here. Shikiki suggested that this was the best herb to help with exhaustion, so I thought I'd bring it along with the tea. I just think that you could have trusted more to us. I'm not Houjou-kun, I realise that, but..."

"I am not comparing you to Enishi," Juushirou assured her. "I have just as much faith in you as I do in him, and I know I can leave things in your capable hands. Though you might work yourself into the ground if not checked," he reminded her, "so we share that fault in common. Just...as Captain, I couldn't just abandon this place and go to Fourth's hospital. I have a duty of care here, too."

He sighed heavily.

"This means I can't go see him," he added sadly. "He'll probably feel that."

"Kyouraku-taichou was going to go though, wasn't he?" Naoko tilted her head on one side, eying her Captain quizzically, and Juushirou nodded. "I thought so. I saw him in passing this morning when he came to see you, and he gave me that impression. Let him deal with it, Taichou. He's Captain Commander, and he actually looked like he was taking that seriously for once. Besides, apparently it's also an excuse for him to avoid Midori-sama, who is apparently not best pleased with him about what happened in the trial."

"Ah," Juushirou looked rueful. "I suppose I'm spared her rampage, since I got ritually humiliated in the courtroom, and obviously knew nothing about it. But Ojiisama got the better of her legally and she knows it. This isn't the Shihouin of old, so I don't suppose she'll do much more than rant down Shunsui's ear when she has a chance. He's got a natural talent for ignoring lectures he doesn't want to pay attention to - it will blow over pretty soon. All he did was give Ojiisama access to the records and the court, anyway, which is within his brief as Captain Commander, and perfectly above board if requested by a person of rank. He didn't build the sanctuary defence."

"Well, Koku is doing a lot better, and it's fitting for Kyouraku-kun to go," Naoko said matter-of-factly. "Mitsuki's written to say so and Shikiki said so too, didn't she? That the decay was all cleared from his wounds now and that he was on the road to recovery. If he has to wait a while to see you, so be it. He caused this," she gestured to Juushirou, "and your health is important too."

"It's not Koku's fault entirely, but I won't pretend his actions don't bother me," Juushirou grimaced. "In any case, for now, I'm stuck here. I understand the orders, though sometimes I wonder whether you or I have the most influence here when it comes to things like my health."

"I am an Unohana," Naoko said primly. "I might not be a healer, but I understand that sick people need rest. Besides, I promised Mitsuki a long time ago to make sure you didn't implode yourself, and I mean to keep that promise. Koku can wait. The recruits have been dealt with and I'll handle any further issues from that quarter if need be. Ketsui and Izumi are back now, and Ketsui at least is useful with drill practice. Plus, I think the recruits learned some interesting and valuable things from their brief interlude with Kikyue-dono - in any case, they all seem very eager to spar with swords since then."

"Do they? I see. With the trial, I haven't had much time to look at what they're doing, but that's all to the good," Juushirou rubbed his chin. "For all her childhood impetuosity, Kikyue's grown a good deal since her brother's death. And it might have been a spur of the moment request, but I'm sure she took it seriously. If they've learned from it, so much to the good. It doesn't hurt to have a fresh input on things like combat skill, and Kikyue didn't go to the Academy like we did. She was trained in the heartland of the Endou territories, as a predator, and her survival skills are probably among the best."

He eyed his companion keenly.

"Yatsubashi and Naniwa are back with the rest now too?"

"Yes, sir," Naoko sighed. "Naniwa seems much recovered. He was physically sick for longer, but he's bounced back mentally more quickly. He's been concerned about Koku, but it's the normal concern of a junior officer towards a superior who just helped save his life. Yatsubashi is...quite quiet and subdued. He hasn't spoken much in the training sessions I've overseen...but I'm not sure whether I should intervene or not."

"It's not to do with Kayashima?" Juushirou looked troubled. "Furuta came to see me to tell me they'd clashed - off the record - because he was worried about Kayashima's temper and how upset he was about Koku's health. I admit, I discussed it a little with Shunsui this morning, because I wanted his advice, but he said it would be better to leave it be and not make a bigger deal out of it - so long as it didn't go further. Furuta seemed to think it wouldn't, and promised to keep an eye on things to make sure of it - but I guess getting a punch in the face from one of your supervising officers isn't what you expect as a recruit."

"I asked Yatsubashi himself about the bruises," Naoko admitted. "He didn't want to tell me who they came from. When I asked him directly, he just said that he did something to deserve it and that he didn't want to talk about it. I guessed it was probably Kayashima, given that he has a tendency to swing fists when Koku is involved - which, by the way, is a habit that needs breaking. In any event, I didn't push the issue with Yatsubashi beyond that, as he didn't seem to want to tell tales. He is unsettled," she added, "but I don't think it's clashing with Kayashima that's caused it. Also, I'm relieved to hear that someone had the sense to come and talk it out with you, even off the record. I have to say that Furuta, for all his coasting, is good at calming situations and keeping things on the level. I would leave him to manage Kayashima - especially now Koku is on the mend, and no longer in danger. I think probably that situation already resolved itself - my impression was more that Yatsubashi is worried about Koku, in the way someone worries with a guilty conscience. He's already been punished, and you've made it clear you don't intend to expel him for his actions, so I can't see what else it could be. He has asked about Koku's health a few times, and I think he wanted to ask me whether he would be able to go visit at some point - but he lost his nerve, and I wasn't going to put words in his mouth."

"Then he wants to apologise?"

"Probably," Naoko nodded. "He was a prize idiot, but I think he realises that. Not that Koku was much better," she groaned. "Honestly, our Division, sometimes...I think you must be setting them a bad example, Ukitake-kun. All this reckless rushing off into danger to save the world or challenge injustice is right out of your school days, if you ask me. You might have outgrown it - although we both know you haven't - but if your subordinates are all now doing it too..."

"I guess Enishi counts in that category as well?" Juushirou was amused.

"I suppose he does," Naoko's lips twitched into a wry smile. "Oh well. I wouldn't change you and I don't suppose anyone else would either. I'll keep an eye on Yatsubashi. Kayashima, too. Shikiki said something about Koku being brought back to Fourth Division in the next few days, as technically he's walking war wounded, and the District hospital isn't designed to house injured shinigami longterm. When he is, should I see about Kayashima going to visit him?"

"If he wants to, then by all means, let him," Juushirou agreed. "I'm sure he's been worried, but since Koku's life isn't in danger now, it should be fine. And if he sees that for himself, it might calm him down, too. I don't want to have to discipline him for loss of temper, not when I know he's been as worried as anyone - so hopefully that will settle him."

"You won't be going to visit yet, though," Naoko said firmly. "Even if Koku is brought back to Inner Seireitei. You're resting here until Shikiki says otherwise, so don't even think about trying to slip my attention."

"Sneaking off to Fourth would probably just lead to me being taken prisoner by overzealous healers, primed to the alert by my overattentive little sister," Juushirou said dryly. "Don't worry. It annoys me, but I'll stay put. Shunsui is handling the official business. I'll deal with Koku myself - from both a private and a disciplinary point of view - when I'm given the all clear. I don't want to worry him by turning up looking like a zombie...even if he did worry me."

"It's probably a good thing your hair is already white," Naoko said acidly, and Juushirou laughed despite himself. He nodded.

"I think that too, often," he agreed good-humouredly. "If not, I'd be constantly driven that way by my squad."

"Well, they say the squad resembles the Captain who leads it," Naoko said speculatively, and Juushirou grinned.

"It probably does," he acknowledged. "Though that does include you too, you know."

"Taichou? Shikibu-san? I'm sorry to disturb you, but there's a visitor here to see you."

Before Naoko could respond, there was a light knock on the door of Ugendou, followed by the unmistakeable sound of Kira's voice from the other side. Juushirou frowned, casting Naoko a confused glance, and Naoko shrugged, getting to her feet and padding across the chamber to pull the door back. Kira started at the movement, then bowed his head slightly, offering her a faint smile.

"I know you said you were going to discuss Division matters with the Captain this morning, but Retsu-sama is here," he said politely. "She asked to speak to both of you, if it's convenient, and I said I'd come and tell you. Is it all right?"

"Retsu-sama?" Naoko looked startled, turning back to glance at Juushirou, who shrugged his shoulders in similar confusion. "I don't think it's a problem, though we weren't expecting her. By all means, Kira. Tell her she's welcome. Go see about some tea, too. The Captain isn't entirely dressed for visitors, but since its Retsu-sama, and she's used to his haphazard approach to his general health, I don't imagine it will faze her."

"Yes, ma'am," Kira saluted, disappearing into shunpo, and Juushirou let out a sigh.

"You really aren't taking any prisoners today, are you?" he observed resignedly. "I wonder what she wants, though. It can't be about my health, since Shikiki has dealt with that and it's not a serious attack or anything, just general overwork. Koku is also fine - at least, I assume he is," he added apprehensively.

"Kohaku-kun is doing quite well, as it happens, according to my latest information," Retsu herself answered the question, stepping into Ugendou and bowing her head apologetically in Juushirou's direction. "My apologies, Ukitake-taichou. As it happened, I did not know you were indisposed. I have had a lot of things to settle since we met in District Four - but I can bring you positive news of your Twelfth Seat. We plan to bring him to the Fourth Division in the next day or two...but he will make a full recovery now and you have nothing to fear there."

"Thank goodness," Juushirou let out his breath in a rush. "I should apologise to you again as well, Retsu-sama. My officers were trespassing unacceptably on your grounds and causing all kinds of drama there. I appreciate your involvement more than I can say, as it probably saved all three of their lives. The recruits have been well reprimanded - I will deal with Koku himself when I have a chance to see him."

"Don't be too harsh on him," Retsu smiled, coming to take one of Ugendou's cushions as Naoko closed the door carefully behind her. "He acted with good intent, I think, for all he was foolish in doing so. He is still very raw in his spirit power and his understanding of being a shinigami overall. They are things he will learn, with time...and from what Mitsuki-san has said, he understands the consequences of his actions very well indeed. He has also been quite worried over Katsura - It is not my place to comment on the discipline in other squads, but as regards the inconvenience caused to the Unohana - I think he has probably punished himself. Besides, for all it was reckless, his strategem worked. The Soldier was defeated, and now Seireitei is once more safe."

"The end doesn't always justify the means, though," Juushirou said gravely. "But I appreciate your generosity of spirit in not making a bigger issue out of it."

"I trust your recruits are now in good health?" Retsu enquired, as Naoko came to join them, and Juushirou nodded.

"They're quite back to health," he agreed, glancing at Naoko, who also nodded. "Back in training and I don't suppose they'll be so stupid a second time."

"Then all is well with the Thirteenth," Retsu seemed satisfied.

"It would be, Retsu-sama, if our Captain learned to take better care of himself," Naoko observed dryly, and Retsu smiled.

"Well, old habits die hard, so they say," she said reflectively. "I have seen him in a much worse state over far less."

"I really don't have a good reputation with the Unohana family, do I?" Juushirou groaned, and Naoko chuckled, shaking her head.

"Both Retsu-sama and I have known you since school days," she pointed out. "It's a long enough acquaintance for us to know that you'll probably never change."

"If there's no bad news about Koku, and you aren't here about the incident in District Four, Retsu-sama, then to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Juushirou cast the Fourth Captain a quizzical look. "You clearly aren't here to check up on my health, so I have to admit, I'm curious."

"Yes," Retsu looked troubled, letting out a sigh, then, "to be honest, I really came to speak to Naoko-san. Although I should like to talk to both of you - the matter in question really involves her."

"Me?" Naoko looked floored. "I don't understand. I don't remember doing anything to draw particular attention to myself of late. Unless it's about my temporary Vice Captaincy? But surely Kyouraku-k...taichou would handle that, being that he's Captain Commander, and he didn't say anything about it this morning..."

"Calm yourself," Retsu held up a hand. "It's nothing like that. I came to ask a favour from you."

"A favour? From Naoko?" Juushirou looked curious, and Retsu nodded.

"Also, to seek your permission to borrow her - if she agrees to help me - for a day or two to complete it," she admitted. "With your health as it currently is, you might not be so willing...but..."

"I think the best thing would be to hear out the whole problem, and then decide," Juushirou pursed his lips. "I clearly owe the Unohana a favour, so I'm not going to be unnecessarily obstructive. And I might be grounded to Ugendou, but I can still run the Division from here. If need be, I can use Kirio and Atsudane to run all my errands and pass all my messages for a day or two, since, thanks to Naoko's hard work, all our mundane paperwork is completed and submitted for the next month. But if it's Naoko you came to see, then it's Naoko who should have the final say on whatever it is. We're both ready to listen to what it is that's troubling you."

"Mm," Retsu furrowed her brows. "In truth, it is a complex problem and I have spent some time thinking it over. The more I do, the more I believe that Naoko-san is the obvious choice - but it all depends on her feelings as well. Naoko-san, I would like to ask you - how is your current relationship with Dokusou Houshi?"

"With my sword?" Naoko was bewildered. "Fine, I think. I mean, I can use it. I did, in the Real World...even though I probably woke up that Hiyama guy, I guess that wasn't a bad thing to do overall. Why?"

Retsu sighed.

"I am beating around the bush," she admitted. "The truth is, as the senior healer for Seireitei, it falls to me to put back together the broken pieces of Seireitei's more high ranking officers. I can't do anything for Yuuichi-sama, and as for Minaichi-taichou, his recovery will take some time. That leaves me with the third problem - Guren-sama, and how to wake him from his slumber."

"Guren...sama?" Naoko's eyes widened slightly, and Juushirou cast her a concerned glance.

"Retsu-sama, do you think there's something Naoko - and Dokusou Houshi - can do to help Guren-sama recover?" he asked quietly. Retsu nodded.

"Guren-sama's condition is not caused by the Knowledge sword, but his own spirit power locking itself away to protect him from the spell," she said wearily. "The only way to break it is to dig away at that shield, and the most efficient means of doing so is using a technique that can disperse or absorb elements of Guren-sama's spirit power, breaking its stability and allowing him to wake up. I think Dokusou Houshi is probably the most precise tool capable of doing something on those lines...but Naoko-san, I remember only too well how upset you were, at the Academy, both at not being able to help Suzuno-san, and then, with the horrible way Keitarou used you and your spirit power to harm other people. I know that, since then, you've put a barrier between yourself and your sword. I feel that you really don't want to push it to a higher level, in case you become the person Keitarou tried to make you be. I think your sword could help Guren-sama recover - but I understand the feelings that have led you to this point, and I don't want to force an extra burden on you."

"You think Dokusou Houshi can...heal someone?" Naoko's voice trembled slightly, and she reached across to pick up her sword, slowly pulling back the sheath to glance down at the polished surface. "I've never healed anyone from anything. Dokusou Houshi is poisonous...it's a parasite, and it has the power to put someone else to sleep. I've used it in a scouting capacity, to draw information from the atmosphere, but I've never used those aspects of its release on another living being. Not since the incident with Keitarou. You asked if I was happy using it - and I am - but...on a living person...an ally...and a Gotei Captain..."

She swallowed hard.

"I might hurt him more," she whispered. "What if I killed him? Dokusou Houshi isn't intended to heal anyone. I'm not a healer. I've never been a healer. I..."

"If you're not happy about it, Naoko, then you don't have to do it," Juushirou said gently. "This is all sudden, but I know that Retsu-sama is right and you haven't ever really gotten over what happened in that last year we were at school. I've never pushed you to go beyond what you were comfortable with, because your skills have never been lacking, and your kidou has always made up for any lapses in offensive capacity using your sword in a conflict situation."

"I don't believe Dokusou Houshi would harm Guren-sama," Retsu shook her head. "You have good enough control to be able to choose the spores you release, correct? I thought so," as Naoko nodded slowly. "You would not accidentally poison him. What I want from you is the parasite - that aspect which Keitarou used so cruelly against you may well be able to save a man's life this time. It's something I can't do...nor can any of my healers. It needs someone with the ability to lock onto and absorb, bit by bit, pieces of Guren-sama's reiatsu to allow him to break out of his self-imposed stasis. The risk is more to you than to him, in fact - given the strength of Guren-sama as a Bankai level Captain, I don't know how much you might have to use your technique to really make a difference, and it might put a strain on your body, rather than on his."

"Could it kill her?" Juushirou looked concerned, and Retsu shook her head.

"I will not allow that to happen," she promised solemnly. "Even if it is unsuccessful, I will not allow Naoko-san to put her life in real danger."

"How likely is it that it could work?" Naoko asked softly, and Juushirou shot her a sharp glance.

"Naoko?"

"I have no guarantees, as this is the first time dealing with the aftermath of the Knowledge spell, as well as the nature of lockdown involved," Retsu admitted. "It is a theory based more on probabilities than practical experience. But at the very least, you have a better chance than I would with Minazuki, or any of the other healers would. Reversal spells are no good. Spells that heal wounds cannot fix this, as there is no wound to fix. The only technique that might possibly save Guren-sama and bring him back to his family is one that can steal his spirit power...purge his aura and allow him to recover."

Naoko's grip tightened around the hilt of her sword until her knuckles turned white. She swallowed hard, then, very purposefully, she pushed the half-exposed weapon back into its sheath. Slowly, she nodded her head.

"I'm not a healer," she said unevenly. "And I won't pretend that what you've just said doesn't worry me, Retsu-sama. But if I didn't try to help, I'd not be a very good shinigami. It doesn't matter that I'm not a healer. It's my job to help a comrade in distress."

She sent Juushirou a pained glance.

"You said that the Thirteenth's attitude reflected on me as well, sir," she added. "I suppose it does. Maybe I'm about to rush recklessly into danger and maybe I'll fail - but with your permission, sir, I'd like to go to District Six. I couldn't help Suzuno, and I've never forgotten that Dokusou Houshi took lives under Keitarou's control. But if it can help to give one back - at least, just one - then maybe I can move forward and accept it for what it is as well. Even though it's a sword that doesn't heal...if it can heal even just one person, once, then maybe...I can finally put Keitarou behind me and move on."

---

Author's Note

Did anyone guess that Retsu was thinking of Naoko?

So as I may have mentioned, my original intention was to finish this story on 21st December 2019 to mark 11 years complete of Meifu (the prequel was originally posted on 21st Dec 2008), but stuff happened and that wasn't possible without rushing an ending. That didn't seem fair on anyone who's supported the story till now. The story is almost finished, and will probably be done by Easter, I have a couple of sections still to write when I find some time to do it :) Still, it boggles my mind to think that Meifu has spanned ten years from start to now (albeit I took a long hiatus after Sukuse, and would probably have ended the story there if the Final Arc had not infuriated and upset me as much as it did). It's been a long time now since I either read or watched Bleach since I'll never reconcile to the ending and the original inspiration for all of this feels tainted to me now, probably forever. In spite of that, though, I'll never regret being a fan of the series nor that it made me write about Juu and Shun as much as I have.

The most humbling thing for me is that still is that I still get reviews, PMs, messages from you people, recommends from others to this story, and even this late in the day, new people coming to read Meifu for the first time.

I never ever imagined that would happen back when I wrote the prequel 11 years and a few weeks ago.

I'll do it properly in the epilogue, but since I can never say thank you enough times for this, seriously, thanks guys for the amazing support and the best 2020 to all of you.

(Also apologies that this turned out to be such a long chapter. I was a bit freaked out when I saw the wordcount on upload, as I don't usually monitor that stuff...)