Childhood Fancy

"Repeat it back to me, please - I want to make sure you've fully understood."

In the blazing, dry heat of the school-room, the slender young man with his well-featured, distinctive face stood back against the wall, gazing at his pupil expectantly as he waited for the child to obey him. Though it was the height of summer, and for many of the children hereabouts that meant playing in the lapping ocean or climbing trees for fruit or birds eggs, lessons still had to continue. And for Juushirou, that meant a morning of arithmetic, letters and philosophy, even though he as much as any other eight year old was dying to feel the cool sensation of salt water between his toes.

"Juushirou-sama? Please, I'm waiting."

The teacher's gentle words brought the boy back to himself and he smiled sheepishly, a winning smile that had so often thrown teachers on the verge of scolding him off guard with its frank, open honesty.

"I'm sorry, sensei. It's hot in here - I suppose I became distracted."

"Yes, I suppose you did." Despite himself, the teacher's lips twitched into a faint smile. "But I have my orders from your Father. You're not to leave this room until you've shown me that you can remember all of the things we've discussed in this morning's lesson."

He reached out his long, polished shaft of wood towards the board, tapping it gently as he did so.

"Now, let's go through this again, shall we? Let's see how much you've understood."

Juushirou sighed, resting his chin in his hands as he turned his gaze reluctantly back to the lists of characters that decorated the makeshift wall at the furthest end of the chamber.

"Everything in our existence is founded on the concept of balance." He said softly, realising that, nice as his teacher could be, he meant every word of what he said. "Everything we do has a significant opposite factor - for this world's existence, something else exists to keep it in balance. If that balance was to be obstructed, then the balance of those other things would also be obstructed. Therefore the most important thing is to keep this world in balance with itself, so that the other factors can also remain stable and secure."

"And in terms of Seireitei, what is the overall implication of this?"

The boy furrowed his brow, wishing his thoughts weren't so easily distracted by the faint sounds of splashing and laughter that were drifting in through the open shuttered window.

"That so long as everything here is safe and calm, everything everywhere else must be too?"

"Not quite." Despite himself the teacher laughed, coming to rest his hand on the child's shoulders. "Sometimes, Juushirou-sama, you speak with all the sense and maturity of a boy twice your age. Yet from time to time I'm reminded just how young you are. It's a difficult concept to grasp, in any case. And fundamentally you're not wrong - while Seireitei and Soul Society as a whole is calm, it generally means nothing outside is threatening its stability. However..."

"However?"

"Come with me." The teacher beckoned, leading the way across the classroom to the rear window. Juushirou got obediently to his feet, confusion and curiosity mingled in his clever eyes as he followed the older man across the floor.

"What do you suppose lies beyond Seireitei?"

"Rukongai, sensei."

"And what is Rukongai, do you think?"

"I...I don't really know too much about that." Juushirou reddened, despite himself. "Papa said something about souls from outside Seireitei living there...I don't really know what it means, though."

"You know what Shinigami are, though, don't you?"

"Yes." Juushirou answered promptly. "They're the noble-born sons of Great Families who slay invading Hollows and keep everything in balance."

The teacher smiled.

"It's true that, in the current order of things, Shinigami are born from the highest of Noble families, and that it's always been one of their key duties to keep Seireitei safe from the invading threat of Hollows." He agreed. "But Seireitei alone is their concern, Juushirou-sama. They protect this area as part of their honour - within the walls, they take their business very seriously."

He eyed the boy keenly.

"Do you recall, then, the names of the eight Great Houses that rule Seireitei beneath the King himself?"

"I can." Juushirou nodded.

"Well, then? Remind me, for I seem to have forgotten." There was a teasing note in the teacher's tone, and Juushirou grinned, knowing that his companion was playing with him.

"Yamamoto, Shihouin, Urahara, Unohana, Shiba, Kuchiki, Endou, Kyouraku." He said purposefully, holding up his thin pale hands to count each one off as he spoke the name, and his teacher laughed, nodding his head.

"In the correct order, too. I'm impressed."

"Well, it's easy to remember things like that." Juushirou said honestly. "Because you taught me them in an easy way."

He cast his gaze back out across Seireitei, his brow furrowing as he took in the high towers of the imperial style buildings that stood in a circle around Seireitei, as if guarding the inner territory from outside dangers. They were like guard dogs to Juushirou's young eyes, and something about the sight of them made him feel safe and secure within his family's coastal home. Seireitei was a large expanse of land, within which many families of various noble standing made their home. But it was these eight pillars of their community on which the law and the security of their world depended, and Juushirou had always taken comfort in the strong fortresses that, no matter which way he looked, were always somewhere in his line of sight.

Like spokes on a wheel, the estates had not been built in their current locations by chance. Three or four centuries earlier there had been a civil uprising between noble clans, with disagreements and divisions over land and territory. Although most of the Great Noble Houses were too rich for Juushirou's young mind to properly appreciate, with estates and territory in several different sectors of Soul Society, the power hub of Seireitei had always been a bone of contention, and so, after much fighting and bloodshed, representatives of each family had been drawn together to one central place, and, in a solemn agreement, had divided the most desirable central territory into eight segments. Within these eight segments, each family held full sway - and Juushirou knew that it was a matter of great pride for each to hold the justice and peace of the people below them in their hands.

"An easy way, huh?" The teacher looked pensive. "I can see I'm going to have to plan some more challenging lessons, if that's the case. I can't have you getting bored."

"I'm not bored." Juushirou hurried to tell him. "I like hearing about things like that. About the Noble Families and what they do to protect Seireitei."

He grinned.

"And I know that this sector belongs to the Kuchiki-ke." He added importantly. "Because Father told me so."

"That's true." The teacher agreed. "Within Seireitei there are eight divisions, after all, and within them the quality of life among the people is much the same. And even though, these days, the Kuchiki-ke is still thought of as the family with the greatest spiritual gifts - the agreement of four centuries ago keeps the peace between the divisions."

He pursed his lips, glancing back towards Seireitei's walls.

However, beyond the divide, it's quite different."

He faltered for a moment, then,

"Maybe you are too young to learn about this, yet." He reflected. "But even so, I don't want to conceal it from you, either. The souls that inhabit Rukongai are brought here by the blades of certain Noble-born Shinigami especially selected as the elite among the elite to take on the job. You've heard of the Gotei, haven't you?" As Juushirou nodded. "That from each of the Eight Noble Families, one Lord or Lady is chosen as the most spiritually strong in their generation, in order to leave Seireitei and take care of keeping the balance of this world in check by cleansing the other world of Hollows. When the Gotei go to the Real World, they often encounter stray souls there, too."

"Stray souls?" Juushirou frowned.

"In order to keep the balance of our world, the Gotei cleanse these souls, too, and send them to Rukongai." His companion agreed. "As part of the agreement they made four hundred years ago, protecting Seireitei's stability is their number one priority. Rukongai was established originally to take care of these souls - since they aren't like those of us born within the walls and so can't come to Seireitei in the same way."

"I see." Juushirou's eyes were huge as he absorbed this. "Then the Noble Families are even more amazing than I thought. Not only do they protect people here, but they rescue people from other places, too."

The teacher smiled, a faint sadness in his eyes as he rested his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"There's that innocence again." He murmured. "Yes, Juushirou-sama, it would be nice if that was the case. But the Gotei are but eight individuals in total. And Seireitei is already a big place. Besides, Rukongai is not like Seireitei. The divisions there are far more numerous and far more uneven. It's a very different world to the one you and I know."

"I don't understand." Juushirou rested his small fingers on the sill, gazing out towards the huge stone wall that divided his world from the one beyond, curiosity in his gaze as, seaside splashing forgotten, he absorbed his companion's words. "If the Noble Families help them and send them there, surely it's all all right? Even if the Gotei number only a few, the Noble Families are incredibly powerful, aren't they? Otherwise they wouldn't be able to do things like cross worlds and kill Hollows."

"The Hollows infiltrate Rukongai, too." The teacher said quietly. "It seems that, over the course of the past few centuries, the world from which those souls come has been rent by warfare and turmoil in several different places. As a consequence, more and more souls are being ripped from their lives and families. Their uncertainty drives them to become prey for the darkness that lives within them. Because of it, there are now more Hollows than there ever have before. The Noble Families are neither willing nor able to control this stark rise in numbers. So Hollows invade Rukongai. And what was meant to be a haven is now no longer."

"But...why can't they stop it?" Juushirou stared at his teacher in alarm, and the teacher shook his head.

"Because the Gotei has always been formed from the peak of noble blood." He said sadly. "And the peak of noble blood means the elite among the elite. You know what elite means, don't you?"

"Yes." Juushirou pursed his lips. "So even though they're strong, there are too many Hollows for them to kill them all?"

"Exactly."

"And no one else can do anything about it?"

"At the present time, Juushirou-kun, very few people are trying to."

"What's this, Kamikura? Are you trying to teach my boy politics again when he's barely grasped all of the kanji that make up his latest reading texts?"

Before Juushirou could respond, the door slid back to reveal the manor Lord, a grin on his face as he cast the pair of them a rueful look. "Don't you think he's a bit young for horror stories about Hollows and Rukongai just yet? Give the child a chance to grow up, at least, before you scare him half to death."

"I'm not scared, Otousama." Juushirou protested, shaking his head as if to emphasise his point. "I just think it's horrible, that's all. If the Hollows are there and no one is stopping them. Because if that happens, won't we be unbalanced? Won't the Hollows break Soul Society, if they keep coming to it and hurting people here?"

Despite himself the Lord stopped dead, staring at his son in surprise, and Kamikura chuckled.

"Your son is far more intelligent than you give him credit for, my Lord." He said softly. "He grasps things quite well, for the most part, once you explain them to him clearly."

"So I see." The Lord gathered himself, offering the teacher a rueful smile. "But that's enough for today. Good as those braincells are, Juu-kun, I don't want you burning them out completely in this blazing heat. Go and change, and join your siblings - but mind you keep to the shade and don't do anything too strenuous. If you start to cough, I want you back inside at once - I won't tolerate another attack like last month, because you wouldn't keep out of the spray even though you were warned."

Juushirou sighed heavily, bowing his head in resignation towards his father.

"Yes, sir. I'll remember." He said heavily. "Thank you for my lesson, sensei. I'll go now."

With that he scooped up his books, crossing the classroom and pushing back the sliding door. As he made his way along the hallway towards his chamber, he could just about hear the voices of his elders in the background, and he frowned at their words, kicking idly against the wood panelling as he went.

"He truly is intelligent, that's for sure." That was his father. "And I've always known that, in some vein or form. But Hollows, Kamikura - Juu-kun's always been very particular about right and wrong and those things. Plus, he has a tendency to be far more active than his body wants him to be. The last thing I want is him diving off to save the world because he thinks there are people in peril."

"He's an eight year old boy, my Lord. With all respect, even with his intelligence, his focus is still far more on playing with his siblings than it is the politics of Seireitei."

"But the situation is becoming more serious, and even Genryuusai-sama's great idea is probably going to pan out as too little too late." His father sounded strained, and despite knowing that eavesdropping was bad, Juushirou found his pace slowing as he paused to listen to the conversation more carefully.

"Do you think so? I've begun to think it's the only hope that this world has to keep existing." Kamikura sighed.

"That depends, I suppose, on whether the Yamamoto-ke keep indulging it the way they so far have." The Lord admitted. "It's well spoken of in many circles that Genryuusai-sama should have been the next candidate for the Gotei, after all, when his father died - but instead he's stuck to Seireitei and begun this project of his. I simply wonder how long that situation can go on."

"Genryuusai-sensei has a tremendous amount of popularity among the Noble Houses, I suppose." Kamikura reflected. "Even for one like me, that much is clear, my Lord. He has a good deal of respect from most of the other clans because of his fairness and his unwillingness to bend to coercion or deceit."

He sighed.

"I realise that I'm in no position at all to say these things, as the illegitimate son of an insignificant noble lord, but even so, sir, I can't help but dwell on it. At least Genryuusai-sensei is trying to find a solution to the problem. Whether his Academy will continue to grow or whether it will simply be another place for noble peacocks to strut, I don't know. It is at the very least somewhere that lesser members of the Great Houses can gain training and education that may have passed over them in times gone by. But there's one thing in which I'm in no doubt at all. The current system is not going to be a solution forever. However strong the Gotei chosen are, the work is too great for them to take on alone. And, as Noble warriors are wont to do, they fix their interests closest to home."

"Remember who you're talking to before you make such statements, Kamikura. Even though we have been friends a long time, and even though I may be of a level several ranks below the people you mean, by legacy my clan are nobility too. More importantly, we rely on the goodwill of the Upper Nobility to keep our family in the position they currently are."

"I meant no offence, my Lord."

"I know you didn't." The Lord sighed. "But I'd sooner you didn't put those ideas into Juushirou's head before he's old enough to understand them fully. I don't want him up against any of the Clans. Strong as he is where his will is concerned, his health is still delicate. And even the tenuous ties of distant kinship won't forgive him rudeness in the eyes of the Kuchiki manor lords, if he should decide to act foolishly."

"I'm not so sure, my Lord." Kamikura sounded thoughtful. "I rather imagine that they might come off the worst, one day, in a battle of wits with that boy."

"Perhaps. But let us at least allow him to grow to adulthood before we give him that kind of inspiration, all right?"

"Juu-sama, there you are!"

The sound of one of the house maids startled Juushirou's attention back to the present, and he turned, his eyes guilty as he met the warm gaze of one of the household's longest standing servants. She had helped deliver him, he knew, on that dark, terrible day when it had seemed he was never going to take a breath in the world at all, and for this reason Juushirou had always been fond of her.

She glanced at him now, amusement on her features as she took in his furtive expression.

"Are you sneaking away from classes early, by any chance?" She asked lightly, and Juushirou shook his head hastily, meeting her gaze with his own.

"No, Anika. It's not that." He said quickly. "Father came and told me to get changed to go outside. I was just...thinking. About this morning's lessons. And about the Hollows in Rukongai."

"Who's been telling you horror stories about Rukongai?" Anika tut-tutted. "That's not something a boy of your years should be concerning himself about just yet. Let it rest, Juu-sama, and come with me. I'll help you pick out the best robe to keep the sea chill from your chest, and then you'll be able to go play with the others."

"It's hardly playing with them, if I always have to stay to the shallows." Juushirou murmured, and Anika laughed.

"You are an odd one, you know that?" She said affectionately, ruffling his unruly mop of dark hair with her hand as she did so. "You want to do everything you're not supposed to do. I don't think I've ever known a child with such a penchant for life before."

"Father always says it's mother's love inside of me making me want to live." Juushirou said seriously. "I don't know if it is or it isn't, Anika - but I hate it when I can't do things the others do. I'm the oldest, after all. I don't like sitting on the side watching them swim. I want to swim too. I'm sure I could, you know."

"The Lord would have my hide if I let you do anything so strenuous." Anika said matter-of-factly. "If he's spoken to you that way, my boy, you should understand more clearly why he makes the rules he does. You mean a lot to him, after all. The whole world, in some respects. You oughtn't try to worry him so much. It's not kind."

"Worry him?" Juushirou stared at her, confused. "I don't do that on purpose. And it's not like I'm going to swim. I just would like to. I like the water."

A dreamy smile touched his lips.

"Sometimes I feel it's calling to me." He murmured. "It's hard to explain, but I always feel most at peace by the water."

"There you are, saying things in the way an old man convalescing by the sea might." Anika teased. "But even so, there'll be no swimming today. All right? Not on any terms. Have some patience on your father's nerves and behave yourself for once."

"I behave myself a lot!" Juushirou's pride was wounded at this. "And wanting to do things isn't misbehaving. Not if they're things the others can do."

He pursed his lips.

"You're just like your mother." Anika sighed in resignation, marshalling him into the bedchamber that, by dint of being the eldest had been his and his alone since he had been a tiny infant. Though the Ukitake clan were nobility, and of a high enough standing to command serving staff, they were not rich nor extravagant, and Juushirou had always felt this particular privilege a special honour that was his and his alone. "She would have said the same thing, and no doubt have ignored any advice to the contrary, too."

"My mother?" Juushirou sat down on his bed. "You don't talk about her very often, Anika."

"That's because it makes your Father sad, to hear about her." Anika said matter-of-factly, rummaging through the wood closet as she selected the most suitable clothing for her companion to wear down to the water's edge. "And I don't like doing anything to make the Lord sad."

"But..."

Juushirou's brows furrowed, and for a moment he was silent, contemplating this. Then, as he held up his arms for his companion to help him loosen the upper portion of his clothing, he raised his gaze to Anika's once more.

"Father loves Okaasama very much, doesn't he?"

"Kaede-sama? Yes. A good deal, I imagine." Anika agreed, pulling stray wisps of dark hair out of her way as she helped him struggle out of the plain clothing his father had insisted he wore for all his lessons, rain or shine. "Why?"

"Then why would it make him sad, to remember Mother?"

"Because he loved her very much, too." Anika said simply. "You're too young to understand that yet, and maybe you never will - I don't know. But your Father and Mother grew up together. They were childhood best friends, after all."

Juushirou's expression became clouded.

"Then...why does he love me?" He asked in a soft voice. "Because I was the one who took her away, wasn't I?"

"Oh, you silly boy. Not at all, and your father knows it too." Anika scolded him, tapping him gently on the head as she sent him a reproachful glance. "He loves you because you're his son. There's no reason for you to feel your Mother died because of you. She died because she was weak after your birth. That's all. And no baby decides on when he'll be born, or how. Your Father is simply glad you survived. He has you, and you're a part of your mother's memory. So he loves you."

"Mm." Juushirou got to his feet, glancing at his reflection in the mirror thoughtfully.

"I would have liked it, you know, if I could have seen her once." He said quietly. "Just once. To see if she was as beautiful as everyone says."

"As beautiful and more, right down to her heart." Anika assured him. "And though you have your father's eyes, Juu-sama, you have your mother's features in your face, too. She's right there, you know, if you look at your own reflection carefully. As you grow, you'll find it more and more. She lives within you - as all parents do inside of their children."

Juushirou was silent again, then he nodded his head.

"I'll be good today." He said soberly. "I won't go too far into the water and I won't let Sanji-kun or Hiro-kun splash me, no matter how excited they get."

"Good boy." Anika patted him playfully on the head. "Then let's go see what your siblings have got themselves up to. Though I can't imagine they've done too much mischief, with Kaede-sama there to watch over them."

"Okaasama is there, too?" Juushirou looked surprised, and Anika nodded.

"Even busy mothers need a moment to sit back and relax." She teased him, and Juushirou blushed.

"I suppose so."

"She'll be glad to see you too, though, I imagine. Hiro-sama doesn't seem to listen to anyone but you when it comes to his wilder exploits, and when I left them he was trying to catch crabs in the sleeve of his robe."

Despite himself, Juushirou sighed.

"That sounds like fun." He murmured wistfully, and Anika shook her head.

"Juu-sama..."

"It's all right. I understand and I already gave my word so I won't break it." Juushirou assured her. "It'll just be nice to be out by the sea again. Father hasn't let me since my attack last month - and I've missed it so much."

"You really do love the waves, don't you?"

"They make me feel peaceful, I told you." Juushirou responded, as they walked together towards the rear exit of the estate, taking the rocky pathway down to the shore where the younger members of the Ukitake family were merrily shouting and splashing around. "I never feel even a little bit ill when I'm by the sea."

"You really are an odd child." Anika chuckled. "The night you were born, you slept through the most ungodly storm, and the waves were right up against the cliffs then. And even though your siblings cry when it thunders, you're always there, standing at your window, watching the lightning dart across the sky. Now it's the sea - you really are going to have to get this dreamy side of yours in proper check before you reach adulthood, you know. How are you going to take over the family estate if you're constantly thinking about such random, abstract things?"

"I don't think of them when I'm in my classes." Juushirou protested. "I work hard then, Anika. I promise I do."

"I'm sure you do." Anika looked resigned. "All right, here we are. Remember your promise, all right? I don't want to have to drag you back to the house early or get a scolding from the Lord for indulging your whims - so mind yourself this afternoon. So long as you do, after all, there's no reason he'll stop you coming here tomorrow or the next day, while this weather continues."

"I won't forget." Juushirou promised solemnly. "I'll not do anything to make Father angry or upset, Anika. I swear."

Anika smiled, gently tweaking the boy's short tail of dark hair.

"Then go and join your siblings, before it's time to come home and too cool for you to even paddle." She suggested lightly. "Go on. Your family are waiting for you."