Chapter Six: Amici
"The test results have been posted!"
As Juushirou and his two companions made their way to the Dining Hall for breakfast, Sora descended on them excitedly, eagerness glittering in her emerald eyes as she grabbed her classmate firmly by the arm. It was the end of the sixth week, and after a busy few days in which none of the teachers had given any of them much quarter, Juushirou was looking forward to the next day - the one day a week where the students were free to do as they pleased.
He had barely seen Shunsui in this time, for Genryuusai had made sure the lazy student had been kept even busier with this or that study assignment, and they had only really crossed paths in the dorm at night. Shunsui had seemed a little dented but by no means completely quelled by the experience of being caught in the act by the Head of the School, and nor had he placed any blame on Kai or any of his classmates for not having better protected his whereabouts. In fact, Juushirou reflected, he had seemed much the same as ever. Yet there had been no more attempts to slip out of the dorm window - and Juushirou had sensed a faintly troubled flicker in the boy's aura whenever they had met gazes.
When Enishi had asked him what Genryuusai had said, Shunsui had brushed it off, claiming it was unimportant. But Juushirou felt otherwise - for since that morning, Shunsui had at least got up with the rest of them, and had attended all of his classes for that week. True, he had barely picked up his brush to write, and on one occasion had seemed more likely to drop off to sleep during Aitori's nasal lecturing, but at least it was a step in the right direction.
Though he's not my problem to worry about, I seem to be worrying about him anyhow.
Juushirou shook his head as if to clear it, tuning back in to Sora's eager conversation.
"You didn't see the board yet, right? Both Kazoe and Aitori have posted their results together. Of course, Shunsui's failed both, so we know he's in extra classes. But noone else did. Even though those last questions of Aitori's were a pain and a half - the rest of us all passed."
"Are we ranked?" Enishi asked apprehensively, then, "Hey! Wait a minute - we all passed?"
"That's what I said...clean your ears out, Houjou." Sora snorted. "Don't look at me so incredulously. That includes you - even if you did only scrape Kidou by the skin of your teeth. You ranked below some of Class Two on that one, you know - but you passed."
"I don't believe it." Enishi stared up at the big noticeboard in amazement, and Juushirou followed his gaze, skimming across the list of names scribed there from right to left in neat columns.
"Kuchiki-kun came top in both subjects." He observed, glancing around him for any sign of Ryuu, but the boy was not there.
"That's no surprise, surely?" Sora pulled a face. "Kuchiki-kun's obviously a brainiac with all those years of Clan training behind him."
"Endou-kun, you came second in Hohou." Juushirou cast his shy friend a smile, and Hirata blushed furiously at the praise and the attention.
"I like Hohou." He murmured. "It's interesting and I don't find it difficult. Besides, Ukitake-kun, you came third."
"I've been outpaced by a fifteen year old and someone from District Seireitei." Enishi grimaced playfully at his two friends. "And I thought that was my better subject of the two, too."
"It is. You only ranked eighth in that one, as opposed to thirteenth." Sora said bluntly. "And Juushirou was second in Kidou - even though Genryuusai-sensei put the frighteners on us all before we sat that test."
Juushirou's eyes widened, and his gaze flitted back to the board.
Sure enough, between Ryuu's name and Shihouin Kai's were the five characters that made up his own, and despite himself a faint swell of pride stirred inside his heart.
"No kidding." He murmured. "I really didn't expect to do that well. I'd had so little sleep - maybe I knew it better than I thought I did."
"More likely it's because you've read so much of Kazoe's book." Enishi suggested. "You were writing at a furious speed at one point - it was making me dizzy just watching you."
"Why were you watching him?" Sora looked amused. "No wonder you screwed up, Houjou-kun, if you spend your test time examining your classmates' writing speed rather than writing your own answers."
"I was stuck for ideas." Enishi coloured red at this. "I wasn't trying to copy him, Sora - it was just..."
"Noone's saying that." Juushirou assured him. "Sora's just teasing you, that's all."
"Besides, you're too far from Juushirou's seat to copy him, unless you've got magic eyesight." Sora added. "Still, though, you passed."
Her gaze drifted across to where Shunsui's name was written, and she pursed her lips.
"He's gonna have a lot of work to do, however." She murmured, and from her tone there was no need for her to explain to anyone who she meant. "Since there's no way Kazoe or Aitori are going to go easy on him. He'll have to do the make-up classes and re-sit the tests before he's allowed near the practical stuff - and then he'll be playing catch-up in that, too. In the end he's created more to do by skiving, not less."
"It's a hassle, but I suppose it can't be helped."
Shunsui's own voice interjected at that moment, and the group turned, seeing their classmate standing a few feet away, arms folded casually across his chest as he gazed up at the board. "Heh. Not bad going, Juushirou-kun - you might catch Kuchiki up yet."
"I doubt it." Juushirou shook his head. "He's had a big head start on me. But I am proud that I came second."
He grinned.
"Even if I didn't have the best night's sleep beforehand."
"Mm." For a moment Shunsui's gaze clouded, but it was gone in an instant and Juushirou almost thought he'd imagined it as the other boy let out a gusty sigh.
"I guess I'm going to become intimately acquainted with Kazoe-sensei and Aitori-sensei over the next couple of weeks, aren't I?"
"It's your own fault." Sora said unsympathetically. "If you'd just come to class properly, you wouldn't be in this position."
"You are intending to go to the extra classes then?" Enishi asked, and Shunsui shrugged.
"Better had, I think, this time around." He reflected. "Whether I'll learn anything or not I don't know - but the alternative is having Yama-jii take it on himself. And I'm not so much of an idiot as to realise that I'll do better with Kazoe and Aitori than I will with the boss himself. Nothing gets past him, after all."
"It's only taken you almost seven weeks to realise it." Sora grimaced at him. "Still, at least you have. Thank God Genryuusai-sensei didn't decide to send a letter to Tokutarou-nii about it - else it wouldn't just have been you in trouble."
"My sincere apologies, Sora-chan." Shunsui bowed elaborately before her, and Sora snorted, shoving him aside.
"If you stopped clowning and started studying you might actually grade before you leave here." She said cuttingly. "How about giving it a try? You'll be a lameass Shinigami at this rate, if you don't even know how to cast a basic Kidou spell."
"And how many do you know how to cast?" Shunsui looked interested. "I didn't think anyone had done practical Kidou yet."
"No, not yet, but we will." Sora snapped, her cheeks reddening slightly at his remark. "You'll be held back, but the rest of us will soon begin practical Kidou. Next week, in fact, most likely. And then you'll be left in the dust."
"Providing I don't turn everyone to dust in the meantime." Enishi glanced at his big hands ruefully. "I'm a little worried about that."
"I'm sure you'll be fine." Juushirou assured him. "But what I said at the start of term still stands, Houjou-kun. If you want my help in Kidou, I'll gladly trade it for yours in Ouyoudou. I'm sure none of the teachers would mind us helping one another, so long as we didn't do anything too dangerous."
"Houjou and Kidou might be dangerous." Sora pursed her lips. "But if you were to ask Kazoe-sensei, Juushirou, he'd probably let you use the arena to practice. He seems to like you, for some reason."
"It's because he's still reading that book." Enishi sighed. "No matter how many other assignments we have, somehow he always finds time."
"It's an interesting book." Juushirou flushed red. "And before I came here I really knew very little about any Shinigami arts. I want to know as much as I can, so I'm going to read it all. I've got more than half way through it now, anyhow - every little helps, and I haven't had the same background as any of the rest of you in that regard."
He smiled ruefully.
"Noone in my family's ever been a Shinigami." He added. "So there's been noone to teach me anything about that. I don't even know if I'm good enough to be one, in the end, or if I'll end up falling short. But I want to give it my best, either way. Whatever happens."
"You're not going to fall short, Juushirou." Sora told him firmly, offering him a grin. "Noble Clan or not, you're smart. And you work hard. Unlike certain other people, who should have had these things handed to them on a plate..."
She shot Shunsui a pointed glance at this juncture,
"You're fine. You were second at the start of term, and you're second now. You've not dropped at all."
"Second in Kidou. Not in the others." Juushirou corrected her. "But I'm glad I did well. Father would be happy, I think, if he knew that."
"Are you going to write home, then, and tell him?" Sora asked, and Juushirou smiled sadly.
"I will write." he agreed. "At least I can tell Okaasama, and she'll know that I'm doing my best."
"That was a tactless question, Sora-chan." Shunsui scolded lightly, though there was an odd look in his dark eyes. "Juushirou's father's taken a long journey, and doesn't intend on coming back."
"A long...journey?" Sora looked blank, and Shunsui sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Like mine." He said pointedly, and Sora's eyes widened first with shock and then dismay as she grasped his meaning.
"Oh! Juushirou, I..."
"It's all right." Juushirou held up his hands, offering her a grin. "You didn't know, and there's no reason for you to. But it was Father's wish that I come here, and make use of the strength I had. So that's why I said it. That's all. I don't know whether or not any part of him is still here, but I like to think he's watching over me. Just...protecting me and my family, somehow. Even if it's stupid to think that way. So he's still very real to me - even though he's no longer here."
"I'm sorry." Sora said soberly. "I can't imagine not having either of my parents."
"Kyouraku, you lost your Father too?" Enishi questioned, and Shunsui offered a wry grin.
"Clearly, since my brother is head of the Clan now." He pointed out, and Enishi looked sheepish.
"Oh. Yeah. Guess so."
"It's fine, though." Shunsui shrugged. "I was six, and he was always away, in any case. I didn't know him well enough to be scarred by the experience."
"What are you all doing clustered around here like this?"
A voice interrupted the conversation at that point, though not before Juushirou had seen the strange glitter in his classmate's eyes once more, and wondered at it.
"Surely you are all aware that the bell for morning class will ring in a few moments, and by the looks of you none of you have even given a thought to your morning meal?"
"Aitori-sensei!" Enishi exclaimed, and Juushirou bit his lip, Shunsui forgotten as they turned to face the Hohou teacher.
Of all the staff at the Academy, Juushirou knew that Aitori disapproved of his being there the most.
He was a tall man, almost the same height as Enishi, and lean and lithe, giving him the impression of someone who moved with skill and speed when the cause called for it. He was dark skinned, just as Kai was, with the same thick waves of violet hair and golden eyes that gave away his Shihouin heritage. The Shihouin were, he had soon learnt, Soul Society's greatest experts when it came to the various types and methods of Hohou usage, and as a result, Aitori was a demanding teacher who expected his students to understand everything straight away. However, unlike Kazoe, he was not fair-minded, and was prone to making favourites. These choices reflected largely on Clan influence and loyalties, which left Juushirou at the bottom of the scale. And, having studied under him for six full weeks now, Juushirou had heard already in great detail how the thin-faced teacher felt about the admission of District residents into the school.
Him in particular.
He knew, for Sora had murmured it once during a particularly sticky lesson, that Aitori's nephew Onoe Tomoyuki had been ranked in Class Two on the basis of his Ouyoudou results in the guidance exam, and despite all the Clan's influence, nothing had been done to change it. Although it had been Enishi whose score the boy had come closest to matching, it was Juushirou that Aitori held responsible. After all, Enishi was Clan - no matter how clumsy and tactless he might be. And Juushirou, no matter how hard he worked, would always be from the lower levels.
Aitori's dislike had therefore been set in stone before the two had met. And Juushirou knew it had not improved any on their few weeks acquaintance.
"We came to see the test results, sensei." Sora recovered her wits, bowing properly before the teacher as he eyed them all suspiciously. "Since Mitsuki told me that they'd been posted, I hurried here to see them and met Juushirou and the others at the same time."
"Mm." Aitori's eyes narrowed for a moment, gazing up at the board. He frowned, then nodded.
"From next week, those of you with a ranking will begin practical classes in Hohou and Kidou." He murmured. "Of course, Kyouraku, that won't apply to you, now will it?"
"No, sensei." Shunsui said casually. "But I'll look forward to the pleasure of your company, and trust that you'll help me see the error of my ways."
Aitori wheeled around, glaring at him darkly.
"A thousand beatings couldn't show you those, it seems." He said coldly. "But I will make you work. Genryuusai-sensei has made it very clear what's to be done with you - don't believe that you'll meet any lenience from either Kazoe or I when it comes to making up the work missed."
"Yes, sensei." Shunsui smiled cheerfully. "As I said, I'm looking forward to it."
Aitori's eyes narrowed, but he said no more, and from the derision that prickled from Shunsui's aura, Juushirou felt that his classmate had won this battle. Despite his behaviour, after all, Shunsui was still the heir to the Kyouraku Clan and therefore an important person. And no matter how rude or lazy Shunsui was, Aitori was not the kind of person who liked to cross those born more highly than he was.
Shunsui clearly knew it, and somehow Juushirou realised that whether Shunsui attended his classes or not, there was very little likelihood of him being reported for it to Genryuusai.
There was no more time to ponder it, however, for now Aitori's piercing gold eyes were fixed on him, dislike festering in their depths.
"As for you..." He said coolly. "It seems that you only fully apply yourself if you think the teacher will give you a pat on the back and a 'well done', don't you? You were lucky, this time, Ukitake. You ranked third, true enough, but it was a very low third in comparison to the papers submitted by Kuchiki and Endou."
Juushirou flushed red at this, and Shunsui tut-tutted softly under his breath.
"The rest of the class must have been pretty awful too, then, if that's the case, sensei." He murmured innocently. "Since Juushirou did get third place, even so."
Aitori's lips thinned.
"Genryuusai-sensei overlooked all the papers before the final marks were posted." He said coolly. "In the end, it was his decision to mark and rank the students thus. I won't say I agree with them entirely...but in the end, Genryuusai-sensei's word is final."
His eyes became near slits.
"I will be watching, however." He murmured. "To make sure that you follow the class to the same level as your peers, Ukitake."
With that he was gone, and Sora poked out her tongue at his retreating form, her impulsive gesture making Juushirou feel slightly better.
"Sour-puss." She muttered. "Where does he get off, anyhow? You ranked third, and he's making an issue out of it?"
"Most likely, Aitori wanted to fail him." Shunsui said lazily. "Unfortunately for him Yama-jii doesn't seem keen on grading students on their bloodline, so that didn't work. It's pretty clear from what he didn't say that he marked the papers all over the place and Yama-jii took him to task on it. Otherwise there's no way Juushirou would've passed, let alone ranked."
"Do you think he'd really have done that?" Hirata's eyes became huge, and Shunsui nodded.
"There's no way in hell he'd have ranked Juushirou over Kai-kun if he'd been in control of the papers." He said wisely. "I doubt he even intended to look at them. But, since Kazoe got Yama-jii all interested in my absence, I s'pect the boss decided to check up on all the First Year assessments and not just the one. So in the end, I'm the only one who failed. And since I didn't show up, that seems to be pretty accurate."
His gaze strayed to the board.
"Though it might've been more fun, having extra classes with someone else." He reflected regretfully. "Ah well."
"Aitori's a bigot and an idiot." Sora reflected. "That's all. Don't pay attention to him, Juushirou. He's just trying to break you down."
"I know." Juushirou nodded. "And it's fine. I'll just have to work harder in his classes, so he's got no reason to criticise me."
"He's a pretty ugly example of Clan elitism, is what he is." Enishi grimaced. "We don't all feel that way, though. You know that, Ukitake, right?"
Juushirou smiled, nodding his head.
"I do." He agreed, though deep inside he still felt a little upset by the force of the teacher's dislike. "And I won't let one instructor persuade me that Clansfolk are all elitist. If that was true, I wouldn't have made any friends here. But I don't feel like I don't belong at all...so it's fine. Really, Houjou-kun. You needn't worry - I'm made of stronger stuff than that."
"Just as I thought the first day I met you." Sora looked satisfied. "You look fragile, but you're really not inside, are you?"
"Hopefully not." Juushirou laughed. "I can't do anything about the way I look, after all - but there's plenty to be done about the way I think or feel about things."
"The class bell is about to ring." Hirata put in softly. "We don't want to be late."
"Endou's right." Enishi acknowledged. "Come on. We can continue this later - lets not give Kazoe anything to grumble about at the very least!"
"Letters from home!"
Enishi slid back the door of the dormitory, his announcement even stirring the sleepy Shunsui from his bed as he dumped his burden down on his own bunk with a satisfied grin. "The delivery's taken long enough - I wondered if people had forgotten about us, holed up here like this!"
"You got all that mail?" Juushirou stared at him. "How many relatives do you have, anyway?"
"No, they're not all mine." Enishi shook his head, sitting on the end of his bunk as he began to sort through them. "I just brought up everyone's so as no one else had to make the trip. It's our free day, after all - and breakfast isn't for another hour, yet."
"You could've done it a bit more quietly, though." Shunsui sent him a look from beneath hooded lids. "Some of us are enjoying the rarity of being allowed to lie in without fear of Yama-jii on our tail."
"Sorry, Kyouraku." Enishi said sheepishly. "But it's way past dawn already. You should be awake by now, surely?"
"Mm. Matter of opinion." Shunsui pulled his blanket more firmly up over his body, turning so that his back was to his companion. "Just tone it down in future, all right?"
"So whose letters are they, Houjou-kun?" Hirata asked softly.
"I think there's at least one for everyone." Enishi examined his precious treasure, then nodded. "Yep. Here, get ready to catch, okay? I'll toss them out."
"Houjou, do you come in a silent model?" Shunsui groaned, pulling himself into a sitting position as he realised that there would be no more rest so long as his classmate was excited. "Next time you're in the library, maybe you could go find a dictionary and look up the meaning of 'quietly', huh? Otherwise I might teach you the meaning of 'angry classmate'."
"There's one for you too, Kyouraku." Enishi was not noticeably crushed, and Shunsui gave up, deftly catching the rolled up letter that was casually tossed his way. "Ukitake, you have three - Endou, there's one for you, and Shihouin...you too. Kuchiki, you have two, and so do I. And that's all of them."
"Three letters, huh?" Shunsui cast Juushirou an amused glance. "Is that your extensive family getting their word in, or are you popular with a lady I don't know about?"
"I told you. I've never had time to pursue the same kind of hobbies you have." Juushirou's pale cheeks reddened a little at the insinuation, but he shook his head.
"Really?" Shunsui kicked back his blanket, coming to stand over his classmate's shoulder. "That looks like a very feminine hand."
"That's Okaasama's writing." Juushirou snapped. "Stop reading over my shoulder, will you? You have your own letter from home, surely...what's so interesting about mine?"
"Nothing." Shunsui shook his head. "Just, I guess you weren't kidding about this close knit family thing."
He bent to scoop up one of the others, glancing it over, and Juushirou snatched it away from him, glaring at him indignantly.
"Hey!"
"Another elegant female hand." Shunsui wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "And you look so innocent."
"For the last time, Shunsui, I am not like you!" Juushirou exclaimed. "That letter's from my sister Chihiro, if you really want to know - all right? One from Okaasama, one from Chi-chan and one from my old sensei, Kamikura. Okay? Nothing lewd or whatever it is you're suggesting. Now go and read your own mail and leave mine alone!"
"That told you, Kyouraku." Enishi looked amused. "Maybe it'll be you learning the meaning of 'angry classmate' after all."
"You're all so incredibly noisy whenever our free day rolls around." Ryuu glanced up from his own letter, a faint flicker of annoyance in his grey eyes. "Does it have to be the same each week? It's enough to give anyone a headache. And besides, this isn't exactly the topic of conversation well-born men of the Noble classes should be having. Kyouraku, it's hardly appropriate to discuss such things so freely."
"Well, I'm a different kind of Clansman to you, Ryuu-kun, and Juushirou's out of the loop completely." Shunsui shrugged, unrepentant as he sank down on his own bed, reaching for his discarded letter. "And it's our day off, so give us a little slack, okay? Just because you might spend all day in the library again today doesn't mean the rest of us are going to."
"You're confined to grounds, though, aren't you?" Kai said pointedly, setting his own message aside. "What are you going to do that's so exciting?"
"Sleep, probably." Shunsui rubbed his chin pensively. "It's a nuisance, being that it looks like a nice day. But I might find somewhere peaceful in the grounds and take a nap. That won't be breaking bounds, after all, and I need my fresh air."
He grinned.
"What about you, Kai-kun? Do you have a lady friend you're secretly meeting on the sly?"
"Of course not!" Kai's cheeks flushed indignantly at this. "What kind of man do you imagine I am?"
"Well, if you want my honest opinion, I'd say you're probably fairly repressed." Shunsui said lazily, watching with amusement as the colour heightened further in Kai's cheeks. "I just wondered, that's all. You've slipped out after dinner a few times this week, and so I wondered if maybe you'd met a pretty belle from one of the local villages that you were trying to keep a secret."
"Are you keeping tabs on my movements or something?" Kai demanded, though Shunsui was quick to note the flicker of consternation in the boy's eyes. "Of course not! I've been working in the library, if you want to know! Studying - something you know nothing about!"
"That's peculiar, since I have been in the library every evening between dinner and my evening bath, and I have not seen you once." Ryuu's eyes narrowed at this, sending his foe a challenging glance, and Kai snorted, shaking his head.
"Just because you think you're so important, Kuchiki, you don't know everything that goes on." He snapped back. "And you've always got your nose buried in a book, so how would you know who's around you?"
"What were you reading up on, Shihouin-kun?" Juushirou asked curiously, and Shunsui was struck by the sudden look of resentment that Kai sent the boy's way.
"Nothing that would concern you." He muttered. "Let it go, will you? All of you. I was in the library. That's all. Why don't you ask Kuchiki about what he was studying? What's so interesting about me all of a sudden?"
"Absolutely nothing, evidently." Shunsui tut-tutted under his breath, but the sudden anxious fluctuation in the boy's reiatsu had not escaped his notice. "Pity. I was hoping for a nice juicy scandal to make the day more interesting. Oh well."
He shrugged, offering Kai an indolent smile.
"If I could leave campus, I could introduce you to some pretty girls." He added. "But I'm afraid I'm a little tied at the moment."
"Like I'd want anything to do with that kind of girl!" Kai exploded at this, getting to his feet and grabbing his towel from its hook as he did so. "I'm going to take a bath - at least maybe I'll be able to do that without folk making ludicrous insinuations!"
With that he was gone, banging the door behind him, and Enishi winced.
"I think you really upset him, Kyouraku." He said frankly, and Shunsui shrugged.
"He shouldn't be so sensitive." He said casually. "I was only asking."
"I don't think he liked the way you asked any more than I did." Juushirou pointed out. "I know you were only teasing, Shunsui - but Shihouin-kun is pretty proud and he wouldn't have taken it as funny."
"No, perhaps it's not as simple as that." Ryuu's grey eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "While I consider your method of interrogation inappropriate and offensive, Kyouraku, it has also concerned me the number of times Shihouin has been absent from our ranks since the beginning of the week."
"Since the...beginning of the week?" Juushirou frowned. "You mean, since he had visitors from home?"
"Precisely that." Ryuu's eyes were like flint as he considered. "I can assure you, also, that he has not been in the library. Much as I read things deeply and thoroughly, I am always aware of any reiatsu that crosses into my space. Whatever he says - and the violence of his reaction strengthens my conviction - he has not been studying. At least, not there."
"Maybe he's been having extra coaching in something, and he's been ashamed to admit it." Enishi suggested. "He did have to see Aitori, didn't he? At the start of the week."
"But Aitori is his kinsman, and so he may simply have been passing a family greeting or message." Ryuu shrugged his shoulders. "Either way, I do not trust his word. The Shihouin are a shadow-clan who practice low arts in order to maintain their status. And Shihouin Kai is no different. Deception is their life-blood. I would not take him at his word."
"Some might say you were a touch biased there, Ryuu-kun, since you obviously hate him." Shunsui pursed his lips, and Ryuu spread his hands.
"Believe what you will." He said simply. "I have faith in my convictions, that is all. My knowledge of the boy and his people is perhaps more valuable in this instance than your assumptions."
"Does this have anything to do with the warning you gave me the other morning?" Juushirou asked quizzically, and Shunsui frowned, shooting his classmate a sidelong glance.
"Warning?" He echoed, and Juushirou nodded.
"Kuchiki-kun thinks that I should be careful and watch my step because there are Clansfolk who won't accept me no matter what I do." He said with a sigh. "And that there are a lot of those people who'd like to see me removed from the Academy, just on account of my bloodline."
"That's a pretty blatant warning." Shunsui's eyes widened in surprise. "Especially from a Kuchiki - Ryuu-kun, what was that about?"
"Nothing in particular." Ryuu said with a shrug. "I just felt it was important for Ukitake to be aware that trusting in everyone he meets is a foolish venture and likely to bring him into trouble. That is all."
His gaze rested on Hirata at that moment, who had been listening to the whole exchange in silence, and at the sudden attention, he flinched, gazing at his dormmate in dismay.
"Why are you looking at Endou?" Enishi asked. "You don't actually think he's going to hurt Ukitake, do you?"
"Of course he isn't." Juushirou said frankly. "Endou-kun's my friend. Why would he have anything against me?"
"I have not said that he does, or that he ever will." Ryuu said softly. "But either way, it remains the case that in the summer a vote was cast among the Noble Council of Elders to decide whether or not to permit Genryuusai-sensei the support to allow non-Clan born children into the Academy."
His eyes narrowed, and Shunsui frowned.
"And your point is what, exactly?" He asked softly. "The vote was passed. Yama-jii got his approval."
"Indeed, he did." Ryuu nodded his head. "However, by a tight margin."
His gaze shifted to Juushirou, whose expression was a mixture of surprise and consternation.
"Three to two in favour, with two abstentions." He murmured. "The Yamamoto were forbidden to vote on account of their bias, so only seven Clans were asked to decide. Those who voted in favour were the Kyouraku, the Shiba and the Unohana. My own Clan and the Urahara abstained from voting. And the two who voted against were..."
"Endou and Shihouin." Enishi murmured, and Juushirou's eyes widened.
"Endou and Shihouin?" He repeated, and Ryuu nodded.
"Precisely."
"Stop trying to make a difficult situation, Ryuu-kun." Shunsui saw the distress in Hirata's eyes, and held up his hands. "Just because the vote went that way doesn't mean every person within any of those Clans feels the same as the way their people voted. Right, Hirata-kun?"
He cast the frightened boy a smile.
"You're on Juushirou's side, right?"
Slowly, Hirata nodded his head, though Shunsui could see the glitter of tears on his lashes.
"I know that." Juushirou said impatiently. "I don't care whether he's Endou Hirata or what family he's from. I don't look at things like that."
"I know. It's one of your better features, in fact." Shunsui grinned at him, and surprised, Juushirou returned the grin. "Clans are far too collective in their views as it is."
"It is true that Endou is unlike any of his kin that I have met in the past." Ryuu admitted. "Even so, however, it is always a good idea to be alert. The Endou-ke are a strong military Clan who do not like to give second chances. And if someone crosses their path, it is often said that they do not cross anyone's path ever again."
"Stop it!" Hirata exclaimed at this point, making his companions start and stare at him in surprise at his sudden outburst. Tears streamed down the young boy's face and he shook his head, frustration and fear in his pale eyes.
"Ukitake-kun is my friend!" He protested. "He's been kind to me and I wouldn't ever, ever, ever do anything to hurt him, no matter what! I'm Endou-ke, but Kyouraku-kun is right! I'm not my Clan! I have my own feelings too, Kuchiki-kun! And Ukitake-kun is my friend!"
"Well, so you can speak up for yourself after all, huh kid?" Enishi stared at him in astonishment, and Hirata reddened, looking suddenly embarrassed at his outburst.
"I'm sorry." He murmured. "I just...Kuchiki-kun was saying things...and I don't want Ukitake-kun to think that I'm his enemy. It...it's true that my Clan have that reputation, but I'm not...I'm really not like that. I don't want to hurt anyone. I didn't even want to come here in the first place. Only I had to - because of how things were. And I hated it, but Ukitake-kun helped me and he's been kind to me since the start. Why would I hurt him? I couldn't do that."
His eyes darkened as more tears threatened.
"Noone else bothered about me till Ukitake-kun did." he whispered.
"Hey, don't cry." Dismay touched Juushirou's expression, and he got to his feet, coming to slip a comforting arm around the younger boy. "I don't doubt you. It's not the way I feel, so don't get upset. I trust you, after all. And we're friends, just like you said. Kuchiki-kun is just trying to explain to me how the Clans are."
Hirata sniffled, then buried his head in his companion's robe, shaking with the force of his sobs, and Shunsui sighed.
"It's not even breakfast and already Shihouin's stormed off in a huff and Endou's in tears." He said resignedly. "So much for a quiet day off."
"Such displays of emotion are hardly helpful." Ryuu sank back against the wall, reaching for his discarded letter.
"You upset him." Juushirou said reproachfully. "That's all. He's already homesick and now you're making him feel as though people are avoiding him and staring at him because he's from the family that he is. I appreciate your warning, Kuchiki-kun - I know you've given it with my best interests in mind and I'm grateful. But I'm going to believe in the people I want to believe in. I trust Endou-kun and that's all there is to it. If you don't give trust, after all, no one's ever going to trust you. It has to start somewhere."
Ryuu looked startled at this, and despite himself, Shunsui grinned.
When he says things like that, even the Clans don't have an answer for him. You really are an interesting one, Juushirou. And just as I thought, you're putting cats among pigeons in every possible regard. I only hope it doesn't mean trouble for you in the long run - that someone doesn't betray that trust you want to give.
"If you don't want to be associated with the Endou-ke so strongly, kid, how about we don't call you that any more?" Enishi suggested. "Kyouraku already calls you Hirata from time to time, and you don't seem to mind it - what if we all did it? Would you hate it, if we did?"
Hirata glanced up, a faint glimmer of hope in his pale eyes as he slowly shook his head.
"I don't mind." He murmured. "If you want to call me Hirata, I don't...I don't mind."
"Then Hirata it is." Juushirou told him warmly. "All right? We'll forget about the Clan thing completely. Okay? Because I don't know much about the Endou-ke and I don't really want to, from Kuchiki-kun's description. But I want to know about you, of course. So it's settled."
"Simple as that." Shunsui chuckled. "You know, Juushirou-kun, I'm really starting to see why the Clans are so bothered about you. At this rate you're going to start undermining them all with kindness, and I don't know what they're going to do about it."
"Undermining...with...kindness?" Juushirou blinked, and Shunsui nodded.
"Take Ryuu-kun, for example." He said casually. "He barely even looked at you to begin with - but now he's going out of his way to warn you of things he thinks might threaten your safety. There's Houjou and Hirata-kun here, too, who you've won over regardless of their connections or anything else, for that matter. I certainly don't have any objection to your company - and I've noticed that Sora seems to have been drawn in, too. Plus, I've heard the girls talking - Edogawa-san was quite concerned about you, after you were taken ill in Ouyoudou that time. You're becoming frighteningly popular, even without your having realised it. And I can see why people in high places would be afraid of that. It's hard, after all, to battle against honest niceness."
"What are you talking about?" Juushirou flushed scarlet, shaking his head. "You're babbling nonsense! I'm not trying to overcome anything, or start any battle. I'll make friends with people if I can, that's all. I don't actively dislike anyone here, so far. That's all. It's nothing else."
"As for me, of course I'm going to warn him." Ryuu said archly, though there was clear embarrassment in his grey eyes. "After all, beyond the four degrees he may be, but Ukitake is my kinsman. And therefore it is a blood obligation."
"Kinsman?" Enishi's eyes almost fell out of his head, and Juushirou shook his head.
"Not exactly." He said hurriedly. "It's just...my Mother was a distant relation of the Kuchiki-ke in District Six, that's all. She was well beyond the centre of the Clan, just like Kuchiki-kun said. But she had the name, when she married Father."
"Then that explains a lot." Shunsui clicked his tongue thoughtfully against the roof of his mouth as he digested this. "That freakass reiatsu, for starters. But it must be a very distant connection, Juushirou-kun. Because you don't seem to have the requisite rod up your behind when dealing with other people that the Kuchiki seem to think is necessary."
"Kyouraku, if you have an issue with my Clan, then..."
"I say it as it is." Shunsui smiled benignly at Ryuu's indignation. "If you want it to be otherwise, do something about it. It's not my fault, after all, if I say something that's true."
Juushirou chuckled.
"I don't know what I expected, when I came to this place. But I don't think it was this." He reflected, getting to his feet. "But it's almost time for breakfast, and I want to take a bath first, if I can. Anyone want to join me?"
"I'm game." Enishi nodded, reaching for his towel. "Hirata, what about you?"
"I...okay." Hirata pinkened slightly at the use of his first name, but nodded his head. "If you both are, I will, too."
"Then let's ask if we can walk into the town after breakfast." Juushirou suggested. "Kuchiki-kun, you can come too, if you like. I know you wanted to spend it in the library, but you need fresh air too, surely? I'd invite Shunsui, but..."
"I'm grounded to campus. I know." Shunsui shrugged, stifling a yawn. "It's fine. Walking sounds like too much effort on a fine day like this."
"Kuchiki?" Enishi cast the startled Noble a quizzical look, and after a moment of hesitation, Ryuu nodded.
"Very well." he said, with as much dignity as he could muster. "Thank you, Ukitake. I will accept your invitation."
"Then we'll go speak to Genryuusai-sensei after we eat, and see what he says." Juushirou grinned. "We'll bring you back something, Shunsui, if you like."
"It's fine. I don't think Yama-jii'd like the kind of smuggling I'd be interested in." Shunsui responded. "Have a good day, all of you. I'll see you later."