Chapter Eight: A Cry For Help

"You know, you're not as bad at Kidou as you think you are, Houjou-kun."

As the two boys made their way along the narrow hallway towards the students' common room, Juushirou shot Enishi a warm grin, spreading his hands to illustrate his point. "You keep on joking about setting the school on fire, but you hit one target out of three and you didn't make any spells backfire on you this time. You should have more confidence in yourself."

It was a month since practical lessons had begun for the First Year students, and, as Enishi had woefully predicted, from the very start he had found the spells and incantations difficult. Although he had a high reiatsu and a level of control over it that left Juushirou often envious, his habit of fudging or muddling up the incantations had already brought him in for lashings under Kazoe's sharp tongue and even sharper baton, and as a result he had been ordered to come back on his free afternoon to go over them until he had them more firmly wedged in his brain. Juushirou had elected to come with him, for he knew that such activities were generally less boring with a friend, and besides, he was acutely aware of his own weaknesses in the firing range, too.

"You have strength and accuracy but sometimes you lack control," Kazoe had told him at the end of the previous class, after a particularly strong flare of magic had left him coughing and gasping for breath. "If you don't master your reiatsu, it will master you instead, Ukitake. Think on that for a while."

Juushirou had done so, and as a result he had decided that the more practice he got the better. He was determined not to fall behind his classmates in any respect – Ryuu's words and warnings having never fully left his thoughts – and so it had been two students, not one, who had reported to Kazoe's classroom after their midday meal.

Kazoe had been neither surprised nor displeased to see his District-born student voluntarily turn up for extra help, and had offered plenty of useful advice and tips for the both of them, leaving Juushirou feeling that even though it had meant sacrificing his free time, it had been an afternoon well spent.

"You think so?" Enishi asked now, gazing at his fingers pensively. "It doesn't come naturally to me. You say I hit one in three, but not square on like you or Kuchiki seem to be able to. In fact, everyone else has a higher hit ratio than I do. It's sort of pitiful really, when you think of it that way. And the spells are so long and complicated too – I'm sure I'll never be able to get them down without having to sneak a peek at someone's notes."

Juushirou chuckled, shaking his head.

"Not everyone." He pointed out. "Shunsui-kun still hasn't been let into the Arena – and even though he turns up for the practical Kidou classes with the rest of us, he's always tied to a desk in the classroom with a pile of Kazoe-sensei's oldest looking books. At least you're not in that position, Houjou-kun – in comparison, he has it a lot rougher."

"Maybe." Enishi acknowledged, a faint flicker of amusement touching his own expression. "Though I've seen Kyouraku pile up the books around him and then take a nap when Kazoe-sensei's busy with us outside…so I'm not sure he's working particularly hard even now."

"I guess for Shunsui, him turning up to class is a victory in itself." Juushirou mused. "But what I mean is, by the time he gets to begin practical Kidou, we'll all be streets ahead of him and he'll have a lot to catch up. You're not behind – you just need fine tuning. That's all."

"Perhaps you're right." Enishi shrugged. "But I still think it'll be a while before I can confidently spout a spell without having crib notes in my obi."

"Kazoe-sensei wasn't amused when he caught you using those last lesson." Juushirou reflected. "That's why he called you back to practice again this afternoon. But it's just a case of doing it over and over. You've almost got shakka-hou down – haven't you?"

"Maybe." Enishi acknowledged, casting his friend a grin. "Thank you for coming with me, by the way. Kazoe's quick and he doesn't always explain the things I don't understand. But you do, so it's easier to get through it without causing a major disaster."

"No problem." Juushirou returned the grin warmly. "I like Kidou. And it helped me too, in any case. Besides, Kazoe-sensei didn't mind."

"That's because, Kuchiki aside, you're his star pupil." Enishi pulled a graphic face, and Juushirou snorted, shaking his head.

"It's not as easy for me as it looks either, you know." He objected, remembering the surging rush of reiatsu that had flooded through him the first time he had voiced the incantation. "Just because I aimed it straight doesn't mean my control is as good as Kuchiki-kun's, either. It takes a lot of concentration to do it properly…otherwise I'd be the one setting fire to the Arena."

"You are damn strong for a skinny guy." Enishi acknowledged. "And you did cough and splutter a bit last session, granted. I thought that was probably from smoke, though – was I wrong?"

"A combination of smoke and over-eagerness, probably." Juushirou said ruefully. "It's all very well knowing you only need so much of your strength to do something, but I have to be so exact about it else it brings on a coughing fit. It's a pain – Genryuusai-sensei thinks in the long run it'll mean that my control is better than anyone else's and so I'll have an advantage…but right now it's a little hit and miss and I end up with a sore throat more than I ought to."

"That's rough." Enishi looked sympathetic. "I guess when you've spent a bunch of time sick, it takes a while to get back to full strength, huh? How long ago did you say it was? Eighteen months? A year?"

"Two, pretty much, since I was confined to my room." Juushirou's eyes clouded at the memory. "But like you say, it never leaves you. My lungs are always funny, anyway – I was born that way – so it doesn't take much to make me cough."

He smiled, forcing the thoughts away.

"But a little coughing here and there's no big deal." He said pragmatically.

"Right." Enishi agreed. "And even if your chest is messed up, your brain isn't any. You're good at classes – and with Kidou you at least can remember the words."

"Mm. I can do that." Juushirou agreed, flexing and curling his fingers as he remembered the afternoon's session. "So the more I practice, the more easily I'll be able to fire controlled blasts. A little extra study doesn't hurt, though. In the four weeks we've been learning practical Kidou, I've only just got shakka-hou to a point where I'm happy firing it more than once in sequence. Now he's begun adding soukatsui to the lesson plan, I've got to begin all over again – and I'm not planning on being left behind."

"You already know the incantation for soukatsui?" Enishi blinked, and Juushirou nodded.

"That side of it isn't a problem." He agreed wryly, as they reached the common room. "It's not that different from shakka-hou up to a point, in any case. It's really only half an incantation to learn, Houjou-kun."

"And that's why I'm going to get confused." Enishi groaned, shoving the sliding door back as a cacophony of student voices drifted out into the hallway beyond. "Because they're similar up to that point. Great. I mightn't have caused an explosion yet, Ukitake, but give me time."

"You two are industrious this afternoon." As they made their way inside, Shunsui cast them an amused grin from his corner by the window, sprawled out across the cold floor on his expensive winter cloak. "Going to Kidou classes that even I'm not required to attend – it's bad for you, you know, not to take a day off now and again."

"You're the expert on that." Juushirou returned neatly. "As it happens, we had a good afternoon."

"Well, I can think of a thousand ways I'd rather spend my time, but whatever suits." Shunsui shrugged lazily. "You made it out of there in one piece, at least. I'm not sure the same can be said about me, however – Kuchiki-kun's been showing me all the holes in my defence system without me even leaving the common room."

He gestured to the board on the floor in front of him, and Juushirou frowned, dropping down alongside him and casting him a quizzical glance.

"Shougi?" He asked curiously, and Ryuu nodded.

"A simple game." He said, brushing the pieces together with a shrug. "Kyouraku really isn't much of a challenge, however. He doesn't try to win – actually, perhaps he does the opposite."

"Are you saying I'm letting you beat me?" Shunsui snorted. "You're overestimating my abilities, Ryuu-kun. I never saw much point in Shougi and I've the proud record of having been beaten by all my surviving kin at the game at one point or another. I'll just add this defeat to my belt and soldier on."

Ryuu's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head.

"If you think I'm fooled by that, you're stupid." He said archly. "You can play just fine, which I can tell by the strategies you use. Or rather, which you actively choose not to use. It's as if you see the way forward into the confrontation and then deliberately take the opposing action. That isn't naivety or inexperience. I'd almost think you were mocking me – if I didn't know this was how you were with everything else, too."

"He's a cruel partner, Juushirou." Shunsui adopted a mock-pitiful look. "Now you're here, you play him instead of me. I'm sure you'll give him a better game, anyway, and Hirata-kun's been engrossed in his book for the last hour."

"Hirata-kun?" Juushirou looked surprised, noticing the quiet boy for the first time as, at the sound of his name, he raised his head.

"I don't really like Shougi." He said softly. "The strategies are repetitive after a while – I suppose I find it boring."

"How is it boring?" Ryuu was clearly offended by this. "If you play it properly, there is nothing to be bored about! It's a contest between two competing armies – there's not much different between what we learn in Genryuusai-sensei's Sakusen classes and what we do on the Shougi board, when it's all said and done!"

"You see what I've been dealing with?" Shunsui rolled his eyes. "I only said I'd play Kuchiki in the first place to keep the peace, but now you're here, you can take over. You're much better at the peace-keeping thing than I am – and besides, I'm no competition for Ryuu-sama's skill, since he's beaten me three times straight."

"Do you know Shougi, Ukitake?" Ryuu cast him a doubtful look, and Juushirou nodded.

"My Father taught me, when I was little." He agreed. "And when I was ill, it was a good way to pass the time…so I got quite good at it. I managed to beat him and my sensei both, once or twice. The only person who used to give me a really fierce game was my sister Chihiro, to be honest – she took to it even more quickly than I did, and she used to like running me ragged around the whole board with her dragons and her horses."

"There you go, then. A perfect competition." Shunsui looked relieved, and Ryuu's eyes narrowed.

"I'm game." He said frankly. "But be warned, Ukitake – I will not underestimate you the way I did when we clashed bokutou that first time. I am wise to you now – and you won't get off easy."

Juushirou grinned, holding up his hands in mock-surrender.

"I'm not looking to enter into a blood and brimstone war." He said hurriedly. "If you don't mind, can we postpone the match till later? I've had a long afternoon already – and if you're going to take it seriously, Kuchiki-kun, I'd rather be in full form to give you the best competition that I can."

Ryuu clicked his tongue against his teeth in irritation, but nodded, shrugging his shoulders.

"If you insist." He said simply. "I will hold you to it, though, so don't forget."

"Kuchiki's sure started hanging out with us a whole lot lately." Enishi observed tactlessly at that moment, stretching out his limbs with a satisfied sigh. "Ah, it feels good not to have Kazoe glaring at me! And so have you, Kyouraku – it's like our three's becoming five, all of a sudden – don't you think?"

Ryuu's features flooded red at this, and Shunsui grinned.

"Enishi-kun, I don't think you should've said it quite like that." He said wryly. "Even if it is true."

"If my company bothers you, I can easily go to the library and study." Ryuu said stiffly, and Juushirou shook his head.

"That's not what Houjou-kun meant." He said quickly. "He was just observing. Noone minds that it's the case. You said you wanted us to have a better understanding second time over, and I think we have one, don't we? Houjou-kun didn't mean that you – or Shunsui – should go away."

"Of course I didn't!" Enishi's eyes widened at that point, and he shook his head. "Sorry, Kuchiki – I wasn't trying to imply anything like that. I just think it's nice, is all. That people are starting to spend more time together."

"If you ask me, it looks like a potential meeting of the naughty boys club." Sora's voice cut across the conversation at that point, as the petite girl slipped down between Shunsui and Hirata, offering her classmates a grin. "Especially if Shunsui's involved – didn't I warn people enough that he's trouble waiting to happen?"

"Yes, but he's generally trouble on his own time, so it's fine." Enishi grinned back. "Hi, Sora. Do you want to play Kuchiki at Shougi? It looks like he's burning for a battle, and I'm useless at it."

"Shougi, huh?" Sora looked quizzical, then shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, I don't mind. But watch out, Kuchiki-kun. I'm no soft touch at strategy games."

"Me either." Ryuu's pride flared up at this and he reached across to gather the scattered pieces. "Very well. I will challenge you, Shiba-san. And we will see who prevails."

"Fine." Sora pulled a face. "But if I win, you have to quit with the honorifics. Okay?"

"I don't see what the problem is." Ryuu said archly. "I am merely addressing you as a young woman from a neighbouring Clan of near equal wealth and influence should be addressed."

"And I'm getting sick of it." Sora said heavily. "So that's the deal, okay? If I can beat you at Shougi, you start using my proper name and not my Clan name. Understood?"

Ryuu sighed, but shrugged his shoulders.

"If you so wish." He said reluctantly. "But I confess I still don't understand why you're so insistant."

"Hey, is Kyouraku Shunsui in here?"

At that moment the door of the common room slid back to reveal a student from the second class, and at the sight of him, Shunsui frowned, raising a lazy hand to indicate his presence.

"I'm here." He agreed. "What's up, Iwai-kun? You look shook up. Has something happened...?"

"I don't know. You tell me." Iwai Kenji said bluntly. "There's a girl in the grounds and she's looking for you. She's in a complete state and I don't think she's in her right mind. Kira and I were heading back from the gymnasium after our extra practice with Minabe and she pretty much fell across our path. Kira wanted to call staff, but the girl was adamant she spoke to you. When she found out I knew who you were, she begged me to come find you."

"A girl?" Ryuu's eyebrows arched, a reproving expression in his gaze, and Shunsui's frown deepened.

"This girl didn't happen to mention a name, did she?" He asked, getting to his feet, and Juushirou pursed his lips, noting the mix of emotions that flashed through his classmate's dark gaze. As Iwai shook his head, his concern became deeper, and he bit his lip, trying to rationalise the deep sense of foreboding that had welled up inside of his heart.

"Where is she now, Iwai-kun?" Shunsui asked, his tones somehow too level and calm as he scooped his cloak up from the floor, slipping it over his shoulders, and at his casual actions, Juushirou's foreboding grew.

Why are you taking your cloak if you're only going so far as the school gymnasium, Shunsui? It's not as though it's Winter ice out there.

"Behind the gymnasium." Iwai responded. "Kira's with her. Minabe'd gone so I figured it was better if she waited there. She wanted to come with me, but I figured that'd get you into a whole pile of trouble, and..."

"And Shunsui really doesn't need more of that." Sora cast him a dark look. "What have you been up to now, you idiot? Are you that brazen that you've got stray girls crying over you and demanding to see you even now?"

"I don't know what this is about." Shunsui said softly. "But I promise you, Sora, it's not that kind of acquaintance."

Juushirou cast him a look of consternation.

"Are you going to speak to her?" He asked, and Shunsui nodded.

"If she's come all this way, I think I should." He agreed grimly. "She's on campus, so it's not going to be breaking my curfew after all. And the sooner I go, the less likely Kira will get into trouble for it."

He cast Iwai a benign smile.

"Probably it's a matter of owed coins from a little trip I took into town a few weeks ago." He added. "My being tied to campus has meant I've not been able to make good on my word, and I suspect she's come looking for what she's promised. That's all."
At his words, Juushirou's eyes narrowed.

What owed coins? My first thought was that it was Megumi-san – but Kuchiki-kun and Houjou-kun paid that debt already. Shunsui knows that…why would he say something if he knows it's not the case?

Unless it's not Megumi-san at all, but something else…?

"Shunsui!" Sora grimaced, and Shunsui shrugged again.

"Just a slight oversight." He said lightly. "Calm down, Sora-chan. It's nothing more sinister than that."

As he took in the tension that ran through his companion's body, Juushirou had the distinct impression that it was a lot more sinister.

He hesitated, then got to his feet.

"I'll come with you." He decided, and Shunsui shot him a startled look.

"Juushirou?"

"If you have a witness, no one can accuse you of anything." Juushirou offered him a rueful smile. "After all, even on campus, I don't know as Genryuusai-sensei'd be amused. It's all right, isn't it, Shunsui-kun? You don't mind some company?"

Shunsui eyed him for a moment, then he shrugged.

"If you fancy the walk, I've nothing to hide." He said casually. "By all means, come."

He cast Iwai a grin.

"Thanks for the message, Iwai-kun." He added. "I'll take it from here. Do me a favour and don't report it to anyone, okay? She'll go soon, after all - once she's got what she came for, she won't come here again."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to rat." Iwai shook her head, a playful glitter in his own gaze. "She was real pretty, though...I guess I can understand owing a couple of coins if it's a girl like that."

He winked, and from behind them, Juushirou heard Sora's heavy sigh. Shunsui ignored her however, taking Juushirou by the arm and leading him nonchalantly out of the common room and into the hall beyond.

Once there, however, Juushirou's eyes narrowed.

"Do you think it's Megumi-san?" He murmured, and Shunsui's shot him a sidelong glance. He nodded his head.

"That seems the most likely thing." He agreed. "So you realised that, huh?"

"Yes, although you know that Houjou-kun and Kuchiki-kun already squared your debt for you, so it didn't make sense to me why you'd lie so deliberately." Juushirou responded. "It made me suspicious – and I was worried about it. That you might be involved in something – or that there was something going on with Megumi-san that we didn't know about, after all."

"Do you think I lied to you, then, about the depth of our acquaintance?" Shunsui looked surprised, and Juushirou hesitated for a moment, considering this carefully. At length he sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't think you're a liar." He reflected. "You're evasive and silly, sometimes. But outright lies aren't really your style. Perhaps it bothered me more, because of that."

"I see." Shunsui pursed his lips. "Is that why you're playing chaperon, then? Because you think it could be a compromising situation if anyone was to catch the two of us alone?"

"You don't need any more trouble than you already have, that's all." Juushirou shrugged. "I know you haven't broken curfew again since Genryuusai-sensei spoke to you, Shunsui, but even so..."

"A girl like that in a place like this is a bit hard to explain. I know." Shunsui pursed his lips. "But there is no other girl that springs to mind – not in this locality, in any case."

He grimaced.

"And that's why it's bothering me, to be honest." He owned. "Megumi might be doped a lot of the time, but she's smart with it. She knows that invading the school would be bad for her business. After all, she has a lot more clients here than just us that night. I've had her serve me drinks, and she likes my coin. But she's probably provided more risky favours to others and if she was to appear here they'd take fright and distance themselves from her services completely. Which means..."

"Something has happened?" Juushirou paled, and Shunsui shrugged, pushing open the door that led out towards the gymnasium.

"Sounds it, doesn't it?" He said grimly. "But you know that too. I can see it in your eyes, Juushirou - I don't need to explain it to you."

"No..." Juushirou bit his lip. "I can't explain it, but it gave me...a bad feeling. As you said, Megumi-san didn't seem foolish. Even when we saw her in town the last time, though she was obviously out of her wits, she was smart enough to realise who Kuchiki-kun was and that we were acquaintances of yours. But from the way Iwai-kun described her..."

He frowned.

"But why you? You've not left the school in over a month, have you?"

"Nope. I've been good as gold on that count – I've not broken Yama-jii's curfew once." Shunsui shook his head.

"Then it's been over a month since Megumi-san saw you." Juushirou pointed out. "Of all people, why would she come to you?"

"Because I don't exploit her the way others do, maybe." Shunsui shrugged helplessly. "Or because I don't lie to her. If I give her my word, I keep it. So she trusts me."

"Even after so few meetings?"

"I suppose so." Shunsui seemed to be chewing this over. "Before I was caught out, I probably went to her establishment six or seven times in all – including the trip you took with me. In a world where there's scarce little trust to give or be given, a client who's up front and honest is probably the best she's going to get. Aside from her colleagues, Megumi's on her own. She has no family or friends outside of the business she works in. So who else would she turn to? If she's in trouble, she'd look to someone who she thought had some influence. And students from this school are almost entirely people with potential influence. It's not so crazy."

Juushirou's eyes clouded, and he nodded.

"I suppose so." He murmured. "It's still so sad, though."

"The world is a sad place, no matter what level you're born into." Shunsui offered him a faint grin. "It's one of those irritating things about growing up. You can't hide from those things any longer."

"But maybe you can stop or change them." Juushirou murmured pensively. He did not see the surprised glance his companion shot his way, however, for at that moment Kira Hideharu emerged from behind the gymnasium's stonework, casting them both apprehensive glances.

"You came, then." He murmured. "Iwai told you?"

"He did." Shunsui nodded. "Where is she?"

"In the cluster of trees behind the rear exit." Kira looked nervous. "She wouldn't tell me anything except that she wanted to speak to you."

"It's fine. You can leave it to us now then." Shunsui offered him a grin, and Juushirou marvelled at the calm composure in his friend's expression. "Though I'd rather you didn't mention it to anyone else, Kira-kun - if you don't mind. It's a little debt I racked up a few weeks ago and, being confined to campus, I've not been able to pay her back for it. That's all. These things catch up with you after a while."

"I see." Kira frowned. "I won't tell tales, but...you should be more careful, Kyouraku-kun. Next time it might be a teacher she stumbles on."

With that he was gone across the grass, putting as much distance between him and them as possible, and Shunsui let out a low whistle.

"There's a kid who's never had anything to do with women." He reflected absently, and Juushirou frowned.

"The Kira-ke are neighbours of mine." He responded. "More likely he's just frightened out of his wits about being kicked out of a place like this because, like me, he hasn't got the high placed connections to buy him out of trouble."

"Yet you're here with me, even so?" Shunsui sent him a questioning glance, and Juushirou nodded.

"Of course." He agreed. "I'm not afraid of being kicked out. If there's a problem, we'll just explain to Genryuusai-sensei and let him resolve it. He's not unfair, after all."

"You really do have a naive faith in the system, sometimes."

"It's better than being cynical of everything." Juushirou responded simply. "Are we going? The girl's waiting, and the longer she's here the more likely there'll be trouble over it."

"Yes, boss." Shunsui saluted playfully, but a smile had touched his lips and Juushirou was glad to see some of the shadowing leave his dark eyes. "I'm right with you."

As they rounded the big gym building and entered the cluster of trees, however, Juushirou soon realised that their assumptions had been mistaken. The girl who was huddled beneath the tree was a stranger to him, her thick chestnut hair tangled and loose over her shoulders and her face a mess of streaked make-up and tears. At their approach she started, gazing up at them fearfully, and with a jolt Juushirou realised that amid the ripped fabric of her gown there were distinct spots of something else...something that looked alarmingly like blood. Sure enough, as they drew closer, Juushirou could see the long, red scratches against the visitor's pale, delicate skin, and despite himself, indignation welled up inside of him as he felt the fluctuating fear and trauma that danced across her feeble reiatsu.

He glanced at Shunsui, whose gaze had already darkened once more, and as his classmate dropped down on the grass, Juushirou realised that this girl wasn't an unknown to his friend.

"Kyouko-chan." He murmured. "That's a surprise - I didn't expect it to be you. I rather thought it might be Megumi - what are you doing here?"

"M...M..Megumi told me...if I came...you'd help." Kyouko choked out, her eyes still swimming with tears as she grasped hold of Shunsui's wrists, clinging onto them desperately as she gazed at him with a mixture of despair and hope. "Please...Shunsui-kun. You have to...help Megumi. Please."

Shunsui stiffened at this, and he reached across to brush the fresh tears from the girl's cheeks.

"Megumi's in trouble?" He asked softly, and Kyouko nodded.

"We both were." She choked out. "Men came and...and grabbed us. Both of us. But I kicked one and...and I got away. And Megumi told me...to find you. That you'd be able to help."

"Someone kidnapped you?" Juushirou's eyes widened, and Kyouko started, staring at him as though seeing him for the first time.

"Who...who's this?" She asked faintly, and Shunsui shook his head.

"Someone I trust." He said briefly. "It's all right. He's no harm to you, Kyouko. Quite the opposite, in fact."

"What happened, Kyouko-san?" Juushirou settled himself down on the girl's other side, and she cast him a glance before slowly shaking her head.

"I don't know, not really." She murmured. "Megumi...she had a debt to collect, so she...but it wasn't..."

She faltered, rubbing her temples.

"My mind isn't clear at the moment." She said honestly. "I'm not thinking as well as I could. But...Megumi...lately she'd been making more coin than the rest of us. Not just from people like you, Shunsui-kun, or her other clients - there was something else. But she wouldn't tell me about it. She said it was...something secret and that so long as she kept it that way, she'd keep getting paid."

"Something secret?" Shunsui and Juushirou exchanged looks, then, "And you've no idea what it was?"

"No, except that the last two coins he promised her he didn't pay when she expected him to." Kyouko shook her head. "He was late one time before, apparently, and she thought it was that way again – but even though she kept asking him, he never kept his word. She was cross about it, and she went to tell him that if he didn't pay her soon, she'd stop helping him. More, that she'd tell someone what they were doing."

"And he didn't take that too well?" Juushirou murmured. Kyouko shrugged.

"She came back from their meeting very sure that he was going to pay." She said miserably. "But then, this afternoon...men came. And they were after Megumi, but because I was there, they went to take me as well. Because they didn't want anyone to see."

Shunsui was silent for a moment, and Juushirou could tell that his mind was working full speed as he struggled to digest all of this. For the first time since they'd met, he felt a different, indignant kind of fire flickering at the edge of his classmate's reiatsu, and he wondered at it. Shunsui's normal lazy calm was completely broken, and in its place was the faintest trace of someone whose spiritual potential was far greater than he'd given anyone reason to so far see.

With a jolt, Ryuu's words about the game of Shougi suddenly echoed across his senses once more as he grasped the deeper meaning in them.

It's as if you see the way forward into the confrontation and then deliberately take the opposing action. I'd almost think you were mocking me – if I didn't know this was how you were with everything else, too.

He gazed at his classmate, half wondering if he was seeing him properly for the first time. Shunsui was oblivious, however, his attention fully on the shivering, pathetic girl who huddled before them on the ground.

"Think hard, Kyouko-chan." He said now, a note of urgency in his voice. "Did you recognise any of the men? Any of them at all?"

Kyouko shook her head despondently.

"I didn't see, really." She admitted. "But the one who grabbed Megumi - I hadn't seen him before."

"Did she know him?"

"Yes." Kyouko nodded. "But she didn't...I didn't hear her say any names. So I don't know who he was, Shunsui-kun. I'm sorry."

"Can you remember what he looked like, at least?" Juushirou's mind was already working towards speaking to Genryuusai and asking his advice, but Kyouko sighed, spreading her hands.

"He wasn't distinctive." She murmured. "He had pale eyes, and dark hair. He was fair skinned - but not as pale as you are. He was probably about Shunsui's height. Maybe...he was twenty or twenty five...but I'm not sure."

"And you'd never seen him before?"

"No. He didn't seem...like one of Megumi's usual clients." Kyouko drew a shuddery breath into her lungs. "If he had been, I'd have remembered him for sure."

Shunsui got to his feet.

"If Megumi's asked for my help, I guess there's nothing to do but help her." He said at length, and Juushirou shot him a startled look.

"Help her? Without knowing where she is, who took her...Shunsui, are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious." Shunsui's brows knitted together. "What else am I going to do? If Kyouko's in this state, Megumi could be in real danger. And if she's put her trust in me, I'm not going to let her down."

"And if you get caught...? You're still under curfew, remember."

"If I get caught, I get sent home. So what?" Shunsui shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not exactly a model student, anyway. But if I don't help Megumi, maybe she'll be killed. And that's worse, isn't it?"

He hauled Kyouko to her feet.

"You shouldn't stay here." He added. "I don't know who or what Megumi was involved with, but given that people were paying her in gold coins, this probably isn't a safe place to be. You should leave here and run as far as you can away from the town and any of the students at this Academy. If you can get to the border of Kyouraku land, you should be safe. I'll send word to my brother and he'll make sure nothing can happen to you. But don't talk about this to anyone else. Understood? Nobody at all. No matter what. I'll try and help Megumi, if I can - but you take care of yourself."

Kyouko nodded numbly, reaching up to wipe away her tears.

"Megumi was right about you." She said softly. "You are someone to rely on."

Juushirou's eyes widened at this, and he glanced at Shunsui, surprise and realisation dawning in his hazel eyes even as their wretched companion hurried away into the undergrowth towards the school fences.

Kyouko-san's right. Shunsui is lazy, irresponsible and unpredictable, and he never seems to break a sweat no matter how much trouble he gets into. But right now his aura is completely different. Because someone's in danger? Because someone might get hurt?

He frowned, digesting this.

Do I even know Shunsui as well as I thought? Have we all been deceived, after all?

Out loud he said,

"Let me come with you."

Shunsui's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head.

"Not a chance."

"But you might need help!"

"Yes, maybe, but it won't be from you." Shunsui said firmly.

"Why not?" Juushirou was indignant at this, and Shunsui sighed, grabbing his classmate and giving him a little shake.

"Yama-jii made it clear to me that if I snuck out again, it'd be on my head." He said softly. "And if anyone snuck out with me, they'd be for it too. I won't bring you into trouble, Juushirou. I'm Clan. If need be, Tokutarou-nii might twist Yama-jii's arm and make it so I'm able to stay. Either way, the consequences won't be so severe. But if you get into trouble, I don't know what might happen. There are probably a lot of people waiting for an excuse to remove you from this place...people like Aitori, for example."

"Even so..."

"Listen to me!" Shunsui cut across him, shaking his head impatiently. "What you're doing is bigger than just your own future. Don't you realise that? You have to stay here. What happens to me doesn't matter, in comparison. You're the one breaking all the social conventions. Are you going to screw it up?"

"Shunsui..."

"Yama-jii already knows, after all, that you were out with me that night."

Juushirou's eyes widened.

"Since when?" He demanded. "He hasn't said anything to me about it!"

"No, he's not told you so." Shunsui retorted. "But he made it clear to me that he knew. He told me that I wasn't to corrupt you to bad Clan habits, so I won't. Megumi asked me for help. Not you. You stay here. That way, only one of us gets into trouble. And besides, no offence but I'm pretty sure you'll only slow me down."

"But..."

"But nothing." Shunsui shook his head. "Go back to school and keep your mouth shut. I'll be back as soon as I can be."

With that he was gone, slipping through the trees towards the school's rear exit, and Juushirou sank back against the trunk of a nearby tree, his mind whirling with everything his classmate had said.

There are probably a lot of people waiting for an excuse to remove you from this place.

His eyes narrowed, as slowly he turned on his heel, making his way reluctantly back towards the main school building. He could still feel the flutter of Shunsui's reiatsu at the back of his senses, moving swiftly away from the school, and absently he clenched and unclenched his fists.

You're the one breaking all the social conventions. Are you going to screw it up?

"What was that, anyway?" He murmured, pausing as he reached the entrance, and turning back to face towards the gymnasium. "I've never seen you like that, Shunsui. Even though Megumi-san's someone you've know a short period of time...even so, you're that intent on rescuing her? Are you in love with her, after all?"

He thought for a moment, then shook his head.

No. It wasn't that. It was something else. Something in his eyes...and in the way his reiatsu flickered. He just wanted to save her, no matter what.

"Ukitake-kun!" Hirata's breathless voice made him glance up, seeing his anxious friend at the top of the stairs, and at the sight of him, he frowned, biting his lip.

"Where's Kyouraku-kun?" Hirata asked apprehensively, descending the stairs two of a time as he hurried to rejoin his classmate. "It's going to get dark soon - what did he...?"

Juushirou was silent for a moment, turning back to gaze in the direction Shunsui had gone. Then, as he did so, he felt something else trickle across his senses, and as he recognised it, his eyes widened with fear and realisation.

A Hollow.

In an instant, any doubts he had flew away and he grasped Hirata by the arm, pulling him to one side.

"Ukitake...kun?"

"He's gone to help a friend in trouble." Juushirou said quietly. "And I'm going after him. He didn't want me to, but there's something dangerous out there and...and he's not been to enough classes to be able to defend himself if the trouble hits him. So I'm going to go and bring him back."

"But..." Hirata's eyes became huge, and Juushirou nodded.

"Don't say anything, not even to Houjou-kun." He instructed. "With any luck I'll be able to find him and bring him back before anyone notices either of us are gone. But…but if we're not back by the end of dinner, Hirata-kun, I want you to tell Genryuusai-sensei what I've told you. All right? Because then we'll probably need help from a higher level."

Frightened, Hirata nodded his head.

"I understand." He whispered. "But...are you sure you should go, Ukitake-kun? If it's dangerous...?"

"I don't know, but I can't just leave him on his own." Juushirou said resolutely, though inwardly his heart was pounding at the thought of going anywhere near the Hollow's dark, forbidding aura. "I at least know some basic Kidou, and I think it might help. We'll be back as soon as we can, I promise – so trust me, all right? And do as I say."

Hirata sighed, but at length, he nodded his head.

"Be careful." He murmured, and Juushirou could see the thinly veiled fear in the young boy's eyes. "There's something dark and evil out there…I can feel it too."

"Don't worry. I don't intend on doing anything except bring Shunsui back to school." Juushirou said firmly. "I'll see you later, Hirata-kun – I'm counting on you!"

Author's Note

Shougi is a tad anachronistic, but then, so is Soul Society in general. So meh :) It seemed to fit…

FFnet has been kinda funny for me over the last week and I'm likely to be crazy busy over the course of this week, so I'm going to upload this now while I have a moment to do it. The fact there's a nice evil cliffhanger involved is also part of the fun XD

Death is coming....^_^

This chapter also marks a milestone for me. As of this chapter, I've uploaded three million words to FFnet since August 2006 (in all categories) XD

Geez, that's a lot of words :|