Chapter Twenty Seven: District Pride
For a moment there was silence in the school gardens, as the four students faced one another across the clearing. Shunsui frowned, his gaze flitting apprehensively between the still armed Onoe and his District born friend, taking in the tension that prickled through both of their auras. Onoe was close to breaking point, he realised – his anger and resentment having driven him to a barely concealed fever pitch that bordered on recklessness. And as for Juushirou…
His lip thinned, taking in the expression in the boy's hazel eyes.
He does have pride. And fire to back that pride up. But I still want to stop him. Not because I think he'll hurt Onoe, or that Onoe will be able to hurt him. But because he might hurt himself the way he did when he came to help me. I can't help it – it's just how it is.
At that moment, there was a gasping noise from across the ground, and Shunsui swung round just in time to see Kai crumple to his knees, putting out his left hand to steady himself against the grass. In a moment Shunsui was jerked back to reality and he hurried across the grass, realising that Juushirou had been right and that right now the most important thing was preventing Kai's injury from being made worse.
"Why did you come here?" As he reached Kai's side, the injured boy sent him a wary look, his gold eyes clouded by pain and the haziness that came with loss of blood. "I didn't ask anyone to help me. Shihouin…die by honour, after all."
"Oh, shut up with all that claptrap nonsense." Shunsui told him sharply, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder as he ran his gaze over the red-soaked hakama. "If you're trying to come up with some noble last lines, give it a rest already, because I'm not planning on letting you expire here and nor is Juu. We're classmates, you idiot, not soldiers on a battlefield. And didn't you ever learn in all your Shihouin training that you don't take on an armed man unless you know you can take him down?"
"I didn't know…Tomoyuki was…armed." Kai's voice was weakening, and as Shunsui slipped an arm around his body to support him, he gave up the battle to keep himself upright. "Put me down, Kyouraku. It's humiliating…being rescued…by you."
"Gee, thanks a lot." Shunsui pretended to be hurt, keeping his tones light although he was alarmed at how much blood there seemed to be pooling at the scene. "And they said in the dorm that you like me better than anyone else…I guess they were well off the beat there, weren't they?"
Kai stared at him blankly, then shook his head.
"I mean…by Clan." He whispered. "Not…by kin."
A shudder ran through him, and he choked, closing his eyes as pain pierced through his body. Blood bubbled at his lips, and Shunsui sighed, inwardly making up his mind.
"It seems to be my year to have people coughing up blood all over me." He said resignedly. "I guess it must be something I give off in my aura – though there are better ways of showing your affection, Kai-kun."
Kai dragged a heavy breath into his lungs, and Shunsui frowned.
"You're struggling." He murmured softly. "So if you're having trouble breathing, we won't stick around here."
"But…Ukitake?" Kai shook his head, struggling to assert himself despite the severity of his condition. From the mess, Shunsui was almost sure that his companion's wound had struck through his gut and grazed his left lung – perhaps even punctured it. A little higher and Onoe might have found his cousin's heart – and Shunsui knew only too well that a blow to the heart was often fatal.
"Juu is fine. He doesn't need our help – certainly not yours, in this state." He said now, inwardly hoping that he was right. "You focus on choking or throwing up or fainting or whatever it is your body wants you to do, and leave everything else to other people. Because you might think that leaving you to die here is an honourable thing, but I don't. I don't believe in letting people who can be saved die. Because if they're dead, they can't ever make amends or change things or move forward. There's no glory in dying. Just a lot of mess and red tape. So you're not going to die now. Sorry if you thought you were. Instead you're coming with me."
He tightened his grip on his companion, closing his eyes as he focused on shifting their bodies through the streams of light and spirit energy that encircled Soul Society. As they did so, he was aware of his companion's rapid intake of breath, and he bit his lip, hoping against hope that his aim had been correct.
"What did you…how did you…that was sh..sh..shunpo!" As they re-materialised in the hall-way outside of the Healing Bay, Kai shot Shunsui a disbelieving look. "Or am I hallucinating now? But that was…"
"Shh." Shunsui shook his head. "It's not the time or place. Besides, you're damn heavy – heavier than Juu, even if you're not as tall as him. Did you think I was going to run with you in my arms or something?"
He grinned, more to give himself courage than for any other reason, for he could feel Kai's reiatsu fading beneath his touch.
"If you were your pretty sister, perhaps I'd consider it." He added playfully. "But I don't get quite the same thrill from lugging around sweaty, bloody males – if it's all the same to you."
"Shihouin-kun!" Mitsuki flung back the door of the Healing Bay before Kai could muster a response, and Shunsui almost cried out with relief as he saw the tall, reassuring figure of Unohana Retsu in his classmate's wake.
"Bring him inside, Kyouraku-kun." She said softly, her calm words soothing Shunsui's own anxiety and giving him a second wind. "You were very quick – I was about to come looking for you, when I felt you outside the door."
"He…sh…shun…" Kai murmured, but at the sight of authority his endurance had also faltered, and his words were blurry and indistinct as Shunsui carefully carried the barely conscious boy inside.
"He's only been hit once, but I think it was a proper attempt at killing him." He said quietly, laying him down on an empty bier. "Unohana-sensei, Juushirou's still out there and I don't want to leave him with a crazy Onoe and a knife if I don't have to. Someone needs to go back there…someone needs to make sure no one else gets hurt while Onoe's not acting in his right mind."
"I think you'll find your friend will be just fine." Retsu said softly, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder as she cast him a serene smile. "You've done plenty this evening, after all. Stay here, please. You and Mitsuki-san will be good company for Shihouin-kun, after all."
"But..."
"Have faith." Retsu's smile remained gentle, but there was something else in the depths of those eyes that made Shunsui think twice about arguing the point any further. "For now, our focus is on this wounded one here."
"He's passed out." Mitsuki reported from where she had begun flitting around Kai's still form like an anxious butterfly. "Retsu-sama…"
"It's all right. His wound is deep but it can be repaired and quite easily, too." Retsu assured her. "Calm yourself, Mitsuki-san. I know you feel his pain almost as much as he does – but it will soon be abated, and he'll rest more easily once I stop the blood flowing."
She gestured to the back room.
"Will you go and retrieve some water, please? Sensei asked that only I be here this evening, so none of the usual healing staff are on hand to help me. But if I have you two, I'm sure it will be fine – Kyouraku-kun, if you could unfasten Shihouin-kun's obi, please, and loosen the shirt of his hakama? The wound appears to have gone in through the upper part of his stomach – through the diaphragm and pricked against the left lung. His breathing is steady, so far, but I want to act as quickly as possible to save him more discomfort than is necessary."
"Ye...yes, Sensei." As Mitsuki hurried off to do Retsu's bidding, Shunsui focused his attention on the task assigned him, forcing himself to concentrate even though he could feel Juushirou's reiatsu flickering at the back of his senses.
Don't do anything reckless, Juu. Don't underestimate him just because he underestimated you. Onoe is Class Two but only because Houjou's built like a house and knows how to use it. He's not really lower than us – and right now he's not thinking like a sane, rational being, either. Don't do something to make all those little Ukitake-chibis cry – because I won't ever be able to face them if you do.
"Kai!"
As a flash of confused and garbled reiatsu shot through study, Midori froze, fear and dismay flooding her golden eyes as her gaze flitted to the window of the small chamber Genryuusai called his private work space. From his position beside his desk, Genryuusai eyed her thoughtfully, taking in the sudden, anguished tension that had rippled through her slight frame. She had humbled herself before him, dropping into the customary bow of the Shihouin Noble blood on greeting one they considered their senior, and yet in that moment he knew she was dying to leap to her feet, charge through the window and away to her brother's rescue.
He frowned, then slowly shook his head.
"Why have you truly come here, Midori?" He asked softly, and at the question, Midori started, staring at him blankly. Her earlier formality and composure had been shattered, he reflected, just in that one instant, and he pursed his lips, reminding himself of how young the woman who crouched before him truly was.
Young enough to love her family unreservedly, despite what they might put her through.
"You came to speak to me on Clan business. I am willing to hear your words." He said quietly. "Is that still your intention? Or have your impulses changed, because silly boys have chosen to blood Clan pride without any thought to the consequences it might cause?"
"You...you feel it too?" Midori swallowed, then seemed to gather her wits, shaking her head as if to clear it. "Of course you do. My apologies, Genryuusai-sama. I...I promised myself to come here with the good of my Clan in my thoughts, but my brother...it seems I find it harder to leave him in danger than I thought."
"Your brother must learn to face the consequences of his actions, I think." Genryuusai said evenly. "I have no power to keep you here, Midori. If you want to go and help him, be my guest. But I will not admit you to my chamber a second time. This District has already been turned upside-down in one way or another by our neighbours from the East. Meeting with you is my last indulgence of Shihouin whims, after all - I have all the evidence I need to raise matters before the Council, and I have every intention of doing just that if our conversation does not reach a suitable conclusion this evening."
His eyes narrowed.
"You have come here claiming your right to take over District Two as the Shadow Cat of the Shihouin." He added. "Now is the moment when you prove it to me. I will not, after all, endorse a weak person to take control of a neighbouring division. And my Clan will not act decisively without consulting me on my position first."
Midori's gaze flitted back to the window, and she bit her lip.
"What you say is true." She murmured. "You have done me a great favour by agreeing to speak to me, especially when I have already caused a good deal of chaos in your domain. You are right, Genryuusai-sama. For a moment I let my convictions waver. But I told myself when I left District Seven that even if it put Kai in danger, I would do this. Because it was the only thing I could do for the Shihouin-ke. And that, right now, has to matter more. No matter how difficult it is. Please, forgive my distraction. I will not hesitate a second time."
Even as she spoke, Genryuusai saw the faint glitter of tears in her golden eyes, and his stern expression relaxed slightly. He reached a wizened hand out to touch her shoulder.
"Your brother requires the chance to prove himself as much as you do." He said quietly. "And not just him, perhaps. It is not a pleasant turn of affairs, Midori...and I do not seek to encourage such fighting on school grounds. But this is bad blood founded in the problems of your Clan. Once it is out in the open, it can clearly be dealt with. And besides..."
He pursed his lips beneath his heavy white moustache, then nodded.
"It seems that the ethics of teamwork that I have attempted to teach those children are paying off, at least to some degree." He said simply. "I will let them deal with it, this time. If there are casualties, then I will handle the aftermath. But my students cannot be young peacocks strutting pride without any substance. I want them to understand as soon as possible what kind of world they're training to face. Aitori's death has only heightened in my mind the need for that understanding. I will not interfere."
Midori took a deep breath, then nodded her head.
"It is a violent world." She admitted. "And I'm a part of that world too, I know. I have no regret for the death of Aitori Hideaki, Genryuusai-sama. I am sorry for the inconvenience it's caused you, dealing with such a grisly event so close to your school here. But the act itself was necessary Shihouin justice. If I was wrong, I will no doubt pay for it when it comes to facing my Clan themselves."
"Your Uncle's position is a serious one, my child. You realise it too, don't you? How far it has gone."
"Yes. I know." Midori nodded, running her fingers through her thick violet hair agitatedly as she nodded her head. "Father's too, and my brother's and cousin's. It's a hopeless mess, really, all stemming out of the fear of another civil conflict within the District and the Clan. I have the only other option - being the Shadow Cat means I can claim power without being the next in line to the Clan leadership. I'm of age, and I have a zanpakutou so am able to defend my claim as a leader should."
"Then why do you need my support?"
"Because it must come before the Council." Midori looked troubled. "And they may not accept me, even if my own people will. Also, though, you have evidence that could break down District Two before I even have a chance to claim the seal and take charge. If it was to happen, that Kamuki-jisama was arrested before I'd managed that..."
"District Two would become forfeit to the Council of Elders, and therefore would be carved into pieces shared among other Clans for overlordship." Genryuusai said softly. "Your own family would be crushed and humiliated, subservient and powerless to these encroaching protectors. Your Uncle, and quite probably your Father and brother as well - even your young cousin - may face death for their crimes against Council law. And you..."
"May be forced to complete my wedding contract with a Clan I have no interest in allying with." Midori's voice shook slightly at this moment. "As for Kai, I don't know what would happen to him. He's young and stupid still, really - idealistic but he's not as ruthless as he'd like to believe he could be. I'm afraid for my family's future - for all of our futures - and this is the only solution I could find. Killing Aitori was necessary because he was drawing attention to my Father with his actions. Killing him also meant people would focus on that and not so much on District Two. But even so...even so..."
She trailed off, and Genryuusai eyed her through slitted lids.
"Kyouraku Tokutarou is inclined to support you, if you make a claim for the leadership of the Shihouin. He does not want to see a protectorship." He said quietly, and Midori started, staring at him in surprise.
"Tokutarou-sama? But...?"
"He's here in District One to visit his brother, and I have discussed the matter with him, to see where he would stand on such issues." Genryuusai continued evenly. "He had concerns, after all, that he'd received reports of your transit across District Eight."
"He knew, yet he didn't apprehend me." Midori murmured. "And now he would support me? Genryuusai-sama, are you...quite sure?"
"Quite sure, though no doubt you will be able to discuss it with him yourself at some more convenient point." Genryuusai agreed. "As for myself..."
He paused, then sighed.
"I do not like Clan killings on Yamamoto land." He said frankly. "Nor do I like flagrant breaches of important Council law - breaches which lead to an innocent town girl being murdered and to others like her being targeted and warped by the overspill of Clan ego. I do not know, nor do I care, whose fault that situation truly is. What I care about is the quick resolution of all of it, because this world has far bigger troubles to face than the problems of internal Clan strife. For that reason, I'm not sure how best to answer you. Your intentions I believe - and your reasoning is sound. But even so...this is a weighty crime."
Midori bit her lip, and Genryuusai saw her gaze dart briefly to the window once more, as if trying to locate the reiatsu of her young brother a second time. He was no longer out there, Genryuusai knew, for he had already sensed the distinctive flow of Retsu's gentle Kidou magic as she prepared to heal his young form. He was in the best hands he could be in, now. As for the severity of his injury, only time would tell how deep his scars would run.
Probably not as deep as his Clan ones, when all is said and done.
"I don't want to see his potential wasted, either." He said aloud now, and she started, eying him disconcertedly. "Yes, I do mean your brother. Your mind is still on him - and even though you stand before me as a future Clan leader, you still worry about him as your blood kin. Don't you?"
"I suppose I can't help it." Midori looked ashamed. "He's hurt, after all. Badly, I think. Genryuusai-sama..."
"I told you already that you shouldn't worry. Your brother has guardian angels aplenty, it seems." Genryuusai said softly. "He is a good student, if led badly in many ways. He has been under unreasonable pressure, and it has alienated him from his classmates and his own sense of self. Your solution may well improve that fact - I don't know that for sure. What I do care about is producing a strong and capable Shinigami who will one day be able to play his part in the saving of Soul Society. I wanted to see how he would act tonight, and now I am satisfied. Regardless of his reasons for coming here, or what happens from now on in District Two, I believe him to be a student worth keeping. But that aside..."
He paused, then smiled slightly.
"I will give you forty eight hours." He murmured. "To return to your District and convince your people of your aims. I will withold the evidence I have for that time - but I will not be lenient once the deadline has passed. I will pass the documentation to the representatives of Council justice and I will pass them to my own people here in District One. If you are too late, then it will be your problem to resolve."
His thick brows drew together.
"On the understanding that no more people meet Akekage's fury here in District One." He added pointedly.
Midori stared at him for a moment, then resolution and gratitude glittered in her golden eyes.
"That is all I ask, and more than I hoped for." She said gravely, bowing her head towards him as she did so. "I can do that, Genryuusai-sama, and I wholeheartedly accept your terms. When my Uncle realises the severity of the situation and the evidence you have from Aitori's house, then he will see my way of thinking and understand what must be done. He is Shihouin, in the end. He will do his duty just as I must. As for killing..."
She paused for a moment, pursing her lips.
"I have already given my word to two of your students that I will not take any more lives." She murmured. "Though somehow I think...you're not surprised, are you, to hear that?"
"No. I'm not surprised." Genryuusai shook his head. "This year's new intake are an enterprising group, and fond of poking their noses into business that is not theirs. Still, if they managed to elicit such a promise from a Shihouin..."
He smiled slightly.
"I wonder, perhaps, if Ukitake Juushirou had some involvement in this." He murmured, and Midori looked surprised, nodding her head.
"He is District - blatantly so, in all respects." She agreed. "But I like him, Genryuusai-sama. I like his strength and his honour. He holds himself as a Noble should hold himself, and there is pride in his eyes when he looks at you. When he speaks, he speaks his mind...even if society should curb his tongue, he still speaks. And I like to hear him speak. Because I think...I understand now. For the first time...what it means, this Academy of yours. Why things are changing, and how."
She glanced at her fingers.
"Fear has been my family's enemy, and it is of their own making, not of yours or of boys like him." She added. "Until I left District Seven, I didn't fully appreciate that fact. But my one ally during this whole business has been a young District girl who has proven herself more than loyal even despite the fact our acquaintance has been brief. Her actions and the Ukitake boy's words have made me think very much, these last days. So long as I can take control of the Clan, Genryuusai-sama, I intend to change things in District Two. The Shihouin will no longer stand in opposition to your Academy. On the contrary, I want to seek out what talent I can within our land and nurture it."
She laughed feebly.
"The Ukitake boy said I needed to listen to the people of District Two if I was to be truly accepted as their leader." She added. "It sounds like a ridiculous thing for a boy like him to say to a Noble princess, yet he said it anyway, with all seriousness in his eyes. And he's right. That's the true stupidity of it. He's right."
Genryuusai's features softened at this, and he smiled.
"I am glad to hear you speak like that." He admitted. "And if you continue in that vein, Midori, you will find you have more support than you realised."
He let out his breath in a heavy sigh.
"Bringing Ukitake Juushirou here was always a gamble, knowing that his reiatsu and potential would match him with Noble-born sons and hoping that he would find a way to settle in this environment. He has something very special in his aura, Midori - something you may or may not have noticed, but something which gave me a lot of hope the first time I met him. It's a strong belief in principle and justice - a strength that hasn't been waylaid as he's grown and more, has been encouraged. Even at his level of birth, he has been taught to think. And, it seems, to reason those thoughts out into a logical conclusion. To my mind, that is the kind of individual Soul Society needs most of all. Not rich princes and princesses in fine clothing who have very little sense but who have taken Shinigami positions on account of their birthright. People who work hard and prove their worth through that work. Ukitake is only the first...he and his District classmates will help to forge a new Seireitei. Having heard you speak, it seems he's already begun trying - even if he hasn't realised it himself yet."
"As I said, I like him." Midori agreed. "And I've become interested, now, in seeing what kind of future it is you seek to create. And, with luck, seeing the Shihouin play a part in that future too."
She took a deep breath, then,
"I must be selfish and ask one other thing, though." She admitted. "Kai...please, Genryuusai-sama. My brother..."
"As I told you, Kai must learn from his own mistakes and grow up through them, taking his scars as they come." Genryuusai said quietly. "Onoe Tomoyuki, also. Tonight is a test of faith and loyalty for my newest students, it seems. As I said, for better or worse, this time I will not interfere. I have faith that all will be well - and if it is not, then lessons will be learnt from why it is not. There is, after all, no better way to prepare them for conflict than allowing them to see it first hand. I believe your brother did not leave his dorm tonight with evil intentions – I suspect he did so in order to see you more than any other reason, and that impulse I understand. Yet he also broke rules to do it – he made a decision and he must learn the weight of it for himself."
"Perhaps that's true." Midori pursed her lips, then, "But I told him that I would explain and it seems I won't have time to do so. Will you let me borrow paper and ink, and leave a message with you to give him? The contents will not be secret – I just want to keep my word and reassure him as best I can. Will you allow me that, at least, if nothing else?"
"I will." Genryuusai offered her a smile, gesturing for her to take a seat. "And while you are composing such a note, I will send a message to Tokutarou-dono that you wish you speak to him face to face before you leave this place and make your preparations to go East. I think to know clearly his opinions before you go may be of benefit to you, after all - seeing as the Council will have to ratify your position even in the midst of all this chaos."
Midori was silent for a moment, then she sighed, bowing her head once more before him as relief and hope mingled in her golden eyes.
"Yes, Genryuusai-sama." She murmured. "I understand."
Meanwhile, back in the blood-spattered clearing, Juushirou and Onoe stood a few feet apart, each seemingly caught in a stalemate as they waited for the other to make the first move. Tension was still coursing through Onoe's broad frame, yet even as he knew he could not take his companion lightly, Juushirou found his mind straying away from the potential conflict and on to another, more startling realisation.
It had been only a matter of minutes since Shunsui and Kai had left the area, and inwardly Juushirou was still reeling from the revelation of yet another of Shunsui's hidden talents. One moment they had been there, the next not, and even though Juushirou had never clearly seen it before, he had known that this was shunpo.
The technique which, at the start of term, the unfortunate Aitori had catagorically told them was impossible for first years to learn.
Shunsui really is full of surprises. That's another one he's kept under his hat - when did he learn to do that? Did he always know how to do it? Or was it just a spur of the moment thing, because Shihouin-kun was in trouble?
He frowned, his gaze flitting to the glinting weapon still clutched in Onoe's hands.
Come to think of it, when we were stranded out in the forest that night, we did get to that cave pretty quickly. I thought it was because I passed out, but thinking about it...did Shunsui really carry me all that distance? I'd have been a dead weight for him. Did he do that? Or...something else?
"Well, District Boy?" At his hesitation, Onoe tapped his foot mock-impatiently, taunting his companion and Juushirou pushed the thoughts aside, turning his attention back to the matter at hand. "Why are you spacing out over there? Didn't you say we had some business to settle? Or are you a coward too, in the end? Have you realised that you're no match for me with all my years of Shihouin training?"
"Far from it." Juushirou gathered his wits, offering his companion a cool smile. "I was more concerned with your cousin's injury. You don't scare me a whole lot, to be honest, Onoe-kun. Even with that knife in your hand - I'm pretty sure I'm not going to let you take me off guard the way you took Shihouin-kun."
"Kai's an idiot and he's gone soft." Onoe murmured. "But I won't expect you to understand that. It's no use, Ukitake. Even if your friends don't see it, I do. It's been obvious for a long time. My family has specialist knowledge, after all, of the illicit chemicals that people use to enhance their power. And you are a freak in that department."
He frowned, slowly advancing on his companion step by step, the dagger clasped tightly between the blood-flecked fingers of his right hand.
"You were born nowhere, with no kin of note and no reason to be anything other than another low level drudge propping up society." He said blackly, reaching out to grasp the folds of Juushirou's hakama as he drew himself closer to his foe's body. "Yet you appear here like some genius out of obscurity, and expect us to take you seriously as though you were one of us. You play nice and sweet-talk everyone around you, but I've felt the flares of your reiatsu and I've felt how raw and dark it is. And you act like you take Genryuusai-sensei's rules seriously, yet you choke and cough and spew up blood just like an addict who can't get more of what he needs in time to fix his ailing body. You know what that stuff does to you, in the end? It causes madness. It drives your soul back on itself and makes you lose any grip you ever had on the real world. It will kill you, in the end. That's what those chemicals can do."
"I appreciate your concern, Onoe-kun, but it's quite misplaced." Juushirou's brows knitted together, and there was an icy edge to his tones as he swiped the boy's clawed fingers away, taking a step back out of his immediate reach. "Because I've never even seen these chemicals, let alone ingested any. Till I came here, I didn't know they existed. And as for my ill health - which is really none of your business - I was born with a lung condition called Haibyou. It's not a common condition, and in the Clans it no longer seems to exist. But it has nothing to do with breaking any rules. I don't cheat. I never have."
"Do you expect me to believe you?" Onoe snorted. "I told you. I'm not as foolish as your classmates are."
"Seems to me that you're more so." Juushirou's eyes narrowed as his gaze darted between Onoe and the knife, seeing that the young Shihouin had shifted his stance, preparing to launch a direct attack, blade drawn with the blade tilted towards his fellow student's torso. Although Juushirou knew he was ranked more highly than Onoe, he had also seen the flickers of irrationality in the boy's golden eyes and the wild pulsing of his companion's aura, and he knew that this was not going to be settled easily. Onoe was armed, after all, and clearly hyped up enough in his current agitated state to use that weapon without a thought to the consequences. He had already landed what could possibly still be a fatal blow on his own cousin, so Juushirou knew there was no chance of someone like him managing to talk the boy down peacefully.
Not that, if he was honest with himself, he really felt like negotiating with someone who had slighted his family and his pride so derisively.
In which case, I'll have to do it another way. And since I've no intention of getting stabbed, I guess that means dealing with the dagger first of all.
He set his teeth, making up his mind.
I'm glad, in a way, that Shunsui isn't here. That way I have to do it myself, and I will. Because I can. And he'd be surprised, I think, too. Maybe he has things like shunpo that he can use as a trump card, but I have my own skills too. And I've no intention of giving up, just because the one opposing me was born Clan.
His eyes narrowed.
I made myself Midori-sama's ally, knowing she'd killed Aitori. I took that judgement and I stand by it. This is part of that, and I'll prove I can make my own decisions. This is one I'm going to see through to the end.
"Do you really think I'm going to take seriously anything said by someone like you?" Onoe was scathing, and Juushirou frowned, a look of annoyance touching his normally open hazel eyes.
"I suppose I'll just have to prove it to you my way, won't I?" He said softly. "That I've as much right to be here as anyone, and that it has nothing to do with breaking the rules."
As the other boy lunged towards him, Juushirou darted forward, shifting nimbly into the direct path of the blade as it came at him with speed and force. Then, as it seemed that Onoe was going to land a dangerous blow, he feinted to the side, reaching out his right hand and grasping Onoe's own tightly around the wrist. Onoe let out an exclamation, struggling to pull his hand free, but Juushirou's grip was like a vice and he tightened it even further, twisting his opponent's fighting arm back towards the boy's own body without a flicker of either hesitation or mercy.
"Playing with weapons isn't allowed on school grounds." He murmured. "First years aren't allowed to carry blades. And as for what you did to Shihouin-kun - do you expect me to just let you carry on when you do something like that to your own flesh and blood?"
A little more pressure at that angle, he knew, and the bone would likely snap, yet though Onoe's features flashed with pain, he did not cry out, his gold eyes simply darkening with rage and hatred as he glared at his companion.
Not that I want to break his arm. But that's up to him, in the end, not me. If he fights my grip, I'll keep tightening it. A broken forearm isn't a fatal injury, after all - and if it takes that to disarm him, then I'll do it.
He smiled grimly, no humour reflecting in his gaze at another thought crossed his mind.
It is a good thing, then, that Shunsui's not here. I don't think he'd entirely approve, if he knew I was thinking that way. Well, maybe in the end I'm keeping secrets too - I understand his philosophy about violence, but I'm really not afraid to use it if it comes to a situation where I have to. I guess I'm not one who stands back, Shunsui-kun. For better or worse, I'm one who gets involved.
"Let me go, you peasant." Onoe growled, struggling valiently against the grip, and Juushirou felt a flare of fresh strength wash through his opponent's already jagged reiatsu, as his foe gathered his spirit power ready to launch some kind of counter-attack. As his fingers loosened slightly around Onoe's wrist, he bit his lip, his gaze darting across to the tree that stood a matter of a couple of feet away from them.
"You let the blade go first." He said frankly, reaching out his left hand and giving the startled Onoe a firm shove up against the trunk, the impact knocking the blade free from the other boy's unprepared grip. It embedded itself in the root of the tree, and Juushirou's lips thinned as he said an inward, fleeting apology to the sturdy lifeform which had once more become his ally.
But he's dangerous like this, and I have to stop him. I have to stop him, no matter what.
"You underestimate me, don't you?" He said aloud, meeting his foe's gaze head on as he did so. "I don't mind if you do. You can think what you like about me, and I can live with it quite happily. But just because I go out of my way to be friendly to people doesn't mean I'm foolish and easily deceived. And it certainly doesn't mean I'm hiding something of the level you imply. I won't have you questioning my ethics in that way. My power came from my parents, who raised me and loved me and taught me all the things I needed to know to be here now. I won't accept your slight against them, Onoe-kun. So I suggest you take it back. Because I don't want to fight you this evening. But not wanting to and not being able to are two separate things."
"People like you don't have honour to defend." Onoe retorted, finally wrenching himself free from Juushirou's grip and lunging for the other boy's throat. As he did so, he swung his body into his opponent's, using his superior physical size to knock his companion to the ground, and Juushirou fell heavily against the grass, momentarily winded by the shock of the tumble. He coughed, as his abused chest protested at the sudden jarring movement and the sharp gasp of air the fall had caused him to instinctively draw into his lungs.
Onoe was heavy - broader of shoulder and torso than Kai and there was a fixed resolution in his golden eyes as he pinioned his opponent to the ground, blooded fingers reaching up to Juushirou's throat once more as he moved his knees to prevent the District boy from kicking easily out of his hold. His hands pressed beneath the force of Onoe's weight, Juushirou could not reach up to grab his companion's body or hair, and a glitter of triumph flared in the other boy's assassin's gaze.
"What was that about being able to fight me?" He hissed, and Juushirou could feel the hot air of his breath against his ear as his foe lowered his head, sending him a derisive look as he stretched his fingers out across the pale flesh of Juushirou's throat. "With one quick move I can snap your neck several different ways - do you understand now? I'm a Shihouin. We're trained from infancy to take out those who are in the way of our family's objectives. Whatever the secret of your power, you can't move against me now. You might have disarmed me, but I don't need a blade to dispatch you. And whilst I was willing to give Kai the honour of a soldier's death, simply crushing your windpipe is sufficient for a District mongrel speaking and acting way above his social class."
Juushirou stared at him for a moment, then he gathered his wits, drawing his brows together as he assessed his position. Onoe was leaning his upper body against him now, pressing on his ribs, and he knew that if he didn't do something quickly he would spasm and cough, rendering himself practically incapable of launching any kind of counter-attack. The cold, coarse touch of Onoe's fingers against his skin sent an involuntary shiver through his senses, and from somewhere deep inside his consciousness, he thought he heard the brief sound of waves swishing softly against some unseen shore.
Waves. The Sea. District Six. His family. Everyone back home who was counting on him.
Juushirou focused his thoughts, allowing the images of his family to flood his mind.
I'm not going to give in to a bigoted idiot, who thinks it's fine to kill whoever he pleases just because of some blood promise. I'm not that weak. I told Shunsui I didn't need protecting, yet even so I've let myself be taken off guard by a trained assassin. That's unforgivable, Juushirou - you're second, after all. You rank above this one. And you are not going to let him beat you.
With that he felt the barriers on his spirit power dropping, and as his reiatsu swirled inside of him, he struggled to bring his fingers an inch or two closer together. At first it seemed impossible, but eventually he felt the skin brush together, and as Onoe's hands tightened around his throat, he drew on everything he had learnt in Kidou class, muttering the words of a spell under his breath as he hoped he would be able to complete it before he either spasmed or passed out from lack of air. His head was becoming hazy, and the waves were becoming more and more distinct, yet he stubbornly clung to consciousness, determined that he would not let himself either be killed or rescued from his predicament.
I'm fighting someone not in their wits. That makes him strong, but it also makes him weak. And I'm going to exploit that. This isn't over. Even if he thinks it is.
"Hadou no ichi - Shou!" He gasped out, even as his palms began to burn with energy, and as a flare of spiritual electricity prickled across the forest's atmosphere, Onoe was thrust back from his prisoner, letting out a yell of surprise as he was flung a good two or three metres across the grass. Juushirou took a shaky breath of air into his beaten lungs, pulling himself into a sitting position as he saw his opponent already getting to his feet, anger prickling from his aura as he rounded on the other boy once again.
"What the hell was that?" He demanded, and Juushirou held up his still glittering hands, putting a tentative finger to his throat. It might be bruised in the morning, he realised, but no real damage had been done, and he found himself valuing each intake of sweet night air as it flowed into his lungs, calming the raw power of his reiatsu and lulling back into its dormant state.
"Kidou." He said now, his voice slightly hoarse from the pressure of Onoe's grasping fingers. Yet despite this he knew he had successfully used the spell without unleashing enough spirit power to sear his lungs and a flicker of pride stirred in his heart at the realisation.
Thank you, Kazoe-sensei. Thanks to your classes and advice, I think I'm really getting the hang of it now. I really will be able to use these spells to protect and fight without putting my own life in jeopardy.
"Hadou no ichi. Shou." He continued aloud, meeting Onoe's gaze with a flat one of his own. "Perhaps you should look it up, if you don't know what it is. I just don't feel like being strangled, that's all. So I got rid of you. Do you have a problem with that?"
"You didn't learn that in Kidou class." Onoe launched himself forward again, but Juushirou was ready for him this time and he met his foe's hands with his as they grappled for control. "Why would a sickly runt like you be able to do a spell like that?"
"At the start of term, Kazoe-sensei gave me a book to read." Juushirou's eyes narrowed as he summoned his own strength, pushing the other boy back away from him. "At the back there are a few spells and I read them. I'm good at Kidou, after all, and I asked Sensei if I might try one or two of them out in practical class, seeing as I've mastered the two we've been studying up till now. He said yes. That was one of them."
His eyes narrowed.
"Top Class Kidou is probably more advanced than what you're used to, in any case." He said coldly, light glimmering and flaring from around his body as his spirit power surged through his limbs, adding fuel to his own anger and forcing Onoe further and further onto the back foot. "But even though I only rank second in terms of overall rankings, Onoe-kun, I rank top in Kidou. Top over everyone else in our year. And that's because I remember the spells and how to fire them...just so I can use them in situations like this."
He gave the other boy a tremendous shove up against the ancient trunk of the tree once more, and this time Onoe's head bounced against the hard surface with a sickening crack, sending flickers of pain and confusion through the boy's gaze. Juushirou had no intention of letting his guard down, however, this time slipping thin, pale fingers around each of Onoe's wrists as he pinned his companion firmly against the uneven surface of the wood.
"I'm also a lot stronger than people seem to realise." He said, as the haze of concussion and shock began to flood Onoe's golden gaze. "Because even though I look like this, and even though I'm not always well, I can fight my corner. And when it comes to something like this, Onoe-kun...I do. You already hurt Shihouin-kun, but you're not going to hurt me. I'm not that easy to take down, and I don't let myself be beaten by people who consider the lives of their kin and schoolmates expendable commodities."
"Ukitake! Onoe!"
At that moment, a fresh voice interrupted the conflict, and Juushirou frowned, not releasing his hold as his gaze flitted across the grass to where a tall, lean shape had just appeared between the trees.
"Anideshi." He murmured, and Yunosuke hurried forward, a frown crossing his face as he crossed the ground towards them.
"What in hell's name are you doing?" He demanded. "Why did I feel someone releasing Kidou...what's going on here? Ukitake...Onoe...you should both be inside! What..."
"Onoe-kun has rather lost his wits, Anideshi." Ukitake did not falter from his hold for one moment. "So forgive me for not letting him go right away. You can punish me if you want to, because I was the one who fired the Kidou you sensed and I realise I'm in breach of rules doing so without supervision. But it was only to stop him from doing something he'd probably regret."
"Ukitake..." Yunosuke stared at the first year student, clearly taken aback by the calm steeliness of the boy's simple, honest response. "Would you mind explaining what on earth you mean?"
"Yunosuke." From behind him, out of Juushirou's line of sight came the voice of his classmate, Unohana Madeki. "I think you should look at this."
"Look at what?" Yunosuke turned, and out of the corner of his eye Juushirou caught the faintest glitter of moonlight dancing off Onoe's Shihouin blade. At the sight of it, the senior's brow creased in consternation.
"I see." He murmured. "Very well. Ukitake, I think I understand. You may let Onoe go. I will take things from here."
"Yes, Anideshi." As the tall, lanky student came to take Onoe firmly in his grip, Juushirou released his own grasp, stepping back and taking a deep breath into his lungs as the adrenalin rushed out of him.
"There's blood on the blade, and on the grass, Yunosuke." Madeki said gravely, casting Juushirou an anxious look. "Are you hurt, Ukitake?"
"No. Not me." Juushirou fought the urge to cough, shaking his head. "Onoe-kun and Shihouin-kun had an argument, and Shunsui and I stumbled into it. Shunsui took Shihouin-kun to the Healing Bay, but someone had to do something about Onoe-kun, so...I..."
"You disarmed him." Yunosuke said softly. "That was dangerous, kid. You could've been hurt."
Juushirou paused for a moment, then shook his head.
"No. I wasn't going to let him hurt me." He said frankly. "He said some things about my family and I, and I didn't like it. So I thought that I'd show him instead, that I could deal with him without hurting him in the way he hurt Shihouin-kun. And that meant not letting him take me down, no matter what kind of weapon he had."
"Let me go! I'm not done fighting with him yet!" As if awoken from his daze by Juushirou's words, Onoe made a desperate attempt to lunge free of Yunosuke's grasp, but the senior's grip was firm and unyielding, and as frustration washed through the Shihouin boy's battered body, he sent Juushirou a look of pure venom, spitting pointedly in the other's direction.
"I know what you are." He hissed. "If you think you'll be accepted just because you've got Genryuusai-sensei and his Academy on your side...Soul Society is a big place, and this is only one little part of District One. If you think anyone will ever accept someone like you as our equal...you'll find out the hard way just how much people like you aren't wanted or needed in Seireitei."
Juushirou's eyes narrowed, and he gazed at Onoe coldly.
"I'm not afraid of you." He said softly. "And that's not the way someone who's just been beaten by a mere District boy should act. I was told Nobles were gracious and honourable in defeat, but you seem to have abandoned all your Noble principles this evening, Onoe-kun. All of them."
As he spoke, he felt his reiatsu flickering still inside of him, and Madeki put his hand gently on the boy's shoulder, even as Yunosuke swept his hand deftly across the back of Onoe's head, efficiently rendering the boy unconscious.
"Enough." The Unohana said softly. "The fight is over. Whatever he said or did, it's done with now. You shouldn't be here and nor should he, but in the circumstances I don't suppose too much will be said about your involvement. It's quite clear where the blame lies, so you should calm yourself. Let Yunosuke and I handle Onoe, now."
Juushirou took a deep breath, then, slowly, he bowed his head to acknowledge his senior's words.
"Yes, senpai." He murmured, then, "Please...may I go to the Healing Bay? I'm not hurt, but...but I am worried about Shihouin-kun. His injury seemed to be quite deep, after all, and there was a lot of blood."
"I didn't know you kids were such good friends." Yunosuke was startled, and Juushirou shook his head.
"Not exactly, but we are classmates." He responded. "Please, Anideshi. Would it be all right?"
Yunosuke sighed, then nodded his head.
"You look a little rough round the edges yourself, so it wouldn't hurt." He acknowledged. "All right. Madeki, I'll take this hot-headed idiot and lock him in confinement till he sobers up and calms down. Then we'll talk to him, and find out the whole story for ourselves. Will you go report to Sensei what's occurred? No doubt he already knows, but even so..."
"With pleasure." Madeki agreed, disappearing in a flash, and Juushirou stared at Yunosuke in confusion.
"Already knows? But...he knew there was trouble? And he didn't..."
"Sensei believes in students learning for themselves exactly what they're here to defend." Yunosuke said quietly. "You'll realise that, Ukitake, the longer you're here. It's not about teaching you to be protected and sheltered and always guided. You have to fight, in the world you're training to protect. Things like this are only small steps on that path. Do you understand? If Sensei had intervened, after all, you'd always look to him to intervene. And one day you'll have to make your own decisions...life and death ones, maybe."
Juushirou glanced at Onoe's still body, then he sighed, nodding his head.
"I understand." He murmured. "I wouldn't have fired Kidou if someone had come and rescued me. And I wouldn't know that, even in that situation, I could use that spell and use it right. But it seems a harsh way of teaching a lesson, even if it's an important one. Someone might have died tonight. Someone might still, depending on how badly hurt Shihouin-kun is. And if I'd not been about my wits, I might have..."
"Sensei left you to deal with it. That means he was testing you to do so, most likely." Yunosuke flashed him a smile, lifting Onoe's broad form up and tossing him over his shoulder with surprising ease for one so lean and lanky. "Besides, you took the decision to get involved. Just like you took the decision to go chasing off into the forest after Kyouraku when he broke bounds earlier in the term. You have to live with the choices you make - you're old enough to know that, aren't you?"
"Y..Yes." Juushirou admitted. "But even so...wasn't he taking a big risk? What if I hadn't been able to handle it?"
"The fact he didn't intervene is probably proof that he knew you could." Yunosuke said evenly. "More likely, though, he wanted others to see that you could. Maybe you to see it yourself. Because Onoe is right about one thing, crazy as he was just then."
He tapped his hand absently against Onoe's unconscious form, then,
"This is a small part of District One, and the world is much bigger." He continued. "You will face prejudice at pretty much every turn, because you're blazing a trail for all of those who might follow you. You may have realised already that your success or failure here is a significant thing. If Sensei can successfully train a District boy to Gotei level, then it opens up the possibility of training hundreds more. And of the four District children currently here, you are the one who has stood out most of all. Your power is impressive, and by no means inferior to your Clan peers. So he's invested his hopes in you. I thought that might be the case the first day we met, but now I'm sure of it. He chose you to be his figurehead. You're the one he's counting on to show Noble society that there are other options available to us all."
Juushirou stared at his companion for a moment, then he smiled.
"Shunsui said something like that, too." He murmured. "But I didn't come here for that reason. I came here because...because I wanted to repay Father for his faith in me. And I wanted to be able to protect my family. That's all. I didn't realise that I was as important as all that. Even though at times people have said things...Kuchiki-kun has, too. But that Sensei has that much faith...Do you really think that's the case?"
"You just disarmed a trained assassin, and rendered him ineffective without suffering more than a scratch." Yunosuke reminded him. "Even when you'd seen him wound a classmate, you still didn't back away from it, because you knew Onoe would likely hurt someone else - or himself - before the night was out."
"It was pride too, that drove me." Juushirou said sheepishly. "Because of how he spoke to me. I'm not sure if that's a weakness or a strength, but I do have it, Anideshi. Even born as I am, I know that I have pride."
"Sometimes people need to fight for pride as much as they do to protect." Yunosuke winked at him. "But that's something you'll learn more as you get older, no doubt. For the time being, however, I think it's best left at that. That and the fact that clearly Sensei's experiment is so far a success - and as an Urahara, I'm curious to see how you'll make out over the rest of your time here. I rather think it's going to be an eye-opener to a lot of people, when they realise what the Districts have been hiding all this time."
He grinned.
"Run along, anyway, will you? You said you wanted to check on Shihouin, and you're wasting time by babbling here. You're outside of curfew, after all, and even if all I've said is true, Sensei is pretty hot on rules. Just because he let you have your head this time, I wouldn't push it. You may still get called up on that, in the end."
"I suppose so." Juushirou said ruefully. "Thank you, Anideshi. And thank you for telling me that, as well. Because I'll think about it. All of it. A whole lot."
"See that you do." Yunosuke replied. Then, with a flicker of spirit power he was gone, and Juushirou was alone in the clearing once more.
A trailblazer, huh?
He frowned, pursing his lips as he ran his fingers pensively up against the rugged trunk of the big tree. It stood stoic and firm despite the wound it had received to its exposed root, and Juushirou found himself absently remembering his father's metaphor about the ability of a tree to stand tall without support even against the strongest of winds. This tree had probably seen many battles and storms, yet here it continued to flourish, year on year, and somehow it reminded Juushirou of the sapling who had bravely fought to survive back home in District Six.
I don't know if it's a burden I'm ready to carry - or one I even want to carry. But either way, I don't suppose it's my choice any more. I'm here and I have an obligation, after all, to use what I can do now I've begun learning the things Shinigami know. Tonight may or may not have been a test - a test of Sensei's faith in me, a test of my faith in my own judgement...or evidence to prove to those around me that I can match up to the pace here. But even though I didn't come here for those reasons...perhaps I understand them after all. Perhaps my role here is more important than even I knew. And if that's the case, then maybe I finally understand.
He raised his gaze, taking in the twinkling stars that glittered through the heavy branches of the tree.
Maybe Father and Mother didn't die because I was cursed after all. Maybe it was simply that they wanted me to be here now, to be able to help Sensei and Soul Society in a way I didn't even know I could. But this time I've crossed Clans and survived. And I've held my own. It's early days, yet. First steps. But Anideshi is right. If I can succeed here, others can too. And if they see me succeeding, maybe others will want to. And Soul Society's balance will be restored. Even if it's just a little bit...I'd like to do something to help that.
He smiled, glancing ruefully down at his rumpled hakama as he did so.
But no doubt I'll get a scolding for fighting and for breaking curfew, and I'll accept both without complaint. Because in the end, though I beat him, I almost let him beat me. And that proves I still have a lot more to learn before I'm ready to be the kind of Shinigami Sensei wants me to be!