Chapter Thirty Five: Hellfire
"That's about far enough, Seimaru."
As Seimaru's blade gleamed once more with energy, there was a voice from the window and Seimaru turned, his eyes narrowing, and Juushirou let out a little gasp as he made out the slim form of a woman against the dropping light of the evening sun. She was a stranger to him, and yet somehow he felt certain that they had met before. Her colouring was dark, like Kai's, and as she turned to glance at him, Juushirou caught the gleaming golden eyes and he bit his lip in realisation.
Shihouin Midori-sama. Even though the last time I saw her, she was a cat - somehow I know that's who she is. Midori-sama's come back here...but why? Does she hate Seimaru that much?
"Midori." Seimaru said flatly, and Shunsui's eyes narrowed.
"So that's Kai's sister, huh?" He murmured softly to Juushirou, and his companion nodded almost imperceptably.
"I guess so." He murmured back, his tones as quiet as he could keep them without drawing attention their way.
"I thought you met her already?"
"Yes...but when I did, she was the Shadow Cat. I haven't seen her this way before."
"Pity." Shunsui pursed his lips. "She really is as pretty as the stories say, after all."
"Shunsui! It's not the time for that kind of thought!" Juushirou stared at him, and Shunsui grinned at him ruefully.
"I'm just saying." He responded softly. "Seimaru's a fool to have treated her the way he did, if he had a fiancee as pretty as that - no wonder he's in such a bad mood."
"Shunsui!"
"Shh. You've already said and done plenty for one afternoon, so pipe down." Came Shunsui's brisk reply. "I'm looking for an opportunity for us to slip out, and I can't do that if you're giving me a lecture on my morals. Time and place, Juu-kun - stop and think about them a bit, huh?"
At the sound of her name, Midori smiled, leaping neatly down into the building and bowing her head mockingly towards Seimaru.
"You remember me then." She said lightly. "Although I think you'll have to address me more appropriately from now on. After all, you're only heir to your Clan. And I now hold the sovereignty of mine."
"You?" Seimaru snorted, shaking his head. "No. Not yet. And you never will, either. You have to pass the Council's test first, after all. You have to gain their approval. And..."
"And in order to do so, I only need the votes of four Clans. Not all seven." Midori picked her way across the room, glancing at Juushirou and Shunsui for a moment, then turning her attention back to her foe. "And even discounting the hatred of the Kuchiki-ke, I think it's possible to do. I've already got the agreement of the Shiba and the Kyouraku. I don't expect to have trouble negotiating with the Unohana, which leaves me with a deficit of one. Wise Clans know that a protectorate could easily spark a civil war, and the Urahara and the Yamamoto border our land. They would not want a turbulent squabble over territory right on their doorstep, so I doubt they will contest me. That would mean only the Endou-ke standing against me - which would look suspicious, wouldn't it, given that our Clans are meant to be allies?"
Her eyes narrowed to near slits.
"Attacking trainees who don't even bear swords is a coward's act, by the way." She added, and Seimaru eyed her derisively.
"Says the woman who killed Aitori, a man who never managed to summon a zanpakutou, let alone fight with a sword." He said quietly, and Midori shrugged her shoulders.
"Needs must." She said dismissively. "He had betrayed his Clan, and I removed him before he could do more damage."
"And now what? You think you can use your jezebel magic and remove me, too?" Seimaru's fingers hovered over the flat of his blade, and Juushirou realised that he and Shunsui had seemingly been forgotten. "Cut out my heart with your demon blade and leave me here to pool in my blood the same way as you did him?"
"On the contrary...I didn't come here to kill you." Midori shook her head. "That would create all kinds of problems for my Clan. But I have come here to warn you. Stay away from District One and the Academy. Stay away from my kinsfolk and from Genryuusai-sama's plans to build a better Seireitei. And stay away from Hirata. He's not your tool."
"Hirata?" Seimaru's expression underwent a transformation, and Juushirou's own heart skipped a beat as he digested this. "That runt was the one who called you here? What happened? Did he run to you as a surrogate big sister, cry out all his ills and beg you to come save him from his big bad cousin?"
Midori's eyes became cold and hard, and inwardly Juushirou shivered at the expression in them.
"Hirata came to me as his ally, to ask me to repay a debt owed." She said quietly, her tones dangerously low as she slipped her ornamental knife from her obi, running her fingers over it as she talked. "As his ally, I accepted his request and rode here to assist."
"To repay a debt?" Seimaru looked suspicious. "What debt?"
"That is not your business." Midori said simply. "I just came to tell you to leave what's not yours well alone. Stay out of District One, and away from things that don't concern you."
"And if I don't?" Seimaru's words held a dangerous edge, and the weapon beneath his touch began to glitter with a sinister amber light once more, reiatsu particles gathering and coating the weapon from hilt to tip. "What will you do then?"
"Pray you don't find out." Midori's voice had lost all its warmth or teasing geniality, and Juushirou bit his lip, raising his gaze to Shunsui's. His friend's expression was equally as apprehensive, and as if she had sensed them, the girl turned.
"Juushirou, I want you and your companion to leave this place, please." She said quietly. "It won't be safe for either of you if you stay - and I do not want to cause either of you harm."
"They're not going anywhere. Kouen Kougeki!"
With a sweep of his right wrist, Seimaru cast the tip of his blade in the direction of the door, running it from one side to the other and flickers of flame seared up from the wood flooring, leaping and licking at the foundations of the building in a sinister haze of orange energy. Fear coursed through Juushirou's heart as he waited for it to engulf the whole building, but instead it stopped opposite the point where Yojinmozu's blade tip had also halted in midair, creating a barrier between them and freedom but yet keeping its distance from the growing tension within the room.
"I'm not in the habit of leaving loose ends." He said coldly. "The fire is under my control, and it will not spread further without my explicit command. But try and cross it at your peril - I'm not done with either of you children just yet. Especially Ukitake Juushirou of District Six."
Midori cursed, brief hesitation touching her features, and at it, Seimaru grinned.
"Now you are at a disadvantage, because you care to save their lives and I don't care at all." He said simply. "So show it to me, Midori-sama. Show me this weapon of yours - the one with which you seared out your kinsman's heart. I'd like to see just what it is that makes you so revered among your kin. What it is the Shadow Cat possesses that makes her so special to the Shihouin?"
Midori cast Juushirou and Shunsui another look, then sighed, nodding her head.
"If you make it that way, there's no choice." She said frankly, tightening her grasp on the ornamental knife, then, "But don't blame me if you regret it. I made a promise not to try to kill, after all. But when Akekage is released, it's hard to do anything otherwise."
Her gaze met Juushirou's apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Juushirou. Maybe I'll break my word after all."
"You made a promise to a District urchin to spare lives?" Seimaru was incredulous. "So you are just a feeble, emotional woman after all! You'll regret that in every single way possible, Midori. I promise you that right here and now. I have no intention of leaving a splinter of this place standing. And I have no intention of leaving witnesses, either."
"Midori-sama, don't worry about Juu and I." Shunsui raised his voice, even as Midori hesitated once more. "We'll be all right."
"But..." Midori frowned, staring at him in confusion, and Shunsui shook his head.
"I can use shunpo, and I will, if it gets too hot in here to handle." He said quietly. "So do whatever you need to do. We're fine. After all, even dressed like this I'm a Kyouraku too. And if Tokutarou-nii has given you his support, I'm not going to stand against you."
"Kyouraku Shunsui-dono." Realisation glittered in Midori's eyes, and she frowned. "If I endangered you, then I think he would be less well disposed towards me. Are you sure? At your basic level of training..."
"I can use it, and I will." Shunsui repeated frankly. "So don't worry about us. We'll be all right."
Midori's brows knitted together, but she nodded, gripping the weapon in her left hand and flipping it so the blade pointed at Seimaru.
"That's it? That's your zanpakutou?" Seimaru's eyes widened, then he let out a derisive laugh. "With that tiny thing you killed Aitori? The man was more pathetic than I thought, then, to succumb to such an insignificant weapon! I can barely feel even a flicker of reiatsu - are you seriously thinking that thing can combat Yojinmozu's flame?"
Midori did not respond, merely narrowing her eyes as she tightened her hold on the knife.
"Nagare, Akekage." She whispered, and Juushirou's heart almost stilled in his chest as he felt the dark surge of reiatsu swell through the room, engulfing Midori's slim, taut body in a sudden flare of power. As it did so, the weapon in her hand drew into a long, needle-pointed rapier, the blade the colour of blood and the elliptical guard as black as the soot that now framed the chamber's only exit.
Seimaru eyed it for a moment, then he nodded, a faint smile touching his lips.
"I see." He murmured. "Now I see it's true form, it does seem a suitable instrument for an assassin to carry."
Midori shrugged.
"Not all of my kin are so ruthlessly equipped, but it just so happens that my blade likes blood." She said matter-of-factly. "He cries out for it, when he's released, and I find it difficult to hold him back. He took Aitori because I ordered him to, but he was hungry for it as well. He's baying for your blood now too, Seimaru. For your treatment of the Shihouin-ke and for your attempts to snare my brother into your schemes. He has pride, my Blood Red Shadow. And he believes in avenging that pride with the promise of death."
"A pity for you, then, that I'm not Aitori." Seimaru sneered, flicking his weapon idly and a ball of flame seared from the tip, flaring and then disappearing inches from Juushirou's head. "And that you have a soft spot for helpless children who you can't possibly protect."
He smiled derisively.
"You seem oblivious to the fact that my family did nothing to yours that yours did not ask for." He added darkly, taking a step towards her as his weapon glittered with sparks of amber light. "Your Clan did the illicit research. Your Uncle signed the agreement papers. Your people endorsed everything. They are to blame, not me, for the fall of your Clan. They are the ones, not me, who will face the Council and lose their lives. My only sadness is that you interfered. You slipped my net and got wind of it before I could bring it to fruition. I hate women who do that. I hate women who think they know everything and can make decisions for the men!"
"Like your Grandmother, perhaps?" Midori's expression became one of annoyance. "The matriarch of Seireitei-wide fame who holds the honour of your family close to her bosom? If she knew you were here, like this, she'd smite your head from your shoulders and trample you in your own blood. She would not tolerate your scheming and power play any more than any other sane woman would."
"Grandmother." Seimaru snorted. "That interfering witch is feeble and old now, and too much so to act on threats of retribution. She will not live much longer, and there are few now who will mourn her passing when she dies."
Midori frowned, then,
"Shunsui-dono, go now." She said quietly. "Before the flames get worse, before the fight gets worse. Take Juushirou and get away from this place. Hirata is waiting for you, after all."
"Hirata is?" Juushirou started at that, and Shunsui nodded his head grimly.
"Understood." He said quietly. "Come on, Juu. We're not staying around to see whether there's snacks at the interval. We came to find Hirata - leave this to Midori-sama to deal with."
With that he grasped hold of his friend's tired body more tightly, and Juushirou felt the shielding flare of the other boy's reiatsu cloaking him as they seemed to be surrounded by swirling light and time.
There was a sudden burst of warmth, and Juushirou felt a ripple of tension shoot through his companion's body. Then they were still, and he could feel the cool outside breeze against his skin.
As Shunsui loosed his grasp, he opened his eyes, tentatively glancing around him at the surroundings.
They were in the forest, he realised, beneath the branches of one of the old trees, and he sighed, flopping back on the ground.
"You say you can't do it well, but you're lying." He said softly. "You did it plenty good enough and when you wanted to, as well. It's not just by accident. You can really shunpo."
"Mm. Maybe." Shunsui hauled himself up into a sitting position, glancing at his hands with a rueful grimace. "My fingers got burnt trying to block his fireball, though - I guess my Shakka hou still needs a bit of work when faced with a fire-type zanpakutou, huh?"
He relaxed back on the grass.
"I expected it to be as hot as hell, going through his fire barrier. I wasn't sure about it - whether it was a proper spell to keep us in or just a row of flames to dissuade us from trying, but I figured it was best to take my chances, given the situation. It wasn't necessarily easy - but thanks to his earlier attack, I knew I could block it with my reiatsu and in the end we got through all right."
"Yeah." Juushirou nodded his head. "Even if I did rather...well..."
"Overreach your common sense levels?" Shunsui eyed him fondly, and Juushirou looked sheepish. "I meant it, though. It was just like Ryuu-kun when he's indignant and on his high horse about something. It's there, isn't it? Somewhere inside of you. That Kuchiki pride."
"I don't know." Juushirou admitted. "Honestly, till you came in I wasn't really thinking about anything that clearly. And my Kuchiki blood is really dilute, after all."
"But your sense of justice isn't." Shunsui pointed out. "And that's what it was this time around."
He grinned.
"You sound a little hoarse, and that's to be expected I suppose, given the last couple of days. But otherwise, are you all right? Did he hurt you at all?"
No." Juushirou reddened. "But that's probably thanks to you and Midori-sama more than my defence techniques. I'm okay, Shunsui. Just feeling a little foolish - that's all."
"Ah well. We all have our moments." Shunsui said easily. "We got out, so it's fine. We lived to tell the tale - or not, as it will probably turn out in the end. Clan is irritating like that, after all."
"I wasn't expecting Midori-sama to intervene like that." Juushirou reflected. "Or to come back here. Or..."
"Hirata brought her." Shunsui said softly, and Juushirou bit his lip.
"You really think so, huh? What she said - what Seimaru said - that Hirata really did...?"
"That's where he's been." Shunsui nodded his head. "There's no other explanation. Hirata went to District Two to get Midori to deal with Seimaru. That's why we couldn't find him. He wasn't in District One at all."
"But that...is that..." Juushirou faltered. "To go all that way...alone?"
"I didn't have any choice, Ukitake-kun."
Hirata's voice cut through their discussion, and Juushirou turned, staring at the newcomer with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
Stood before him was not the bespectacled, school kimono-clad student he was used to seeing trailing around after him, but a young Clansman robed in the brown and gold silk of a noble son, the emblem of the Endou around his throat and his thick dark hair loose across his shoulders.
"H...Hirata?!"
At his friend's incredulous stare, Hirata frowned, reaching up absently to touch his face, then offering a faint smile.
"My glasses are still at the school, but I can see enough to know who's there." He added slowly. "And I can feel you both in any case. Did you come looking for me, Ukitake-kun? I'm sorry I worried you. I just didn't know what else to do."
"So long as you're safe, that's the most important thing." Juushirou recovered himself, shooting his friend a relieved smile. "Going to get Midori-sama was a bit extreme, though. Wasn't it?"
"No." Hirata looked troubled, sinking down on the grass opposite and folding his hands in his lap. "Seimaru told me that if I didn't take his evil potion and use it to poison Sensei, he'd kill you, then any other friends I had, then me. But I wasn't going to hurt Sensei, either. And the potion he made..."
He grimaced.
"Whoever made it, it was reidoku strong enough to kill anyone with even half Sensei's reiryoku." He said grimly. "So I destroyed it. I had to. And ran for help."
"So you were the one protecting Juu this time. Not me." Shunsui reflected, and Hirata reddened, nodding his head.
"I'm sorry." He said contritely. "I know you hate that, Ukitake-kun. But I really didn't see any other way around it. Midori-sama was the only option. And she came...she listened. She really is my ally...and I trust her to set things right."
"If she kills him, it'll create more trouble for her Clan." Juushirou reflected, and Hirata nodded.
"It might. It might not." He admitted. "It would solve another lot of problems, I think, if she did."
"Hirata?" Juushirou eyed him uncertainly, and Hirata shook his head.
"I can't go home, now." He said matter-of-factly, though his voice shook slightly as he spoke. "I daren't go home, not if Seimaru survives his fight with Midori-sama and is able to return to District Seven. I'm not safe there now I've openly aligned myself with the Shihouin and with the woman who abandoned her betrothal agreement to my cousin. I don't know what I'll do, but I can't risk putting the rest of my family in danger, so I guess I'll just have to make do. But if Seimaru were dead...Father would be Grandfather's heir. And then..."
"It'd be safe for you to go home." Shunsui sighed. "Even so, though..."
"I know. It's wrong to want someone to die." Hirata looked distressed. "But you have to realise, Kyouraku-kun...that the Endou-ke would be a much better place if he did. And the people in District Seven would be better off, too. Grandfather is cruel and judgmental, but Seimaru is worse."
"So you and Midori-sama rode here? Alone? Today?" Juushirou asked, and Hirata shook his head.
"No. I mean yes, we rode here, but...not alone, exactly."
"I was with them too, Ukitake-san." Saku emerged from the trees at that point, and Shunsui's eyes widened, consternation touching his expression as he stared at her.
"Saku!"
"Good evening, Shunsui-sama." Saku bowed her head towards him, and Shunsui frowned.
"Stop it." He ordered. "You don't call me '-sama' and I won't accept it from you. No matter what's happened or how many light years now exist between us...I won't have it. I'm Shunsui, and that's all. Shunsui-kun, if you want. But not '-sama'. Save that for your noble acquaintances and leave me out of it."
Saku frowned, shaking her head.
"I am a serving girl, you are a lord's heir." She said quietly. "That is who we are, Shunsui-sama. It's who we've always been, even when we were children. I'm just reverting to that situation, that's all. The light years between us dictate it."
"Perhaps you think so, but I don't. And I've told you, I won't have you call me '-sama'." Shunsui snapped back. "I..."
He faltered, his hand going suddenly to his chest, and he swallowed hard, a strange look flitting across his dark eyes.
"Shunsui?" At the flicker in his reiatsu, Juushirou was immediately alert, and Hirata frowned, casting the older boy a startled look.
"Kyouraku-kun, are you all right?" He whispered, and Shunsui swallowed again, taking a shaky breath into his lungs.
"Suddenly...something..." He murmured, shaking his head as if to clear it. "No. I'm fine. It's all right. I just did far too much shunpo in one day chasing after Juu - that's all. And then to have Saku thrown on top of me, as well..."
He eyed Saku ruefully.
"If you'll pardon the choice of words."
Saku frowned, shaking her head and turning her attention to Hirata.
"Midori-sama said that we should leave here and head for the school as soon as it was clear to do so." She said softly. "We should do as she instructed, Hirata-sama. Then she won't be worrying about any of us."
"That seems a good idea to me too." Shunsui admitted. "Midori-dono's not someone you'd mess with in a rage, and I imagine she can take Seimaru down a peg or two now she's not got distractions to deal with. Are you sure you can walk okay, Juu? You were acting like a possessed loon in there, firing Byakurai at him and everything, so it's hard to be sure."
"I didn't realise how angry I could get until then." Juushirou acknowledged. "But I told you, I'm fine now. It was just that he's the one who's caused all the problems. For Shihouin-kun. Onoe-kun. Hirata-kun. Megumi-san. The Shihouin-ke as a whole. A whole lot of people. And it made me cross all of a sudden - that he thought he had the right to treat people like that."
"Do you really have proof about his arrangement with Aitori?" Shunsui asked curiously, and Hirata's eyes widened.
"Ukitake-kun!" He exclaimed, and Juushirou winced, biting his lip.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that either." He said contritely. "I'm sorry, Hirata-kun."
"So it's Hirata who has the proof." Shunsui eyed Hirata pensively, and Hirata nodded, looking troubled.
"Does Seimaru know that?" He whispered, and Juushirou shook his head emphatically.
"No. Not at all. I might have got carried away, telling him that it existed. But I didn't tell him who had it or where it was. Truth be told, I don't know that myself. You're the only one who does."
"Mm." Hirata sighed. "That's true."
"I'm sorry, Hirata-kun."
"It's all right. As it happens, I told Midori-sama about it too." Hirata admitted. "And Etsuo-san, of course."
"If you have proof against Seimaru, I'm guessing it's proof that implicates your Clan as a whole?" Shunsui asked softly, and Hirata nodded.
"Then that explains a lot. Particularly why Juu got so hot about finding Midori-dono and talking to her in person." Shunsui reflected. "More pieces of the puzzle fall into place."
He coughed, taking a deep breath, then, "Well? Are we going to walk back then? I don't know what Yama-jii will say to you, Hirata - or to Saku being with us - but even so, it's probably the safest place to be while there's a fight on."
"So it looks like it's between you and I, now, finally."
Back in Aitori's abandoned house, Midori turned her attention back to Seimaru, eying him coldly as she took a pace towards him. "Which is how I intended it to be when I came back here. And I'll say it again. Go back to District Seven. Leave District One alone. And leave Hirata and his Academy alone, too."
"Why should I even begin to listen to your orders?" Seimaru snorted, tapping the blade of his sword idly against his hand as sparks flew from the end. "You're not an acknowledged head of the Clan yet. More, you're a woman. Just because your Clan feel that women should be considered and revered, not all of us pander to that foolishness. No woman who's ever defied me in any way has lived to tell the tale."
His eyes narrowed.
"And I consider it a slight, when my fiancee slips my attention and flees into enemy territory. You were working with the Kyouraku after all, weren't you? If he's acknowledged you, then you and he have been plotting behind my back - and that could be cause for war."
"No. There's been no plotting." Midori shook her head. "Kyouraku Tokutarou is too sensible an individual to involve himself with our petty fight, after all. He's only given me his support because he wants to avoid a protectorate. That's all. It has nothing to do with sentiment or whispered pacts behind closed doors. I'm sure I'm as unwelcome in District Eight now as I was before."
She smiled slightly.
"When I crossed his land, I crossed it as the Shadow Cat." She said evenly. "You've learnt a little, evidently, of what that means since last we spoke - perhaps my killing Aitori made you notice that I'm not an average Clan hime that you can subjugate to your will. In that form, nobody can find me unless I want to be found. That's how I slipped his and your attention. He aided me none - in fact, I think he was quite cross at my temerity."
She eyed him pensively, feeling Akekage's spirit flicker beneath her grip.
"Are you going to fight me with that firesword of yours, then, Seimaru? Is that how you want to settle this, blood on blood?"
"I told you once. I don't care about killing you, and when I have, those children too." Seimaru said flatly. "I don't have your woman's sentiment, and that will hold you back. You Shihouin believe in keeping your word, don't you? Oaths and bonds and promises are written in blood. So I have nothing to fear from your weapon. If it's a killing sword, and you can't kill me, you have no way to..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Midori leapt forward, sweeping Akekage down across the back of Seimaru's right hand. As the blood-red tip pierced through the skin, she rested her free hand on his shoulder, using it to propel herself up and onto one of the roof beams that hung low overhead.
"What the hell was that?" Seimaru exclaimed, clasping at his hand angrily as he glared up at her. "Are we playing children's tag now, or is that an attack?"
"Akekage's poison kills if it pierces the heart." Midori shuffled closer to the edge of the beam, sizing up her opponent carefully. "But a graze on the arm or hand can do its damage, too. You'll find your fingers move more slowly, Seimaru - I wonder if you can hold that weapon still with your hand dripping poisoned blood?"
"It doesn't matter to me which hand I use to slit your throat." Seimaru growled, tossing his weapon from his right hand into his left and flicking the blade towards her so that a ball of fire flowed from the tip, engulfing the wood of the beam as it made contact. "And if I have to smoke you out, I'll do so."
"Ambidextrous, huh?" Midori leapt gracefully from the burning beam to the next on, Akekage glittering with red light as she raised it once more. "I'm impressed. I didn't realise you had such a useful skill."
"In the Endou-ke, pain and injury aren't seen as a barrier to victory." Seimaru snapped back, and Midori could see his right hand twitch slightly as the poison began to take effect. "I've fought with broken fingers before. I've trained with them. It's part of how we fight. Of course I'd be able to use both hands. That's just common sense."
"It's ironic, hearing an Endou talk about common sense." Midori held her hand over the blade of her sword, allowing her own Kidou to mingle with the sparks glittering from the blade. "But I have some tricks of my own too. Hadou no Sanjuu Ichi - Shakka hou!"
"Basic Kidou?" Seimaru demanded, darting out of the way of the glimmering flare that shot down towards him, and Midori shook her head, tilting her weapon from left to right as the blast divided into two, sweeping around and heading back towards its target.
"Like you control flame, with a little help from Akekage, my Kidou's very obliging." She said softly, as Seimaru cursed, raising his weapon to slice through the powerful cannons. "So can we stop this silly fight already, and come to an agreement? Odious as I find your company, I don't want to end this with your blood spilled here. If you leave, it won't be. If you give your Clan's word..."
"You are not someone I bargain with!" Seimaru exclaimed, sending a second and a third volley of flame up towards the roof of the house, and as the tips of her hair became singed, Midori cursed, slipping into shunpo and reappearing on the windowsill.
"At this rate you'll bring the whole house down around us both." She scolded. "I'm sure I can shunpo out of here - but what about you, master of the firesword?"
"My fire won't hurt me, so I'm not afraid." Seimaru said simply. He glanced at his weapon, shaking his head slowly.
"If I'd waited, I could've at least unleashed my curse on you, too." He murmured. "But as it is, I can only use that once in a release. And I didn't know you were coming."
"Your curse?" Midori stared at him, suddenly disconcerted, and Seimaru's lips twitched into an ominous smile as he nodded his head.
"Oh yes. Your precious children may have escaped, but I left them a parting gift." He murmured, stroking the edge of his weapon with his injured hand, and at Midori's disgust, the blade cut through his flesh, dripping blood onto the blade. "My fire burns a lot of things. Some you can see. Some you can't. You might think they got away - but I'll guarantee that you're wrong."
He glanced at his bloody fingers.
"It seems your sword's poison acts as an anaesthetic after a while." He added. "Any discomfort you caused me has gone...the point of that attack was what again?"
"What did you do to those children?"
Anger flooding through her body, Midori launched herself bodily from her perch, reaching for Seimaru's throat and as she made contact with him, the two fell to the floor, Midori pinning her fiancee beneath her as his sword clattered from his grip.
"Tell me now, Seimaru, else I might be forced to do more harm with Akekage - and it won't be such a pleasurable experience for you this time around."
"Hot tempered outbursts are not attractive in a woman, you know." Seimaru's eyes narrowed, and he twitched the fingers of his left hand. "Bakudou no Ichi, Shou."
As the flare of reiatsu shot out from his body, Midori slipped into shunpo, re-materialising on the one remaining ceiling beam.
"I thought Kidou wasn't your style." She said darkly, and Seimaru shook his head.
"It isn't." He said evenly. "But everyone knows how to do that move. Even first year students at Genryuusai's precious Academy."
He laughed, amusement in his eyes. "Though that won't help them now. Not now the curse has begun to work. Nothing you do to me now can change that, after all. A cursed person is a cursed person. It's done. No matter how angry you get, you can't change it."
"What if I kill you, after all?" Midori raised her weapon, aiming the blade down towards Seimaru's chest. "I'm a good aim, you know, with weapons finer than this one. If I will it, Akekage won't miss. If I kill you with his poison, there'll be nothing to trace it back to me. You shouldn't underestimate me - tell me what you did to them, or else I will show you how good my aim really is."
"Even if you killed me, the result is the same." Seimaru told her smugly, and Midori felt her anger and apprehension boiling inside of her. "Once the curse is cast, anyone who touches a cursed flame is doomed to burn until they die. That's the nature of Yojinmozu's flame, Midori-dono. The ability to consume someone from the inside with flames that burn hotter than hell."
"What?" Midori's eyes widened in alarm, then, "You cast a thing like that on a student? A boy who doesn't even hold a sword...why would you do something like that?"
"Because I can." Seimaru shrugged. "Why are you so worried? It's not your problem. It's not your precious brother Kai, after all. Why do you care about them at all? The Shihouin have enough problems, don't they? Why waste energy on people who aren't any of your concern?"
"Why, you..." Midori's eyes narrowed, her grip on her blade tightening. "For that, I won't let you off lightly!"
She reached her hand back, launching her weapon across the chamber with a thrust of her spiritual energy.
"Bakudou no Hachi. Seki!"
A fresh voice cut through the haze of the conflict, as Akekage faltered in midair, falling dead to the ground and in the flicker of flames Midori was just aware of the faint sheen of a barrier separating her from Seimaru.
"What the?" Seimaru was equally confused, and as Midori gazed down from her perch, she saw the spell-caster, his body framed in the glow of Seimaru's fire.
"Enough." He rumbled, his gaze steely as he gazed between them. "This is not the kind of place for such things to occur."
Midori's heart stilled in her chest.
"Ge...Genryuusai-sama?" She whispered, and the old man raised his head to her, meeting her gaze for a moment.
"Shihouin Midori." He murmured. "And Endou Seimaru. Would you mind explaining to me what the meaning of this disturbance is?"
"Since that mad witch attacked me, you can ask her." Seimaru said frankly, gesturing in Midori's direction. "You saw it for yourself, Genryuusai-sama. She intended my assassination."
"I do not like lies." Genryuusai glowered at him. "You use flames, like I do, but your fire is dirty and dishonourable. Even if the scene didn't show it, I would be able to read it in your reiatsu. You have just as much killing intent as she does, Seimaru. And this is District One land. So I will ask again. What is the meaning of this?"
Midori took a shaky breath into her lungs, struggling to compose herself, then she sighed, slipping down from the beam and bowing down before the intruder.
"I'm sorry, Genryuusai-sama." She said contritely. "I came on the request of an ally, because he felt that there was danger here."
"An ally?" Genryuusai's brows knitted together, then, "Endou Hirata?"
"Yes, sir." Midori stared at him, surprised. "Then...did you know...?"
"I had come to realise it." Genryuusai nodded his head. "That if the boy wasn't here in District One, he would have gone to a place he felt he had allies. He told me clearly once before that that was what he considered you to be. So in the end, that's what he did."
He glanced at Seimaru.
"And the danger? You, I presume, would be that?"
"I have no idea what you mean." Seimaru said haughtily, indignation in his pale eyes. "My fiancee ran away and my cousin called her to attack me. Where am I to blame in this?"
"Genryuusai-sama, he's cursed one of your students." Midori said urgently. "I don't know which one - Ukitake Juushirou, Kyouraku Shunsui - maybe even Hirata himself, I don't know. But somehow - with his sword. He told me so, that's why I..."
"Why you lost your cool and attacked him in the manner I just interrupted." Genryuusai stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Correct?"
"Y...yes sir."
"I see." Genryuusai raised his staff, gesturing in the direction of the fallen Akekage.
"Take and seal your sword, Shihouin Midori. You too, Endou Seimaru. Continuing this fight here is unforgivable under any circumstances."
He frowned.
"I wish to know on which student you have cast a curse, Seimaru. If such a thing has happened, I will consider that also hard to forgive."
"How do I know the names of random, identically dressed children?" Seimaru said dismissively. "He got in the way of my fire, that's all."
"All, you say." Genryuusai's reiatsu flared at this, and despite herself Midori quailed, feeling the heavy oppression of the old man's power seeping through her senses.
And that's only a tiny part of it. That kind of power...that's why he's the person he is. Even like this, even old and worn, he could wipe us both out by just thinking about it. That's what Genryuusai-sama truly is. A God among Shinigami.
Seimaru did not respond, and Genryuusai nodded.
"Some of my students were foolish enough to play with Bakudou this afternoon." He murmured. "And I have been keeping careful progress of their actions since then. I am aware, Seimaru, that there are many things you have come here to do. Not least of all to dispense with me in the vain belief that by doing so you can destroy the Academy and protect the Old Order of the Clans."
He banged his cane down on the floor to emphasise his point, and Midori almost thought she saw spectral flames flickering around the base of the wooden stick as the old man kept his power tightly in check.
"You are foolish and mistaken." He continued now. "The world is changing. Whether I'm here or not, the world will continue to change. Those who don't keep up with it will disappear. No matter what you try, Seireitei's future is bigger than the life of one Shinigami."
"You have absolutely no proof to make such allegations." Seimaru flustered, and Genryuusai smiled, the kind of smile that Midori knew she did not ever want to see again.
"I have no proof." He agreed quietly. "But that doesn't stop me from knowing what is true. Listen to me, Seimaru, and listen well. If you wish to take my life, then raise your weapon and attack me face to face. I will immolate you with Ryuujinjakka and that will be the end of it. Or, if you have sense at all inside your head, choose now to retreat. You are no longer welcome inside District One - you or any of your kinsfolk."
"What kind of a..." Seimaru began, but as he caught Genryuusai's eye he faltered, his face draining of colour as he realised how serious his companion was.
"To blaze this house to the ground would be easy, but there are people in this town who do not deserve to be punished for your foolish acts." He said now. "So I will give you the chance to withdraw, this time. Heed well what I said, though. I have banished you from District One - and I will ensure you do not come back. If you dare set foot over the boundaries again, you will be dealt with by me. And then I will show you the true power of a firesword. Do you understand?"
Seimaru's lack of response indicated that he had, and Genryuusai nodded.
"Then go now." He said softly. "Before I change my mind. Releasing a zanpakutou without licence in an area not your own is against Council law - be glad I've chosen to show you mercy this time."
Seimaru hesitated for a moment, then he swallowed hard, gripping hold of his sword tightly as he shunpo'ed out of sight.
Once he was gone, Midori bit her lip.
"What about me?" She asked softly, and Genryuusai eyed her for a moment.
"We really must do something about your temper, it seems." He said frankly, and relief flooded through Midori's body as she realised the dark, oppressive sense had begun to lift from the chamber. The old man spread his hands, muttering something under his breath, and as Seimaru's flames flickered and died, he beckoned to her.
"I don't approve." He added. "But I understand that you came here on the request of one of my students, and on my behalf. My Clan would likely see it differently, but I will forgive you. This time."
"I'm glad you stopped me when you did." Midori admitted. "I'd have broken my promise, and I didn't want to do that."
"Yes. My timing was right, it seems." Genryuusai rubbed his beard, then, "Seimaru will not come back to District One. There is much I would like to ask him about, and no evidence with which to do it. But at the very least, he is prevented from doing more harm here. He knows now, after all, what kind of enemy he would be making for himself. And I don't think he is fool enough to call my bluff."
"Will you really bar all Endou from entering District One? Even...even Hirata?"
"Hirata...is another matter." Genryuusai frowned. "That depends on his will and his intent. Where he chooses to align himself - with the Academy and me, or with his kin in District Seven. Whichever choice he makes...I will deal with as it becomes necessary. I know, after all, that the Shihouin-ke's suffering is not all their own work. But for now, that is all I can do to even the balance."
"I sent him back to the school, with my aide Saku as company. I wanted them safe." Midori eyed the old man for a moment, then, "I must return at once to District Two. I will come back here tomorrow, but it is quicker for me to go home alone. I therefore would ask..."
"Your servant will be found a place to sleep." Genryuusai said quietly. "Since you've sent them there, I will not turn her out into the town."
"I'm sorry for my presumptuousness." Midori was contrite. "But I didn't want them caught in the flare of battle."
"No. For now, your reason is sound and I will not contest it." Genryuusai assured her. "I do not consider the girl to be a danger to my students - for the time being, I will accept her. For one night...I will acquiesce to your request."
He frowned.
"About this curse, Midori - you don't know which child or how?"
"No. Only that it happened, and he boasted about it burning them from the inside out." Midori shook her head. "He said even if I'd killed him, the curse couldn't be broken. That it would burn till the person died."
"In which case, it seems I need to find my students too." Genryuusai sighed. "And see whether or not these so called cursed flames are ones my own fire power can lift."
Author's Note:
~To Val-sensei from Midori and Seimaru as regards their fight -for your advice hontou ni arigatou gozaimashita!
~Yojinmozu's curse appears with a respectful nod to Ujiie Kaoru from Getbackers, from whom the idea wasn't directly taken, but from which the basic inspiration of such a thing undoubtedly penetrated my subconscious ;)