Chapter Thirty Seven: Heaven's Demon
A grim silence overhung the atmosphere of Genryuusai's office as the old man took his customary seat, turning to gaze at his young companion with a long, thoughtful gaze. At the scrutiny, Hirata turned red once more, lowering his eyes and rubbing his left foot absently against his right shin in his discomfort.
Too young.
Genryuusai's bristled white brows knitted together.
Yet in this world, is there such a thing any more as too young? The danger is here, now. There is no room to cosset those that aren't ready. This world isn't as stable as it appears to be. Hollows are still being dispatched, and even the squads are only just keeping on top of the problems. It must move forward – more must be done. If we are ever to save Seireitei from collapse…there isn't time to linger over one whose youth proves to be foolishness.
His eyes clouded as he remembered Onoe, who still lay silent and unresponsive in the Healing Bay.
Ones like that are no use to me. However, ones like this…
He eyed Hirata again, taking in the folds of expensive fabric and the troubled expression on the boy's face. For the first time, even despite his consternation, Genryuusai realised that Hirata did not seem as much like a child as he had done the first time they had met.
This is his crossroads, then. As it may be Kyouraku Shunsui's. I must not hold Hirata responsible for his Clan's acts any more than I must hold Midori and Kai accountable for theirs. I want to move away from that, after all – there will be many more crossroads, even if Shunsui dies. If that happens, there will be repercussion. There will be danger and another promising hope for Soul Society's future will have been extinguished into mist. But even knowing that, I mustn't let this one slip through my grasp either. Soul Society needs him too. It needs them all.
The silence continued for some minutes, then, at length, Genryuusai spoke.
"Do you understand, Hirata, what the word 'curfew' strictly means?"
Hirata's head shot up, distress in his pale eyes as he slowly nodded.
"Speak, please. I wish to hear your voice."
"Y…yes sir."
"And you understand also the reasons for that curfew?"
"Yes sir." Hirata's words were barely more than a whisper, and Genryuusai nodded.
"I see." He said slowly, pausing to cast his gaze up and down his young companion's tense body.
"Where is your hakama?"
"I…"
"Do you know why it is that this school has a uniform, Endou Hirata?"
Without waiting for a response, Genryuusai's words cut across the younger boy's stutterings once more, and Hirata flushed scarlet a second time.
"To make sure that everybody is the same." He murmured. "Even if they're Clan or if they're not."
"And the colours you currently wear?"
"The…the brown of the Endou-ke and the…the Shihouin gold, Sensei."
"Quite so." Genryuusai was silent for a moment, then,
"You could quite easily have been killed, you know, acting so recklessly by yourself."
At the sudden change in tone, Hirata's blue eyes widened, and Genryuusai sighed.
"You caused a lot of people a good deal of worry, my boy." He said quietly. "A good deal of worry indeed."
Hirata looked contrite.
"I'm sorry." He murmured. "I don't know how to…"
"What I'm going to say to you is for your ears only. It does not go beyond this room for either one of us." Genryuusai said evenly. "Do you understand, Endou Hirata? What I'm asking you is your answer to give, not anyone else's. I'm asking you as my student – even robed that way I want to hear your answer as such."
"I…I understand." Hirata pursed his lips. "I'll try."
"You didn't choose to leave the school grounds of your own accord, did you?" Genryuusai asked quietly, and Hirata looked uncomfortable, slowly shaking his head.
"N…no, Sensei."
"Mm." Genryuusai rubbed his beard, then,
"I am fully aware of the ill will your cousin and perhaps other members of your Clan have towards me." He said evenly. "Towards change and my Academy – towards anything they perceive as a threat to their position. I have known for a long time that the Endou dislike me and the institution I have founded. Yet I still accepted you as a student…because it was my hope – and it is still my hope – that there might be members of District Seven's Clan I could reach."
He eyed Hirata keenly.
"Your father is a reasonable man, by all accounts, and his letter to me was earnest and precise." He added. "So I agreed to accept you, even as young and as untrained as you are. You are not the first student I have taken in at such a young age, after all – and I have never yet had cause to regret it. On the contrary, young students tend to flourish, once they have found their feet. Untapped potential rises better the younger a person is when they begin their schooling, after all."
He pursed his lips.
"But in the ten years my Academy has been in situe, I have not before accepted an Endou as a student…nor, in fact, have I been offered one to train." He reflected. "Your Father told me you had not been trained by your Clan, and so I felt certain I could work with you from the beginning and mould you into a useful member of Seireitei society. I did not have fear of letting you come here – on the contrary, to admit an Endou into my Academy gave me a lot of hope."
Hirata dropped his gaze, seemingly shamed by this observation, and Genryuusai sighed.
"I know, Hirata, that Seimaru's plan was to eradicate me and therefore send this place into confusion." He murmured. "I'm not so foolish as to not realise it, even if I have accepted you as a student here. I have lived a long time and known many heads of the Endou-ke. I have never yet had reasonable discourse with any of them about Seireitei's future – I am neither surprised nor frightened by your cousin's ambition. In fact, maybe I have been waiting for it since the ballot – a direct attempt to be made on my school and on my life. I have survived assassination attempts before, and I know the signs of scheming and the moves Clans make when they have something illicit in the air. I don't know by what means Seimaru intended to act – and I'm sure that I'll not be able to find evidence to back up what I know. However, I know it to be the case."
"Sensei…"
"I also know that you went to District Two to get Midori's help because you wanted to stop him." Genryuusai said softly. "You made her your ally because you didn't intend on being Seimaru's – and you couldn't fight him on your own. Is that correct?"
"Y…yes sir."
"Then you know, I think, a good deal more about Seimaru's plans than I do."
"I…maybe that's true." Hirata sighed, rubbing his temples, and Genryuusai could see that the youngster's exploits had taken both a physical and mental toll on his feeble body. "But my family live in District Seven, Sensei. People I love as well as those I fear and I hate. And I won't…I can't see them suffer because of something I've done. Already I've betrayed them in some way, by choosing to act like this. But…Father helped Midori-sama to leave District Seven. He wanted her to escape. So I believe in Father and I believe…I believe in her. Even though she…to Aitori-sensei…I…trust her."
"Yes. You trust her." Genryuusai echoed thoughtfully. "The decisions you've made are big ones, after all. Ones with far reaching consequences. Your cousin is a determined man – and he would probably not forgive your actions any time soon. You realise that, I think? That patching up that hole in your family might take generations."
"There is no patching it up, Sensei." Hirata took a deep breath, then, "Father sent me here to learn how to fight. So that one day, I could face Seimaru. And one day, I could take our Clan back and repair the damage. That's why I'm here. That's the only reason I'm here. To learn to be strong enough to save my Clan."
"And is that what you want too, Endou Hirata?"
"I…" Hirata faltered, then,
"I want to learn to be strong." He murmured. "And I want to protect my family. For that reason, Sensei, I can't give you the details or the proof that you need – I destroyed anything Seimaru gave me and I won't…I won't speak out publicly against him so long as Father and Mother and Eiraki-chan might come under threat. I can't do that. They're my family. I can't."
"Seimaru's crime against my Academy is not proven." Genryuusai rumbled. "But his crime against one of my students is beyond doubt. He released his zanpakutou in an area he had no reason or right to release it. He placed a dangerous spell on a student who may yet die from the after effects. The repercussions from your neighbours to the East will no doubt be severe, if Kyouraku should die. His other actions I cannot touch him for. But for this one, I can. I have already banished him from District One as punishment for hurting Kyouraku Shunsui. Him, and any other member of the Endou Clan, until further notice."
He smiled humourlessly.
"My Clan will sanction this, as soon as they understand the crime." He murmured. "They have always had good relations with the Kyouraku, after all. It will be ratified. It will be upheld."
"But…what about me?" Hirata blanched. "Will you…send me home too?"
"What do you believe would happen, if I did?"
"I wouldn't ever leave District Seven again." Hirata said darkly. "Somehow Seimaru would manage it. He'd confine me. Call me a traitor. Torture me and kill me for turning to Midori-sama for help instead of carrying out his orders. Grandmother probably wouldn't stand in his way, either, if she thought I'd betrayed my Clan…if she thought I was weak and had failed, she wouldn't give me another chance. I would die, Sensei. Without a doubt, I would die. And perhaps my family would along with me."
"And if you did not go home?"
"Father and Mother and Eiraki-chan could claim I'm acting on my own impulses…have gone rogue under…under your influence." Hirata was clearly frightened, but he held his head up bravely. "So I decided when I went to District Two that I wouldn't go home. Not at all. But if you want me to leave…"
"On the contrary, I do not want you to leave." Genryuusai said softly. "You are a good student with potential – and this exploit, though foolish and dangerous proves you have a backbone and a resolution within you to do what you feel is right. I like you. I am fond of you. And so are your classmates."
"Fond of…" Hirata's eyes widened, and Genryuusai nodded.
"Dare I say, I am almost proud of you." He admitted. "Your actions were reckless. But they were also wise. And, quite probably, your solution was the only solution to your problem. You did not buckle to pressure or allow Seimaru to bully you into questioning your own faith. You acted for my sake, and for the sake of your classmates. That is the kind of team spirit – squad spirit – this Academy is meant to nurture and teach. You are absorbing that – maybe it was already innate within you, and it was only the courage to act on it that you lacked. Time, perhaps, will tell. But yes. I like students who learn. I like students who show initiative. Most of all, I like students who are loyal."
Hirata reddened again, but Genryuusai saw the faint flush of pleasure in his cheeks, and nodded.
"But that will bring with it harsh sacrifices." He reminded the youngster. "Your decision is a weighty one, after all. If you remain here, your ties with District Seven will be severed. There will be no correspondence heading from this District to that one in the near future. Do you understand what that would mean?"
Hirata hesitated for a moment, then he nodded his head. Slowly and with trembling fingers he unfastened the Endou crest from about his neck, setting it down on his headmaster's desk.
"Please train me to be a proper Shinigami, Genryuusai-sensei." He said soberly. "So that one day I can take that back and wear it with pride once again."
Genryuusai eyed the youngster for a moment, then he got to his feet, resting his hands on the other's shoulders.
He smiled.
So here it is, then. The first hurdle is overcome. If that's what you want, Hirata, I will teach you. And I believe I will make a Shinigami of you – one to make your Father proud.
"Very well." He said aloud. "Then we shall say no more of your actions. You are a student of this Academy, and I will protect and train you as such with the hope that one day you will be what I hope you will be for the whole of Seireitei. Your potential is not as evenly distributed as some of your classmates – your spiritual power is high and your understanding good, but your physical strength is lacking and your vision impaired. You will never top the class you are in, Hirata, or perhaps match up with some of your older, stronger classmates. But you should never feel discouraged by that fact. If you can try to keep pace with them, you will succeed in your goal. I have seen your resolve, now – and I have faith in it for the future."
"Yes, Sensei." Hirata murmured, and Genryuusai released his grasp.
"You are dismissed." He said frankly. "Go to your dorm, and tell Kuchiki and Ukitake to come to me now. No – before you do, please, convey another message on my behalf. Kazoe-sensei should be in his office now – please tell him that I wish him to go to Retsu-dono and receive an up-to-date report on the condition of Kyouraku Shunsui – I want the news sent to District Eight as soon as possible."
"To…District Eight?" Hirata looked frightened, and Genryuusai nodded.
"Shunsui may die." He said quietly. "That is a very real possibility, Hirata, and I think that you know better than I do what your cousin's sword can do. Therefore the message cannot be delayed. He is the heir of an important Clan – but more he is a brother and a son and he has family who should be with him. Go quickly, and convey my instructions. I will not need to speak to you again – even if I will speak to Midori on her return, you and I no longer have a need to discuss politics. You are tired – and you need to rest."
Hirata bit his lip, then,
"Sensei…you aren't going to punish Ukitake-kun and Kuchiki-kun, are you?"
"That is a matter to be resolved between me and them." Genryuusai said simply. "But you needn't look frightened. I am not going to send them away."
Relief flickered in Hirata's blue eyes, but Genryuusai could see the underlying concern remaining as the boy bobbed his head in a fervent bow, fleeing the office before he could be called back.
You have surprised me, Endou Hirata. But I like being surprised. And I hope there will be more surprises of that nature, rather than shocks of the other variety.
He got to his feet, scooping up the expensive pendant that had hung around the young boy's neck.
Perhaps I will go out to speak to Midori also, when she returns from District Two. There is a chance, after all, that she will find it hard to cross the border back without my help. I must make arrangements, too, for Onoe to be returned to his family. Whether he lives or he doesn't is not a concern of mine now – he should return to the Shihouin and let them decide what to do about his choices. And as for Kyouraku Shunsui…
He bit his lip, placing the Endou pendant in a secure box and fastening it away behind a wooden panel.
I will have failed in many ways, if I let him die before realising his full potential. Tokutarou may not forgive me. Matsuhara might not have done, either. Ukitake feels the blame at present, but there is a share of it that is mine as well. Should the worst happen, I will be ready for it. But I hope not. Shinigami of Shunsui's potential cross my path only once in a blue moon. To lose him so easily would be a great blow…I hope he is able to find his strength and fight back against this on his own. It is a true test, I think, of how far he has come – and whether he has the discipline inside of him yet to battle for his life. The power is there, after all. It remains to be seen whether or not he has the will to use it.
A faint knock on the door brought him back to the matter at hand, and he resumed his seat, raising his voice to call the two students in. There was a moment of hesitation, then the wood panel slid back, revealing a crestfallen Juushirou and an anxious, apprehensive Ryuu. In their wake stood Enishi, and at the sight of him Genryuusai's bristling white brows knitted together.
"I don't remember sending for you too, Houjou." He murmured, and Enishi shook his head.
"No sir. You didn't, sir." He said quietly, his eyes dark and full of consternation. "But if Ukitake and Kuchiki are in trouble, sir, I should be in trouble with them."
"I see." Genryuusai eyed the trio for a moment, then gestured for them to come in and shut the door behind them. "Then you know, I presume, why it is I have summoned them here?"
"Because we cast a Kidou spell without permission." Ryuu said softly, and Genryuusai nodded.
"That is one of the matters I wish to discuss with you, yes."
"Because we didn't…come to you…about what we were trying to do?" Juushirou whispered, and Genryuusai nodded again.
"That is also a correct answer." He agreed. "Houjou, given your Kidou progress – or lack of it – I don't believe you responsible for casting the spell."
"No. But I knew about it. And that's as good as being part of it." Enishi stuck to his guns. "We wanted to find Hirata, and we were all involved in planning it. And if Kyouraku is hurt now…it's my fault too. So I came too. Because we were all in it together."
"I alone cast the spell, however, Sensei." Ryuu volunteered. "Kyouraku was intending to, but Ukitake did not want him to. So I…I cast the spell."
"Hmm." Genryuusai stroked his beard absently, taking in the tension in each boy's aura. "So may I put this down, then, to a conspiracy on the part of Class One in its relative entirety? I sent Edogawa, Shikibu and Shiba to the Healing Bay because of Edogawa's obvious distress, but their presence on the scene indicates they too know something about all of this. Shihouin is injured and resting, but with him aside…"
Juushirou bit his lip, then,
"Shihouin-kun wanted to come with us too, when Hirata brought back the message you wanted us now." He admitted reluctantly. "Only we…he's promised Unohana-sensei not to get up. And so the only way we could stop him…I promised I'd tell you…that he was involved too."
"Even Shihouin?" At this, Genryuusai was taken aback, and Juushirou nodded.
"He…it was his idea…to track Seimaru and not…try to track…Hirata." He murmured. "He wanted me to tell you that…because…he was worried about Hirata too. And…he's worried now…Shunsui is the person Shihouin-kun probably trusts most here, in truth. And because of this…he…feels responsible too."
"So all of Class One are, in fact, complicit?"
"Shikibu-san was not." Ryuu shook his head. "But otherwise...I believe…yes."
Genryuusai sighed, and for a moment there was silence as he digested this information.
"I am now in a quandary." He admitted. "Your classmate's injury is serious – he may yet pay with his life for the choices you all have made. I know this and I want to impress on you the severity of the situation. Yet I am not here to nanny you. There are times you break the rules –you or any of your fellow students – and you then feel the full weight of discipline come down on you. And there are other times when you break rules and I will not issue punishment…the world you are growing up to face is not one for people who are constantly relying on others to make their decisions."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But these decisions can also come with consequences, and I want you to learn that fact as well." He murmured. "You are all familiar, I think, with that premise. You have also had ample time to realise it for yourselves. Your desire to find your classmate was admirable and your loyalty I commend. Your reckless use of Kidou, however, and your playing of the system in order to carry out your task…are mistakes that some warriors do not get to make a second time. Hierarchy and responsibility are delicate things. Some orders may be overridden when circumstances demand it. Others are absolute. You children still need to learn more clearly which are which."
He glanced at Ryuu.
"You cast the spell, Kuchiki?"
"Yes, sir."
"And the book you got it from – how did you manage to take it from the library?"
"I…simply borrowed it, Sensei. As extra reading." Ryuu reddened, and Genryuusai looked thoughtful.
"Where is this book now?"
"I…took it back to the library…when Ukitake and Kyouraku went into town." Ryuu admitted. "So that it would not be missed if someone else needed to use it."
"You are not yet at a trained level to use a spell of that nature. You will probably feel the after effects of casting it for a few days to come." Genryuusai advised him. "Wait a while, please, before you use such magic again. You have great potential, but you can damage that potential by using it too quickly. Understand?"
"Y…yes, Sensei."
"I will take into consideration, however, that you acted to help classmates and not out of your own personal interest. Normally I would isolate you – but this time I will not. Having used such a level of Bakudou, you may write me an assignment instead – ten thousand words on the uses and drawbacks of Bakudou and why techniques should not be manipulated by those without the adequate training. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sensei." Relief flickered in Ryuu's eyes, and he nodded his head.
"Enishi, since you are determined to take your part of the blame, I will assign a similar punishment to you to keep you out of mischief." Genryuusai added, watching the tall boy's face fall at his words. "Your subject will be about the values of good leadership and responsibility – when it is wise to be complicit, and when it is better to speak up and prevent a mistake. Ten thousand words also, if you please. You may tell Shihouin the same – if he wants to be considered responsible, and was well enough to conspire with you, he is clearly fit enough to take the punishment."
"Yes, Sensei." Enishi's expression told the old man that he would have preferred confinement, but Genryuusai ignored this.
"I will expect all reports by the end of the week." He murmured. "You may both go."
He flicked his fingers towards the door, and, exchanging looks, Ryuu and Enishi trudged from the office, leaving Juushirou alone with his mentor.
"And me, Sensei?" The look in the boy's hazel eyes almost dissuaded the old man from his severity, so anxious and guilt-ridden was his student's expression, but the old man kept a hold on his wits, inwardly reminding himself that Shunsui's life still weighed in the balance.
"Yes. And you." He spoke gravely, slowly shaking his head. "I don't believe anything I can say to you, Ukitake, will lighten or increase the burden you already carry. You understand my words to you, I think. You are intelligent enough to understand all of the implications."
"Sensei, if Shunsui dies…" Juushirou began, then faltered, and Genryuusai could see genuine emotion in the boy's gaze. Yet he did not soften his approach, spreading his hands.
"He may die." He agreed. "I have sent word to his family, and no doubt they will come when they understand how severe the situation is. There is no shielding you from this, Juushirou – I will not shield you. Just as I made it clear to Shunsui that he had put your life at risk when the Hollow attacked, now I will make it clear to you. There is one thing which is unforgivable among Shinigami – among squads and among trained men who serve Seireitei. That is putting an ally in danger on account of one's own reckless acts."
This was too much for Juushirou, who sank to the floor, burying his head in his hands. He was not crying, Genryuusai realised, but even so the boy's aura buzzed with negativity and despair, and he sighed heavily.
"Look at me." He said quietly, and Juushirou hesitated, then slowly raised his gaze once more.
"Your friend's life is in his hands." Genryuusai said quietly. "You're not used to it this way, I know – you're used to being the patient, not the one worrying. But maybe it's a lesson you needed to learn, too. I know, Juushirou, that your father's death almost destroyed your own will to live. I know you rebuilt this resolve of yours, piece by piece, in order to repay him for the life he gave you to lead. He taught you valuable lessons, and those lessons are beginning to have a positive effect on those around you. But even given those things, you are not always right. And your actions can hurt others, just as surely as they can hurt you. If you remember your father, truly, you know that. And you must remember it."
"Sensei, I…"
Now the tears came, but Genryuusai pushed ruthlessly forwards, not giving the youngster time to speak. Though he did not like taking such a hard line, he knew that the time for gentility was over. The lesson must be learnt now – or regretted forever.
"Your father died because you could not protect yourself." He said now. "That was not your fault. You understand, I think, that it was not your fault. But you were helpless, then. Do you realise that you are still as helpless now? The man who you went to face bears a weapon – a zanpakutou which you have no experience of facing, nor know anything about. You could have been killed. What of your Father's hopes then? What of the hopes of District children everywhere, if you had let yourself be killed by foolishness? Thanks to Kyouraku, you are still here. But you are no use to me – or to anyone – if you require other people to make that judgement for you. If you cannot stand for yourself and survive on your own, Ukitake, you will quickly fall. And if you can't recognise that your shortcomings can put others in danger, you are never going to be a Shinigami."
"I…didn't…Shunsui…I didn't…ask him to…"
"But Kyouraku is a Shinigami's son, and protective instinct runs through his blood." Genryuusai forged on. "He is foolish, lazy and insolent on occasion, but he is also smart, quick and capable. And this time he realised more quickly what you have not yet grasped. That your life is important to him – even if it isn't important to you."
"It's not more important than his life, Sensei!" Juushirou objected at that moment, distress in his eyes, and Genryuusai shook his head.
"No. It is not." He agreed soberly. "Yet Kyouraku's act was the instinctive act of a Shinigami to protect a soul in danger. I understand you wanted to find Hirata, and I understand your reasons for acting how you did. But there was no reason to confront Seimaru or step into danger without adequate training."
His eyes narrowed.
"There is no punishment I can give you which is worse than what you have already created for yourself." He said sadly. "I have hope that Shunsui's native strength will save his life. But either way, I cannot guarantee a happy ending. You will have much to think about, no doubt, as he fights."
Juushirou did not answer, and now Genryuusai relented, getting to his feet and approaching the crumpled youngster, kneeling at his right side and putting a hand on his arm.
"This arm will one day wield a powerful sword." He said quietly. "I know this, because the first time I met you I sensed it, swirling deep within you. Till then I had never felt it quite so clearly in one born in the Districts – that a child with little training or experience should already be so close to such an advanced level of power. Yet your knowledge and background is weak here. Clan children are trained. They know and understand things you do not. And you are not their equal, yet. You are as smart as them, as powerful as them, and as promising as they are. You should not let them look down on you, because you will one day be stronger than most of them will ever hope to be. But you do not understand their inner workings. And you must, Ukitake. Without being tainted by it, you must. You must see all the dangers before diving in, because you have no powerful family to catch you if you fall. You cannot simply look for the good faith in everybody. Some people do not have it. Some people never will. And those people will always be enemies, so long as there is life in their bodies."
"People like…Seimaru-sama?" Juushirou whispered, and Genryuusai nodded.
"You have become known to him, now. He will not forget this any more than you will." He said evenly. "Hirata acted rashly, but wisely, in the final analysis, calling on an ally of enough strength to match Seimaru's own power. Hirata's knowledge of Clans made him choose to do something which was the sensible solution to his problem. But your actions were naïve and unprepared. And I hope that the situation has not been complicated because of them. I cannot promise you that Shunsui will live, and I cannot promise you will not clash with the Endou-ke again. You cannot rely on your ignorance always. Make now the point from which you start learning."
"I…I suppose I didn't think that…he'd take any notice…of someone like me."
"You are either a danger or you are a blessing, depending on what path you choose to walk." Genryuusai responded gravely. "You are naturally popular – your nature and personality make you someone who attracts support and your intelligence makes you a leader, even if you haven't asked to be one. What you do affects other people. It may affect them only on the surface. But it may run far more deeply."
"Shunsui keeps saying things like that." Juushirou admitted brokenly. "That I've been winning over my classmates one by one…that I've been countering Clan pride with kindness and that I was unstoppable. I thought he was just teasing me, because he teases me a lot. After all…I just…wanted to make friends. I've never had the chance to do that before."
"It makes life a very difficult path for you to walk down." Genryuusai said wisely. "Shunsui is right – I think, despite his carelessness, there is often truth in what he says. You might think you only act as yourself, but that isn't the case. At home, Juushirou, who do your siblings look to for guidance most of all?"
"Well, me, but I'm the eldest…and Otousama is…"
"I have never had a class of students who were so adamant about breaking rules in their first term before this one." Genryuusai continued. "But I have also never had a class which has so quickly overcome Clan differences and formed friendships despite political estrangement. Whether you realise it or not, Class One is largely led and influenced by you, and the decisions and actions you take."
"But…that's not…" Juushirou looked aghast, and Genryuusai smiled.
"Being in that position is a big responsibility." He agreed. "And that's why I'm talking to you now, in this way. What you have is quite unique. Your spirit power, your sense and your understanding are all unusual gifts to have. You work hard, study hard and learn the skills you are taught with thoroughness and dedication. But you also have the desire to put things right – the humanitarian instinct to care about those around you and want to make a better world. That's why I wanted to train you. Kyouraku has all the natural, spiritual abilities of a Shinigami, but he lacks the inclination to become one. You have all the qualities and the hard working ethic to make it a reality even despite your low birth. You are a leader – you will always be a leader. Even if you choose not to lead, you will still have the same effect on your companions. Because of you, Class One is unified. But also because of you, they are prone to taking risks. I want you to think about that for a little while, please. After all, this is just the beginning of your training."
"If Shunsui dies…" Juushirou began, then faltered, shaking his head as if to clear it.
"Shunsui won't die." He said flatly, obstinacy glittering in his hazel eyes as he got carefully to his feet. "Sensei, if you're right – if I lead this Class in any way – I won't let him die. I won't let him give up. I'll make sure he keeps fighting…somehow…"
"This isn't a battle you can fight. It's his and his alone." Genryuusai reminded him, and Juushirou's lips thinned.
"But with your permission, Sensei, I'd like to go to the Healing Bay." He said quietly. "I'll undertake any punishment you give me – and do any penance you see fit for my activities. If I'm as responsible as you say, no doubt I deserve a lot of punishment up to this point, and I realise you've so far been lenient. But if I can go to the Healing Bay, maybe Shunsui will know. He's sensitive to reiatsu, after all. Mine especially, he said. If he knows people are supporting him – maybe that'll give him strength somehow. It's all I can do, anyway – but I know that, when I'm feeling my worst, having someone nearby gives me strength. So maybe…maybe it will work…for him, too."
Genryuusai pulled himself upright, meeting his student's gaze pensively.
"Yes. That is the strength within you, after all." He reflected. "Very well. You may go and do as you please. Your young friends, also. I am not punishing you beyond this, after all. For one like you, Shunsui's condition is your punishment. For one who understands being ill more than most your age, and for one with true compassion – it is, I think, the most effective punishment of all. You are not a student I want to beat and injure, nor are you someone I want to confine. Your lesson is in seeing others suffer for your mistakes. If you learn that, then I think you'll benefit more than from any other lesson I could try to teach."
His every breath was on fire.
In the thick, hot swathe of energy that had ensnared his body, Shunsui tossed and turned, fragments of thoughts and memories blurring together in his head as he tried to make sense of what was going on. With every gasp of air he pulled into his lungs, the fire seemed to be reignited once more, and shudders ran through his stricken form, pain surging through his ribcage to the soft tissue beneath. The scent of charring penetrated his senses, making him feel nauseous and giddy, but as he parted cracked lips to call for help, no sound was forthcoming.
The spasms that rippled through his protesting form were like earthquakes, splitting his mind into smaller and smaller shreds and the harder he struggled against them, the less he could piece one torn fragment against the other. His physical form suddenly seemed heavy and unwieldy, immobile and something that was stifling him, bit by bit, into pain and hell-fire.
Seimaru.
The name darted across his wits - or had it been whispered by someone outside of his cocooned awareness? Shunsui couldn't tell, only that the sound of the word wrought new agony through his anguished form and he twitched instinctively away from it, searching desperately for any way to escape the pain.
As he did so, the world around him seemed to take on a life of his own, fire blazing up the trunks of trees and scorching across grass as dry as tinder as it sought to trap him further into its snare. From far away, Shunsui was sure that he could sense something watching him, but what it was and whether it was friend or foe he could not tell. Then, as the flames surged afresh, fear and panic took over, and he took to his heels, turning and fleeing as far from the encroaching fire as he could.
Yet even though he felt like he was running, he knew, somehow, that he was not.
The fire was not going away. It was wherever he was, and it was determined to consume him entirely. The pain was unimaginable, and the fear almost stifling as tongues of cruel flame licked up through his body, latching themselves around his organs and slowly but surely squeezing the life out of them.
In that instant he found he could no longer run, his legs and arms bound by black tendrils of vine that had burrowed from the earth below and lashed themselves around him. Though he struggled and fought, hysteria driving him, he saw the first flicker of spectral energy begin to creep up from the ground, wrapping itself lovingly around the black vine. As the tendrils twitched closer and closer to his skin, Shunsui's soul let out a scream of terror, fighting to free himself as the fire drew ever nearer to encircling his heart.
And then, as if someone had swept a curtain across a stage, the world around him went black.
Crouched and huddled on the floor, Shunsui dragged in pitiful, whimpering breaths, his lungs aching and desperate for the air that he needed to stay alive. With each breath he took, he felt the weight of his physical form draw further and further away from him, yet he did not question it, simply glad to have a moment of respite in a sea of pain.
His body was damaged. It was injured and burning. It was a place where he was suffering. And he did not want it.
So you've given up already, have you?
The voice echoed out of the blackness, followed by a derisive snort.
That's exactly what I expect from the son of Kyouraku Matsuhara.
Shunsui turned, struggling to see the speaker, but there was nothing but blackness stretching out for miles around him. He felt dizzy and light-headed, suddenly realising that he had moved a significant distance from his physical form, and although he could still sense the burning pain that rippled through it, it was almost as though he was feeling the suffering of a stranger.
Have I let it go, then, completely? Have I given it up, because it no longer works?
Slowly Shunsui attempted to process this thought, struggling to put it into context and grasp the significance of what he was feeling.
So long as there's no pain, it doesn't matter. I don't need to be in pain. I don't need to be there. It can burn. Let it burn. I can manage here without going back.
As soon as this thought crossed his senses, a wave of relief and peace washed over his body, and around him the darkness began to lighten, colours blurring together into a landscape with flower-patterned meadows stretching out before him as far as the eyes could see.
As Shunsui got slowly and unsteadily to his feet, he felt the gentle summer breeze waft around him, teasing at his messy curls and brushing stray leaves and petals haphazardly across the ground.
It was a beautiful place. A peaceful place. A sanctuary, in fact , Shunsui reflected, a faint smile touching his face as he bent down to touch the edges of one of the nearest flowers. Even though he had never been here before, he felt secure in its familiarity. And though he knew it was not real, it felt vivid enough to be more than a dream, the colours and scents of this chimera penetrating deep down to the very heart of his senses.
If he was sleeping, he knew that it was a deep, steady sleep. And if he was dying, then he would embrace death. There was no fire here. If this was the only way to escape the pain, then he would give himself completely to this place. He had, after all, no reason to return to the suffering which had so terrified him moments before.
"So you think to turn this into a hiding place too, do you?"
The words cracked across his senses like ice shattering on a frozen pond and as the wind suddenly began to pick up, Shunsui was aware of a cold darkness beginning to surround him, spreading further and further into the atmosphere as he tried to place where it was coming from. He swung around, scanning the horizon once more for the speaker, but there was no one immediately visible and his heart clenched in his chest.
"You won't find me behind you. I'm not a coward and I don't hide." The voice was mocking and derisive, and Shunsui froze, a prickle running down his spine as he felt a whoosh of air sweep past him. He bit his lip, slowly turning back to face the meadow, and as he did, his eyes widened with horror and dismay.
Where the flowers had bloomed so peacefully only moments before, the field was now carpeted only by decaying petals and leaves, each colour shrivelled and brown as though the death-touch of autumn had touched every one, consigning it to its fate.
In the midst of these floral corpses was a figure, and as Shunsui's gaze shifted to the intruder, he felt his heart skip a beat a second time.
This was the speaker, then. And he was undoubtedly not human.
Was he even a he? Shunsui swallowed hard, not quite sure and yet not daring to ask.
The creature that stood before him was like nothing he had ever seen before. Tall and sinewy, his flesh was either pulled so tightly to his bones that it distorted his features or he was truly skeletal. Blazing red eyes flickered with brimstone and ash, glaring at him with an undefinable amount of scorn. He was robed almost entirely in black, his thin limbs cloaked by fabric that, as Shunsui eyed him more closely appeared to be more like the soft membrane of bat's wings than actual cloth, and as he began to take steps forward, Shunsui let out a gasp, registering that it was not clothing at all, but a part of his ungainly body.
Was this...Death?
His fingers were long, pale and thin, and as he paused before Shunsui, he stretched out his right hand, brushing the tip of his index finger against the boy's cheek. Involuntarily Shunsui shivered, words frozen in his throat as he flinched back, and at his reaction, the figure let out a mocking laugh.
"You stare at me as though I were something you'd never seen before." He said reproachfully. "That's not very nice, Shunsui. You shouldn't be so reluctant to greet me. After all, we're very good friends."
"Friends?" At length Shunsui found his voice, staring up at the figure uncomprehendingly. "What do you mean, friends? I don't even know what you are, let alone..."
"Let alone why I should invade your peaceful sanctuary and lay waste to it?" The creature finished his sentence for him, pursing his lips then letting out a derisive snort. He stretched out his other arm, and though his limbs were skinny enough that they might snap in two, with just the barest flick of his fingers he pushed the startled student back onto the ground.
"You really don't understand anything yet, do you? Coward that you are, you really don't know who I am."
Shunsui scrambled into a sitting position, feeling the decaying petals beneath his body and he swallowed, suddenly revulsed by the sensation of death so close to his skin.
"I'm sorry." He managed. "I don't see how I could, seeing as I've never seen you before in my life. And no offence, but I think I'd remember. If we'd met before."
The creature's eyes narrowed, flickers of fire blazing from the odd eyes, and Shunsui stared in dismay as sparks dropped to the ground below, sizzling and shrivelling up the dead leaves into black ash at a moment's touch.
So the fire could come here too, then. This creature was capable of that. Was it this creature, then, who had so tormented him before?
His brows knitted together.
"What did you do to me?" He demanded, his words more fearful than he would have liked, and at his question the apparition let out a scornful laugh.
"I? Do to you?" He demanded. "Well. There's gratitude for you! I thought you were intelligent, Shunsui. I thought your senses were sharp. Did you burn them all already playing foolish games? You should be thanking me. You should be grateful. Not staring at me as though I'm the one who's about to take your life."
His eyes narrowed, red orbs spitting fire once more into the ether.
"You're the one who's about to do that, running scared like a little girl looking for her mother." He said cuttingly. "Coward that you are."
"I don't understand." Shunsui bit his lip, and the creature sighed, shaking his head.
"No. You're the son of that fool, so of course you don't." He said blackly. "And there's no time to explain anything to you right now, either. You've let yourself get into this state, after all. I can't hold you here very long."
"Hold me...?" Shunsui looked wary. "What do you mean, hold me? What do you want, monster? What are you trying to...?"
"Monster?" The creature's eyes widened, then he shook his head, flexing the thin membrane of his wing-like limbs as he did so. "So you'll call me that, then? Monster? Without understanding, you'll call me such a name?"
He frowned.
"My name is Amaki." He said softly. "For the time being, that's all you need to know from me."
"Amaki?" Shunsui murmured, and Amaki nodded, an amused smile twitching at the thin strips of flesh which might, in another existence, be called lips.
"Ama, as in heaven. And Ki, as in demon." He said softly, a faint menace to his tones. "Pleased to meet you, Shunsui."
"Heaven's demon?" Shunsui's brow knitted together. "Wait a minute, you..."
"You're not going to be the one asking questions." Amaki interrupted, reaching down to grasp Shunsui by the folds of his hakamashita and hauling him up to his feet with a surprising amount of strength. "There is no time, and I have plenty to ask you. Beginning with this. How long did you really think you could hide from me? Really, truthfully? How long did you think it would be? Till one friend died? Till several did? Till the world ended? How long would you prevaricate before thinking to come for me?"
"Pardon me?" Shunsui stared, and Amaki sighed, closing his eyes for the briefest of moments. His vice-like grip tightened around the fabric of Shunsui's clothing, and Shunsui could feel the anger and frustration swelling through him.
"You are dying." He said quietly, his tones both menacing and matter of fact as the swirl of sulphur-like reiatsu began to seep into Shunsui's own aura. "Your body is on fire, so you have discarded it. Like the coward you are, you have turned tail and run. Just like you always do. Just like you always have."
His eyes narrowed and he pushed his head closer, till their foreheads were almost touching.
"You like things to be easy." He said quietly. "And I've put up with that for a long time. I've had to. I've been held back. But right now, nothing's holding me back. For the first time I can tell you face to face what I think of you - what a pathetic specimen of a would-be Shinigami you pretend to be. Your body is poisoned by a fire curse cast by a toddler in zanpakutou art. Your spiritual energy should have dispersed it in a second. But instead you falter and wallow, running scared from the pain because it burns a little bit. Do you have any idea how pathetic you are? If you die, it will be all you deserve."
"All I...deserve?"
Shunsui frowned, and for a moment there was an oppressive silence between them as the skeletal fingers seemed to tighten around the fabric of the hakamashita. Then,
"Yes." Amaki said at length, releasing his grip and Shunsui fell heavily once more to the ground below. "And if I have to, I'll teach you the hard way. You will listen, and you will act. Otherwise you will be destroyed. I've no time for you the way you are. I'd rather face oblivion than ever consider accepting you like this."
"I don't understand." Shunsui murmured, struggling to pick himself back up as the creature stared down at him malevolently. "Any of this. If this is a dream, then it's stopped being a nice one. And..."
"And you'd like to run away from it, now, and find somewhere else to bury your head in the sand?" Amaki cut across him, dropping to his knees and pushing his face forward so that his nose was once more only inches from Shunsui's own. "No. That won't do. You won't hide from me. No matter where you go, you won't find a place that I can't reach. So you should just submit. It will be easier, after all, to accept my terms and to accept them now."
"Which are what, exactly?" Despite himself, real fear flared up inside of Shunsui's heart at the intent in the other's gaze. "What are you going to do? Molest me to death?"
"Molest you?" Amaki stared at him for a moment, then he began to laugh - a strange, almost screaming laugh that pierced right through to Shunsui's core. Then, as abruptly as he'd begun, he stopped, swinging his right hand sharply across his companion's cheek. The two had made contact long before Shunsui felt the shock of pain reel through his senses, and Amaki glared at him, grasping him by his hair and pulling the boy's head towards him.
"You are going to go back." He said quietly. "You are going to go back and face the fire. You are going to stop running from it, and face it. No matter how much it burns. No matter how much pain you suffer. You are going back. Do you understand? While you still can."
"But..."
"Otherwise I will kill you, here and now."
Amaki's fingers twitched free of the boy's hair, his hand raising up above his head, and suddenly Shunsui was aware that his companion held a jagged blade, shadow black from hilt to tip..
"The choice is yours."
"What the hell are you?" Shunsui whispered. "Are you Death? Is that why...is that..."
"Death? No. You wish I was Death." Amaki's mouth twitched into a horrific grin, striking terror once more into Shunsui's heart. "Death would strike quickly. I, on the other hand, have a lot to make you suffer the consequences of. I don't treat cowards gently."
Odd, ghostly fire began to lick up the blade, and Shunsui shuffled back, as fear once more pierced through his body.
"I would kill you, now." Amaki continued. "Just for all the years you've made me suffer in silence. But I won't. Not yet. I'm giving you the choice. Because there's a girl, there, waiting for you. She thinks you're worth something, even if I don't. And I don't like women's tears."
"A girl...?" Shunsui faltered, staring at his companion in confusion. Even as he did so, however, he thought he heard the faintest breath of a voice touch against his dislocated senses.
"Shunsui? Hang on in there, Shunsui."
"Saku." He murmured, and Amaki sighed.
"You should go back, while someone still believes in you." He said quietly. "Else believe me, you'll wish you'd never been born. My blade and I don't take kindly to making girls suffer. And you're not a fit specimen to inspire tears in anyone, girl or boy. So this is your last chance. Go back. Face the fire and win. Else face me, and be sure you'll die."
Shunsui closed his eyes, tears wet on his lashes as he struggled with the waves of fearful hysteria that washed through him. As he fought with himself, he was aware for the first time of the flickers of other reiatsu surrounding him, and he swallowed hard, identifying them one by one.
Juushirou. Sora. Ryuu. Mitsuki. Hirata. Enishi. Saku. Unohana Retsu. Was that his brother, too? And yes, somewhere in the background, the powerful fire aura of Genryuusai himself.
People who believe in me.
He opened his eyes, sending Amaki a dark look.
"I don't want to play with you. Not if they're waiting for me." He said softly. "I don't care if you're Death or some God of Divine Punishment...I don't care who or what you are or if you're even really there. I don't intend to waste any more time talking to you. Send me back. I want to go back. They're my friends. They're people who I like. I don't want to waste any more time here with you."
Amaki was silent for a moment, then he spread his hand, the sword disappearing into flickers of black energy.
"These people do mean something to you, don't they." He murmured. "Well. Maybe there is hope after all. Maybe Seibara was right. Perhaps my judgement is hasty."
He stepped back, and Shunsui felt the oppression of his aura fall away bit by bit.
"Seibara?" He managed, but Amaki shook his head.
"Go back." He said simply, raising his skeletal hands, and as a flare of darkness shot out from his palms, Shunsui found himself once more dragged down towards the volcano of flames that had imprisoned him once before.
As the pain shot through him once more, he gasped, the shudders of agony ripping through his body and causing panic to rise once again in his heart. Yet in this panic he could feel the touch of someone familiar, and this anchor to the world outside the inferno gave him the tiniest fragment of strength to cling on to.
Saku. Saku was by his side, touching his brow, and speaking to him. And though he could not make out her words, he knew that she was real.
If I die, will she cry? Would I want her to cry?
Then, as another familiar reiatsu assailed his senses, he was struck by another realisation.
"Shunsui-kun? Please, Shunsui-kun, keep fighting."
Okaasama?
In that instant, Shunsui's resolve hardened.
Saku might cry. She might not. But Okaasama will. And I already broke that promise once. I said I wouldn't make her cry, but I did. I won't make her cry again. I won't die, and make her bury her son as well as her husband. I'm not going to do that to her - she's suffered enough already.
So I'm not going to die. I'm going to fight. I'm going to fight back. I'm going to find a way to get through this...I'm going to go back.
"He's resting a little more peacefully."
Retsu stepped away from the bed, casting the gathered wellwishers a faint smile as she did so. "It's getting very late, however - students should be returning to their dorms and to bed. I will keep watch over Kyouraku-kun through the night - you must trust in me to do so and go and get your own rest."
"None of us will sleep, Unohana-sensei." Juushirou said softly, and Retsu shook her head.
"Nonetheless, you will go." She said firmly. "All of you, at once. Kyouraku-kun has his mother at his side now, and his brother near at hand. He has plenty of support and you should return to your dorms."
"What about me, Unohana-sama?" As the students trudged reluctantly from the Healing Bay, Saku sent the Clan Leader a questioning look. "Is it...can I...stay?"
"That depends entirely on what Yoshiko-sama has to say."
Retsu settled herself down once more at Shunsui's side, casting the pale, anxious figure of Shunsui's mother a questioning glance. "Yoshiko-sama, do you have any objections to Etsuo-san remaining at your son's side for the time being? Genryuusai-sama has currently asked us to keep her here, whilst Midori-sama returns to District Two to settle affairs there - it seems her presence gives Kyouraku-kun some amount of comfort."
Yoshiko sighed, rubbing her temples.
"If it brings him relief, then I don't mind." She murmured. "I don't know who you are, child, or your connection to my son. But Tokutarou-sama seems to know your name, and that you are an ally of Shunsui's. That being the case, if you aren't tired...I would not ask you to leave him."
"Thank you." Saku looked relieved, bowing her head towards the other woman solemnly. "I appreciate your kindness, Yoshiko-sama."
"So far Shunsui's been ill for almost six hours." Tokutarou put in from the far corner, where he had propped his tense frame up against the wall, arms folded across his chest as he watched his young brother fighting for his life. "The kid Hirata said that in the past it had consumed a victim in three...Retsu-sama, do you think he can continue to fight it?"
"It is a nasty curse, although I have seen more powerful ones." Retsu folded her hands in her lap, meeting Tokutarou's gaze gravely. "Kyouraku-kun's spiritual potential is untrained, otherwise it would not have had such a deep effect on him. If he was at the level where he could wield a zanpakutou, I would have expected him to shake off the effects quite quickly, since this spell was cast by a Shinigami with considerably less spiritual power than your young brother. However..."
"He's always been hesitant to use that power." Yoshiko said softly. "He's always shied away from it. I never thought about it much until now, but I think...I wonder...whether he was afraid of becoming a Clan tool. I know his Uncle took him from me for that purpose - I hadn't thought that Shunsui had realised it himself. But he must have, even if he never mentioned it in his letters."
"He doesn't confide many things in people." Tokutarou agreed gravely.
Saku dipped a folded sheet of cloth in the nearby basin of water, placing it against Shunsui's burning brow and he twitched and murmured incoherently at the contact.
"I wonder if he even knows people are here," she murmured. "Worrying about him like this."
"If he does, then I'm sure...he'll pull through." Tokutarou remarked. "He told me once, Yoshiko-dono, that he didn't want to make you cry in the way Father did. So if he knew you were here...I'm sure he wouldn't give in that easily. He loves you a lot, after all. He wouldn't want you to have to suffer because of him."
"Shunsui..." Yoshiko bit her lip, then slowly bent to kiss her son on his brow.
"In that case, Shunsui-kun, hear my voice and keep fighting." She murmured. "I'll stay here as long as you need me - so don't give in."
"Endou Seimaru had better hope also that Shunsui doesn't give in." Tokutarou said grimly. "Because if my brother dies, that will not be ignored."
"Tokutarou-sama, I don't believe that Kyouraku-kun would endorse a war declared on his account." Retsu said calmly, and Tokutarou shook his head.
"No. Not a war. A war would hurt innocent people, and I know only too well how many of those there are already in pain in District Seven. My business would be with Seimaru himself."
"I don't think Shunsui would like that either." Saku admitted softly. "In all the time I knew him, Tokutarou-sama - he always hated violence. I think...he'd be really sad...if you acted like that."
"Yes. Probably." Tokutarou sighed, pain and frustration in his dark eyes. "But it's hard to know what else to do. It's in his hands - if he doesn't make it...I don't think I'll be able to just sit back and do nothing. I think...I'll have to act. Even if it's foolish...I don't think I'll be able not to."
Shunsui let out another murmur at this, and Retsu frowned, reaching a hand across to touch his pulse.
"His heart is beating less rapidly." She murmured. "And I believe his fever has dropped a little in the last half an hour."
"Dropped?" Yoshiko eyed her in hope and desperation, and Retsu nodded.
"I think he is starting to fight back." She agreed. "Kyouraku-kun's spirit power is considerable, after all. Everyone here knows that that's the case. If he's decided to use it to fight back, then he will survive."
She removed the cold poultice, brushing the damp strands of messy brown hair back from the patient's brow.
"In the next hour, I think we will see for sure how things will go." She murmured. "But I believe...I feel his reiatsu starting to spike. I think he intends to fight. And if that's the case...I think he will live."