Chapter Ten: Nemesis
Another early start.
Kai stretched his arms over his head, stifling a yawn as he took a deep breath into his lungs. Glancing around him, he could tell that it was just before dawn, and the rest of his squad were still sleeping peacefully, huddled under their blankets like small, furry mounds of earth.
At the sight, he stifled a smile, remembering the previous night's prank.
I wonder what Toutai did about it. It wasn't a cold night, too, but I half expected someone to come and charge in demanding to know where we'd hidden them. Kuchiki, at the very least. I wish I could have seen his face. Ukitake must have gone to some lengths to keep him from doing anything rash.
He pulled his night robe more tightly around his body and got to his feet, pushing back the flap of the tent and stepping out into the darkness. At home, it wasn't uncommon for him to wake before the rising sun, since many of his past training sensei had expected him to be dressed, fed and prepared before the first rays of the sun crossed the ground, and as a result he had come to like this time of day...a time when everything was still, and yet a brand new day was still on the horizon.
It was going to be a nice one, too, he could tell. Licking his finger and holding it up, he determined that the faint breeze was blowing in from the west - gentle and lazy and in no hurry to disturb the petals or leaves from the nearby trees. There was nothing heavy in the air, and he let out a heavy sigh of contentment.
Maybe, this time, it would be Katai's turn to leave the camp.
As he sauntered down towards the lake, intent on splashing cool water on his face and hands in readiness for the start of the day. There wouldn't be time, he knew, for a full bathing session if he was to get the rest of Katai up and about in time for an inspection...and after the previous day, he was taking no chances.
"Kai-kun?"
As he reached the lake, a soft voice out of the darkness made him start, swinging around in surprise. In the dim light he could just make out Hirata's diminutive form, a faint glint across the lenses of his glasses as he stood beneath the shade of a tall willow tree.
"Hirata?" He frowned, casting his companion a confused look. "What are you doing? It's early to be up, isn't it?"
"I could say the same to you." Hirata murmured, and there was the rustle of grass as the smaller boy stepped forward towards his friend. "But I've woken up before dawn most mornings so far this term. I think your training schedule has started to affect me - I'm waking up even when I don't need to."
He turned, the light glittering once more off the spectacles as he did so.
"Why are you here, Kai-kun? It's too early for a bath, isn't it?"
"I just came to splash my hands, really." Kai shook his head. "We're not missing out on an inspection this time, so I don't have time for anything else. I'm going back to wake up the others in a moment - hey, and won't Ukitake wonder where you've got to? Don't tell me that Toutai are already up and about."
"Mostly." Hirata shrugged. "We didn't all get that much sleep last night."
At this, Kai offered an amused grin.
"Really? I wonder why not."
"Well, we couldn't find our blankets." Hirata said frankly, kicking his foot idly against a lump of earth on the ground. "So we wound up sleeping kind of late, and I suppose it meant we didn't sleep as deeply. Fortunately, it wasn't a cold night...and so far, Sensei hasn't inspected our tents. If we lost those, I guess we'd be punished."
"Possibly." Kai agreed, hiding a smile. "I guess that must've been quite a problem for you."
"Mm. Well. I'm sure we'll find them." Hirata shrugged his shoulders. "They can't have got far, after all."
"Probably not." Kai agreed. "Like the tea mugs - they'll magically turn up again when you least expect it, most likely."
"I think so too." Hirata said seriously. "Maybe Sensei was playing another trick on us...I'm not sure what the rules are of this camp, Kai-kun, but I'm starting to think we need to be on the ball every second."
"No kidding." Kai dropped down at the water's edge, running his fingers through the cool liquid and splashing it up onto his face. "And for that reason, I have to go wake some sleeping beauties now. Don't linger around here too long, Hirata-kun. Your Captain will worry about you, after all."
"I suppose he will." Hirata agreed. "I'm sorry to have held you up, Kai-kun. I didn't expect anyone to be out here this early in the morning."
"Me either." Kai admitted. "But I suppose that you've lived with the Shihouin enough to be half Shihouin yourself, now. Sorry about that, huh?"
"It's quite all right." Hirata said composedly. "I've learnt a lot of things from staying with you and your family, after all."
Kai shot him a grin, moving to leave the waterside, but as he did so, his young companion let out an exclamation, and there was a frantic rustling of grass and leaves as the boy darted back against the trunk of the tall tree.
"Hirata?" Despite himself, Kai paused, turning to cast his companion a look of consternation. "What the hell are you shrieking about - what's wrong? Did you step on something?"
"S...S..." Hirata was visibly trembling, Kai realised, his glasses having half slipped down his nose as he pointed frantically towards a patch of earth on the far side of the copse.
"Hirata? Spit it out - you can't tell me you're afraid of the dark now!" Kai frowned, and Hirata shook his head hastily, not lowering his hand for one moment.
"S...s...snake!" He whispered, and at the word, Kai's eyes widened.
"Snake?" He echoed, immediately slipping between the younger boy and the indicated area of land. "You sure? In this light, it's difficult to see anything. Couldn't it have been a branch...? I don't think District One has as many of them as District Two, so..."
"It was there, Kai-kun!" Hirata's fingers latched onto the sleeve of Kai's nightrobe, and Kai found two desperate, urgent blue eyes staring up into his golden ones, fear glittering in their depths. "Like before, it moved...it went..."
He faltered, indicating towards the roots of another tree, and Kai sighed, running his fingers through his thick long hair as he weighed up his options.
"Are you absolutely certain? I know you didn't like the one back home, but Hirata, we're not there now. And your eyesight isn't the best in the world. There are a million things that it could have been."
Hirata nodded his head emphatically, and Kai sighed again.
"All right. I'll look. Stay there, okay? And if you see it again, yell. But quietly. We don't want to wake Sou Taichou. I don't think he'd be too impressed if he knew you were scared of snakes - and I don't think your Vice Captain would be too complimentary about it, either."
"Okay." Hirata agreed nervily. "I'm sorry, Kai-kun. But if it's there...it might come out when we're bathing...and...and..."
He faltered, and Kai rubbed his temples.
"Remind me to teach you, next time we break, how to kill a snake yourself." He said frankly. "I'll add it into our training program. I know I said I'd help you out if you found one, but you can't quiver away from them forever. Not if you're really going to be a fighter, Hirata."
"I know." Hirata was not trembling as much now, and Kai bent to scoop up a large broken branch from one of the nearby trees, stalking purposefully over towards the indicated area. Carefully he staked out the piece of ground, poking and digging at it at intervals as he hunted for any sign of the slithering reptile, but there was none.
He sighed.
"If it was here, it's gone now. You must've scared it with all your fuss." He said frankly.
"But...but..." Hirata was anxious, and Kai tossed the wood aside, coming to put his hand on the younger boy's shoulder.
"Come on. Let's go back to camp. There are no snakes there, I promise." He said, amused. "I won't tell anyone if you don't - we both need to get up and dressed for whatever today's going to hold, after all."
"I..." Hirata hesitated for a moment, his gaze apparently fixed on a point far beyond where the two of them were standing. Then he adjusted his glasses on his nose, slowly nodding his head.
"All right." He said slowly. "I suppose you're right. I suppose the sun will be properly up soon - and we don't have time for this."
"Well said." Kai clapped his hand down warmly on the younger boy's back. "That's more the spirit. If you're going to be a shinigami, after all, you can't be hiding from wildlife. And if you're going to beat Seimaru one day, you really need to up your game."
"I suppose so." Hirata looked rueful. "I can't rely on you to help me forever, after all. Or Ukitake-kun. One day I'll have to do it for myself."
"Yes. You will." Kai agreed. "All right. I guess I'll see you at breakfast - I haven't time to dally with you now, because I bet Kyouraku isn't even vaguely up yet, and he takes a lot of poking."
Hirata grinned, nodding his head.
"I understand." He said simply. "Thank you, Kai-kun. I'll see you then."
And with that he was gone, darting off across the grass towards the Toutai tent.
Kai watched him for a moment, then raised his gaze to the skyline, taking in the first proper rays of sun beginning to creep across the horizon.
Just about time, I think, if I hurry.
He sped up his pace, throwing back the flap of the Katai tent and slipping back inside. Within, Enishi and Iwai were just beginning to stir, and Kai scooped up his sheathed asauchi, stepping between bodies and poking each one firmly as he passed. As he reached the end that had been sectioned off for the girls, he threw back the blanket divide, taking a malicious amount of pleasure from the startled looks the three girls shot his way.
"It's about dawn, and we need to be up." He said firmly. "If we're not going to be caught napping today, we need to be up and out before Kazoe-sensei decides on another spot inspection."
"You're noisy, Kai-kun." Shunsui objected sleepily, and Kai grinned, prodding his friend again for good measure.
"And you're lazy, Taichou." He said playfully. "I'm serious. None of us want to do menial tasks again today, right? We need to get up. Otherwise it'll be the worse for us, if we do."
"All right, already, we heard you the first time." Naoko muttered, and Kai sent her a dark look.
"We heard you the first time, Fukutaichou." He said pointedly. "If you're insubordinate, Shikibu, I will discipline you. Don't forget that."
"Oh, scary." Naoko pulled a face. "Besides, Sora and I are already awake. We don't need you to play rising bell."
Before Kai could respond, Sora let out a cry of dismay, grabbing her friend by the arm.
"Naoko! Have you got my hakama in with yours by mistake? I swear I folded it last night, but it's not here!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake..." Kai rolled his eyes. "Sora...how can you lose your clothing? This is a tent, not a manor house. There are only so many places you can put things."
"Well, you come look then, Shihouin." Sora said frankly. "Because I can't find them."
"I don't have them." Naoko shook her head, then her eyes widened. "Sora...I don't have mine, either. I left everything by the wall of the tent - but though everything else is here, they aren't."
"Mine either." Hanako piped in.
"Shihouin, if this is your or Kyouraku's idea of a joke..." Naoko said threateningly, and Kai snorted.
"I have no interest in your clothing." He said bluntly. "On you or otherwise. If you lost it, you should be more careful."
His gaze drifted to the pile of clothing he had set neatly by his own sleeping space, and his eyes widened. Though he was certain that before he had left the tent, his hakama had been carefully placed atop his hakamashita, now there was no sign of it, and as he stood there, struck silent, a low chuckle came from Shunsui's space.
"Well, this is good, isn't it?" He said, amused, and Naoko was immediately on him, suspicion in her eyes.
"Is this something to do with you after all?" She demanded, and Shunsui shook his head, gesturing to his own pile of clothing.
"Nope. Mine are gone too." He said matter-of-factly. "And I'm pretty sure that means all of us are in the same position."
"Then why are you laughing?" Sora demanded, and Shunsui grinned, holding out a scrap of folded parchment.
She took it, glancing at him in confusion.
"Someone left us a message." Shunsui said softly. "It seems they've declared war."
"Toutai." Sora breathed, holding up the paper and Kai felt his heart sinking in his chest as he saw the black scribed kanji for 'winter' scrawled in Juushirou's unmistakeable hand across the sheet.
"Damn." He muttered, his mind flitting to the conversation by the lake, as sudden doubt flooded his thoughts. "Was that..."
"Was that...what?" Iwai cast him a startled look. "Fukutaichou, is something wrong?"
"Yeah, you were awake first, Shihouin." Enishi put in. "Didn't you see anything?"
"I went down to the lake." Kai shook his head. "Everything was all right when I left - my hakama were here, I'm sure of that. But..."
He dropped down on his blanket, shaking his head slowly.
"Damn him. That mischievous little brat." He murmured. "I would never have suspected him in a million years."
"Brat?" Naoko demanded, and Kai nodded.
"Hirata was by the lake." He said heavily. "He made some big fuss about a snake, and had me look for it. Damn. I bet he was the decoy."
"Probably, since Juushirou thinks things out thoroughly." Shunsui nodded. "I'm a little surprised, though - how were you so easily taken in, Kai? We did raid them yesterday, after all."
"Hirata's not really someone you suspect of anything, though." Enishi pointed out ruefully. "Even if he's an Endou, you don't automatically think of him doing something like that."
"And he is scared of snakes." Kai said ruefully. "I had to kill one for him last break. He's good at acting scared...I guess because it's been second nature to him for so much of his life. It's easy to forget that he has toughened up a fair bit since we first met him. When he's like that, I guess, my guard is down. He's become like a little brother and I have to protect him...damn."
"Wait a minute." Hanako's voice cut through the conversation. "Are you saying that the people in Toutai did this? That they came into our tent, while we were sleeping, and stole our clothes?"
"Something like that." Sora nodded. "They must have been quiet as mice...none of us even stirred."
"If they deployed Hirata as decoy, they meant business." Kai sighed. "They must've known he'd be the only one I wouldn't suspect...I never knew he was that good an actor."
"He's a rum one, that kid." Enishi mused. "But I suppose if Ukitake asked him to..."
"So what are we going to do?" Makoto asked. "If none of us have hakama, how are we meant to get dressed for breakfast?"
"Mm. Slight problem." Shunsui rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We could just turn up in our robes, of course. We could tell Kazoe that we were trying it as a new form of squad uniform, and see if he went for it. Or…we could send someone to negotiate with Toutai for our clothes back...which seems to be a better plan of action."
"Well, at least we can negotiate." Kai reflected. "If that's what it comes to. But we're running out of time. Yesterday, Kazoe was about really early to inspect us. We can't lose out to them again. Not even if they have got the upper hand right at the moment."
"I think it's perfectly simple to resolve." Hanako got to her feet, tying her sash more tightly around her waist, a purposeful expression in her dark eyes. "They are behaving childishly to get us into trouble and there's no reason we should stand for it."
"Hanako, what are you going to do?" Sora eyed her in surprise, and Hanako sent her dorm-mate a withering look.
"Do? Tell Kazoe-sensei, of course. What else would I do? They're the ones who've been stupid, and I refuse to let us get punished again because of it."
"Woah, girl, calm down." Shunsui reached out to grab her by the arm, but she shook him off, glaring at him indignantly.
"Don't grab me." She snapped. "You know I'm right. It's the only way to resolve it."
"Nakamura, tale telling doesn't solve anything." Enishi said frankly. "Kyouraku's right. Besides, there's more to this than just..."
"Well, you can do as you please." Hanako cut across him, shrugging her shoulders. "You can sit here without clothes if you like. I don't care. But I'm going to Kazoe-sensei. And you're not going to stop me."
With that she stormed out of the tent, and Shunsui winced, casting Sora a rueful look.
"I'm starting to see all too clearly why you're so fond of that girl, Sora-chan." He said evenly. "She really doesn't understand the meaning of 'joke', does she?"
"She doesn't know we pranked them first." Iwai pointed out. "She's only going to get us into trouble too."
"Not if I can help it." Naoko got to her feet. "I'll go and pull her back...at least, I'll try. She's a wriggly brat and she shrieks fit to burst people's eardrums - but at least I can try."
"Thank you, Naoko-chan." Shunsui shot her a grateful look. "In the meantime...I suppose I'll go and talk to Toutai. And see if we can't come to some arrangement about missing items before it blows up into a huge incident."
He pulled himself into a more upright position, reaching across to drag back the flap of the tent, but then he stopped, and Kai frowned, casting his Captain a puzzled look.
"Kyouraku? Something wrong?"
Shunsui muttered a curse under his breath.
"Kyouraku?" Enishi was alert now. "What is it? Is there something out there?"
"Not something. Someone." Shunsui bit his lip, turning to face them. "Yama-jii's out there."
"Genryuusai-sensei?" Iwai's eyes widened, and Shunsui nodded.
"And Hanako's gone right on up to him." He said darkly. "Naoko's gone to join her, but…in the circumstances…"
"A little prank's about to become a big deal." Kai sighed heavily, and Shunsui grimaced.
"Not if I can help it." He said frankly. "We're as guilty as Toutai and if Yama-jii's involved, they might get into way more trouble than if it was just Kazoe laying down the law. I'm going to go speak to him too, you people. Just so you're aware…I don't think we should let Toutai take all the blame."
"But…Genryuusai-sensei…" Makoto faltered, and Sora shook her head.
"Shunsui's right. We began this." She said firmly. "The blame is ours too. Cowards lie, run away and hide…we're not that, right?"
"As Sora said it." Enishi nodded.
"But won't Ukitake just tell them that anyway?" Iwai asked. "I mean, given the situation…"
"Juu won't tell tales." Shunsui shook his head. "He's not that way. He'll take the blame and if he tells them to, so will his squad. No, unless I go speak up, they'll get all the blame. And even if that means we get another day's cleaning – as Captain of Katai, I'm not going to let that happen."
He cast Kai a glance.
"Kai, come with me." He said firmly. "Sora, I'll leave you in charge here. Everyone else stay here unless Yama-jii shrieks for you…we'll handle it from here."
Kai eyed Shunsui for a moment, taking in the uncharacteristic resolve in the dark eyes, and he nodded.
"Understood." He said quietly. "I'm right behind you."
"Genryuusai-sensei's here!"
From the doorway of Toutai's tent, Kira was the first to raise the alarm, turning to glance at his companions with an anxious expression in his blue eyes. "Genryuusai-sensei's come to the camp this morning, Taichou…do you think he's going to inspect us?"
"Genryuusai-sensei?" Juushirou's eyes widened in alarm, and he got hurriedly to his feet, crossing the tent swiftly to join his squad-mate by the opening. "Today? Why would he come here this morning…of all mornings, why today?"
"If he is inspecting us, Katai are going to be for it." Aki said frankly. "Since we have their clothing, and they can't get up without it."
"If I'd known Sensei was coming, I wouldn't have suggested we retaliated this morning." Juushirou chewed on his lip. "You're right, Fujiwara. If he finds out, there will be big trouble. Katai were disorganised yesterday morning. If they are again today…they might get serious black marks put against them because we chose to play a trick on them."
"They played a trick on us first, though." Kamitani pointed out. "In the end, it is somewhat their own fault."
"Yes, but even so…" Juushirou frowned, shaking his head.
"What are you going to do, Taichou?" Ryuu asked quizzically, and Juushirou sighed.
"If I go and speak to Sensei now, I won't be able to explain why we acted how we did without getting Katai into trouble either way." He said slowly. "But if I don't…I think, if there's an inspection due, I'm going to have to say something. In the end, after all, this is my fault in the first instance. They probably pulled the blanket trick on us because I was tired and I snapped at Shunsui last night. So…"
"Nakamura-san is talking to Sensei." Kira interrupted at that moment, reaching over to grab Juushirou's sleeve. "Taichou, what if she's telling him everything?"
"Nakamura Hanako?" Chiyoko demanded, and Kira nodded. Chiyoko groaned.
"In that case, we're all doomed." She said flatly. "Hanako's a whiner, Taichou. She complains about everything and anything and if something happens, she's more than happy to tell tales about it if she doesn't see the point in it. She's stubborn and bratty and a pain in the butt, to be quite honest. If she's talking to Sensei, I guarantee she's telling him we took their clothes."
"Shikibu-san is haring after her." Kira put in at that moment. "I don't know Shikibu-san very well – she's a little scary – but she seems like she's trying to get Nakamura-san's attention somehow. I don't think it's working though. Nakamura-san…doesn't seem to be listening very much."
"Naoko doesn't tell tales." Mitsuki said frankly. "She might have strong opinions, but she's fair. But she and Nakamura-san hate each other…so I doubt…that Nakamura-san will listen to her, even if she tries."
"Mitsuki is right." Ryuu sighed. "I also dislike that Nakamura girl. More than once I have heard Shikibu pulling her in line for making thoughtless comments about Mitsuki's healing abilities and mistaking it for peculiarity. I believe Shikibu is a fussy madam if she so chooses to be – but she does have honour. I do not think she is a tattle-tale."
"Either way, I don't think it matters." Kira swallowed hard, then, "They're coming this way. Sensei, Nakamura-san and Shikibu-san."
"Then we'll have to be ready to greet them." Juushirou said at length. "Everyone is dressed?"
His gaze ran around the members of his squad, then he nodded his head.
"Then let me do the talking." He instructed quietly. "Ryuu-kun, you in particular. No matter what Sensei says…this is, in the end, my responsibility, so I will deal with it."
"Yes, Taichou." Ryuu nodded his head, though Juushirou was aware of the uncertainty in his friend's eyes. "I understand."
"Ukitake-taichou. Kuchiki-fukutaichou. Please present yourselves outside the tent immediately."
Genryuusai's unmistakeable tones came through the fabric wall at that moment, and Juushirou swallowed hard. He glanced across at Hirata, then,
"For the time being, this leaves Hirata in charge." He said softly, and despite the apprehension in his pale blue eyes, Hirata nodded his head. "Hopefully Sensei won't need to speak to any of you…just stay here and keep quiet, all right? We'll try and work things out."
Without waiting for an answer, he pushed back the flap, stepping carefully past the still-squatting Kira and out into the morning sunlight.
Ryuu followed close behind him, and as both straightened to face their headmaster, Juushirou could not read the intentions in the old man's guarded gaze.
There was a moment of silence, then,
"I would like simple answers, please." Genryuusai's voice was soft, and Juushirou did not know whether the teacher was angry or not. "Are Toutai responsible for articles of Katai's uniform being missing this morning?"
Juushirou hesitated for a moment, then he gathered his resolve, nodding his head.
"Yes sir." He said clearly.
"And can I ask on whose orders such an act was carried out?"
"Mine, sir." Juushirou did not hesitate this time, even as he caught Ryuu's wince out of the corner of his eye at such a direct question.
"I see." Genryuusai's thick brows drew together, and there was a brief pause.
"Sensei, they're just trying to get us into trouble!" Hanako took advantage of the silence to put her case once more. "They came into our tent and they took our things and…"
"Silence, Nakamura!" Genryuusai's tones rapped out across the clearing, the sharpness of his words piercing straight through Juushirou's body. Hanako cringed back, suitably cowed by her elder's clear displeasure, and Genryuusai turned his attention back to Juushirou.
"I would like a reason, please, for your conduct." He said mildly. "Since you have admitted responsibility, I am sure you must also be able to explain why you felt such an order was a necessary part of your training."
Juushirou bit his lip, but this time, he did not answer.
"I am waiting, Ukitake." As the silence threatened to drag on, Genryuusai's brow creased in annoyance. "Or am I to assume that you were feeling childish, and that even as a boy two years shy of adulthood you thought it a good idea to play havoc with your companions' belongings? If so I am disappointed in you – I had thought you a more responsible individual than that."
Juushirou flinched at the stinging criticism in the words, but still he did not speak, and as the quietness became unbearable, Ryuu slowly raised his hand.
"Yes, Kuchiki?"
"Ukitake-taichou did not order us to act, Sensei." Ryuu spoke quietly. "Though the suggestion was his, we were not commanded to raid Katai's tent. I was in charge of that mission. I accept responsibility for it alongside him."
"You too, Kuchiki?" Genryuusai slid his gaze across to the young nobleman. "You yourself were a part of entering the tent and taking the items?"
"Yes sir."
"You…and others?"
Ryuu hesitated, then he sighed.
"Yes, sir."
"But even if I asked you, you would not give me their names, I think." Genryuusai sighed. "Very well. A Captain and a Vice Captain both involved in such a petty action vexes me. If you will not give me a reason, then…"
"Sensei!"
Before Genryuusai could finish his sentence, Shunsui came haring across the grass, Kai in close pursuit, and at the sight of their night-robed, dishevelled forms, Juushirou's eyes widened. In any other circumstances, he realised, it would have been an amusing sight, for Shunsui's wild curls were stood almost up on end and Kai's normally neatly bound hair was loose and scattered over his shoulders. But in that instance, with the headteacher's stern presence so clear against his senses, he found it impossible even to raise a smile.
"Kyouraku?" Genryuusai stared, then recovered himself, casting the other boy a frown.
"Well?" He demanded. "Why are you interrupting us? If you have something to say, I trust it to be important."
"I don't know if it's that, Sensei." Shunsui shook his head. "And it might or might not make things any better. But since Nakamura-san has told you half of the story, you ought to know the rest of it."
"The…rest of it?" Hanako looked blank, and Shunsui nodded.
"It was just a prank, after all." He said lightly. "That's all it was meant as. We were all just fooling around."
"This is a Gotei exercise, Kyouraku. Not a holiday jaunt." Genryuusai snapped, and Shunsui nodded, bowing his head apologetically.
"Yes, sir. I know." He admitted. "But what I wanted to say was that…really…it was my fault in the first instance."
"Your fault?" Genryuusai frowned. "While I find myself unsurprised by that revelation, I would like to know how you came to that conclusion."
"Last night, Katai stole Toutai's blankets, while they were reporting with Kazoe-sensei." Shunsui said frankly. "We'd had a long day, and well, I guess everyone was tired and tempers were a little frayed. So we decided to lighten the mood a bit."
He cast Juushirou a rueful grin.
"I guess they decided to fight back, because this morning they took our hakama in revenge." He added. "So you see, really, we're all to blame. Not just Toutai. In fact, Nakamura-san is the only one of us who's completely innocent. She was bathing when we discussed taking Toutai's blankets – she's the only one who knew nothing of it at all."
He smiled blithely at Hanako, who flushed angrily, clearly more upset at having been left out of the discussion than she was at being singled out for her innocence.
Genryuusai rubbed his temples.
"I'm sure it's a futile question, given that it's you I'm asking, Kyouraku – but why did you think something like that would be a good idea?"
"I suppose I just did." Shunsui admitted. "It seemed like one, at the time."
"But everyone backed him up, Sensei." Kai said firmly. "We were all involved. All of us."
"Shihouin-fukutaichou is right." Naoko added, sending Hanako a scornful look as she did so. "With the exception of Nakamura-san…we were all involved in the blanket stealing plot last night."
"I seem to be babysitting a group of unruly children." Genryuusai said heavily. "Do you imagine that on a true Gotei mission, with dangers at every turn, such behaviour is suitable? Kyouraku, you are a leader. Why are you leading your troops into misadventure? And Ukitake…you have no reason to stoop to the same level."
"Some of the blame may lie with me also, Sensei." Ryuu said awkwardly at that moment. "Other than my direct actions, I mean. I think…perhaps…I am somewhat to blame for Katai's actions last night."
"Kuchiki?" Kai stared at his rival, and Juushirou turned, eying his friend in consternation.
"Ryuu-kun?"
"I may…have said…a little too much." Ryuu's cheeks were red, but he kept going stolidly, his eyes fixed resolutely on Genryuusai's face. "I perhaps…often people have said…that I am lacking in tact. And perhaps…given our success yesterday…I maybe…"
He faltered at this point, and Kai grinned ruefully, coming across and slapping the other boy on the back.
"That's the last thing I'd expect from you." He admitted. "But I'm impressed that you'd say it nonetheless."
"Don't touch me." Ryuu glared at him, taking a pointed step away from the Shihouin boy as he did so. "I am not speaking up for your benefit. Only, I am a Vice Captain. And as such, I realise that my actions have an impact on others. Even those subordinates who are not my own."
"So you do at the very least appreciate that fact." Genryuusai rubbed his beard. "I see. Very well. Then it seems there is blame in all quarters."
"Except me, Sensei. I didn't know anything about any of it." Hanako glared at Shunsui accusingly, and Shunsui offered her a benign smile in return.
"You are guilty also, Nakamura." Genryuusai said evenly, and Hanako stared at him in surprise.
"Sensei?"
"Was it your Captain's order that you came to speak to me this morning?"
"Well, no, but…"
"What rank are you, Nakamura Hanako?"
"I…"
"I asked you a question. Within Katai, where do you rank?"
"S…seventh seat, Sensei." Hanako murmured reluctantly, and Genryuusai nodded.
"Did anyone perhaps instruct you to return to your base, when you decided to come speak to me?"
"Well…yes…but…"
"You are ranked for a reason." Genryuusai did not allow her time to finish. "You are, therefore, guilty of insubordination. That in itself is a serious offence – I would like you to think on that for a while, please."
"Y…yes, Sensei." Hanako dropped her eyes, seemingly subdued by this brisk appraisal of her actions, and Genryuusai nodded.
"As for the rest of you, I cannot condone such childish behaviour between young men and women training to be protectors of this world." He said gravely. "The pranks must stop. There must be no more of this. This is a black mark against each of you – one more and I will send the offending squad back to school with a fail. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sensei." The others murmured, and Genryuusai sighed.
"I am, however, somewhat cheered by your loyalty to one another and to your willingness to honestly accept and share blame." He added at length. "For this reason, I will not send anyone home today. However, it is clear that, even two days into the exercise, you are not sufficiently occupied by the tasks that you have been assigned. For that reason…"
He paused, and an ominous smile crossed his features.
"Toutai will return to Katai their missing items of clothing, and from that time, you will have till the sound of the gong to collect up anything you believe may be of use to you outside of the campsite." He said softly. "Once the gong sounds, you must be assembled neatly in rank order outside your tents for me to inspect you personally. You will be given travel rations for one meal each and you will, in squads, be sent out into the wilderness. You will of course remain within the barrier put up by Kazoe-sensei…however, you will not be welcome to return to the base camp until I deem you have learnt enough about the realities of survival on manoeuvre for yourselves."
"Not…welcome?" Naoko blinked, and Genryuusai nodded his head.
"We are clearly too lenient on you." He said evenly. "Perhaps some days where you have to find your own food and shelter will teach you how difficult it truly can be to be sent out into the wilds on your own."
"But…we can take things with us, Sensei? Maps, blankets, things like that?" Juushirou's mind was already working, and Genryuusai nodded.
"A good Captain will have a strategy." He responded. "There are plenty of sources of food in these surrounds – fish in the river, fruit in the trees, several plants that are edible and a few that are not. You should have no trouble finding resources for firewood and places for shelter. The test will be to see whether that loyalty you have just shown to each other can last when conditions are harsher. After all, rain may yet fall. The ground may become muddy. You may lose your way."
He ran his fingers over his beard, then,
"I was saving this your till second week." He admitted. "But clearly now seems to be as appropriate a time as any to send you out. Return to your tents – Ukitake and Kyouraku, see to it that all missing items are returned immediately to their respective owners. You will have a very short time indeed to prepare – make the most of it while you can."
"They are an enterprising bunch, Second Year."
As Genryuusai entered the makeshift tent set up two nights earlier, Kazoe glanced up from his papers, a rueful expression on his face. "We should have expected them to be like this, given their past reputation in doing their own thing."
"They are indeed an interesting group." Genryuusai settled his aging form down on a large cushion, letting out a heavy sigh as he nodded his head. "I hoped that the challenge of yesterday's mission would keep their young minds active – and inspire those not involved to work harder in order to gain a mission of their own. I should know better, though, than to expect sense from any group involving Kyouraku Shunsui."
"Quite true." Kazoe grimaced. "If he wasn't so gifted, I would choose not to teach him at all. Even as it is, I'm sure he never gives his full attention in any class he has."
"But he is honest, at least." Genryuusai reflected. "He did come forward and own his part in the matter without prompting. They are all young fools, Kazoe – but in the end, I think they are young fools I'm rather fond of."
"And it's also an indication, when they go on this kind of exercise, that the top ranked class members aren't always the best potential leaders." Kazoe observed.
Genryuusai was silent for a moment, and then he shook his head.
"No…it is too early yet to judge them on that." He said seriously. "They are still, after all, very young. And the truth is, Kazoe, Kyouraku must gain this experience sooner or later. He is, after all, destined for the Gotei. The moment he stopped fighting us and decided to participate in classes was the moment he accepted that sooner or later he will be a part of the squad system. More, Tokutarou intends him to wear the Eighth District haori. He is the only member of the Kyouraku clan who the whole family will back to take the role."
"Really?" Kazoe snorted. "Then they must be desperate. They've chosen him, over all others?"
"Well, Shunsui is the most gifted Kyouraku in some time." Genryuusai said simply. "His temperament acts against him – and perhaps his intelligence does as well. His Father was also very gifted – and suffered for that fact. Shunsui is in the same mould. You know that he has great skill. Our job is not so much to teach him magic or technique – these things he has picked up largely by instinct. In his case, the curriculum we provide needs to be founded on responsibility and judgement."
"I remember Kyouraku Matsuhara." Kazoe nodded. "I don't think many older Clansmen could forget about him, to be honest. There was so much scandal when he laid down his sword and ignored his duty as one of the Gotei chosen. If Kyouraku Shunsui is the same kind of character…surely the Kyouraku-ke would do well to learn by past mistakes."
Genryuusai smiled.
"This Kyouraku has something the last one did not have." He said evenly. "Ukitake Juushirou."
"Ukitake?" Kazoe looked startled, and Genryuusai nodded.
"Ukitake has a good deal of influence over his peers. Especially where Kyouraku is concerned." He said quietly. "Whilst I know they are prone to getting into trouble and scrapes, even so…I think Ukitake has been good for Kyouraku. Certainly, he seems to want to work to keep pace with the District boy. I've heard him say that he doesn't intend on letting himself drop out of the top class because he doesn't want to be separated from his friends. And Ukitake is a worker. Even if he is still naïve in several areas, he gives one hundred percent in every class he takes."
"That is true." Kazoe admitted. "I have to say, though, that I worry more about Kyouraku's influence on Ukitake."
"Well, it does go both ways, of course." Genryuusai stroked his beard pensively. "But in the end, I doubt too much bad will come of it. Kyouraku is mischievous, cheeky and lazy – but he is not malicious or cruel. And I still hope that some of these traits will fade as he gets older in years."
He frowned, his expression becoming grave.
"Kazoe, on the subject of Ukitake…"
"Yes?" Kazoe sent his superior a quizzical look.
"Have you noticed any changes in him lately? Not so much in his character or attitude, but in his spirit levels and his reiatsu?"
Kazoe furrowed his brow, slipping his glasses off his nose and absently rubbing them against the fabric of his hakama as he considered the question.
"Yes." He said at length. "Now you ask me, I have noticed it. Something rougher and more raw in his approach to the spells he casts. His control is still there – he's worked hard on that and it has paid dividends. I can't fault him on any level and he is still the most promising Kidou student in the Second Year by far. But there is certainly…something a little…deeper in his aura when he summons his reiryoku."
"Mmm." Genryuusai's moustache twitched as he pursed his lips pensively. "Minabe too has noticed a change – in the way in which he holds and swings his weapon, and the manner in which he approaches sparring with his classmates. He has picked up the transition from bokutou to asauchi with frighteningly swift speed – but it is more than that."
"Do you think it's connected to his chronic health troubles?" Kazoe asked, and Genryuusai shook his head.
"No. Not directly. Although his improved health may yet be compromised by the changes that are beginning to take place." He said soberly. "He is young, and I had hoped to have longer to work with him before we faced this kind of thing. But as it stands…"
"This kind of thing?" Kazoe looked blank, and Genryuusai nodded.
"When I first met Juushirou, I felt it very clearly, and he even told me as much himself. That even as a boy of fifteen, without proper training, he had met with his zanpakutou's spirit at least once." He said softly. "The boy hasn't realised, I don't think, the significance of what he saw or what it may mean for his future. But once I realised it, bringing him here was the only option. I have an acquaintance with his former sensei, Kamikura…and he had told me about Juushirou's flares of power and his constant bouts of ill health, particularly since his father died. This information just confirmed for me the urgency of the situation. With his level of spirit power, it would eventually flare up and either kill him or hurt those close to him…and you know the dangers as well as I do of uncontrolled reiatsu in a world where Hollows are growing ever more numerous. Still, he is only eighteen. I'd hoped…at least another year…before this became a significant issue."
"You think that he's at that stage? That he'll summon his sword…as a second year?" Kazoe was alarmed, and Genryuusai spread his hands.
"Every student is individual in that regard. Our timetable only follows what is most likely, not what is simply possible." He said quietly. "I think there is a chance, Kazoe. A good chance. And we must be ready for it. Juushirou's spirit level far outstrips the feeble body nature gave him, and for that reason, his development may have been hastened. As yet, I don't know. But one thing I can see all too clearly. Juushirou has not spoken to us, but I am sure he too has realised the change. Sooner or later, it will move beyond his control."
He let out a heavy sigh.
"When the boy realises he needs our help – or even if he doesn't realise it – we must be there and ready to act." He concluded. "I do not want to interfere until he comes to us himself – but with his health history, we have to be prepared to intervene if things move out of his control. That is why I am telling you, just as I have told Minabe and will tell Uebashi, too. Otherwise it might mean the difference between us training a top level Shinigami or him losing his life shy of his true potential."
Author's note: :|
Yes, this is the proper chapter ten. No wonder people were confused, since I somehow missed it out . I've deleted and reloaded the chapters so people should have new chapter notifications - sorry for the spam. The error is now corrected though and the right chapters have the right names and links and so on.
Thank you Dragonsabre :|