Chapter Thirty Six: Caged Bird
"Are you going out again, Kei-nii?"
Shikiki poked her head around the door of the makeshift laboratory, apprehension and dismay in her aqua eyes as she registered her guardian's unfamiliar apparel. "You went so far away already – are you leaving me again so soon?"
"I'm only going to pander to the Lords of the Endou and get them to give me their trust." Keitarou turned, holding his hand out to her and Shikiki's mournful gaze lit up as she ran across the chamber's cold floor towards him. "I'm sorry, Shikiki. You feel I'm neglecting your training, don't you? But I promise, you are still important to me. And even if I do have to leave for a few days together, I will always come back. We will still continue, just as we were doing before…and once things improve, I hope, in better surroundings than this dark, dank place."
Shikiki sighed, gazing up at her companion pensively.
"I think you look funny with black hair." She said soberly. "I think it's a bad omen, that you coloured it that way."
"A bad omen?" Keitarou stared at her, then let out a low chuckle. "Really? And do you add that to your skills too, then? You can turn back time within your barriers – and reject reality with your magic. Can you also see the future, Shikiki?"
"No." Shikiki reddened, shaking her head. "It's not that. It's just…"
She reached up to finger a stray lock of her own messy hair, then,
"The Endou-ke have black hair." She said gravely. "Like Seimaru-sama, and I don't like him. I think he's a mean person, Kei-nii. And…and I don't like that you're wearing clothing like he does. In brown and red and with those ugly birds all over them. They're bad birds, after all. Birds that pick apart other animals when the gods come to take them away, or birds that swoop and kill other birds. I've seen them over the village. They're all mean birds and it makes me sad."
"Are you worried about me, then?" Keitarou crouched before her, meeting her gaze at eye level as he rested his hands gently on her shoulders. He was in a good mood today, she realised, the consternation and stress of the past few weeks having dissipated in light of a new challenge and secretly she had been both glad and worried to see it. Keitarou was still a difficult man to predict and, although he had not ever hit her, she knew now that that was not because he wasn't capable of it. So far, she remained in his favour – but deep down she feared angering him and seeing that coldness resurface in his pale eyes.
She nodded now, glancing at the floor as she shuffled her feet awkwardly against one another.
"I don't want to lose Kei-nii too." She whispered, and at that, Keitarou snorted.
"I am not going to die, Shikiki." He said firmly, clasping her shoulders tightly then releasing them with a grin. "I promise you that. I won't be killed. I am stronger than that – and people have hunted me for a long time. I may as well hide in plain site, after all, as in the shadows."
"But…" Shikiki faltered, chewing down on her lip until she could taste blood.
"Yes?" Keitarou asked softly, and Shikiki sighed.
"Dai-nii stained his hair black and then he died." She admitted uncomfortably. "And so…I don't like Kei-nii…with black hair."
"Not all people with black hair get killed or kill." Keitarou told her evenly. "And if it puts your mind at rest, I'll tell you why it is I know I won't die."
He reached out to touch the child on the tip of her nose.
"I am more powerful than anyone in this District." He murmured. "I have never been trained, nor registered, and nobody knows about my abilities. It caused the downfall of one powerful bigot and if necessary, it can prove the end of another, too."
"I don't understand." Shikiki's eyes became big with confusion. "What's a bigot? And why did they fall down?"
At her innocent question, Keitarou laughed, shaking his head.
"No. Not like that." He said, amused. "A bigot is someone who hates for no reason except their own warped ideals. They hate people who aren't like them, and work to make their lives difficult. And I was talking about Shouichi-sama, Shikiki. Seimaru-sama's grandfather and the former Head of the Endou-ke."
He paused, then,
"Shouichi-sama was several times as strong a Shinigami as Seimaru-sama yet is, but I will work with him to change that." He said contemplatively. "So long as he knows that, he will remain our friend. Yours as well as mine – he knows you are important to me and he will not hurt you so long as I keep giving him what he wants. But Shouichi-sama was a strong Shinigami and I took that Shinigami and removed him from the equation. There is nobody in this District who is my equal. Nobody. And therefore nobody will kill me – no matter how hard they try."
His eyes narrowed.
"Not even Seimaru-sama." He murmured. "And if he tries, he will be the next Endou to die in mysterious circumstances."
"Kei-nii, did you kill somebody?" Fear gripped Shikiki's heart, and Keitarou nodded.
"I took revenge." He said matter-of-factly. "For Daisuke's death, and for the death of other members of my family. For your family too, Shikiki. This time I only killed one man, in the end – and it was a man who killed so many in his turn. Now he can't kill any more people – do you think, then, that what I did was bad?"
Shikiki did not answer straight away, turning this over carefully in her mind before she did. Then she sighed.
"I don't like when things die." She said cautiously. "But he shouldn't have hurt Dai-nii. That made Shikiki sad…and Kei-nii, too. So…if he can't hurt other people, now…maybe it's all right that Kei-nii killed Shouichi-sama. So long as…so long as nobody comes to kill Kei-nii because of what you did."
She hesitated, then flung her arms around him and was comforted to hear his laugh, feeling him return the hug with a warm one of his own.
"I love Kei-nii." She whispered. "And I don't want anything bad to happen to you because of those people."
"I know, and I'm not going to get caught or unmasked." Keitarou assured her once again, sounding in that moment like the warm, gentle Keitarou who had first reached out and offered her shelter four years before. "So don't worry about me. You stay here and work hard on your barriers. The more you do, the happier I'll be. Besides…"
There was a moment of silence, then Shikiki heard him whisper something in her ear.
"Soon I hope to have a playmate for you." He murmured. "Someone else whose power I hope to evaluate and, perhaps, enhance."
"A playmate?" Shikiki was startled, pulling back to stare at him in surprise, and Keitarou nodded, putting his finger to her lips.
"Shh. That's a secret." He warned her. "A special secret you mustn't tell anybody. But yes. Soon. Very soon, I hope."
His lips twitched into a smile, but it was the cold, conniving smile that Shikiki did not like.
"A young man from the Districts, just like you." He concluded. "A young man who's going to help me finalise a lot of years of precious research."
This time tomorrow the carriages would be here.
Juushirou strolled through the grounds of the Academy, winter cloak wrapped tight around his frail body as he took in the faint signs of frost coating the outermost branches of the surrounding trees. Most had dropped their leaves now, in readiness for the bleak season ahead, yet even though the colours of the spring and summer were behind them, Juushirou still loved this time of year. Winter was grey, and as he now knew, grey suited him. It was a part of him, just like the haibyou cough and the lank white hair and the name that even now still held the faintest hint of a curse in its three carefully chosen kanji.
Nobody at the Academy had ever asked Juushirou why the number fourteen featured in his name, and even if they had, he would not have been able to answer. That there was a legend with a curse – that the number fourteen was a cursed number shrouded by death in the ancient stories of District Six…for the first time he had begun to hope that he had staved back those ominous predictions and taken firm control of his own life. He had never asked his father if that was the reason for his name – he had never had to. It had been unspoken between them – a name given in grief as they had buried his mother on that cold December day. But Juushirou had resolved himself that he would not be taken by the Ukitake curse. He was different. He was stronger. He was a shinigami.
And tomorrow he would enter District Eight, an honoured guest of the ruling family with an invite to the Lord's winter wedding.
True, he mused, they would all be there with him. Hirata, who had delayed his decision to the last minute, unsure whether his being so close to the border would incite Seimaru to cause trouble for Shunsui's family. Kai, who had no reason to cross Seventh to go home, yet who had resolved that where Hirata went, he would go, taking seriously his vow to help protect and train the younger boy in the Shihouin's dedicated way. After all, he had said with a grin, it was good politics for a Shihouin heir to be seen at a Kyouraku function.
There was also Ryuu, of course, and Mitsuki – Juushirou had heard from both that Guren had been relieved at having an acceptable reason to prevent them from crossing into District Seven to reach District Six. He had therefore apparently charged them with representing the Kuchiki-ke at what Juushirou was fast realising would be a very significant social function. And Sora, as Tokutarou's cousin, would also be there – reluctant, perhaps, but determined to do her duty by the older brother figure she had adored and join her own kinsfolk among the other guests of honour.
Finally there had been Enishi, and Enishi's decision had been as simple and straightforward as Juushirou had come to expect from the oldest member of Class Three. He had simply grinned, clapped Shunsui on the back and assured him with all warmth and friendliness that if he was wanted, he'd be glad to attend, and that was that.
Naoko was the only member of Class Three not going to the wedding, Juushirou reflected, pausing to watch a couple of fluffed up birds as they tried to find a sheltered place in the sparse wood of the tree. She had been invited – and Mitsuki and Sora had both tried to convince her to come. But, try as they might, she had held firm. She would be wanted at home, she had said primly, and that had been that.
Later that day, Juushirou had heard from Sora – who always seemed capable of finding out anything – that Naoko's older sister was due a baby in the winter months and, though Naoko was no healing spirit and despised tending to anyone, she had chosen to go to keep the older girl company in her month of confinement.
Juushirou had not seen Naoko in that light before – compassionate rather than forceful and judgemental, but he had found himself respecting her for it. It was, after all, a thing girls did – a province that he didn't rightly understand, but, from his own family past, one which was both of great significance and fraught with danger. Naoko's sister would doubtless be glad of the company.
Juushirou wondered absently whether it had only been Anika there to support his mother as she had prepared to bring him into the world. Kaede had always relied heavily on the kindness of Juushirou's aunt Tomiko, as well as Chihiro as she had grown older. But Juushirou did not know how to ask questions about his own birth…and even if he had, only Anika, surely, would be willing or able to answer them.
He sighed, shaking his head as if to clear it. Raiko was as much a wraith in his memories as ever, but at least now he felt his connection to her a little more clearly. He was Raiko's son and Hidenobu's son and both of them still lived inside of him. And now he was Kaede's son…and, perhaps, he'd become Genryuusai's, too, in the last six months. They too had left indelible impressions on his life – impressions that had allowed him to get to this point and still be ready to fight.
"Guess who!"
A pair of hands suddenly clamped themselves over his eyes and Juushirou, startled out of his wits by the suddenness of the intrusion stumbled, falling back and bringing his assailant down with him. The other boy let out a yell as they both tumbled onto the cold, damp earth, followed by a chuckle of amusement and the white haired boy scrambled around, glaring at the intruder indignantly.
"Shunsui! What are you trying to do, scare me half to death?"
"You seemed away with the fairies. I guess more so than I realised." Shunsui hauled himself into a sitting position, ruefully rubbing his back as he did so. "You're heavier than you look, Juu-kun. Remind me not to pull you on top of me again."
"If you're bruised, it's your own fault." Juushirou retorted, then he relented, offering a sheepish grin. "But you're right. I was thinking. About everything that's happened this year, and my family, and…everything, I suppose."
"Are you really okay not going home to see them this winter?" Shunsui became serious, getting to his feet and hauling his companion up with him. "I know that you spend a lot of time here, but with it being your birthday…"
"It will be the first birthday I don't spend with my kin." Juushirou nodded. "And that does feel a bit funny, when I think about it. But…it's not as though I'm going to be spending it on my own."
He shrugged.
"I'm going to be with friends." He added. "So I think it will be fine. In a few weeks I'll be nineteen, after all. Nineteen is only a year off adulthood, and besides…"
He pursed his lips, looking pensive.
"Sougyo no Kotowari means that going home is always going to be risky, now." He admitted. "I'm not the Juushirou I was before I went to the Academy. Maybe…I've changed even since before Father's death, but I'm understanding those changes a lot more now. My natural reiatsu has always been high, but now it's being trained and…well, even if I work to suppress it, there's always a chance I might bring danger to my home without meaning to. The Hollow that killed Father came because of me – it was me it had found and it was me it tried to hunt down. Then there wasn't anything I could do about it – but if it happened again, I'd like to be able to act and protect them. I'm not quite at that stage yet…so for this winter, I think, it's fine if I don't go home."
"Well, so long as you're sure." Shunsui grinned. "Because I am glad you're coming, both for the pleasure of your company as well as for all the logistical reasons you're so fond of. But my world – my home – isn't exactly a home like yours is. Be prepared for that, all right? There are nice people in it – but that doesn't make it cosy and affectionate like your place in District Six. Formality dogs everything, whether you want it to or not. Don't be disappointed, huh? It won't match up to the Ukitake-ke, so I hope your expectations aren't too high."
Juushirou laughed.
"You have a topsy-turvy way of viewing things, sometimes." He observed. "But that's part of your charm, I think. Most Clansfolk would consider my home a hovel and my family untrained. I'm glad that you're not like that. I wouldn't want to change them and I'm not ashamed of where or who they are. But…I think, given that you feel that way, I won't be disappointed by District Eight. As you said, there are nice people there. Nice people make a home, no matter how big the estate."
"Well, nice people and my extended family." Shunsui sent him a look of foreboding. "Who maybe aren't all quite as cuddly as Nii-sama or Okaasama are. Be prepared, okay? I'll jump hard on anyone who's disrespectful to you – but just so as you know, not all of the Kyouraku-ke are sane or reasoned beings. And not all of them approve of even Nii-sama, let alone me having friends without titles longer than their given name."
"Warning noted." Juushirou nodded. "Don't worry. That's just like being at school – and it hasn't phased me yet."
He frowned.
"It will be all right, to take Sougyo with me?" He asked softly, and Shunsui nodded.
"That is one thing you needn't worry about. Zanpakutou are commonplace among Clansfolk." He agreed. "Even if the Kyouraku have specific rules about the Gotei, there are other Kyouraku training to summon their swords. Like Nii-sama, they may not ever reach a high level. But it won't be thought of as strange. To do it as a District kid and a second year here is unusual – but to have a sword at nineteen isn't. Not to Clan."
"Kai-kun said that Midori-sama was sixteen." Juushirou nodded. "I remember now."
"You should come and finish your packing, then." Shunsui took him firmly by the arm, leading him across the grass. "Even if I know you like the winter, it's not good for you to be out in the cold for too long and even worse for you if you keep Yasuhiro waiting tomorrow morning. You're travelling with me, after all, in Nii-sama's carriage. Let's not do anything to annoy the gorilla retainer before we start, okay?"
Despite himself, Juushirou laughed.
"Yasuhiro-dono is a bit intimidating." He admitted. "I found it hard to speak to him on the trip back from Inner Seireitei."
"He's all right, really. But serious about his duty." Shunsui nodded. "Kyouki-sama gave him to Nii-sama when he first came to live with them as a sort of bodyguard as well as a manservant. Just in case. And there were attempts to abduct Tokutarou-nii from there. After I was in Uncle's custody, I think there were even assassination attempts, too. That's why Nii-sama brought Yasuhiro back to District Eight and kept him as his chief retainer. He's loyal – he'd never sell Nii-sama out. And that matters most, in Clan. Having people who are on your side."
"I suppose it's a serious matter, succession." Juushirou's expression became grave. "Like in District Seven…Shunsui, do you really think Shouichi-sama was murdered?"
"Positive of it." Shunsui said grimly. "How or by who, I'm not quite clear. But yes. It's too convenient. It must've been a damn clever plot to fool the Unohana – but even so…I'm sure that's what it was. Shouichi-sama was tough as old boots. He wouldn't have simply fallen and died with a whimper like the reports are making out."
"Then you think Seimaru is still scheming?"
"Another absolute yes."
"Will that end up being trouble for District Eight?"
"No more than usual, I imagine." Shunsui reflected. "Not while Kyouki-sama is there to back Nii-sama up. Uncle dabbled with the Endou, Father and Nii-sama preferred the Shiba. And so it still is. The Kyouraku and the Shiba are tied together – and Kyouki-sama would kill Seimaru if he crossed too many lines and broke too many rules."
"Kyouki-sama doesn't seem like the kind of person to kill." Juushirou objected, and Shunsui sent him a rueful look.
"That's naïve." He scolded. "Of course she is. She's a Clan Head. She's ruthless when she has to be, just like Nii-sama is. That's why I'm not cut out for it. I don't want to kill anyone. So I'll stick to Hollows – those, I think, I might just manage to take on."
He grinned, giving Juushirou's arm a tug.
"But that's all irrelevant. Political stuff aside, I want you to have fun." He reflected. "And more, I want me to have fun. So we'll do that. Okay? All of us. Even if the wedding is full of family and formality."
"Okay." Juushirou nodded. "Now exams are over and our rankings have been posted, I think we all deserve that."
He sent Shunsui a rueful grin.
"I upped my percentage this time, and you still beat me."
"Only by one mark, though." Shunsui pointed out. "And if I hadn't done all that studying, you would've beaten me. So…it's your own fault for encouraging me to work harder."
He smiled sweetly.
"Don't you regret it, now?"
"Not really." Juushirou shook his head. "It keeps it interesting, and besides…if you really are going to be a Captain with a haori one day, you should be top of the class."
"I guess we'll see." Shunsui said noncomitally. "I don't think I'd mind too much if it was you who took my top slot."
He shrugged.
"Anyone else…maybe now, that would bother me, to be honest. But not if it's you. I quite like it when you shock people – and you're not the kind of guy to gloat."
"Are you two spending all day outside?" Kai's head appeared around the door of the main building at that moment, an impatient look in his golden eyes. "Kyouraku, you said you were going to get Ukitake, not go strolling in the grounds with him. We're trying to coordinate plans for tomorrow – will you get a move on?"
"Sorry, Kai-kun. My bad." Juushirou owned. "But we're here now. Let's head upstairs and discuss it properly, huh? After all, I suppose we'll be leaving early so the sooner we know what the plans are the better!"
Fresh air.
Keitarou stood for a moment in the cobbled courtyard of the Endou estate, taking a deep breath into his lungs as he savoured the brisk chill of the early winter breeze.
It had been some time since he had been able to move so freely above ground and with so little suspicion cast his way. Despite Shikiki's premonition he had been accepted almost at once, Seimaru having put enough fear into his council that they would agree to anything he suggested and, as Keitarou had come to realise, Riku's reputation was held almost in as much fear and esteem. To have written confirmation in her own hand was as good as any letter of introduction to the corrupt administration of Seventh District, and so he had not been questioned even by the most cynical among the nobility. He was a kinsman of Riku's summoned here to marry Eiraki in order to rehabilitate Riku's bloodline and enhance Seimaru's own power.
The irony of it was not lost on the canny scientist. Here he was, in a foreign land and with a false name yet, for the first time, tasting the life that had been denied him by the Council of Elders a century earlier. But for that decision, he knew, he might well have entertained a political marriage or become part of the Urahara administration. Yet it was the Endou who had sheltered him - and Seimaru for whom he would use his talents.
At least, so far as that went.
So far Eiraki had resisted meeting with him, providing excuses of unsettled health via her maidservants as reason why she could not entertain her new fiancé in person. Yet Keitarou was not fooled. Fear and caution had driven her to act to protect herself – and he would need to find a way to break those defences down. Young and gullible he might believe her to be – but she was also an Endou, and well aware of the intrigue that surrounded her Clan.
"Minazake-dono!"
As he crossed the courtyard, unfamiliar cape flapping against his fine Clan clothing, a voice accosted him and he paused, turning to send the speaker a quizzical look. For a moment he racked his brains, trying to remember which fool member of the Endou administration this was, and then, at length, the name came to him. He bowed his head, dark tail of hair falling over his shoulder as he did so.
"Good morning, Raiden-sama." He said softly, as the red-faced man bustled across the ground, his wide form squeezed firmly and tightly into expensive fabric that seemed to have been stretched to fit his broad frame.
"Are you heading to see the Lady Eiraki?" Raiden looked doubtful, a troubled look in his eyes. "Surely...Minazake-dono...I realise that...however..."
"Raiden-dono?" Keitarou eyed the older man quizzically, confusion in his gaze. "I was summoned here on the instruction of Seimaru-sama to be formally betrothed to Eiraki-hime. Should I then be forbidden from seeing or speaking to her? Surely not."
"No...no. Not at all." Raiden shook his head hurriedly, discomfort in his gaze. "But Minazake-dono...take careful heed of Seimaru-sama and his instructions. Obey them to the letter. He is a strong man and a bold one, but he does not forgive those who step against him. Not even those who have repented their actions - as we have lately seen."
Keitarou turned his gaze towards the annexe, a thoughtful look on his face.
"So I have heard." He murmured. "So I came here, as fast as I was able, to obey his command. To leave my family stronghold and enter foreign territory...to try and repair the dishonour done to my family through the exile of the Lady Riku and to reform bonds with Seimaru-sama and his court. He has been gracious and kind to extend a hand of peace to me after so long forgotten on the fringes of the Clan. You have no idea, Raiden-dono, how much of an honour this is - for me to walk here among you without you staring at me in fear or mistrust."
"The incident with the Lady Riku was unfortunate, but some years past. Time heals wounds, so they say." Raiden reflected, completely missing the sardonic humour in his companion's words, and Keitarou smiled.
"Yet perhaps not all in Seimaru-sama's heart, according to your warning?" He pressed softly. Raiden looked once more discomfitted, shaking his head.
"We have all realised that he means to follow in his Grandfather's footsteps and be the kind of great leader that the Endou needs to stay strong." He said gruffly. "But that leadership comes with ruthless sacrifice. Eiraki-hime's Lord father is imprisoned - we none of us know where or how, or what his condition is now. Seimaru-sama takes the girl's safety seriously as a personal concern. Would he be content, then, to let you see her without an official chaperon present?"
Keitarou was silent for a moment, then he spread his hands.
"I have Seimaru-sama's leave to hold discourse with my fiancée. Nothing more, nothing less." He said finally. "I have no intention of indecent behaviour towards her - I know she is still young, after all. On the contrary, I seek to put her mind at rest. I am a stranger here, after all. If I am to marry someone close to the Clan leader, I should do all I can to strengthen that connection."
"You are a stranger here." Raiden repeated the words almost ominously, and Keitarou's eyes narrowed.
"Are you trying to warn me or threaten me, Raiden-sama?" He asked innocently. Raiden shook his head.
"Neither. Just simple advice to tread only where the Lord tells you to tread." he said frankly. "That is the only path for an Endou in central administration - Seimaru-sama has already made that clear."
"Then I will endeavour to do just that." Keitarou bowed his head again in acknowledgement. "Thank you for your advice, Raiden-dono. I will keep it firmly in mind. Good day."
With that he turned on his heel, continuing briskly towards the stone-walled building before Raiden could expand any further on his cryptic warning.
A man afraid of something. Seimaru, most likely - and with good reason. But perhaps me as well. He does not know me - I am from the North, so far as he knows, from a branch of the Clan isolated since the exile of Lady Riku to Hokujou. Now I'm here...to marry the daughter of a man locked in chains. It must cause some unrest, the swiftness with which this has happened. And Misashi-dono's life is not really of interest to me. Still...there is a possibility he could recognise me, so it is better he's confined for the time being. It allows me an anchor, at the very least -a way into the heart and trust of a vulnerable young girl.
"Minazake-sama."
Eiraki's ladies greeted him in the entrance hall, and Keitarou mustered up a gallant smile, bowing his head to each in acknowledgement.
"I would like to see Eirake-hime, if I may." He murmured. "And speak to her a while, with her permission."
The maids exchanged looks, then one of them spoke.
"Eiraki-hime has…not asked for visitors, sir." She said hesitantly, and Keitarou nodded.
"I know. Three times already she has declined to see me." He agreed. "But I'm afraid I must persist. If this continues, both she and I may feel Seimaru-sama's wrath – and I fear for her safety as well as my own."
The second maid nodded.
"We are instructed by Seimaru-sama to allow you entrance." She said firmly. "And his orders supersede those of Eiraki-hime. We will admit you – please, follow me."
"Sakiko, are you sure…" The first maid faltered, and got a dark glare for her trouble.
"Hime or not, you know our instructions come from higher, Yuriko." Sakiko said flatly. "Seimaru-sama wishes Minazake-sama to be able to meet with his appointed fiancée. Eiraki-hime puts herself and us in danger by continuing to shut herself away."
She smiled at Keitarou once more.
"It is customary, after all, for an affianced hime to receive her future husband without objection." She added. "In District Seven, Eiraki-hime is a hime but she is not a person of political significance. She has no right to complain about the decisions of her menfolk – and we will not let her anger Seimaru-sama by trying to be brazen."
Yuriko flushed red, clearly uncomfortable, but she did not speak up a second time and Keitarou found himself led through the winding stairwells and long halls to the suite of rooms that had been turned over to the young girl. They were appointed in the finest manner, with every finishing that a pampered hime could want, yet Keitarou still knew this was Eiraki's prison. And, as he met the girl's frightened gaze across the room, he realised too that he had become a second gaoler – she feared him just as she feared Seimaru.
Well, I can deal with that. Unlike Seimaru, after all, I understand how people work.
He bowed his head towards her in the same formal, gentle way he had the first time they had met.
"Good morning, Eiraki-hime." He said softly. "I hope I am not inconveniencing you by my visit."
Eiraki faltered, then slowly bowed her head, and Keitarou's smile widened.
"Thank you." He said to the two maidservants. "You have no doubt duties to attend to – I will not keep you any longer."
Yuriko's eyes widened at this clear dismissal, and she opened her lips as if to protest at the idea of leaving a young girl unsupervised with her betrothed adult fiancé, yet Sakiko was too quick for her and had grabbed her firmly by the arm, sending her a warning look.
"Please summon us if you require anything, Minazake-sama." She said simply, bowing in return then forcibly hauling her companion from the room.
As the door slid shut behind them, Keitarou found himself alone with the young Endou princess for the first time and an uneasy silence hung heavily over the room.
"I am glad to finally have a chance to speak with you directly, Eiraki-hime." It was Keitarou who spoke first, crossing the room towards her and noting the tension in her slender frame as he did so. She was a child, he realised, yet she was starting to show the first signs of womanhood and, though Seimaru had dismissed her as a wretch of a girl not worth anything, Keitarou could see that, in a few years, she would probably blossom into a very pretty individual. Unlike Seimaru, her eyes were not pale and insubstantial in colour, but were a vivid sky blue and were full of a mixture of emotions that gave her feeble form a strange sense of life. Her features were delicate, if touched by apprehension and melancholy at the situation in which she had found herself. Fleetingly Keitarou wondered whether the rumours were true and that she, of all the Clan, bore Yayoi's appearance in her young face.
She was robed in the attire of a high ranking Clan hime, with an elaborate kimono folded in shades of pink and embroidered with delicate, tiny flowers at the sleeves and hem. At the waist, a wide brown obi pulled the garment together. It too was woven with the most intricate of floral designs, and her long dark hair was pulled back from her face, swept up in the style of an adult Clanswoman although Keitarou knew her fourteenth birthday had only recently passed.
She was Seimaru's puppet, and he had dressed her for the occasion. Wry amusement struck Keitarou's heart at this. A girl dressed up as a lady – yet one who, if Seimaru had his way, would never live to see that come about.
She had not responded to his greeting with more than that forced bow of the head, and he eyed her keenly.
"Are you, perhaps, afraid of me?" He asked lightly, noticing the dismay in her expression at his gentle question.
"I am hurt, Eiraki-hime. So far you have avoided my company on three separate occasions, and now you cannot even give me a good morning greeting. It pains me that I should cause you such displeasure, just by showing my face."
"I…" Eiraki faltered, and Keitarou took a few steps more towards her, pausing just a short distance away. If he wanted, he could touch her now, yet still he kept that space between them. She was like a frightened kitten, and it would not do to either bring out her claws or cause her to bolt for safety.
"Will you always be afraid of me?" He questioned instead. "Is the possibility of our forming any kind of friendship foiled because it was your cousin who recommended our match?"
Eiraki was silent for a moment, then she shook her head.
"Father told me to obey the Head of the Clan, and so I will." She whispered. "I gave Grandfather my word that I would marry if he decided it, and now he is g…gone, it is for Seimaru-sama to decide my fate. I am n…not afraid of you, Minazake-sama. I…I just…"
She trailed off, and Keitarou smiled.
"Minazake is so formal, and I am not used to hearing it." He said honestly. "My name is Roukei. Kei. You may call me that, Eiraki-hime – since I am forward enough to call you by your given name, and I will feel guilty if you do not reciprocate."
"But…you are…some years my senior in all regards." Eiraki's eyes widened, and Keitarou shrugged.
"Nonetheless in blood you outrank me." He said matter-of-factly. "And besides…I would prefer it. If you call me Minazake it forms a wall between us. I don't want that to be the case, Eiraki-hime. Even if you hate the sight of me now…I hope in time you won't."
He glanced at his hands.
"I am not used to being spoken to with formality." He admitted. "And I would much prefer it…if you would call me Kei."
Eiraki swallowed hard, then,
"All right." She murmured. "I will…try to call you…Kei-sama instead."
There was still apprehension in her blue eyes, and Keitarou pursed his lips.
"Ah, but you are still uncomfortable." He observed. "Perhaps you think I might molest you, when you are still so young."
Eiraki's cheeks flushed red at the forwardness of his question.
"I…I…"
"Shh." Keitarou reached across to put his finger on her lips, and she flinched back instinctively, eying him with wide, frightened eyes.
"I have no intention of tainting your honour." Keitarou said quietly. "You are not yet a woman, and I am a patient man. Neither of us choose to marry, after all – we are both in this at the mercy of your Lord cousin."
"S…Seimaru-sama…ordered you to marry me, too?" Eiraki looked startled, and Keitarou nodded his head.
"For political convenience, he saw it as a wise decision." He lied glibly. "For you and I to be so paired and therefore our children well beneath his control. For I am as snared by him as you are – he is too powerful an individual to even think of defying."
Eiraki eyed him for a moment, then she sighed, and Keitarou saw tears glittering on her lashes.
"I did not know." She murmured. "I thought you…had chosen…had asked…because you are kin to Riku-basama, and…your family wanted to return representatives to the centre of court. I thought that…and Seimaru-sama…so I thought it was because I…cannot…refuse."
"I have no blood kin to want such a thing." Keitarou said bluntly. "They are all long dead. I am the only one left. I was summoned here – I follow Seimaru-sama's instructions, and that is all."
"Alone?" Eiraki stared, and Keitarou felt the first inkling of a thaw between them. "But…Riku-sama…?"
"A lady I have met but twice in my life." Keitarou's words were rich with irony. "And that is all. My mother, my father, both long dead and me...well, this is the first time I have ever been in the centre of the Endou administration or a position of this level."
Eiraki gazed down.
"I really thought you had chosen to marry me." She whispered. "Because I'm Seimaru-sama's cousin, and because there is no way I can currently refuse any of his commands."
"I'm sorry, then, for the misunderstanding." Keitarou's features became grave. "I know you are worried for your Father's safety, Eiraki-hime."
Eiraki's head shot up at this, alarm in her gaze.
"You…know about Father?" She whispered, and Keitarou nodded.
"All do." He said simply. "That he has been confined indefinitely in an unknown location. It must weigh heavily on you, whether or not he is well."
"So long as I do not displease Seimaru-sama, I believe he will be well." Eiraki said softly. "But…not knowing…it makes me afraid…"
She bit her lip.
"But I must not say such things." She murmured. "It is not safe. I'm sorry."
"You can say them." Keitarou spread his hands. "They are not surprises to me, nor things I will repeat to any other. Seimaru-sama is a ruthless individual, after all. I know, because I have been a victim of his power and justice myself."
He paused, debating the gamble, then making up his mind.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. To obtain trust I must give it – if she betrays it, I will simply kill her.
"I carry a secret – a secret that, if revealed, would probably end in my death." He continued out loud. "Seimaru-sama knows this secret. Because he knows all of my history – I can never escape his grasp."
He moulded his features into a haunted expression, all the time watching out of the corner of his eye to see whether the young girl believed him.
She was hard to read, he reflected ruefully, just as her Father was known to be. Yet she was still very young, and more, isolated and alone in this austere place. That was his opening – and he knew he had to take it, regardless of the risk.
"A secret?" At length Eiraki spoke. "A…bad secret? Something…evil?"
"A secret that endangers me." Keitarou agreed. "If I were to trust you with that secret, Eiraki-hime, you would also hold my life in your hands. But if you ask it of me, I will tell you – if I trust you, perhaps then you'll learn to trust me."
"I…" Eiraki faltered, and Keitarou gazed at her expectantly.
"It's your decision." He said softly. "Even forced into this situation, I don't want you to think that I intend you harm. If it will make you trust me – then I will put myself in your hands and trust that you will not betray me."
Eiraki's expression became thoughtful, then, for a split-second he saw fleeting decision cross her gaze. She nodded.
"Very well." She said quietly. "I will hear your secret, Kei-sama."
Keitarou gazed at her, taking in her sudden composure, and inwardly he was amused at her attempt to be more grown up than she was.
She truly is a frightened little girl forced into a predicament by her crazy cousin and ineffective father. But I can help her. And she can help me. So I will pursue this. And I will take the risk.
Out loud he said,
"I would not have you call me Minazake, since that is not my true name."
"Not…?" Eiraki stared at him, disconcerted. "Then…you are not…of Northern descent within our Clan? I heard my maids talking, and they seemed to think you were some part Kyouraku – but…surely…from Riku-basama…"
"They are not entirely wrong. My mother was half Kyouraku and I have Kyouraku blood." Keitarou shook his head. "But my bloodline is not Endou and the connection to Riku-sama was fabricated for her own and Seimaru-sama's nefarious ends. I am not a true part of your Clan, Eiraki-hime, and do not deserve for you to look at me as such. I was one originally taken in by Shouichi-sama and, now that he is dead, I no longer have anywhere to hide. My true name is Urahara. I am one of the exiled Clansfolk – one of those hated beings whose heads the Council would like to see on spikes outside the gateway to Inner Seireitei."
Eiraki's eyes became wide with fear and she shuffled back, staring at Keitarou in alarm.
"An…Urahara?" She whispered, and Keitarou nodded, allowing his features to become sad.
"So you fear us too." He murmured. "Although it is my people who have been slaughtered, not those belonging to your Clan. There are scarce few of us left now…those of us whose only guilt is bearing a blood connection to the scientists who broke Council Law a century ago. Because of those mistakes, we're all tainted till we die. But we are still people, Eiraki-hime. And we still have lives we want to lead."
He frowned, remembering Daisuke.
"My cousin was killed not long ago." He added. "And I could do nothing except bury his body. Tomorrow it may be me they come for – only Seimaru-sama has protected me. But because of it, I am not free. I am his servant – his slave, perhaps. Just as you are – I have no choices of my own. I act on his whims, just like you. We are both puppets, after all."
Eiraki looked contrite.
"I'm sorry." She said slowly. "I should not…I didn't mean to react that way. I hadn't thought of the Urahara…in quite that light before."
She sighed, rubbing her temples.
"I don't know much about it." She said honestly. "People have told me that your kin were evil, so I believed them. But…but my kin are evil too, Kei-sama. My Grandfather was a cruel man. As you rightly say, my cousin has my Father imprisoned – perhaps in pain or worse – and seeks to kill both him and my Mother if I do not do as he commands me. Many, many people have been killed because of the Endou – I'm starting to see that this Clan is steeped in blood and I…I do not like it. So who truly is the villain? I don't know any more. I don't know…"
She got to her feet, moving restlessly to the window and gazing out over the lands below.
"Perhaps I am, for going along with it." She said honestly, and Keitarou was genuinely surprised by the adult perception in her words. "I begin to think now that Nii-sama…"
She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she swung around, and Keitarou eyed her in interest.
"Nii-sama?" He asked, feigning ignorance. "You have an older brother, Eiraki-hime?"
"I…don't know, now." Eiraki buried her head in her hands. "I mean…yes. He lives. But he is exiled. And I…should not speak of him. Father would be angry if I did…and so would Seimaru-sama."
"And what did he, this brother, to make himself so detested?"
"I don't know." Eiraki admitted. "And sometimes I think…Father didn't want him to be exiled. Even though he always says that we shouldn't worry about Hirata-nii and that he had left the Clan I…don't think so, sometimes. But…Seimaru-sama hates him. And would kill him, if he were to return. So…"
Keitarou's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Is he strong, your brother?" He asked softly, and Eiraki shrugged.
"He wasn't." She confessed. "At least…he was stronger than I was, and he…he had power, everyone said that. But he was…not the same as Seimaru-sama. And so…nobody took notice of him. Then…Father sent him away. To District One. To train. And after that he…he did something to defy Seimaru-sama. I don't know what, but…since then…even though Endou are forbidden from entering District One, my brother more or less makes it his home."
"And he no longer writes to you?"
"I have not heard from him in over a year, and all letters I have sent are stopped at the border and returned to me." Eiraki's tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "I have given up. But I can't think he isn't my brother…I just…don't know if he still is."
Keitarou got to his feet, coming to stand at her side.
"You should not be here." He said frankly. "You and Sumire-sama…while Misashi-sama is imprisoned, you are in danger too. He would not want you to be manipulated. He would want you to leave."
"But how can I leave? With Father in such danger…" Eiraki shook her head, and Keitarou looked grave.
"My cousin who died sent his wife and sons to safety before him." He said quietly, and now he could not keep the genuine emotion from his tones. "He knew there was danger, but he chose to stay here even so. So long as they were safe, he was content. I'm sure therefore that Misashi-sama would feel the same – that so long as you and your Lady Mother were safe – he would have less to concern him."
"But…"
Eiraki faltered, and Keitarou put his finger to her lips once more. This time she did not pull away, and Keitarou knew he had gambled and won – even tentative and hesitant, he had begun to gain her trust.
"I will help you." He said softly. "I will find a way for you to leave this place once and for all."
"But what will happen to you?"
"I will remain here, cover your tracks and then, when the time is right, I will slip away too." Keitarou said seriously. "If I can discover where your father is held…then maybe I can help him too."
"Why would you risk yourself, though? I don't understand?"
"I saw my kin die and could not prevent it." Keitarou said frankly. "I'm therefore bound to make amends by helping someone in the same situation. Besides…"
He frowned, shaking his head.
"So long as Seimaru-sama is in charge, none of us will be free." He said regretfully. "I did not know till now that you had a brother, nor that he was to be trained in District One. That makes things different – it gives me hope. Perhaps…if you could reach your brother…perhaps then we would have a way to fight. After all, a daughter cannot inherit the Endou-ke. But a son…a son can."
"You think…Hirata-nii…" Eiraki stared at him, clasping her fingers tightly around his arm, and Keitarou nodded.
"While you are here, you're Seimaru-sama's puppets." He said gravely. "But even though Seimaru-sama could easily kill your father, he has not. This must be the reason - I was a fool not to realise it before. You have a brother, and whilst things are as they are, that brother will not act to save you, since he might cause your deaths. But if you could reach him and talk to him – then what? Would he not come, then, to free his Father and save his Clan from destruction? So long as you have a brother who lives, Seimaru-sama would surely not dare kill your Father. If he did...if he did..."
Eiraki's eyes became huge as she pieced the fragments of his paper trail puzzle together.
"Hirata-nii would be the heir to the Clan." She whispered. "Grandfather and Seimaru exiled him, but the Clan has not officially disowned him because Grandmother…Grandmother favoured him a little, I think. And Father said...to Seimaru-sama himself one time...that the day Father died would be the day Hirata would become Seimaru-sama's heir. Seimaru-sama would not want that...for Nii-sama to come back and rebel against him, even turn the Clan against him...but..."
She faltered, then,
"I do not know much about the place he has gone to in District One. Only that strong Shinigami are trained there." She admitted. "Do you think...in that place...my brother could learn to be strong enough to fight Seimaru-sama and win?"
Keitarou's eyes became slits.
"If he did not, why would Seimaru-sama still keep your Father alive and you in this pretty prison cell?" He said softly. "If he did not fear Hirata-sama...why would he not act?"
Eiraki digested this for a moment, then she nodded her head.
"You are right." She murmured. "You must think me such a child for not having realised it before. Even Seimaru-sama has said that Hirata-nii wishes to act against him...even he has said it to me, so therefore Seimaru-sama must fear something my brother has. Something he can do. Something, maybe, he's learnt in that place Father sent him to."
She frowned, and Keitarou saw real resolution glittering in the vivid blue eyes, showing a flicker of the inner strength that her retiring nature had so far managed to overrule.
"We will leave here, then. Mother and I. And we will take this message to Hirata-nii ourselves." She said decidedly. "With your help, Kei-sama, somehow we will."
She hesitated, then,
"Father has a servant by the name of Kibana Hiroto." She said softly. "He is now demoted to being simply a member of Seimaru-sama's retinue, on account of Father's disgrace – however, he is not born in this District and is loyal only to Father. When Father was first put in irons, he sent me a cryptic message by way of a maidservant that if I needed him, I was to get word to him somehow. I think…if we were to speak to him…he would know a way to leave this place."
"Kibana Hiroto?" Keitarou repeated the name to himself, idly wondering if Seimaru knew about this and whether the maid who had protested about his entering Eiraki's chambers was the same one who had carried the missive behind closed doors. "And he is a man of arms? A soldier?"
"Yes." Eiraki nodded. "Kei-sama, you must be discreet in speaking to him – I do not know if he is being watched or if his being left alive and free is an attempt to snare him into treason in my Father's name. But I have heard Father say that Kibana-dono carries the seal of the Kyouraku-ke and was once a retainer in Eighth District before their civil war. I think…he is able to cross the barricades and get beyond the border. And…if that is true…if we could reach the Kyouraku then I…I think we could get word to my brother in District One. Tokutarou-sama despises the Endou – but he has good relations with the Yamamoto."
"You are far, far cleverer than Seimaru-sama realises." Keitarou reflected, more than half sincere. "All right. I will follow your guidance and do as you say. I will find Kibana Hiroto-dono, don't you worry, and between us we will engineer a way to spirit you and Lady Sumire from the dangers of this court."
He smiled.
"And when it is over...when it is all over...I will make sure that you are no longer a prisoner. Whether you become my wife or whether you do not – I am decided. For your sake and for the sake of my dead kinsfolk."
"And when that happens, I will find a way to end it too." Eiraki promised softly. "With Niisama's help, I'm sure I can find a way to stop the persecution of the exiled Urahara. Because...now I know...in which Clan the most true evil lies. You aren't the one who should be hunted, Kei-sama. If I can, as an Endou-hime, I will put it to rights. Bury the past, and somehow…let you move on too."
Keitarou's eyes glittered with triumph and he nodded, reaching across to touch her on the shoulder. It was only a light touch, but from within the depths of his sleeve the blade of his knife glittered faintly, and as his fingers brushed against Eiraki's arm, something small and finely glittered shot from the tip of the weapon, burying itself deep into the girl's chest. As the two made contact, Eiraki flinched, starting and putting her hand to her heart as though she had been suddenly stung by an insect.
"Eiraki-hime?" Immediately Keitarou dropped his arm, all concern as he raised his gaze to meet hers. "Are you all right?"
"I..." Eiraki coughed, rubbing her chest and looking confused. "I feel as though a wasp stung me...but I...do not see one. And...through the folds of my kimono, I..."
She faltered, shrugging her shoulders.
"I am too much on edge." She said sadly. "I imagine even the insects want me dead, now."
"The sooner that you leave here the better, then." Keitarou got to his feet. "I will leave you now, but I will keep my word. I will find a way and a means to help you escape this place and I will return here when I have further news. For both of our sakes, this must remain between us – but whatever else occurs, I will keep my word."
He bowed his head towards her, then turned, withdrawing from the chamber into the hallway beyond. Once the door was shut behind him, however, a faint smile touched his lips.
Insects indeed. Well, I suppose she isn't far wrong. My weapon may be considered such, in some circles, after all.
He leant up against the wall, closing his eyes as he focused his energy on the tiny fragment of metal he had left inside the girl's ribcage. Though it only buzzed faintly against his wits, it was enough for him to reach out to Eiraki and, if he so wanted, he knew he could use it to plant suggestions into the girl's thoughts, subtly manipulating her to his advantage.
A minute, thin slither of Chudokuga's shikai - nothing of the level I used to rip the hearts from the Endou guards. I don't wish to kill her - just monitor and use her to the best of my ability. Now she knows my secret, after all, and this is the best way to ensure she shares it with nobody. She is not spiritually strong, despite how hard she pretends to be, therefore such a tiny piece should suffice. This way I can withdraw it at any time – it's safer, should anyone suspect. After all, I won't need to use the full thrust of my Bankai to use her effectively, and killing her is Seimaru's interest, not mine. Killing powerless little girls is not my preferred pastime - a waste of blood and energy and certainly not worth my full attention.
He sighed.
Still...now I can report back to him directly. He can let them go, now. They will find Hirata, and I will ensure the boy and his proof are brought back to District Seven so as at last I can continue with my work more freely. And also...the District shinigami.
His smile widened.
Already I'm looking forward to meeting him. This boy is undoubtedly too a piece of the puzzle...little by little it'll all start to weave together soon. Once everyone who should be is drawn into my web...then things should start to move more quickly.