Chapter 44: Kizuna
The paths were uneven and lined with frozen mud, creating slippery patches here and there where puddles from the overnight rain had hardened into a slick, unforgiving surface ready to catch out unprepared travellers. On both sides of the track-way, the trees were devoid of leaves, their thin branches like spider legs reaching out to meet one another over Keitarou's head as he walked.
He had not had trouble getting into District Eight. His mother's worn and faded crest had been as good as a key to the door, and the guards had even offered to send a runner to Tokutarou-sama to tell of his arrival. Keitarou, who had used the wedding as an excuse for his sudden appearance had been amused by this, but had declined it – saying that he would not disturb the noble lord further than his delay already had. Still, he had been allowed through unfettered and, having left his horse in the care of a border stable, he had continued his journey on foot.
He did not know District Eight at all, and he had no clear maps to follow. Yet he had found that he did not need them, for it had taken him little effort at all to discover which trampled, battered paths led to the refugee camps that had caused so much controversy. This was not, he reflected, part of his order from Seimaru, but a judgement he had made on his own – an earlier start and a slight detour in search of the kinsfolk he knew had fled in this direction.
Daisuke's kinsfolk. Irie and her sons.
He smiled ruefully, inwardly berating himself for such a sentimental move. He could bring them no good news, after all, and there was every chance that the camp was being watched for signs of Urahara traitors slipping through the divide. He might bring death and disaster down on their heads – yet even so, he had chosen this fork and now, as he drew closer, he could sense the mingled morass of fear and weariness among the many people who sheltered in this barren place.
The Kyouraku had been overwhelmed, he realised, bending to duck beneath a low branch and setting foot into what could only be described as a shanty settlement. Old houses had been part converted or had thick fabric slung between their support poles to create makeshift shelters under which he could clearly see family members huddled together against the cold. Fires burned feebly in a few areas, but Keitarou could tell that they were a risk more than a help since so much of the settlement was made of wood and surrounded yet further by trees. Natural sources of water had begun to dry up into trickles that had frozen in the winter weather, and a young woman was chipping away at the result, paying him no attention as she bent her energy fully to her task.
She was dark haired, even beneath her shawl, and Keitarou guessed she was one of the District Seven peasants forced into exile by Shouichi's extreme behaviour. In the distance, Keitarou was aware of a motley group of stalls under the Kyouraku standard, and with a jolt he realised that despite the chaos and the desperation, the local Clan were at least reaching out a hand to these struggling foreigners to help them keep alive. Food provisions, medical provisions…and yes, Keitarou thought he could even see armed men dressed in Kyouraku colours – not hunting the stragglers, but helping them and standing watch over the surrounding area.
So this is the pride of the Endou-ke, in the end.
Keitarou's lip curled in derision.
To have their people live here in squalor, whilst another Clan spoon-feeds them and keeps them alive.
"Onii-san?"
A young girl's voice made him glance down at that juncture, pulling his worn grey cloak more firmly over his plain brown robes as he cast her a quizzical look. She was skinny and barefooted, even in the cold of December, and her clothes were so worn that they no longer bore any colour whatsoever. She was about Shikiki's age, he decided, or a little older, with long, messy curls of red-brown hair and big green eyes that stared up at him enquiringly.
"Onii-san, are you lost?"
"Lost?" Keitarou frowned, shaking his head. "I don't suppose that I…at least…"
He smiled, inwardly making up his mind.
"I was looking for kinsfolk of mine. I had been led to believe they were here." He said softly. "My name is Kotetsu – my wife and children left ahead of me but I've been searching and haven't been able to track them down. Do you know, maybe, anyone by that name? I'm very worried for them – and what might have befallen them in my absence."
"Kotetsu?" The girl scrunched up her brow, looking thoughtful. "I don't know. I don't know any peoples' family names. Nobody here uses them, you see. Nobody needs to cos nobody here has anything but themselves anyways."
"I see." Keitarou thought this over for a moment, acknowledging the sense in the youngster's words. "Then perhaps you know them by their given names? Irie, and her sons, Tenichi and Ketsui-kun."
"Oh!" Recognition flashed into the child's eyes and she nodded her head emphatically, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him across the mud-swept settlement towards a knot of tree and bush at the back. "I know who you mean. I know Tenichi-kun. I played with him…we used to play before it got cold."
"I see." Keitarou quelled the sudden, uncharacteristic relief that stirred in his heart. "Then they're staying here now, after all?"
"No." The girl shook her head. "They left…quite a few weeks ago now. Tenichi-kun told me that their Kaa-san had decided it was better that way. That they were going to try and find somewhere better to live in District Eight instead of hoping t'go back home to Seven one day. Cos here, lots of Seven people picked on Tenichi-kun's brother, and made him cry. So Irie-san – she said that it was better that way. Better to go to a place away from everyone here."
"Ketsui was picked on." Keitarou's eyes narrowed as he digested this. "And so they left? You don't know where they might have gone?"
"Mm-mm." The girl shook her head. "Irie-san didn't tell anybody, not even my Nee-san when she went."
She looked apologetic.
"But they're your family, aren't they? You must be worried about them, Kotetsu-san."
"I am." Keitarou was surprised to realise that he was speaking the truth. "To know they are safe is important to me – very important indeed. Even if I never see them again – I want to know they are alive."
The girl hesitated for a moment, then paused, glancing around her to make sure nobody was listening.
"Tenichi-kun did tell me a secret thing." She said softly. "Irie-san told him not to tell anyone, but we were friends and I swore I wouldn't even tell Nee-san what he said. But if you're Tenichi-kun's Tou-san then you should know about it. An' so I'll tell you."
She grinned, dimples appearing in her grimy cheeks, and Keitarou was suddenly struck by how the misery of her surroundings had not destroyed her bright spirit.
"Someone important came here, from the Clan." She said softly, her voice conspiratorial as she related her secret. "Someone very important. He spoke…to Irie-san. An' I think…Tenichi-kun thinks – he told her someplace she could stay. Someplace safe, cos they started to pack up to leave not long after. Maybe if you asked the guards, they'd tell you somethin' else. We don't know anything – but the guards are kind an' they might know."
"The guards are…kind?" Keitarou repeated, and the girl nodded.
"They used to stop it, whenever anyone was pickin' on Ketsui-kun an' they always look out for people who're in trouble." She agreed. "There ain't much here – food an' water and stuff are hard to find but they try an' make sure everyone gets some and nobody steals it. An' when Nee-san caught a chill last week, one of the guards came with medicine to help her get better so as she could look after me an' my baby brother. So if you ask them, I think they'll know."
Irie spoke to guards…and to someone from the Kyouraku-ke.
Keitarou processed this information carefully.
Did she tell them, then, who she was? Does she even realise the significance of that? Daisuke may have told her everything, or he may not have done. And for the sake of the children – would she put us at risk? Perhaps believing there was nothing left to risk except their lives – Irie, have you been careless after all?
He glanced down at the young girl again for a moment.
"Do you know who it was who came from the main house?" He asked. "And why they spoke to Irie?"
The girl shrugged.
"I didn't see him, but Nee-san did. Though she doesn't know that he was speakin' to Irie-san, she saw him ridin' in the village with his guardsfolk" She responded. "She said he was handsome. He wasn't older'n her, either, I don't think – maybe nineteen, twenty, or somewhere's about – that's what she said. And he was nice. Tenichi-kun told me that he'd said it didn't matter, if Ketsui-kun had blond hair. Because, well, it didn't matter."
She eyed him curiously.
"You don't have blond hair." She realised. "But you have the same kind of eyes. Darker, but they're the same. Like Tenichi-kun's eyes."
"Darker. Yes. Much darker." Keitarou said cryptically, his memory flitting to the orders he carried from the heart of District Seven.
The young girl paused, then,
"I didn't mind if Ketsui-kun looked different." She said honestly. "But some of the people were scared of him. They said he was…he was Ura…something and that that was bad. But you're his Tou-san, so you'd know – if there was anything bad."
"Ketsui's a young boy. A child." Keitarou said frankly. "Of course he isn't bad."
"That's what I thought." The girl looked relieved. "Because he didn't seem bad. He seemed normal to me. So I didn't understand it – why they'd say that."
"Because a lot of villages in Seventh District were destroyed by evil men." Keitarou said softly, resting his hand gently on the child's shoulder. "The Endou who drove you from your homes also drove out my family and tried to put the blame on children like Ketsui-kun because they wanted to blame someone else for their own ills. By blood, we come from a different land – from many, many years before you were born, we settled in District Seven. Now we are like you. Driven out because we do not please the Lord of the Endou. We are the same, but it is easy to blame those who simply look different."
He eyed her keenly.
"What is your name, by the way?" He asked softly, and the girl grinned up at him.
"Kirio." She said, without any hesitation in her tones. "My name is Kirio."
"Kirio-chan, huh." Keitarou pursed his lips, then nodded. "Very well. And will you show me, Kirio, exactly where my kinsfolk stayed? Perhaps they left a clue or a message – is that all right? I know I'm a stranger, but…"
"You're not a stranger. No more than anyone else here is." The girl shook her head, curls falling over her shoulder as she did so. "An' I know your name, an' your family, which is more than I know for most folks. So it's all right, Kotetsu-san. I'll show you. It's empty still, after all. People don't want to stay there – in the shelter where Ketsui-kun slept."
"No wonder Irie chose to leave." Keitarou murmured, as he let the young girl lead the way to a sheltered corner of the ragged settlement. "If it was that hard to keep Ketsui safe."
Within a short space of time they had come to the place, and Keitarou bit his lip, surveying the tiny, ramshackle hovel that had sheltered his cousin's wife and children since their flight. There were marks and cracks in the walls, signs of things having been thrown there and perhaps, he reasoned bitterly, it had been Ketsui's Urahara appearance that had been the cause. And yet…
He turned back to Kirio.
"The guards here protected Ketsui?" He asked softly. "Even though he looked the way he did?"
"Yes." Kirio looked surprised. "That was their orders, they'd say. From Tokutarou-sama in the big house. To make sure everyone was treated properly an' there was no trouble."
"Tokutarou-sama? Was it he, perhaps, who came here?" Keitarou wondered, but Kirio shook her head.
"I don't think so." She replied seriously. "The one who came here…Nee-san said he was too young for that. But he was someone important, cos he came on a horse and dressed in all the fancy clothing. That was all. If you want to speak to her…she's probably sleeping since my brother didn't sleep good last night an' she was up with him, but if you do…"
"No. No, it's all right." Keitarou shook his head. "And I should let you get back to her, since she might need your help. Thank you for guiding me, Kirio-chan – and for telling me about my kinsfolk. If I am fortunate enough to meet them again, I'll tell them that it's thanks to you."
"Tell Tenichi-kun I liked playing with him." Kirio said eagerly. "Nee-san says we might leave here too, soon. If we can. And then maybe we'll see them again. If we do, Kotetsu-san, I can tell them I saw you."
"No…please, don't." Keitarou shook his head. "If I can find them, then I will – but I don't want them buoyed by false hope. Our future is uncertain – all of our futures, now. My being near may put them in danger…please keep it a secret for me."
"All right." Kirio was surprised, but she nodded. "I'm good at that. Keeping secrets. I'll keep it for you."
Keitarou smiled, slipping his hand into the folds of his black obi and pulling out a small cloth purse. He opened it, glancing briefly at the coins inside and then removing two, holding them out to the young girl.
She stared at him, eyes huge as she gazed from the coins back to his face.
"Onii-san...what..."
"For helping me, and telling me about my kin." Keitarou took the girl gently by the wrist, pressing the coins into her grimy palm and carefully closing the fingers around them. "Keep it safe. It may buy your sister more medicine, if she gets sick again - or help feed your young brother, after all."
Or help you leave this place, as Irie and her family have done.
Keitarou pursed his lips, wondering why he had been so possessed to give the child money. Yet something in those bright, curious eyes reminded him of the last time he had seen his cousin's young children, and he did not regret it. Seimaru had given him more than enough money to cover his journey, after all - and he had no intention of returning any of the coin to the Endou-ke coffers.
Better here, so that you can move on. I can sense it, after all. The flickering of your aura and how hungry you are. Okaasama and I were like that, once, when we fled across borders and into a new land. I trust you'll have better luck than we did - if this place is truly a safe haven after all.
"Are you...sure?" Kirio seemed doubtful, but Keitarou nodded.
"It's not stolen money." He assured her. "I earned it on my way here. And I'd like you to have it. You've really helped me a lot today, after all."
"Then thank you." Kirio spoke seriously, her grip tightening on the two shining coins. "I'll tell Nee-chan that I got them from someone who needed directions - then I'll keep your secret as well."
She bowed her head, then,
"It was nice meeting you, Kotetsu-san. I hope you find your family soon!"
And with that she was gone, skipping nimbly between the stones and branches without a moment's pause despite the fact she had nothing on her feet against the cold.
My family.
Keitarou moved towards the hovel, touching the wood pensively.
Is that what they are? These are Daisuke's people – Daisuke's, and so I won't have Irie given false hope that her husband still lives. She'll have realised, after all. I'm sure she will – that her husband sent her away prepared to die and not see his sons grow. I won't, either – it would be too dangerous for me to make contact with her now that she's spoken to a Kyouraku, even on innocent grounds. So though I came here to find her…
He paused, stepping beyond the rough fabric curtain that acted as a door and glancing around the deserted hut. There was not much left, he reflected – not much sign of life or that a family had spent time here. Yet as he moved to leave, he caught sight of something scratched in the dirt of the floor, still clear despite the dust that had settled in the family's absence. He bent down, brushing the settled cobwebs away and his eyes widened as he realised what it was.
In clumsy kanji, the characters for Ketsui's name. Had Tenichi been teaching him, then? Ketsui had never shown an aptitude for learning his letters before – had Tenichi been tutoring his younger brother to wile away the uncertain hours in exile?
Unbidden memories flooded Keitarou's own senses, as he remembered a similar day so many years before.
"If you practice, Kei-kun, you'll find it easier."
Even now he could see his cousin bent down at his level, pale eyes resolute behind his glasses and thick, messy hair dragged back into a tail at the nape of his neck.
"See? I'll show you. I'll show you how to write your name. Then when your Father comes back, he'll be really impressed."
"My name?" The four year old stared at his companion, curiosity burning in his mud-slurried gaze. "Do you know how to do that, Nagesu-nii? How to write my name properly, with the right kanji? Papa says my name is special because it matches his – do you know how to write it properly, like Papa writes his?"
"Of course I do." The older boy nodded his head, offering him a grin. "I write letters to Keitsune-jisama regularly, after all, so I know how he writes his name. And I know how to write yours, too. Shall I teach you? Then you can write it for yourself."
"All right." Keitarou nodded his head, looking at the older boy expectantly. "Show me, Nagesu-nii. How is my name written? Papa says its special – what does it mean?"
"Watch." Nagesu picked up a stick from the ground, sweeping it briskly across the dirt into three distinct characters. He indicated each one with the tip of the stick, then,
"Kei. Ta. Rou. You see? That's how you write your name."
"Kei. Ta. Rou." Keitarou's brow furrowed together as he squinted at the letters. "But there are only three there. Should there only be three?"
"My name is only two." Nagesu nodded. "Yours is longer than mine."
He indicated the kanji again.
"Kei means respect. That's why your Father gave it to you – because it's the Kei from his name and from yours." He continued. "And it has a nice, special meaning. If you respect something it means you think a lot of it and admire the things that it does."
"Like I do Nagesu-niisama?" Keitarou asked quizzically, and Nagesu laughed.
"Maybe." He agreed.
"I see." Keitarou digested this, then, "And the rest? What about the rest?"
"Ta means 'great' or big'." Nagesu responded. "And Rou means man or person. So your name means respectful great man. That's what your Father hopes you'll one day grow up into, I think. That's why he gave you such a special name."
"Respectful great man." Keitarou murmured, then, "Can I have the stick? Can I try? I want to write it now."
"Here." Nagesu held out the stick, and Keitarou took it in his tiny fingers, gripping it tightly as he resolutely carved his own kanji into the ground. They were shaky and uneven, yet recognisable, and Nagesu clapped his hands together.
"For a first try that's really good." He reflected. "You'll be writing it easily in no time."
"I can remember it already." Keitarou grinned, reaching across to smooth over the earth, obliterating both his and his cousin's attempt. He dropped the stick, fumbling in his obi for the crest that was pinned there and drawing it from the fabric. Paying little heed to the fresh tear in his clothing, he turned the crest over, settling purposefully down beside the stone slabs that covered most of the summer house floor and determinedly beginning to write his name on the smooth surface.
"Kei-kun!" Nagesu exclaimed, seemingly horrified, but Keitarou kept on going.
"If I write it here, it won't go away." He explained, casting the dismayed older boy an unrepentant grin. "Not like in the earth. This is where Nagesu-nii and Keitarou come and play, after all. So if I put my name here, that's what it will always be. Whenever I come here, this is where I come."
"Father may be cross, if he finds out." Nagesu said anxiously. "You're not supposed to use the Clan crest for writing, Kei-kun – nor write on the stone!"
"But it's okay, since only Nagesu-nii and I ever come here." Keitarou said calmly, sitting back to examine his work with pride. "Now I know my name an' I can write it again for Papa when he comes back, so he won't know I wrote it here. Because Nagesu-nii explained it to me, I can remember what it means and write it easily. Kei. Ta. Rou."
He tapped each kanji importantly then,
"Let's go to the library to wait for Papa and Ojisama, Nagesu-nii!" He said excitedly, pulling on the sleeve of his companion's robes. " I'll show Papa I can write my name, and see how surprised he and Uncle both are to see it!"
"Surprised."
Keitarou murmured, running his fingers over the uneven grooves as he forced the past recollections away. "I didn't know what that word meant then. Or many others. I'd forgotten…how Nagesu was the one to teach me to write my name. Just like Tenichi might have taught Ketsui – like brothers."
He got to his feet, dusting his clothes down.
Nagesu and I are no longer family. In the end it was Daisuke, not Nagesu who wound up more my brother than my cousin. Nagesu is on the other side of that divide – Rikaya-jisama's side, the side who condemned my father and his companions to death. Nagesu is a Clan leader and a Council Gotei Shinigami. I'm an outlaw and an exile. But even so…
He sighed, shaking his head as if to clear it, then,
Enough of this. I have a job to do and reminiscing won't help it move forward. Irie's not here, and I won't try to find her. If she can settle safely in Eighth, that's enough for me. If the guards here don't act against the Urahara, then it's probably the best hope Daisuke could have had for his family and I won't upset it. Safe haven or not, my name is not one which would be welcomed anywhere. I've gone too far for any of that. And it's time I moved to the next part of the plan. I have to rendezvous with Eiraki this evening…I should probably get a move on, since I've also got to see to the Kyouraku guardsfolk and make sure she's aware of my being there.
He turned, stepping through the uneven entrance and back out into the cold air.
On towards the main Kyouraku estate, then. And, with any luck, towards the District Shinigami that will provide the final piece in my research puzzle!
He had never seen so many people.
Juushirou gazed around the enormous banquet hall, a mixture of awe and disbelief in his hazel eyes. It was at least three times as big as the Academy's dining hall, he realised, with tables the length and breadth of the chamber and row after row of people each robed in the finest, fanciest of attire as they jostled to show off their status to their kinsfolk. Most were in various shades of pink and grey, the colours of the Kyouraku, and here and there Juushirou had noted the teal and green of the Shiba mottled in among them. But then, he reflected ruefully, even his own friends had bowed to convention and at the table which he sat, the colours of different Clans stood out even more.
To his one side was Hirata, robed in the brown and red of the Endou, although missing the family's crest as a mark of his continuing exile in District One. On his other side sat Ryuu, stiff and smart in flowing cream and green, his dark hair fastened neatly in a clasp that Juushirou estimated had cost about as much as it would take to feed and clothe an entire rural village in his area of District Six.
Across the other side of the table was Mitsuki, her own cream kimono delicately embroidered with green thread and tiny, pink blossoms to represent the sakura for which the Kuchiki-ke were so well known. Her thick dark hair had been expertly braided by the quick, deft fingers of Yoshiko's own particular maidservants, threaded with silver and adorned with delicate winter blossoms that gave the impression of tiny snowflakes. As his gaze rested on her, she pinkened, offering him a shy smile. This made Juushirou momentarily lose his own train of thought, and he returned her acknowledgement with a rueful grin of his own, hoping that she did not know how pretty she looked or how distracting he was finding it.
Beside Mitsuki was Enishi, strangely smart in the white and silver of the Yamamoto-ke, despite his broad, hulking form. His clothes had, he had cheerfully announced, been sent him by his sister once he'd told her about his invite, and Juushirou decided that Enishi's older sister obviously knew exactly what to expect from her brother - since she had sent a detailed list of instructions with the garment as to what should be worn when and where. On Enishi's other side, slightly dwarfed by his tall neighbour was Kai, neatly clad in the slick black and vivid gold of the Shihouin-ke, the familiar crest gleaming at his throat and his long warrior's queue also formally fastened in gold for the occasion.
As for his own attire, Yasuhiro had waylaid him earlier that morning, with a request that he was to 'attend to his quarters' right away. There he had found manservants waiting to robe him in the most expensive outfit of his life - hakama cast in dark grey with a lighter grey hakamashita and a matching dark grey kataginu over the top. Yet it was not all winter this time, for his obi and the lining of the kataginu were a rich burgundy red, and tiny silverish designs were embroidered carefully and painstakingly into the hem and sleeves of the fabric. It was an expensive kimono, yet one entirely lacking in Clan affiliation, and Juushirou knew that it had been made especially with him in mind.
The colours of the Ukitake-ke - Shunsui teased me about that, but right now, dressed like this, it's how it feels. As though I've been acknowledged, even though I'm miles apart. Dressed like this...dressed like this I wouldn't shame you, would I, Mitsuki? Even if it was only appearances - dressed like this, I wouldn't show you up.
He reddened slightly, aware of where his thoughts were heading, and hurriedly he dragged his mind back onto the matter at hand.
Shunsui was absent, and so was Sora, as their respective Clans had claimed them and Shunsui was seated as befitted his status on the table at the head of the room where his brother and the new Lady of the Kyouraku-ke were situated. The meal was now about over - much to Juushirou's relief, for despite his healthy appetite, he was not used to so much rich food nor such a flowing plentitude of alcohol - and yet the night was far from ended, for yet another huge hall had been set aside for the purpose of dancing and celebrating the event in traditional Kyouraku Clan style. Musicians had been hired with expertise in a variety of instruments - including the biwa, shakuhachi flute, shamisen, koto, and kokyuu, none of which Juushirou had ever had the fortune to hear before and the haunting, alluring strains of music had already added a whole extra dimension to proceedings.
"Rae-hime is very pretty, isn't she." Enishi reflected, setting his drained sakazuki down on the table with a sigh as they observed the final formalities of the meal and then the departure of the wedding couple as they made their slow progress from the chamber. "Tokutarou-sama's a lucky man, when you think of it - to marry a pretty girl like that."
"Houjou-kun, should you be saying that quite so loudly?" Mitsuki sent him an anxious glance. "I mean, people might hear, and get the wrong impression, and..."
"It's not the wrong impression if it's a compliment, surely?" Enishi looked surprised, and Ryuu sighed, shaking his head in resignation.
"Social events are still not your forte, are they, Houjou?" He said disparagingly. "Aside from eating like a horse, to make such comments in such plain view..."
"Although he is right." Juushirou reflected. "Rae-hime really is, well, a hime. Though she doesn't look a lot like Shunsui. I thought she might - given that they're close cousins - but she doesn't."
"It would be weird, don't you think, if she did." Enishi let out a low chuckle at this. "For Tokutarou-sama to marry his own brother - that's the kind of feel that would have."
"Houjou!" Ryuu was scandalised, and Juushirou realised with a jolt as the older boy gestured for a refill of his sake that his classmate had probably already had more than his safe quota of alcohol for that night.
"We should probably follow the example of some of the other Clansfolk, and use this as a good time to leave the dining hall." Kai observed, and Mitsuki looked relieved, nodding her head.
"I agree." She said. "The atmosphere in here is tight and oppressive - so many people packed in, it's making me claustrophobic."
"Then that's as good a reason to leave as any." Juushirou reflected. "I know what you mean. There are just...too many people here for me, too."
"Also there's music in the other hall and I've heard that the flute soloist is especially talented." Mitsuki agreed. "I miss music when we're at school - at home Father always has someone employed to play at meals, and so..."
She reddened.
"I'd like it...if you'd come with me."
"I guess Ukitake doesn't need a hime. He already has one." Enishi observed playfully, and Ryuu grimaced, getting to his feet and hauling the taller boy up with him with an impressive amount of strength even Juushirou did not know he possessed.
"We're going too." He said firmly, in tones that told all those assembled that nobody was going to argue with what he said. "And you will stop speaking, Houjou, unless you start to think before you do. A little sake is a little sake, but an embarrassment for you will be one for your Clan and this is not the right kind of location for you to experience it."
"Hirata, are you coming too?" Juushirou asked, and the final member of the group started, staring at his friend blankly for a moment before nodding his head.
"I'm sorry. I was thinking." He apologised, obediently getting to his feet. "How Okaasama came to the meal, but Eiraki-chan...did not."
"She told me she had a headache, and would ask for food to be served in her room." Mitsuki pursed her lips thoughtfully. "So she retired there after the ceremony. There's a lot going on in her head at the moment - I'm not surprised that she feels that way."
"You said there was nothing wrong with her, though - didn't you?" Hirata looked anxious, and Mitsuki shrugged.
"Not physically." She said cautiously. "But her spirits are unsettled. They're unsettled in a way girls' spirits can be unsettled...and in a way that nothing I or Retsu-sama, even, could do to cure. It doesn't work that way."
Her gaze met Juushirou's fleetingly, and then she sighed.
"Either way, it's something only she can settle with herself." She added. "I told her she would do better to rest, since she's obviously very tired. Perhaps she's taking my advice - at least, in that aspect, I could help."
"What do you mean, unsettled?" Ryuu eyed Mitsuki quizzically. "In what manner, exactly? The girl has safe passage here, and is being well provided for. I realise that still the lord Misashi is in danger, but even so...Hirata has not such 'unsettled' spirits, does he?"
"No. But they're not that kind of unsettled." Mitsuki shook her head. "These are the kind of feelings a girl has, Ryuu-kun, when she feels helpless. When there's someone who she cares about, but who she can't reach or...or...or protect in the way she wants to. Those kinds of feelings. They come unbidden - and they're almost impossible to erase."
"Wait a minute." Even as Juushirou flushed red at the cryptic nature of her words, Hirata's eyes opened wide with dismay. "Are you saying that...Eiraki-chan is...in love with someone?"
"Mm." Mitsuki nodded. "Although she didn't tell me who or how or anything like that. Just...I sensed it from her. Radiating like a beacon. Maybe I'm more sensitive to it, after all...I know how it feels."
"Don't." Juushirou murmured. "You make me feel guilty, saying things like that. You know there are situations...it's not..."
"For Eiraki-hime too, perhaps." Ryuu said wisely. "Since she fled here, any number of things might have struck her. Perhaps even the man who brought them here - since nobody has seen him since the time they were rescued."
"Kibana-dono?" Kai pursed his lips. "I guess that might make sense - though it adds complications for the poor kid, if that is the case."
"That goes without saying." Ryuu gave his rival an imperious look. "Since Kibana is of low birth, and as I understand it, Eiraki-hime is betrothed."
"She is, though I'm not sure she had any choice in it." Hirata groaned. "She won't talk to me about it, much - that whole situation, or anything. And if she was to like Kibana...aside from the fact he has a wife and children of his own, right now we don't even know if the man is alive..."
"Shunsui says he's still sleeping, but recovering, slowly." Juushirou regained his composure, spreading his hands. "But Tokutarou-sama wants him to be kept quiet, so even Eiraki-hime and Sumire-sama can't see him."
"Eiraki-chan is young still." Mitsuki agreed. "And she's bearing a lot of burdens. Give her some time, Hirata-kun. She needs it more than anything at the moment."
"I'll try." Hirata offered a feeble smile. "It's hard, because I worry about her. But I see what you're saying - and I'll try. Thank you for being there to talk to her, Edogawa-san - I think there are some things girls can only tell girls, after all."
"Are you escaping? Quick, sneak me out with you."
Shunsui descended on them at that moment, looping one arm casually around Juushirou's shoulders and the other around Hirata's as he offered them a rueful grin. "Before someone jumps on me and decides to set me up for a marriage match of my own - let's get out of here, huh?"
"Tokutarou-sama doesn't still need you?" Hirata cast him a questioning look, and Shunsui snorted.
"For show. That's all. Nii-sama does fine without me." He replied. "But from this point, I'm all right slipping the noose. At least, he said I didn't have to tag along with all the other fuddy duddy stuff, so I guess that's what he meant. Well? Are we going to join the party? Since you're all up - where's Sora, by the way? Did she not manage to give Kyouki-sama the slip yet?"
"Shunsui, you've been drinking, too." Juushirou grimaced, waving his hand in front of his face as the sweet smell of alcohol drifted over them, and Shunsui laughed.
"Of course." he agreed unrepentantly. "Don't look so worried, Juu-kun. I can hold my alcohol - much more of it than this, believe you me. I'm not even the slightest bit tipsy, not yet - you're quite safe with me for now."
"That's more than can be said for Houjou." Ryuu said grimly, as they made their way through the milling people to where the next stage of the party was beginning to warm up.
"Enishi-kun?" Shunsui cast the older boy a quizzical look, then, "You should take it slower. It's no good if you get drunk straight away - you miss all the fun that way."
"I don't think we'd better ask what kind of fun." Juushirou murmured, and Shunsui chuckled.
"Well, fun would be you and Mitsuki dancing." He said mischievously, a challenge in his dark eyes.
"Shunsui! I already told you, I can't dance!" It was impossible for Juushirou to go any redder, and he pushed his friend away, glaring at him in irritation. "Don't say such stupid things - especially not here!"
"It's all right, Juushirou-kun." Mitsuki held up her hands, offering him a faint, sheepish smile. "I don't...really dance much, either. I never was very good at it - usually I just listen to the music and watch everyone else."
"Spoilsports." Shunsui looked amused. "All right then. Ryuu can dance with Nami-chan, instead. I distinctly overheard her talking to that brother of hers - so I hope you know your steps, Ryuu-kun. It's rude, after all, to refuse a lady a dance, and your Clan would frown on you if you did."
"If that circumstance occurs, Kyouraku, I will be the one in need of sake." Ryuu said drolly, and Shunsui stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing.
"That's something I never thought I'd hear. Ryuu-kun cracking a joke." He said appreciatively. "Well, though I understand it. Still, they're persistent. Humour her, if you can, at least for today. You do dance, right? After all, she'll expect you to."
"I can, and if I have to, I suppose I shall." Ryuu sighed, and Juushirou had the impression that he had just been asked to single-handedly shore up the front line of a battle situation, rather than dance with a girl. "But I shall take no pleasure from it, and she will gain no advantage. I am not going to marry her - or any of your other kinsfolk, Kyouraku. I intend to be a shinigami. That is all."
"Very boring of you." Shunsui tut-tutted. "You don't know what you're missing, Ryuu-kun."
"If 'missing' is being hounded by girls like your cousin, I'm quite happy to remain ignorant." Ryuu replied acidly. "I have no interest in the subject - girls or marriage or anything relating to it - and I am quite content to continue to focus on my studies. So far as I've seen, after all, any amourous interaction with the opposite gender can only lead to unecessary problems."
"Kuchiki...sometimes..." Kai faltered, shaking his head in disbelief. "Sometimes I wonder if you are from the same world as the rest of us - seriously. I mean, I'm in no great hurry to marry, but even so..."
"That is likely for the best." Ryuu snapped back at him. "Since I doubt anyone will be clamouring for a Shihouin husband in the very near future. Not with your Clan still clawing themselves back together."
"That suits me just fine." Kai was unconcerned. "But it doesn't mean that I consider talking to women to be...no, how did you put it? Amourous interaction with the opposite gender. Yeesh, Kuchiki, even when you talk about girls you sound like one of Kazoe's dusty old textbooks."
"Kazoe has textbooks on girls?" Shunsui looked interested. "I must visit his office more often."
"Shunsui!" Juushirou glared at him once more, exasperated. "Are you sure you're not drunk?"
"I'm not drunk." Shunsui assured him with a laugh. "But it's less fun in a party full of guys and of girls who are either related to me or off-limits for one reason or another."
He sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
"As brother of the groom, I have to behave myself. Unfortunately."
"If you do, it'll probably be a first." Kai said wryly, as they stepped into the milling hall. "Wow, a lot of people are around, still. And most of them are crowding Tokutarou-sama and Rae-hime."
"That's to be expected." Shunsui reflected. "It's tradition in the Kyouraku-ke that the Lord makes a progress of his land when he takes a wife, to greet his people fully in all the areas and to present her to them, too. Doubtless my kinsfolk want the arguable honour of putting them up during their journey, and so are competing for his attention even now."
"Even though they mostly don't like him?" Juushirou looked blank, and Shunsui shrugged.
"They don't hate him." He responded. "They know he's a good leader, and that he's generally fair in his judgements. They just don't like his Shiba connections - but that he's married a true Kyouraku has mollified a lot of people. They seem well disposed towards him right now. Otherwise I don't suppose they'd have so easily allowed Sumire-sama and Eiraki-hime to stay here."
"That was you, though, wasn't it? Promising them something in exchange?" Hirata asked softly, consternation in his pale eyes. "I know you were the one who spoke to them...not Tokutarou-sama."
"I only gave them what they've been waiting to hear." Shunsui dismissed this with a flick of his hand. "I gave them my firm, solemn vow that when I graduate, I will take the haori of Eighth Division and the shinigami honour of this Clan on my shoulders. I'd already made up my mind to that, anyhow, but I'd only discussed it with Nii-sama, in case I changed my mind. But I don't think that's going to be an option - so I submitted to them. That was their demand - that if we were a Clan secure enough to offer sanctuary, especially if it might spark off violence between us and Seventh, they wanted my assurance that I was going to accept my responsibilities, too."
"Just that?" Kai was suspicious. "That sounds remarkably easy. Are you sure they didn't ask you to promise to fight for them, in the event of violence with District Seven?"
Shunsui was silent for a moment, and Juushirou knew that Kai had hit the nail on the head.
"That was it, then." He murmured, and Shunsui sighed.
"I don't believe there will be a war." He said gravely. "I don't believe Seventh are strong enough to mount an assault against us and the Shiba, and I don't think Seimaru is fool enough to order it. But yes, I did give them that promise too. That if it came to it...I would help protect the people Nii-sama governs. Because, even though I hate it, right now I'm his heir. And that's my duty too. If I accept the haori, I accept my Clan. And if I do that...this is one of those other duties that I have to take on board."
"I'm sorry." Hirata looked guilty, and Shunsui shook his head, tapping his friend on the brow with a grin.
"Don't. It isn't to do with you." He said lightly. "It's Kyouraku politics. And besides, I really don't think your cousin will send an army here. He'd be obliterated if he did - Kyouki-sama's made her views quite clear on the subject and even as a shinigami, I doubt Seimaru could stand up to Gekkoushin's wrath. Plus, the Council would see it as a sign of unprovoked aggression - and sanctions would be brought. It's a complicated business. I don't think that I'm going to have to keep that promise just yet."
He spread his hands.
"And if I do, well, then I will." He added simply. "Since protecting the people who fled from Seventh and the people who live in Eighth is a good thing...right? Isn't that what Yama-jii teaches us - to protect those weaker than ourselves? Isn't that why we're training in the first place?"
"Somehow hearing such words from you is unexpected, Kyouraku." Ryuu reflected. "Even if they are true."
"Well..." Shunsui paused, then sighed. "The truth is, I'm really hoping it won't come to that kind of a situation. I hate violence. I hate fighting. I don't see any justification for drawing a sword against another living being and I will probably always feel that way. But I've seen it before - fighting and so on, and what happens if you do nothing. So this time, I suppose, I'll try and do something. If it comes. Just because...that's my duty."
He shook his head as if to clear it.
"But enough of this! This is a party, not a wake! We're celebrating - let's drop the political blah for the time being, huh? No point in fretting over what may never happen! Come on - this calls for sake!"
"More sake?!" As Juushirou was pulled across the room, his companions in tow, he shot his classmate a startled glance. "Haven't you already drunk plenty of that?"
"I told you. I'm not drunk." Shunsui shook his head. "I can take a frightening amount of alcohol before I flop over, Juu - you'd be quite horrified, I think, if you knew how much."
"I don't think I need proof of it." Juushirou said wryly. "I'll just take your word for it."
"Shuuuuuunsui! Miiiitsukiii!" Sora descended on them at that moment, neatly preventing Shunsui from responding. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you guys!"
"Did someone say something about sake?" Hakubei came up behind her, offering Shunsui a grin. "Surely you haven't finished for the night already, Shunsui? That's unlike you."
"I was just explaining to Juu and the others that I'm well off my limit so far." Shunsui grinned. "Why? Were you offering?"
"I'm sure that I could quite easily put you under the table, if I tried." Hakubei eyed him speculatively, and Juushirou felt a flicker of unease stir in his heart as he registered the meaning in the older boy's eyes.
"Was that a challenge?" Shunsui arched an eyebrow, and Hakubei laughed.
"Could be." He agreed. "Well? We've time and Toku-nii won't want you right now, not with all those Clan fools milling around him looking for patronage and favour. That is, unless you're scared I'll beat you..."
"You wouldn't stand the vaguest chance of that, Hakubei." Shunsui snorted, and Kai frowned, glancing from one to the other.
"What kind of contest?" He asked suspiciously. "If you're saying what I think you are..."
"A drinking contest. That's all." Hakubei shrugged. "Anyone's welcome to play along - if they think they can stand it."
"I think we'll pass." Juushirou cast Enishi a glance, seeing that his tall friend had curled up on one of the benches, and was already beginning to softly snore as the effects of the drink pervaded his system. "And you should too, Shunsui. This is a wedding party - you don't want to get drunk, do you?"
"I have no intention of getting drunk at all." Shunsui said, smiling sweetly. "I can take far more alcohol than this before we get to that point."
"Oooh. That does sound like a challenge." Hakubei teased, and Sora groaned, shaking her head.
"Niii-samaaa." She protested. "You shouldn't be encouraging him. Tokutarou-nii would be cross with you, and Okaasama would be too."
"It's just for fun, Sora-chan. Nobody's going to get hurt." Hakubei said frankly, patting his sister on the head. "You don't have to get involved. Besides, it looks like Shunsui doesn't want to rise to the bait after all. I guess he's got soft since he went to this Academy of yours - I'll take it as my moral victory."
"I never said anything of the sort." Shunsui protested, amusement in his dark eyes. "If you want, I'll take you on. Fair and square."
"Kyouraku." Ryuu looked disapproving, but Shunsui shrugged.
"It's only for once. Tonight we can all let our hair down, since the wedding happened without incident." He said lazily. "You should relax more, Ryuu-kun - let yourself have a little fun once in a while."
He turned to Hakubei, nodding his head.
"I'm ready." He said lightly. "Name your terms."
Author's Note:
Cookies for anyone who knows who 'Kirio' might be…and yes, she's canon.
Keitarou's name kanji is 敬太郎. Kei. Ta. Rou.
Finally, the wedding. I have no idea how people in Ancient Soul Society got married. I have only the very vaguest ideas about how they might've done in Mediaeval Japan and really, I know nothing at all. This SS is set 2000 years before canon, and canon is Edo-jidai with computer science and so on and so forth. That being the case, I decided to make it up. Tokutarou's wedding bears little or no resemblance to anything actually Japanese, though it has bits and pieces that may connect in. It's just easier that way!!
Also...you're getting two chapters uploaded today! Because...I felt like it...! Yay! xD.