Chapter Forty Five: Puppet Master
The night was dark and cloying, the air heavy and suffocating despite the chill as Eiraki slipped from her chamber, out into the grounds of the Kyouraku-ke manor. From the main building she could hear the noise of the wedding party, now into its final stages since it was already some time past midnight, and in drabs of two or three she could see people leaving the hall, some swaying and stumbling across the pathways towards their respective guest quarters.
Eiraki stood in the shadow of one of the great willow trees, watching them with expressionless eyes. Though she had attended the wedding, she could not find any joy in her heart for the occasion she and her mother had accidentally stumbled into. On the contrary, the ceremony had made her sad - for her thoughts had been drawn once more to Keitarou and the uncertain fate of the Urahara exile since their departure from District Seven.
Was he even alive? Eiraki hoped so, yet she could not stifle the restless shred of fear that stirred and burned deep within her as she thought of him. So many soldiers had been there...so many fighters and even the brave and strong Kibana had taken a serious wound in helping them escape. Had Keitarou been a victim too? Had he been cut down by Seimaru's men as he tried to distract their attention?
A shiver ran through her young body at this, and she put her hand to her chest as she felt something tighten itself around her heart. It had been there on and off for days - even since before she had left District Seven, and she knew the stress of the situation was still building up inside her, even despite her conversation with Mitsuki.
The one you care for is here, and you can see him. The one I care for may no longer even live. It's not so easy to let go - even if I could tell you everything. And there's so much I cannot.
She sighed, closing her eyes against tears that came unbidden as she remembered the last conversation she and Keitarou had had once again.
Ukitake-san's family may be lowborn, but they aren't controversial or scandalous. They aren't hated and reviled like Kei-sama's family are. Even if I told you...even if I did...would you understand? No matter how kind you are...Mitsuki-neesama, would you be able to see why it is I feel this way? Why I know that the Endou are more of an enemy than anything Kei-sama or his family have done?
A couple passed her by at that moment, and she instinctively stepped back into the shadows, for some reason not wanting to be seen by anyone. They would only question her, she knew as to why she was wandering abroad alone at such unsociable times of night, and it might even create trouble for her and her family if they were to think her behaviour was suspicious. Yet she did not want to go back to her chamber. Something had drawn her out here, into the fresh air - and she did not feel like returning to the stifling, sleepless darkness of the guest room.
As she stepped back, she had the sudden impression that she was not alone, a sensation that was confirmed the next moment as a gloved hand came down on her shoulder and a second around her mouth before she could let out a scream. Fear coursed through her as she felt herself dragged backwards through the undergrowth - deeper and deeper into the woodland that flanked the Kyouraku estate. Her captor did not speak, merely pulling her further away from the main pathways and the wedding party that until a moment before had felt oppressive and isolating. Now she almost wished she was there, rather than here, the prey of an unknown lurking in shadow.
And then the shadow spoke.
"Please forgive my roughness, Eiraki-hime, but I cannot be seen any closer to the Kyouraku estate than this."
Eiraki's eyes widened as she found herself deposited gently on the ground, the gloved hands disappearing from her body as she swung round in disbelief, a lump rising in her throat. In the darkness, cast in vague shadow by the shreds of moonlight that filtered through the trees was the last person she had expected to see there, and a sudden jolt of emotion rushed through her as she stumbled forward, flinging herself on him with a stifled moan of relief. Tears coursed down her cheeks, flowing unchecked as she allowed her joy to fully wash over her senses.
At length, she managed to form the words.
"Kei-sama!"
"Shh...shh." Keitarou's hands were gentle as he carefully pried her away from his body, holding her at arm's length as he cast her a concerned look. "I'm sorry. It seems I've frightened you a good deal - that was not my intention."
"No." Eiraki shook her head hurriedly, reaching up to dash away the tears as more fell. "No, not at all. I just...I thought...I was so worried, Kei-sama. So, so worried. I thought I'd never...but you're here...and..."
She faltered, choking on her words as further sobs rose in her throat, and Keitarou patted her gently on the shoulder.
"I have worried you, then." He murmured. "But as you see, I'm quite well. And as I promised, I came here to see you were safe."
"Mm." Eiraki nodded, eyes shining as she gazed at him. It was true, she realised with a jolt. Though he was robed in the plainer attire of an ordinary traveller, he was clearly in good health, with no sign of any lingering injury about his lean body, and she let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Then...Seimaru-sama...does not know?"
"It seems that way." Keitarou agreed. "But I have kept out of his way since his return. There were no surviving witnesses to your escape, after all - they were all killed, and therefore...without proof..."
"None?" Eiraki stared. "But...those guards...are you saying...?"
"Kibana is a phenomenal soldier." Keitarou said gravely. "He fought to protect you. I trust...he is still with you? He took an injury before he left - tell me, did he make it safely to District Eight, or...?"
"Yes. Yes, he did, but he is still quite ill." Eiraki bit her lip. "He's asleep - but Tokutarou-sama's doctors are treating him and he...it seems he makes slow improvements. He collapsed on our arrival, but we were fortunate, Kei-sama. We fell into the path of Shunsui-sama...and...and my brother."
Keitarou's gaze became thoughtful.
"You have met with Hirata-sama?" He asked softly, and Eiraki nodded.
"He's here." She agreed. "And he's working hard, Kei-sama. To fight Seimaru is his intention, too. He means to do it, and I...I want to have faith in him."
"Then he has planned for this, just as we hoped?" Keitarou enquired. Eiraki bit her lip, remembering that morning's conversation.
"Okaasama says that it's too soon. That if he was thrown into that fight now, he would be killed." She murmured. "But he still…I think…he knows there are no other ways open to us. Although I tried asking him about the proof – the letter you told me you'd heard talk of – and he denied having it. So…perhaps it does not exist after all."
"He denied it." Keitarou's eyes became thoughtful. "Perhaps he seeks to protect his sister from all harm by doing so – do you think?"
"He swore on the blood and honour of his Clan that he did not." Eiraki whispered. "I do not think he would do such a thing and lie."
"So you believe it was a false lead? There is no letter?" Keitarou asked her, and Eiraki faltered.
"I don't know." She admitted. "He had a funny look…when I asked him. He never told me that the letter did not exist. Just that he did not have it – and would not give it to another Clan, not even the Shihouin whom he trusts. Perhaps…it does not exist. But I…I don't know, Kei-sama. I think…that if it does, it is not with him. And so he didn't lie to me, but even so…"
"He concealed from you the truth."
"Yes." Eiraki swallowed hard, disliking the sudden flicker of resentment that flared in her heart at this juncture. "He's never done that before, but this Nii-sama…I don't know him. He's grown up – grown away from me, somehow. There are other people…people I think he trusts more than me, now."
"Other people?" Keitarou sounded surprised. "He has gathered allies to his cause? This Hirata-sama is indeed a perceptive young Lord…deserving, too, of our support, it would seem."
"I don't know." Eiraki sighed. "The ones he trusts…he hasn't said it. But they're other people. Other Clansfolk. And…not Clansfolk. Shihouin Kai-dono is also at the estate and he said very clearly that he was Father's ally and Hirata's, and so Mother's and mine too by default. I believed him. But Hirata-nii's relationship with Kai-dono – and with the others…it's different, somehow. They have an alliance, but they are…friends. Even if the politics are against them. He even befriends the son of this Kyouraku Clan enough that Shunsui-dono would go to lengths to ensure our protection here for his sake. Nii-sama has changed. Everything has changed. I can't explain it, but it makes me feel even more alone here. Especially because…even though he's been exiled for the longest, Nii-sama doesn't seem to…to be alone."
"Then I'm all the more glad I took the risk to come to see you." Keitarou said gently. "Because to leave you all alone was never my intention, Eiraki-hime."
"It's none of it your fault." Eiraki shook her head. "I just...sometimes I wonder if Nii-sama wants to go back at all."
"You think that he might not return home?" Keitarou was surprised, and Eiraki shook her head.
"I know he will. He's worried about Father, after all." She said heavily. "But whether he wants it – I don't know. Everyone around him calls him Hirata. Nobody calls him Endou-ke…nobody calls him '~sama' or '~dono', not even the District boy. And…I think he likes it that way."
"Seimaru-sama would be angry, if he knew that." Keitarou's lips thinned. "But then, I have no particular dislike of District boys, Eiraki-hime. Given my position…"
"I didn't mean that." Eiraki said hastily, her cheeks colouring in sudden embarrassment. "I don't either. I mean, Ukitake-san is nice. But just that…it's not what I'm used to, here. Everyone calls me '~hime' and I find I don't like it, because Nii-sama is just 'Hirata' and he…belongs with them. I don't know any more where I belong."
"Then we'll have to see about fixing that." Keitarou put his hand gently on her shoulder. "Won't we?"
"I was worried about you." Eiraki sighed, some of the tension seeping out of her body at his touch. "All of the time since we left - it was so hard. And I was worried about Otousama. Do you...have you...news for me? About...him?"
"I have not yet discovered his place of confinement." Keitarou shook his head regretfully. "And so that means my visit here is brief - I must return. I just wanted to see you safe. I am quite certain Misashi-sama is still alive - things that Seimaru-sama has said gives me hope that he is not being held far from the main manor. But I must still...discover more details."
"Then you're going back there?" Eiraki's heart sank. "Even though it's dangerous?"
"I am." Keitarou agreed. "I only came to see that you'd arrived here safely. And since you have, that means I, too, can stop worrying about you."
"You were...worried about me, too?" Eiraki asked hesitantly, and Keitarou smiled.
"Of course." He said gently. "You are very important to me, Eiraki-hime. I should hate to see anything unpleasant befall you."
"Oh!" Eiraki's eyes shone, her earlier depression lifting at his simple words. "Then...then I'm sorry you had to worry. I mean, I'm all right. I'm...I'm well. And Mother, too. And I have been fretting a little, but I will try not to. I...I'll try and talk again to Nii-sama and convince him that he can do this, and that...together...we can somehow put District Seven back to rights. Then it will all be well, won't it? And I can see to it...I can find a way, then, to make sure you and your kin are no longer persecuted, either."
"You haven't disclosed my secret to anyone, I trust?" Keitarou asked quietly, and Eiraki shook her head.
"I haven't. And I will not." She said firmly. "You can trust in me, Kei-sama. I won't say a word. Besides, it doesn't matter to me. You're Kei-sama, and that's all. You're someone I believe in...so I won't betray you."
"You're a good girl." Keitarou offered her a warm smile. "Though I knew that before I asked. You're someone I believe in too - far more than even you realise, I think."
He patted her gently on the shoulders, then,
"I'm curious." He admitted. "Since I've heard many rumours, both good and bad about this District friend of your brother's. Is he, do you think, the kind of person who Hirata-sama would trust?"
"I…think so." Eiraki nodded. "Perhaps more than anyone else, in truth."
"Even though he isn't Clan? Or because of it?"
"I don't know." Eiraki admitted. "Perhaps both…in different ways. Ukitake-san is a nice person. He's honest…and he doesn't seem to have ulterior motives. So Nii-sama trusts him because of that. I don't hate Ukitake-san for being close to my brother, Kei-sama. I just…am not used to it."
"Have you seen the sword he carries? The one that's rumoured to be a zanpakutou?" Keitarou asked. Eiraki shrugged.
"In its sheath. Not drawn in my presence." She replied. "But I believe it to be genuine. Grandfather ratified it. It must be."
"Would he not, then, as Hirata-sama's ally, be willing to fight for our cause? With that sword…in Hirata-sama's name?"
"I…I don't know." Eiraki bit her lip. "It's a difficult question to ask anyone, but a virtual stranger…"
"Or perhaps it's something else." Keitarou faced her thoughtfully. "You said that Hirata-sama trusted him perhaps most of all. This letter, Eiraki – it isn't in Hirata-sama's possession, nor the hands of another Clan. But…could it not be…in the hands of the District boy?"
Eiraki's eyes widened, and Keitarou nodded, touching his finger to her lips before she could respond.
"Say nothing of it." He whispered. "I may be wrong, and do not wish to bring him into danger. I may already have been followed here – who knows how your cousin's mind works? But it is possible. It is very possible that this Ukitake-san holds the key to everything. So do not upset him, Eiraki-hime. Do as you should do and trust in your brother and his new friends. Stay close to him and to them – and I will return here soon as I can to help."
"You will come back?" Eiraki asked sadly, pushing his arm aside, and Keitarou nodded.
"I expect so. When I can." He agreed. But for now I must go and so must you. We both have much to do, even tonight."
"Tonight? At this hour?" Eiraki was surprised, and Keitarou nodded, slipping his fingers into his obi.
"Even this late." He agreed, and Eiraki thought she saw something silver glitter briefly in the moonlight.
"Kairaishi."
Keitarou murmured the words almost too softly for the hime to hear him, but even as she opened her lips to ask him what he'd said, she felt her body becoming slow and heavy, darkness flickering in from each corner of her vision as the black waves surged towards collision in the centre of her awareness. In the depths of her consciousness, she was aware that she was moving - perhaps reaching out to her fiancé, but she could not process that movement, and little by little she felt each of her senses dulling.
Had Mitsuki been right, then, in the end? Had she finally pushed beyond her limits?
This was the last thought she had as the night swept over her, casting her down into oblivion.
She had not fought against him at all.
Keitarou cupped his hand gently beneath Eiraki's chin, meeting her hazed blue eyes with his own pensive brown ones.
Well, my little princess. Now we'll see, I suppose...just how useful you can be to me.
He slid something from the folds of his cloak, taking her right hand in his and pressing the cloth-wrapped object carefully into her grip.
"This is something you'll need." he said softly, and though she didn't speak, he was aware of a flicker in her spirit level as she accepted the object without complaint.
Keitarou stood back, eying her for a moment.
She was still young, he knew. Too young to be of ultimate use to him yet. But even so, the way in which she had greeted him...
"That belief in me isn't going to be easily shattered, is it?" He whispered, patting her on the head absently. "Well, so much to the good. I've been thinking, you see, about the current situation. And whether throwing all my eggs into Seimaru's basket is really the safest path to take. If I have this much loyalty from you, I will have to work hard to keep it. Seimaru intends to kill you - but I can think of more reason to keep you alive. In two years, I might make good on this betrothal, after all. You should stay loyal to me - and do as I tell you. Do so, and I'll ensure you keep your life - does that seem a fair deal to you?"
She did not answer, and Keitarou knew that she could not hear him speak, for she was cloaked in his sword's dark spell. He smiled.
"The information you gave me is useful, even ensconced as it was in your childish homesickness and loneliness." He reflected. "You confirmed a missing link for me – it seems that Hirata trusts the Ukitake boy, whose sword Shouichi ratified and who Seimaru despises. This District boy is far too involved in all of this to be an innocent, so it may be that Seimaru will not let me keep him so long as I'd like. But if I'm right, at the very least, I know from this point how best to act. To keep Seimaru happy, and to keep my own self happy. And, of course, I must further our objectives. Yours and mine, perhaps, Eiraki-hime – even if you don't realise it yet."
He sighed, patting her on the head.
"But for now, this doesn't matter. We both have work to do." He reflected sadly. "For now, following Seimaru's script seems the safest path, regardless of what happens later."
He pulled a vial from the folds of his cloak, shaking it and glancing at the coloured liquid for a moment before returning it to its hiding place.
It shouldn't be hard to infiltrate a busy party full of people, not if I use kyakkou and cloak myself from sight. I'm used to working from the shadows – and everyone will be far too busy to notice me at this late stage of events. Alcohol flows freely in District Eight – that rumour was well known even when my Mother and Father were still of status enough to be seen at high society parties.
He grinned at her, shrugging his shoulders.
"I'll make it easy on you, after all – on both of us, as it happens, since I don't want any guardsmen interfering in what we do. I'll see to it that they take an early night – while you do the task I've charged you with."
His eyes narrowed.
Whether you succeed or not, Eiraki, bring me one thing and one thing in particular. Whether you achieve Seimaru's goals or you don't...make sure you don't fail mine. Bring the District boy back to me.
Eiraki turned as though he had spoken out loud, her empty azure eyes glittering soullessly in the moonlight, and Keitarou nodded.
"Go then." He murmured. "I'll be waiting for you. Bring him to me."
"I can't believe those two."
Sora let out a sigh, running her fingers through her thick dark hair, loosening it from its formal ties and letting the black waves fall across her shoulders as she shot her companion a rueful glance. It was late, and they had only just managed to slip away from the main hall, heading through the hallways of the rambling Kyouraku estate towards the elite guest rooms that the manor boasted.
"Throwing a gauntlet like that down before Shunsui is like giving a steak to a ravenous dog, and expecting him to sit there and leave it alone." Sora continued now. "And Haku-nii is just as bad. I swear, it doesn't matter if he's wearing a haori or he isn't these days. He's still as much of an idiot as ever. And when you get the two of them together!"
"Poor Sora." Mitsuki giggled, sending her friend a sympathetic look.
"They'd still be at it now if Ryuusei-nii hadn't stepped in and dragged Haku-nii away." Sora groaned. "God only knows what the rest of the Kyouraku think of it. They might forgive Shunsui the spectacle, but the Captain of Tenth Squad..."
She shook her head as if to clear it.
"You don't want brothers, Mi-chan. You should be glad you don't have any - they're more trouble than they're worth. Especially brothers who aren't really brothers!"
"Kyouraku-kun was holding his own quite well, though." Mitsuki reflected. "To be honest, I've never seen anything like it."
"Well, all I'm saying is this. I won't be sympathetic to either of them if they wake with hangovers." Sora said bluntly. "It's their problem. I'm having nothing to do with it - if they want to behave like children, well, let them!"
She tossed her head, and Mitsuki laughed, slipping her arm in her friend's as they turned onto the hallway which led to the Kuchiki girl's bed chamber.
"Still, it took your mind off today a little bit." She observed softly. "Getting mad at them meant you weren't moping over Tokutarou-sama, didn't it?"
"I suppose so." Sora sighed, looking sheepish. "I don't know how I feel about it, even now. I accept it - I'm not mad at anyone. But you're right. It's easier to yell at Shunsui and Haku-nii than it is to think about the other thing. I guess, with time, I'll get used to it...and it'll be normal to think that Tokutarou-nii is married. But...yeah. It was a good distraction."
She grinned.
"Maybe I should've been the one drinking, after all. Except Mother would have had plenty to say if I did - and she's plenty scary when she wants to be about the kind of image we Shiba put out when we're in District Eight."
"Only in District Eight?" Mitsuki asked innocently, slipping her fingers into her obi for the key to her door and sliding it into the lock.
Sora snorted, giving her friend a playful shove.
"You are getting far too mischievous, you know." She said ruefully. "When we first started at the Academy, you'd never have teased me like this. And what about you! You said that there's nothing between you and Juushirou, yet who were you sitting riiiiight up close to to listen to the music? Don't think I didn't notice."
Mitsuki flushed red.
"I suppose...a little." She admitted. "It was nice...that's all. And he looked...smart this evening. Really...almost like...I could imagine he was...somehow, Kuchiki-ke."
"You thought so too, huh?" Sora pursed her lips. "He did clean up nice, that's for sure. I don't know what orders Tokutarou-nii gave so as he wouldn't feel out of place, but he did a good job of it. Though the colours weren't Kuchiki, Mi-chan - so you'll have to think again."
"Ukitake Clan colours, perhaps." Mitsuki reflected. "Either way...he was...I liked it. And I...even though it can't really be anything other than just that, it was nice to spend this evening with him. Kind of. Like that."
"Well, he was staring at you a lot too, so that fits." Sora grinned. "You look real pretty too - I guess he noticed."
"He did say...something like that." Mitsuki pinkened. "But now you're teasing me. And it's late."
"It is." Sora sighed, stretching her arms over her head. "And I can't be bothered to walk all the way across to the suite of rooms where the rest of my Clan are staying. I'll just hear Ryuusei-nii lecturing Haku-nii and Mother coming down on them both like a ton of bricks. Can I bunk in with you tonight? It's not as though there isn't room, and I'd rather have been sharing with you from the start."
"I don't mind." Mitsuki shrugged, sliding open the door and stepping back to let her friend enter. "I'm not really tired, despite how late it is. I'm really glad I came, though - tonight was fun. Today was fun. And it was especially fun to share it with friends. I just wish Nao-chan had been here too. Then it would've been even better."
"Yeah." Sora dropped down onto a silk-covered cushion, reaching over to activate the kidou lamps with a touch of her finger. "But she's not the kind of person who regrets missing events, so she'll probably be completely unmoved when we tell her all about it."
She dimpled.
"You came, though. And that made it fun." She said warmly.
"Most fancy events I go to are Kuchiki ones, and I spend most of my time avoiding the Clansfolk who think I'm weird." Mitsuki pulled a face. "I'm not used to actually enjoying myself...it's a brand new sensation."
"Me either...but more for the reason that I'm expected to be pretty, poised and hime-rashiku for the whole evening when we have guests." Sora groaned. "And that's really not me. I'll be much happier wearing shihakushou and swinging a sword at monsters than being the Shiba hime, that's for sure. Okaasama gets away with it - but I can't, yet, and it's annoying."
"The more time we spend at the Academy, the more Clan shackles we begin to see, huh?" Mitsuki sank down onto her own bedcovers, crossing her legs and resting her chin in her hands. "I never thought about it before Guren-sama insisted I be sent to train - but now I see it more and more."
"Do you think they'll come around to it? You being a healer and not a fighter?" Sora questioned. Mitsuki shrugged.
"I don't know." She admitted. "To be honest, though I miss Otousama when I'm away, it's probably just as well I'm not home right now. Guren-sama may or may not feel it's the right thing, but there's always the risk that he might decide I'm better off married away somewhere, and I don't want to be around in a place to give him those ideas. Ryuu-kun might be old enough to make his own decisions - but I'm not yet."
"You've already made them, though. Just like me." Sora reflected, and Mitsuki nodded.
"I have." She agreed, a faint, wistful smile touching her lips. "More resolutely since the summer, in fact."
"Since the summer?" Sora looked quizzical. "Why? What happened during the summer?"
"Nothing particularly." Mitsuki shook her head hurriedly. "I just realised...that's all. That I wasn't going to just marry because I was told to."
Sora's eyes narrowed.
"You want to marry Juushirou." She said accusingly, and Mitsuki shrugged, glancing at her hands.
"Even if I did, what then?" She asked sensibly. "I can't, Sora. We both know that. Not right now, probably not ever. But..."
"But you've thought about it. Maybe...even discussed it with him." Sora deduced. "And probably scared him sky high, too. Juushirou's family aren't Clan, and all that kind of stuff probably doesn't get discussed with kids."
"He was startled. A little...taken aback." Mitsuki acknowledged. "But I wanted him to understand. Was I wrong, Sora? I know...after all. I can't change how I feel. I'm not going to feel like this again."
"You don't know that." Sora snorted. "I'm still in love with Tokutarou-nii, but I can't say I always will be. You can't say it, either. Not at the age you are now."
"No..." Mitsuki shook her head. "It's not like that. Sora, it's not...I can't explain it, but..."
She sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Maybe it's because I'm a healer." She reflected. "And I see and feel so deep into people's hearts and souls as a matter of course. But I know...that I'm tied to Juushirou in some way or other and that tie will never be broken. No matter how our relationship progresses or doesn't - if we stay close friends for the rest of existence, or are even separated - I know that it will always be this way. It's a bond...one that can't be broken. Everyone has those kinds of bonds with people - people who make a difference in their life. This one...is mine."
"You're really serious." Sora looked startled, and Mitsuki nodded her head.
"I am." She agreed. "Juushirou was the catalyst that pushed me into accepting what I was and pursuing my own path, after all. Meeting him, getting to know him and what he fights for...made me work out what I fight for, and how. And it made me realise what I want. I'm in love with him, true enough. I may or may not always feel this way - you're right that I can't know that for sure. But that I'll always be tied to him...that much I know. I just...do."
"Deep stuff." Sora reflected. "Although...I sort of feel that it's that way, too. With our class, at least. That all of us, no matter what we do or where we go - we've all shared experiences and we'll stay connected because of them. I don't think that's really happened before - but I like it. That my closest friends aren't Shiba-ke, and that they don't have to be, either. It's nice."
She grinned.
"Though I won't be fighting alongside you in the future, I'll still do my best." She added. "And maybe, if I get myself beaten up, you can come put me back together."
"Mm. It's a promise." Mitsuki laughed. "Without fail, I'll be there."
"It really is late." Sora cast a glance towards the window. "I suppose not many people will be awake come the dawn. Do you suppose breakfast will be served at all, or will they move right on till lunch?"
"No idea." Mitsuki admitted. "But you're right - I doubt many folk will be up and about at sunrise. Its not that kind of..."
She faltered, stopping mid-sentence, and Sora frowned, taking in the sudden look of consternation that crossed the other girl's gaze.
"Mi-chan? What is it?" She asked, and Mitsuki bit her lip, scrambling to her feet and moving across to the window.
"Mi-chan?" Sora repeated her friend's name, following suit and coming to stand alongside her, realising as she did so that her companion's body was suddenly wracked with tension and the laughter that had sparkled in the healer's soft grey eyes had completely disappeared.
"Something...out there." She murmured, and Sora frowned, brows knitting together as she gazed out into the black.
"Something? What kind of something? You'll have to be more specific - I don't understand?"
"Nor do I. Not really." Mitsuki shook her head, grabbing Sora by the hand and pulling her back towards the door of the room. "I just felt...something. Like a curtain being dropped across someone's soul - something dark and invasive and I didn't like it."
"Wait! What...where are we going!" As Mitsuki threw back the door, Sora struggled to break free of her companion's grip. "At least tell me that much?"
"Wherever it's coming from. That's where we're going." Came the cryptic answer. "There isn't time to stop here - Sora, whatever it was, it was dark and...and it felt evil. Like something had come and snatched someone's soul away...right here...in the grounds."
"Snatched their soul?" Sora's face paled, and Mitsuki nodded grimly.
"I can't explain it any other way." She murmured. "But I think...if we don't go there, something will happen. Something terrible and unchangeable...something bad. So we have to, Sora-chan. Please. Don't ask me any more questions. Just come with me, okay? Whatever it is...we have to try and stop it before something awful happens on Tokutarou-sama's wedding night!"
It had been a long night, yet Juushirou could not sleep.
With the excitement of the party and the events of the day, he had tossed and turned for a little while, too many thoughts running through his head as he reflected on everything he had seen and heard since Tokutarou's wedding had begun.
In the next bed, Hirata was fast asleep, having slipped into dreaming almost before his head had hit the pillow, and Juushirou had envied him the ease with which he had shed the day's excitements. Still, he did not begrudge his young friend his rest - Hirata had, after all, plenty to worry about when awake, and if he could grab a few hours respite, so much to the good.
At the very least, it seemed that the wedding had done that much for the young Endou - and Shunsui and Hakubei's resultant drinking contest had succeeded in distracted any and everyone from the more serious political issues that hung heavy over the Districts. It had been a good ceremony, and a fun time - yet it had proven to Juushirou once again that even robed as Clan, he would never quite be Clan.
Still, that's all right. Like that, it's okay. I don't have to be Clan to be friendly with them - I've proven that several times before. So in the end, it's better this way. Though I'm grateful for Tokutarou-sama inviting me - it was good of him, and I'm glad that he did.
A slight noise from the doorway made him start, turning his head on his pillow to see where the sound had come from. At first he could see nothing, yet all the hairs on the back of his neck began to rise and he bit his lip, wondering what had made him feel so suddenly uneasy. The shutters banged loose at the window, sending a chill breeze into the chamber, but despite the sudden drop in room temperature, Juushirou knew that there was something else amiss. It was more than the winter wind, more than the sound of owls hunting outside the Kyouraku estate. It was something darker...something more sinister. Something that he could not quite put his finger on.
Yet he was certain of one thing. Something was definitely wrong.
At that moment the cloud drifted away from the moon, bathing the sleeping Hirata in silvery light and Juushirou's eyes widened as he registered what had made him so uneasy. Standing over his friend's bed, cast in shadow and unrecognisable in the darkness was a hooded figure, a stiff, unmoving form staring down at him as if ascertaining that they had found the right person.
Juushirou froze.
Someone was in their room.
Someone had come there, unnoticed and unbidden...and despite the heightened Kyouraku security, they had managed to make it this deep into the house. Was it another guest? A sleepwalker, or someone having got lost in a drowsy, drunken daze as they tried to find their own quarters? Juushirou drew a breath into his lungs, trying to calm himself down. There were any number of reasons a stranger might have accidentally entered their room - yet his vocal chords froze as he tried to speak and somehow, deep down inside, he knew that whatever the reason, it was not an innocent one.
For a moment nothing in the chamber moved, then, as fragments of winter cloud began to make the moonlight patchy, the figure raised their arm purposefully over their head, a gauzy shred of the covering cloth falling unnoticed to the floor and Juushirou's blood ran cold as he realised what the individual was holding.
Clutched tight in the fingers of the hooded assailant was something that glinted in the moonlight, sharp and unforgiving in the blackened chamber. In the indistinct light Juushirou could just about make out the faintest of patterning - the blossoms that adorned it were the same as the Yuukirin flowers that Shunsui had shown them in the grounds some days before, and with a jolt Juushirou registered the significance of this.
Someone had come to their chamber, expecting them to be asleep.
Someone had come, bearing a weapon - a weapon with a sharp, silver blade and with an all too familiar monogram across the hilt.
A weapon meant to silence the exiled son of the Endou-ke once and for all.
A Kyouraku dagger.
Author's Note:
#1: Kirio. People who guessed...you were right! xD Well done. Cookies for all O.O.
#2: Happy new year to everyone! And yes, I did make it a cliffhanger knowing you'll have to wait till NEXT YEAR to find out what happens next! Mwahaha!!! Some things just never have happy endings....